I’ve talked about aging paper to bring a little more drama to the game table. Here is a technique for aging that I can’t recommend for safety purposes, but which I will nevertheless disgorge.

After following the normal paper aging process, simply apply fire.

Ok, perhaps not that simply. The idea is to scorch the edges of the paper, giving it a “saved from the fire” look. You can also (with great care and many failed attempts) burn holes into the document to erase portions of the message.

Before I go into the details of how, I have to warn you. You need to print your document FIRST. Printers do not like burned paper, so print it first. Have a completed document in your hand before scorching it.

Ok, so now you need a fire.

I recommend using a candle. You can use a match or a lighter, but this is delicate work that requires both hands and it can take a long time, so use a candle. The best candle of choice are plain white emergency candles. These are also the least expensive. You can get them at nearly any shopping center, Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Bi-Mart, etc.

Take your candle outside and light it. Find a place out of the wind, but this not something you want to do in your kitchen. There will be smoke, and there will also likely be fire. Do NOT attempt this near dry grass, dry trees, dry flowers, or dry vegetation of any kind. Do NOT attempt this on public property. Do NOT attempt this in the middle of a wheat field. Remember that your mother told you not to play with fire! If you are going to proceed then you are directly disobeying your mother and all the bad things she said would happen to you will happen to you.

Make sure the candle has a good steady flame.

Now hold the edge of the paper near the flame. Do not put it into the flame, just hold it close. The paper will begin to curl a bit and turn brown. If you keep holding it there eventually it will catch fire. If it does catch fire blow it out immediately. If you can’t blow it out because the fire is too big then drop it and stomp the fire out. Please note that if you are wearing 100% polyester clothing that you may in fact light your clothes on fire at this point.

Remember, playing with fire is quite frankly dangerous and it is entirely possible that you could be arrested. Plan accordingly.

Use the flame to lightly scorch the edges of the paper. You may want to experiment with burning off the corners to get a more rounded feel.

If you are really feeling brave, you can try scorching portions of the center of the page. Hold the paper directly over the flame. It will turn brown quickly. Do not hold the paper too close or it will catch fire. A word of caution here. It is much more difficult to blow out the fire if it is in the middle of the page.

There you have it. The finished product will have a few scorch marks and look remarkable worn.

DISCLAIMER: Depending on where you live, handling fire in this manner may in-fact be against the law. If you are unfamiliar with fire you should not attempt this. If you are a minor you should not attempt this. You can (and probably will) burn yourself and may (will) damage property.

Have fun at the game.

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Got an awesome map? How about a secret message you want to pass on to the party? Tired of scribbling something on a piece of scratch paper right after somebody says “I loot the bodies”?

Maybe you just would like to jazz up your pre-printed handouts.

Here are a few ideas.

Try changing your fonts. There are literally hundreds of awesome fonts out there that you can get for free. DaFont is among the best. Fonts range from hand-writing imitations to Old-English style print.

If you aren’t going to invest in buying or making specialty paper (see below), then download a good image of a scroll. A simple google image search for scroll will turn up something you can use. Paste it into the body of your document and set the properties to go behind the text. After you print it, cut the scrap of paper down to the scroll size. You can even tie them up nicely with a bit of ribbon if you print them out full page size.

Buy different paper. Paper comes in hundreds of different colors and textures. Take an afternoon to visit a specialty paper store, or take some time online to find one, and you will be well rewarded. You can find a thicker paper that already has an aged look to it. The majority of these papers are relatively inexpensive. For a few dollars you can buy enough to last you through any campaign.

You can also age your own paper. This is a fun project, particularly if you have younger children who want to help. Start with a decent grade of paper, 20 lb copier paper will work just fine. Don’t use notebook paper as the lines will still be there when you’re finished and that won’t look good.

1. Mix up a batch of your favorite brownish beverage (coffee, tea, hot cocoa, coke, etc.)
2. Place your paper in a square baking pan.
3. Dump said beverage over the paper.
4. Remove the paper from the beverage and place on a rack to dry.

You can dry the paper in the over, however use extreme caution here. The oven should never exceed 150 degrees Fahrenheit or it may combust. It is just as easy to leave it out for a few days until it dries.

The paper will curl and twist and generally feel aged. I like to dry mine in as much direct sunlight as possible.

Most printers will handle this paper just fine. Not every printer will, of course, so you may want to experiment with only one piece at a time, but most printers will. In most cases you will need to feed the printer one sheet at a time.

Be warned that if you print your handout or map or whatever first and then try to age your paper the ink may run. If you used an inkjet paper you will likely lose everything, so prepare the paper first.

Thanks, and enjoy the game!

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