Why RPG Adventures That Emulate a Movie Are a Bad Idea
You have just seen an amazing flick and now you want to run or play in an RPG event that captures that same feeling of intensity and dramatic tension as the film had. You want to recreate that wonderful plot and bring to life that incredible climactic event at your gaming table. You want your character to repeat the witty dialog and draw the same type of reactions that you felt while watching that star on the silver screen.
This might sound like a great idea, but it really is not. What you hope to accomplish with your RPG is actually going directly against what RPGs are designed to do. Here are some reasons why you should not try to emulate a movie with your RPG adventures or characters.
- Films are scripted. Long before the first scene is shot (plus many scenes for a film are shot out of order anyway) everyone knows how the film will begin, progress, and end. With an RPG only the GM has any idea as to how the plot will unfold, or to be more accurate how the plot was supposed to unfold. No script means you cannot predict what is going to happen in your game.
- Films may use multiple takes to get things right. Your RPG is being “shot, edited, and viewed” all in real time. Scene went poorly? Too bad, you have no cutting room floor to leave it behind on. Films have editors to compile all of those takes into the best film possible. With an RPG you have to “play it where it lies”.
- Films have large casts and crews. You have only yourself and your group, which is not a bad thing, but it is not the same thing. Not only does a film have more people involved, but the nature of each person’s role is unique. Some may contribute to the creative vision of the film, while others fulfill tasks as prescribed by others. With an RPG you and your group are all collaborating peers. Even the GM has no more say as to what the game is really about than any of the players do. It is your collaborative effort as peers that defines what the RPG is about.
- Films are static once finished, while RPGs are dynamic and never truly finished. Luke was going to blow up the Death Star in Star Wars no matter what, but in an RPG the player’s might have missed with a bad roll. Likewise, Darth Vader was going chop off Luke’s hand in The Empire Strikes Back, but in an RPG the player might have won that battle by killing Darth Vader. The potential for anything to happen in an RPG at any moment based upon the audience’s whim (in this case the group) is just not possible in a film at this time. This is the true strength of an RPG, and the main reason why you should not try to emulate exactly what you saw in a film at your game table.
Can films be a source of inspiration for your games? Absolutely! Is there anything wrong with playing an RPG in a setting designed around your favorite film? Certainly not. Films are a wonderful catalyst for many RPG events, and they sometimes bring a certain enthusiasm to the game as well.
Just understand that once you cross that line from watching a film to playing an RPG inspired by a film that the rules have changed. Being aware of that change and working within the new constraints that it imposes upon you and your group will only make your game experience better.
Ah, so what you’re saying is don’t try to run your game like you expect a film to run. A fair point, they are different types of media.
But there is another problem I’ve hit a few times thanks to exceptions that games happen like movies and it’s really emphasised in combat. You have players who want “realistic” and players who want movie-like action. But those that want “realistic” often based their assumptions on things they’ve picked up in the movies and assumed are realistic.
Classic example… a gun silencer does not actually make the gun shot silent, instead it messes up the sound so that you can’t tell where the gunshot came from. Useful at taking out guards in a forest and avoiding being instantly located, but not at being uber-stealthy. But still you’ll have a player that claims to want “realistic” but expect a silencer to block out all sound.
Mark Cunningham – “Realistic games” to me is a ridiculous thing to strive for, and I agree with you that what some people claim to be realistic is just based on the last piece of fiction that they indulged in.
I had a player who was never in the military tell another player who was a former soldier how certain military equipment works. Yep, the guy who had never fired a rifle was telling the guy who had been trained and had real world experience how rifles work. And it was all based upon what he had seen in movies. That was a humorous session as the ex-soldier just kept saying “Oh really? Please tell me more!” before finally telling the know-it-all his background and personal experience.
“Luke was going to blow up the Death Star in Star Wars no matter what, but in an RPG the player’s might have missed with a bad roll. ”
Fortunately, that’s why we have Fudge/Fate/Story/Hero/Action Points. When the dice fail us, we have a backup.
“Likewise, Darth Vader was going chop off Luke’s hand in The Empire Strikes Back, but in an RPG the player might have won that battle by killing Darth Vader.Likewise, Darth Vader was going chop off Luke’s hand in The Empire Strikes Back, but in an RPG the player might have won that battle by killing Darth Vader.”
Luke was pretty well getting his ass handed to him by Vader during that conflict, and I can see the Sith Lord being statted to the gills as opposed to to Luke. I figure Luke losing his hand would be him either being offered a Consequence or a Fate Point. XD (I’m playtesting a FATE game, so it’s on my mind)
Still, I do see your point. Besides, I’m not George Lucas or Quentin Tarantino or Steven Spielberg or whatever writer or director is out there. Movies do serve as great inspiration, but then you have to be yourself and run it like you would.
There’s an article at Fudge Factor that talks about building a game based off of movies, but after it begins, it can go anywere, right?
Mikelo – What if the player has used up all of their points? The dice don’t fail us. Sometimes, we just fail. And in the case of the Sith Lord fight, well the PC can always roll +4 (sometimes more than once). That is what makes RPGs so amazing. They are entertainment with risk for the audience built in.
Hi Patrick Benson, good points. I see the term “cinematic” used a lot to describe RPGs but I don’t understand what that means. Is that an attempt at emulating film? How do those games play? Thanks.
Kevin Richey – I will address that with tomorrow’s post as you are not the only person who is asking the question.
[…] By Patrick Benson | Published: January 14, 2011 In response to the feedback I got from the article Why RPG Adventures That Emulate a Movie Are a Bad Idea I want to address what we gamers means when we say that we want a “cinematic” game, as well as […]