Episode 1: Serenity
I'm watching through the TV shows that I feel most inspired by to try to figure out specific techniques I'll need to focus on in order to emulate the kinds of stories I want to tell in my gaming. I'm starting with Firefly.
*****
So the episode starts off with a scene from the past. The Battle of Serenity Valley. This scene establishes the relationship between Mal and the alliance (antagonism, with a hint of defeat), between him and Zoe (her loyalty to, and trust in, him), and even hints at a religious twinge to him at that time (his crusifix, religious metaphors). In the games I run/play, I'd like to cary that over. Not just the flashbacks, but that the scene only serves purpose to establish those relationships. In carrying this over to an RPG, I'd like to have a scene to establish past relationships when a new character or organization is brought in. I imagine it like the scenes in fiasco, where the scene establishes the existance of the entity, and then the players play out the interactions of their own characters with the entity.
Really the whole episode serves to establish the relationships of the major players. In a campaign I'd like to spend the first session doing that. More often the assumption the groups I have been in have jumped right into play with the first session, but I'd like to take a slower approach. Have more scenes that don't have to end with a resolution, that just establish relationships and then move to the next scene.
I also liked that rather than following a step by step trail of "this is what the characters do to achieve their goals" it jumped right to the scenes that mattered. I used to be interested (curious about) playing a game where you followed the day-to-day lives of (for instance) shadowrunners, but it's not a style of play I really have much interest in pursuing, and I'd explicitly like to NOT do that in the games that I play.
*****
So the episode starts off with a scene from the past. The Battle of Serenity Valley. This scene establishes the relationship between Mal and the alliance (antagonism, with a hint of defeat), between him and Zoe (her loyalty to, and trust in, him), and even hints at a religious twinge to him at that time (his crusifix, religious metaphors). In the games I run/play, I'd like to cary that over. Not just the flashbacks, but that the scene only serves purpose to establish those relationships. In carrying this over to an RPG, I'd like to have a scene to establish past relationships when a new character or organization is brought in. I imagine it like the scenes in fiasco, where the scene establishes the existance of the entity, and then the players play out the interactions of their own characters with the entity.
Really the whole episode serves to establish the relationships of the major players. In a campaign I'd like to spend the first session doing that. More often the assumption the groups I have been in have jumped right into play with the first session, but I'd like to take a slower approach. Have more scenes that don't have to end with a resolution, that just establish relationships and then move to the next scene.
I also liked that rather than following a step by step trail of "this is what the characters do to achieve their goals" it jumped right to the scenes that mattered. I used to be interested (curious about) playing a game where you followed the day-to-day lives of (for instance) shadowrunners, but it's not a style of play I really have much interest in pursuing, and I'd explicitly like to NOT do that in the games that I play.