Author Topic: TV to inspire  (Read 1659 times)

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Josh

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TV to inspire
« on: May 03, 2008, 05:00:14 AM »
Zeke learned how to develop an RPG plot while watching ER.  TV show can inspire gamers in a number of ways, most of all through accessibility.  So what TV shows can teach, and what do they teach?

My First show is "Burn Notice" on USA: http://www.usanetwork.com/series/burnnotice/

The charm of this show to a gamer is its structure (scheme)

There is an overarching plot, Michael attempting to overturn his burn (his disbarment as a spy).  Along the way he has jobs (adventures) that he must overcome.  The other characters have their own intertwining motivations.  What GMs cam learn is how to use a series of adventures to structure an overall plot. 

For example Michael is trying to track down the people who are after him.  So he needs his mother to tell him about some guys who came to her house.  Only she needs Michael to help a friend of hers.

For players it is a good example of how to deal with complications.  None of the plans go exactly as intended, but the characters deal with it.

Another interesting thing is the amount restraint towards violence the characters exhibit.  And unlike many other shows this restraint seems appropriate.

What are some other shows?
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Meg

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Re: TV to inspire
« Reply #1 on: May 03, 2008, 12:59:00 PM »
I mentioned it on an episode of the podcast, but I've got to go with Supernatural.

On the surface, it's a Monster of the Week show.  And sometimes, the plots are blatant rip-offs of other horrors, which is ok to do in a game once in a while.  We're all fans of Sci-Fi/Fantasy and once in a while it's fun to replay some of our favorites.  It eases the pressure on the GM.  Don't copy everything, and not even so it's terribly obvious, but inspiration is a great way to get stories. 

I think Supernatural lends itself well to gaming in a couple of ways:

It explores a ton of supernatural legends and creatures and really brings them to life. Ok, so there's a shapeshifter... but did you think about what happens to its skin when it changes form? Or how it can assume the shape of someone nearby? Nice details that could really play out well in a game.

I also think the format is how a great game of any genre should be- weekly adventures with a very broad connecting feature that let the PC's go in a lot of directions while still staying in the scope of the overall plan, but the characters have well laid out goals and motivations. Sam and Dean, especially in Season 1, do the same thing but for really different reasons, and that is shown really well. There is an overarching plot that is dealt with well too- about every other episode advances it in some way to keep it alive and in the forefront of the PC's attention.

It would be a good study for a new DM I think.
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Tevish Szat

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Re: TV to inspire
« Reply #2 on: May 22, 2008, 05:01:56 PM »
Stargate: SG-1 and Firefly have been great inspirations for Planescape and Spelljammer campaigns