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Over-the-top fight sequences

Lelldorianx

First Post
How do you guys handle over-the-top fight sequences? My group is currently playing in a superfluous piracy setting with just as many hilarious moments as there are serious moments. That said, Pirates of the Caribbean and Three Musketeers-esque movies have been a major source of inspiration. However, how do you guys create your own obstacle-oriented or city-based fight sequences without ripping off a movie? What are some fun obstacles that can be used for a fight scene that create a memorable locale?

Specifically, this made me want to post the thread you're reading:

YouTube - PotC Scene - Dead Man's Chest Fight (Part 1)
 

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It's actually pretty easy:

1) Keep the rules light. "I hit, you miss" is better than any sort of complex system with multiple combat options.

2) Let players describe their own actions. Better yet, let them gain bonuses for doing crazy stunts and the like.

3) Keep scene descriptions fairly light, while at the same, shine in on important details. If there's a chanderlier, mention it twice. Don't go overboard into detail. At the same time, let players know they can add scenery as they see fit.

4) If PCs add scenery, LET THEM. Don't stop them unless it's absolutely important. Sure, it might not make sense for there to be a fire juggler on the city street performing, but don't let logic get in the way when a PC wants to throw a stick of fire at that guy doused in gasoline. Besides, you can bet your butt that performer would have been there in the movie version of your game.

5) Let NPCs do crazy stunts, but if they're minions, don't ever let them be creative. Only villains should be creative, and when they are, they are just like NPCs. Minions need to die - spectacularly.

6) Encourage movement. If a PC stands still, you can hit them with in-game penalties (getting surrounded) or with mechanical penalties ("You get a -1 to attack rolls if you don't move" or some such).

7) Dialogue, Dialogue, Dialogue! NPCs should talk to the PCs. They should taunt. If they're allies, they need to have banter. Write down some crazy lines... even if you steal them from movies you like. "This is your idea of a rescue?" your princess might ask. And then your players get the satisfaction of pointing towards another player and saying "he's the brains, sweetheart".

Do that a few times, and I guarantee at least one player will get into the swing of it and have a ball.

8) Don't punish your Players for trying stuff. Even if the jump DC is realistically pretty high, cut it down. For every time you say "no", make sure you're saying "yes" at least three times. Because if don't, you're effectively training the players against taking the actions you want them to take.

9) Avoid realism like the plague. Even if something doesn't necessarily make sense, go with it. Unless it's an obvious anachronism that someone watching the movie would question ("Why is that pirate ship in a desert!?", run with what PCs suggest. Just give them better bonuses if it makes more sense within the setting you described. It will get them being more creative, not less creative.

10) Talk quickly. Use your arms to make gestures. Better yet, play while standing. Don't let the game ever get bogged down. Let the players describe the result of their actions, rather than you.

11) Schedule a game with fewer combats, but make all of those combats important. Just like in a movie.
 


[MENTION=40177]Wik[/MENTION]: Those are some pretty awesome ideas. I particularly love #4. We just finished a battle in a marketplace, there would have been an abundance of opportunities there (one of my players decided to knife the ropes of an awning to blind a large brute). I'll probably steal the idea to allow them to create scenery, that'll take the burden off of planning. I probably wouldn't do the penalty for non-movement, seeing as some players prefer that style (and it burdens the game with additional rules); but I might consider something more obvious, like the surrounding trick.

I absolutely agree with DMing while standing, I used to do that a lot more -- I'll have to get back to it again. Do you think miniatures aid the process of high-combat or hinder it?

We're playing Savage Worlds, so that makes combat naturally inclined to be faster... I'll just have to make sure I do my part of keeping the number of enemies manageable. Should I let the players describe the death of their opposing minions? Or should I describe that? If someone kills a minion by the hair of their neck, it would seem that a fantastic death isn't appropriate; however, if it makes it more fun without becoming tiring.. .I'd be all for it. Thanks!!

[MENTION=87792]Neonchameleon[/MENTION] - Sounds like a very narrative approach. I'll look at those for the next game and see what's up :)
 

I absolutely agree with DMing while standing, I used to do that a lot more -- I'll have to get back to it again. Do you think miniatures aid the process of high-combat or hinder it?

Honestly? They'd probably hinder it if PCs have to worry about absolute positioning. However, if it's just a rough sketch, and you're trying to show who is in what area, they can help. Just avoid using rulers or any sort of scale - players should be able to pick up a mini and just move it to wherever, so long as it's within reason.

We're playing Savage Worlds, so that makes combat naturally inclined to be faster... I'll just have to make sure I do my part of keeping the number of enemies manageable. Should I let the players describe the death of their opposing minions?

Always you. And you should start this by saying something like "You killed it. How does it die?" and let the player explain it. At first, they may take some time figuring this out, but once the game gets going, they'll love it.

Or should I describe that? If someone kills a minion by the hair of their neck, it would seem that a fantastic death isn't appropriate; however, if it makes it more fun without becoming tiring.. .

Why not just say "The minion barely died, keep your description appropriate"? Or you can alternate. If you get a kill with a raise, the player gets to describe the kill and can make it crazy and awesome (and maybe can get some ingame bonus - the minion doesn't just fall off that cliff, but he bumps another minion, automatically making him shaken next round). If it's a normal kill, the player gets to describe the kill, but it's just an "okay" kill. And if it's the bare minimum, you describe the kill, and can include some sort of negative effect in the game (the minion knocks over a gas lamp, and now the place is starting to burn down!)
 

Give all the characters the Flynn Effect shtick from Tales from the Floating Vagabond. It allows a character to simply reach out and grab hold of a curtain, vine, rope, chandelier or whatever and swing away from danger or into action.
 

Sometimes the players want to rip off a scene from a movie, meaning they think something they have seen in a movie would perfectly fit the situation they are in with some minor imaginative tinkering. In that case, I say encourage it. Referring to movies, books, tv shows, etc can be a great resource for players and DMs if used appropriately.

It is hard to make every scene of your game unique, sometimes it is better to make sure that all of the players are on the same page with what is going on in the scene through the use of a good reference.
 

Wik's covered things pretty well (...must spread experience around...); I would add

A) Bad guys shouldn't fight to the death; let them run away, or even better, surrender en masse, at a dramatically appropriate moment.
My NPCs tend to suck anyway, due to persistent dice lice (my dice as GM are notoriously worse then the same dice when I'm playing); most sentient bad guys can tell when they're just plain gonna lose - and if surrendering means they can live another day to hatch fiendish plots, so much the better. Makes more opportunity for dialgoue and role-play when the PCs deal with a vanquished foe. Note: do *not* have the bad guys immediately break any deals, or else the PCs won't let anyone surrender form then on. Let things linger for a while; give the villains a chance to stew in jail or in exile before they come back to plague the heroes. Only absolute fanatics and mindless automatons should need to be killed before they stop.

As far as stealing from movies, there's no reason not to; they're the common reference point for most adventure imagery these days, more than novels or paintings. Invoking various scenes and tropes can be a tool for the GM to enhance and guide the action, as well as a source of inspiration for creating adventures.
 

Best Sword fight ever.

Here is the the sort of fights you can have if you listen to the advice from wik - the climactic fight scene from Scaramouche. A classic.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFhfKcwbw5k]YouTube - Scaramouche Best Sword Fight Scene Ever Period 1952[/ame]

The choreography in this fight has been referenced in so many films.

(For Amber fans, this is also the perfect example of Warfare vs Endurance.)
 
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explosions that throw people around the battlefield

for pirate era, run a chase sequence through a city, but have the combatants be in carts pulled by horses. I've done it a few times, it was cool
 

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