Episodic Games Thinktank...

cybernetic

Explorer
I've been plotting out my next campaign (a modern game using Monte Cook's World of Darkness) and pretty much set about setting it up much like a TV show. I plan on running it as a series with episodes and such. I thought it would be somewhat interesting to start a thread for descussion on running these types of games (episodic), regardless of the setting or game you are running.

This thread is meant to throw around ideas, resources, concepts, and general advise for running a campaign like a TV show.

Some ideas I have started putting together for my campaign (which starts this Sunday) are as follows:

CUT SCENES
I plan on implementing a Cut Scenes at the beginning, and sporadically throughout the episodes, to give players metagame knowledge and enjoyment- much like TV shows do. For instance, they might be "meanwhile" scenes showing other things going on that are relavent to the plot or Introductory scenes before the "title credits" which set up a plot.

I plan on running them as such: Put together NPCs with thier relevent stats, motivations, personality, directions on cards and give them to the players to actually play out these scenes. I think it works much better when their active in the scene as opposed to just describing the cut scene for them.

STORY SCENES
Story Scenes are special round based constructs that I use to help managed storyline, much like a combat. (It escpecially works well when the group is split up). Basically, Story initiative is rolled (1d20 + GM specified Mods id the GM wishes) for each character (or group of characters if the party is split into groups) and then play proceeds on the Story Initiative count. Each round would be variable in time determined at the start of the Story Initiative (i.e. 10 minutes, 20 minutes, Half-Hour, Hour, etc.). Actions can be resolves by the primar Checks needed in those situations (Scene Montages can be done with a series of Checks in a round or rounds).
 

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I really like the idea of story initiative.

As for resources, I've read that the Buffy RPG and Decipher's Star Trek Narrator's Guide are both excellent resources for a campaign paced like a TV-series.

Another resource that I've read and like is an article titled Run Emmy Winning Campaigns. I think it's in Dragon 193, and was written by Robin Laws. It presents a framework for employing tv-series/episodic models when desiging and evolving a campaign.

You can probably find a setting or series bible on two online somewhere for inspiration as well.

And, if you're developing a setting for the campaign, then is thread has an interesting idea:
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=207862

The early Dungeon Craft articles by Ray Winninger are also good for setting design (as opposed to campaign design).
 

Go buy Primetime Adventures right now.

Even if you just read it or play it once with the same characters as your main MCWoD campaign, there's a ton of stuff in that book that is perfect for what you're trying.

The game is non-d20 and uses playing cards as a resolution mechanic, but it opened up my design horizons in a big way. It's put out by a company called Dog Eared Designs.

http://www.dog-eared-designs.com/games.html
 

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