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Message: <blockquote data-quote="hong" data-source="post: 1355456" data-attributes="member: 537">So anyway, I just saw Underworld for the second time last night, and this time the flaws that various people pointed out are more noticeable. The plot is full of holes, some big enough to drive Kate Beckinsale's Maserati through. The scenes in the mansion are just so much window dressing. The ammunition expenditure verges on the ludicrous. Speedman's Michael basically spends the whole movie as a hapless bystander; even in his climactic fight with Viktor, he doesn't exactly shine. The use of a sword in the final fight scene is incongruous, given the emphasis on gunfights in the rest of the movie, and KB looks like she doesn't have a clue which is the sharp end. None of the characters are particularly deep, and some are woefully underused (eg whatsername the blonde, Kraven's wannabe mistress).And yet I still thought the movie rocked on toast. I've been thinking about just why this is. Long ramble follows; why the heck I'm posting this is beyond me. Maybe it's because I HATE YOU ALL! Or something.I think it's because Underworld feels, to me, a LOT like an idealised RPG session put on film. Its priorities are very similar to what my priorities are, as a DM/GM. I don't put great emphasis on storyline; as long as events can be arranged into a semi-coherent sequence, that's good enough for me. Ditto for Underworld: there's nothing in here that hasn't been seen N times already, but since the same can be said for most of my adventures, I'm happy to let it slide.I also don't put great emphasis on complex characterisation. All I want is broad-brush stuff: Joe is the brooding loner, Bob is the stout fighter, Mary is the idealistic crusader, etc. Character development -- is that stuff like when you go from 3rd to 4th level? And again, Underworld is a bit like this. The characters aren't _completely_ vacuous, but we're not talking James Joyce here.What I DO want in a game is action in spades, featuring characters whose exploits are larger than life. I don't just mean tactical wargaming, with maps and minis etc (although I'll use them). I mean fast, furious action, where the stunts, atmosphere and adrenalin are sufficient to make people forget about the shortcomings mentioned above. And on this count, Underworld delivers. The action sequences are some of the best I've seen for a while, and if I could capture that feel in a game, I'd beable to die happy. The cinematography and soundtrack all contribute to that vibe; whatever vampires may be, you know that they're more than just human.And of course, there's Kate. Personally, in my games I prefer characters who kick butt and take names, but are more than just psychotic killers. A violent character who exists only to be violent is just a munchkin, as far as I'm concerned. Selene may be a killer, but KB does a good enough job of convincing me that the character still has a soul (metaphorically speaking, at least). The fact that she's a knockout in black vinyl also doesn't hurt, but isn't a requirement of PCs IMC. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />Now let's see what I definitely DON'T want in a game. I DON'T want lots of NPCs mouthing platitudes or getting deep into pseudo-philosophical waffle. The Matrix had action in spades, but it kept getting its head stuck up its fundament on this count. While Underworld takes itself seriously, it also doesn't take things so seriously that it gets bogged down.I DON'T want NPCs overshadowing the PCs. The main characters should be more interesting than the supporting cast, and so it is with Underworld. Selene basically carries the movie, and that's what I want to see. Michael is a bit of a loser, but that's what happens when you're a Real Roleplayer thrust into a Real Man's game (cf Real Men, Real Roleplayers, Loonies and Munchkins). He does well enough in the scenes where it matters, as does Lucien.I DON'T want a game that's self-consciously a parody. I don't have a problem with funny stuff in a game, and I'm quite capable of making up my own humour on the spot. For that, though, I need source material that plays things straight; I'll probably never play something like Hackmaster or Toon, for instance. Again, this is basically what Underworld is like. The black-trenchcoat look is something that would be very easy to lampoon, but to its credit, it doesn't do that. No, it lets me do it myself, which is very gracious indeed. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />Hmm.</blockquote>

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