[Irk rather than Rant]: "Cinematic"

[Atavar]

Hello Everyone,

Does anyone else feel a little tired of the word "cinematic?"

Ever since I remember Eberron being announced to the public, one of the most-used words to describe it is "cinematic."

Now, it's a fine word. I hear it in other contexts. For me, it brings to mind such things as the slow-motion action sequences from The Matrix.

But enough already. It feels like some marketing guy was asked "describe this new widget in one word or less" and he came up with "cinematic." Perhaps that word does describe Eberron quite well, but for some reason I am tired of hearing it over and over again.

Or maybe I'm jealous that I didn't use a word like "cinematic" in my own one-page proposal.

Later,

Atavar

P.S. I AM planning to get Eberron and hope to enjoy it immensely. I'll be counting the number of times "cinematic" is used, though....

A.

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"Go Pistons!" -- Me

 

[Crothian]

Frankly since I've never read anything on the setting I didn't know it was being described that way. I don't think a setting can be cinematic, though. Cinematic to me would rely soley on the DM. It would be up to him to describe things in such a way to get that type of feel.

 

[Faraer]

Yes. There's a vast range of cinematic styles, so it's not a descriptive word in that sense. Once a word starts being used in that fossilized way, it stops being good language and starts being cant. Just the same with 'gritty'.

 

[billd91]

Cinematic? ALL role playing games are cinematic. You get to do completely outlandish things that we otherwise get to see only in the movies. Where else are you going to see a swordsman get 4+ attacks in about 6 seconds against a monster with 10 heads?
Some RPGs just try a little harder than others to encourage real cinematic-style action like firing two pistols simultaneously (a John Woo trademark), super-flashy martial arts actually used in a fight, and busty women in skimpy armor or other bits of odd chainmail running around with swords. But they all have elements of it, including abilities that are truly improbable (or even impossible) to pull off in the real world.

 

[Chunklets]

Hello Everyone,

...

Ever since I remember Eberron being announced to the public, one of the most-used words to describe it is "cinematic."

...

Later,

Atavar

Does this mean we're going to have to sit, our feet glued to the floor with centuries-old soda-pop, through 45 minutes of ads and previews any time we want to have a game set in Eberron? Just wondering, 's all...

 

[MerakSpielman]

I don't like the term "cinematic."

I don't try for a "cinematic" "feel" to my games.

It's always bugged me that people try to make their games "cinematic" by allowing ridiculous things to work. But I guess people can play D&D however they want.

 

[JPL]

Cinematic is perhaps not the most helpful adjective...but it's a start.

I use "cinematic" to mean that putting the heroes and their story front and center is more important than realism, or a metaplot, or anything else.

The guiding principle becomes not "What would logically happen next?" or "What would the real-world consequences be?", but rather, "If this were a movie, how would it play out?"

To some extent, you could say this approach is hardwired into the game [escalating hit points, for example]. Hero points, used in Eberron, kick it up a notch.

If DM and players all share a common vision of the game as "cinematic", even 1st level dungeon crawls can take on a different flavor...maybe not Indiana Jones just yet, but at least "Goonies."

 

[derverdammte]

"Cinematic" is one of the new RPG industry buzzwords, that's all. Eventually the marketing people will get as sick of it as we all are.

 

[Desdichado]

Yes. There's a vast range of cinematic styles, so it's not a descriptive word in that sense. Once a word starts being used in that fossilized way, it stops being good language and starts being cant. Just the same with 'gritty'.

How so? I think both cinematic and gritty have very clearly recognized meanings, even if the derivation of those meanings is a bit dodgy, in regards to RPGs.

For example, if I told someone that I was going to run Call of Cthulhu only more cinematic than standard, I think everyone would know what to expect, if nothing else because of the juxtoposition of a game that is patently not cinematic (at least in terms of how people use that word in regards to RPGs.)

Same thing if I said I wanted to run a gritty game of Exalted.

To pick a more middle of the road game, like D&D and apply either cinematic or gritty similarly has a very clear meaning.

Sure, there's a lot of disagreement on how cinematic or gritty a game needs to be to truly be considered cinematic or gritty, but that doesn't mean that the terms have become useless.

 

[jodyjohnson]

The guiding principle becomes not "What would logically happen next?" or "What would the real-world consequences be?", but rather, "If this were a movie, how would it play out?"

I think that nails it, and that's definately not how I have tended to run games. They tend to be logic and consequences all the way. As a player I think I'd prefer the order in reverse - good story, then consequences, and a passing nod to logic.