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Need some Help with Cut Scenes
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<blockquote data-quote="Varianor Abroad" data-source="post: 4867388" data-attributes="member: 12425"><p>Two types of cut scenes: Informational and Participation Required. The latter can incorporate information transfer as well as the former, but it's more work. Dream sequences are a classic gaming example of a cut scene. I find that you need a good flavor reason for the transition, or you need to explain it out of game. The Participation Required ones include examples like time travel or the aforementioned orc warrior scenario. I prefer the latter. Piratecat already gave a good dissertation on the former.</p><p></p><p>I think there are three key things to Participation Required cut scenes:</p><p>1. Preparation - have the sheets for the PCs to use ready to go.</p><p>2. Duration - Ideally, it should be short, max one hour hour session. Better to be just the length of one encounter since it lets the PCs return to their comfort zone. </p><p>3. Justification - Why are you doing it? Does it enhance the flavor, the plot, the information gathering, or just let the PCs do something cool? If it doesn't, consider the Information scene or just drop it.</p><p></p><p>Good examples of cut scenes that I learned from Wolfgang Baur are flashbacks to earlier times. He has some in Castle Shadowcrag where the PCs go back in time as somewhat ghostly figures who can still influence the past to get a better result for the present. It is story-related of course.</p><p></p><p>My own favorite method I use mainly in convention games. I run a flashback from the pregen PCs own past. Example: They are all 8th level PCs in pursuit of a thief in the dessert. I might say, "Do you all remember when you faced an old hag in the Marshes of Morrai?" Then I hand out 5th level sheets and a water-based encounter board instead. It's fun, it changes it up, and if you tie whatever they do into the rest of the game, it's great. (Be prepared with a backup plan in case of a TPK. "It was all a dream.")</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Varianor Abroad, post: 4867388, member: 12425"] Two types of cut scenes: Informational and Participation Required. The latter can incorporate information transfer as well as the former, but it's more work. Dream sequences are a classic gaming example of a cut scene. I find that you need a good flavor reason for the transition, or you need to explain it out of game. The Participation Required ones include examples like time travel or the aforementioned orc warrior scenario. I prefer the latter. Piratecat already gave a good dissertation on the former. I think there are three key things to Participation Required cut scenes: 1. Preparation - have the sheets for the PCs to use ready to go. 2. Duration - Ideally, it should be short, max one hour hour session. Better to be just the length of one encounter since it lets the PCs return to their comfort zone. 3. Justification - Why are you doing it? Does it enhance the flavor, the plot, the information gathering, or just let the PCs do something cool? If it doesn't, consider the Information scene or just drop it. Good examples of cut scenes that I learned from Wolfgang Baur are flashbacks to earlier times. He has some in Castle Shadowcrag where the PCs go back in time as somewhat ghostly figures who can still influence the past to get a better result for the present. It is story-related of course. My own favorite method I use mainly in convention games. I run a flashback from the pregen PCs own past. Example: They are all 8th level PCs in pursuit of a thief in the dessert. I might say, "Do you all remember when you faced an old hag in the Marshes of Morrai?" Then I hand out 5th level sheets and a water-based encounter board instead. It's fun, it changes it up, and if you tie whatever they do into the rest of the game, it's great. (Be prepared with a backup plan in case of a TPK. "It was all a dream.") [/QUOTE]
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