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<blockquote data-quote="Wik" data-source="post: 5115237" data-attributes="member: 40177">Firefly has always struck me as a western version of Shadowrun - only, instead of corporations hiring the PCs, it's criminals and smugglers (and yes, I know those people hire Shadowrunners too, so don't bother mentioning it!).&nbsp; keep reliance on gear to a minimum, don't be afraid to houserule, and play the game fast and loose.&nbsp; And if you've seen the show, you'll know that the characters get shot pretty often - and it hurts.&nbsp; In the pilot, I think all but three or four of the nine-person crew wound up with a bullet wound or something.&nbsp; Really, though, the key is plot points.&nbsp; Remember that PCs get disadvantages, which give them advantages (oo!&nbsp; Fun stuff!).&nbsp; However, the neat thing to Serenity is that those disadvantages can also be invoked by the player or GM to get more plot points!&nbsp; So, really, disadvantages actually wind up being a good thing to have - plus, they make the game more fun.&nbsp; I think a good rule of thumb is to invoke one PC's disadvantage per scene/encounter (and really, I think it's better to think of things as &quot;Scenes&quot; in Serenity, as opposed to &quot;encounters&quot;).&nbsp; Also, those failing rolls can make the game seem kind of swingy.... but coupled with plot points and the fact that a group is usually present, and it should be okay.&nbsp; Provided the PCs aren't seriously flubbing rolls all the time.&nbsp; But I think it's a good idea to try to avoid hinging your scene's success on one or two rolls - just like in D&amp;D.&nbsp; And it's also probably a good idea to avoid describing all the failed die rolls as &quot;failures&quot;, lest you cause the heroes to look like the three stooges.&nbsp; Instead, I'd describe them as &quot;near successes&quot;, or &quot;You would have succeeded, but...&quot;.&nbsp; For example, in one episode, Wash is trying to escape an alliance craft, and does some tricky flying to evade the pursuing ship by diving down into a series of canyons.&nbsp; After nearly avoiding smashing into the walls of the canyon, he is thrilled because NO ONE could POSSIBLY have followed him... only to realize that the other ship never bothered going into the canyon, and instead stayed above, watching the Firefly's crazy acrobatics.&nbsp; In game terms, I'd say it was a failed piloting roll - without resorting to the ship smashing into the wall and killing everyone.And, like the series, Serenity isn't all about action.&nbsp; There should be maybe one or two high action scenes per &quot;episode&quot;.&nbsp; If you run a serenity game like a D&amp;D game, you'll just wind up with a lot of dead PCs.&nbsp; A bank heist, for example, might involve a shootout, but it should also involve NPC interrogation, skullduggery, backroom contacts, banter between PCs, and thrillin' heroics.&nbsp; Don't be afraid to go into TV talk, either.&nbsp; Much like the old d6 star wars game, you will actually enhance the game if you start dealing in cinematic terms.&nbsp; Rather than describing a character, tell them which actor is playing him.&nbsp; Use terms like &quot;Fade to black&quot; and &quot;pan to left&quot;.&nbsp; &quot;Zoom in&quot; on objects in the villain's hands.&nbsp; And there is absolutely nothing wrong with using flashbacks or cutting to a scene in which no PC is present (the PCs' ship lands in a field, and then we flash to some backwoods type skinning a rabbit making ominous comments).&nbsp; And then.... &quot;Cut to credits&quot;.If you really want, you could even schedule in &quot;commercial breaks&quot;, but that might be taking it a bit far.&nbsp; But you could definitely try to arrange your game so that it follows a TV act structure.&nbsp; This will take some time to get down, but it will really help the tone of the setting if you're able to tackle it.Finally, try to end each &quot;episode&quot; with at least something unresolved, while tying up the majority of the plot - this will really help keep the flavour of the setting.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Wik, post: 5115237, member: 40177"] Firefly has always struck me as a western version of Shadowrun - only, instead of corporations hiring the PCs, it's criminals and smugglers (and yes, I know those people hire Shadowrunners too, so don't bother mentioning it!). keep reliance on gear to a minimum, don't be afraid to houserule, and play the game fast and loose. And if you've seen the show, you'll know that the characters get shot pretty often - and it hurts. In the pilot, I think all but three or four of the nine-person crew wound up with a bullet wound or something. Really, though, the key is plot points. Remember that PCs get disadvantages, which give them advantages (oo! Fun stuff!). However, the neat thing to Serenity is that those disadvantages can also be invoked by the player or GM to get more plot points! So, really, disadvantages actually wind up being a good thing to have - plus, they make the game more fun. I think a good rule of thumb is to invoke one PC's disadvantage per scene/encounter (and really, I think it's better to think of things as "Scenes" in Serenity, as opposed to "encounters"). Also, those failing rolls can make the game seem kind of swingy.... but coupled with plot points and the fact that a group is usually present, and it should be okay. Provided the PCs aren't seriously flubbing rolls all the time. But I think it's a good idea to try to avoid hinging your scene's success on one or two rolls - just like in D&D. And it's also probably a good idea to avoid describing all the failed die rolls as "failures", lest you cause the heroes to look like the three stooges. Instead, I'd describe them as "near successes", or "You would have succeeded, but...". For example, in one episode, Wash is trying to escape an alliance craft, and does some tricky flying to evade the pursuing ship by diving down into a series of canyons. After nearly avoiding smashing into the walls of the canyon, he is thrilled because NO ONE could POSSIBLY have followed him... only to realize that the other ship never bothered going into the canyon, and instead stayed above, watching the Firefly's crazy acrobatics. In game terms, I'd say it was a failed piloting roll - without resorting to the ship smashing into the wall and killing everyone. And, like the series, Serenity isn't all about action. There should be maybe one or two high action scenes per "episode". If you run a serenity game like a D&D game, you'll just wind up with a lot of dead PCs. A bank heist, for example, might involve a shootout, but it should also involve NPC interrogation, skullduggery, backroom contacts, banter between PCs, and thrillin' heroics. Don't be afraid to go into TV talk, either. Much like the old d6 star wars game, you will actually enhance the game if you start dealing in cinematic terms. Rather than describing a character, tell them which actor is playing him. Use terms like "Fade to black" and "pan to left". "Zoom in" on objects in the villain's hands. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with using flashbacks or cutting to a scene in which no PC is present (the PCs' ship lands in a field, and then we flash to some backwoods type skinning a rabbit making ominous comments). And then.... "Cut to credits". If you really want, you could even schedule in "commercial breaks", but that might be taking it a bit far. But you could definitely try to arrange your game so that it follows a TV act structure. This will take some time to get down, but it will really help the tone of the setting if you're able to tackle it. Finally, try to end each "episode" with at least something unresolved, while tying up the majority of the plot - this will really help keep the flavour of the setting. [/QUOTE]

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