Tv & rpgs

[Diamond Cross]

When watching TV shows, do you often compare them to a gaming session?

And do you compare the show's situation and responses to how your players might react?

Here's what I mean. let's take Buffy The Vampire Slayer. In one episode a demon has the entire town and the main characters singing as though they were in a musical. The actual episode title is called "Once More With Feeling".

When I compare that episodes' scenario to how the players might react, well, with the players I gamed with I don't think it would be possible to get them to sing. Singing should only be left up to the professionals (which to them meant speed metal btw).

So, do you do this kind of thing?

 

[Nagol]

I sometimes compare them to a gaming session - it particularly catches my attention as if it feels like an adaptation of such a session.

For example, the movie Event Horizon felt like a failed one-shot hard science fiction scenario, where the PCs utterly failed to recognise the environmental cues.

For those situations where the characters are expected to perform in an unusual way, I have no objection to my character matching that performance, but I reserve the right to refuse to participate as a player experience. Just as I won't demonstrate my fencing / 100-yard dash / lockpicking skills, I see no reason to demonstrate my singing, aerobic exercise, or what-have-you ability.

There was one Paranoia adventure where the GM tried to get the players to do jumping jacks because their characters were so ordered by the computer. I lost a few clones when I suggested my character was jumping, but there was no way I was going to follow suit.

 

[CherubKid]

My friend and I have always wanted to base an adventure around the plot of "Pitch Black" -- while transporting a deadly assassin, PCs are stranded on a world of hostile beasts, and are about to be plunged into cold & darkness.

I ran an adventure once that centered on intrigue during "The Festival of Tears," a musical competition -- with both a professional division and an amateur's night.

The Players were encouraged (with a minimum of strong-arming) to prepare a song of some sort that suited their character... it could be a pre-recorded pop song, or they could sing on their own. But it had to be a sad song (hence, the Tears).

It was awesome -- we ended up with (pre-recorded) songs from Linkin Park, Evanescence, and Neil Diamond! All followed, of course, by Perform rolls!
One player chose "On top of spaghetti... I lost my poor meatball" for her low-INT fighter, and sang a cappella.

I also used a handful of songs from the O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack for the NPCs. The hardest part was talking one of the players out of using "Dust in the Wind" since (unbeknownst to anyone) I had planned that to be the winner's anthem.

 

[The Shaman]

When watching TV shows, do you often compare them to a gaming session?

No.

Teevee shows work by a different set of rules than roleplaying games.

 

[DragonLancer]

When watching TV shows, do you often compare them to a gaming session?

All the time.

Here's what I mean. let's take Buffy The Vampire Slayer. In one episode a demon has the entire town and the main characters singing as though they were in a musical. The actual episode title is called "Once More With Feeling".

When I compare that episodes' scenario to how the players might react, well, with the players I gamed with I don't think it would be possible to get them to sing. Singing should only be left up to the professionals (which to them meant speed metal btw).

So, do you do this kind of thing?

Several years ago while playing in a friend's Buffy RPG, we did have to do a musical episode. *cringe*

 

[Aus_Snow]

I've had my moments of statting out movie or TV PCs and NPCs in my head, on the fly, if that counts.

Had to break that habit in the end, as it was far more disruptive than constructive, on balance.

 

[Thasmodious]

I think TV shows have a lot more in common with an RPG game than movies do. The major difference between a movie and a TV show is time. A movie has to wrap up all its character development, arcs, and plot within a short frame of time, while a TV show develops over an extended period - much like an RPG campaign. The characters develop similarly, through both thought and action over an extended series of interactions in a variety of settings.

The plot development of a TV serial shares a lot in common with a tabletop campaign, too. Since the OP used it, BotVS is the perfect example (so are many other shows, from the X-Files to The Walking Dead). Each season features an overarching central plot that develops and reaches resolution slowly, while individual episodes feature more in-the-moment problems and adventures that still leave room for plot and character development.

One of my favorite shows is Burn Notice, and I want to apply its twist on the "normal" formula to a game some time. Practically every episode features the crew taking a case completely unrelated to the overarching spy related central plot of the season, and weaves the episode plot with the campaign plot, separately. They often interfere with one another, but rarely overlap. The cases are true side quests.

I GM my Savaged Firefly game in an episode/season format. I did this in part because myself and another from our group split DMing duties, each taking half of the year. We've played through one season of our Firefly and are gearing up for season two. The first season revolved around the PCs forming the crew and escaping their pasts, while taking on jobs and scraping together enough dough to outfit the near derelict they rescued from a junkyard. The second season will center around them facing off against a significant enemy they made in season 1.

 

[jaerdaph]

This game gets it:

Primetime Adventures RPG

 

[TarionzCousin]

If you're looking for a good mystery plot to steal for a game, check out Law and Order.

 

[Jhaelen]

So, do you do this kind of thing?

Ah, no.