|
I'm on vacation. Such is the power of our great editor here, that
her reach even extends to the glorious state of New Jersey, that a few
hours before it's due, I feel her presence (kinda like an Obi-Wan thing,
but less spooky) compelling me to write this (so if you don't think this
is funny, you can blame her . . . or my wife who won't have a chance to
read this before I turn it in).
So, this is called Random Thoughts. All I've ever written for this
before were varying lists, but this time I will demonstrate the true
meaning of random.
This is also about gaming advice, so I might as well get that done first.
I was really struck by a movie I saw out here. "Being John Malcovich."
It was odd . . . definitely kinky . . . and a bit more odd. It was also about
roleplaying. I'm not even sure if I liked it or not, but either way, it was
inspiring. I'm not going to reveal anything about the movie, but they took a
basic idea (of being able to be someone else, controlling their body) that's
been used and used so many times and managed to twist it somehow that it was
something refreshing and new. This is an important concept, not just for GMs
but also for players. It's tough coming up with new ideas over and over again,
recycling somewhat could help.
If I was feeling more creative, I'd do that work for you. However, I'm still
not getting paid, so this is all you're getting. I know I haven't really said
much, but it's important to not give things up that you've done before. Remember,
even if you use modules, things the players do can have repercussions on things
that happen later - even if none of the npcs survive.
OK, so this has turned into something of a movie review. Let's hit another
couple of old favorites that might have skipped by you.
There was this made-for-TV movie called "Merlin." It starred Sam Neil, and
a few other people, but here again is that same idea. How much Arthurian legend-based
stuff have you seen? Are you as sick of it as I am? There's only so many different
ways that you can retell the same story, and this was definitely one of them. But
it was a good, different remake, and one of my favorite fantasy movies. It's
another twist on an overused plot device that managed to do a good job.
Amazingly, my wife had never (until recently) seen the awesome, incredible,
out-of-stock-at-every-darned-video-store movie "The Usual Suspects." It's one of
my favorite movies ever. It is worth seeing just because I said so. Really.
Watch it, and watch it carefully. If you've seen it before, then watch it again.
At least once in your GMing career, you must have a story with a twist like this
one. You just have to. It's the rules. This is the type of story that I long
to write, and emulate. Without its incredible ending, the process of the story,
it would just be another boring shoot-em-up.
Well, I fixed that (my wife has seen it), and it gave me a good excuse to
watch the thing again. You know . . . the dog walked out halfway through it . . . maybe
I can get him to check it out . . . he missed the end.
|
