Determining the Style of Play

Once you have finished defining the series' Premise, Elements of Fiction, and Techniques and Trappings, the next step is to detemmine the style of game you plan to run.

Basically, there are two styles of adventures and/or campaigns that can be run based on a TV series, movie, or other source. The first is playing the series,' that is, playing the characters from the series.

The second is playing characters inspired by the series. Certain series or sources are better suited for one of the other of these, while others work equally well in both styles. Let's take a closer look at each of these, and which type of series is appropriate to each style of play.

Playing the Series

This style is the more limiting of the two, and many players might shrink away from it at first. In this style, each of the players plays one of the characters from the cast of the series. This means that the players will not be playing their own characters, but instead a pre-created character. Many players prefer to play characters of their own creation, since they can more fully roleplay a character from their own imagination than they could one created by someone else.

On the other hand, some players may love the idea of playing a certain character from one of their favorite series. For instance, in a game based on Star Trek: The Next Generation, there are probably lots of players who would jump at the chance to play Jean-Luc Picard, or any of the main cast.

Playing this style of game requires that the characters from the series be designed or 'slatted,' in the game system being used (see Designing the Game, below). While this might normally be something you (as the gamemaster) would do, allowing the players to help you 'stat' the characters is a good way to get them involved.

Since you are creating this game for your players as well as yourself, getting the players involved at some level is probably a good thing. Also, they may feel that by helping to 'create' the character, they may have a better feel for the character when it comes time to roleplay.

This style also requires that the players be familiar with the series and its characters. If the series you are working is a favorite of your players, this is no a problem, as the players most likely already know the characters well enough to roleplay them.

If the series is something you like, but that is unfamiliar to the other players, you may have to write character backgrounds and descriptions for all the characters you intend to include as well as a basic introduction to the series. These character writeups don't need to be exhaustive. They only need to convey the character's personality and background in enough detail so a player can roleplay the character correctly, or at least close enough for both you and the player to enjoy the game.

As an example, a few years back, I ran an event at Gen Con based on the Thunderbirds, Gerry Anderson's Supermarionation series from the 1960s. (Yes, I know it's a puppet show, but it had the coolest vehicles ever!)

Since I couldn't know if the players that would show up would be familiar with the series (an unlikely event in any case), I wrote up character descriptions, backgrounds, and roleplaying notes that allowed many of the players (some of whom had never actually seen the series) to roleplay the characters.

Another limiting factor to this style of play is the number of players versus the number of central characters on the series. Some of the more recent shows that might make good roleplaying games have large ensemble casts, sometimes as large as eight or nine central characters. Eight or nine players would be a fairly large group for a game, and many gamemasters have difficulty handling that many players. Also, getting a group of eight or nine players together at the same time is often difficult.

If there are nine central characters on the series, but only four players, which characters are left out? Also, unless you plan your adventures or campaigns on a specific subset of the central characters, you may find that one or more of the characters important to your adventure might not be chosen to be played. Combine this with the task of choosing which player gets to play which character, and you can see that such an arrangement is rife with challenges.

Also, even if you do have enough players, does the story involve all the characters equally from beginning to end? Most series switch between characters, a practice that could result in some players being bored, while others are constantly involved in the story.

None of these challenges are too severe that they should prevent you from playing the game. The point is not to discourage you, but to forewarn you of some of the potenfial challenges associated with this style of play.

The section entitled 'Playing the Game,' later in this arficle discusses a few more of the challenges associated with games based on outside sources, and offers some advice for dealing with them.

Inspired by the Series

In this style of play, the players' characters are similar to those in the series, but are not the series' characters themselves. This type of game allows the players to create their own characters, giving them a better understanding of the characters they are roleplaying. This style also allows the players to contribute to the game, as well as experiment with creating new characters that must fit into a pre-existing setffng.

When possible, this is the preferable of the two styles, as it is more open to different types of stories and characters. For instance, instead of playing Agents Mulder and Scully, players could play their own FBI agents, whose investigations often involve unusual or unexplained phenomena.

Like 'Playing the Series,' however, this style of game also has its challenges. First off, while the players are able to create their own characters, those characters must fit in with the setffng of the series. This means that you will have to provide guidance during the character creation process to ensure that the characters fit the series.

This style also means you will have to decide upon a character creation system based on the game system you choose (see Designing the Game, below). While a character creation system is a part of virtually all published game systems, any specific aspects of the series need to be accounted for during character creation.

For instance, if your series is one that offers psychic powers (such as seaQuest DSV, or perhaps Babylon 5) the character creation process should allow the characters to purchase psychic powers, unless of course you choose not to allow the players' characters to have those powers. If you do allow psychic powers, what do they cost the characters?, how are these powers treated in game mechanics?, etc. While these issues are obviously part of the design process (see below), they are also important to consider here, as they represent challenges in games in this style of play.

So Which Style is Appropriate?

Neither style of play is any better than the other, though each is more appropriate to certain types of series that the other. So what type of series is appropriate to which style?

Good question! The answer depends largely on the Premise of the series, and how specific the characters and setting are. Now, you might be saying, 'Aren't all shows about specific characters in a specific setting?' Well, yes they are, but there is a difference.

The key to this difference can be found in the answer to the following question: Does the Premise of the series require the presence of the central characters, or could other similar characters be used, while still maintaining the series' Premise?

Some series, while they do have central characters, involve a given type of character rather than a specific character. For instance, The X Files is about FBI agents who investiqate the paranormal. Yes, it's true that the characters of Mulder and Scully are very central to the popularity of the series, but a game based on The X Files could feature any set of FBI agents, and still retain the essence, or Premise, of the series.

As an opposite example, seaQuest DSV is about the captain and crew of the seaQuest, and their adventures in the oceans of the 21st century. A game based on seaQuest DSV needs the central characters from the series in order to maintain the series' Premise.

Generally speaking, 'Playing the Series' is best suited to series that feature a very specific cast of characters, in a very specific setting, such as seaQuest DSV, Babylon 5, Earth 2 or any of the Star Trek series (Star Trek The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, or Star Trek: Voyager). Games that are 'Inspired by the Series' work well series which feature a given type of character, such as The X Files.

There are ways to use the 'Inspired by the Series' style of play with series that nomially would considered 'Playing the Series' types of series. For instance, while the Star Trek shows each fit into a single large scale setting, or universe, it is very possible to create a game in which the characters are the crew of a new ship, assigned to explore a given part of the galaxy.

In fact, the Star Trek Roleplaying Game published by FASA Corporation assumed that most groups would play their own characters on their own ship. A game based on seaQuest DSV might take place 20 years into the future, with a whole new crew, but on the same ship. The characters in a game based on Earth 2 might be the other members of the Eden Advance team, those characters who only appear in the background during episodes of that series Alternatively, the characters might be colonists who arrive on the main ship, 22 months after the landing of the Eden Advance team.

As can be seen, each of these two styles of play have their advantages and drawbacks, and each works with a different type of series. The choice between these two will most likely come down to the series you are using for your game, and how closely you want to mirror that series.

Example: The X Files

The X Files is an example of a series that could work equally well in both styles of play. The better of the two, though, is a game that is Inspired by the Series, rather than Playing the Series. First, Playing the Series would mean that only two players could participate and that they would have to play Agents Mulder and Scully.

A game Inspired by The X Files, however, allows the characters to create their own agents, with their own personalities and beliefs. It also allows the gamemaster to use Mulder and Scully in the game as sources of information or aid.

In fact, one intriguing idea might be to use Mulder as a type of 'Deep Throat' character. That is, as the characters investigate different cases, Mulder could feed them information which could help them.

An ideal source of this information would be The X Files themselves. Mulder's office is filled with filing cabinets full of X Files, any of which he could forward to other agents to help them in their efforts.

More Creation

Creating Your Favorite RPG: Overview
Creating Your Favorite RPG: Defining the Source
Creating Your Favorite RPG: Determining the Style of Play
Creating Your Favorite RPG: Designing the Game
Creating Your Favorite RPG: Playing the Game