One of the things I often find myself doing while watching movies is applying RPG mechanics to them. I know, I'm a huge geek, but when game design is a big interest and RPGs are a core way of how you've told and received stories for years, it does just kind of happen. This helps me at the game table too because it gives me a mental frame of reference for when I'm in a combat sequence to how things may look, but also because when I am designing encounters I can think back to these scenes and these times and see what mechanics would be in play, and thus what mechanics to encourage for the scene.
Now, this is going to be a prototype for what may be another recurring series, and I want to do this right. So, for today, I'm going to leave you with this clip from the movie HEAT. Tomorrow (Tuesday 8/27) or Thursday (8/29) I'm going to take it apart a bit and show what mechanics I think are in play. Who knows, maybe it'll help out.
Now, going into this there are some things we need to know. So here is a break down:
Movie: HEAT
Genre: Action/Crime
# Of Players: For the purposes of this action sequence I'm going to say 4 PCs. Each PC is playing a bank robber.
Key NPCs: Al Pacino and the other "established" MCU detectives would be bigger/special NPCs. Every cop in a blue shirt (wearing a vest or not) is a mook type NPC. This will be important later.
Situation: This is the big action sequence in the movie HEAT and as such would also represent the "big fight" at the end of an adventure or campaign. The stakes are very high, and PC death is a definite possibility.
Finally...
Why Isn't Al Pacino A PC? Generally speaking, as he is one of the movie protagonists - along with Robert DeNiro - I am making Al Pacino a key NPC instead of a PC. The reason for this is because fight sequences with PVP get really tricky, and while that could work for the scene, any GM running a heist/crime game with a "realistic" or "gritty" trend may need an NPC like this at some point or another.
Feel free to leave your comments on this sequence, what mechanics you think may be involved, or other scenes you'd like me to try and take a crack at. Enjoy the scene.
Not so much a rules system, but after a post from a while back, I have been thinking about putting something like this - http://shortymonster.co.uk/environmental-combat-damage-cyberpunk-edition/ - into the game I've been working on. very much fits with the cinematic style of combat where it isn't always teh bullet that does the damage.
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