After seeing STAR WARS: ROGUE ONE, I couldn’t shake a certain thought. Somehow, it felt like a roleplaying game (RPG) scenario. I could almost see black and white illustrations from a West End Games book in my mind. I even asked my players and they concurred. One even thought that I had run them through something similar a few years ago. There was just something “gamey” to the whole film.
In this column, we’ll examine what we can learn from ROGUE ONE about general scenario design. (Enough time has passed that there can’t be much danger of spoilers.) We’ll also see what can be learned about creating adventures for “shared world” games. We’ll finish off with some things NOT to incorporate into our scenarios. Even if you don’t play Star Wars or other shared world games, hopefully this analysis will help in some way.
GENERAL ASPECTS
ROGUE ONE did a good job of varying the encounters. Consider just the scenes on the planet Jedha. Cassian and Jyn got to do some investigative roleplaying to locate Saw Guererra’s hideout. Then there was a combat encounter, more roleplaying with stormtroopers and Guererra himself, then the skill challenge of flying the ship through airborne debris. Varying the encounters is good practice for any game. Of course, players may turn the tables on you, trying to talk their way out of your planned combat encounter, and that’s fine. However, in general, it’s probably best not to stack too many expected combat encounters (or roleplaying, or skill challenges) right in a row. They may go a different route, but at least you’ve tried for variety.
Also there was something for all the characters in the movie to do. Though most of the action necessarily focused on Jyn and Cassian, the supporting characters all had a part to play. I could almost see K-2SO making his COMPUTER USE skill checks when hacking into the Imperial computers. Give everyone a moment in the sun, and you have a good shot at making everyone content. (Except THAT guy, but no one can please him).
SHARED WORLD ASPECTS
When running a game in an established media universe, a “shared world”, GM’s will have to make some major decisions about continuity. One option is that the sky is the limit. Play movie characters, change the canon, change the future to your heart’s content. However, many GM’s will want to try to preserve the shared world’s beloved canon, while still making the players’ actions meaningful. ROGUE ONE is a textbook example of the latter approach.
Even if players are not going to change canon, they still need important goals. Finding Galen Erso, and the Death Star plans were critical to the survival of the Rebellion, and had great personal importance to Jyn. Some critics complained that the whole premise was merely backstory. However, from a game design perspective, these are critical goals on the way to a larger objective. Memorable goals can make for memorable adventures. There’s nothing wrong with cleaning out a goblin hole on occasion (or chasing some stormtroopers out of town), but incorporating a few larger goals really brings an epic feel to your campaign.
“Guest stars” are another way to connect the PC’s to the overall story. In ROGUE ONE, two thugs from the Tatooine cantina show up, and of course there were cameos by Tarkin, Princess Leia, and Darth Vader. To preserve continuity, the movie kept the major characters away from the film’s protagonists. If you wish to preserve canon, you’ll need a memorable but more minor villain like Krennic. If your players directly confront Vader, the Emperor, etc… they’ll definitely be looking for a way to kill them. As stated before, you can let them. Just be aware of the potential consequences before you bring a major player onto the stage.
CONCERNS
Books, movies, and TV shows strive to tell a memorable story. A good story flies like a straight arrow. Games are a different in that they are there to present choices for players. The story emerges from their reactions to the options presented by the GM. With that in mind, here are some things NOT to borrow from ROGUE ONE.
Early in the story, Cassian is getting information from a Rebel informant with a broken arm. He is forced to killed the informant so that the Empire doesn’t discover their plans. That scene defines Cassian’s character at the start of the film, but is probably a poor option for a game. A better approach would be to present Cassian’s player with more options. Perhaps there was some rope nearby to help the informant escape. Perhaps there were some Imperial uniforms available to attempt a bluff. Other characters might try to fly a small ship into the alley to help. The player certainly could choose to kill the informant, but at least other options were presented.
As stated before, ROGUE ONE revolved around Jyn. While the other characters did get their moments, it probably wouldn’t be enough balance for a gaming scenario. If I were Baze Malbus’ player, I’d feel a bit shortchanged. While adventures that highlight a single PC’s backstory are wonderful, it can be tricky to make everyone else feel involved. If you are running an ongoing campaign, you can change the spotlight from adventure to adventure to give everyone their fifteen minutes.
A last concern is the total party kill (TPK) at the end of the film. I wish they had been allowed to escape, but their sacrifices give the story a deeper meaning. In a gaming situation, deliberately engineering a TPK is usually a bad idea. It may happen due to player choice or the luck of the dice. However, providing at least the option for an “out” is a good idea. Perhaps Rook, Chirrut and Malbus could have taken their ship into the air after establishing the linkup. Perhaps there were some Imperial shuttles nearby for Jyn and Cassian to fly away in. Perhaps they were captured rather than killed. Giving the players options can’t hurt.
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
Literature, theater, and film have always provided inspiration for gaming. The trick is how to channel the spirit of the story without building a railroad. ROGUE ONE is certainly only one example of mining stories for inspiration, but it is a good one from that angle. What other movies and books can you suggest for readers to take a look at? What aspects would you suggest folks consider? What stories would not work? Let us know below.
And may the Force be with you! (Come on, I just had to say it!)
