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Does anyone have any experience playing this? I love the series as much as the next guy (assuming the next guy isn't Chris Bridges) but I'm honestly not seeing a lot of potential for fun storyplaying with an RPG set around it.
Posts: 10177 | Registered: Apr 2001
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I don't have a source for this but I remember ready once that franchise RPGs are not really designed for roleplayers. They are designed for fans of the franchise who will buy it, never intending to play, just to get whatever new information is included in the game. With that in mind, they are not typically very good as RPGs. There are some excpetions of course.
I have had the opportunity to try Serenity at some cons, but I passed because I would have had to play one of the crew of Serenity. There are enough problems with playing in a setting with an established cannon. I don't want to be further constrained by the baggage playing a major character from the setting would bring.
Posts: 212 | Registered: Nov 2006
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Most I can say is I've glanced through the book. It seems like any game that expects most people will play plots that play out like episodes of Firefly (that is, much of the time will revolve around being onboard a ship) would require a really good Storyteller/GM/Arbiter/whatevertheycallem to make an interesting play session. I mean, can you imagine actually playing the pilot for two hours? ("Okay, I've made my roll, the ship's still on course... Anything interesting happening on the rest of the ship?...")
Posts: 3826 | Registered: May 2005
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I can't say I've played it -- although I did pick it up, for the artwork and info -- but it was designed for gamers first and Firefly fans second (a close second) and it won Best Role Playing Game at the 2006 Origins Awards, so I'm guessing it ain't too bad...
But I'm not the best judge. Even when I did play regularly I rarely used rules. I bought books for the reference and then ran them with a "does it sound possible? does it make the game exciting/funny/dramatic/satisfying?" attitude. Aggravating for people who rely on rulebooks for detailed play, but it also meant we could create characters in minutes and play pickup games on the bus if we desired. And we did.
Posts: 7790 | Registered: Aug 2000
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If you want to play in a Firefly Setting, or any setting set around being crew on a ship, you should check out Full Light, Full Steam and modify the rules as necessary for the setting.
Posts: 212 | Registered: Nov 2006
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I own the Serenity RPG. It's actually one of the better RPGs published in some time -- although, as with all licensed properties, you need to put some thought into the role the PCs are going to play in the universe.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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What sort of stories do you get? There doesn't seem, to me, to be much more that readily suggests itself besides "Pick up A at planet X, take it to planet Y. Maybe there are some complications along the way."
Posts: 10177 | Registered: Apr 2001
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They throw a few seeds out there, but they're deliberately more open-ended (similar to the Star Wars RPG, or Aces and Eights.) In general, they seem to suggest typical Old West themes: you get into debt; you're escorting a shipment of something; you're defending a settlement; you're robbing somebody immoral; you're involved in a land dispute; you're racing to obtain a rare McGuffin; you're caring for an ailing friend; you're meddling in local politics; etc...
Their recommendation is to keep the scale small.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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Look at the plots of the Firefly episodes themselves. Steal something for a bad guy that turns out to be medicine. Mal gets married accidentally and his new wife's a con artist. Find a drifting ship that's been attacked. Any story can be boiled down to one pretty boring sentence.
Like most of the better games I've run/been in, and all of the better movies/shows I've enjoyed, the plot is rarely what makes it entertaining. It's the interaction and growth (or lack of growth) in the characters.
Posts: 7790 | Registered: Aug 2000
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