Comments on: Inspiration from Movies and TV Shows

By: From the Movies: Using Single Shots to Convey Themes in RPGs - Treasure Tables

From the Movies: Using Single Shots to Convey Themes in RPGs - Treasure Tables — Fri, 05 May 2006 20:35:45 +0000

[...] post comes at the movie-RPG connection from a different angle. What do you think of this idea? Permalink | Posted in Ideas | [...]

By: …And Then James Bond Spends a Month in the Hospital - Treasure Tables

…And Then James Bond Spends a Month in the Hospital - Treasure Tables — Mon, 09 Jan 2006 14:18:24 +0000

[...] TV shows and movies make great inspiration for your game, and there are also plenty of RPGs based directly on visual media: Stargate SG-1, the various incarnations of Star Trek, James Bond, Star Wars and so on. [...]

By: Treasure Tables » Music for Your Game

Treasure Tables » Music for Your Game — Thu, 15 Sep 2005 00:31:18 +0000

[...] Also, if you’re using movies to inspire or describe your game (as discussed in the TT post “Inspiration from Movies and TV Shows“), choosing a highly-recognizable movie soundtrack is a great way to reinforce that. [...]

By: Pedro

Pedro — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 18:46:07 +0000

Yeah, Willow was another great one.

By: Martin

Martin — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 14:49:01 +0000

(Jerome) One would think that Pirates of the Caribbean would thus be the obvious marker. We all saw it and enjoyed it, but I don’t see any influence yet, even running a “nautical” theme campaign.

When I hear “nautical theme campaign,” the first movie I think of is Master and Commander — an excellent flick! I don’t know whether or not you’ve seen it, but it does an amazing job of conveying what life at sea aboard a military ship must have been like (as well as having some pretty badass fight scenes, among other things).

By: Crazy Jerome

Crazy Jerome — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 04:08:55 +0000

I think that the whole Three Musketeers, Man in the Iron Mask, Dumas canon is a big influence on our group–even though we always tend to play epic fantasy rather than swashbuckling. One would think that Pirates of the Caribbean would thus be the obvious marker. We all saw it and enjoyed it, but I don’t see any influence yet, even running a “nautical” theme campaign.

By: Martin

Martin — Wed, 07 Sep 2005 16:35:45 +0000

(Pedro) And, of course the Lord of the Rings movies.

My guess is that very few gamers watched these movies without being inspired — one of the many ways in which this trilogy is so marvelous.

What are some other movies that people use for inspiration in a fantasy setting?

Personally, I find these three pretty inspiring from a fantasy standpoint: Braveheart, Willow and Gladiator.

By: Pedro

Pedro — Wed, 07 Sep 2005 16:26:34 +0000

We mostly play fantasy D&D based games, so there aren’t as many TV shows to tie into as for present or sci-fi games.

But, there are some movies that fit our game. Princess Bride is one that comes to mind because we set up big, serious, earth-changing adventures. And, then hilarity ensues as the the PCs try to figure out a way solve it. Our group has been together over 10 years, so we have lots of history and are comfortable joking around.

And, of course the Lord of the Rings movies.

Brotherhood of the Wolf was a good RPG movie. I even based an adventure on the plot. It worked out really well.

What are some other movies that people use for inspiration in a fantasy setting?

By: Martin

Martin — Wed, 07 Sep 2005 15:02:48 +0000

(Chris) codeveloping characters through use of a media reference

What a great way to put that, Chris! Very concise — I like it.

I’m very fond of artbooks, magazines, and comics as much as movies & TV, since you can hand these around as visual reference.

Any art books in particular? That’s a neat idea, and I’ve love to hear some suggestions.

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 07 Sep 2005 01:14:11 +0000

I agree- media is a great way to get everyone on the same page. I’m very fond of artbooks, magazines, and comics as much as movies & TV, since you can hand these around as visual reference. Right now, if anything, the only problem I’m having is that folks are so eager to play, they’re not so interested in waiting for an actual chargen session- which means many characters are rather disparate… hopefully as I meet more people, I’ll solidify a good group and be able to sell them on the idea of codeveloping characters through use of a media reference.