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Great Gaming in Television Contemporary Fantasy Buffy the Vampire
Slayer: This is a paradigm for duet campaigns you have one hero who has a cadre of iconic support characters
and struggles through life and adventure over seven years, sadly like many roleplaying campaigns it went on too long, and
while seasons 6 and 7 are OK the series should have ended with season 5. Fantasy Slayers (Anime): This is
a fun series that runs from ridiculously silly to philosophically serious, often within the same episode. Lina Inverse is simply a paradigm to model all insanely powerful sorceresses and there are some truly clever
ideas, smartly designed characters, and outrageous fun in the series. Avoid the
movies and focus on the series is my only advice, the movies take away the camaraderie and also too tightly compress a story
arc. Historical West Wing: If you want a primer on politics and how to design political adventures then this is the show for you. It is classic television and one of the best shows of all time. It is educational (though they do make mistakes from time to time for story purposes) and well done. Science Fiction Babylon 5: It starts slow, hits its stride, and then falters in its last season. Still it is a clever series and has political intrigue, action, space battles, and developed alien cultures and is a rich environment to borrow ideas for your next roleplaying campaign. When Babylon 5 nails an episode it is probably the best sci-fi out there and even when it misses it still is pretty good, which is good standardfor any GM.
Battlestar Galactica: We are behind with this show (don't have cable), but from what we have seen there is good reason why this is called the best show on television. It is also full of adventure ideas and is a great model for running a sci-fi military campaign.
Cowboy Bebop (Anime): This
is classic anime that while violent has compelling characters, intense and thoughtful stories, and paints a future world that
you can immediately enter.
Deep Space 9: This is my favorite Star Trek series because it has the best characters, it is a continuous story arc and not episodic like the rest of Star Trek.
Firefly: This short lived series and its movie (Serenity) show a fusion of westerns and sci-fi that is grounded by the compelling characters. The setting is solid, not as brilliant as Babylon 5 or Battlestar Galactica, but solid and the adventures are solid with Heart of Gold being another take on Seven Samurai, seriously Seven Samurai is everywhere.
Nadia the Secret of Blue Water (Anime): This is a great kid-friendly anime series (though it has moment of extreme violence, but never for any reason but to advance the story). It is a reimagining of 20,000 Leagues under the Sea and is a sweet series with a heroine who is a vegetarian and pacifist caught in the middle of a brutal conflict for world domination.
Superheroes Batman the Animated Series (Television): We used to watch this in college and have to say it was incredible how much they could compress into a 20 or so minute episode. Most animation wastes a lot of time, but this series gave you a villain, often a clever plot, a good climax, and genuine character development in less than 30 minutes. A fantastic lesson for GMs. |
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Great Gaming Movies Contemporary Fantasy Fight Club (R): Very violent but brilliant movie that while not easily
transferred to the roleplaying medium is inspirational at least in designing characters. Mummy (PG-13): This has to be the classic roleplaying movie as you have a party
of four heroes (soldier, thief, scholar, holy warrior) who have to explore a ruined city and battle against the undead lord
and his horde of minions to save the world. It is a smart and fun movie and its
sequel (Mummy Returns) is pretty good as well with some clever ideas as well, though
the airship really bothers me for some reason. Fantasy Excalibur (R): This is an intense and violent movie but it is the
best King Arthur movie I have ever seen as it really captures the whole story from tragic beginning to tragic end. There are brilliant performances in this movie and a few of the quiet scenes are very moving. If
you are looking for inspiration for a classic fantasy campaign this is it. Lord of the Rings Trilogy (PG-13): These movies show what a fantasy roleplaying campaign should be about; fantastic vistas, epic battles, and truly compelling characters struggling in a battle against good and evil.
Spirited Away (PG): First off is you have not seen this film you are really missing out. Studio Ghibli has a number of fantastic fantasy films like Howl's Moving Castle, Nausicaa, Princess Monokoe, Castle in the Sky, and so forth. They all create fanciful worlds with compelling characters and heroines and heroes who despite their 'normalness' do heroic things.
Historical Seven Samurai (PG-13): Yes, this is a long movie and you have to read
subtitles (we almost always prefer subtitles to dubbing), but this is another paradigm movie.
From the Magnificent Seven to A Bug’s
Life Kurasawa’s Seven Samurai has been remade countless times and for
good reason it is a classic story that is well told. You can use the model of Seven
Samurai for any genre and any setting and it will give you a classic adventure. Science Fiction Alien/Aliens (R): While I put these two movies together they are quite different in feel, due to two different but brilliant directors. The first is great for a horror campaign and the second is great for a military campaign, it goes to show how you can take certain elements and a setting and approach it from a different angle for completely new campaign. Blade Runner (R): This is a classic sci-fi movie and one that everyone should watch like Soyent Green and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, but this movie is also an example of a sci-fi campaign and how to create a unique setting that is also quite familiar.
Fifth Element (R): This is a fun movie that is silly at times, but to be creates a world that is rich in roleplaying opportunities. You have ancient evils, corrupt corporations, shapechanging warrior aliens, a genetically engineered chosen one, a battle on a cruise ship, a car chase that obviously inspired George Lucas for Episode II, and priests who are working for aliens to save the Earth. Come on what is there not to like about this movie!
Galaxy Quest (PG): Yes, it is a comedy, but it is a sweet movie
that I think could make a wonderful model for a sci-fi campaign with young kids.
Star Wars Saga (PG to PG-13): Everyone knows the Star Wars saga and it is a paradigm for space opera campaigns.
Star Trek Trilogy (PG to PG-13): Star Trek II to Star Trek IV is the Star Trek Trilogy in my opinion. Star Trek II shows how to run a starship battle in a roleplaying game, Star Trek III shows how to bring a PC back from the dead, and Star Trek IV shows how to switch gears and have a comedic adventure. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and Star Trek VIII: First Contact are also recommended as they are very solid adventures. Also a note: Star Trek IX: Insurrection is basically Seven Samurai though not nearly as good.
Superheroes Batman Begins (PG-13): Of all the Batman movies this is the best. You have three villains and never realize this, an origin story with lots of character
development, and enough humor and clever ideas to carry you through it all. Admittedly,
after a couple viewings you just need to fast forward past the batmobile chase, but otherwise a great movie to inspire a superhero
campaign. Incredibles (G): Genius. Seriously, I would argue that this is the best
superhero movie of all time. The reason I say this is because it takes itself
serious while also embracing the ludicrous ramifications of a world that had true superheroes.
I can’t imagine someone watching this movie and not think about running a superhero roleplaying campaign if only
to mention that their hero does not wear capes. Mystery Men (R): This is a comedy, but it is also a pretty decent superhero
movie especially as you have replaced superheroes with normal people who believe they are superheroes. Sure the movie is crude and silly at times, but some of the satire is hilarious and there is more than
enough humor to carry you through the movie. Spiderman Trilogy (PG-13): To be honest, we have not seen the third one yet,
but probably will. The first one is a great origin movie and the second one is
a great superhero adventure, but the problem with these movies is the lack of compelling characters. Unbreakable (R): This is a clever movie that reinvents the superhero
genre and is well worth a watch. Admittedly, the movie moves slowly and is more
of a drama than the action fest one expects from a movie about superheroes, but if you can settle in to enjoying the fine
performances and getting into the story it is worth it. X-Men Trilogy (PG-13): This is the paradigm of superhero roleplaying and
the movies are very good at setting up the world, the characters, and giving you a good plot to follow. What makes superhero movies are the characters and not the special effects.
When the X-Men work it is because of the characters and where it falters is because the characters become shallow and
lose their spark. This is a good lesson for GMs.
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Upcoming
Movies & Television to Watch For
I like to keep an eye out for movies and television shows that might be interesting. Additionally, send us an
email if you have a movie or television show that you think we would like or should be added to this page.
The Golden Compass is the first in a trilogy based on Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials books, which are fantastic and definitely
worth a read. The previews and trailers have looked awesome, the casting solid, and if the movie is half as good as
the book it will be well worth the price of admission. With a December release the studio is obviously trying to invoke
the memory of Lord of the Rings which is smart and hopefully works.
The Time Traveler's Wife is coming out next year and is based on a fabulous book that is a beautiful love story with time travel. I have
some worries about this movie the casting is OK and there has been a rash of time travel movies and television shows of late
that I suspect will sap interest in this movie. It is a drama and not a traditional sci-fi movie and it is also a complex
book that will be very difficult to translate to the big screen.
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