Oct 12, 2021 by [ "James R. Miller"
]
Categories:
rpgs
Tags:
systemagnostic
cutscenes
I want to talk about cutscenes as used in your tabletop games. This applies equally to Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder, Starfinder, Cypher system games, FATE, Cthulhu, and so on. My examples may have a fantasy bent, but the principles may apply to any game.
I have a few rules I want to list for cutscenes:
We’ll eventually talk about those rules, but first, let’s define a cutscene. Wikipedia’s first paragraph on the subject states (emphasis in bold added by me):
A cutscene or event scene (sometimes in-game cinematic or in-game movie) is a sequence in a video game that is not interactive, interrupting the gameplay.
Such scenes are used to show conversations between characters, set the mood, reward the player, introduce newer models and gameplay elements, show the effects of a player’s actions, create emotional connections, improve pacing or foreshadow future events.
Key ideas are that a cutscene by definition is not interactive. They interrupt the gameplay, whether table-top game or video game.
However, and particularly in table-top games, we need to use them, for what I think is the most important reason: to improve pacing. The other reasons they are used that I bolded are also important, but in my opinion, pacing is still the most important reason.
For example: take the party waking up. I could roleplay every single interaction of getting out of bed, putting on their gear, getting food, using the restroom, partaking in daily ablutions, and so forth. Maybe that interaction is crucial to a pending encounter and would be worth it. On the other hand, that is a lot of lost time at the gaming table that is likely irrelevant to the actual story you are wanting to tell with your players.
A simple cutscene in a table-top setting would be “You woke up, got dressed, and had breakfast. It’s now just after 9:00 in the morning and you are walking out of your favorite breakfast spot. What do you do?”
It’s just a few sentences, it keeps the pacing brisk, lets your party know what’s going on, and since your description was just a few sentences, there is an opportunity for your players to chime in if there was something else that they want to do. It kept the interruption in gameplay to the amount of time it took for you to speak the cutscene. And, importantly, it didn’t take you hours of prep outside of time at the gaming table.
Long cutscenes can be the bane of a player; I have personally felt my eyes glaze over at an awkward, rambling, too-long, and/or confusing cutscene.
Which do you think is better at the table?
The clerk announces your party as you enter into the throneroom. You see the king on a golden throne, flanked by 8 guards and other various courtesans. He beckons you forward towards a small table near him.
Or
The clerk announces your party as you enter into the room, the throneroom. You see someone on a throne, he’s human and he looks kind of important. THere are guards near him and other people, a human, 3 elves, a dwarf, and something that looks like a goblin.
By the way did I mention that the clerk is second in command to the King? You would know that just by living in this world. The King is talking to what looks an advisor, “Should we buy more wheat? I like wheat. Wheat makes bread and bread is what we eat.” The advisor replies, “No, I think we should buy potatoes and make vodka!”
The clerk interrupts the king by saying, “King, I beseech you to pause this discussion about wheat and potatoes as we have these adventurers to deal with”
He continues on his conversation while motioning to have the party sit down somewhere in front.
My preference is for the first example; however, I’m willing to bet that most people who’ve played a table-top game have experienced the second version more often than the first. If you’ve ever been a game-master equivalent, you’ve almost certainly done this. I know I have!
A big thing for me is that the first cutscene keeps the game’s pacing moving along. It’s easy for your party to follow, doesn’t need a handout or prop, and it doesn’t take up much space in the GM’s head or notes.
Another big thing is that it’s clear that the audience with the King is the main idea of the cutscene in the shorter version. In the second version, it’s unclear if the main idea is the importance of wheat or potatoes or something else.
All players have probably had their eyes glaze over a bit and lost track of what’s important and what’s not. Where’s the king? Is that the important looking guy? Is wheat or potatoes going to be important? What about corn? Are we supposed to approach? Sit back? Why is the clerk second in command to the king?
If you keep your cutscenes short, whether pre-written or improvised at the table, you eliminate many of the negative aspects of the longer example. Use just enough length to move the story along without confusing or boring the players. This simple rule will fix the majority of cutscene issues and prevent the GM equivalent of a villain’s excessive monologuing.
Another thing you notice in the longer cutscene above is that the whole scene was passive on behalf of the players. There was no real opportunity for interaction in that scene and it didn’t really convey that much more information. If wheat or potatoes are important in your game, then work that into the dialogue that the King has with your players, not in a cutscene.
For example, you could have the King ask that question of the players, “[Party], I’ve been debating with my advisors whether to buy more wheat or potatoes, do you have an opinion?” That brings out the importance of wheat and potatoes, and your party is going to remember it much more; they’re having an interactive conversation instead having to remember a passive monologue.
Remember, these games are cooperative story-telling games. If you don’t let your players take part in the story, and spend too much time in long cutscenes, you’re taking away the literal point of playing these games. If the players want a passive experience, they’ll read a novel. If the GM wants no player interaction they should instead write a novel. The joy of this game is seeing the beautiful results that come from GMs setting a scene and seeing what the players do with it!
Sometimes you need a long scene, particularly at the first session where you’re setting up the initial situation. I still encourage you to try and keep things short, even on your first words kicking off a new campaign. Sometimes less really is more.
I think if you always have in the back of your mind, “How could I get this content to my players in an interactive way, as opposed to a passive way?” your cutscenes, even when longer, will be better received by your players.