It's a day late, but here it is, the 5th episode of the Untamed Rant!!
Showing posts with label Story Telling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Story Telling. Show all posts
Thursday, February 16, 2017
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
RPG Blog Carnival: Prophecies & Omens
Here we are in 2017 and it is time for another month of RPG Blog Carnival entries! I have missed the past few months, but given the topic of January I thought it might be a auspicious time to rejoin. The topic is that of prophecy and omen, a great story telling device that can be a bit complex when you are not the only one telling the story. To aid in that endeavor, I want to share the ways in which I have learned to utilize prophecy.
The Future
Whenever you are playing a role-playing game, there is virtually no predictability in what is to come. Unless you are the worst kind of railroader or your players have no desire to propel the plot themselves, you will inevitably hit some sort of speed bump, turn in the road, or sudden cliff. That's OK and is one of the main reasons we play these games with each other. Anything can happen!
But some of the greatest tales include glimpses of the future and you may be driven to do the same. This may be through signs, omens, written prophecies, visions, or some other divination. Regardless of what form this insight comes in, you have a limited amount of control in whether or not it comes to fruition. There are a couple ways to make sure, however, that these premonitions of the future are not only true, but don't require you to take away player agency.
Setting It Up
The first thing you need to make sure occurs is that you have control over the point of prophecy. When it happens, how it happens, and what it pertains to. This is fairly simple, as most events come from your narration of the world or your control over discovered secrets and NPCs. Second, you must have the prophecy prepared ahead of time. Making it up on the fly could put you in a sticky situation later. "What about this part of the prophecy?" a player might say when you completely forgot that was a thing, or that it was completely avoided by the party. The less meaning a prophecy has as it comes to fruition, the less implication a party might put on future ones.
Be Late, Be Vague
The easiest way to have a prophecy be meaningful is to have whatever insight the PCs gain be incredibly vague. If you are too specific the prophecy might be too easily avoided or, if you force it to occur, the players may feel something has been taken away from them (agency). Use general phrases and words. Utilize things that have more than one meaning. Name things via description and not directly. Think of a misdirect to include that may be easy to latch onto so that the true meaning is ignored. Use titles, names, or descriptions that fit multiple things, people, places, or times.
Of course none of this will matter if the players forget or ignore the prophecy. That's where being late comes in. Do not give them a prophecy before anything happens. There is no sense of urgency then, and nothing to keep it in memory. Instead, include something that has already happened at the beginning of the premonition. Follow up with something that can happen at the time of the prophecy or immediately thereafter. This will make it real and give them a good starting point. From there they can realize that things are happening right now, figure out what has already happened, and have some clues or context for what might happen next.
Prophesize Guaranteed Events
OK, this might sound like railroading, but there's a distinction to be made. Instead of including parts of a vision that relate to a PC, relate the PC to parts of the vision later. That way they are taking on the prophecy themselves, rather than it being thrust upon them. In a way, parts of the prophecy might become self fulfilling or more simply, the PC takes up an important role in the prophecy without being the only one who could.
When you design the prophecy make sure the events that happen are things that cannot be avoided. An eclipse, the full moon, summer, fall. Times are always could indicators, as are unique events (a red full moon). The events that occur should be something that needs to be responded to rather than stopped from happening. Make the prophecy a race to mitigate evil / disaster. You may not be able to stop the waking of the tarrasque but you can be prepared to put it right back to sleep. This gives the players some agency in the story without a prophecy losing its meaning, and allows more parts of the prophecy to remain a danger. Of course providing context like "or else" gives two outcomes prophesized and may give you, the GM, more breathing room.
Using A Vision
This is my favorite form of omen or prophecy. A vision can be presented in numerous ways and can take numerous forms. I have used magic, dreams, oracles, and some good old fashioned seer reading to reveal visions to players. These allow me to prepare them ahead of time and narrate the experience. The vision can be written on paper and handed to the player so they may choose to keep its contents secret.
Visions are dream-like and mutable so they are automatically vague, even in their specifics. Something in the vision may be true, or it may be influenced by personal feelings. One thing may represent another. Nevertheless, you can include scenes related to that which has happened, that which the players hope to happen, and that which is guaranteed to happen. Every bit is left to be dissected by the person or people who receive it.
In The End
At the end of it all the vision serves three purposes: to inform, to drive, and to confuse. Prophecies always reveal information that is, more often than not, confusing right up until it occurs and then it becomes blatantly obvious. The information provided sits on a fulcrum of uselessness and imperativeness. This handful of information and not knowing what to do with it can be a drive in itself. When that isn't enough knowing you are caught up in prophesized events coming true and leading to disaster, well that is generally enough for heroes. The vagueness and confusion is also a drive and tool you can use. You can draw characters back into a storyline or introduce NPCs to help them as a result of the prophecy.
With a little thought, you should have no trouble using prophecy to help propel your game. Your players will get a glimpse of what is to come and have something to look back to when they are losing their way. You too will have a tool to draw on and drive the story as you see fit, letting the PCs know the world moves around without them. Maybe they should do something about it. Regardless, prophecies can be short term and long term fun for any campaign.
The Future
Whenever you are playing a role-playing game, there is virtually no predictability in what is to come. Unless you are the worst kind of railroader or your players have no desire to propel the plot themselves, you will inevitably hit some sort of speed bump, turn in the road, or sudden cliff. That's OK and is one of the main reasons we play these games with each other. Anything can happen!
But some of the greatest tales include glimpses of the future and you may be driven to do the same. This may be through signs, omens, written prophecies, visions, or some other divination. Regardless of what form this insight comes in, you have a limited amount of control in whether or not it comes to fruition. There are a couple ways to make sure, however, that these premonitions of the future are not only true, but don't require you to take away player agency.
Setting It Up
The first thing you need to make sure occurs is that you have control over the point of prophecy. When it happens, how it happens, and what it pertains to. This is fairly simple, as most events come from your narration of the world or your control over discovered secrets and NPCs. Second, you must have the prophecy prepared ahead of time. Making it up on the fly could put you in a sticky situation later. "What about this part of the prophecy?" a player might say when you completely forgot that was a thing, or that it was completely avoided by the party. The less meaning a prophecy has as it comes to fruition, the less implication a party might put on future ones.
Be Late, Be Vague
The easiest way to have a prophecy be meaningful is to have whatever insight the PCs gain be incredibly vague. If you are too specific the prophecy might be too easily avoided or, if you force it to occur, the players may feel something has been taken away from them (agency). Use general phrases and words. Utilize things that have more than one meaning. Name things via description and not directly. Think of a misdirect to include that may be easy to latch onto so that the true meaning is ignored. Use titles, names, or descriptions that fit multiple things, people, places, or times.
Of course none of this will matter if the players forget or ignore the prophecy. That's where being late comes in. Do not give them a prophecy before anything happens. There is no sense of urgency then, and nothing to keep it in memory. Instead, include something that has already happened at the beginning of the premonition. Follow up with something that can happen at the time of the prophecy or immediately thereafter. This will make it real and give them a good starting point. From there they can realize that things are happening right now, figure out what has already happened, and have some clues or context for what might happen next.
Prophesize Guaranteed Events
OK, this might sound like railroading, but there's a distinction to be made. Instead of including parts of a vision that relate to a PC, relate the PC to parts of the vision later. That way they are taking on the prophecy themselves, rather than it being thrust upon them. In a way, parts of the prophecy might become self fulfilling or more simply, the PC takes up an important role in the prophecy without being the only one who could.
When you design the prophecy make sure the events that happen are things that cannot be avoided. An eclipse, the full moon, summer, fall. Times are always could indicators, as are unique events (a red full moon). The events that occur should be something that needs to be responded to rather than stopped from happening. Make the prophecy a race to mitigate evil / disaster. You may not be able to stop the waking of the tarrasque but you can be prepared to put it right back to sleep. This gives the players some agency in the story without a prophecy losing its meaning, and allows more parts of the prophecy to remain a danger. Of course providing context like "or else" gives two outcomes prophesized and may give you, the GM, more breathing room.
Using A Vision
This is my favorite form of omen or prophecy. A vision can be presented in numerous ways and can take numerous forms. I have used magic, dreams, oracles, and some good old fashioned seer reading to reveal visions to players. These allow me to prepare them ahead of time and narrate the experience. The vision can be written on paper and handed to the player so they may choose to keep its contents secret.
Visions are dream-like and mutable so they are automatically vague, even in their specifics. Something in the vision may be true, or it may be influenced by personal feelings. One thing may represent another. Nevertheless, you can include scenes related to that which has happened, that which the players hope to happen, and that which is guaranteed to happen. Every bit is left to be dissected by the person or people who receive it.
In The End
At the end of it all the vision serves three purposes: to inform, to drive, and to confuse. Prophecies always reveal information that is, more often than not, confusing right up until it occurs and then it becomes blatantly obvious. The information provided sits on a fulcrum of uselessness and imperativeness. This handful of information and not knowing what to do with it can be a drive in itself. When that isn't enough knowing you are caught up in prophesized events coming true and leading to disaster, well that is generally enough for heroes. The vagueness and confusion is also a drive and tool you can use. You can draw characters back into a storyline or introduce NPCs to help them as a result of the prophecy.
With a little thought, you should have no trouble using prophecy to help propel your game. Your players will get a glimpse of what is to come and have something to look back to when they are losing their way. You too will have a tool to draw on and drive the story as you see fit, letting the PCs know the world moves around without them. Maybe they should do something about it. Regardless, prophecies can be short term and long term fun for any campaign.
Monday, December 26, 2016
Luxarrah: Fates Denied
Hey everyone, I hope your holidays have all been going well! In case you missed it Saturday, episode 3 of out Luxarrah came out. Join our captured heroes and find out if they can escape with their, and the other captives', lives!
Saturday, November 12, 2016
Resources For Every GM: References Part 6
*I realize all the links I put out probably say resources part 6, didn't see it until last one, oops*
Good afternoon all. I have been having some trouble with these Resource articles on time (well on time to my desired schedule) because I almost always look at what I have and go, "this is totally great for *insert theme here*!" So my prepared list of resources is like 8 weeks long, but none of them have 3. this is a bit of a problem, or it was at least. I have decided to try to lighten up on that a bit and I have also come up with a few sets I can use as well. Yes these are, in fact, themed. Sue me. Today I have some books not intended for GMs at all, but for writers. We all know that GMs are, or at least become, writers of a sort.
Bird By Bird (Anne Lamott): This is a book that was assigned in my creative writing class this semester, and it definitely a resource worth looking into. It isn't my favorite book on writing but it is a good one. As the title suggests Lamott writes about life as much, if not more than about writing, but for an author like her writing is life. As a result you can a great amount of insight into the general workings of your average writer, you average creative type. The reason I suggest this specific book is that, very quickly, you get the realization that you aren't the only one who get distracted when trying to write. This happens to me whether I am writing or working on campaign material, and I imagine it happens to you as well. The way she writes is even similar to this sticking on and repeating a distracting thought as she describes a day meant for writing spent doing like 15 other things. If nothing else it is good to know your bad habits are not only yours and may even reinvigorate your self-confidence when such days hit you.
Fierce On The Page (Sage Cohen): Another work I read for my creative writing class, this one I liked better than Bird By Bird. The book is separated into 75 short chapters, or essays really because each one can easily be read without ever having read over any of the others. Each essay talks about a different aspect of not just writing, but also life. She uses her life experiences and how those related to her writing to help reveal how directly everything in your life is connected to the creative process. Cohen gives suggestions on how to de-clutter and become comfortable with your own process and troubles so that you can get back to the important things like writing, and for you guys Game Mastering!
Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction (Orson Scott Card, Phillip Athens, more): This may be the most useful book for GMs, especially aspiring writers who GM. I do need to mention the one problem I have found in the first section of the book, though. There is a tendency for the subject matter to be related towards and with respect with science fiction. While not ignoring fantasy, there does seem to be a lacking in specifics related to it. Nevertheless, this is an amazing resource for what you could get out of it. Aspiring authors will find the entire thing helpful, but GMs will find the ten chapter of part four of great use. There is basic information on a number of cultures, religions, vocabulary, weapons, commerce, castles, and more. Much of this can be learned through various other sources and the internet, but to have one collection of similar base material is of incredible use.
Good afternoon all. I have been having some trouble with these Resource articles on time (well on time to my desired schedule) because I almost always look at what I have and go, "this is totally great for *insert theme here*!" So my prepared list of resources is like 8 weeks long, but none of them have 3. this is a bit of a problem, or it was at least. I have decided to try to lighten up on that a bit and I have also come up with a few sets I can use as well. Yes these are, in fact, themed. Sue me. Today I have some books not intended for GMs at all, but for writers. We all know that GMs are, or at least become, writers of a sort.
Bird By Bird (Anne Lamott): This is a book that was assigned in my creative writing class this semester, and it definitely a resource worth looking into. It isn't my favorite book on writing but it is a good one. As the title suggests Lamott writes about life as much, if not more than about writing, but for an author like her writing is life. As a result you can a great amount of insight into the general workings of your average writer, you average creative type. The reason I suggest this specific book is that, very quickly, you get the realization that you aren't the only one who get distracted when trying to write. This happens to me whether I am writing or working on campaign material, and I imagine it happens to you as well. The way she writes is even similar to this sticking on and repeating a distracting thought as she describes a day meant for writing spent doing like 15 other things. If nothing else it is good to know your bad habits are not only yours and may even reinvigorate your self-confidence when such days hit you.
Fierce On The Page (Sage Cohen): Another work I read for my creative writing class, this one I liked better than Bird By Bird. The book is separated into 75 short chapters, or essays really because each one can easily be read without ever having read over any of the others. Each essay talks about a different aspect of not just writing, but also life. She uses her life experiences and how those related to her writing to help reveal how directly everything in your life is connected to the creative process. Cohen gives suggestions on how to de-clutter and become comfortable with your own process and troubles so that you can get back to the important things like writing, and for you guys Game Mastering!
Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction (Orson Scott Card, Phillip Athens, more): This may be the most useful book for GMs, especially aspiring writers who GM. I do need to mention the one problem I have found in the first section of the book, though. There is a tendency for the subject matter to be related towards and with respect with science fiction. While not ignoring fantasy, there does seem to be a lacking in specifics related to it. Nevertheless, this is an amazing resource for what you could get out of it. Aspiring authors will find the entire thing helpful, but GMs will find the ten chapter of part four of great use. There is basic information on a number of cultures, religions, vocabulary, weapons, commerce, castles, and more. Much of this can be learned through various other sources and the internet, but to have one collection of similar base material is of incredible use.
Monday, October 24, 2016
Resources For Every GM: Reference Books Part 5
Hello everyone and sorry for the delay (again). Today's reference books follow the theme of the mysterious thanks to a bargain bin at Barnes & Noble! Of course, in some cases we are looking to explore and explain the mysterious and in others we can only guess, probe, and wonder. Regardless of what kind of help or inspiration you need, one of these may be of help to you.
The Secret Language of Star Signs (Jane Struthers): First we have a book about astrology, a topic that tries to reveal information about how the universe works in all its mysterious ways. This is a book all about the Zodiac, specifically the classical zodiac of the Greeks. It contains all the information you could ever want to include the Zodiac and its varietal meanings in your campaign world, or as a jump point to create your own. There are sections for each of the different astrological signs and in these are described the personality traits of men, women, and children born to them. Additionally there are sections on things like health, work, relationships, and food which provide you with information on specifics for a sign. What are the spending habits of an Aries? Well, this book has the answers!
The Secret Language of Fortune Telling (Sarah Bartlett): Next is a book about trying to decipher the hidden meanings of the world and predict the greatest mystery of all: the future. I love this book because it provides you with a source of methodologies from around the world. No need to rely on making up or glossing over details in game or avoiding the presence of fortune tellers in game. With this book you can have fortune tellers of all kinds from around the world in your city willing to take some coin and reveal the future of the PCs. In fact, the book is detailed enough that, for example, you could do a fairly well informed palm reading of the player's hand as if they were their character. Or prep one of their PC making assumptions about the spacing of the lines of their palms, giving an air of legitimacy whether you want the fortune teller to be the real deal or not. Examples of techniques in the book include intuition, tarot, runes, numerology, and tea leaf reading.
Unsolved Mysteries (Joel Levy): Now this book is actually all about mysteries, if you couldn't guess that yourself. In it is a collection of actual things that still plague our minds today. It is broken down into four major sections which cover places, events, artifacts, and sightings. Fantasy worlds are full of extraplanar creatures, magic, and gods. Sci-fi worlds are full of strange technology, aliens species, and galactic oddities. Use some real-life mysteries as the basis of weird events in your world and pieces of history and discussion. This book will give you plenty to work with from big foot to UFOs and El Dorado to lost Roanoke. Let the real world inspire you!
The Secret Language of Star Signs (Jane Struthers): First we have a book about astrology, a topic that tries to reveal information about how the universe works in all its mysterious ways. This is a book all about the Zodiac, specifically the classical zodiac of the Greeks. It contains all the information you could ever want to include the Zodiac and its varietal meanings in your campaign world, or as a jump point to create your own. There are sections for each of the different astrological signs and in these are described the personality traits of men, women, and children born to them. Additionally there are sections on things like health, work, relationships, and food which provide you with information on specifics for a sign. What are the spending habits of an Aries? Well, this book has the answers!
The Secret Language of Fortune Telling (Sarah Bartlett): Next is a book about trying to decipher the hidden meanings of the world and predict the greatest mystery of all: the future. I love this book because it provides you with a source of methodologies from around the world. No need to rely on making up or glossing over details in game or avoiding the presence of fortune tellers in game. With this book you can have fortune tellers of all kinds from around the world in your city willing to take some coin and reveal the future of the PCs. In fact, the book is detailed enough that, for example, you could do a fairly well informed palm reading of the player's hand as if they were their character. Or prep one of their PC making assumptions about the spacing of the lines of their palms, giving an air of legitimacy whether you want the fortune teller to be the real deal or not. Examples of techniques in the book include intuition, tarot, runes, numerology, and tea leaf reading.
Unsolved Mysteries (Joel Levy): Now this book is actually all about mysteries, if you couldn't guess that yourself. In it is a collection of actual things that still plague our minds today. It is broken down into four major sections which cover places, events, artifacts, and sightings. Fantasy worlds are full of extraplanar creatures, magic, and gods. Sci-fi worlds are full of strange technology, aliens species, and galactic oddities. Use some real-life mysteries as the basis of weird events in your world and pieces of history and discussion. This book will give you plenty to work with from big foot to UFOs and El Dorado to lost Roanoke. Let the real world inspire you!
Saturday, October 15, 2016
Untamed Rant: Resurrection
Hello everyone and welcome to our first new episode of D&Donuts, now called the Untamed Rant! In this episode we talk about the changes to resurrection and similar spells throughout the years of Dungeons & Dragons, and we get into the importance and occurrence of character death in the game.
In the next episode we will be discussing Cthulhu, as voted on by our followers on Twitter. If you would like to vote on the third episode's topic follow @42nd_Alchemist and @untamedscribe. If you enjoy the show, want to help us out, or just get it two weeks before everyone else become a patron over on our Patreon page! And don't worry about our current goals or reward levels, those are undergoing revision for November and any pledge you make will get you early access to this podcast and our Cracks of the Rift story!
In the next episode we will be discussing Cthulhu, as voted on by our followers on Twitter. If you would like to vote on the third episode's topic follow @42nd_Alchemist and @untamedscribe. If you enjoy the show, want to help us out, or just get it two weeks before everyone else become a patron over on our Patreon page! And don't worry about our current goals or reward levels, those are undergoing revision for November and any pledge you make will get you early access to this podcast and our Cracks of the Rift story!
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Story Telling With Marvel
Today I wanted to expand on something that I have mentioned before, though I can honestly say I don't remember where that was. Recently I mentioned how useful comic books are as inspiration for GMs, especially on the side of story telling. They match up with the way a game's story is told. Sometimes the content of a comic ranges a few hours in-world and sometimes its covers days of time. The same thing can happen at the table where a major battle lasting mere minutes in game take the whole session, or lots of role-playing scenes pop up and cover many days of downtime or travel. Some comics release on a (very nearly) weekly schedule and others are once a month, much like many campaigns are played. There are story arcs within story arcs and these can and should interact with bigger things happening within the world. Not everyone has the time, or the money (they're expensive to keep up with), to read comic books. However, there is something similar, and perhaps even more useful, that most of us nerds have been watching: Marvel's Netflix series.
The first thing you have to remember when looking at these for inspiration is that they are, very much, the table top experience. It does not matter what genre or system you play in, these shows are a very good representation of what we do at the table, though our parties tends towards a handful more than a single person. This is especially true of the Netflix series which feature the less overpowered, more flawed, more real heroes. The characters are not so different from everyone else, especially at first, they are just slightly more talented, recognize how they could use their talents, and / or are willing to do things other people are not. In addition to that, as short seasoned shows that draw from the comics and contain a range of characters, the series are perfect examples of an RPG story arc. There are little arcs and bits going on within it, but there is also the bigger picture going on throughout the season.
That is the first place to take a lesson. In both seasons of Daredevil and the one of Jessica Jones there is a lot of depth. From Fisk's history and personal life to the development and evolution of Patsy Walker we have pieces that aren't strictly important to the main arc but are molded by it. At your table there are going to be things, events, and characters that are molded by your adventurers and their quest. Whatever that quest is, by getting involved in the larger world around them there will always be others who are affected. While you could, of course, narrate cut scenes involving such things to reveal information to the players, it is probably a better choice to focus on weaving in how the characters learn such information.
Now, the Netflix series aren't just great for lessons in remembering how things change and ripple out from your players. It is also a lesson in how NPC attitudes develop in relation to those players. Much in the way Foggy struggles being a friend to Matt, the NPCs may find themselves struggling to be committed allies to a group of adventurers who, very likely, find themselves outside the law if not above it. That allegiance may sway back and forth with the PCs getting help sometimes and not others. It may also cause the NPC to take their own action and forcing the PCs to deal with that added trouble. NPCs, especially important, powerful, or just willful ones, do their own thing and many of them may not just sit and wait for the PCs to come back.
The last thing I wanted to mention about story telling that we can learn from Marvel's Netflix series is all about setting and story arcs weaving into an even bigger picture. To be fair though, this is a lesson still in the making. For those of you who are unaware of the comics or of Marvel's plans, there is a whole lot more coming to Netflix. At this point you should have seen that come out of Comic Con though. There were a number of teasers. Starting with Daredevil, the intent was always to do 4 series that would lead into one big crossover series. For those of you still out of the loop, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist would all get their own series followed by the team up we're all waiting for: The Defenders.
What is so amazing about this goal is something we have actually seen before. We saw it in Phase 1. We saw it in Phase 2. It will all come to a head again in Infinity Wars. What I am talking about is the very separate and unique movies that make up a larger story (the Avengers). Each one tackles a different hero or heroes with different set drops and themes. These not only span the globe, however, but the cosmos. Not only that but we only get 2-3 hours of exposure to each.
The Netflix series has a whole lot going for it that they just don't. First off we get 13 episodes at about 40 minutes each. That's close to 4 times as much time to cover things. Secondly, we have the goal of a big crossover event, but instead of this shaking the cosmos, it all takes place within New York City. Granted a city is huge, and New York especially so, but that is such a small scale to work with for what is, roughly, the same hero diversity. Finally we have the diversity between how the series are handled. They are all darker and more 'real' than the movie counterparts. But what really takes the cake is how different Jessica Jones is from Daredevil, while still being within a circle you expect. If you have seen the teasers for Luke Cage and Iron Fist then you know, as well as I do, that the next two series are going to happen similarly.
Take each of these series and treat it as an arc. Your characters may all be a part of each arc, but you can do those arcs in different styles, maintain the campaign's feel, AND stay close to 'home'. As fun as it is to bring players out into the wider world(s), you don't have to and Marvel just gives us the perfect example. That being said of course, there is still so much for them to show us. We have Luke Cage coming up and the Defenders was slated for next year. That, of course, means that Iron Fist will also be next year. Spring for Iron Fist and Fall for Defenders if I had my guess. But don't forget, we also have season 3 of Daredevil soon too.
Oh, and one last thing I want to mention that we should all do more of as GMs, taking a lesson from Marvel. Your PCs are probably not the only heroes. Their villains aren't the only villains. Dealing with those things is common and tough, but what about dealing with the aftermath of more powerful heroes and events? It is woven into the Netflix shows, but more as background and narrative device than anything else. But what if the Chitauri invaded "today" and after that insane hour or so, there were still some left hiding. Daredevil would certainly have something to worry about in Hell's Kitchen.
So, watch the series again and keep an eye out for story telling tricks. Watch for foreshadowing or hints you missed the first time. Keep a GM's point of view as you go through them. There is always more to learn.
The first thing you have to remember when looking at these for inspiration is that they are, very much, the table top experience. It does not matter what genre or system you play in, these shows are a very good representation of what we do at the table, though our parties tends towards a handful more than a single person. This is especially true of the Netflix series which feature the less overpowered, more flawed, more real heroes. The characters are not so different from everyone else, especially at first, they are just slightly more talented, recognize how they could use their talents, and / or are willing to do things other people are not. In addition to that, as short seasoned shows that draw from the comics and contain a range of characters, the series are perfect examples of an RPG story arc. There are little arcs and bits going on within it, but there is also the bigger picture going on throughout the season.
That is the first place to take a lesson. In both seasons of Daredevil and the one of Jessica Jones there is a lot of depth. From Fisk's history and personal life to the development and evolution of Patsy Walker we have pieces that aren't strictly important to the main arc but are molded by it. At your table there are going to be things, events, and characters that are molded by your adventurers and their quest. Whatever that quest is, by getting involved in the larger world around them there will always be others who are affected. While you could, of course, narrate cut scenes involving such things to reveal information to the players, it is probably a better choice to focus on weaving in how the characters learn such information.
Now, the Netflix series aren't just great for lessons in remembering how things change and ripple out from your players. It is also a lesson in how NPC attitudes develop in relation to those players. Much in the way Foggy struggles being a friend to Matt, the NPCs may find themselves struggling to be committed allies to a group of adventurers who, very likely, find themselves outside the law if not above it. That allegiance may sway back and forth with the PCs getting help sometimes and not others. It may also cause the NPC to take their own action and forcing the PCs to deal with that added trouble. NPCs, especially important, powerful, or just willful ones, do their own thing and many of them may not just sit and wait for the PCs to come back.
The last thing I wanted to mention about story telling that we can learn from Marvel's Netflix series is all about setting and story arcs weaving into an even bigger picture. To be fair though, this is a lesson still in the making. For those of you who are unaware of the comics or of Marvel's plans, there is a whole lot more coming to Netflix. At this point you should have seen that come out of Comic Con though. There were a number of teasers. Starting with Daredevil, the intent was always to do 4 series that would lead into one big crossover series. For those of you still out of the loop, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist would all get their own series followed by the team up we're all waiting for: The Defenders.
What is so amazing about this goal is something we have actually seen before. We saw it in Phase 1. We saw it in Phase 2. It will all come to a head again in Infinity Wars. What I am talking about is the very separate and unique movies that make up a larger story (the Avengers). Each one tackles a different hero or heroes with different set drops and themes. These not only span the globe, however, but the cosmos. Not only that but we only get 2-3 hours of exposure to each.
The Netflix series has a whole lot going for it that they just don't. First off we get 13 episodes at about 40 minutes each. That's close to 4 times as much time to cover things. Secondly, we have the goal of a big crossover event, but instead of this shaking the cosmos, it all takes place within New York City. Granted a city is huge, and New York especially so, but that is such a small scale to work with for what is, roughly, the same hero diversity. Finally we have the diversity between how the series are handled. They are all darker and more 'real' than the movie counterparts. But what really takes the cake is how different Jessica Jones is from Daredevil, while still being within a circle you expect. If you have seen the teasers for Luke Cage and Iron Fist then you know, as well as I do, that the next two series are going to happen similarly.
Take each of these series and treat it as an arc. Your characters may all be a part of each arc, but you can do those arcs in different styles, maintain the campaign's feel, AND stay close to 'home'. As fun as it is to bring players out into the wider world(s), you don't have to and Marvel just gives us the perfect example. That being said of course, there is still so much for them to show us. We have Luke Cage coming up and the Defenders was slated for next year. That, of course, means that Iron Fist will also be next year. Spring for Iron Fist and Fall for Defenders if I had my guess. But don't forget, we also have season 3 of Daredevil soon too.
Oh, and one last thing I want to mention that we should all do more of as GMs, taking a lesson from Marvel. Your PCs are probably not the only heroes. Their villains aren't the only villains. Dealing with those things is common and tough, but what about dealing with the aftermath of more powerful heroes and events? It is woven into the Netflix shows, but more as background and narrative device than anything else. But what if the Chitauri invaded "today" and after that insane hour or so, there were still some left hiding. Daredevil would certainly have something to worry about in Hell's Kitchen.
So, watch the series again and keep an eye out for story telling tricks. Watch for foreshadowing or hints you missed the first time. Keep a GM's point of view as you go through them. There is always more to learn.
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