Cinematic Play

Cinematic campaigns have certain
conventions:
A cinematic world is ordered.
Events have reasons – reasons that
relate to the story. These might not be
obvious, but few things happen arbi-
trarily and nothing significant hap-
pens at random. This doesn’t mean
that the plot has to be linear or pre-
destined. Reversals of fortune are
common setbacks, and even if the
final goal is set in stone, the way to get
there is not.
The only details of importance are
those that directly advance the story.
Unnecessary detail is the bane of cine-
matic gaming. The GM must know the
difference between important details
and irrelevant ones. For instance, if
the heroes must cross the Burning
Wastes to reach the Dark Tower, they
will find enough water along the way;
the story would be very short if they
didn’t, and it would not advance the
story much to play out their searches.
The GM must be prepared to over-
rule any die roll. If the dice determine
every outcome, the players learn to
put probability ahead of dash and
style. Furthermore, the dice can be as
tyrannical as a heavy-handed GM;
the players are likely to revolt if a
brave adventurer dies suddenly from