Two RPG ideas

[avram]

Rope in Fate

Watching the latter part of Hitchock’s Rope, it seems to me that you could run that whole long psychological and investigative cat-and-mouse game in Fate, with most of the movie consisting of Investigation, Empathy, and Deceit rolls, trying to assess and declare aspects, leading up to a big Will conflict at the end.

Also, that scene at the end where Jimmy Stewart’s character summons the cops by firing a gun out the window? Hope there wasn’t anyone standing where the bullets came down.

An encumbrance mechanic

An idea for D&D-like games: Give each player an (empty) Altoids tin, or some other small container. This is a holder for the items their character is carrying. For small items (scrolls, flasks of potion, daggers) use scraps of paper or business card. For larger items, use pieces of wood or Lego or other substantial items. You’ve got to write the names of the items they represent on these objects, so if you don’t want to write on your Lego blocks, use something else.

If you’ve got several different sizes of small box, give the larger ones to the players with stronger characters. If all you’ve got is the same size box, give the weaker players null items (Lego blocks with nothing written on them) to represent a smaller carrying capacity.

Comments

[viktor-haag.livejournal.com]

anyone standing where the bullets came down

"Rope II"?

[jayspec.livejournal.com]

Despite the fame of the film, I'd never seen it until TCM showed it last night...

And my son woke up five minutes before the end!!! Right when the nervous guy starts really confessing to Jimmy Stewart, Benji woke up and we had to shut off the TV and all the lights and put him back to sleep.

[avram]

So you missed the twist ending where it turns out David Kentley was a vampire and he emerges from the chest and kills Rupert?

[jayspec.livejournal.com]

Ah! So that's why the sequel is called "Stake."

[mamishka.livejournal.com]

Strangers on a Train!!

[avram]

...exchanging glances.

[drcpunk.livejournal.com]

I read a book on Hitchcock's films which said that firing the gun at the end was more a catharsis for the audience than anything that made any literal sense. But, yes, anyone underneath would have problems. Still, this was after a dinner party in a neighborhood that didn't look all that crowded in the single glance we get of it.

Yes, Fate would work. I'm not sure I like the encumbrance mechanic, but then, I don't like encumbrance mechanics in general.