Serenity RPG
The Serenity Roleplaying Game by Margaret Weis Productions is an interesting beast; I’m a bit biased in the case of this review, so I’ll keep it short and try to give the sense I’ve gotten from various other gamers.
The setting we have here is, of course, Joss Whedon’s ’verse, which he created for the short-lived tv show Firefly, and revisited in the movie Serenity. Now, the ‘verse is a bit more open to us all, in the form of a roleplaying game that lets players get in on the sudden changes and plot twists that are a big part of what makes Firefly such an intriguing show.
The system used in the SRPG is a house-system of MWP’s, the next evolution of the one they created (as Sovereign Press) for the game Larry Elmore’s Sovereign Stone. There are major, major differences, but the core of the design can be found in that older fantasy game (if the game can be found at all—Sovereign Stone went d20 eventually, so the original book is difficult to find). Serenityuses six different die-types: two-sided, four-sided, six-sided, eight-sided, ten-sided, and twelve-sided; there are no twenty-sided dice here. The different die-types are vital to the ruleset, as characters are given Attributes and Skills rated in die-type, not as a flat number; for example, a character might have a Strength of d10 or an Intelligence of d6. To go higher than d12 in something, another die is added, making the next Step ‘d12 + d2.’
The basic system premise is just that: basic. Roll dice, usually from two sources (like an Attribute and a Skill), add the totals together, and try to equal or beat a target Difficulty Number. However, the interesting part here is that the game has no set combinations of Attributes and Skills, letting the players and GM choose whichever pair makes the most sense for any given roll. I love this flexibility, and find that it not only lets characters try and find ways to tackle problems based on what their character’s strengths are (as opposed to forcing them to build their character based around what the ‘most useful’ combinations are), but it also saves the game from the slow-down that is produced by having to look up special-case rules, the right set of Attributes and Skills for something very specific, and so on; all you need when actually playing are the character sheets and a basic grasp of the system, rather than the book itself.
Characters are also given a bit of flavor with Assets and Complications, which can range from something relatively normal, like Credo (a firm belief that limits the character’s actions) to Reader (being a psychic, like River without the killing-everything-automatically). These can help or hinder the character in a lot of ways, but perhaps most importantly, they give new ways of spending and earning Plot Points.
Plot Points are one of the SRPG’s most fun features, at least for me, but they’ve also produced some amazing hilarity in other peoples’ games—and, beyond the humour, they can lead to quite a bit of high drama and action. Plot Points are points that players receive throughout the game, and which can be spent on dice-roll bonuses, damage reduction, or plot alteration within a gaming session, or used between sessions (or saved) to advance a character’s Attributes and Skills, or to change their Assets and Complications. The GM awards points for clever ideas, good roleplaying, completion of goals, and whenever a character is hindered significantly by their Complications. However, there can be issues here if the GM doesn’t hand out Plot Points often enough, so I suggest that anyone running a Serenity game be sure to look for reasons to give them out—otherwise, players won’t spend them often, and that can prevent a lot of valuable input and ideas.
The SRPG has, unfortunately, suffered because of its status as a licensed product—MWP hasn’t been able to do all the updating and product creation it would like, simply because they aren’t allowed to, and Universal has yet to let them move forward. Because of this, it may be a while before any more official releases are seen. In response, the fan-created forums at Waves in the Black have become an amazing source of new ideas, discussions, and community support for the game.
Overall, the SRPG is a fun game, and is aimed at players interested in exploring the ‘verse in a moderately rules-lite fashion. There are bugs with the book, but the actual system is excellent—the errors and problems are more often than not a product of the fact that the game is licensed and had to meet standards and deadlines set by people who don’t play or write RPGs, and I’ve yet to find serious trouble playing the game. However, as I said, this is a rules-lite game, and may not appeal to fans of extremely ‘crunchy’ systems as much as others. If you think you fit in that category, you may want to pick up the RPG core book just for the flavor and setting info; but to everyone else, I highly recommend this as both a good game in and of itself, and as a good way to keep the ‘verse alive.
Blessed be,
~Nathan
