Serenity RPG

[Kel-nage]

Right, my RPG group is taking a hiatus from Ravenloft for now and I'm looking for a new setting to put them in. Has anyone tried the Serenity RPG? Was it any good?

One of my friends is a browncoat (which is Serenity/Firefly slang for "fan", I think), so he'll love it, but I must admit I know very little about it (I plan to buy the DVD of the film and the TV series eventually, so I get a better feel for the setting). But I also want my other friends to enjoy it, who aren't browncoats.

So yeah, any input on Serenity/Firefly welcome.

[Jester of the FoS]

It's a rules-lite game, good for new players and those more interested in story than die-rolling. Simmilar to the WoD where you roll a skill and ability die for sucess. Only instead of a wad of d10s the dice vary from d3s to d12s and above.
The book and DVDs are all you really need but the Visual Companion is apparently handy as well.

If they're game than emphasise the story, spend some time on histories and the like. Think of some cool plot twists and events. It's not just TV but low-tech sci-fi which makes for some fun.

[Dominique]

I haven't actually playtested it yet, but I have the book and it looks like a pretty good system. Nothing fancy, but pretty shiny all the same. The best thing about it is that they actually make the ship a character--it has stats, you can give it assets and complications (like merits and flaws in WoD), and there's even an asset called "Loved" that lets your PCs share their dice pools with the ship! The only complaints I have are that combat looks kind of clunky and you have to make your own character sheets from scratch, but the combat should be okay with a little bit of tweaking and who hasn't made character sheets from scratch at some point?

[Scipio]

It's a pretty good game. I ran through it with my usual gaming group not long ago. The rules system was pretty good, although as mentioned, combat was clunky. If you go to www.serenityrpg.com there are some pretty good character sheets available for download.

[Scot Storm]

Never heard of it. Where might you find it. I mean is it old or new? From Dungeons and Dragons?

[Ronia Sun]

Serenity is based on Joss Whedon's fabulous but short-lived tv show 'Firefly', and the recent movie named 'Serenity.' (Yes, I am a Browncoat. Wanna make somethin' of it? )

Don't have the book yet, but my best friend does, and she has nothing but good things to say about it. (Granted, at the moment she's using it for a writing resource rather than a game system, but still...!)

I desperately want the book, but refuse to pay full print price for a PDF, and the bookstore in this little Wyoming town doesn't carry it.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

I'm a recent convert to Serenity/Firefly, having never watched it when it was on the air, and just recently watching the dvd's. I don't know how the RPG books are written, and how well they convey the feel, but I would definately recommend watching the whole series and movie before running a game. It's such a unique and different feel that if anyone who has seen it played a game by someone who hadn't, I'm sure they'd notice that the feel was off somehow, and the last thing you want is coming up with something that contradicts what the fan "knows" about the setting.

good luck, it seems like a fun setting to play in!

[Jack of Tears]

I have run the system and enjoyed it a great deal. The rules are simple to pick up and character generation takes approximately ten minutes, so you can write up characters and play in the same night if you like.

I have heard the combat system is clunky, to which I cannot attest. We played for two months and never once got into combat - as the situations either did not call for it or the party outthought their human obstacles so they could be eliminated or bypassed without the need for a rolled battle. (in once instance they poisoned a ship's crew; while in another they rigged a means to vent the cargo bay and space the crew even while they were being hunted for)

There do seem some inconsistancies in pricing, compaired to the listed wages one might expect to earn. (upkeep on ships is so outrageous I cannot begin to see how Mal kept his afloat) But economics has long been overlooked in rpgs, so this isn't unexpected and in no way a game breaking situation.

As someone else mentioned, there are character sheets on the site and the forums ( http://wavesintheblack.aimoo.com/ ) are a fantastic place to discuss both setting and system. (very active forums with mostly friendly and thoughtful people)

If you enjoy Serenity, or even the concept behind the setting, I highly recommend picking up the game.

[Ronia Sun]

I don't think anyone quite knows how Mal kept his boat afloat. *He* doesn't know, I don't think, aside from a genius mechanic and a lot of love.