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So I can't believe I just realized this but the Bond Movies are legitimately the best possible instruction manual for how new Gamemasters should learn to run a game:
There's a Prologue and it establishes either the plot (ex: Agent dies on a mission, terrorist attack) or the main character (James Bond is on an entirely different mission, saves the day and gets a girl).
They have a quest giver NPC who always establishes stakes (M debriefs 007)
The PC always gets a chance to get the equipment he needs and he always learns what's special about his items (Q: "Pay attention 007!)
There is always at least one social encounter
There is always at least one stealth encounter
The locations for the plot are always well described and interesting.
Combat occurs only when the plot requires it.
Combat encounters are always progressively harder than the previous one.
Sometimes the PC has the chance to escape without fighting.
Sometimes the PC has the chance to call in back up from friendly NPCs.
The NPCs always help the plot move forward, even if they are killed or betray the PC.
There is always at least one mini-boss (Jaws, Odd Job, Red)
There is always a chance to defeat the villain.
If the villain escapes, you have a chance to find a clue to hunt him down.
The final encounter with the boss is always climatic.
There is always a wrap-up.
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Also there's a casino scene where Bond uses his Hero Point to get himself out of a self-inflicted jam with sheer luck.
They're also heavily scripted, often relying on little more than luck and fiat to get from one set piece encounter to another or to survive those encounters.
I sense not a Bond fan. That's fine, but if you're a beginning GM and you want an outline for how to start, you could do worse. "Heavily scripted" is not a bad thing for a brand new GM.
I do like the idea. You can even do them in any order, or omit a few.
I've always liked the pacing and story telling in both spy movies and heist movies. I'd love to use more of that in my D&D games.
I wouldn't recommend deathtraps though!
"Oh, you missed that Bluff on Goldfinger. Laser time!"
or
"You made that Bluff on Goldfinger. He notes he doesn't need the other party members. Laser time!"
I bet somebody used plenty of Hero Points to retroactively have Ms. Galore turn traitor.
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One new thing this thread sparked is how most of Bond's progress is via information or positioning (often social) rather than simple physical/geographical progress (which many fantasies/RPGs rely on). Other than getting captured repeatedly and working solo, there's good fodder here.
There are plenty of old 007 modules if one were wishing to pursue this.
You could get that volcano-ninja base's map. Or perhaps find layouts and social encounter paradigms you wish to emulate. You'd have to make alternate paths to overcome some adventure obstacles because not every party can emulate all of Bond's high-level abilities and those were written in the early days of RPGing.
They're old enough I'd expect files are online like many 80's RPG products have.
One new thing this thread sparked is how most of Bond's progress is via information or positioning (often social) rather than simple physical/geographical progress (which many fantasies/RPGs rely on). Other than getting captured repeatedly and working solo, there's good fodder here.
Agreed: Bond doesn't just arrive at the inn and is granted information by being there, he is encouraged to interact with the environment to get plot points.
Agreed: Bond doesn't just arrive at the inn and is granted information by being there, he is encouraged to interact with the environment to get plot points.
One new thing this thread sparked is how most of Bond's progress is via information or positioning (often social) rather than simple physical/geographical progress (which many fantasies/RPGs rely on). Other than getting captured repeatedly and working solo, there's good fodder here.
Yeah, can't just make a roll and call it good.
I'd also add that the Bond mentality, even in a standard inn, would make it a more interesting place. There would likely be informers or criminal elements, a potential love interest (on whose side?), maybe a rival, or more. Even outside the inn, who's watching? Who's coming? What secret routes in or out are there?
Reminds me of some early DnD modules that liberally sprinkled lots of interesting NPCs (& their connections) into otherwise standard settings. Fuel for lots of potential links and subplots.
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To be fair, a lot of fantasy RPGs involve dealing with traps, and a great way to stop them from being a pair of Perception/Theivery checks is to make them intricate or elaborate. Slowly rising water, a shooting range maze where nothing is as it seems, swarms of cannibalistic rats (who hopefully don't eat each other before they get to the PCs)...
I do admit, I once had an idea for a Bond-style PC, who'd specialize in calmly walking out of cover and doing Sneak Attacks via Shot-On-The-Run. Also, who would get humorously rejected by every NPC on whom he'd advance. But I had to shelve the idea.
Ah well. Sean Moore will return...
I've used the pre-credit sequence as a way to start games before (its a great change to meeting in a tavern)
For example
start with putting a map and monster minis down
Give the players a very light background comment "you've come to this temple to recover a holy artifact stolen from the temple of Sarenrae - you crept past the outer guards without issue, put yourselves wherever you like near one of the map edges - but now you see the cultists doing a dark ritual and the artifact you want is on the altar there"
roll for initiative