Feed: RPG Inspiration – Crank - AggScore: 9.6

RPG Inspiration – Crank

---

Welcome to the second edition of my semi-regular feature, drawing inspiration for RPGs from Media. This time, I will be discussing the movie Crank. This will be a somewhat shorter post than the previous one. While I enjoyed the movie, I am not sure that there is that much I can draw on for this article. Crank [1] Crank is a 2006 movie, directed by Mark Neveldine, and starring Jason Statham and Amy Smart. (IMDB page [2]) [3] The DVD Waiting for the Character At the beginning of the movie, the character wakes up, feeling confused, and finds a DVD waiting for him. This is an obvious idea to apply to an RPG. It could be an interesting way to start an adventure, or just to throw the PCs for a loop. Perhaps they wake up in their secure castle, to find that their enemy has left them a scroll lying by their bed. It does not matter what the scroll actually says, it would be  a bit worrying that somebody gained access to them so easily. Or, this might even be a normal event, perhaps that is how members of a conspiracy get their orders and missions (and how do they know that the DVD is from the person they think it is?) Of course, this is also another way to leave the classic "We have kidnapped your girlfriend/daughter/hamster/singing sword" message. Poisoned The whole movie is about the character getting poisoned, and trying to get revenge before the poison finishes him off. He does try to find a cure, but once he realises that there is no such thing, he focuses on vengeance. The obvious thing to do is to put a character is this situation, but be careful with this, either offer the possibility of a cure, or talk it over with the player in advance... Perhaps save it for when a player wants their character to go out with a bang. If the players use poison, you can reverse the situation. It does not even have to be poison... Perhaps they shot somebody, and they survived, but the bullet is in such a position where it could puncture their heart at any moment? The characters will now have to deal with somebody who they thought was dead, but is now out for their blood. Of course, if they just wait long enough, the problem will resolve itself, but as the movie demonstrate one person can do a lot of damage in a couple of hours. Remote Treatement For most of the movie, Jason Statham's character is dealing with his doctor over the phone, and getting instructions on how to treat himself. This could be used to make for a tense scene in a game, if the characters don't have first aid skills, perhaps the only way they can save their friend is if somebody walks them through a surgery over the phone (maybe they are far away from civilisation/on a spaceship/under the sea, and it would take too long for the doctor to get to them) This could lead to some great role-playing. "And now, you need to suture the aorta" "What's an aorta?" Note: I know nothing about medicine, so the above paragraph might not even make sense. Secret Identity I like the fact that the main character's girlfriend had no idea about his real occupation. This is something that could be used in any game, and in some, such as superheroes, it is an established trope. OF course, things get really interesting when this is tried in another setting. Perhaps the superspy poses as an insurance salesman, in order to protect his family. Or, take this to the fantasy setting. Perhaps, since a character is not of noble birth, he has to pretend to be a common peasant to his family, while he slays dragons at those times that he tells his wife that he is at the tavern , drinking with the rest of the guys. Maybe all the characters are like this, with the bartender in on it? Music I found that music was used to great effect in Crank, and definitely added to the sheer insanity of the movie. Music is something that is hard to bring into a game, since it might act as a distraction, but I really believe that it could really add something to the game, if done properly. I have yet to figure out how to do it properly, though. [1] http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=moneyconcio-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B000K7UBSO [2] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0479884/ [3] http://nenadristic.com/2011/01/rpg-inspiration-crank/crank_en/