How to build cut scenes?

[Nox]

I was wondering what's the best way to develop a cut scene for a real life campaign.
How to introduce it, when it is needed, how much information should I give and so on.

Lets imagine I want to introduce Azalin, without giving players too many details on his nature and his affairs. Let's say that in the cutscene I dont want anything particular (like him raising deads or similar stuff), just a brief introduction to this character whitout any spoiler.
How could I do this?
And if I do such a cut scenes, when they meet Azalin for the first time should I give them any clues that this is "the king" I talked about in the cut scenes? Pheraps Should I let them know by giving them little clues (for example a symbol, a brief description of the throne, maybe the texture of the floor, those kind hints...)?

[ewancummins]

I may be in the minority on this, but I don't see the purpose or appeal of cut scenes in a tabletop game.
I think players would become confused or bored, hearing the DM describe a scene their characters are not part of and that is therefore all player knowledge.

I have used the occasional cut-scene, always kept brief, in my online games. Players are free to skip reading a post in a way that's different from ignoring the DM at the table, of course. They control their real-world time-use.
These short scenes come at the ends of chapters, more often the end of campaigns, and generally reveal very little the players don't already know--or haven't guessed. I aim for mood, not information.


If other DMs have had success with the cut-scene in tabletop, I'd love to hear about it.

[Igor the Henchman]

Awesome discussion topic!

I've used a cut scene or two on occasion, I think they can be a great DMing tool when used sparingly. Before using a cut scene, I make sure it accomplishes some, or ideally all three of the following goals:

The first goal is to give the players information that can't be conveyed another way. Your "Introducing Azalin" is an example of that. Basically you need give your players a missing piece of the puzzle that helps them understand the plot, but their characters just aren't in the proper place at the proper time. A classic example is showing the villain explaining his evil plan or tragic backstory to an audience of cowering minions or soon-to-be executed victims.

The second goal is to raise the stakes of the adventure. I once did an adventure where the PCs were diverted from their mission to defeat the BBEG by a little subquest to find two halfling children who had run away from home. Their parents were worried for their safety, having heard that there was a sect of evil druids conducting dark rituals in the area. As the characters hacked their way through the druids and their minions, I did a sudden cut scene. We saw the BBEG introducing himself to the halfling children and offering them jobs as his servants. To further entice them, he hinted they could play an important part in a grandiose scheme he was about to pull off. Further in the adventure, I did a second cut scene, where we saw the halfling children, now dressed in the BBEG's livery, serving wine to the evil druids whom the PCs had previously defeated. They were meeting with the BBEG to propose an alliance. Suddenly, a low-stakes mission to find a couple missing boys became something a lot more urgent.

The third goal is to foreshadow a future encounter. A cut scene can give the players a little taste of what's coming next in order to build anticipation. I once ran a superhero adventure where the heroes were transported back in time to dark ages Scandinavia, where they helped a viking queen liberate her village from foreign invaders. As the PCs were celebrating their victory, I did a cut scene showing their defeated enemies regrouping and planning a counter-attack with the help of a mystical artifact that could summon powerful high-tech weapons from the future. To function, the artifact needed to drain someone's years of life. The scene concluded by showing one PC's younger sisters being dragged in chains towards the artifact. This short scene gave the players a peek of what they were about to face and new motivation to go after the villains.

At their core, cut scenes are essentially a little cheating device that allows the DM to build dramatic tension without needing to involve the characters in the scene and risk them spoiling the effect by doing something unexpected. It's true that they can be frustrating to players because they cut away from their character's actions and turns them into passive spectators. The trick is to use them very sparingly, and keep them short and sweet.

Going back to your "Azalin" scenario, if I was in your shoes, I'd definitely reveal who it is (foreshadowing + raising the stakes), and show him sending out orders to his Kargat minions to do something that affects the current adventure. Then I'd quickly have the heroes come into conflict with said minions and defeat them. The players would thus enjoy feeling they managed to "stick it to the Man" by toppling someone's carefully arranged house of cards. Or so they would think, except this is Azalin. To paraphrase the Black Box, whenever you think you're getting the upper hand on him, you're actually doing exactly what he planned all along. When the PCs eventually do meet him in From the Shadows (I'm presuming), you could give them a second pay-off by revealing they were Azalin's real pawns this whole time.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

The trick is to use them very sparingly, and keep them short and sweet.

This.

I've used several of them in my campaign. The main use is Igor's first goal, and more specifically, to give additional character to the villains. Most Ravenloft bad guys have great backstories and well-developed personalities and goals, and I try to do the same with the ones I've created myself. But often when the PCs finally meet them, it's in battle, where their personalities don't get a chance to fully shine. So I like to use cut scenes to paint a bit of a picture of just who these people are that the heroes are beating up. I also sometimes use it to "connect the dots" when a recurring character seems to pop up out of nowhere. I like to show a bit of how they got there, to show that yes, I did think of a plausible reason for them to be there. (this can often intertwine nicely with the personality showcase goal.) And lastly, I use it sometimes as a bit of a reward, to show the outcome of the PC actions. Sometimes it might seem they aren't accomplishing much against the overwhelming evil of the land. But when they (the players, not the characters) can see that what they've done has royally ticked off someone who deserves it, there's a bit of a feel good moment.


The very first time I used one, I explained exactly what I was doing to the players. So there was no expectation that they could interfere, or that their characters were somehow seeing this in a vision or something. I outright said that this is out-of-character, for the benefit of the players only. (For subsequent ones, I just said it was a cutscene, or started with "meanwhile, elsewhere..." and they knew what I meant.) Then I went ahead and read the cut scene, like I was telling a story. But no one wants to sit and watch the DM read for a half hour. So as Igor said: short and sweet is the rule. Just a few paragraphs. If you want some examples, mine are all in my online journal. (http://www.themistway.com/ sessions 7, 8, 9, 12, and maybe some others, usually set up with the words "Meanwhile, Elsewhere..."

I like them. I think my players do too. Just don't over-use them.

[Zilfer]

Short one's are good. Only longer cutscene's i'd use is where they play NPC's that can interact.

In my CoS campaign I ended up showing a cutscene of the Werewolves replenishing their numbers. They are stealing kids and forcing only the strongest amongst them to become werewolves. It was fun for them as they were thrown into a pit, some roleplayed the scared, others the ones willing to attack, and another trying to fight against the werewolf captors/escape. When one was left standing I shifted back to what the party was doing, but now they know somewhere out there the pack of werewolves are replenishing their number, and they might have to fight kids!!!

Otherwise yeah exactly as the others above said, use them to explain the plot, reward players, or show the consequences of their actions. (Like why a town might not like them when they come back!)

[Nox]

you could give them a second pay-off by revealing they were Azalin's real pawns this whole time.

That was the plan .

Short one's are good. Only longer cutscene's i'd use is where they play NPC's that can interact.

In my CoS campaign I ended up showing a cutscene of the Werewolves replenishing their numbers. They are stealing kids and forcing only the strongest amongst them to become werewolves. It was fun for them as they were thrown into a pit, some roleplayed the scared, others the ones willing to attack, and another trying to fight against the werewolf captors/escape. When one was left standing I shifted back to what the party was doing, but now they know somewhere out there the pack of werewolves are replenishing their number, and they might have to fight kids!!!

Otherwise yeah exactly as the others above said, use them to explain the plot, reward players, or show the consequences of their actions. (Like why a town might not like them when they come back!)

I like this, i could use this kind of thing, but very sparingly, i dont want to overshadow the characters!

And lastly, I use it sometimes as a bit of a reward, to show the outcome of the PC actions. Sometimes it might seem they aren't accomplishing much against the overwhelming evil of the land. But when they (the players, not the characters) can see that what they've done has royally ticked off someone who deserves it, there's a bit of a feel good moment.

This!
This is how i'll use the cutscene the next time:
If you read my other post (i know you did ^^) my players defeated marcel d'Tarascon and are going to enter a portal to get out of the collapsing tomb of the final fight, along with Brujan the priest (and probably Resurrected Constable Gremin).

I plan to use my first cutscene to let the player know that the two NPC will find themself right out of the gates of the cemetery, near their home town, safe and sound. Thanks to their aid the town of Marais D'Tarascon is still there, and many people are alive thanks to their effort. This should take 2 min at most, and i think players will feel good about it.

Thanks to everyone who adviced me about this topic, if You have anything else to point out, please let me know, i'm always in search of good hints!

[Joël of the FoS]

I've used them many times in my game, and it's quite cool for the added information / atmospherics.

1) while in Karina for the festival, I had them share the same dream :

“Ral DeNonna had been more intoxicated in his life, but never had so much fun! The songfests of his village in Kartakass couldn't hold a candle to the revelry of Karina during Carnival! The day had been a whirlwind of dancing in the streets, scantily-clad women, and more wine than he thought existed in the world. It was past midnight now, and he staggered alone down Front Street, singing at the top of his lungs, enjoying the sound of his voice echoing off the walls of the buildings and that of the wine sloshing in the bottle he carried. Then he saw a fellow reveler, a slender man in a dark cloak and wide-brimmed hat. He called to the man, offering him wine and the opportunity to join him in song. The man raised an arm, in what Ral thought was a greeting... until he saw the blade flash in the moonlight. In his final moments, Ral was stone-sober. As Ral's blood mingled with spilled wine and flowed into the gutter with all the money he stole that day, the darkclad man merged with the shadows…”

Benefit : intro to the Midnight Slasher. Someone is out there to kill. But added mystery, the man killed was a thief. What are the killer's motivation?

2) they cross path with the Midnight Slasher in Karina, and think the guy is evil. Then a cut scene was added to the session journal.

“You are a child, may be 8 or 10 years old. You come back from the market with your mother. You are carrying sweet smelling bread. It is a very sunny day and you are happy. When you arrive home, your mother and yourself surprise your father with another woman. This woman is incredibly beautiful. As this woman stands by laughing mockingly, the young couple starts a violent fight. Prompted by the beautiful woman, your mother grabs a knife and the argument escalates into something that neither of them can control. In the end, husband and wife kill each other, utterly consumed by their overwhelming rage. When it is over, both are lying on the floor. The beautiful lady laughs and before she leaves the bloody scene, she pauses on her way out just long enough to kneel beside the almost catatonic child and kisses you gently on your forehead”

The dream ends with this image (strip from a Batman comic) :

06 mid slasher - the promise2.jpg (504.72 KiB) Viewed 1000 times

Benefit : another point of view, to make him more sympathetic.

So you see cut scenes can be added anywhere anytime.

I also did send cut scenes to my players by emails days before the next game session. Added anticipation.

3) I use cut scenes to go back in time, to give players added info. Ex, with the Effigy of Ivan Szimin (a golem), I ended a game with the moment Szimin was killed and the golem animated from hatred :

“Meanwhile, Ivan Szimin struggled to his window, desperate for one last look at his assailant. Holding one hand to his wound to stem the flow of blood, he used the other to pull his head up to the window. There, he saw the night lit up by a bonfire. No, not a bonfire—a burning statue, which appeared to be looking directly at him through a black knothole in the wooden head. As he caught a glimpse of gold on the torso of the construction, realization dawned upon him. Filled with a rage and hatred of Gundarakites like he had never known before, Ivan’s last moments were spent staring into the eye of the effigy...” (from Stu's original article)

Benefit : a cool clue as to when/where does this thing comes from.

Nothing that gives too much information, and something they could have found from a maid (i.e. not deus ex machina source of info that was impossible to find otherwise). Cut scenes can help the players focus in the right direction and helps quicken a game.

And that text is well written, it's a shame it's not shared with the players Same for other RL sources.

4) another historic flash back, this time from Jules Weathermay's point of view :

"George and Alice are gone, and Daniel is raising the twins Laurie and Gennifer with the help of servants. Your lordship office in the Foxgrove Manor seems so cold, so bare. Days and weeks pile up on your aging frame like earth on a coffin, steady and inexorable.

When monster hunting George finally returns home with a fiancée, years after you gave him up as bones in some beast's lair, you feel a surge of joy with the thought that your son may settle down and continue the Weathermay name he's fought so hard to ennoble. Your heated arguments with your son went unmentioned and you were able to make a modicum of peace for the sake of his new bride.

Such a delicate beauty, too, with a demure, exotic air and a name to match: Natalia."

Benefit : back in time, from Jules's point of view. Suddenly, the bitter old man is more sympathetic. And whay Natalia was so welcomed in teh family .. and so Natalia was a bitter disapointment.

5) and, as other suggested, a reward for their action. After battling werewolves, a fight where Natalia Vorishkova was hurt :

After the battle, Natalia is alone in a small hole in the rocks. She is licking her wounds and is shaking with rage …

Benefit : She is still alive and was hurt. They have a new enemy.

You see I often use visions or dreams to pass cut scenes. Players now think it's in the ways of the world, more or less like ethereal resonance. Or places have a memory for negative emotions, and transmit them through dreams...

6) after fighting and destroying the golem Azenwrath, another foreshadowing cut scene sent by email :

This very night, in a lonely village way north of Canondale, a small wooden house stands outside the field limits. This house is inhabited by an old woman, who is not seeing much since a few years. Her sharp eyes went darker and darker with the passing years.

When she hears noise in her kitchen, she assumed it was that mouse again. But somehow, the noise was different. It was like an object was slowly vacillating, like a beating heart or a trembling hand. “The poor mouse is stuck somewhere”, she thought, “and is shaking from fear.”

She then found the origin of the noise to be her kitchen tools drawer. “The poor little thing”, she thought, “got stuck in the drawer while foraging for food.”

She was to open the drawer when a loud electric storm bang was heard in the distance. She waited in anticipation. Another bang was heard seconds later, but nearby. The old woman went quickly outside before the incoming storm to get the linens she had displayed for drying.

This night, during the storm, no one heard her screams of pain.

Benefit : be careful, what you just destroyed can/will return ...

[Nox]

3) I use cut scenes to go back in time, to give players added info. Ex, with the Effigy of Ivan Szimin (a golem), I ended a game with the moment Szimin was killed and the golem animated from hatred :

“Meanwhile, Ivan Szimin struggled to his window, desperate for one last look at his assailant. Holding one hand to his wound to stem the flow of blood, he used the other to pull his head up to the window. There, he saw the night lit up by a bonfire. No, not a bonfire—a burning statue, which appeared to be looking directly at him through a black knothole in the wooden head. As he caught a glimpse of gold on the torso of the construction, realization dawned upon him. Filled with a rage and hatred of Gundarakites like he had never known before, Ivan’s last moments were spent staring into the eye of the effigy...” (from Stu's original article)

Benefit : a cool clue as to when/where does this thing comes from.

Nothing that gives too much information, and something they could have found from a maid (i.e. not deus ex machina source of info that was impossible to find otherwise). Cut scenes can help the players focus in the right direction and helps quicken a game.

And that text is well written, it's a shame it's not shared with the players Same for other RL sources.

yeah, I'm reading your journal and i like it so far!

Thanks for the tips!
I dont know if I like your way of adding cutscene, because I think that the dream/vision thing could disrupt the "mistery".
Said that, I see that is a cool and fast way to let players (and character) know about npc's backstory, but still I feel like it's not the right way.
I always think that they should do some kind of research, some investigation... We just ended NotWD and i noticed they didnt got much about the backstory of this adventure. For this reason i'm gonna ask some question to the players, and if they cant answer me i'll add a spirit at the beginning of our next session who will answer some question to thanks them for freeing his tomb. I could do the same thing with a vision, or a dream, with a cutscene but i dont know if I really like that idea.
Some says that player should see cutscene, but character dont. I dont know if I would agree. This way it doesnt ruin the mistery thing, but at the same way it could get confusing for player, not remembering what they know and what their characters know.
I'm gonna read again the section on RDMG about the cutscene just to see what it says.

To be honest i really like the way you added info on your campaign, but I feel like i should add some kind of "rule" about the vision-dream thing if I want to implement it. I dont want my campaign to become a "let's search for the next ethereal resonance point" (I hate those things in video games aswell, i find them boring).
The reward option is good I guess. You let players know just a bit about what happenend after they reach some goal. Still not sure if the character should know that aswell.

Nothing that gives too much information, and something they could have found from a maid (i.e. not deus ex machina source of info that was impossible to find otherwise). Cut scenes can help the players focus in the right direction and helps quicken a game.

I dont get this point (i'm not familiar with "deus ex machina" thing). i think i understood the general sense of the phrase, but i dont think i'd agree. AFAIK Cutscene are meant to let player know something they should not know, To add tension, or add excitement, etc.
Just to let you understand what i mean: player could not know about "the werewolf licking his wound" if not for your cutscene, right?

i'm still a bit confused about this topic...
I'd really want to use them, but i'm not sure how much information should i give, if I should let character be aware of those things.
I really do not want to remove the mistery, but obviously it is right to give some answers (or explanation if you prefer) to players from time to time.

Hope you can help me to get my mind on this.

[Joël of the FoS]

yeah, I'm reading your journal and i like it so far!

Thanks! Feedback welcomed!

I dont know if I like your way of adding cutscene, because I think that the dream/vision thing could disrupt the "mistery".

I added it since the start of my RL campaign, so my players understand cut scenes visions/dreams are part of the RL universe. When they did ask, I made them understood it's the ways of the world. They never asked again, it was clear for them.

But you could also make them as "movie cut scenes", as I think it was originally conceived, explaining the players this is out-of-the-game additional information they can't use in-game.

I prefered to add this information in-game. So the players can use that info.

Said that, I see that is a cool and fast way to let players (and character) know about npc's backstory, but still I feel like it's not the right way.
I always think that they should do some kind of research, some investigation...

Agreed. But as I said, sometimes, cut scenes helps quicken a game and put less time on a long investigation to get the same info and focus on what is cool in-game thing is to-do next.

We just ended NotWD and i noticed they didnt got much about the backstory of this adventure. For this reason i'm gonna ask some question to the players, and if they cant answer me i'll add a spirit at the beginning of our next session who will answer some question to thanks them for freeing his tomb.

Interesting idea, to make sure the players understand all that was going on during the adventure.

Hey, a spirit answering, a dream-like cut scene, same same, no?

I feel like i should add some kind of "rule" about the vision-dream thing if I want to implement it. I dont want my campaign to become a "let's search for the next ethereal resonance point" (I hate those things in video games aswell, i find them boring).
The reward option is good I guess. You let players know just a bit about what happenend after they reach some goal. Still not sure if the character should know that aswell.

I understand. I keep theme as very unusual features of the game, so they are not asking for these. It's a surprise when it happens, they do not look for it or try to make it happens. Somehow it was clear they cannot trigger it.

Nothing that gives too much information, and something they could have found from a maid (i.e. not deus ex machina source of info that was impossible to find otherwise). Cut scenes can help the players focus in the right direction and helps quicken a game.

I dont get this point (i'm not familiar with "deus ex machina" thing). i think i understood the general sense of the phrase, but i dont think i'd agree. AFAIK Cutscene are meant to let player know something they should not know, To add tension, or add excitement, etc.
Just to let you understand what i mean: player could not know about "the werewolf licking his wound" if not for your cutscene, right?

i'm still a bit confused about this topic...
I'd really want to use them, but i'm not sure how much information should i give, if I should let character be aware of those things.
I really do not want to remove the mistery, but obviously it is right to give some answers (or explanation if you prefer) to players from time to time.

Hope you can help me to get my mind on this.

Deus ex machina is something happening from a "whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem is suddenly and abruptly resolved by the inspired and unexpected intervention of some new event, character, ability or object. " (wiki)

They could not have solved it themselves and so a deus (god) outside intervention (or impossible coincidence) was needed to get same info.

I do not want to give the players that kind of information, just stuff they could have found out with a long investigation that I'm trying to avoid to quicken the game

[Nox]

I

They could not have solved it themselves and so a deus (god) outside intervention (or impossible coincidence) was needed to get same info.

I do not want to give the players that kind of information, just stuff they could have found out with a long investigation that I'm trying to avoid to quicken the game

think I got your point. The "this is the way of the setting" works, but it works the same for All the people in your campaign(commoner etc) ?

I suppose I could implement it in a way that is just for certain people.
Ex. People who got more tied to the land(heroes and villains), or get involved in certain aspects. Or maybe I could just make it a side effect of the ritual that bring them ( mynplayers) back to life.
Otherwise everyone should have those dreams every once in a while... And many people would start to see them as possible premonition, and more and more people would start to keep record of their Dreams, hope you get where I am going.

I have to say that my players are all native. If your players have been taken by the mists you could easily arrange it as the demi plane is "talking" to them, because they are not native.
I don't know If you ever think about this "problem", but I am the kind of DM that overthinks a bit (mainly because my players do that as well, so I need answers if they came up and ask me things).