filmreroll

Fifth Element Part 3

Added 2024-03-03 19:06:22 +0000 UTC

Having hyper powerful characters on your team can make balancing encounters wildly difficult. But don't be afraid to, as long as there are multiple story-telling elements to play with. That's what makes traditional dungeon crawls so much more contingent on the care put into balance; all you've got to play with is often four bare walls and the monsters. There is simply less fun to be had outside of combat. But if the story is your focus, then the challenges of good game balance can be seen as storytelling opportunities rather than gameplay limitations.

Fifth Element continues to surprise me, less in this case because of the specific storytelling choices, and more because of how my players find fun ways to break the system I set down to corral the wild mechanics of this movie. In this episode you'll hear my players create an ability, that while technically valid within the rules I established, is game-breaking in a lot of interesting ways. My instinct is always to go with it; unless a choice feels completely unnatural to the story it is being fit into, I always err on the side of allowing it. Surprises are the lifeblood of this kind of show.

Anyway, Fifth Element is quickly turning into one of my favorite of our adventures. Just the right mix of movie lore and new invention. And new takes on characters that I had great affection for in the film. The real question now is if we ever get Corbin Dallas back into our lives.

Until next time! Hope you're enjoying this one as much as I am!