Aliens 3

We return to Aliens at last! There's a section in the middle you'll notice that doesn't seem to make any sense, where we're laughing at Scott for ruining the edit. And that's because this episode was actually recorded across 2 sessions. The first session had been short and we decided in advance that it wasn't a full episode, so we started the second session trying to get a clean edit point to stitch the two sessions together, but of course, if we ask our actors to do anything technical, they have the inherent need to fuck around.

I bring up the topic of our poorly disguised cut point to bring up editing and the important roll it forms in making our show. Most episodes at this point don't have a ton of editing, we've gotten pretty used to the show's format and there's not usually that much to cut. The one thing that we consistently cut down is mechanics talk. In the room, someone might ask what's the best way to roll what they want to do, and the GM will give them a couple options with slightly different effects, and list the various penalties and bonuses that will apply to this scenario. But usually in the edit, it's cut down to: "I want to do this" "Roll skill" "Success!" Not always, we like to leave in some amount of rules talk when it's interesting, or when it would be hard to remove without losing the flow of the conversation. But it definitely helps keep the pace of action up, which can get dragged down by math and counting otherwise.

But aside from dice mechanics, we don't usually cut much. However, Aliens has been a pretty heavily edited series so far. And sometimes more editing doesn't mean that there's a problem with the episode. It just felt like the best version of the story, was one that left more on the cutting room floor. Sometimes there's an aspect of the story that simply doesn't translate naturally to radio. And that's perfectly fine. In the case of Aliens, there's a lot more exploration of the compound and description of the layout and geography of the colony that got cut. That was stuff that was interesting for us in the room, when we're looking at a map, and trying to tactic out the best way of approaching the compound. But it's just not great audio, and if the story can be clearly understood without it, then I have no compunctions in cutting it.

And to a certain extent it's very natural for the film itself. Sometimes a movie elides over a lot of little details that must be assumed to happen, but aren't necessary to tell the story. But in our case we can't elide those details, they all need to happen, and have an effect on the story. For instance, this colony has a complex layout with different sections, and what approach we take in exploring it will have effects on how the encounters play-out and ultimately in how the story is told. Presumably, if the characters in the movie had entered on the opposite side, they would have had a different experience. If they walk through a series of rooms, the DM is probably going to describe those rooms in depth, as they all might have wonders and treasures and possible threats. But in the edit, if nothing ultimately happened in that room, we can probably cut a lot of it, even if it was wonderful set-dressing. In the play-through anything can become important, but in the final listen-through, not everything did become important.

Jon did a wonderful job in creating varied and specific geography for us to play in. The campaign wouldn't have worked without all that legwork. But sometimes the scaffolding that is created to support the story ends up being cut in the edit, if it did not directly impact the story.

Anyway, Aliens was fun. Hope y'all enjoy it!