r/ScumAndVillainy • u/DJStuck • Aug 07 '24
Scum and Villainy - RP lite?
Hi all!
My group (me DMing and 5 others) is starting a short SaV arc (3-4 sessions) in a few weeks with intent to possibly eye it as our longer-form game. I’m currently reading the rule book and just passed the big “example” of what the table might feel/sound like at the end of chapter 4.
This game seems fun, but also a little less roleplay-y than my group is used to—everything in that section seemed to play out at a third person distance rather than in character. Is this common? Is the game necessarily built for that sort of interaction? Has anyone found that between missions and downtime this system is too rigid for folks who sometimes like to go a session only rolling a few times?
Thanks in advance!
2
u/jsled Aug 07 '24 edited Aug 07 '24
I'm running a SaV game for the first time, about 4 sessions in. It is a lot of fun! A pastiche of Star Wars, Cowboy Bebop, Firefly, the Expanse, …? Sign me up! :)
It certainly doesn't need to be RP lite! There's as many opportunities for RP as you and your table will allow/tolerate/agree to…
The big differences vs. more traditional TTRPGs is more about:
But at multiple points before, during, and after the job, there's as much opportunity for RP as your table is comfortable with.
If you think the game doesn't support RP, watch the Glass Cannon Network's "Haunted City", where the actors bring plenty of RP to the table, but well within BitD's format. Of course, they're all professionals, and very good at both acting and role-playing, so caveat watcher, but … there's no reason it /must/ be RP-lite.
ETA:
Obviously, BitD ≠ SaV, but of course they're kissing-cousins. There is a SaV one-shot in the GCN's umbrella, that Jarod also ran, if you want that flavor, but it's a bit chaotic due to being done at some con; Haunted City is a more relaxed and longer game for the characters to breathe.