“But I don’t want to blow up the book/movie/episode.” Updated 6/3/2025
So, you and your merry band of gamers have decided that you want to play in a different world, one that has sparked your imagination and lit that fannish passion in a different medium: Buffy, Dresden Files, Star Wars, or that Smurfs/Snorks crossover someone put together with Fate Core.
You’ve got the books, you know the characters’ stats, and even better, because you’re already invested in the world, you know the characters themselves — so you begin — and then:
“I don’t think Willow would say that.”
“Harry was fighting off Madeline Raith in Zero then — he can’t be in his lab.”
“Papa Smurf says…”
*WHACK*
That could be you throwing the book at Brainy-the-Canon-Lawyer, or it could be the start of you pounding your head on the table, jostling dice, and getting pencil smudges on your forehead in the process.
Just as the publishers wrestle with obtaining the licenses to turn our favorite media properties into our favorite games, GMs and Players run into issues when exploring those worlds.
The following are issues that either the GM or the Player can run into, though my default reference is as if I were speaking to the GM, I don’t want to leave the Players out either.
At the core of this issue, I think you and your group need to decide if you’re playing dress-up or writing some fan fiction.
Is your group determined to play the signature characters from the book, movie, or show? This could be good for introducing folks to the world, or as a one-shot, or convention pick-up game, but if you’re planning on staying true to the characters, I don’t see it lasting as long as a campaign. Either the timeline in the other media puts something else in that same timeframe, or the players may start to feel stifled in the hero’s costume. I love the character of Batgirl. I’ve dressed as Batgirl twice for Halloween (three times if you count when I was six). I wouldn’t wear the costume every day. Likewise, if you’re running a campaign, your players might not feel right wearing that signature character’s skin every game. Their Buffy is going through adventures and challenges that differ from Joss Whedon’s Buffy, so their Buffy is going to shape into a different character at some point.
As Players, we put some of ourselves into the characters we play. We’re drawn to playing signature characters in our favorite worlds because we identify with something in them. Another example: If there were a Warehouse 13 game (which could totally be done in Fate Core, IMHO)(And I know there’s a boardgame now.), I would gravitate towards playing Claudia rather than Myka, although I might be able to pull off Myka; my inner desire to snark fits better with Claudia.
Now, if you’re planning to stop following Canon, or to create an alternate universe, and let the players morph the signature characters into something farther away from the author/creator’s vision, then it could totally work. There are suggestions in the Dresden Files game for playing the world without Harry, but not necessarily without the other signature characters. All sorts of badness that could have happened to our hero are suggested; he could have bought it any number of times, or ended up the ruggedly handsome and scary-powerful arm candy of Lara Raith, for example.
But if your group decides to pick a jumping off point and say, “Ok, after Episode IV, anything goes,” then it could completely work, and now you’re in the realm of fanfiction. I’ve compared playing in another’s sandbox with fanfiction before, because it is essentially the same thing. You’re just not putting it up on a website and getting a C&D right afterwards.
It gives the GM and the Players a chance to play out those what-if scenarios that fans often see. For limited properties, and those that have no more active stories being told, these can be the continuing voyages that everyone can enjoy, as long as you and the group concede that you’re not going to fall into bickering when someone acts “out of character,” if the story prompts them to do something you’ve never seen them do in the past.
For example, Someone threatening Willow, in Buffy, would likely not be suddenly staring at the business end of a gun. A fireball, maybe, but not a gun, *unless* maybe earlier in the story, she’s lost her connection to magic, and she still has to defend herself. That’s explainable. The problem here lies in how far you’re deviating from the original characters’ core personalities. Eventually, that may start to bother the other Players or the GM and make it harder to suspend disbelief and immerse themselves in the game. Real-life disagreements can also affect the roleplay (more on that in a separate blog post).
YMMV, that may never happen. Your group may take the Scooby Gang into a post-apocalyptic world where Spike never returned to stop the First, and everyone undergoes profound changes. There are some out-there fanfics too. Stories that the author wants to tell and populate with their favorite characters from other media. And then there are the crossovers. I’ve seen Buffy cross-pollinated with just about every other property out there in fanfic. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
The point is — is everyone still having fun? If not, it may be time to wrap this chapter and put the signature characters down.
Of course, now, you may want to start GMing a new game in the same world, with new, original characters. Or maybe you want to steer clear of ever having them play signature characters and start with their own.
There’s always the chance that the Players could use a signature character as a template, and I wouldn’t completely discourage that, but again, it can grate on your nerves or the other players if one person is just playing “Harry-who-is-now-named-Kevin.” I would say to give it time here. As the story progresses, the player should make the character their own. Something that could be a stumbling block to staying immersed in the world, as mentioned in the previous section, is a strength here.
Of course, if you still want signature characters involved, your original characters can still interact with them. For the GM, that’s far easier to do if you’re inserting the signature characters into the original story. Perhaps they’re passing through, during “downtime” in the Canon story.
That can be fun, and I’ve used it before to impart world knowledge to my Players’ characters in my then-Dresden game. Used not too often, it can be novel, and gives a “guest-star” feel to the visit. Or even referencing them in the background as a “Hey, I talked to Molly and she said…” can reinforce the feel that you’re in the world and immerse your Players even more. Maybe one of the signature characters comes to your Players’ characters for information for once. A sprinkling of this can enhance your game without taking the direction of the story out of your hands and those of your Players.
Now, here’s the tough one: you may never want to do this, and you may think it’s a stupid idea — and that’s fine.
What if you want to take your original characters and insert them into a Canon story?
I was inspired to do this by my husband, who, a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, managed to integrate our original characters into Episodes IV, V, and VI of Star Wars. We had a parallel storyline that didn’t impact any of the larger plot points (that would be shown on screen in the movies) but there was an entire war going on, and there was plenty of space for original characters to thrive — as show in the expanded universe that kept the fanbase going between Episode VI and Episode I.
Our original characters crossed paths with the signature characters a couple of times. It was mostly for flavor, for fun, and for the inevitable Tosche Station jokes… and a couple of characters were even involved in the Battle at Yavin, but again, offscreen, there was something else important going on — but essential to our original characters’ stories — not the overall Canon plot. It was done in such a way as to enhance the overall experience of the story that our characters underwent.
My problem is that I did this with Turn Coat, and it’s a very time-sensitive story. Additionally, I was somewhat distracted while trying to recall what was happening in the story, as my players were doing something else, somewhere else, yet preparing to interact with the signature characters. To help me with that, I had both the ebook and print versions, and I was able to open my Kindle Cloud Reader in Chrome to keep track of things. Again, this specific plot is time-sensitive. I came to the conclusion that, as the GM, I couldn’t be afraid to tweak things a bit, although the core elements of the story would remain the same.
So: Decide if you’re playing the signature crew and how far you’re willing to take them from the main stories in the world. If you’re going all original, don’t be afraid to cameo the signature characters, or even involve your original characters in a side-job, and if you’re going to take the plunge into Canon, don’t worry about tweaking things a bit — but decide if you’re planning to take the story off the rails from that point, even if you’re not playing/running signature characters. And as always, have fun.
Oh, and something I’ve decided to tag a “Bonus Feature”: If you’re looking to run signature characters or originals and are looking for story ideas — and you’re not one to sniff at tropes — http://www.tvtropes.org is a great place to take a sliver of something from that property and run with it in your game.
Alright, I’ve updated this post based on the information I read on the podcast. I’ve updated it to correct some things for the written word, and because it was a very long time ago. I believe that this advice remains relevant, even though it was given before new movies were released, new shows were produced, and new games were developed. I believe these suggestions still apply, so I’m reposting them here. Enjoy :).
Carol Darnell 