In celebration of the City of Mist Core Book PDF becoming available (cityofmist.co, or drivethrurpg) I’m posting some of my favourite sidebars from the book. This one is from Chapter 3: Working the Case, which describes the main rules for the game. It’s one of the many sidebars regarding how to “think cinematic”; while most of the others are in Chapter 5, meant for the MC, this one is for the players.
Full disclosure: I am the editor for the book, and this is of course posted with Amit’s (the creator) blessing. The art is from the book as well.
As a player, you get to play your character any way you want to, so make the most out of it! Here are a few things you can try.
Take dramatic actions: Make your actions count. Don’t be afraid to make moves that will rattle the entire series or put your character and the things dear to her on the line. Great stories are made of great risks and epic successes and failures. Let your character be what she is all the way: foolhardy, vengeful, romantic, ostentatious, conniving – anything that makes your character come alive and feel cool.
MC: You arrive just in time to see Jessica take a dive from the top of the building.
Jerry (playing Detective Enkidu): No, not another one! Screw this, Enkidu runs to the ledge and jumps right after her. I’ll try to break the fall somehow, but I’m not losing this victim!
Make your character look great on screen: When you describe your actions, describe them as if you are seeing them on the big screen, on TV, in a comic-book, or a computer game. Let everyone know what it looks and feels like.
Lamar (playing Sullivan): Sullivan walks out of the flames, the charred shell of his car burning behind him. Around him, ethereal wisps sparkle and scintillate as his armor, shield, and lance phase in from beyond the Mist. He looks up to the giant and you can almost see the blades of the windmill turning behind the hulk. The battle begins.
Think about the story as a whole: What will happen to your character? Your crew? The other characters? The City? Use your character to steer the story where you want it to go, but stay open to any outcome: the MC, the other players, and the dice will surprise you, and therein lies all the fun. Make space and give the stage to other players and the MC so they can do their share of storytelling and, when appropriate, weave your character’s story into theirs.
City of Mist is a cinematic detective role-playing game, set in a city inspired by neo-noir comic books and TV shows, where ordinary people channel characters from myths, legends, and fairy-tales, gaining supernatural powers at the cost of their humanity.
