<strong>Sample</strong> file
Serenity Serenity—a beautiful word that conjures images of peace. Serenity—a state of being. No anxiety, no cares in this world. Serenity—a place not easily reached. Leastways not without eating a bullet or diving out an airlock. Everyone strives for Serenity in this life. Few find it in this life. Serenity is also a motion picture from Universal Pictures, a science-fiction adventure from the mind of Joss Whedon (a fellow who has earned himself both Emmy and Academy Award nominations). The film combines action, drama, comedy, and a unique perspective on a new kind of science fiction universe. Inside the film’s universe (usually called the ‘Verse), Serenity is a valley on the planet Hera. Nothing special in its own right, this valley was the site of the bloodiest fighting during the Unification War. In Serenity Valley, the Alliance Government delivered a crushing defeat to the Independent Faction, sealing the ultimate course of the war. Countless thousands perished in Serenity Valley, and with them died the hope for freedom. Among the rebel Browncoats—so-called for the long dusters they wore—who were defeated that day in Serenity Valley was a young sergeant name of Malcolm Reynolds. Serenity is also a spaceship, a Firefly Class transport owned by Captain Malcolm Reynolds, a man not yet ready to forget why he fought in the war. Determined to live by their own rules, Mal and his crew sail the black, taking on odd jobs as they come. Serenity is home to a group of disparate people: a cheerful mechanic, a hardbitten mercenary, two professional soldiers, a wisecracking pilot, a beautiful and seductive Companion, a “Shepherd,” a mentally scarred young girl and her brilliant doctor brother. This group, brought together by accident or fate, has become Serenity’s family. Together or apart, they work to keep flyin’. Role Playing Game? You probably picked up this book knowing a little something about the ‘Verse, but maybe you haven’t the slightest notion of what a role playing game is. After a quick flip through the book, you might even think the game is strange and all manner of intimidatin’. Don’t fret—this game really is simple. Child’s play, as a matter of fact. Kids play role playing games every day without ever thinking about it. Cowboys and Indians is good clean fun. Everyone has a part to play—good or bad—and the guns and tomahawks are all imaginary. No one ever “wins” because the goal is simply to <strong>Sample</strong> file have a good time. A tabletop role playing game (such as the Serenity Role Playing Game) is pretty much the same, only it happens to have a few rules to help you figure out things like what happens when a bullet hits you and just how bad it’ll hurt. After all, every game has to have some rules to keep things fair. Games also need a bit of unpredictability. In card games that means shuffling the deck. In our role playing game, we use funny looking dice. Above all, remember the most important rule: it’s all about the fun. The Serenity Role Playing Game Think of this book as a set of tools—papery, wordified tools that aren’t so good for hammering in nails, but will help you recreate all of the adventure, drama, danger, and humor in the movie, Serenity. Think of the game as a form of group storytelling, where the only limits are those set by the players. All you need are a few friends, some of those “funny looking” dice, and your imagination. Everyone has a role to play in this game. One of the players takes the role of Game Master (“GM”), a person who is part referee and part storyteller. The rest play the parts of the main characters in the story, whose fortunes are determined by the choices they make during the course of play and by the luck of the dice. Do you and your group want to play the crew of Serenity? Shiny! The ship and its crew are fully detailed and ready to use. We have provided additional sample characters for you to play, but you can always create an all-new crew with their own ship. If you’re new to role playing and don’t have an experienced player on-hand to show you the ropes, we recommend you visit the resources we’ve made available as well as fan-generated material linked to from our website at www.serenityrpg.com. Or maybe your group of players wants to find a ship, find a crew, and start flyin’. No matter how you want to play, the rules in this book will get you started and help you and your friends find adventure and action, fame and fortune in the ‘Verse. The style of your game is entirely up to you and your group. You might want to try some “oneshot” adventures, where you play through one self-contained story. The next time you play you start with a whole new story, and maybe even with whole new characters. Most role players prefer “campaign-style” play, which is a lot like a television series or movie franchise. Each player plays the same character every game session with each “adventure” building upon the story that has gone before, just like the next episode in a series.