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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
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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.