Top Movies for Gamers

I got the following list from the Roleplaying Tips Weekly newsletter. If you are a gamer and don’t get this weekly, you are missing out on some good stuff. This is an awesome list. Some movies I have seen, some I have just heard of, and some I have never heard of that are going to be added to my Netflix list. It might even get me to watch the Dungeons & Dragons movie that I have heard nothing but bad things about. There is one movie that should be on this list. Hawk the Slayer!!! Only the greatest fantasy movie ever. Knights of the Dinner Table did a strip on how great this movie is. Check the list out and see if there are any other obvious omissions. Sorry if the links don't work.


Top Movies For Game Masters
Here is the first draft of the Top Game Master Movies List,
based on reader submissions and my own picks. Movies are not
listed in any particular order. A quick check on
http://www.imdb.com or http://www.rottentomatoes.com will
get you ratings and movie information.
Thanks to the following for contributing their movie
recommendations and comments:
Thorsten Hunsicker, John Gallagher, Dave Schaefer, Jamie
Rivers, Norman J. Harman Jr., Lluis Fe, Michael Lee, Kate
Manchester, Darryl Hodgson, Monstah
Additional submissions are always welcome, as well as extra
reasons you might have to watch certain movies, from a GM's
perspective - having notes on what to look out for makes
this movies list more valuable to GMs.

1. Top Game Master Movies List
============================================================
The Hunted
------------------------------------------------------------
With Benicio del Toro and Tommy Lee Jones, this is a great
movie if you want inspiration for high-level druids and
rangers, sneaky traps, and other cool outdoor fight scenes.
http://imdb.com/title/tt0269347/

The Lion In Winter
------------------------------------------------------------
Peter O'Toole, Anthony Hopkins, Katherine Hepburn, and a few
others. This movie is indispensable if you are running a
political intrigue game. There is more skullduggery, devious
manoeuvring, and back-stabbing than even Machiavelli could
ask for. It's also one of the finest movies ever made.
http://imdb.com/title/tt0063227/

A Man For All Seasons
------------------------------------------------------------
A movie that shows the power of the church in every day
life. It is about how Saint Thomas More refused to proclaim
that King Henry VIII had the right to divorce his wife.
Henry, who had recently been named Defender of the Faith by
the pope, had been refused a divorce by the Vatican. Henry
then demanded every one of his nobles proclaim he had the
right to defy Rome and divorce his wife. Sir Thomas stuck to
his religious guns and refused, and was executed for his
troubles. He was subsequently canonized by the pope.
http://imdb.com/title/tt0060665/

Beckett
------------------------------------------------------------
Another movie that shows the power of the church in every
day life. This is the story of Thomas Beckett, a
rambunctious scallywag and drinking buddy of his king. But
when the king posted his friend to the position of the head
of the Church of England, thinking Beckett would be a
certain political ally, Beckett suddenly discovered his
faith, and defied his king's non-religious ambitions
repeatedly.
http://imdb.com/title/tt0057877/

The Three Musketeers
------------------------------------------------------------
The version with Gene Kelly as D'artagnan. Yes, Gene Kelly
the dancer. Aside from being the only version I've seen that
really shows what a scoundrel D'artagnan was, it has some
amazing choreography of the fight scenes, largely because of
Kelly's abilities as a dancer.
The scene near the beginning of the movie where the
cardinal's guards interrupt D'artagnan's duel with Athos,
Porthos and Aramis is what all swashbuckling fights should
be. Kelly skips around his opponent, climbs atop a monument
to hide, and then reaches down to swat the guard on the butt
(a classic use of Tagging, for all you 7th Sea players), and
leaps back and forth across a little pond to lead his
opponent on a merry chase during the duel. And he does it
all with a smile on his face that makes him look like a kid
having the time of his life at the circus. Absolutely
classic.
http://imdb.com/title/tt0040876/

Beowulf
------------------------------------------------------------
I just saw it and I think it's a great add for DMs. It's
good for character generation, combat description, and
encounter ideas. Plus the 3-D is worth checking out.
http://imdb.com/title/tt0442933/

The Gamers
------------------------------------------------------------
A comedy RPG that takes a fun stab at RPGs.
http://gamers.deadgentlemen.com/

The Dungeons & Dragons Movies
------------------------------------------------------------
Provides plots, characters, flavor, and general feel for
what fantasy adventure is all about.
[Comment from Johnn: this entry will be a bit controversial,
I suspect. Best read a range of user reviews before spending
your money, to properly set your expectation levels. :) ]

Princess Bride
------------------------------------------------------------
Required watching. It has the best player character death
mechanic evar! "He's only mostly dead, quite different than
all dead." :)
http://imdb.com/title/tt0093779/

Kanal
------------------------------------------------------------
Based Warsaw 1944, it is not really a WWII movie. For the
purposes of fantasy DMs, it's about getting lost, going
crazy, dying in sewers/dungeons. If dungeon/sewers aren't
where your players spend 1/2 their time and you want to make
the one time they enter one memorable, this movie will help.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050585/

Shichinin no samurai (aka the magnificent seven)
Yojimbo (aka A Fistful of Dollars)
Rashomon
------------------------------------------------------------
By Akira Kurosawa
These are great stories, as proven by the many remakes and
transliterations, especially into spaghetti westerns. What
I've learned most from Kurosawa is personality, emotion. Any
of his characters make excellent NPCs. He shows how to
convey their personality through action, dress, mannerisms,
facial expressions, and camera angle.
When I do NPCs now, I try to think back to these movies and
use facial expressions, large arm/hand movements, stand up
straight, slouch, stare players in the eye, ignore players,
cast eyes down despondently, etc.
Rashomon is great for learning that, even if you described
something one way (i.e. as the characters saw it), it is not
necessary to forever be held to that if plot/fun requires
changes. Use sparingly though, and only if neutral/positive
for characters.

Zatoichi, The Blind Swordsman
------------------------------------------------------------
Many movies are based on this character. Zatoichi is a great
source for plots, unique combat terrains/situations, and to
lesser extent, NPCs.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363226/

Once Upon A Time In China
------------------------------------------------------------
Series of movies featuring Jet Li as Wong Fei Hung, famous
Chinese hero. These probably aren't so useful for
traditional fantasy, but great for Asian fantasy, though.
These are good action movies that everyone who doesn't hate
Hong Kong martial arts action movies should see.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103285/

Faust
------------------------------------------------------------
Black and white, by F.W. Murnau. The amazing special effects
(for a silent era film) inspired me to make props and use
whatever I have around the house to enhance my game. Things
don't have to be perfect, they just have to evoke an emotion
- fear, amazement, greed, compassion.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0016847/

Flesh + Blood
------------------------------------------------------------
Directed by Paul Verhoeven. Castle assaults, how
dirty/brutal life was in medieval times. From IMDB: "A band
of medieval mercenaries take revenge on a noble lord, who
decides not to pay them, by kidnapping the betrothed of the
noble's son."
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089153/

Conan the Barbarian
------------------------------------------------------------
The way the plot develops is very much like an RPG. It
offers several lessons.
* Start with backstory (bad guy killed my family/village).
Conan doesn't know who it was but has a clue (serpent and
sun/moon emblem).
* Don't reveal the bad guy up front. Leave some mystery.
* Have hooks to bring characters into the adventure.
* Story driven character generation. "I'm strong as hell
cause I spent 10 years on the Wheel of Pain. The years spent
in the fighting pit make me a warrior. Being a barbarian ex-
slave makes me poor and ignorant."
* Get the party together. Conan encounters a witch who has a
future party member as prisoner. Then he runs into another
party member during his first adventure.
* Having a patron NPC push the plot along. King Osric offers
treasures beyond imagination to bring back his daughter.
* Advance the plot even when characters fail. i.e. Conan's
capture and crucifixion on the Tree of Woe.
* Use exciting terrains for combats. i.e. The Orgy Room
(humongous vat of green, part-human stew to dump down
stairs on a bunch of mooks, how awesome is that?) and Battle
on the Mounds.
* Climax that affects the world - the party's actions
matter.
* Finally, music, and how much it enhances and dictates
mood. Basil Poledouris was a master we can learn a lot from.
(If you want examples of the best action and combat
descriptions, read Robert E. Howard, author of Conan stories
among many others.)

Stargate SG-1( TV Series)
------------------------------------------------------------
The premise is ancient races spread civilization/magic,
false gods enslave man, one group of men rebel and now fight
against the false gods for the freedom of all men. That is
an awesome campaign right there. You could keep the multiple
planet thing, or use multiple planes, or replace "planet"
with "nation" and stay on one world.
Remember Arthur C. Clarke's quote: "Sufficiently advanced
technology is indistinguishable from magic." To add SG-1's
concept to your preferred genre, just use the ideas of
portals, portals require addresses (keys), and that through
portals are exciting adventures and technology (magic). If
your players can resist that, they are comatose. This would
also be great for a campaign of loosely connected one-shot
sessions.
Many of the cultures SG-1 encounters are perfect for fantasy.
Egyptian, Cretian, Greek, Scandinavian, European Medieval.
I've used sets and costumes from the show to enhance/improve
my descriptions. The Ori are awesome medieval
culture/villains. I've used a couple puzzles (obscured
slightly so players would not recognize) featured on shows.
Many of the show plots are excellent fodder for adventures.
Watching entire seasons show how to weave sub-plots/side-
plots into larger campaign plots, and how to have an "on the
edge of your seat" cliff hanger.
Stargate is a good demonstration of the military campaign.
Characters belong to, are beholden to, or are commanded by
some organization. But, they have a lot of freedom to act
how they please as long as they get the missions and
objectives completed.
SG-l also shows you how to handle things when characters get
out of line. Star Trek Deep Space Nine is another good
source of this.

Zombie movies, any
------------------------------------------------------------
What to learn here is that fear, hopelessness, and impending
doom are great fun. Throw out the idea of level appropriate
encounters - boring.
Instead, tell players they may encounter things they cannot
defeat (this is important for game systems like D&D where
players expect to be able to defeat everything they
encounter). Then, occasionally slam them with overpowered
foes.
Be sure there are ways out of encounter. Don't set out to
kill them, but don't prevent their deaths either. Truly
leave character fates in the players' hands. The feel you're
after is that mere survival is victory.
More in line with zombie movies, have them face easy foes
they defeat without problem. But make sure there are _a lot_
of these foes, an endless amount that never stops coming.
Forcing high level characters to retreat from "wimpy"
monsters, such as orcs, is a change of pace and challenges
players in a different way than tougher and tougher monsters
do.

Jason Movies
------------------------------------------------------------
Once or twice, when players are happy with themselves for
defeating a big bad and are healing and searching for loot,
have the "dead" big bad arise and get a surprise round on the
party. Then start combat anew. The big bad keeps rising from
apparent death until the party figures out the key to its
true destruction.

Nightmare On Elmstreet
------------------------------------------------------------
Have an enemy that can't be defeated by normal combat. Get
your players thinking beyond their swords and fireballs.
http://imdb.com/title/tt0087800/

Flash Gordan, 5th Element
------------------------------------------------------------
Costume, sets and dialog. Description!
Be fantastical and occasionally over-the-top (regardless of
genre - extremes and archetypes are memorable). Colors,
textures. Think about the mood you wish to convey.
Be thematic. Guys from forestland dress like Erol Flynn in
all greens. Hawkmen use feathers and furs. Good guys wear
orange casual cloths. Bad guys, expensive designer suits.
If it wears a uniform it is a mook.
Themes help players build up "knowledge" of your world. Your
descriptions will build on each other, so eventually just a
few words will bring forth vivid and detailed images in
players' minds. This also lets you drop cool clues, such as
a bit of torn green cloth that will immediately inform the
players forest dudes were here.

Original Star Trek
------------------------------------------------------------
Plots. Especially plots with moral consequences/decisions.
One anti-lesson: Star Trek NextGen. Dues ex machina - don't
use it.

The Good, The Bad And The Ugly
------------------------------------------------------------
It is said that a western is just a set in which to tell any
kind of story, and this is the case with this movie. I'd
suggest the good and the ugly be played by PCs, and the bad
and his band by NPCs.
The story is about a treasure and its three parts, with
characters knowing just half (or thinking they know half) of
the information to reach it. Talking, persuasion, and
intimidation skills are used more than fighting.
There is a war, a bridge to be destroyed, a huge cemetery,
information to be collected everywhere, and a monastery to be
visited. At one point, characters use disguise to enroll in
the army.
This is not only a movie to create an adventure, it is meant
to be a whole campaign.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060196/

Pathfinder & 13th Warrior
------------------------------------------------------------
Must-watches for any viking campaign. Gritty combat with
pseudo-fantasy elements. Also good for a primeval, low-magic
campaign. If you liked Braveheart, Apocalypto, etc., then
you will like these.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0446013/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120657/

Blade Runner
------------------------------------------------------------
A good example of world building. The setting is lush and a
good representation of a dark future.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083658/

King Arthur
------------------------------------------------------------
Plots and battle ideas. You are soldiers to a foreign king
and must do his bidding to earn your freedom. Your small
group is sent on a rescue mission to an ungrateful and
uncooperative man, and must outwit an overwhelming force to
gain his safety. A great battle against the large force is
waged on an ice-covered lake, which is used creatively to
win the battle. The soundtrack makes for great gaming
background music as well.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0349683/

The Exorcist: Director's Cut
------------------------------------------------------------
I've always liked to play the cleric. It's one of those
classes you either love or hate to play, and I'm on the
former side. While watching this movie I realized it was a
lovely situation in which to roleplay a cleric.
If I'm not mistaken, there is an Exorcist prestige for
clerics in D&D. It has specific spells to banish a demon
that possesses someone, which should make the game
straightforward.
What if a more powerful demon requires a longer ritual,
though? Weeks, maybe months? Can you imagine a fight that
takes this long, slowly wearing both combatants down? And
your opponent is inside a little girl. A little, helpless
one. How far would you go to drive the demon off? (Remember
Emily Rose?)
It gets interesting on the psychological side too. Suppose
you get a good roleplayer invited to play both the possessed
and possessor. One that makes the child's cry face as
convincingly as the devil's snarls, curses, and lies. How
does your cleric player handle it?
It can also be applied as a metaphor. Your quest is to
destroy some evil, and protect something pure. However, the
evil is inside your object of protection. How do you attack
the problem?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070047/

Aliens 1+2
------------------------------------------------------------
Watch the Marines and their close quarter tactics. Watch the
aliens make their hide checks. Learn that the only way to be
sure is to nuke them from orbit.

The Rock
------------------------------------------------------------
Think of Sean Connery as an NPC guide to a dungeon crawl with
incinerator flames.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117500/

Casino Royale (2006)
------------------------------------------------------------
The first five minutes of Foucan (a French martial art) show
what DC 30 jump and tumble checks really look like.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0381061/

Goonies
------------------------------------------------------------
Add some realism to your low level play.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089218/

2. Movies Nominated As Good But Needing GM Commentary
============================================================
The following is a list of movies recommended by readers
(thanks!) that need comments on why GMs should watch them,
or what elements are inspirational for GMs. If you have any
comments on one of more of these movies, please shoot me an
e-mail.

Action
------------------------------------------------------------
Smokin Aces
Crank
Transporter 1+2
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Hostage
Collateral
Mission Impossible 2
Fastlane (TV series)

Adventure
------------------------------------------------------------
Indiana Jones
The Mummy 1+2
Sahara
Jurassic Park 1-3
Into The Blue
Young Sherlock Holmes
Tomb Raider
Deep Blue Sea
Pirates of the Caribbean 1-3
The Da Vinci Code

Fantasy
------------------------------------------------------------
The movies provide ideas for plots, characters, flavor, and
general feel for what fantasy adventure is all about.
The Lord of the Rings 1-3
Harry Potter
Brotherhood of the Wolf
Dark Crystal
The Last Unicorn
Dogma
Legend
Pan's Labyrinth
Excalibur
Clash of the Titans
The Dragon Slayer
Ladyhawke
The Hobbit
Alice in Wonderland (watch a couple different of these)
The Wizard of Oz
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
Planet of the Apes (all movies)
Merlin (TV movie http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0130414/ )
Arabian Nights (another awesome TV movie
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181199/ )
The Odyssey (TV movie http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118414/ )
Xena (TV Series)
Hercules(TV Series)

Sci-Fi
------------------------------------------------------------
Star Wars 1-6
Matrix
Alien vs. Predator
Paycheck
Reign of Fire
Pitch Black
Riddick
Godzilla
Mad Max
Total Recall
6th Day

Thriller
------------------------------------------------------------
Identity
Existenz
Mindhunters
Butterfly Effect
Memento
American Psycho
Imperium der Wölfe
Purpurnen Flüsse
Seven
Wild Things
24 (TV series)
The Game

Drama
------------------------------------------------------------
Crash
11:14
U-Turn
Unbreakable
Under Suspicion
187
Hooligans
Original Sin
8 Mile
911
Layer Cake

Gangster
------------------------------------------------------------
Heat
Scarface
Casino
The Usual Suspects
Crime is King
Oceans 11+12
Last Man Standing
Pulp Fiction
Reservoir Dogs
Training Day

History
------------------------------------------------------------
Pearl Harbour
Gladiator
Gangs of New York
Ben Hur
Spartacus
Cleopatra
Lawrence of Arabia
The Ten Commandments
Spartacus (1960 with Mr. Douglas)

Animated
------------------------------------------------------------
Ghost in the Shell
Ice Age 1+2
Finding Nemo
Incredibles
The Prince of Egypt
The Lion King
Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy VII Advent Children
Princess Mononoke

War
------------------------------------------------------------
Black Hawk Down
Platoon
Full Metal Jacket
Enemy at the Gates
Basic
Rambo 1-3
Band of Brothers (DVD series)

Comics-Based
------------------------------------------------------------
Sin City
300
Hellboy
X-Men 1-3
Constantine
Batman Begins
Tomb Raider
Spiderman 1-3

Comedy
------------------------------------------------------------
Tomcats
The Wedding Crashers
Analyze That
Traumschiff Surprise
Heartbreakers
Four Rooms

Horror
------------------------------------------------------------
Resident Evil
Scream
Saw 1-3
13 Ghosts
Ghostship
Underworld 1+2
Dracula
Blade
Final Destination 1+2
Cube
Daemon

Asian
------------------------------------------------------------
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Hero
House of flying Daggers

Swashbuckling
------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.swashbucklingadv.com/resources/movies.html

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