Greetings gamers from all systems, places and timelines.
After watching Zack Snyder’s Justice League, I can safely say it was immensely enjoyable. During the movie, I found myself breaking apart the scenes and analyzing them, not because I was questioning the continuity, but because there were a lot of themes that are akin to gaming. This may have been because, in many respects, the superhero genre is the cousin of the Dungeons & Dragons world. Don’t believe me? Then explain how your D&D character is not a superhero in some form, I’ll wait.
As the movie unfolded, I found myself taking note of all the things that it did well from a gaming perspective. I found the Snyder Cut played out a lot like a module with a strong intro and conclusion. With that said, I have put together a list of eight things that Zack Snyder’s Justice League did well from a gaming perspective and a few notes we should all strive to hit while both running and conceptualizing our games.
Spoilers ahead …duh
1. All the Characters Are Tied to the Plot
This is important because a main character like Wonder Woman will never need to look at the camera and ask, “ why are we searching for these mother boxes?” This allowed the characters to develop and further the plot without spending time wrestling with their motivations because they are already laid out.
In all fairness, some of the characters weren’t on board at first. But this quickly changed when their personal interests became threatened to cause their motivation to skyrocket. Not interested in the main quest? Then let’s have the villain simultaneously threaten not only the heroes but what they value most in this world. Suddenly, it’s adventure time!
2. Well-Developed Backstories
There’s a lot of ways this could be approached for a game, such as the player writing out a history that took place off-screen, or even running a session for that character before the actual game starts. Now, granted, some of these characters had a movie prior to this, and the newer ones were introduced by the time they got the party together. In this way, no one was googling “who is the Flash” an hour into the movie. Instead, you might have been asking how the Flash made enough money working his dead-end jobs to afford a high-tech secret lair and custom suit made of spaceship alloys … but I digress.
My point is that if the JL members had been characters in a game, they all would have been well-defined by the start of their first actual adventure together.
3. Make Combat BIG
All the major battles in this movie were very effectively presented and really gave the viewer the feeling that they were there in the action. How this translates to gaming is when the rogue shoots the boss monster with an arrow for 46 damage, that should warrant a bit of flavor text. Did the monster just get shot in the arm, chest or neck and then fell down two flights of stairs into a wood chipper?
As a DM, sometimes I’m guilty of under-describing a big in-game moment, too. However, the big plays should be presented and shared with your audience as such. Back in the day, I would describe every sword strike that took place during a combat and, let me tell you, not everyone is up for that, especially when you have seven or more players. (So this is a happy medium!)
4. Hard Choices and Consequences
The scene where the Justice League was debating to use the Mother Box to resurrect Superman felt right out of a game. Let’s put this in context: The leader of your party died, and you need to bring them back so they can help deal with a new threat facing the kingdom. Your group recently came across an ancient artifact that no one really understands, but the intelligence-based characters believe it can bring your former party member back to life.
There’s just one small problem.
When you use it, the BBEG will know exactly where you are, and your former party member might return a few fries short of a happy meal. Do you do it? Either way, the party dialogues around this would certainly be memorable.
5. Everyone Gets a Spotlight
One thing that was apparent after watching the movie was that all of the heroes were necessary to stop the villain in question.
But for this to happen while still giving each character their own kick-ass moment can be tricky, especially when you’re looking to shine in combat and four out of your six teammates also have super strength. Not to mention, one of your teammates is so fast he can run backward in time and punch the boss in the back of the head before the fight even starts. However, during the heated battles in the movie, some of the characters broke off and handled problems they were best suited for. This gave the key battles a dynamic where, not only did the party need to win, its members who were not fighting had to succeed in their goals as well or it would all have been for nothing.
6. Bad Guys Aren’t Dumb
The movie/module, despite its chapter breakdown, was really made up of three parts and then the finale.
The BBEG would try to acquire a Mother Box, battle with whoever was there, and then leave once it was obtained. This allowed him to make an appearance in the final battle instead of introducing a new character 85% into the movie. Just have a solid reason why the villain is allowed to leave in combat besides your party being frozen and watching a cutscene.
7. Make the Ending Satisfying
I know some DMs who, after running an eight-hour final session, just want to end the story with “the king and queen throw a parade” and then roll the credits. But the payoff at the end of the story is part of why the characters were motivated in the first place. Without it, it’ll feel like an original Nintendo game where you just spent six and a half hours beating it and your reward consists of a nine-second ending and then a free trip back to the start screen.
Ah, those were the days.
8. Teasers
While I found the Justice League ending to be satisfying in that it tied up all the loose ends, it wasn’t shy about introducing a few new plots. If I were to sum up the ending, it would go something to the effect of, “Good job saving the world, but don’t get too comfortable because you now have new problems.” What’s good about that is it leaves the door open if you and your party are inclined to take up the campaign again at a later date.
Final Thoughts
While I enjoyed the movie, there was still a part or two that left me scratching my head, like the motives of that gang of terrorists who Wonder Woman stopped. You know, those guys who, for no apparent reason, just wanted to blow up as many people as possible including themselves?
However, not every scene in one of your modules or campaigns is going to roll out perfectly, either. Keep the story moving and make things only as serious as needed to keep your group engaged. Finally, don’t be afraid to let your players take the wheel and drive the plot a bit. Their character interactions could be just what you needed to turn a decent story into an all-around fantastic one.