STATE CINEMA

Greetings, loyal citizens!

As State media employees, you are well aware of His Majesty’s great fondness for Hollywood and Bollywood films. Their colorful and dramatic worlds have so much power to inspire! However, it is no secret that these films are often riddled with treasonous ideas, and as such it falls to you, his most favored actors, to provide State-sanctioned cinema offerings.

You have been given the great honor of fulfilling His Majesty’s decree to make a weekly action television series about the evil machinations of the vile foreign powers and cowardly traitors. The latter will be personified as fantastic super villains to be defeated by His Majesty himself (played by a body double) for the glory of the One True State. Week after week, the people of The One True State will see the futility of corruption and the glory of His Majesty!

Unfortunately, all of The One True State's scriptwriters and similar intellectuals are currently being reeducated, so you will have to improvise. Surely seasoned actors like yourselves are more than up to the task!

Please design and build a costume for your villain before reporting to the old grain warehouse by the abandoned military base before dawn.

Remember: His Majesty is watching. Always.

Good luck!

Character Generation

THE ACTOR
First of all, come up with a name for your actor (first name and surname).  Make sure that it is dull.

Each actor starts with a HEALTH of three, a SANITY of six, and a FAMILY, the number of family members decided by the roll of a six-sided dice (D6). Be sure to name all of your actor’s family members as well as their relation to the actor. You’ll add a little more detail to them later.

THE VILLAIN
Choose an ORIGIN for the villain your actor will be portraying from the following:
•	Mutant
•	Robot
•	Alien
•	Monster
•	Capitalist 
•	Sorcerer

Pick a NAME for the villain – the more elaborate the better, but be sure that it makes clear which thing the State finds objectionable they represent (for example The Simpering Capitalist, Treason Bot, The Most Traitorous Lord of Dishonorable Thoughts). 

If you’re having trouble deciding what Anti-State sentiment rules your actor’s villain, try choosing from the following:
•	Laziness
•	Greed
•	Intellectualism
•	Impurity
•	Disloyalty
•	Non-conformity

Choose a few ways in which the objectionable qualities of your Villain are a part of your Actor’s life or personality. Choose a few Once-an-Episode sort of Gimmicks as well.  Write these out on slips of paper and put them in a container that will represent your Gimmick Box. You will have 5 of these, in a 2/3 split whichever way you desire.

SKILLS
Assign one of the following values to each of the skills below – 5, 4, 3, 2.

•	WIRE FLYING – You will have to roll this while doing certain special effects, like diving from His Majesty's great satellite onto a 747, over-the-top martial arts or being pushed off a building. If it goes on film and involves being suspended in the air, it takes a wire flying roll.

•	SCENERY CHEWING – Raging. Trashing a room. Monologuing. Make a scenery chewing roll when you actor speaks but doesn't converse, acts as if they were the only important person in the room or generally steals the spotlight.

•	DRAMATIC FLAIR – An emotional conversation, where the audience learns something about the villain or maybe comes to pity them a little. An artsy moment that shows the villain as a person, or, in the case of a Capitalist, almost a person. Make a dramatic flair roll when viewer heartstrings are being pulled.  

•	STAGE COMBAT – Resisted violence comes down to stage combat. A knife fight is stage combat. As is shooting a gun, or attacking with a fighter jet or ramming someone with a car. When your actor's acting involves overt violence against another, roll stage combat.

When the GM asks you to roll, roll a D6 and hope to get your skill number or below. If you roll above your skill number, explain how your actor messes up. If the GM is unsatisfied with your explanation for the failure, they will add to it. If you roll a one then your action films particularly well and you've acted pleasingly efficiently – take a TOKEN [see below].

If you roll over your actor's skill rating, it is still possible to succeed by embracing the mania of method acting – reduce your SANITY by one for each number over the target number you rolled to succeed (this is optional, of course, but sometimes advisable if you wish to avoid offending His Majesty). Please describe what lengths your Actor goes through to get the perfect take.

If you roll a six, you must draw from your Gimmick box and incorporate whatever you draw into the scene if you want to spend SANITY.

EXAMPLE CHARACTER
•	Actor Name: Ann Everyman
•	Villain Name: The Wastrel
•	Villain Origin: Capitalist
•	Wire Flying: 3
•	Scenery Chewing: 2
•	Dramatic Flair: 5
•	Stage Combat: 4
•	Family: 3 – Jan (husband), Han (son), Fran (daughter)
•	Health: 3
•	Sanity: 6

His Majesty

Once you’ve taken the time to make your Actor and their nefarious Villain (hopefully complete with costume) take a moment to think about what is truly important; the gloriousness of His Majesty. Together you will form an image of him, in much the same way that he has forged the State in his image.

Take a whole piece of paper and fold it into thirds. The first third will contain His Majesty’s head and shoulders. The second third will contain his torso. The final third will contain his legs and feet. The GM will assign players to their own third; if there are more than three, the excess players will help the others, get snacks, and so on at the GM’s whim. The GM should encourage assigned players to feel confident in whatever drawing skill they have – after all, His Majesty has selected them for the task!

While each assigned player is drawing their part, the other players assigned to draw should not be looking. Instead, they should be thinking of their family members, singling out up to three of them. Each of these family members has some character flaw (at least according to the State, which is all that matters). Write it down. Family members in excess of three are genuinely innocent beings.

While the players are doodling and taking notes, the GM should be mining the art and its details as well as their own ideas for Plot Seeds and writing them out.

As players draw His Majesty’s head, shoulders, torso, legs and feet, they should feel free to add small notes about the “symbolic meaning” of elements of His Majesty’s depiction. For example, “His pointy hat represents his high minded thoughts, and certainly not the shape of his head.” Surely this will not lead to backhanded compliments and other such perfidy. Use the following as a guide for your symbolic meanderings;

His Majesty’s head and shoulders represent his watchfulness, his thoughts and his duties.

His Majesty’s torso represents his robustness of health and his compassionate heart for the people.

His Majesty’s legs and feet represent his stability, strength and support from his grateful Nation.

The first third will, naturally, be drawn first. The lines of the bottom of the first third of the drawing should extend slightly to the second third, so that the second artiste has a series of starting points to draw from, and they should do the same for the final third. Once each third has been finished, it should be displayed with proper reverence.

Doesn’t it feel good to make wholesome, State-sanctioned art on behalf of His Majesty and all of the people?

How to Play

Each game session covers one or more episode recordings. Each recording is divided into three parts: The Preparation, The Recording and The Fallout.

Remember that the GM represents His (or Her) Majesty, and as such their word is Law – be sure to keep them entertained!  Listen carefully to their demands!

You will need a timer and a number of six-sided dice (D6s) – one for the GM and each player is ideal. You will also need pens, sheets of paper and some kind of container for each player and the GM. Lastly, you’ll need a set of shiny coins, glass gems or other such tokens for the GM to award players with, about 2-3 times the number of players should be sufficient.

The Preparation

Now is the brief period of time wherein the actors may introduce themselves and their villains. Of course, everyone is equal in the One True State, so the actor’s identity is of little importance. However, the super villains, their names, motivations, gimmicks and costumes should be described in great detail (illustrations of costumes not required but very much encouraged, regardless of the player’s artistic skill).

The players should introduce their Family members and rank them from least innocent to most innocent. The process of this ranking should be all everyone needs to know about them.

As previously mentioned, all of the One True State’s scriptwriters are being reeducated, and as such the actors will have to improvise. That said, the actors have been provided with a State-sanctioned Plot Box, from which a story seed is drawn during the Preparation stage.

It is the GM’s task to fill the Plot Box with potential story seeds, all of which must of course align with the ideals of the One True State.

Some example story seeds include:
•	His Majesty’s wife has been kidnapped!
•	The super villains conspire to ruin His Majesty’s birthday celebrations!
•	His Majesty’s latest Gift to the People has been stolen!
•	A foreign power has infiltrated the One True State!
•	The super villains attempt to convert the One True State’s youth to the evils of capitalism!
•	The One True State’s neighbor tries to assert its dominance (and fails, of course)

The GM should write between five and ten story seeds then put them into the receptacle that is being used to represent the Plot Box (this can be a hat, bowl, mug, Solo™ Cup, etc.). A story seed should be withdrawn from the Plot Box and presented to the actors so that they might then base the content of the episode being filmed in the Recording stage on it.

Ask the players two important questions about the Plot Seed drawn from the box;
•	How is your villain involved?
•	Why will this forward your villain’s corrupt agenda?

Players should detail their Villain’s Gimmicks and their Actor’s similarities to their villain and write them onto their own slips of paper. They’ll keep these in a container close to hand and draw them blind when the situation calls for it.

Once the players have answers to the two starting questions, you can start The Recording.

The Recording

When play actually starts, the GM will set a timer for between 22 to 27 minutes (determine this by adding 21 to a D6 roll).

One player begins by explaining what their character is doing to follow the Plot Seed. Any time an actor does something that in the GM's opinion would require a roll, they must make one. Other actors may enter the scene at will. The GM will lay out the oppositional activities of Extras in the cast when appropriate. If an event strikes the GM as particularly nonsensical then they can declare that the director has called cut, express their complaint and set the story back to an earlier moment right before the objectionable thing happened.

If a player has been particularly quiet, the GM may offer them a personal Intervention [see below] to get them into the action.

When the timer goes off, the body double of His Majesty arrives on set. He will sometimes be drunk, or high or in an otherwise awkward situation, but as one with the face of His Majesty he is close to godliness and his indiscretions are forgivable. Take a small breather to establish as a group what, specifically, makes His Majesty’s body double unsuitable as an actor and what indiscretion is hobbling his performance this week. 

If the table is up for it, play out a brief scene of His Majesty’s body double being called onto the set, to establish things before the timer is set.

The GM will set the timer for 3 to 8 minutes (30 minutes minus however long the episode has already played out) and then play “His Majesty”, who must look heroic and win the day. His Majesty’s body double has a skill of 3 in each category and, due to this and his less-than-perfect state, may not do particularly well at this task. However, it is the responsibility of the other actors to help make sure he succeeds.

After the Recording is complete, players are encouraged to work together to quickly try and come up with an appropriate name for episode they have just filmed. Set the timer again for two minutes – His Majesty and His subjects mustn’t be kept waiting for this new release! 

The Fallout

If a villain's machinations are not defeated by the episode's end when the timer goes off for the second time, it will probably be taken as a mockery of His Majesty. The GM will take a moment to judge this with all appropriate fairness (which is to say, none at all, but they should be sure to openly bloviate on how His Majesty was offended, or if not how the performance meant so little to the outcome of the show.)

If this is the case, Corrective Officers will arrive in the night to administer Corrective Training through Physical Motivation – permanently reduce the actor responsible for the undefeated villain’s Health by one before the beginning of the next episode.

If the Actor’s villain WAS defeated, they get one simple TOKEN as their reward.

Exceptional acting earns a bonus – each TOKEN awarded for rolling a one or being defeated represents enough pay to cover necessities, bribes and housing for one person.  If an Actor doesn’t have enough for themselves and each member of their family, the family members whose expenses are not covered are at risk of re-education, hunger, exposure, loss of hope or even death. 

For each family member for whom an Actor can’t pay their bribes, starting with the least innocent, the Actor has three choices. They can draw a remaining Gimmick to engage in a related desperate act to protect that family member, or they can lose a point of Health permanently as they deprive themselves of their own needs in order to provide. Play these choices out in a brief scene, and include other players as family members and tools of the State. 

If neither of these is a viable option for the Actor (or they don’t want to!), the un-provided for family member is lost. Give this loss a brief scene as well, and especially for the least innocent family members take some time play off of their flaws and the arbitrary response of the State.

Each player loses all of their Tokens before the next recording session. If a player had excess Tokens, they cannot use them to help other Actors – that might be seen as collusion and dissent! Each excess Token also arouses His Majesty’s suspicion, and the Actor must take pains to alleviate it. Lose one Gimmick remaining and explain what your Actor spent the money on, and how they’re deflecting jealousy.

If an actor is reduced to zero HEALTH, they are lost, and are due a brief farewell scene.  After this they are never seen again. During the farewell scene, choose an acting SKILL to define the moment with, and answer the following question: was the Actor ever a genuine threat to the One True State?

A character gains SANITY equal to their FAMILY after each episode, up to six points in total. Lost family members cannot restore Sanity. For each family member remaining, describe a brief scene of mutual support. Don’t just get this out of the way! Be honest with these scenes, even if you’re worried about schmaltz. Let these scenes be oases of calm.

If a character is reduced to zero SANITY at any time, they lose a permanent point from their maximum Sanity total (and must also act accordingly). In return, they may write a new Gimmick or return an old one to their Gimmick Box.

If an actor's family member is accused of treason by any player at any point they will – assuming the GM is in agreement – be transferred to State custody and moved to a remote location for questioning with the assurance that the innocent have nothing to fear. They are Lost and will never be seen again. However, actors should be wary of making too many treason accusations – this may be a sign that they themselves are treasonous, and if so the GM should respond accordingly. Remember to offer scenes for these exits to the group.

Running State Cinema

As a game largely based on the improvisation of fantastical events, State Cinema can be rather chaotic – but fun – to run. Keep up the momentum and encourage the players to play their Actors to the hilt.

GMING
Players will likely end up speaking over each other during Production. In general, listen to the players who have actors already on scene, who are doing things that require die rolls, who haven't made a roll recently or who are proposing things that will cause complications with “His Majesty” when he shows up on scene.

While it’s up to the players to put on a good show for His Majesty, don’t be afraid to intervene occasionally if you think it would add to game (especially if a notable lull occurs and it seems like things might need a little kick-start to get going again). Also think about an Intervention if an Actor fails in a scene, especially with a six.

Examples of potential interventions include:
•	A power outage on set
•	Costume sabotage
•	Woefully insufficient stage-building
•	Inclusion of a Family member (of the Actors, the Director or even His Majesty)
•	Special last-minute requests from His Majesty concerning the content of the episode (e.g. you may not use the word X, Y must be mentioned at least once)
•	A scene must be filmed at a specific location of His Majesty’s choosing
•	An additional draw from the Plot Box
•	His Majesty demands that a Villain bring out a Gimmick.
•	A visit from the real His Majesty (although this should only be pulled out VERY infrequently)

However, mostly players should be left to their own devices and allowed to sweat a little – it is after all their responsibility to entertain His Majesty. When it seems like a player’s wheels are still spinning, give them a breath or two to come up with something before messing with them.

When you declare that the Director has yelled ‘CUT’, remember your improvisational golden rules; say ‘yes, and’ or if you can’t do that say ‘no, but’.  A blunt no without an opportunity to keep moving forward will stall your players. Replace an objectionable idea with a new opportunity to act right away.

Your contribution to the tone of the game is important, and the way you portray His Majesty’s demands, personality, and governmental skills are your most powerful tools for controlling the tone you present. Reflect the State back on His Majesty and vice versa to personalize things and keep them humorous. Make faces. Ham it up. Use the Royal We if you feel like it. If you have a costume crown, strongly consider wearing it when you play His Majesty’s body double.

When you’re out of the Production scenes and into the Fallout stage of the game, play up or undercut the menace of the One True State depending on the mood at the table and what will amuse people the most. If an Actor accuses another Actor’s family member of treason, check and see how innocently they’re ranked and judge accordingly.

After the first Fallout stage, take a break for drinks and table talk, and then try to film at least one more episode. This one should go a little faster because there’s no illustration to do, and your Plot Seeds, Actors, Villains and so on are already made. Skip the introductions and go right to the Plot Seed and questions.

SETTING
What and where the One True State really is isn’t important.

What is important is His Majesty and the State, and the situation the Actors are all in because of their powerlessness before these two forces.

However, players may draw from real-life countries when creating their actors’ super villains – a giant robotic Uncle Sam made out of cardboard boxes, for example, is pretty much a given sooner or later. Go ahead and use corny stereotypes and visual puns.

Ideas about where the One True State is and what it values may come out when making the thrice-drawn depiction of His Majesty. This is sufficiently focused on Him as to be important. Don’t stray too far from His interests, though.

THE ACTORS
At the end of the day, it’s all up to the actors – they must be entertaining while not offending the values of the One True State as well as making sure both they and their families survive.

More often than not, the actors’ characters should have to act self-destructively in order to avoid having outstanding plot points by the end of the episode, and the resulting episodes will likely end up quite campy and more than a little absurd. Play to that absurdity and desperation – the actors are thinking about their needs, spotting plot holes is a job for the Best Boy (and he’s being re-educated).

The actors may find that a little infighting is actually to their best advantage when it comes to making a satisfying show that succeeds at not offending His Majesty. Being enemies on the stage might be the best way to be allies in their normal lives. Of course, out of character you should seek to support one another’s improvisations and roleplaying and not create real backbiting.

There is, of course, a darkness to the game – the actors are acting for their and their family’s lives. However, the tone you should be aiming for is more one of black humor than that of genuine horror. When results are at their darkest, you should try to insert more absurdity.

Go ahead and let your actor be a little subsumed by their Villain a bit, especially if you’re spending a Gimmick to keep a family member out of the deadly machinery of the State.

HIS MAJESTY’S DOUBLE
His Majesty's double is not a great actor, and not at risk like the others, so this will affect how he behaves. Play him at a thoughtful pace. Make him roll when it seems sensible to his simple goal of thwarting the Villains, and when it seems like it will make the players nervous.

Try to call back to the portrait of His Majesty drawn up by the players at the beginning of the game, and play off the similarities and differences between Him and His double.  Let the double fail to cover for his differences and accentuate his similarities with His Majesty.

Depending on his current state/mood/level of inebriation, His Majesty’s double may not be especially cooperative and might not play well with others. Sometimes His Majesty’s double might even go so far as to object to the absurd ways in which the actors try and engineer things so that “His Majesty” wins, stating that it seems too improbable (without being treasonous, of course).

Think about having His Majesty’s double extract special favors from the director, unfair things that the true, hardworking Actors on the scene would never get.

“BUT HOW DO I WIN?”
Come on, you’ve played roleplaying games before, right? State Cinema isn’t so much about winning as surviving.

If the players manage to stay alive and sane as well as feed and protect their families after the session or even episode is over, they have succeeded.

If the players have created hilarious scenes and accidentally snubbed totalitarian noses (but got themselves killed in the process), they have also succeeded.

And after all, the show must go on.