Super Rescues! An essay by James Dawsey

Super Rescues

By James Dawsey

What is a Rescue Scene, and why is it important?

In superhero role-playing games, as in comics, the focus of action scenes often revolve around conflicts between heroes and villains. In the fiction, however, some of the most memorable scenes are not about conflict between characters, but a hero’s struggle to protect and safeguard innocent people caught in situations too dangerous for them to handle alone. This leads to one of the most iconic kinds of scenes in Superhero fiction: The Rescue Scene.

Rescue scenes are more than just busy-work for a hero. A hero who spends all his time fighting and doesn’t interact with the civilians he is meant to be protecting can seem cut off from the world, or worse, selfish and un-heroic. Part of what makes someone Heroic is the notion that what they do isn’t motivated by pure self-interest. They are heroic because they are making the world a better place through their actions. This element of selflessness appears in varying degrees for different characters, but for the most memorable and enduring super-heroes, exciting rescue scenes are almost synonymous with their name.

This essay is a quick attempt to break Rescue scenes down into clearly defined elements and steps, with the goal of making them easier and more appealing to run in a role-playing game. I’ll be referring to an example scene from the classic 1978 film Superman: The Movie to help illustrate my points at the end of the essay. If you haven’t seen that film, I highly suggest watching it before reading the final section of this article, simply because I will be spoiling one of the most iconic scenes from it in detail here.

Dramatis Personae

In a Rescue, there are generally 3 forces at play: The Hero, the Person in Crisis, and The Threat (also referred to as The Danger). In a role-playing game, identifying these three forces is usually fairly easy, but having a solid understanding of their roles can help make the scene easier to explain and adjudicate. Making them all active participants in the scene can lead to a scene whose dramatic impact is more memorable and satisfying for both players and GM.

The three key roles to fill in a Rescue Scene are:

• The Hero: Generally the player character or team of player characters. As such, this requires the least work from the GameMaster to illustrate.
• The Person in Crisis: One or more characters who are, for whatever reason, unable to rescue themselves from The Threat.
• The Threat: Some element of danger which threatens the life or well-being of the person in peril.

 

Some common examples of the different actors you can use to fill the role of the Person in Crisis: A group of kids on a schoolbus, a troubled person on the verge of committing suicide, a normal person trapped in a deadly environment, or the intended victim of a crime in progress.

Examples of a Threat can include: A natural disaster, self-destructive actions of the person in crisis, a building on fire, or a lone gunman in the process of a mugging.

The structure of a Rescue Scene

A Rescue scene can be broken down into 5 simple, but important phases. Each phase either presents the hero with a challenge, or presents the player with a roleplaying opportunity that reinforces the drama of the scene and helps set the tone for the next action. I’ll break these scenes down in detail in a moment, but to summarize:

• Perception: The Hero is made aware of the person in crisis and their peril.
• Interaction: The Hero arrives on the scene and interacts with the person in crisis.
• Escalation: The danger grows more threatening.
• Awesome: The Hero does something awesome and saves the day.
• Denouement: The Hero has accomplished the rescue, and the player and audience savor the moment.

Perception

The Perception phase of a Rescue is simply the moment the Hero becomes aware of the person who needs help, and the peril they face. In gaming terms, this is the GM’s opportunity to establish the problem and the potential penalties for failure. With a rescue, the potential for failure is almost always the death of an innocent person, so this creates a sense of high drama. The trick with making sure the scene works dramatically is to place a sympathetic character in danger, and not be too generic. This can be an NPC the hero is already familiar with, such as a reporter the Hero is fond of, or a family member, or some other friend that has been established in the story already.

Just as often, however, the person in crisis is a complete stranger to the hero. Creating dramatic impact for the player requires them to understand kind of person that is, and to sympathize with their plight. The level of detail the GameMaster gives can vary based on how much attention he or she wants to draw to the rescue itself. Don’t be afraid to make the character grounded in reality, thinking in terms of people you know or people you’ve seen in real life. For example, a person in crisis described as “An attractive blonde” is fairly generic, but “A heavyset man in his 60’s with one hand still gripping an aluminum walker” may create a more memorable scene because the player has a more specific visual in mind and an intuitive understanding of why that person may need help.

In general, the Perception Phase of a Rescue is about setting the scene, not creating a challenge. Calling for a “Perception Check” or other skill roll in order for the hero to notice the person in peril is probably not the best way to introduce the scene. Instead, call attention to the person in crisis, explain the nature of the threat, and explain why the situation is urgent.

Interaction

The second phase of a rescue can be the easiest one to overlook in a role-playing game, but if we look at films and comic books we are reminded how important it is. Interaction between the person in crisis and the hero is about creating a human connection, giving the player a chance to role-play with an NPC who desperately needs their help. There may be a small sub-challenge the player rolls against, or an action they take to bring themselves in close to the NPC, but the problem should not be resolved completely at this step.

Interaction between the Hero and the Person in Crisis can be as simple as a greeting, or it can be the whole purpose of the scene (in the case of rescuing someone from themselves), but it is always a vital part of the drama of the sequence. This moment creates a shift in the tone, where the person in crisis (and, by empathizing with them, the audience and the player) feels a sense of relief. This is the moment in a film when the hero might give the person in crisis an assuring smile, a word of encouragement, or simply awareness of their presence. This is the moment where the person in crisis might forget their peril for a moment.

Interaction in a role-playing game can be very satisfying for the players, but hard for them to remember to do, so it is on the GameMaster to remember this step. So often, the player is focused on the problem at hand they may not take the time to attempt to communicate with the person in crisis. The GameMaster can encourage this by having the person in crisis initiate the interaction, calling out to the hero. This can be as simple as “Save us, Superman!” or it can be part of a funny back and forth series of lines establishing the awe or relief the hero’s sudden arrival inspires.

Escalation

Escalation is the stage of the scene when the problem gets worse. There’s usually a moment during the rescue, right after the hero arrives on the scene, when the danger escalates. This can happen for any number of reasons: fuel spilled from a broken gas tank may creep towards an open flame, a criminal with a hostage may cock the gun they hold to the hostage’s head, or a person may lose their grip and finally fall just as the hero approaches to try and catch them.

The moment of escalation is when a hero sees their true need, and the audience knows the importance of the hero’s presence. This is where the GameMaster illustrates what would happen if the hero were not here to perform the rescue. A clever GameMaster will use this moment to introduce a surprising element, complicating the situation and making the rescue more challenging than it previously seemed.

Introducing a twist at this step puts the player in a quandary and helps focus them on the moment. They now have a new problem to solve and may need to tackle it using a skill they weren’t expecting to use. They’ll need to make a split-second decision and roll well on their action to succeed. A GameMaster should be careful not to make this moment feel unfair, and it shouldn’t create a situation the hero is unable to solve with his or her given skill set. It should simply be a moment of uncertainty which creates a dramatic pause before the hero is finally able to take action to solve the problem. This step ends the moment the player announces their intention and picks up the dice. At that moment, we move on to the Awesome step.

Awesome

It is at this point where the action or inaction of the hero will decide the fate of the person in crisis. The hero takes action, and the person in crisis is removed from the threatening situation. In other words, “The Hero does something Awesome and saves the day.”Taking action can be a physical skill check to remove the person in crisis from danger, an interaction skill to convince someone not to take a self-destructive action, or even an intelligence skill to disarm a deadly trap or engineer a safe escape for the person in crisis.It doesn’t matter how the player accomplishes this task, but this is the step where the deed is done.

The GameMaster may have illustrated one possible solution when first presenting the scene to the player(s) during the Perception phase, but that doesn’t mean the player will take that approach. In fact, it is in a player’s nature to want to do something surprising and unexpected. The GameMaster shouldn’t punish this, but should try to work the player’s solution into the scene. The whole point of a Rescue scene, after all, is to make the players feel like heroes. Their actions should determine the course of events.

If a player suggests a solution that seems completely unworkable, it is likely the player has a different understanding of the scene from the GameMaster, and the GameMaster may want to ask questions to make sure both GM and Player are on the same page. This process is part of most role playing games, and I won’t go into detail here, but it is crucial to remind the GameMaster that scenes like this work when the GM and players are cooperating well to create a dramatic and entertaining sequence of events.

In the ideal scenario, this is where the hero’s successful skill roll or action check allows them to rescue to person in crisis, which then leads to the Denouement. If, however, the character fails the action because of a bad dice roll, what do you do? There are two solutions, one less ideal and one more ideal. In some games, the “harsh reality” of the situation is that not every heroic deed will be successful, and the die roll indicates a failure to save the person in crisis. In my games, however, I prefer the Fate Care approach to such situations. In my games, I allow a hero to always choose to succeed at a cost. If the dice are cruel, the player can still choose to have the action be successful, but we need to agree upon a cost. This could be a physical injury sustained in the rescue, the hero might wind up switching places with the person in crisis, their secret identity might be revealed somehow, or any number of consequences that create problems for the player. The GM and player should agree on something together that satisfies the dramatic needs of the moment, and then move to the Denouement.

Denouement

Denouement is often described as “Falling Action.” By this, we don’t mean the hero or person in crisis are plummeting to their doom, that would have been earlier. In rescue scene terms the Denouement describes the time after the hero’s successful action but before the situation transitions to a new challenge. During the Denouement the hero and the player get a moment to savor the joy of success, to interact with the person (formerly) in crisis one last time, and then move on to their next goal.

This is another phase that can be occasionally overlooked, but can pay off big in dramatic dividends if used correctly. This is the moment the player was working towards, so don’t leave it out of the scene. Give the player character a chance to smile, put the rescued individual at ease, make a clever quip, receive their gratitude, and then leave with style. The player should feel chuffed about their success, and the rescued individual should feel more intimately connected to the hero as they have just experienced a difficult situation together. Because of this intimacy, rescued individuals can make great NPCs for later episodes of a story, because the player will associate that character with a defining moment in their career.

The Denouement can be romantic, funny, thrilling, or all of the above. Properly played, a Denouement can take the sting off a villain’s escape (if that precipitated the rescue scene) because the hero has accomplished something more important than chasing down a costumed criminal. They have saved a life, and the world is a better place because they did so.

Superman: The Helicopter Scene

Now let’s look at one of the most famous examples of a superhero rescue scene in cinematic history, the iconic helicopter rescue scene in Superman: The Movie. In this scene, Superman rescues Lois Lane from a crashed helicopter. This scene hits many dramatic marks because it serves as the first time Superman dons his costume in the public eye and leaps into action. Thus, this moment defines his career as not only being a hero who has great power, but who cares about people enough to rescue them from trouble. His willingness to expose his powers to the world begins with the need to do so for the sake of another person, and sets him firmly on the path to being a superhero.

In this scene, the Hero will be played by Superman (natch!), the Person in Crisis by Lois Lane, and the Threat will be the Helicopter Crash at the top of the skyscraper. The crash begins when a mishap at liftoff sends the helicopter spinning out of control, crashing and hanging precariously off the edge of the Daily Planet building, high above the crowded city streets below. The Perception phase begins as Clark Kent leaves the Planet building and sees the people on the street pointing up excitedly. As soon as he sees the person in crisis and the threat they face, he dashes off to find a place to change.

In this variation on the theme the director treats us to some complications, as it takes a few moments for Clark to find a place where he can change into his Superman costume unobserved. Peppering this with some humorous moments, he also ratchets up the tension by showing how Lois is struggling to save herself but is unable to, and her situation worsens, leaving her hanging from a seatbelt out of the open door of the helicopter’s cockpit. She clearly can’t hold on much longer. Finally, Superman leaps into action, having overcome the complications placed in his way, and soars into the sky towards Lois.

The Interaction occurs as Lois loses her grip on the seat belt and plummets towards her doom, only to be caught by Superman. This moment could be the end of several rescues, but in this particular variation, the storytellers have more in store for us. Superman begins the interaction by trying to allay Lois’s fears, “Easy, miss. I’ve got you.” This prompts the classic, immortal response: “You’ve got me? Who’s got you!?” This moment is both funny and touching, as Lois Lane’s fears suddenly turn into a sense of wonder and amazement at the unexpected turn of events.

Immediately after this we see the Escalation phase kick in, as the helicopter finally falls from the edge of the building where it had been hanging from. Lois looks up in shock and horror as the helicopter falls towards her, and cowers from the expected impact. This is escalation because a moment ago, we thought Lois was safe and the rescue was already accomplished. The sudden change in circumstances increases the level of the threat because now both Superman and Lois are in the path of the danger, not to mention the unconscious pilot still inside the helicopter.

Superman then does something Awesome. He reaches up and catches the helicopter in one hand, and then flies everyone to the safety of the rooftop. Thus, he manages to complete the rescue of both Lois and the pilot, and does so with style. This moment may not have tested the limits of his abilities, but it was an important dramatic scene and showcases how awesome his powers are.

The Denouement for the scene doesn’t just involve the characters in the scene; even the crowd on the street below applauds and celebrates the actions of the mysterious stranger who just saved the day. After landing and setting his charges safely down, Superman takes a moment to try and soothe Lois’s nerves by telling her that flying is still “statistically” the safest way to travel. Lois Lane tries to ask Superman who he is, and Superman enigmatically replies “A friend,” before flying off into the night sky. How awesome is that?

This is only one example scene from a famous film, but it clearly follows the pattern of the outline I gave. You can find many other examples, in both Superhero films and other kinds of adventure films. Look for similar scenes in: Iron Man 3 (now in theaters), The Amazing Spider-Man, The Avengers, The Incredible Hulk, and many more. Feel free to suggest other films and similar scenes, or alternate structures for breaking a rescue scene down for role-playing games by commenting below!