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Flashbacks
One of the more difficult things to pull off when running a game is the flashback scene, especially if that scene proves vital to the story.
Why introduce a flashback into your game? They provide a great way to give players information when it is relevant - especially useful when establishing world and character backgrounds. More importantly, they allow players to get this information through self-discovery, making them more likely to be able to remember the vital details later.
Flash backs also allow for a consistent non-linear story-telling mode whereby you’re able to temporarily by-pass scenes which are boring and irrelevant initially, but might become very important hours or even sessions later. Applied in the short-term, this method can be used as a framework within sessions to preserve pacing, mood, and progress for the night.
A key thing to avoid in flashbacks is unnecessary tension. Building tension in a flashback scene is almost entirely impossible - the players most likely know what is going to happen ahead of time, who will be alive, and who won’t. Resolving tensions, or using pre-existing ones can work, so long as the tensions are not the primary focus. Tensions self-contained entirely within a flashback almost always fail.
The second key thing to avoid in flashbacks are burdens, things which are relegated to flashbacks and must be resolved, explained, and meet up with a pre-determined point in continuity. While some burdens are almost always required in flashbacks, it is important too many can stop the flashback from flowing properly.
Bad Example: A show once had an episode which was comprised primarily of flashbacks, going nearly a year back in the story. Two characters spent five minutes arguing over which one would die in a suicide mission; while normally this might be entertaining, the audience already knew for a certainty who lived and who died, by virtue of who was alive in later episodes. This is an example of failed tension in flashbacks.
Good Example: The Highlander TV series featured at least one new flashback in almost every episode, and they did a very good job of it. Each of these flashbacks added to the overall character development, provided background on new characters being introduced, and did not intrude on the story or feel burdened.
Honorable Mention: Arrested Development had an interesting and relatively unique method of handling flashbacks and similar events. The show’s narration makes this compatible with a visually oriented Narrator.
How do you handle flashbacks in your game?
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