Inception RPG (Part 1)

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I want to run a game based on the film Inception, so I’ve been talking it over with my usual group of players and thinking about it here and there. The main thing about the ‘feel’ of this game would be the difference between the real world and the dream world.
I’m thinking that in the real world part of the game, we can use the GUMSHOE investigation rules. The player characters are investigating, using various skills and contacts to find out about their target.
When it’s time to enter a dream then the GUMSHOE general skills system could be used, or perhaps a whole different rule system. At this point I need to watch Inception again. A lot has been written about it, but not from an RPG design point of view I think.
In the real world scene where Cobb evades agents of Cobol Engineering in Mombasa, I could imagine the player of Cobb’s character using his general skills. However, since Cobb is specialized in working within dreams, the evasion is a pretty sloppy affair.
Later in the movie, when the team assault the snow fortress, the team members are much more badass. I think here we could say that for each level that the team descends into the dream, the characters get some kind of bonus to their activities, or additional general skill points. Their real world skills will always be there though, so the player would hopefully tend to enhance their character's skills rather than try to become good at everything. On the other hand, if the team member who was expected to perform a particular task is out of commission, another member may have to step up and take their place. The fact that they can add in some skill points to support this will mean they have a chance of succeeding.
This all sounds like it could apply to a game based on The Matrix, or the Gloom from the Night Watch series as well.
I talked this over with my friends and I think the best fit for a game like this is Night’s Black Agents. It is a GUMSHOE  system, but designed for high octane spy action. That might not fit perfectly with an Inception game, but I think there won’t be much modification of the system needed.

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