I am running this “season” (in the TV sense not the video game sense) of my friend groups lasting TTRPG session. It’s sort of anthology in that we are wanna be creative types and we use the games to explore our storytelling abilities. None of them are particularly connected but there are some common themes throughout. We have been playing on and off since high-school.

We have done one session of just about everything from classic D&D to modern stuff like Lancer and Mothership. However, Many of our adventure turn into a DBZ were we all get stronger items and Level up and fight a guy. I want to mix things up.

I am Gamemaster this time around and I am running a campaign of vanilla “Spycraft” the D20 secret agent style game. I recently replayed “No One Lives for Ever” and I thought it did a great job satirizing but also indulging in the genre. I want to do something similar, I want to keep it tightly focused and without giving way to action movie just giving them bigger guns and stuff

I was thinking of doing the same thing but taking back to a faux Civil War era with super spies and mildly future tech or maybe a reverse Saturday morning cartoon G.I. Joe where they play agents of a Cobra-like organization.

Does anyone have any tips in general about how to think about breaking genre trends and making a more unique play experience for your friends?