Neo Noir, a subset of Film Noir and an inspiration. If you’re going to aim to run events even if those are events you intend your players to project in their own minds, then I do believe you need a look and feel, a look and feel to aim for and deliver, for me this is Neo-noir. The players are never quite the heroes, the worlds of fantasy, and science fiction are never quite happy places of wonder and light, or if they are the darkness is a undercurrent of that world, a theme in it’s own right. Scenes whether chapters, encounters or settings are pockets of light in a darkened room, a sharp focus on them while the edges are shadowed and fuzzy at best. This all reflects in that Neo-noir look and feel. Just take a look at the list of supposed Neo-noir titles to see the kind of thing’s that influence my choice for game aesthetics.

An excellent article on those features and look and feel accompanied the the 2008 Punisher - War Zone discussing the look and feel of the movie.

Part of this is why Red Circle Games exists and is named as such, in my minds eye I can create these captured almost framed scenes and let the players or actors play them out within the confines of the scene, set or event. I’d go as far as to say I would love to indulge a want to run a small scale event or set of scenarios in a small venue, with a single room where the scenarios are well briefed and the set is confined within a Red Circle of some form(tape, stage edge marker, rope light) so that the participants can play them out while others watch and consume. Allowing boundaries to their presentation and execution.