Time Bandits

Time Bandits, if not in my top 10, is certainly in my top 20 favorite movies. The director Terry Gilliam, who was the artistic genius behind the interstitials in Monty Python's Flying Circus, is a brilliant visionary. If nothing else, the imaginative sets, props, and characters in his movie are a wonder to behold even if the pacing and story aren't always perfect.

The idea of traveling through various time periods is a compelling one. I've generally had no success in running a time traveling campaign. Once I tried it with GURPS and the game was an utter failure. I think the burden on the GM to populate multiple periods of time is too difficult. I'm sure a better GM could handle it where I couldn't.

But, if I was to try to run a time travel game again I think I would try to emulate Time Bandits. "Evil" is a great villain, and the "Supreme Being" a great foil to the whole adventure.

When making this week's Mystery Map I must have subconsciously been channeling Time Bandits. Certainly the map in it is a great prop, and quite a compelling "McGuffin" in the story.