SirGuido
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Post by SirGuido on Feb 23, 2015 6:07:10 GMT -8
I'm a very fluid GM. I go where my players take me and just complicate things along the way with my basic plot. Usually this leads into a very compelling story. Sometimes along the way I make bad decisions which complicate MY game. In my Traveller campaign I led the party to the first in a series of clues about my overarching plot. This happened to be a derelict alien vessel of a type they've never seen before. They stripped the ship of the interesting tech(the power plant) and then sold it to a collector as a working ship. The collector paid handsomely for this rarity which the crew then turned into multiple ship upgrades and then large payouts to the crew which they used to very well equip themselves.
The ship is now paid for(which happened in character creation, another bad decision on my part), and its pretty damn good. The party is armed and armored to the teeth and has plenty of money to spare.
Now here's the rub. They flat out lied to the collector telling him that the ship was whole. Once they left and he found out he put a contract hit out on them. A small crew picked up the contract and attempted to hijack the ship in jump space. Unfortunately I got a lot of rules wrong in that encounter and the crew easily held them from taking the ship so in a last ditch effort I hit the ship with an EMP, but that also failed. We ended the session there and I was left trying to figure out what to do.
My thoughts: Ship was hit by an EMP so most of the electrical systems are fried. They have a decent store of "parts" and the enemy ship is still attached. I have made a list of systems that are damaged and listed some as destroyed(main computer, external comms, sensors), some as "partially repairable"(engines, power plant) and some as "fully repairable"(life support, lights, internal comms). I will let them repair as many things as possible with the parts available per Traveller rules. The "partially repairable" items will only remain working as is for 1d6 weeks but will need a full overhaul before then or they will fail again. The "destroyed" items can be rigged up with systems from the attackers' ship but as that ship is MUCH smaller they are only an emergency measure at best. The overall goal here is to soak up some of those extra funds they have lying around and make things a little more tight for them.
Is this a dick move?
My other plan is to make it so the ship has to land for full repairs on an unoccupied world. Make them do a little land based survival and such. An "away team" situation if you will.
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D.T. Pints
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Post by D.T. Pints on Feb 23, 2015 8:13:24 GMT -8
Han Solo would have been pretty fucking boring if he just handed Greedo the money. Keep 'em hungry Sir. But let 'em have fun sometimes.
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SirGuido
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Post by SirGuido on Feb 23, 2015 8:28:21 GMT -8
Oh I've been letting them have fun, thats part of the problem! I've been letting them get by with too much lately without too much consequence and I need to sort of tighten the belt now and teach them that life isn't always strawberries in Kaylee's mouth..... wait where was I? Oh yeah Kaylee's mouth..... Er sorry yeah distractions. I've been giving and giving and giving and I think its time to take a little away.
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Post by Probie Tim on Feb 23, 2015 9:11:23 GMT -8
Once you open Pandora's box, it's hard to close. In one game I ran, the PCs came across a cache of money equaling years and years of income tax skimming from the local town. My thought was that they'd give it back to the town and walk away Big Damn Heroes. Instead they gave a percentage (a small percentage, even) back and kept the rest.
It was very hard to pull that back in without pulling a dick move like, "yeah, your secret hiding place was raided and the money is gone" or something. Which I didn't want to do because, you know, dick.
My solution was to lead the game to a new area, a week or so away - via boat - from their home base. They still had all the money but because it was so far away and they couldn't bring it all with them, it became less of an issue.
I don't know how that helps you, if at all. *shrug*
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tomes
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Post by tomes on Feb 23, 2015 9:51:01 GMT -8
They stripped the ship of the interesting tech(the power plant) So they've installed this thing? Is the alien power plant part of their ship now? Cause that doesn't usually work very well in the movies, in my experience. Could this power plant really be a beacon? Or hungry for something? Or leading them somewhere? ("What do you mean the navigational computer doesn't recognize any of the star systems???") If it's alien tech I'd start playing with them that way, but I would probably try to figure out roughly what it did so that there'll be some consistency in the story, especially in a somewhat "realistic" system like Traveller.
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SirGuido
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Post by SirGuido on Feb 23, 2015 10:44:00 GMT -8
They stripped the ship of the interesting tech(the power plant) So they've installed this thing? No they haven't installed it.... yet. I'm kind of hoping they think to do that as a work around. I intended to have that screw with their system in all new and interesting ways if they try that.
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Post by The Northman on Feb 23, 2015 21:12:26 GMT -8
Once you open Pandora's box, it's hard to close. In one game I ran, the PCs came across a cache of money equaling years and years of income tax skimming from the local town. My thought was that they'd give it back to the town and walk away Big Damn Heroes. Instead they gave a percentage (a small percentage, even) back and kept the rest. It was very hard to pull that back in without pulling a dick move like, "yeah, your secret hiding place was raided and the money is gone" or something. Which I didn't want to do because, you know, dick. My solution was to lead the game to a new area, a week or so away - via boat - from their home base. They still had all the money but because it was so far away and they couldn't bring it all with them, it became less of an issue. I don't know how that helps you, if at all. *shrug* I don't think it's cheap at all if it adds drama to the game. Especially if it's a direct consequence to a decision they made. Why was the town skimming income tax? To pay the Cartel to stay away. The Cartel wants their money back.
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Post by Probie Tim on Feb 23, 2015 21:22:17 GMT -8
Why was the town skimming income tax? It wasn't the town itself skimming from the tax money, it was the town's exchequer who was being extorted by two serpent men polymorphed into human form.
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Post by The Northman on Feb 23, 2015 22:21:49 GMT -8
Well there you go - sans Cartel, the snake men want their money.
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ubermunchkin
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Post by ubermunchkin on Feb 24, 2015 2:17:57 GMT -8
The power plant is actually from an alien warship and is loaded with cyberwarfare gear and a sub-sentient AI to run it. It plugs itself into the ship while the internal damage control systems are offline (following the EMP) and begins to subvert control of the ships systems.
Then it modifies the engines and dumps a load of power into them & heads off into jump space with the intention of returning to it's home port for maintenance and repair. At this point you can decide if the species is even still alive and how the PCs deal with being way out in the black in hostile territory.
All that money ain't much help if there's no one to trade with.
Plus you get to design a whole new sector and possibly some kind of dead alien society/species for the PCs to investigate the ruins of, deal with the automated war machines and possibly save the galaxy from the destruction caused by their war engines.
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SirGuido
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Post by SirGuido on Feb 24, 2015 5:25:42 GMT -8
The power plant is actually from an alien warship and is loaded with cyberwarfare gear and a sub-sentient AI to run it. It plugs itself into the ship while the internal damage control systems are offline (following the EMP) and begins to subvert control of the ships systems. Then it modifies the engines and dumps a load of power into them & heads off into jump space with the intention of returning to it's home port for maintenance and repair. At this point you can decide if the species is even still alive and how the PCs deal with being way out in the black in hostile territory. All that money ain't much help if there's no one to trade with. Plus you get to design a whole new sector and possibly some kind of dead alien society/species for the PCs to investigate the ruins of, deal with the automated war machines and possibly save the galaxy from the destruction caused by their war engines. While I love this idea, it totally screws with the overall game the group wants to play and what I had in mind for the campaign.
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ubermunchkin
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Post by ubermunchkin on Feb 24, 2015 5:31:33 GMT -8
While I love this idea, it totally screws with the overall game the group wants to play and what I had in mind for the campaign. Then you should absolutely stick with what is going to work for the group, after all no one wants a bait and switch. What is the groups theme/style? I might be able to offer something more in line with their (and your) expectations.
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SirGuido
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Post by SirGuido on Feb 24, 2015 6:28:59 GMT -8
While I love this idea, it totally screws with the overall game the group wants to play and what I had in mind for the campaign. Then you should absolutely stick with what is going to work for the group, after all no one wants a bait and switch. What is the groups theme/style? I might be able to offer something more in line with their (and your) expectations. They asked for something sort of Firefly-esque. Somewhat legitimate traders with some criminal side leanings. So far they've ferried passengers a decent amount and handled a good amount of cargo(including a large amount of illegal meds). My setting has a central "empire" called The Continuum that runs this entire sector. Recently(as in the last 50 years), one planet has overthrown that rule and runs itself. The Continuum has basically let them go as they have no real commodities that they are interested in anyway. The new ruler of that planet though is trying to seed a rebellion. The owner of the player's ship(who is also a player) is an old ambassador of his who is sending out pseudo-undercover to help seed that rebellion. My plot is involving these aliens that they found the ship for. Eventually if the players do things right these aliens will help then overthrow the Continuum.
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Post by archmagezemoc on Feb 24, 2015 6:40:30 GMT -8
IamTim mentions that once opened Pandoras box can be hard to close, but isn't pandoras box filled with infinite evil? I'm sure some of that evil can drift. I don't have much experience with Traveller so some of these may not really be applicable. 1) The movie "Event Horizon" comes to mind, I don't wanna spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it, but it's a scifi-horror movie based around a ships experimental engine\generator. 2) I don't know how Travellers jump space works, I'm assuming it's nothing like THE WARP in W40K, but if there's any time dilation or loss or anything maybe have the trip taken longer than they intended? Also, I can only guess how what getting EMPed at Jump Speed could do to your arrival destination. 3) As we all know, there are a ton of shady dickheads in the universe who just wanna take awesome treasure. If theirs a price on their head, there might be more info as well, like that they have a priceless alien artifact. I'm sure some high powered factions would take notice. 4) The Alien Engine takes over the ship as UberMunchkin said, maybe it doesn't take them all the way out into space but into a known and inhabited region of space. The Alien AI broadcasts the code and a big ol' docking bay opens up on the surface of a nearby dead moon\planetoid\asteroid and there's actually an old alien military outpost. maybe, maybe not still defended. Or what if the alien outpost was on an actual inhabited planet and no one noticed? PCs have no comms or controls as their ship (flying at insane speeds due to the alien engine) breaks all their air\space-zoning codes, probably spooking the planetary\military leaders and scrambling a response. But what do they do when they realise the alien outpost, but are unnable to get in cus it locked up behind the PCs? 5) Alien Engine . . . . something something. . . .odd energy readings and frequencies. . . . everyone suffers insanity. 6) A rival criminal mastermind \ arms dealer or whatever offers to take the PCs under his\her wing to keep them safe from the countless bounty hunters and mercs after them from the botched deal. All he requires is a cut of your work, and that they run some jobs for him when he needs it, no questions asked. 7) It's not actual the Engine of the ship they sold the guy, as alien tech is incomprehensible to us with no former knowledge, they assumed it was the power source cus of the cables or something. Nope, that was the Low-Berth (stasis) containers, there's an old-ass alien inside whose been in cryosleep. Maybe they never figure that out until they plug it in hoping to power their ship, which drains the rest of the ships power and awakens the alien inside I tend to let the PCs run with whatever they've got, and they don't pull their punches when it comes to destroying a story arc. I've learned to take up the philosophy that theirs always someone bigger, badder, and with more money, than the PCs. Most of them simply just don't give a shit about whats going on until the PCs involve them.
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SirGuido
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Post by SirGuido on Feb 24, 2015 6:56:47 GMT -8
2) I don't know how Travellers jump space works, I'm assuming it's nothing like THE WARP in W40K, but if there's any time dilation or loss or anything maybe have the trip taken longer than they intended? Also, I can only guess how what getting EMPed at Jump Speed could do to your arrival destination. I had actually considered a misjump. They pop out of jump space in an area that they weren't expecting and need to do some recon to determine where they are and end up having to land on an unfamiliar unhospitable planet to do some further repairs before they jump again.
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