Favorite Plots/Lines You've Met In Traveller

[Jame]

Like it says, what are some of the favorite lines, plots or twists which have been thrown your way in your gaming day?

To kick it off, one of my favorite twists was an NPC who ripped my first character off when buying something from him - neat spur, and if he ever runs across this guy again in private, well, BLAMMO! right in the stomach.

And a favorite plot thrown my way was where another of my characters got thrown from the Spinward Marches to the Hinterworlds and got involved in a murder mystery (we never got to play that all the way out, and I hope to finish it some day).

Sadly, I can't think of any one-liners...

 

[endersig]

As a newbie, we had this tricky GM who decided to send us on a little cargo/decoy mission into zhodoni space. We, with 24 other free traders went in Imperial colors to distract customs as the real merchants went in to grab the treasure. Problem? it was a trap. The Ardec was getting the Zhos Imerial Free Traders that the Zhos souped up and used on Snoop'n'Poop missions. But, we survived, and in doing so, have the Ardec Trading Co. after us. In our game, this is a corporation spanning subsectors and OWN individual planets... lets just say, if we touch down on a planet, kids... LOCK AND LOAD!
The other great one was we were playing into all hours of the night, and the GM is getting iritable, because he wants to quit. so what does he do? the next system we jumped into went Super Nova..... fun

.

 

[BetterThanLife]

Favorite hook for an adventure. Usually spoken in a bad Italian/Brooklyn accent, "I'ma gonna makea you an offa youse no canna refuse!"

Favorite line from a Patron. "It is a simple extraction, minimal complications, a quick in and out."

Favorite Plot. OK I need you to find information on, and locate the base of these Corsairs that have been messing around with the trade in this cluster/along this main. And then report back so the IN can go visit and obliterate the base. (Unless it is too politically sensitive for the Navy to just go in and shoot up the place, then we might need deniable assets, I wonder where we will find those... Hmmmmm.)

 

[rancke]

Originally posted by Bhoins:
Favorite line from a Patron. "It is a simple extraction, minimal complications, a quick in and out."

The one that really freaked my players out was "I'm afraid this one could be a bit dangerous". He then asked them to babysit his 14 year old daughter for a weekend.


Hans

 

[BetterThanLife]

Now those are the ones I am more likely to take as a player character. If you tell me it should be safe, easy and/or a milkrun I am more likely to take a pass. Because they never are, safe, easy or milkruns.

At least letting me know up front that it might be dangerous is being a bit more honest and shows some prior thought from the patron.

Originally posted by rancke:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Bhoins:
Favorite line from a Patron. "It is a simple extraction, minimal complications, a quick in and out."

The one that really freaked my players out was "I'm afraid this one could be a bit dangerous". He then asked them to babysit his 14 year old daughter for a weekend.


Hans </font>[/QUOTE]

 

[Ran Targas]

Favorite adventure hook: A package is delivered to your ship with a bomb inside.

Favorite campaign hook: A beleaguered spacer bumps into you and hands you a plum sized cut gem. He states hurriedly, "Get this to X at Hotel Y; he'll pay you good." The spacer then rushes away, nervously looking over his shoulder. Next come the Imperial Security agents, shoving their way through the crowd in pursuit of the spacer.

Favorite statement from a patron: "Well I could always find someone else to do this cheaper but I thought you could use the work. And since you don't seem to appreciate doing these little jobs for me anymore, how about showing yourself out ..." (This usually illicits a complete change of attitude)

Favorite plot: The players uncover evidence of an alien plot to destabilize the quadrant through economic/natural/humanitarian disaster and enslave the remaining population in the aftermath. Worse, they have human allies who stand to make profits of galactic proportions!

 

[aramis]

Your Duke Needs You!

One of the trophes in many of my games has been "Keep the Sector Functioning, and don't get caught doing it!"

This has lead to extractions, interventions, incitement to treason (of certain semi-treasonous individuals... get them to go ahead, so they can be disappeared), digging for clues, and, heaven forbid, actual conversation at length with NPC nobles.

Oh, and also the occasional party in the ducal palace in Regni.

 

[rancke]

Originally posted by Aramis:
Oh, and also the occasional party in the ducal palace in Regni.

Is this something you came up with yourself or is there a canonical mention of a ducal palace in Regni anywhere?
(Not a challenge, merely a thirst for previously unnoticed bits of canon).


Hans

 

[aramis]

Originally posted by rancke:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Bhoins:
Favorite line from a Patron. "It is a simple extraction, minimal complications, a quick in and out."

The one that really freaked my players out was "I'm afraid this one could be a bit dangerous". He then asked them to babysit his 14 year old daughter for a weekend.
</font>[/QUOTE]If the family was Spoufolam, My players would run like rabbits... too many of them are familiar with Dizzamer. In which case, the above warning could be a serious understatment. Along the lines of a Felix the Cat kind of babysitting.

s this something you came up with yourself or is there a canonical mention of a ducal palace in Regni anywhere?
(Not a challenge, merely a thirst for previously unnoticed bits of canon).

Regni is a canonical city on Regina. (WBH, or Grand Survey, or Grand Census.) THat there is a ducal palace is an IMTU, but it's a logical place, since Regni Downs is the main port.

Not that the DoR has only one palace....

 

[rancke]

Originally posted by Aramis:
Regni is a canonical city on Regina.

Yes, I know. In an article currently in the JTAS slushpile I have it down as a financial centre of the duchy, a counterpart to Zurich. I was just wondering if there was a reference that I'd missed.

(WBH, or Grand Survey, or Grand Census.) That there is a ducal palace is an IMTU, but it's a logical place, since Regni Downs is the main port.

Now you're scaring me. I thought that the main starport was Regina Down (which I've placed halfway between Credo, the capital of the Regina system and Atora, the capital of the Duchy of Regina).


Hans

 

[robject]

Originally posted by rancke:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Aramis:
Regni is a canonical city on Regina.

Yes, I know. In an article currently in the JTAS slushpile I have it down as a financial centre of the duchy, a counterpart to Zurich. I was just wondering if there was a reference that I'd missed.

(WBH, or Grand Survey, or Grand Census.) That there is a ducal palace is an IMTU, but it's a logical place, since Regni Downs is the main port.

Now you're scaring me. I thought that the main starport was Regina Down (which I've placed halfway between Credo, the capital of the Regina system and Atora, the capital of the Duchy of Regina).


Hans </font>[/QUOTE]Oh! And I thought it was Luck Gibson (or is that the highport?).

 

[robject]

Originally posted by Aramis:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by rancke:
The one that really freaked my players out was "I'm afraid this one could be a bit dangerous". He then asked them to babysit his 14 year old daughter for a weekend.

If the family was Spoufolam, My players would run like rabbits... too many of them are familiar with Dizzamer. In which case, the above warning could be a serious understatment. Along the lines of a Felix the Cat kind of babysitting.
</font>[/QUOTE]I refereed a variant of this one, where the girl ("Zelda") was the adolescent sister of the captain's, whom they rescued from a "research facility". She turned out to be unsettlingly, deadly accurate with ship's gunnery, but also proved a bit impish and unstable.

And for those who care about Ditzie, Vilani, or Jesse DeGraff's line art, I'll point you to the Vilani First-Grade Reader:

http://home.comcast.net/~downport/vilani/translations/dizamer/

 

[Spud]

And, speaking of Jesse deGraff's art, can anyone help me out with a current url for same? Google got me nothing useful, and all the Traveller web ring links seem to be ..er, dead?

On the same subject, can anyone direct me to the gifted artist who did the 3D art of several Iylvirs in space in formation? I had found them long since, but lost it all in last years HD disaster (I'm not ready to talk about it yet. snif) Any help would be deeply appreciated.

 

[clementk]

Originally posted by Spud:
And, speaking of Jesse deGraff's art, can anyone help me out with a current url for same?

It vanished for a while but it should be up currently at:
http://visionforgestudios.com/jesse/traveller/

HTH,
Casey