What have been some funny twists/ cameos in your Traveller games? My favorite is when the PC's ship was attacked by the Dread Pirate Roberts, and the GM made us tell him one at a time (the rest had to leave the room) and try and say something to save ourselves... fortunately, we all said "Please"...
Funny twists in your adventures
- Thread starter endersig
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Purely by accident and ill luck, a PC got captured by the bad guys once. For a time he was "missing and presumed dead", but the rest of the party learned that he was actually being held prisoner and staged a rescue. It was perfectly timed, as the capture took place at the final session wrapping up one adventure, and while I had an idea for a one-off I didn't have anything in the hopper for a longer-term arc. I was able to seed a couple of clues into the one-off, and once the group figured out that AJ was still alive they took several sessions to do the legwork and mount the raid that freed him.
As far as cameos, I had one particularly annoying NPC who was modled on Joe Pesci's character from "Lethal Weapon 2", but even more annoying. There were cheers when he got done in by the other bad guys (after GMing Shadowrun, I always have at least two sets of opposition running.)
John
As far as cameos, I had one particularly annoying NPC who was modled on Joe Pesci's character from "Lethal Weapon 2", but even more annoying. There were cheers when he got done in by the other bad guys (after GMing Shadowrun, I always have at least two sets of opposition running.)
John
Theo D Lite
SOC-11
Many of the funny incidents in capaigns are only funny in context or after a lot of beer. However a few things spring to mind mostly involving a certain players misfortunes.
My players once threatened that if I ever introduced a 'droid that went "beedly-beeedly-beedly" they would use a RAM GL on the thing. I was tempted to introduce a serious combat 'droid with that annoying sound effect but the opportunity never really presented itself.
In a merc campaign one player exuded style and at the start of a firefight declared that he would combat roll to cover. He forgot about the minefield the players had laid the previous day and elegently rolled into an expanding ball of flame!
In the same campaign one player missed a critical session in which HQ was severely attacked. He was kept in the dark as to the actual outcome of the battle and it's key moments and was allowed to retrospectively declare a series of actions to assist the GM in fairly determining the extent of any injuries etc. He stated in keeping with the brown nosing that his character usually employed that hewould stick with the base commander. Unfortunately the base commander was killed in an explosion early in the firefight along with his retinue - oops!
Last one, for the same player as it happened. There was a long running sub plot in the first major campaign I played in which involved an attempt to assassinate the ruler of an otherwise nice quiet and peaceful independant high tech world. This was an on planet plot from within the government and involved brainwashing key junior military figures to respond with deadly force to a specific physical stimuli. In this case the physical stimuli was the ceremonial kiss on both cheeks at an military honours parade where the ruler presented those nominated with their awards. One of the brainwashed NPC's was part of our party - a rather striking scandinavian type female (who was also a major in their marine corps). I had by this time determined that this stimuli was present and knew what it triggered but as we hadn't yet got to her homeworld I hadn't worked out why so was saying nothing to the party as a whole. Two characters were trying to vie for her attentions - both without success. Anyway in a brawl one charcter was knocked nearly unconscious and the major carried him out of the danger zone. In an attempt to get one up on his amourous rival he stated that he would woozily nuzzel his head closer into her neck. The GM decided that this was suffucicently close to the trigger stimuli to count and after exchanging a smile with me declared the character dead. His rival lost interest at that point muttered something about 'black widow spiders'.
My players once threatened that if I ever introduced a 'droid that went "beedly-beeedly-beedly" they would use a RAM GL on the thing. I was tempted to introduce a serious combat 'droid with that annoying sound effect but the opportunity never really presented itself.
In a merc campaign one player exuded style and at the start of a firefight declared that he would combat roll to cover. He forgot about the minefield the players had laid the previous day and elegently rolled into an expanding ball of flame!
In the same campaign one player missed a critical session in which HQ was severely attacked. He was kept in the dark as to the actual outcome of the battle and it's key moments and was allowed to retrospectively declare a series of actions to assist the GM in fairly determining the extent of any injuries etc. He stated in keeping with the brown nosing that his character usually employed that hewould stick with the base commander. Unfortunately the base commander was killed in an explosion early in the firefight along with his retinue - oops!
Last one, for the same player as it happened. There was a long running sub plot in the first major campaign I played in which involved an attempt to assassinate the ruler of an otherwise nice quiet and peaceful independant high tech world. This was an on planet plot from within the government and involved brainwashing key junior military figures to respond with deadly force to a specific physical stimuli. In this case the physical stimuli was the ceremonial kiss on both cheeks at an military honours parade where the ruler presented those nominated with their awards. One of the brainwashed NPC's was part of our party - a rather striking scandinavian type female (who was also a major in their marine corps). I had by this time determined that this stimuli was present and knew what it triggered but as we hadn't yet got to her homeworld I hadn't worked out why so was saying nothing to the party as a whole. Two characters were trying to vie for her attentions - both without success. Anyway in a brawl one charcter was knocked nearly unconscious and the major carried him out of the danger zone. In an attempt to get one up on his amourous rival he stated that he would woozily nuzzel his head closer into her neck. The GM decided that this was suffucicently close to the trigger stimuli to count and after exchanging a smile with me declared the character dead. His rival lost interest at that point muttered something about 'black widow spiders'.
Back in the good old days of AD&D and Traveller (early/mid 80;s) I ran lab ship campaign where the PC's answered a distress call. The Lab ship orbited a frozen moon of a outer system gas giant. The scientist had discover an alien ship with several dead crew members, but one had managed to survive long enough to place itself into an emergency low birth. The scientist took it to the lab ship, managed to revive it (It was a sort o space faring Mind Flayer) and of course it reeked havoc and ate everyone's brain.
By the time the P.C.s arrived, the ship was a mess. The expected an "Alien" but watching their faces when I showed the I picture of a Mind Flayer with a Laser pistol was priceless.
Finally got to use psionics on them! >
Anyway, they got cornered near an airlock, one of the P.C's fumbled (house rule back then), hit the control panel, and they all got sucked into space out the airlock! And they were trying to lure IT into the airlock!
Luckily they had vacc suits. And that mishap sort of saved them.
From then on the running joke was... "Dude your aim REALLY sucks!"
By the time the P.C.s arrived, the ship was a mess. The expected an "Alien" but watching their faces when I showed the I picture of a Mind Flayer with a Laser pistol was priceless.
Finally got to use psionics on them! >
Anyway, they got cornered near an airlock, one of the P.C's fumbled (house rule back then), hit the control panel, and they all got sucked into space out the airlock! And they were trying to lure IT into the airlock!
Luckily they had vacc suits. And that mishap sort of saved them.
From then on the running joke was... "Dude your aim REALLY sucks!"
Gruffty
SOC-14 1K
I once reffed a game where an exceptionally inept player (with an equally inept character) and the less inept side kick were trying to blow a hole in the hull of an Imperial destroyer whilst in dry dock.
The inept character and his side kick were vac suited and mag-booted to the underside of this 50,000 ship. They had a shaped charge, remote detonator and EVA packs to escape in.
The plan was to place the shaped charge, prime it, get off the ship's hull, scoot out of blast range, remotely blow the charge, blow a hole then climb into the ship through the hole.
Well, that was the plan, anyway....
The sequence of events went like this:
Mr Inept forgot his EVA pack;
Mr Not-so-Inept accidentally primed the charge;
Mr Inept walked off under the ship in search of a less noisy way in and took the remote detonator with him;
Mr Not-so-Inept placed the charge on the ship's hull;
Mr Inept found an airlock and called Mr Not-so-Inept over;
Mr Not-so-Inept picked up the charge and went to the airlock;
When Mr Not-so-Inept got to the airlock, neither could find the remote detonator;
Mr Inept closes airlock;
Mr Inept finds remote detaonator;
Mr Inept says to Ref: "Which button detonates the charge?"
Ref: "The red one"
Mr Inept: "OK, I press the red button."
Mr Not-so-inept: "Why? We're in an airlock. All we do is open it and we're in - simple."
Mr Inept: "Yeah, I press the red button"
Mr Not-so-Inept: "NO! For the love of God, NO!"
Boom.
(Trust me, it was seriously funny. You had to be there.)
The inept character and his side kick were vac suited and mag-booted to the underside of this 50,000 ship. They had a shaped charge, remote detonator and EVA packs to escape in.
The plan was to place the shaped charge, prime it, get off the ship's hull, scoot out of blast range, remotely blow the charge, blow a hole then climb into the ship through the hole.
Well, that was the plan, anyway....
The sequence of events went like this:
Mr Inept forgot his EVA pack;
Mr Not-so-Inept accidentally primed the charge;
Mr Inept walked off under the ship in search of a less noisy way in and took the remote detonator with him;
Mr Not-so-Inept placed the charge on the ship's hull;
Mr Inept found an airlock and called Mr Not-so-Inept over;
Mr Not-so-Inept picked up the charge and went to the airlock;
When Mr Not-so-Inept got to the airlock, neither could find the remote detonator;
Mr Inept closes airlock;
Mr Inept finds remote detaonator;
Mr Inept says to Ref: "Which button detonates the charge?"
Ref: "The red one"
Mr Inept: "OK, I press the red button."
Mr Not-so-inept: "Why? We're in an airlock. All we do is open it and we're in - simple."
Mr Inept: "Yeah, I press the red button"
Mr Not-so-Inept: "NO! For the love of God, NO!"
Boom.
(Trust me, it was seriously funny. You had to be there.)
Andrew Boulton
The Adminator
PCs sneak aboard a Navy ship, get to the computer room and hack into the system.
"Computer, accept no more commands. Err...except from us, obviously. Hello? Computer? Oh bugger..."
"Computer, accept no more commands. Err...except from us, obviously. Hello? Computer? Oh bugger..."
Colonel Mac
SOC-11
We had a group of PCs attempting to board an "abandoned" vessel in space and suddenly began taking fire from that ship. When the Ref asked for actions, one other PCs in BD awaiting boarding said "Nuke 'em!" (his meaning: let's take the ship but no prisoners) The ref took it literally and allowed for voice control of the weapon systems and let loose with a tactical fish from the suit.
Needless to say, there was a lull in the game from that point.
Needless to say, there was a lull in the game from that point.
I've long used Die Weltbund as a running gag in my games, although they have become a bit more militant and refer to themselves as the Bundesreich these days...
One of my psionic players teleported into view of a fervent anti-psionic, who decided of his own accord to roll a 3D6 'gullibility check' as the psi explained about his suit of 'experimental Bundesreich teleporting armor.'
He rolled a 3!
One of my psionic players teleported into view of a fervent anti-psionic, who decided of his own accord to roll a 3D6 'gullibility check' as the psi explained about his suit of 'experimental Bundesreich teleporting armor.'
He rolled a 3!
Keklas Rekobah
SOC-14 1K
(Originally posted 2005-01-19 12:53. Corrected text in bold.)
Since most of the players in this particular game were recovering AD&D addicts, I presented them with...
"... when you open the Coursair Captain's safe, you find a ring, a wand, and an amulet. They are all made of a metal or metallic alloy that defies analysis. The ring would fit on a gauntletted or vacc-suited finger; the wand is about 40cm long with a 1.0cm base and tapers to about 0.2cm at the other end; and the amulet looks like a small candle-holder..."
The ensuing firefight between the PC's left only two survivors. They tried everything that they could think of to determine what special "powers" these items might have. It wasn't until a year later (game-time) that one of them saw a similar set in a museum pamphlet, except the museum set had several dozen rings.
After a raid on the museum (they could have just asked...), they found out that the amulet was the main piece of a holographic video projector, that the wand was a very sophisticated micro-lensing system, and that the ring was a video record of what looked like a Droyne expedition to a Chirper village.
They had been wasting their time on what amounted to an Ancient equivalent of a Viewmaster with only one recording.
This made them very suspicious of that glowing two-handed sword they had stashed in the ship's locker...
Since most of the players in this particular game were recovering AD&D addicts, I presented them with...
"... when you open the Coursair Captain's safe, you find a ring, a wand, and an amulet. They are all made of a metal or metallic alloy that defies analysis. The ring would fit on a gauntletted or vacc-suited finger; the wand is about 40cm long with a 1.0cm base and tapers to about 0.2cm at the other end; and the amulet looks like a small candle-holder..."
The ensuing firefight between the PC's left only two survivors. They tried everything that they could think of to determine what special "powers" these items might have. It wasn't until a year later (game-time) that one of them saw a similar set in a museum pamphlet, except the museum set had several dozen rings.
After a raid on the museum (they could have just asked...), they found out that the amulet was the main piece of a holographic video projector, that the wand was a very sophisticated micro-lensing system, and that the ring was a video record of what looked like a Droyne expedition to a Chirper village.
They had been wasting their time on what amounted to an Ancient equivalent of a Viewmaster with only one recording.
This made them very suspicious of that glowing two-handed sword they had stashed in the ship's locker...
The birthday present. One of my players told me of what some his old friends did. A combat droid (illegal) which only answered to the old players voice print. The ref rolled on the malfunction table. They open their package a day into jump and find the costume of combat droid and it basically starts singing the barney song. The combat droid was delievered luxury passager liner with the costume of daffy duck. result a lot of dead kids and people and another system they could not visit.
Flash forward to my game in t20 years after he tells the story. They discovered one of missle rooms has been gutted. Sealed, welded, strapped, locked and with a do not open warning on it. In the computer is the name of 3 pcs from the story.
Flash forward to my game in t20 years after he tells the story. They discovered one of missle rooms has been gutted. Sealed, welded, strapped, locked and with a do not open warning on it. In the computer is the name of 3 pcs from the story.
Captain Zoom
SOC-9
This one reminds me of a Star Fleet Battles campaign I was in. I was running the M5 Computer Ship versus a Federation task force, and was told secretly by the campagin Ref that I would obey any command given by the Federation player. (I thought it was going to be a real short scenario.) I keep flying around, shooting up Fed ships, and the Federation task force commander was going nuts. Every round (for about 10 rounds), he'd send me a message that basically said "M5 listen to me!" or "M5 obey my command!" I would acknowledge the message and "listen", or wait to obey. Yet, he never told me to stop shooting or to do anything else. Eventually, I shot up his task force so bad he disengaged. He was mad because he felt the scenario was unfair since the M5 ship is so powerful. He got even madder when he found out that all he had to do was command the M5 to stand down and he'd have won!
Keklas Rekobah
SOC-14 1K
My most memorable cameo appearance was an NPC whose description and behavior matched the ex-wife of my least favorite player. I wanted to drive him away, but my plan backfired -- he was so grateful for giving his PC the opportunity to "empty the clip" that he begged to have the NPC's clone re-appear in the game.
His enthusiasm scared the bejeebus out of me, and frightened the rest of the players so much that they refused to come back unless that player got some counselling and/or some very heavy sedation.
I hear he's now working as a Corrections Officer in a men's prison somewhere back east.
His enthusiasm scared the bejeebus out of me, and frightened the rest of the players so much that they refused to come back unless that player got some counselling and/or some very heavy sedation.
I hear he's now working as a Corrections Officer in a men's prison somewhere back east.
During a rather twisted gaming session while the party was playing "The Traveller Adventure" the following events transpired:
Our heroes got tangled up with a bunch of religious whackamoles who imprisoned one of the group for being psi-sensitive to a pack of Beaker Monkeys. After springing their compadre, the party is engaged in a running gun battle to the starport.
With firearms blazing all the way through the lobby, and an increasingly large and hostile mob on their tails, our hardy adventurers make it to the ship. The pilot has already retracted the gear and is hovering while the PC's scramble aboard. Starport defense guns are slowly moving to target their ship.
As the last player scrambles up the auxiliary airlock ladder, the pilot engages the manuever drive and starts climbing.
The pilot PC is informed that there's no way in hell he'll make it out of range before the starport defenses come to bear. So...at an altitude of about 50-thousand meters...he engages the jump drive.
After rolling a series of divinely-blessed 12's, the party managed not to kill themselves. The catastrophic misjump which followed, however, ripped a large chunk of the atmosphere away from the planet, pulverized the startport, and killed THOUSANDS of people. It also, quite handily, eliminated ANY trace of the player's complicity in the situation.
Upon precipitating into normal space, the players find themselves several subsectors into the wrong side of the Zhodani border, with a hold full of Zylan wine, and a half-dozen Beaker Monkeys and a stressed-out, newly-diagnosed psionic ship's steward.
The rest is written in the flaming, ten-foot-tall, red-letters of legend...
Our heroes got tangled up with a bunch of religious whackamoles who imprisoned one of the group for being psi-sensitive to a pack of Beaker Monkeys. After springing their compadre, the party is engaged in a running gun battle to the starport.
With firearms blazing all the way through the lobby, and an increasingly large and hostile mob on their tails, our hardy adventurers make it to the ship. The pilot has already retracted the gear and is hovering while the PC's scramble aboard. Starport defense guns are slowly moving to target their ship.
As the last player scrambles up the auxiliary airlock ladder, the pilot engages the manuever drive and starts climbing.
The pilot PC is informed that there's no way in hell he'll make it out of range before the starport defenses come to bear. So...at an altitude of about 50-thousand meters...he engages the jump drive.
After rolling a series of divinely-blessed 12's, the party managed not to kill themselves. The catastrophic misjump which followed, however, ripped a large chunk of the atmosphere away from the planet, pulverized the startport, and killed THOUSANDS of people. It also, quite handily, eliminated ANY trace of the player's complicity in the situation.
Upon precipitating into normal space, the players find themselves several subsectors into the wrong side of the Zhodani border, with a hold full of Zylan wine, and a half-dozen Beaker Monkeys and a stressed-out, newly-diagnosed psionic ship's steward.
The rest is written in the flaming, ten-foot-tall, red-letters of legend...
Andrew Boulton
The Adminator
Group finds an Ancient artefact: a grey metal box the size of a book, with two gold studs on one end. PC presses one stud. Nothing happens. PC presses other stud. Nothing happens. PC presses both studs. There's a bright flash as several million volts from the antimatter battery reduce him to a pile of ash and the obligatory smoking boots...
