Best use of Romance in a Trav campaign
- Thread starter Liam Devlin
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Liam Devlin
SOC-14 5K
george boyett posted"...Kristen's murder had a similar effect world-wide as Princess Diana's death. Many people, both regular, corporate, and runner, sent condolences to the family. There was no state funeral, but a 24 hour lying in state took place before the funeral.
So pretty much Penrose was willing to give everything up (Power, money, position, privilege) to revenge death of the woman he loved.'
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Love is a powerful emotion, and can make folks do stuff to the level of the superhuman. Damn fine example George. Indebted to you for that example.
Most excellent.
So pretty much Penrose was willing to give everything up (Power, money, position, privilege) to revenge death of the woman he loved.'
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Love is a powerful emotion, and can make folks do stuff to the level of the superhuman. Damn fine example George. Indebted to you for that example.
Most excellent.
Liam Devlin
SOC-14 5K
The Colonel sez--"I bet with the advent of the internet and GIRP system, you could delve more into romance and the femme-fatele. The anonimity and not knowing the real sex of the players would allow for any theme w/o the real world face to face embarrasment. '
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Perhaps it would. The personal level of embarrassment of the players & Ref is something I've encountered on these posts from"eww icky!" to the positive end of the spectrum. STILL, I'll say again, an RPG, no matter the window dressing, tech, genre comes down to Role-playing, which in a sense is your ability to act (or re-enact if following a Story archetype character)out things YOU yourself would never dare to do (but perhaps dream of?!).
Interesting point Colonel. Thank you!
Next!
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Perhaps it would. The personal level of embarrassment of the players & Ref is something I've encountered on these posts from"eww icky!" to the positive end of the spectrum. STILL, I'll say again, an RPG, no matter the window dressing, tech, genre comes down to Role-playing, which in a sense is your ability to act (or re-enact if following a Story archetype character)out things YOU yourself would never dare to do (but perhaps dream of?!).
Interesting point Colonel. Thank you!
Next!
Liam Devlin
SOC-14 5K
This cross posted from Femme fatales, but has the romantic element in it to warrrant it here too.
Hmmm Femme Fatale's..another example-this one from CT to MT. Broought to you by storyline from friend of mine (callsign hereabouts "Fulacin Highport" /AKA Joe Brown, whom I've spoken of-last posting on "Who we are", March 2002).
Seems RADM Drak spent some time in INI/ 212th Fleet, Jewell subsector. Had some troubles with cohorts he worked with versus Arden Confederation interests, including one assigned recently from Core to the Marches (female NPC).
While trying to uncover some ZHo mischief makers selling weapons to the Ine Givar, she was "keeping book" on his less than politically corect moves with their boss back in Jewell/Imperial Navy side of the house (pre 5th FW).
Enter another Femme Fatale-one Tzabra, working for Darrian Special branch. Seemed the Darrians were interested in the arms smuggling as well--from their side of things. Arden, IIRC was a hotbed for this sort of sedition/ espionage (still is, but its carefully scrutinized at "interface worlds" in TNE).
Drak does his best James Bond, gets the goods on the smugglers, gets into relationship with Tzabra (whose family is WELL connected Darrian Nobility-Old money Merchant-lords). His INI cohort however tries setting him up for the fall, and take the glory of the success of the mission out from under him (and make it look like he's dallying (in more than one way) with the IMperium's "allies" of the Darrian Confederation.
But Drak's no slouch, and has kept records of all he's done. End of mission, he comes out smelling like roses (later marries Tzabra btw--another thread). His INI cohort gets a fast one way ticket back to Core in disgrace.
They had four children. Two of whom were serving in the Domain of Deneb's armed forces (Navy and , yep, Marines (eldest daughter)! The ypoungest two made excellent NPCs and foils for shipboard life during the Arrival vengeance MT/HT mission module we ran in.
Hmmm Femme Fatale's..another example-this one from CT to MT. Broought to you by storyline from friend of mine (callsign hereabouts "Fulacin Highport" /AKA Joe Brown, whom I've spoken of-last posting on "Who we are", March 2002).
Seems RADM Drak spent some time in INI/ 212th Fleet, Jewell subsector. Had some troubles with cohorts he worked with versus Arden Confederation interests, including one assigned recently from Core to the Marches (female NPC).
While trying to uncover some ZHo mischief makers selling weapons to the Ine Givar, she was "keeping book" on his less than politically corect moves with their boss back in Jewell/Imperial Navy side of the house (pre 5th FW).
Enter another Femme Fatale-one Tzabra, working for Darrian Special branch. Seemed the Darrians were interested in the arms smuggling as well--from their side of things. Arden, IIRC was a hotbed for this sort of sedition/ espionage (still is, but its carefully scrutinized at "interface worlds" in TNE).
Drak does his best James Bond, gets the goods on the smugglers, gets into relationship with Tzabra (whose family is WELL connected Darrian Nobility-Old money Merchant-lords). His INI cohort however tries setting him up for the fall, and take the glory of the success of the mission out from under him (and make it look like he's dallying (in more than one way) with the IMperium's "allies" of the Darrian Confederation.
But Drak's no slouch, and has kept records of all he's done. End of mission, he comes out smelling like roses (later marries Tzabra btw--another thread). His INI cohort gets a fast one way ticket back to Core in disgrace.
They had four children. Two of whom were serving in the Domain of Deneb's armed forces (Navy and , yep, Marines (eldest daughter)! The ypoungest two made excellent NPCs and foils for shipboard life during the Arrival vengeance MT/HT mission module we ran in.
Romances..hmmm..lemme think...ok
Non Trav but here goes..my Pendragon campaign (see list of femmes in the fatale post).
Had the characters join the Clan Warlord on a raid against some tin miners. Now the Warlord wasn't a very chivalrous guy an forced the pc's into a situation where they had to cut down helpless villagers an indulge in a bit of pillaging..an the other thing which goes along with pillaging. They took turns with this girl who the Warlord then told em to kill. One pc took her off into the woods..an let her go.
Many years later.
A strange warrior and an old witch hold a bridge against the pc's. By this point only 2 orginal characters remain, the pc who let the girl go and 1 other and these 2 are the ones indicated to fight the stranger on the bridge. Of course why its these 2 is not obvious so much time has passed everyone has forgotten the incident (cept me).
Well of course they are both beaten by this stranger, even though they are highly experienced tough warriors by this stage, they both demand to know who it is who has beaten them.
The witch then reveals herself as the slave girl and the strange warrior as her daughter now grown of age.
The witch says to the one who let her go "For this boon I free you, go now"
To the other "You stole my joy an my youth, so I take yours"
The witch and warrior disappear.
On returning home, they see the 2 pc's youngest daughters riding out to meet them, but before they can reach them a strange mist blows off the sea and when it parts only the daughter of the pc who spared the witch remains, of the other there is no sign.
So the slave girl is avenged.
Non Trav but here goes..my Pendragon campaign (see list of femmes in the fatale post).
Had the characters join the Clan Warlord on a raid against some tin miners. Now the Warlord wasn't a very chivalrous guy an forced the pc's into a situation where they had to cut down helpless villagers an indulge in a bit of pillaging..an the other thing which goes along with pillaging. They took turns with this girl who the Warlord then told em to kill. One pc took her off into the woods..an let her go.
Many years later.
A strange warrior and an old witch hold a bridge against the pc's. By this point only 2 orginal characters remain, the pc who let the girl go and 1 other and these 2 are the ones indicated to fight the stranger on the bridge. Of course why its these 2 is not obvious so much time has passed everyone has forgotten the incident (cept me).
Well of course they are both beaten by this stranger, even though they are highly experienced tough warriors by this stage, they both demand to know who it is who has beaten them.
The witch then reveals herself as the slave girl and the strange warrior as her daughter now grown of age.
The witch says to the one who let her go "For this boon I free you, go now"
To the other "You stole my joy an my youth, so I take yours"
The witch and warrior disappear.
On returning home, they see the 2 pc's youngest daughters riding out to meet them, but before they can reach them a strange mist blows off the sea and when it parts only the daughter of the pc who spared the witch remains, of the other there is no sign.
So the slave girl is avenged.
An example of my use of "romance" in gaming.
My last Traveller game, about a two years ago:
My players were all ex-Zhodani spies who had been "released" from service in a way. They we're given a ship at the edge of the 3rd Imperium and allowed to run it anyway they saw fit with one caveat...any time the Service had need of them they had to do the job.
The captain of the ship (NPC) had been married to an imperial (NPC) as part of his cover. Over time he went "native" and actually fell in love with his wife. While away, his wife was killed when her starship was blown up by a terrorist. The captain grieved and this led to his semi-retirement.
Several years later as captain of the spy-merchant ship he learns that one of his crew, a young zhodani boy with missing memory is the one who destroyed the ship (strong pyrokinetic powers) (PC) at the command of his Zhodani superiors. The captain had come to love the boy as if he were his own son.
This played out over the three months of the campaign leading to the captains death in a frozen food locker, alone, in the dark. He died fighting Zhodani who would have killed the boy. The PC's learned of the boy's crime and the captains pain when one of them re-lived his last moments via post-death telepathy.
All in all the campaign went pretty well. The "romance" as it were was all off camera between the captain and his wife, told to the players by the captain and various events.
-S.
My last Traveller game, about a two years ago:
My players were all ex-Zhodani spies who had been "released" from service in a way. They we're given a ship at the edge of the 3rd Imperium and allowed to run it anyway they saw fit with one caveat...any time the Service had need of them they had to do the job.
The captain of the ship (NPC) had been married to an imperial (NPC) as part of his cover. Over time he went "native" and actually fell in love with his wife. While away, his wife was killed when her starship was blown up by a terrorist. The captain grieved and this led to his semi-retirement.
Several years later as captain of the spy-merchant ship he learns that one of his crew, a young zhodani boy with missing memory is the one who destroyed the ship (strong pyrokinetic powers) (PC) at the command of his Zhodani superiors. The captain had come to love the boy as if he were his own son.
This played out over the three months of the campaign leading to the captains death in a frozen food locker, alone, in the dark. He died fighting Zhodani who would have killed the boy. The PC's learned of the boy's crime and the captains pain when one of them re-lived his last moments via post-death telepathy.
All in all the campaign went pretty well. The "romance" as it were was all off camera between the captain and his wife, told to the players by the captain and various events.
-S.
Liam Devlin
SOC-14 5K
LGB posted-"Now the Warlord wasn't a very chivalrous guy an forced the pc's into a situation where they had to cut down helpless villagers an indulge in a bit of pillaging..an the other thing which goes along with pillaging. They took turns with this girl who the Warlord then told em to kill. One pc took her off into the woods..an let her go.
Many years later.
A strange warrior and an old witch hold a bridge against the pc's. By this point only 2 orginal characters remain, the pc who let the girl go and 1 other and these 2 are the ones indicated to fight the stranger on the bridge. Of course why its these 2 is not obvious so much time has passed everyone has forgotten the incident (cept me).
Well of course they are both beaten by this stranger, even though they are highly experienced tough warriors by this stage, they both demand to know who it is who has beaten them.
The witch then reveals herself as the slave girl and the strange warrior as her daughter now grown of age.
The witch says to the one who let her go "For this boon I free you, go now"
To the other "You stole my joy an my youth, so I take yours"
The witch and warrior disappear.
On returning home, they see the 2 pc's youngest daughters riding out to meet them, but before they can reach them a strange mist blows off the sea and when it parts only the daughter of the pc who spared the witch remains, of the other there is no sign.
So the slave girl is avenged."
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Hauntingly spectacular. Nice segue deeds of past returning to the future as judgement. very good example lass! (Kudos! (and a rose)
Many years later.
A strange warrior and an old witch hold a bridge against the pc's. By this point only 2 orginal characters remain, the pc who let the girl go and 1 other and these 2 are the ones indicated to fight the stranger on the bridge. Of course why its these 2 is not obvious so much time has passed everyone has forgotten the incident (cept me).
Well of course they are both beaten by this stranger, even though they are highly experienced tough warriors by this stage, they both demand to know who it is who has beaten them.
The witch then reveals herself as the slave girl and the strange warrior as her daughter now grown of age.
The witch says to the one who let her go "For this boon I free you, go now"
To the other "You stole my joy an my youth, so I take yours"
The witch and warrior disappear.
On returning home, they see the 2 pc's youngest daughters riding out to meet them, but before they can reach them a strange mist blows off the sea and when it parts only the daughter of the pc who spared the witch remains, of the other there is no sign.
So the slave girl is avenged."
_____________________________________
Hauntingly spectacular. Nice segue deeds of past returning to the future as judgement. very good example lass! (Kudos! (and a rose)
Liam Devlin
SOC-14 5K
posted by Solo: "The captain of the ship (NPC) had been married to an imperial (NPC) as part of his cover. Over time he went "native" and actually fell in love with his wife. While away, his wife was killed when her starship was blown up by a terrorist. The captain grieved and this led to his semi-retirement.
Several years later as captain of the spy-merchant ship he learns that one of his crew, a young zhodani boy with missing memory is the one who destroyed the ship (strong pyrokinetic powers) (PC) at the command of his Zhodani superiors. The captain had come to love the boy as if he were his own son.
This played out over the three months of the campaign leading to the captains death in a frozen food locker, alone, in the dark. He died fighting Zhodani who would have killed the boy. The PC's learned of the boy's crime and the captains pain when one of them re-lived his last moments via post-death telepathy.
All in all the campaign went pretty well. The "romance" as it were was all off camera between the captain and his wife, told to the players by the captain and various events."
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Romance and tragedy. Nice combination. Again, haunting. Great example Solo! Stars for you!
Next!
Several years later as captain of the spy-merchant ship he learns that one of his crew, a young zhodani boy with missing memory is the one who destroyed the ship (strong pyrokinetic powers) (PC) at the command of his Zhodani superiors. The captain had come to love the boy as if he were his own son.
This played out over the three months of the campaign leading to the captains death in a frozen food locker, alone, in the dark. He died fighting Zhodani who would have killed the boy. The PC's learned of the boy's crime and the captains pain when one of them re-lived his last moments via post-death telepathy.
All in all the campaign went pretty well. The "romance" as it were was all off camera between the captain and his wife, told to the players by the captain and various events."
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Romance and tragedy. Nice combination. Again, haunting. Great example Solo! Stars for you!
Next!
trader jim
SOC-14 1K
QUICK - Someone throw a bucket of ice water on that boy, before he blows up!!!
Liam Devlin
SOC-14 5K
TJ posted--"QUICK - Someone throw a bucket of ice water on that boy, before he blows up!!!
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I'm still waiting for YOUR example, Old stick!
.
C'mon Jim, I know ye've a hidden tale behind all that profiteering to tell. Out with it, or do I have to give RV your grid co-ordinates again?
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I'm still waiting for YOUR example, Old stick!
.C'mon Jim, I know ye've a hidden tale behind all that profiteering to tell. Out with it, or do I have to give RV your grid co-ordinates again?
bryan gibson
Absent Friend
possibly the best example in my game is in my long running( 14 years)Traveller campaign, which used an altenate universe, called the Terran Praesidium.
Note... in my games there are no cross gender roles... you a guy, you play a guy, a gal.. same same. makes for a better RP.
A PC named Ritter, encounters early in his career a PC named Svetlana Nesteraovaya, a Lt in the navy of Novaya Rhodina, an ethnically russian region of space. They both IP become great friends and the PCs are all on it for over a year in the realtime.
The Group does some heroic deeds, avert a war, fight terrorists and all ( the campaign at that time was very militarized, all players being ex or active military)and in due course, the pair must go their seperate ways...although they were lovers, the military comes first. Svetlana's pet trick was to make fun of her Hero's Star ( the Novaya Rhodina equivilent of the CMH)saying that " its only one star, is that enough for a constellation?" and she left it with Ritter when she left.....( i had some GREAT players)
we go forward 5 years realtime, the play has jumped forward two decades and the old group is getting together at a reunion one convention, so all the old crew and some new ones are alltogether. Great Time, 25 people here! a mass game with 3 GMS all bringing everyone together to avert one last epic crisis, took me and my partner six months to write up the scenario to be played out.....
and in the big fight, Ritter is fighting with a NR Midshipman against the enemy, who is one of the officers of their rescue ship. Unbeknownst to Ritter, Svetlanan had carrid his son, and due to their mutual careers had kept him unaware he had a kid.In a meeting between battles, he recognizes Ritter ( now a major in the elite ODR)and hand s him a package... Svetlana had had a heroic career, winning the Hero's Star in battle twice more, alas the final one being posthumous.
In a speech that honestly choked up everyone at the table, the PC son, in a lull in battle, hands Ritter the other two medals and an old picture, and tells him " Here is my mother's constellation, i should think you should be having them, Father!"
Like I said, GREAT players...
Note... in my games there are no cross gender roles... you a guy, you play a guy, a gal.. same same. makes for a better RP.
A PC named Ritter, encounters early in his career a PC named Svetlana Nesteraovaya, a Lt in the navy of Novaya Rhodina, an ethnically russian region of space. They both IP become great friends and the PCs are all on it for over a year in the realtime.
The Group does some heroic deeds, avert a war, fight terrorists and all ( the campaign at that time was very militarized, all players being ex or active military)and in due course, the pair must go their seperate ways...although they were lovers, the military comes first. Svetlana's pet trick was to make fun of her Hero's Star ( the Novaya Rhodina equivilent of the CMH)saying that " its only one star, is that enough for a constellation?" and she left it with Ritter when she left.....( i had some GREAT players)
we go forward 5 years realtime, the play has jumped forward two decades and the old group is getting together at a reunion one convention, so all the old crew and some new ones are alltogether. Great Time, 25 people here! a mass game with 3 GMS all bringing everyone together to avert one last epic crisis, took me and my partner six months to write up the scenario to be played out.....
and in the big fight, Ritter is fighting with a NR Midshipman against the enemy, who is one of the officers of their rescue ship. Unbeknownst to Ritter, Svetlanan had carrid his son, and due to their mutual careers had kept him unaware he had a kid.In a meeting between battles, he recognizes Ritter ( now a major in the elite ODR)and hand s him a package... Svetlana had had a heroic career, winning the Hero's Star in battle twice more, alas the final one being posthumous.
In a speech that honestly choked up everyone at the table, the PC son, in a lull in battle, hands Ritter the other two medals and an old picture, and tells him " Here is my mother's constellation, i should think you should be having them, Father!"
Like I said, GREAT players...
Liam Devlin
SOC-14 5K
Bryan Gibson posted-"A PC named Ritter, encounters early in his career a PC named Svetlana Nesteraovaya, a Lt in the navy of Novaya Rhodina, an ethnically russian region of space. They both IP become great friends and the PCs are all on it for over a year in the realtime.
The Group does some heroic deeds, avert a war, fight terrorists and all ( the campaign at that time was very militarized, all players being ex or active military)and in due course, the pair must go their seperate ways...although they were lovers, the military comes first. Svetlana's pet trick was to make fun of her Hero's Star ( the Novaya Rhodina equivilent of the CMH)saying that " its only one star, is that enough for a constellation?" and she left it with Ritter when she left.....( i had some GREAT players)
we go forward 5 years realtime, the play has jumped forward two decades and the old group is getting together at a reunion one convention, so all the old crew and some new ones are alltogether. Great Time, 25 people here! a mass game with 3 GMS all bringing everyone together to avert one last epic crisis, took me and my partner six months to write up the scenario to be played out.....
and in the big fight, Ritter is fighting with a NR Midshipman against the enemy, who is one of the officers of their rescue ship. Unbeknownst to Ritter, Svetlanan had carrid his son, and due to their mutual careers had kept him unaware he had a kid.In a meeting between battles, he recognizes Ritter ( now a major in the elite ODR)and hand s him a package... Svetlana had had a heroic career, winning the Hero's Star in battle twice more, alas the final one being posthumous.
In a speech that honestly choked up everyone at the table, the PC son, in a lull in battle, hands Ritter the other two medals and an old picture, and tells him " Here is my mother's constellation, i should think you should be having them, Father!"
Like I said, GREAT players...'
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SMashing example, old friend. Heartstrings pulled and all...WOW! OUTSTANDING!!! (but then, you never let me get by with second best either, and for that I thank you).
The Group does some heroic deeds, avert a war, fight terrorists and all ( the campaign at that time was very militarized, all players being ex or active military)and in due course, the pair must go their seperate ways...although they were lovers, the military comes first. Svetlana's pet trick was to make fun of her Hero's Star ( the Novaya Rhodina equivilent of the CMH)saying that " its only one star, is that enough for a constellation?" and she left it with Ritter when she left.....( i had some GREAT players)
we go forward 5 years realtime, the play has jumped forward two decades and the old group is getting together at a reunion one convention, so all the old crew and some new ones are alltogether. Great Time, 25 people here! a mass game with 3 GMS all bringing everyone together to avert one last epic crisis, took me and my partner six months to write up the scenario to be played out.....
and in the big fight, Ritter is fighting with a NR Midshipman against the enemy, who is one of the officers of their rescue ship. Unbeknownst to Ritter, Svetlanan had carrid his son, and due to their mutual careers had kept him unaware he had a kid.In a meeting between battles, he recognizes Ritter ( now a major in the elite ODR)and hand s him a package... Svetlana had had a heroic career, winning the Hero's Star in battle twice more, alas the final one being posthumous.
In a speech that honestly choked up everyone at the table, the PC son, in a lull in battle, hands Ritter the other two medals and an old picture, and tells him " Here is my mother's constellation, i should think you should be having them, Father!"
Like I said, GREAT players...'
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SMashing example, old friend. Heartstrings pulled and all...WOW! OUTSTANDING!!! (but then, you never let me get by with second best either, and for that I thank you).
Liam Devlin
SOC-14 5K
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Its been three days Jim. Still no word from you? How uncanny! Trader Jim never had any romance in his adventuring days? Was it all just shootem killem make a credit?
(Yes JIm, I challenge you to come up with an example. Put up or shut time, lad.)
