Best Use of the Femme Fatale NPC

[Liam Devlin]

Starpilot/C Griffen posted-'I ran a merc campaign several years back in which the PCs' unit was a company-sized, mixed-gender unit. Some level of fraternization occurred between the troops. I tossed in a few femme fatales in the NPC mix to entice the PCs and add an aura somewhat like that of the film, Starship Troopers (which hadn't come out yet, BTW, so I didn't derive! ) or Joe Haldeman's excellent book, The Forever War.

I also intimated that relationships developed between various NPCs and I believe I may have even had an NPC couple quit the unit to go off and settle down together. Just added bits of realism to give the NPCs a little personality
________________________________________
Good books, both of em. Haldeman's Forever War was one of my first reads for "food for thought" in gaming Traveller-military STyle. Like you, i found Starship Troopers later.
Good way to introduce the FF into the storyline, even if all else was alluded to "offstage". Nicely done sir.! There's a star!
Next!

 

[Liam Devlin]

Hmm the 41st post, time for another example from the Argon Blue Files of yours truly then...

Here's a combination trick I learned. Ya'll remember the Multiple choice options right, in "hooks"?

I ran a variant on two things out of the same Traveller chronicle issue a few months back for the PCs.

One article was on genassisted critters & cloning.
Had a hook in there about a runaway femme fatale (clone) of wealthy industrialist. The other was an adventure set in Foreven Sector called 'Revenge so Sweet".

Silly me, I was playing in TNE..and had 28 days for the PCs to get into mischief in the Sufren polity (RCS Belladonna contact mission, alluded to, but never done up--so I DID it! 1202 (April 1st-arrive June 6th; depart July 4th, return RC sep 2nd 1202).

Three of the PC's & three NPC crewman buddies decided while the "High N mighty's" hammered out trade talks for Snake AVV weapon & release of the Mary Elise vessel as well in exchange for Starshipyard machinery to upgrade Sufren's massive C-orbital yards to B or even A-class, to go take their liberty and earn some bucks.
Had em hired on as crew of the "SS SOlo Flyer" (as per RSS adventure). Two jumps, nice pay, easy duties,back in time for ship sailing home with a week to spare.

Tossed in the clone with short memory problem as a mystery gal, named Mlini, fleeing a man who called her "his wife", but she didn't remember marrying him. Turns out the Main Hospital dirtside had recently announced TL-13 technology restored in organ cloning in the body. SUpposedly this woman had been in a bad grav vehicle accident a year ago, and was recently "reunited with her hubby."
They arrive at Gaamov (imtu, Sufren had begun salvage and asteroid mining again there in the inner part of the system 001-1201, interdicting the rest of it), and offload their cargo and the con-men passengers (as per the adventure).
The bad news...Mlini Blair was a clone. The real M Blair died, and she was replaced. Somewhere hidden in the Sufren system was a TL-14 Fast growth cloning system, run by an AI-Virus, and iyts partner, an imperial remnant Dr SCiientist (Hi tech Frankenstein, okay). But they discover all that later.
Hubby's goons are in pursuit, as are his rivals, who "programmed" her to do some espionage and steal data he'd been embezzling to save her life from his corporation (What was left of Instellarms on planet after the collapse).
PCs didn't know there were two groups offering ransom, NOW they stood accused of kidnapping a woman with SOC of D (Mr Blair was the Planetary CEO,Hyperion-Instellarms and sat in high circles with Sufren's govt. leadership). Mr Blair didn't knowhis "wife" had been replaced, or why she'd fled their plush condo after swiping his data crystals. Nor was he aware the number 4 man below him was seeking to have him sacked, and take his place!
As Sufren was an IMperial Naval base, and the last Challenge article I'd read on her showed her to be rather cosmopolitan, Imperial races ran the gamut here.
Stereotypically I admit, I used Vargr as cheap hired thugs to press the claims of group 2 (The corp raiders). The PCs weren't sure she was on the level till someone killed one of the NPC buddies from the ship, while they were arranging a "ransom" pick-up & hostage exchange.(Cut his throat in the mens room, left him there, shot three times, head chest, abdomen. Messy),
THAT got their attention this wasn't Fartin' around...the PC's Group leader (Party-leader for you of ADnD experience) was gonna have to answer to the SHip's Bosun & SKipper why he lost them a crewman Upon return to Sufren!
They had their showdown with Mr Blair (after figuring out it was TWO groups offering money for her), and sorted that end out. Mlini stayed with PCs. Mr Blair was apprised of his rival's intentions, and hastened back to Sufren to Fix that bugger's wagon HIMSELF (but earned the PC's a POWERFUL patron in the Sufren polity.
The cloning conspiracy was the tip of the iceberg...Somone harvested the dead crewman's organs enroute back to Sufren, and the PCs got sent dirstide to find out where this Cloning thing was goin on...Which led to my liberally stealing from CJ Cherryh UNion side stuff...
ANother thread that is...
The relationship with Mlini & the PC's best head off to the romantic thread I started. Haven't concluded it yet (where the SOlo Flyer's dealings and attempted murder of someone they Burned in a scam comes back to bite the Hired ons!

 

[Bruce]

I have anon-genre related femme fatale I am using in my current Call of Cthulhu game.

I had the players begin their adentures and one of the PC's was killed. [Go figure, eh?]

Well the PC's did'nt have a good way to get rid of the body, so, they used some contacts they had in "the family", that is how i always talk about the mafia in my CoC games, but I digress.

They made contact with the "family" and they agreed to take care of the rich, but dead dilletante's body for the group.

The group had done one of the "families" friends a favor, so it was not so much a stretch to have them take care fo the problem for them.

The next day, the characters read a story in the newspapers about a rich dilletante that had bene killed while trying to corss the border with a load of illegal booze. The article mentioned that it was the FBI's that had finally killed her because of a running gun fight and she ran into a tree.

Well the players were all amazed by this story and happy that the loose end was tied up.

Well a few days later, the FBI, having noted that they had been in a running gin battle that they had no idea of, started to look into this matter.

They find out that the rich debutante was in fact the hired secretary for one of the players.

So, they sent in an undercover female agent to act as this PC's secretary.

She was feeding info to the feds while the players were out hutning Cthulhu beasties.

And i guess it did'nt help that the detective was a womanizer...sometimes it's SOOOOO easy...

And now, she is a part of the group and she is sitll feeding info to the feds and the players are off on their adventure to save the world.

Can we say the start of a secret orginization to combat paranormal activities?

Bruce
The man behind the Curtain

 

[Liam Devlin]

Sometimes it is sooooooo easy, yes. BUt looking back through these posts, not as easy as it may seem to you or I. Thats part of why I posted this opic--as education for the GM's of today & tomorrow. Least thats my story, and I'm sticking to it.

Good example Bruce, thanks for sharing that!

Next!

 

[phydaux]

Originally posted by Starpilot:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by phydaux:
For my Merc campaigns, I usually run this all-female merc company called the Death's Head Battalion, aka the Stygian Bitches or the Death's Head Dykes.

I have to say that I absolutely love the sheer, unbridled lack of political correctness in your campaign!</font>[/QUOTE]Well, thank you.

When I was in the Navy, I worked for this one female Lt. Cmdr. A young, single, MAJORLY cute blond. She was a staff officer for this One Star. Another female. The One Star was a long timer, 25+ years. Never married. Close croped hair and "comfortable shoes." And funny, but it seemed all her staff officers were also young, single, petite female officers. Every one.

Seems once or twice a month, on a Friday or Saturday night, One Star would call up one of her staffers for an "Emergency Meeting" in her quarters at the BOQ.

My boss got one of these calls. ONE! After that, I had standing orders to foward all after hours calls from One Star to my boss's voice mail. PERIOD!

Well, some time went by and my boss got engaged. She turned in her chit to get some leave time for a honeymoon. She got the 2 weeks vacation time, then was told by the One Star that she was fired.

"You can't be married AND be a naval officer. Your attention will be divided, and either one or the other will suffer" she was told.

Well, my boss spend the next few days on long telephone conversations in her office with the door closed. I though this was odd, 'cause she never colsed the door to her office before.

About a week later, Ol' One Star is called to a meeting in Washington. She gets back a few days later, and anounced her retirement. A week after that she was gone, but by that time my boss had already been reasigned.

And thus, the Death's Head Battalion, all female Merc Company, aka the Stygian Bitches aka the Death's Head Dykes, was born IMTU.

 

[Shadowdancer]

Originally posted by Bruce:
Can we say the start of a secret orginization to combat paranormal activities?

Bruce
The man behind the Curtain

So THAT'S how the X-Files got started.

 

[cgriffen]

Originally posted by phydaux:

And thus, the Death's Head Battalion, all female Merc Company, aka the Stygian Bitches aka the Death's Head Dykes, was born IMTU.

Art imitates life! Interesting story. I never served in the military so I don't know much about the military subculture other than what I've read in books. You always hear stories about the "don't ask/don't tell" policies but you pretty much saw it in living color.

 

[phydaux]

Originally posted by Starpilot:
Art imitates life! Interesting story. I never served in the military so I don't know much about the military subculture other than what I've read in books. You always hear stories about the "don't ask/don't tell" policies but you pretty much saw it in living color.

Hell, this was WAY before "don't ask/don't tell."

I just changed a few details and extrapolated the story. Make her a character in the Traveller universe. What if the character was in the Army, not the Navy? What if she were a few ranks lower? Now, what would she do once she got out?

Bada Bing, Bada Boom, all female Merc unit.

Now what do the call themselves? Once I hit on Stygian Bitches I knew they would be a permanent fixture IMTU.

Because most gamers are hetero males, I throw in one low ranking NPC Merc who isn't gay to pique the players interest.

Unlike real life, however, most PCs seem to be more interested in killing that scoring.

Just like when is the last time you saw a PC use the bathroom?

 

[Liam Devlin]

phydaux posted-"Hell, this was WAY before "don't ask/don't tell."

I just changed a few details and extrapolated the story. Make her a character in the Traveller universe. What if the character was in the Army, not the Navy? What if she were a few ranks lower? Now, what would she do once she got out?

Bada Bing, Bada Boom, all female Merc unit.

Now what do the call themselves? Once I hit on Stygian Bitches I knew they would be a permanent fixture IMTU.

Because most gamers are hetero males, I throw in one low ranking NPC Merc who isn't gay to pique the players interest.

Unlike real life, however, most PCs seem to be more interested in killing that scoring.

Just like when is the last time you saw a PC use the bathroom?"
_______________________________
Maybe up there in NH, not down here in the Southlands, lad! Must be something in the water...

As fer the latter reference, I had a PC in the fresher when we got boarded by Vargr Corsairs--err "salvagers."

 

[Liam Devlin]

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.

Years later...(MT timeline), as the wheels turn, at Warinir, 1126, Arrival Vengeance Mission (Drak at the helm of the mission, Tzabra with him, as well as a core group of Second Skin INc Mercs that hijacked the ship out of Trin), He runs into his old INI "femme fatale again--this time she's on a Navy J-6 courier, awaiting news in orbit of the coup that will kill off the sector Duke (ANton Craig Horvath)--but the tables get turned, and she has to flee again, when SSI, and local PC (mine) foil the plot from stemn to stern.
Irony of Ironies..she's aboard the Starburst Cruiser squadron (ALtered that encounter--three SEH's might give a 60ktn CA-FI pause, one? Nawww), that attempts to board the AV. The final showdown on the bridge resulted in a wee bit of swordplay--and Tzabra skewers Drak's femme fatale quite dead!

example of reoccurring villainess/ femme fatale fer you all.

Next!

 

[Liam Devlin]

Another example of the femme-fatale, in recurrent theme (harkens back to LisaGB's posting on Romance), the avenging woman/ scorned woman theme. (Hell hath no fury like a woamn scorned)

The PC's outmatched and out manuevered in a business deal with their starship a (minor they thought ) rival. In the course of the adventure, the rival attempted to speed his way planetside to beat the PC's vessel in making the sale. Poor devil came in too steep and made a semi-impressive crater on the starport landing pad (E class field).
Then his family learned of it. His sibling, sister, took it upon herself to plague the PCs for the next four "game years" (not RL time), until the GM brought us together for the climatic revealing scene--WHO was behind all the rumors, the lost contracts, and blacklisting the ship & crew was experiencing.
The PC's saved their honor by settling the feud with Their Vidcam tape of her brother's descent that led to his death with the sister. By the time they'd gotten that all settled, the 5th FW was upon them, and whole new set of problems arose!

 

[lisagb]

I remember we had several recurring characters in our las trav campaign, 2 of whom were these Fixer type guys called Frank and Jack Stirling, heavily based on the Kray twins ( east end of london gangsters). Frank was the business man, Jack (aka "Hatchet Jack") the muscle. One time the pc's are to kidnap this rival.. ahem.. businessman an keep him under wraps for a few hours, simple huh?
They arrive at this guys pad only to find him not there an signs of a struggle, the cops also then turn up, the pc's are in the frame for sommut they have failed to do!
Much running away.
The Stirling bros are not H.A.P.P.Y. They want their man an if it don't happen the contract will be on their heads.
So after investigating it seems a hooker has done precisely what the pc's were supposed to be doing.

However every time the pc's get close to getting their man this girl seems to be one step ahead, and the pc's are getting into deeper an deeper shit.
They now have the Triads after them after going in all guns blazing in a triad safe house.
The yakuza who was havin a meet with the triads at the time.
The cops.
The increasingly fed up Stirlings.
An this girl.
They finally catch up with her in a crowded night club after she arranges a meet in good faith.
The pc's double cross her an grab her an do a runner with her. She refuses point blank to tell em where their guy is.
The pc's are jus about to put a cap in her when the Stirlings turn up looking to get their money back.
Frank S "Sarah? What do u think u ponces r doing to our lil sis?"
It turns out they bin chasing Sarah Stirling halfway across the planet. Fortunately the Stirlings have a sense of humour an don't use a chainsaw on the pc's soft parts but neither do the pc's get paid.
Nuff said.

 

[Liam Devlin]

LisaGB...thats great! Knowing a wee bit about the Kray Bro.s, they got off light, but they did have a sense of humor from time to time! (mostly morbid).
Thank you for sharing that!

 

[Liam Devlin]

In that light, I have a slightly twisted version of Vega Zorn, a corsair, former RCES person that I use in MTU in TNE...

Seems Ms Zorn was set up (my version of her background) by Auroran Navy INtel to take the fall for a SAG mission wherein people friendly to the RC got whacked but good, n dead.
What they really wanted was an ironclad alibi she was a deserter/ wanted fugitive, her escape was arranged. But to seal the deal irrevocably for her to infiltrate the Guild, they murdered the guard who was supposed to "look the other way" when she was "broken out".

The events transposed in Death of Wisdom & To Dream of Chaos I used as background fort the PCs.
Ms Zorn, feeling ill-used to say the least did get "inside" the guild (she also preyed upon them, and cast the blame at RCES!).

As the War got under way between Solee and the RC, she preyed on Guilders and Soleeans alike. eventually tipping of TF-Guiollitine of a large raider force trying to escape from the Soleeans thru Thoezennt.
It was during this betrayal battle, TF CIC CDRE Ghulz (PC) discovered how she'd been set up (framed), and tried to "bring her back in from the cold" as we say in the spy biz.
Once bitten Twice shy, Ms Zorn, declined, which really puzzled Ghulz/the player...till the politicians came after him!

 

[Jame]

Well, well, well. Looks like I'm not the only one to think of this (all I'll say is she uses tl20 to the PCs tl15, is beautiful, is well equipped and is not interested).

Well equipped, you say? There's a new video game coming out for the Gamecube called P.N. 03...

 

[Kensai]

A lot depends on the gaming group though, doesn't it? I've been blessed with a group that's heavy on roleplaying - and I've noticed that many times players run PCs counter to their own tendencies. The civil service bureaucrat plays rogues, and so on... and nowhere is this more true than regarding relations with the opposite sex.

IRL I'm the cad of the group, and of course I generally wind up being a shining paragon of nobility and grace... courtly love and all that - think Hugh Jackman's character in Kate and Leopold - while the most happily married guy (soon to be a father too!) is always running around trying to bed anything with a suitable orifice!

So far we've seen some nasty stuff - all-male all-Vargr nude revue (they're shaved!); a twisted dwarf attempting to seduce PCs; ritual rape of both sexes; a whole lot more. Obviously some of the themes here aren't suited to every gaming group, but hey, my group's all adult, and even if we cringe a little (or a lot) we can handle it in an appropriate fashion.

But the best true femme fatale scam was pulled on us in a version of the War of Jenkins's Ear. We (members of a planetary defence force) rescued a stunning young lady from privateers of an adjacent system; my PC got to know her quite well (ahem) - and when we returned to base, she accused him of ravishing her most foully! So in order to save face (and shut her up), the government decides to mount a punitive expedition against the privateers in return for her silence... we of course being responsible are stuck out in front - and promptly run into a large ambush... yes, it was all engineered by a third party for whom she was working as an agent provocateur.

The conflict eventually engulfed the major part of the system fleet. My PC was exonerated and we helped win some battles. In the end, he needed to tie up some loose ends so went to look for her... and after many, many adventures they wound up unhappily married ever after... but that's a story for another time!

 

[kaladorn]

Originally posted by Liam Devlin:
As fer the latter reference, I had a PC in the fresher when we got boarded by Vargr Corsairs--err "salvagers."

Obviously you spent too long in the fresher and the Vargr thought the vessel uncrewed and boarded simply to eliminate any navigation hazard which might be posed to other vessels. An obvious, if well-intentioned, mistake. Surely you took things in stride and showed them the error of their ways?

BAD DOG!

 

[Liam Devlin]

Originally posted by kaladorn:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Liam Devlin:
As fer the latter reference, I had a PC in the fresher when we got boarded by Vargr Corsairs--err "salvagers."

Obviously you spent too long in the fresher and the Vargr thought the vessel uncrewed and boarded simply to eliminate any navigation hazard which might be posed to other vessels. An obvious, if well-intentioned, mistake. Surely you took things in stride and showed them the error of their ways?

BAD DOG! </font>[/QUOTE]As a matter of fact, we did. Mr J. Beam, and Mr. J. Daniels are great "negotiating tools", especially when added with the law firm of S & W (Sternmetall and Weiss Weapons) for those nit picky details.
Afraid we did face kidnapping charges later for leaving with the boarding crew out of system..but that was settled in a another Starport bar..<innocent look>