"Fixing" The Traveller Adventure?

[Cymew]

I've been thinking of starting a Traveller campaign with The Traveller Adventure before I, maybe, start the Rebellion.

When I re-read the introduction to TTA I found, as has been told to me before, that there are some problematic railroading there that hinge on that the PC's break the law in an unlikely way.

Have anyone invented a smarter way to start the campaign? I don't think it's a good idea to expect the players to break the law unless they are all borderline criminals out of character generation.

 

[Cymew]

I've been thinking of starting a Traveller campaign with The Traveller Adventure before I, maybe, start the Rebellion.

When I re-read the introduction to TTA I found, as has been told to me before, that there are some problematic railroading there that hinge on that the PC's break the law in an unlikely way.

Have anyone invented a smarter way to start the campaign? I don't think it's a good idea to expect the players to break the law unless they are all borderline criminals out of character generation.

 

[Michael Taylor]

Every single one of the players I GMed in Traveller made SURE they broke every law imaginable. It was unbelievable lawlessness.

 

[Michael Taylor]

Every single one of the players I GMed in Traveller made SURE they broke every law imaginable. It was unbelievable lawlessness.

 

[aramis]

If you've a low charisma Vargr as party leader, kissing up to whatsisgrowl becomes really apealling....

I've never had a problem with parties not agreeing to help the furry shmuck.

 

[aramis]

If you've a low charisma Vargr as party leader, kissing up to whatsisgrowl becomes really apealling....

I've never had a problem with parties not agreeing to help the furry shmuck.

 

[Whipsnade]

For today's players, the museum theft can be a problem. Just as many late 70s/early 80s RPG adventures are.

Look at the old D&D stuff or Traveller's 76 Patrons. Nothing but felony after felony after felony. Loren Wiseman addresed this once. He correctly pointed out that it was the way games were played back then.

I never had the PC's balk at burgling the museum for some scruffy Vargr they just met, but I ran TTA some time ago.

You can work around the problem a few ways:

- Whatshismuzzle is really an old friend of one PC, an old friend who is owed a BIG debt.

- Whatshismuzzle is burgling the musuem at the same the the PCs are committing their own B&E for a totally different purpose. They've got to drag him along or they'll be caught.

- The GM lays on enough red herrings to convince the a PC or PCs that the brooch holds the answers to a long term pressing question from a previous campaign.

Fiddle it a bit, bend it some, throw in a few more lead ups, and your PCs will break into that museum at Leedor like Butch and Sundance.


Have fun,
Bill

 

[Whipsnade]

For today's players, the museum theft can be a problem. Just as many late 70s/early 80s RPG adventures are.

Look at the old D&D stuff or Traveller's 76 Patrons. Nothing but felony after felony after felony. Loren Wiseman addresed this once. He correctly pointed out that it was the way games were played back then.

I never had the PC's balk at burgling the museum for some scruffy Vargr they just met, but I ran TTA some time ago.

You can work around the problem a few ways:

- Whatshismuzzle is really an old friend of one PC, an old friend who is owed a BIG debt.

- Whatshismuzzle is burgling the musuem at the same the the PCs are committing their own B&E for a totally different purpose. They've got to drag him along or they'll be caught.

- The GM lays on enough red herrings to convince the a PC or PCs that the brooch holds the answers to a long term pressing question from a previous campaign.

Fiddle it a bit, bend it some, throw in a few more lead ups, and your PCs will break into that museum at Leedor like Butch and Sundance.


Have fun,
Bill

 

[mike wightman]

Try having a bit of a prequal.

Gvoudzen is one of the passengers on the March Harrier on the flight to Aramis for the annual maintenance.

The crew - PCs - get to know him and he shows off his nice amulet. He spins the story that it is a valuable Vargr artifact and he is going to the Museum on Aramis to have it valued.

One of the other passengers is a thief/Vemene agent? who Gvoudzen catches in his stateroom going through his bellongings - a fight ensues.
Depending on your group you may want a couple of the other "passengers" to be along on the heist.

Ships crew deals with all of this, arrive at Aramis and begin their vacation...

 

[mike wightman]

Try having a bit of a prequal.

Gvoudzen is one of the passengers on the March Harrier on the flight to Aramis for the annual maintenance.

The crew - PCs - get to know him and he shows off his nice amulet. He spins the story that it is a valuable Vargr artifact and he is going to the Museum on Aramis to have it valued.

One of the other passengers is a thief/Vemene agent? who Gvoudzen catches in his stateroom going through his bellongings - a fight ensues.
Depending on your group you may want a couple of the other "passengers" to be along on the heist.

Ships crew deals with all of this, arrive at Aramis and begin their vacation...

 

[mike wightman]

If you want to avoid the museum break in then have the PCs accompany Gvoudzen to talk to the museum bod - he is called away during the meeting, the PCs find the memo, bod returns with goons in tow perhaps? Or leave the goons for later.

Gvoudzen can still get beaten up, possibly with PC present as well.

PCs can become aware of some sort of surveillance just to get them nice and paranoid.

Now there's just how to get the authorities after the PCs so they want to leave in a hurry.

How about the goons at the museum start a fight, the bod is injured, a fire breaks out, PCs are in the frame for it all.

 

[mike wightman]

If you want to avoid the museum break in then have the PCs accompany Gvoudzen to talk to the museum bod - he is called away during the meeting, the PCs find the memo, bod returns with goons in tow perhaps? Or leave the goons for later.

Gvoudzen can still get beaten up, possibly with PC present as well.

PCs can become aware of some sort of surveillance just to get them nice and paranoid.

Now there's just how to get the authorities after the PCs so they want to leave in a hurry.

How about the goons at the museum start a fight, the bod is injured, a fire breaks out, PCs are in the frame for it all.

 

[Ranger]

I have always been bothered by the same thing. I was thinking of having the party made aware of another group's efforts to steal the broach. They can either wait for the other group to steal it, then releave them of it, or steal it themselves pre-emptively (I actually thought of that before National Tresaure came out). Either way, it is going to be stolen no matter what the PCs do, so stealing it themselves is not as much of an issue.

 

[Ranger]

I have always been bothered by the same thing. I was thinking of having the party made aware of another group's efforts to steal the broach. They can either wait for the other group to steal it, then releave them of it, or steal it themselves pre-emptively (I actually thought of that before National Tresaure came out). Either way, it is going to be stolen no matter what the PCs do, so stealing it themselves is not as much of an issue.

 

[Hyphen]

Dear Folks -

Originally posted by Bill Cameron:
For today's players, the museum theft can be a problem. Just as many late 70s/early 80s RPG adventures are.

Look at the old D&D stuff or Traveller's 76 Patrons. Nothing but felony after felony after felony. Loren Wiseman addresed this once. He correctly pointed out that it was the way games were played back then.

That's the problem with political correctness these days, too many people want to rehabilitate the orcs rather than just massacre them...

After I created my MT Police chargen, I found that 76 Patrons is a great source of adventures... if you run them from this side of the law... (could this be called the Jeff Zeitlin experience? Bill, for one, KNOWS who Jeff works for!

)

 

[Hyphen]

Dear Folks -

Originally posted by Bill Cameron:
For today's players, the museum theft can be a problem. Just as many late 70s/early 80s RPG adventures are.

Look at the old D&D stuff or Traveller's 76 Patrons. Nothing but felony after felony after felony. Loren Wiseman addresed this once. He correctly pointed out that it was the way games were played back then.

That's the problem with political correctness these days, too many people want to rehabilitate the orcs rather than just massacre them...

After I created my MT Police chargen, I found that 76 Patrons is a great source of adventures... if you run them from this side of the law... (could this be called the Jeff Zeitlin experience? Bill, for one, KNOWS who Jeff works for!

)

 

[Flynn]

Off topic: Someday, I should run a 76 Ethical Patrons contest, to generate some contributions for Stellar Reaches (which is finally coming out this weekend, yay!)

Think I'd get any entries?

More later,
Flynn

 

[Flynn]

Off topic: Someday, I should run a 76 Ethical Patrons contest, to generate some contributions for Stellar Reaches (which is finally coming out this weekend, yay!)

Think I'd get any entries?

More later,
Flynn

 

[RobertFisher]

Originally posted by Flynn:
I should run a 76 Ethical Patrons contest

That's a great idea!

76 Patrons has been almost useless to me. Most of the PCs have been somewhat open to operations of questionable legality, but they aren't outright looking for them. If it looks too illegal up front, they've tended to avoid it.

Think I'd get any entries?

There's the rub.

It's not unprecedented, though. e.g. BITS' 101 Patrons. I think I've seen web sites with a few in the past.

 

[RobertFisher]

Originally posted by Flynn:
I should run a 76 Ethical Patrons contest

That's a great idea!

76 Patrons has been almost useless to me. Most of the PCs have been somewhat open to operations of questionable legality, but they aren't outright looking for them. If it looks too illegal up front, they've tended to avoid it.

Think I'd get any entries?

There's the rub.

It's not unprecedented, though. e.g. BITS' 101 Patrons. I think I've seen web sites with a few in the past.