Humor in Traveller
- Thread starter The Thing
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BlackBat242
SOC-14 1K
This was an official Con-sanctioned tournament, with several runnings of the adventure by several refs at the same time (different rooms).
The beings were described afterwards as being "partially phase-shifted" (we could injure them with our weapons, etc and vice-versa, but could only see a slight blurring (if we made a successful roll, nothing if the roll gfailed).
They were aliens who had come out from the black hole, and their ship was docked below the station... where a ship approaching from outside the station's orbit could not see it.
The beings were described afterwards as being "partially phase-shifted" (we could injure them with our weapons, etc and vice-versa, but could only see a slight blurring (if we made a successful roll, nothing if the roll gfailed).
They were aliens who had come out from the black hole, and their ship was docked below the station... where a ship approaching from outside the station's orbit could not see it.
Icosahedron
SOC-14 1K
You can get a lot of humor just by the situation, especially with aliens or backworlders who may not understand the nuances of Galanglic or whatever the language of majority is.
One guy asked a Droyne NPC to try to read the mind of another NPC with whom he was negotiating.
Guy (whispering to Droyne): "What's he up to?"
Droyne: "It lies."
Guy to NPC: "Forget it! What? You trying to set us up?"
NPC jumps up from the dining couch with blaster as his thugs move in.
Droyne: "It stands."
Guy: "..." (runs for the exit)
Well, we thought it was funny, anyway...
Best,
Will
One guy asked a Droyne NPC to try to read the mind of another NPC with whom he was negotiating.
Guy (whispering to Droyne): "What's he up to?"
Droyne: "It lies."
Guy to NPC: "Forget it! What? You trying to set us up?"
NPC jumps up from the dining couch with blaster as his thugs move in.
Droyne: "It stands."
Guy: "..." (runs for the exit)
Well, we thought it was funny, anyway...
Best,
Will
How to offend a Vargr crew
In 'The Traveller Adventure' thrilling denouement, the Players had assembled a small flotilla to jump one of the Tukera vessels (starmerc/kanly situation).
I was the Intelligence Officer, and got to name the vessels in our squadron. After some thought, the Vargr vessel was code named the 16 OZ ('sixteen oh zee').
In the midst of combat, the Vargr (a player character) captain reacted negatively to his ship being referred to as a 'pound'. Dog pound. He held his fire for a combat round, then rejoined the fray, thankfully.
After the great victory, they beat my character within an inch of unconsciousness. ('a pounding')
The look of realization on the face of Vincent (whose character was Ungadaar the Mighty) was Great Traveller Fun.
In 'The Traveller Adventure' thrilling denouement, the Players had assembled a small flotilla to jump one of the Tukera vessels (starmerc/kanly situation).
I was the Intelligence Officer, and got to name the vessels in our squadron. After some thought, the Vargr vessel was code named the 16 OZ ('sixteen oh zee').
In the midst of combat, the Vargr (a player character) captain reacted negatively to his ship being referred to as a 'pound'. Dog pound. He held his fire for a combat round, then rejoined the fray, thankfully.
After the great victory, they beat my character within an inch of unconsciousness. ('a pounding')
The look of realization on the face of Vincent (whose character was Ungadaar the Mighty) was Great Traveller Fun.
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wordserpent
SOC-9
There was a series of jokes about the various races from one of the Digest Issues. I remember a couple of them;
How many Droyne does it take t change a lightbulb?
SIX! Everything is always six!
How many Zhodani does it take to change a lightbulb?
"I knew you were going to say that!"
--or--
*touch your forehead and look at the other person intently*
How many Hivers does it take to change a lightbulb?
*hold up your hand and wiggle your fingers*
--or--
"Lightbulbs, how primitive."
I can't remember the other ones.
How many Droyne does it take t change a lightbulb?
SIX! Everything is always six!
How many Zhodani does it take to change a lightbulb?
"I knew you were going to say that!"
--or--
*touch your forehead and look at the other person intently*
How many Hivers does it take to change a lightbulb?
*hold up your hand and wiggle your fingers*
--or--
"Lightbulbs, how primitive."
I can't remember the other ones.
Comedy in Traveller?
I wish I had a comedic talent. I'm more of a planets and orbital diagrams type.
GM: This planet has a toxic, corrosive atmosphere. It's nitric acid, and other equally nasty stuff, falling as rain. You estimate that the ship's hull will last a few days before pitting and such will require a major overhaul.
Marine: Okay, so...do I need a suit?
Doctor: Yeah, you idiot. An atmosphere like that, you'll last a few hours.
Marine: Okay, let me borrow yours. You're always such a scaredy-cat, afraid to leave the ship anyway.
Scout: We're boosting for space, as soon as we refuel.
Marine: Ah, the CO's scared too? Damn.
Scout: Hey, if you wanna take a stroll outside, we aren't gonna stop you, Rambo.
Marine: Nah, I'll pass.
Scout: Scared?
Marine: Of Acid Rain? Hell no. Of getting LEFT in acid rain while you guys take off...
I wish I had a comedic talent. I'm more of a planets and orbital diagrams type.
GM: This planet has a toxic, corrosive atmosphere. It's nitric acid, and other equally nasty stuff, falling as rain. You estimate that the ship's hull will last a few days before pitting and such will require a major overhaul.
Marine: Okay, so...do I need a suit?
Doctor: Yeah, you idiot. An atmosphere like that, you'll last a few hours.
Marine: Okay, let me borrow yours. You're always such a scaredy-cat, afraid to leave the ship anyway.
Scout: We're boosting for space, as soon as we refuel.
Marine: Ah, the CO's scared too? Damn.
Scout: Hey, if you wanna take a stroll outside, we aren't gonna stop you, Rambo.
Marine: Nah, I'll pass.
Scout: Scared?
Marine: Of Acid Rain? Hell no. Of getting LEFT in acid rain while you guys take off...
Well not Traveller funny, but real life funny. We had a mixed group of single adult males and high school aged boys. None of us had played Traveller before. I had the Deluxe Traveller set, but was new to role playing so I was not going to try to referee. Then we got an old Traveller hand into the group. Two of the boys were kind of bratty, but we tolerated them because they were good canon foder in out D&D games. For our first Traveller game, the more likeable of the boys chose a Vargr character. From then on they were refered to in their absence as "Dog and Bog Brother".
Sigrid Otawa, taking a rest day, goes shopping. She is on a moderate law world, and so goes unarmed. Just happens to have a random encounter: Local Thugs, Hostile. She's in the sporting goods store to buy a swimsuit. Needing a weapon, she grabs a frisbee, and fling.... bing... manages to KO a bad guy. Repeat twice more, before finally a goon shoots her.
Captain tells Sigrid: "Geeze, we can't trust you to even go shopping without a deadly fight."
Sigrid's response: "Can we make me some sharpened flying disks? I think they got away..."
Captain tells Sigrid: "Geeze, we can't trust you to even go shopping without a deadly fight."
Sigrid's response: "Can we make me some sharpened flying disks? I think they got away..."
BITS injects a lot of humor into its Traveller books, like Famille Spofulam's MegaBounce grav-pogo, the interstellar transport company Sweet-Carroll Lines, and combat stats for penguins-as-weapons.
DJ Barr's Traveller illustrations in JTAS are very funny.
Some of Dave Nilsen's stuff was humorous. Granted, most of that was unintentional humor . . .
DJ Barr's Traveller illustrations in JTAS are very funny.
Some of Dave Nilsen's stuff was humorous. Granted, most of that was unintentional humor . . .
Humor has always been a key element in my campaigns, even though it been gallows humor at times. There have been running gags with several the characters. My pirate lieutenant Deron Cortez used to play macabre jokes on new recruits. The most famous were the recruit who showed up to my duty station only to find me hanging 'dead' from the ceiling. Or the time during a rest break in the common area where I announced I was 'bored' & proceeded to chop off my cybernetic arm with a cutlass with an appropriate human arm blood splatter(it was a special FX arm made for such jokes). The motivational posters My wife & I made are pretty silly - particularly hers.
I also admit designing a few gadgets & aliens that are also pretty silly. And then there the characters who actually had armor with pleasure circuits built iin to them.
I also admit designing a few gadgets & aliens that are also pretty silly. And then there the characters who actually had armor with pleasure circuits built iin to them.
B
bobologic
Guest
a quick end to a boring traveller game
five drunk former marines decide to window shop down money street of a TL-8 world decked out in their finest battle dress while packing FGMP-15s, gauss rifles, but dont worry they brought their custom TL-15 G-Carrier with its fusion cannon and anti-(star)ship missles. time to roll up new characters (sometimes the funnest part of the game). "can someone play something other than a Marine...oh great....five army vets"
five drunk former marines decide to window shop down money street of a TL-8 world decked out in their finest battle dress while packing FGMP-15s, gauss rifles, but dont worry they brought their custom TL-15 G-Carrier with its fusion cannon and anti-(star)ship missles. time to roll up new characters (sometimes the funnest part of the game). "can someone play something other than a Marine...oh great....five army vets"
B
bobologic
Guest
WOW..... there are actual players why don't go armed (and armored) everywere (even to the ship's toilet in the middle of the 'night'). i think they call it.....now don't tell me....oh yeah...role playing.
player quote " well...i am role playing a post tramatic stress, paranoid military vet..who's little quirk is to sleeps with his gauss rifle thats fully loaded with RAM grenades"
GM quote "oh right...how stupid of me....just like all of your characters...DnD, CT, MT, shadowrun, rune quest, gamma world, the morrow project, ect.."
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Icosahedron
SOC-14 1K
Hmm. Maybe you need a little help?
GM quote. "Your vet awakes in the psychiatric ward of a Law Level A world. His head hurts. The doc tells him he has just been implanted with a device that stimulates the pain centres of his brain whenever he thinks violent thoughts. It will be removed when he is 'cured'. There are no weapons in the building...
:devil:
SOunds much like one of my roommates from college. (Veteran, slept with loaded shotgun, Paranoid, sociopath.)
There was a scenario where the party just landed at starport & were trying to check through the main gate after custom. The GM tried set up a fight between two (heavily armed) corrupt security guards & the party. Just as tensions got really hot(most of the group didn't want to be pushed around or pay a bribe), my wife's character suddenly threw a curve at the GM by declaring in a loud voice asked "if I do both of you, can't we get this nonsense over with & pass through'(I think that's close to what she said). For several minutes went by as the GM sat in stunned silence trying to figure out what to do. Finally he decided well, they were corrupt guards so the party did get through. It was a highly amusing moment.
Angelis_Mortis
SOC-4
Picture the scene, Far trader lesuirely making its was out to miminum safe distance to initialise the jump to the next system. A full hold and passenger manifest, wich includes a mother and her 2 children, the youngest child is a 6 year old lad, who is into everything the way that small kids are. He's investigating the ship while the crew are busy prepairing to jump, He's in and out of access panels and crawl spaces, while clutching under his arms, his favourite toy of the moment, his rubber duck.
The jump alarm sounds, passenger and crew alike make there way to seats and couches and hold on. The pilot/astrogator makes his last minute checks and punches the button to engage the jump drive.
The drive engages with a whir that slowly builds, then splutters, coughs, chokes and dies. the old far trader shakes and bucks, its decks straining and complaining, the engineer hollers over the intercom that most of the circuits have blown and the jump drive is FUBAR because it was starved of fuel at the crittical moment when it needed it most, only a quarter of the expected fuel had been consumed.
After limping back to port, and arranging with the shipping agend to have our caogo and passengers cross loaded to someone elses ship (at a horrendous loss of credits to ourselves). the repairs begin
a small mangled yellow rubber duck was found wedged in the fuel intake valve after being sucked in.
Never ever ever allow small children anywhere near the inspection hatches of fueltanks that are filled with unrefined fuel
The jump alarm sounds, passenger and crew alike make there way to seats and couches and hold on. The pilot/astrogator makes his last minute checks and punches the button to engage the jump drive.
The drive engages with a whir that slowly builds, then splutters, coughs, chokes and dies. the old far trader shakes and bucks, its decks straining and complaining, the engineer hollers over the intercom that most of the circuits have blown and the jump drive is FUBAR because it was starved of fuel at the crittical moment when it needed it most, only a quarter of the expected fuel had been consumed.
After limping back to port, and arranging with the shipping agend to have our caogo and passengers cross loaded to someone elses ship (at a horrendous loss of credits to ourselves). the repairs begin
a small mangled yellow rubber duck was found wedged in the fuel intake valve after being sucked in.
Never ever ever allow small children anywhere near the inspection hatches of fueltanks that are filled with unrefined fuel
