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Supernatural phenomena?

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Black Globe Generator

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Last night I was toying around with the idea of supernatural phenomena IMTU.

Sailors tend to be a superstitious lot, and I like the idea of this continuing among starfarers as well. That means there need to be some legendary stories that make the rounds in the dark corners of a startown tavern late at night.

However, it's just as much fun to think about 'rational' explanations for supernatural phenomena as well - it lends credence to the stories without necessarily dispelling them. Ambiguity in the players' minds is a good thing!

I came up with a short list last night before bed:

* Wizards/shamans/thaumaturgists (psionics plus high-tech matter manipulation?)

* Ghost ships (reflected radio or sensor signals?)

* Apparitions in jump space (some sort of resonance effect?)

* Gremlins (an alien that gets into the drives?)

* Zombies (why? who cares? zombies are fun!)

Please help me expand my list!
 
Last night I was toying around with the idea of supernatural phenomena IMTU.

Sailors tend to be a superstitious lot, and I like the idea of this continuing among starfarers as well. That means there need to be some legendary stories that make the rounds in the dark corners of a startown tavern late at night.

However, it's just as much fun to think about 'rational' explanations for supernatural phenomena as well - it lends credence to the stories without necessarily dispelling them. Ambiguity in the players' minds is a good thing!

I came up with a short list last night before bed:

* Wizards/shamans/thaumaturgists (psionics plus high-tech matter manipulation?)

* Ghost ships (reflected radio or sensor signals?)

* Apparitions in jump space (some sort of resonance effect?)

* Gremlins (an alien that gets into the drives?)

* Zombies (why? who cares? zombies are fun!)

Please help me expand my list!
 
Sun ghouls. They can only appear within the area that a sun cuts off access to jump space, but if they do, they'll try to lick you; if they succeed, your ship will burst into flames (as oppose to explode).
 
Sun ghouls. They can only appear within the area that a sun cuts off access to jump space, but if they do, they'll try to lick you; if they succeed, your ship will burst into flames (as oppose to explode).
 
Ships dying of old age - metal eating bacteria/plague mites

Void krakens

Demon infected ships - ship computers waking to full sentience and doing nasty things to the crew
 
Ships dying of old age - metal eating bacteria/plague mites

Void krakens

Demon infected ships - ship computers waking to full sentience and doing nasty things to the crew
 
The bad spot. For some reason there is a place down by Street X that has been a vacant building for the last X number of years. Not sure why but a sense of dread infuses anyone who spends more than 2D min in the building (-2 to all rolls).
Why? Who knows? Local records will show that . . . (fill in story)
 
The bad spot. For some reason there is a place down by Street X that has been a vacant building for the last X number of years. Not sure why but a sense of dread infuses anyone who spends more than 2D min in the building (-2 to all rolls).
Why? Who knows? Local records will show that . . . (fill in story)
 
In an out of the way system , or when making a deep space jump, you come out of jump and receive a faint mayday.

Upon investigation it is an outdated free trader that has been damaged in some way.

Something about the crew strikes you as odd, but you help with repairs, listen to their stories, perhaps even fight off a pirate band together.

You both jump to the next system, but there is no sign of the missing ship.

A few days pass and still no sign.

Investigating the ships registry details you find it reported missing...

500 years ago...
 
In an out of the way system , or when making a deep space jump, you come out of jump and receive a faint mayday.

Upon investigation it is an outdated free trader that has been damaged in some way.

Something about the crew strikes you as odd, but you help with repairs, listen to their stories, perhaps even fight off a pirate band together.

You both jump to the next system, but there is no sign of the missing ship.

A few days pass and still no sign.

Investigating the ships registry details you find it reported missing...

500 years ago...
 
Here's my take on this matter:

Science fiction is still fiction.

Fiction is also called "make-believe", things that we cannot always explain logically, similar to fantasy and magic.

By running a Traveller game where EVERYTHING can be explained logically, well you just bored the hell out of your players. Everything makes sense? Logical? Scientific? Predictable science? Statistically predictable? BORING.

It's a good idea to infuse a little bit of The Unexplained here and there. Perhaps the GM knows there is a logical and scientific explanation for the phenomenon... but the players should not necessarilly know.

By inserting some un-explained phenomenon here and there, you will spook your players, and you will catch them off guard. In the end, they will have a more exciting gaming experience. After all, Traveller is only a game. And the purpose of gaming is to have a fun and exciting time.
 
Here's my take on this matter:

Science fiction is still fiction.

Fiction is also called "make-believe", things that we cannot always explain logically, similar to fantasy and magic.

By running a Traveller game where EVERYTHING can be explained logically, well you just bored the hell out of your players. Everything makes sense? Logical? Scientific? Predictable science? Statistically predictable? BORING.

It's a good idea to infuse a little bit of The Unexplained here and there. Perhaps the GM knows there is a logical and scientific explanation for the phenomenon... but the players should not necessarilly know.

By inserting some un-explained phenomenon here and there, you will spook your players, and you will catch them off guard. In the end, they will have a more exciting gaming experience. After all, Traveller is only a game. And the purpose of gaming is to have a fun and exciting time.
 
I wholeheartedly agree with your comments. Afterall, the supernatural is often taken out of its context, which is to explain what natural phenomena cannot be explained by regular rational explainations which simply means - "we don't yet." But, in the future, might yet develop the rational explaination based upon what we will learn.
 
I wholeheartedly agree with your comments. Afterall, the supernatural is often taken out of its context, which is to explain what natural phenomena cannot be explained by regular rational explainations which simply means - "we don't yet." But, in the future, might yet develop the rational explaination based upon what we will learn.
 
IMTU Ancients era tech is magical, the tech of the races that went before the Ancients - and some may still be out there - is beyond the supernatural ;)

I like dark secrets, unexplained events, mysterious phenomena - they all add to the game.

Not everything has to be explainable by twenty first century science and its hypothetical tech progression...
 
IMTU Ancients era tech is magical, the tech of the races that went before the Ancients - and some may still be out there - is beyond the supernatural ;)

I like dark secrets, unexplained events, mysterious phenomena - they all add to the game.

Not everything has to be explainable by twenty first century science and its hypothetical tech progression...
 
I think I may have sown a bit of unintended confusion here.

I'm not suggesting that every supernatual phenomenon is simply superstition for which a rational explanation exists - rather, many supernatural phenomena have rational explanations offered to account for them, but those explanations aren't necessarily accurate.

I'm all for making phenomena in the game unexplainable, whether due to the state of knowledge of physical phenomena, or for purely metaphysical reasons. The rational explanations are really no more than window-dressing, usually offered by (1) scientific and philosophical sorts, most of whom have no practical experience with the phenomenon, or (2) those who've experienced a supernatural encounter and are looking to "make some sense" out of what their minds can't quite wrap themselves around.

That's the beauty of ambiguity.
 
I think I may have sown a bit of unintended confusion here.

I'm not suggesting that every supernatual phenomenon is simply superstition for which a rational explanation exists - rather, many supernatural phenomena have rational explanations offered to account for them, but those explanations aren't necessarily accurate.

I'm all for making phenomena in the game unexplainable, whether due to the state of knowledge of physical phenomena, or for purely metaphysical reasons. The rational explanations are really no more than window-dressing, usually offered by (1) scientific and philosophical sorts, most of whom have no practical experience with the phenomenon, or (2) those who've experienced a supernatural encounter and are looking to "make some sense" out of what their minds can't quite wrap themselves around.

That's the beauty of ambiguity.
 
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