So I have just volunteered to run a one-shot game since the GM is busy/ player issues.
The game starts in 4 hours and will last approx. 3 hours. Though I could use this as a sounding board.
I am planning on running Traveller (4th Ed), a hard science game. Character creation should be fun & since players turn up at staggered times, it will not impede too much on play time. There will be approx. 3 players
My basic scenario I though could be a simple courier mission, they start in a town on a desert planet, where there has just been a revolution. They have too take a ‘package’ to the starport.
So I was wondering if anyone has any advice, or suggestions.
The basic format, I was thinking would be;
Meet ‘Mr Smith’, he gives them the mission.
They choose transport (probably a speeder)
The get to the Starport, there they have a confrontation.
Thoughts?
What should be the package? A Bomb.
The opposing political faction as the ‘Enemy’
Anyway thanks to anyone who can help.
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The standard 'Guildenstern and Rosencrantz are dead' scenario is for some bad people to give the hapless messengers a message to carry to someone saying that the bearers of the message are the villains they are looking for / people who blew up their village / jerks who ran over their cat, resulting in the messengers being attacked and killed by the message-recipients.
Party A (who hired the messengers) has agreed to 'find the killers' or whatever for Party B (probably to clear their own name, as they were told to 'deliver the killer, or we're gonna kill alla youse!'), and have framed up the messengers (perhaps the 'package' included the severed head of the member of party A that party B killed or some sort of mocked-up videotaped evidence that the messengers killed that person or stole that stuff or ran over that cat).
"What's in the box?!?!"
Star Trek episodes. They're perfect for Traveller. Especially one-shots.
Try HERE for inspiration.
Apologies for brevity, but time is not on either of our sides today!
The game went ....alright.
Thanks for the responses, i'll give a quick run down of how it went.
The Bad
The previous GM texted everyone to say "NO GAME TONIGHT", though i still got 4 players (other game was cancelled)
Character creation took a bit too long. Could have used pre-gens if i had more prep time.
My descriptions were not perfect.
{ME:The barmaid is a pretty 28yr old blonde, who smiles as you enter.
PC's:"28?!!"
ME:Yeah it's on her T-shirt.}
The problem player was not keen on the random creation system.
The Good
Everyone seemed to have fun. Which is thge most important thing.
Good group synergy.
The players 'stuck to the rails'. Did not mess around/ pvp just because it was a one-shot.
Character creation gave some unique PC's that would not have had with pre-gens. 1 Military PC could not get any ranks in Rifle but ended with Camoflague 5. Another PC rolled 3 max stats & 1 min stat!!
The players got my inspiration (Escape from NY), and were happy with the scenario, descriptions.
I "borrowed" Heathy's riddles from his pbp for the passwords and the players liked that
The Ugly
We did not quite finish, they handed over the package and were ambushed...that's where we left it.
No-one else knew this rules edition, apart from me. Though this just meant me going 3d6 roll under INT+Perception.
Meeting up of PC's was a chore, i should have just put the emphasis on them to tell me.
I made a couple of small mistakes with the rules; forgot defensive pools, cover modifiers.
Quote of the Night
Rob: No-one threatens me, i shoot him.
ME: He falls to the floor dying.
Stu: I take his cocktail olive & stick it up his nose.
ME: He gives you the finger.
Rob: Wow, he's kinda cool. Maybe i shouldn't have shot him.
Stu: I cut off his finger and shove it up his other nostril!