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Author Topic: Traveller, Rogue Stars - Character Survival in Mini-Campaigns?  (Read 1504 times)

Offline Mako

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Traveller, Rogue Stars - Character Survival in Mini-Campaigns?
« on: December 03, 2019, 06:48:32 AM »
Just curious how people handle mini-campaigns, linked games, and/or full-on campaigns with space-faring crews, like with the Traveller rules, Rogue Stars, etc., etc.?

Seems to me that if you've bothered to create/paint up a crew, create their stats, etc., etc., you're more than a little invested, whether playing just one character, or solo with a handful of them.

With deadly rules like Traveller/Snapshot, and no doubt others, I suspect not too many people will want to be going around getting into firefights, or other combat situations.

Trading and exploring are fine, but there's got to be some action too, so how do you balance those things out in order to keep from wiping out your crew in one scenario/battle, or even a couple of them?

I've thought of adding in lesser minions/NPC crew mates, in order to help soak up some of the enemy fire.  They can be sent forward into more dangerous situations, and even if the unlucky thing happens, and your favorite crewman/crewwoman/alien/robot gets eliminated, then perhaps you can elevate one of the known "NPCs" to the PC level, so at least all is not lost.  Star Trek used this technique, when sending Away Teams down to dangerous planets, and you could pretty much predict who was going to be killed on those - he's usually wearing a Red Shirt.  Miraculously, the main characters almost always survived, though they might be injured, or knocked out for a while.

Still though, in many cases, losing your favorite characters is to be avoided, if possible, I imagine.

I suspect in some cases and scenarios it might be possible/preferable for enemies to capture your crew by overpowering or stunning them, at least until they can glean any intel needed.  Then, they can blow them out the airlock, reduce them to nothingness with a disintegrator ray, or inject them with a fast acting poison.  The former would give at least some possibility of a rescue attempt, or implausible escape.

Just curious to know how other people handle such things, especially on the dangerous frontiers of space, and in those lawless backwaters where pretty much anything goes, and people die or disappear with regularity?

« Last Edit: December 03, 2019, 06:51:43 AM by Mako »

Offline Pattus Magnus

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  • Posts: 2003
Re: Traveller, Rogue Stars - Character Survival in Mini-Campaigns?
« Reply #1 on: December 03, 2019, 03:33:22 PM »
I’ve faced something like that in the campaign I run with my kid. What I did is add in a “script immunity” ability kiddo could apply if a favorite character was KOed in the game and failed the post-game survival roll.

Later we shifted game systems to Fist Full of Lead: Galactic Heroes, which actually has that written into the campaign rules.

You’re definitely right, though, that some games are likely to wipe out characters on a regular basis - realistic, but not very satisfying for an ongoing story.

I think the main other approach would be to make the team the focus, rather than the individual characters, such as following a squad’s actions over the course of several months. Hard to do that if the process for statting up characters is complex, though.

Offline Hobby Services

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Re: Traveller, Rogue Stars - Character Survival in Mini-Campaigns?
« Reply #2 on: December 03, 2019, 05:45:41 PM »
If you want to go silly with it, there's always the Battlestations rules from Gorilla Games.  The players are tied to a cloning network back at base and dying will take you out of the current mission but not the campaign.  Pretty much a slightly toned-down version of Paranoia cloning, without Clone #3 getting delivered to the battlefield 30 seconds after #2 bought the farm.

A less ridiculous variant on the same idea would be to have the "characters" all be drones being teleoperated by the squishy organics from someplace relatively safe - or maybe there are no organics at all and its all AIs temporarily using drone bodies.  Good excuse to break out your collection of miscellaneous robots/warbots/drones/autsoldiers/etc.

Offline Metternich

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Re: Traveller, Rogue Stars - Character Survival in Mini-Campaigns?
« Reply #3 on: December 03, 2019, 10:10:45 PM »
In similar role-playing games, each player had a principal and one or two retainers/compadres/seconds/relatives.  As you noted, if the principal got zapped, the number two moved up. 

Offline robh

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Re: Traveller, Rogue Stars - Character Survival in Mini-Campaigns?
« Reply #4 on: December 03, 2019, 11:36:17 PM »
Heroes never die,  that is why cybernetics were created. Might miss an adventure while learning to use the newly fabricated and integrated body part but safe in the knowledge that they will be back, better than before...stronger, faster....etc

Offline Mako

  • Mad Scientist
  • Posts: 779
Re: Traveller, Rogue Stars - Character Survival in Mini-Campaigns?
« Reply #5 on: December 04, 2019, 02:14:44 AM »
Thanks for the ideas and tips.

Keep them coming, if you have more

Offline CookAndrewB

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Re: Traveller, Rogue Stars - Character Survival in Mini-Campaigns?
« Reply #6 on: December 04, 2019, 03:12:44 PM »
I play with the Five Parsecs rules and there are a handful of plot armor type elements which can be used. Once used, that "save" is eliminated from being used again. These elements are things like "Ducked at the right time" or "Looked worse than it was." Again, you can use these (five total) once during a campaign. There are also some story points which can be used to auto succeed a test, or to reroll the dice (once, and then you have to accept the reroll). There are a limited number of these as well, and when you are out you only earn one point for every three missions.

These improve chances of survival to a degree, but if your main hero dies at every available opportunity are they really that heroic? Maybe the story then becomes how a competent second in command outlives his master and goes on to save the galaxy. Sounds a bit like Star Wars with Luke and Obi Wan, right? And even Luke doesn't live forever. Sometimes the story is about how the torch is passed. 

Offline kmfrye

  • Assistant
  • Posts: 32
Re: Traveller, Rogue Stars - Character Survival in Mini-Campaigns?
« Reply #7 on: December 04, 2019, 05:37:22 PM »
Another vote for Five Parsecs from Home - in my case, I'm using as a campaign shell for Stargrunt_II/Full Metal Anorak.

Once I read these rules (5P), I dusted off a box of inherited scif-fi miniatures and began to paint like mad.

Regards,
Keith F.


Offline Metternich

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Re: Traveller, Rogue Stars - Character Survival in Mini-Campaigns?
« Reply #8 on: December 13, 2019, 09:17:08 PM »
And in Traveller, it is possible to "avoid death" if you can pop the character into a cryochamber within 5 minutes of his stats going to zero (might be a tad difficult if you are in the wilderness - but possible aboard ship).

Offline Mako

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Re: Traveller, Rogue Stars - Character Survival in Mini-Campaigns?
« Reply #9 on: December 13, 2019, 10:08:30 PM »
Hmmm, I like the idea of the Five Parsecs rules, limited saving options, and only using each one once.  Seems I recall some TV series doing similar with their favorite characters, and at least some are plausible.

Looks like a kill shot, but the guy/gal was wearing a bullet-proof vest, so.....

Wasn't aware of the Cryo option for Traveller.  That's another excellent one, assuming no headshot.

I see a lot of positive feedback for Five Parsecs, so will need to check those out.

Anyone using Starport Scum too?

If you have, or have played both Five Parsecs and Starport Scum, which do you prefer more, and why?