Tuesday, June 12, 2012

One of those Common Plots for Traveller Game

I just finished watching Prometheus. Its nice that most of the equipment I saw can be found in your basic sci-fi setting, especially considering GURPS Ultra-Tech. Breaking down the formula and structure of it for a game, I think the story would have a different ending.

Spoiler-ish







The Gamers I know are healthy paranoid, they would have kept military discipline and would be crazy organized. Watching the move I would often mutter "that Idiot!", to many of the characters who took unnecessary risks. 

My brothers was telling me, he watched it with me and the wife, he would have definitely brought along a battle android, and at least two. I realized, given the discipline needed in a mission like theirs, or the possibility of insubordination any wealthy heiress would have taken an Android loyal only to her and would allow her to fly the ship with the minimalist crew, should ever the need arise.

Hubris is the theme of all these sci-fi movies, and it seems Holywood seem to like casting scientists as ender of worlds. Save for the movie written by scientists, and a rare few other movies where scientists are not so myopic as to fail to see their own flaws and their own humanity. I get annoyed by that, but not a lot of sci-fi movies that is about a science or discovery going around these days.
It would be best broken down into its components and made into a plot more close to home. The Mcguffin, would have been tied to the Plot Moving Character's (Scientist/Entrepreneurs/Financiers/Nobles) story and is precisely made to require him/her to push the story to the very end. The answer must always be a story of its own, written by the GM and torn into little pieces with bits of it scattered all around "the Set".  

The problem with Seasoned Gamers is that they are Cautious to a near-superhuman level (IMO). Gamers who are so cautious and OCD as to have planned and prepared are rare min-maxers that tends to be the safety net of the gaming group. They provide a great balance to the GM's voice since they work in keeping the characters all alive. In an adventure like this, they are overwhelmed by the massive work it is to anticipate all dangers, while the GM employs Murphy to push things forward. 

Even super min-maxers bow to and co-tow to Murphy, walking the path of the story and the drama. The harder the min-maxers fight Murphy, the greater the Drama they can build up. 

I realize that there are so many dangers and hazards the GM has to plant along the course of story. That's the problem of the GM, being one person, and trying to remember all these traps while keeping all the drama and adrenaline in check. Thats why I always wish a second mind, a GM's assistant, would always be useful as the game stresses out the GM switching emotional gears and super charging problem solving ability to map out what next to do. 

6 hour emotional roller coaster, designed in about 10 hours solo, and cooperatively another 10 hours. Gaming is such difficult mental feat, only those who intrinsically value it can ever achieve such climax.    

Prometheus

  • Probably 1000dtons 
  • Triple the Living Areas to account for the wide common areas and passageways.
  • Borderline TL10 ship
  • 100dton cargo bay
  • Vehicle Bay with 100dton Ship 


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