Campaigns you've run?

[PoppySeed45]

So, my group just finished a long Burning Empires game and everyone had a blast. Some shuffles are happening in our group roster as people have to handle large personal issues and the like. That leaves 3 players and me, the GM.

We did some talking and folks have decided to give Traveller another go (one of the players played it with me three years ago), and now I'm wondering: what to run?

What I mean is, I like to run "themed" campaigns, such that we have a definite goal of some sort, or a defined story arc, or some such. For Traveller, the default is the "free trader" campaign. I don't actually want this, as it seems to just be a series of adventures linked tenuously together. I'd like something more directed but I'm not sure what.

So, I come here to ask. What non-Freetrader campaigns have you run? Or Freetrader campaigns that had a plot of some sort? Or a campaign that started with a strong premise in a sandboxy setting that went from there? Looking for ideas as this is likely to be run this coming Saturday, character generation and all!

P.S. - Forgot to mention the books I have for ideas (and not interested in buying more at the moment): Traveller Core, Mercenary, High Guard, and 760 Patrons 1st edition.

 

[Elrick]

If you want a linked campaign that isn't free-trader based, you could try Secrets of the Ancients: http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/rpgs/traveller/adventures-and-campaigns/campaign-1-secrets-of-the-ancients.html

A lot depends on what you & your players want. With Mercenary you could run a merc-style game, although the last one of those I tried eventually degenerated into 'the A-Team in space'. That said, it was good fun at the beginning.

I had more success with a naval game where the characters were naval crew of a small patrol ship (I used a type T, but a Gazelle or something similar would be just as good). You could mine the Pirates of Drinax (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/rpgs/traveller/adventures-and-campaigns/campaign-2-the-pirates-of-drinax.html) material for some ideas to get you started.

Let us know how you get on.

 

[PoppySeed45]

If you want a linked campaign that isn't free-trader based, you could try Secrets of the Ancients: http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/rpgs/traveller/adventures-and-campaigns/campaign-1-secrets-of-the-ancients.html

A lot depends on what you & your players want. With Mercenary you could run a merc-style game, although the last one of those I tried eventually degenerated into 'the A-Team in space'. That said, it was good fun at the beginning.

I had more success with a naval game where the characters were naval crew of a small patrol ship (I used a type T, but a Gazelle or something similar would be just as good). You could mine the Pirates of Drinax (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/rpgs/traveller/adventures-and-campaigns/campaign-2-the-pirates-of-drinax.html) material for some ideas to get you started.

Let us know how you get on.

Yeah, my plan is to present, say, two or three campaign ideas for Trav, and start the discussion from there. I've thought about the Naval campaign one and that has great appeal, actually (I was thinking of even doing a Mass Effect-esque game with High Guard, except mostly ship/station based...that's what trundling in my head now, anyway). May float it to the guys...

But the rest of you! Any ideas?

 

[IanBruntlett]

I would run a number of one-off adventures (free from http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/signsnportentsarchive ) before committing to running a campaign.

I've run a variety of adventures but in April I'm due to restart a Secrets of the Ancients campaign.

 

[PoppySeed45]

I would run a number of one-off adventures (free from http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/signsnportentsarchive ) before committing to running a campaign.

I've run a variety of adventures but in April I'm due to restart a Secrets of the Ancients campaign.

Exactly what I don't want to run, really, though thanks. Looking for campaign play. We like to just sort of jump in, if you know what I mean.

 

[Jak Nazryth]

I am currently running my players in a "sand lot with a theme" campaign. You might call it a heavily modified "Free Trader" campaign.
The players "free trader" is in fact a 300 ton Armed Merchant where they own 49% and a company owns 51% (former PC turned NPC is the 51% share holder)

The "behind the scenes" theme is a heavily modified secrets of the ancients. IMTU, there is more than 1 "ancient". The ancient race/culture in question lost a war with the ancestors of the Dryone more than 100 thousand years ago. They are now slowly "waking up".... oooooh... spooky... The players stumbled onto this for the fist time a couple game sessions ago, but it is a slowly evolving plot. My new "bad guys" from the forgotten past have elements of Babylon 5. But instead of "evil spiders" they are in fact Mind Flayers. The scientists that my players met have called the "Cathulians" based on an ancient Terran myth.
First introduced by Gary Gygax in "Adventure to the Barrier Peaks", along with the Mind Flayer, it was when psionics was introduced to D&D. The "dungeon" was in fact a crashed space ship and the Mind Flayer was all that was left of the crew. The module even had laser weapons and robots!
I've been waiting many years to FINALLY introduce them into a sci-fi setting where they belong. This is it.

Also in the mix is the start of the 5th frontier war and a Sword World revolt.
Currently my players are following their noses inside the Trojan Reach.
While I provide plenty of plot hooks, with 1 or 2 Major plot lines, I do not force my players down any one path. They chose what they want.... currently they may decide to hook up with a Merc group... or hook up with a Crime syndicate. Not sure, but it will be interesting.
So even though I have prepared a "Secrets of the Ancients" plot line, the players do what they want, and I react accordingly.
So call it "Sand lot with a plot?"

 

[kashre]

I kind of look at a campaign like a TV action/drama/cop type show. Generally, they have a main plot that appears over and over until it is resolved in the season finale, but some one- off adventures as filler.

I'm running a campaign that's kind of like Jaks... the players are all related, their father is a Free Trader. On the same day they get two pieces of mail, one indicating that he had died in a terrorist attack in the Duchy of Stoner, and one hand written note from their father indicating he's still alive.

There is a clear goal that is important to the players (find out what really happened to Dad), but I let them do whatever they want and build the adventures around their actions. Since they all have a vested interest in going where I want them to the game progresses non-randomly but during the journey to Stoner there's plenty of time for one off adventures too... and since there's shadowy secret organizations involved with Dad's disappearance the players never know whether a given episode does or doesn't have to do with what happened to him. Great fun

 

[Elrick]

Yeah, my plan is to present, say, two or three campaign ideas for Trav, and start the discussion from there. I've thought about the Naval campaign one and that has great appeal, actually (I was thinking of even doing a Mass Effect-esque game with High Guard, except mostly ship/station based...that's what trundling in my head now, anyway). May float it to the guys...

But the rest of you! Any ideas?

Depending on the size of ship you choose get your players to also generate some or all of the NPC crew (I had a smallish ship with a crew of 12-15, but only 5 PCs). This does two things: 1. it makes the NPCs 'real people' rather than just names/red shirts to the players; 2. if a PC dies you have an instant replacement on hand.