Space Romances In Traveller

[alex_greene]

This is a sort of spinoff of the "Space Romance Movies" thread.

How would you, as referees, run space romances in your Traveller campaign setting?

My criteria, as referee, include:-

- If there's any awkwardness around the table, it doesn't happen;
- Romances only between PCs and NPCs of the appropriate gender;
- Cut scenes rule;
- Use the romance as an opportunity for story hooks and character development;
- No women in fridges;
- Breakups only with the player's permission.

Thoughts?

 

[BrianSmaller]

Never had PC-PC romances in a Traveller game (have in a FRPG a long time ago) but plenty of PC-NPC romances. Had two weddings even (and in some time jumping a family or two was created). The campaign skipped several years at a time once the PCs got rich enough to give up travelling as a career. At that stage I solo-ran PCs to cover 'the next ten years' of their lives. The second wedding was the hook that brought all the PCs back together again. And the start of a new campaign.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

PC/NPC relations only.
Fade to black any sex scenes (fast-forward stuff).
No torture or rape.
No I Dream of Genie.
NPC is a main quest plot character (no blow-up toy).
A PC (maybe more) might choose the ultimate sacrifice to keep such an NPC alive for the next session (new PCs are made).
Typically, there is no combat in such game sessions. Everything else goes though.
PCs might be married with kids to their NPC contacts (family members left behind, or so they thought).

 

[Condottiere]

Worked well with a guest player; seemed overly awkward and complex within the regular group.

 

[Reynard]

Never had such opportunity in Traveller let alone RPGs in general as the players are usually only interested in Looting the Bodies. If it ever came up, I'd let the players run with it as long as they weren't just using it to disturb the other players. If Kirk can be screwing Orions and Regulans in the last couple movies with no issue, I have none. Romance is as much a story builder as any other theme.

For an example of romance as a player character, my recent foray in Pirates of Drinax involved running a female aslan who had a rough early life then spent her time on board a pirate ship of all male humans before becoming an officer on the Harrier. My scene descriptions often were peppered with very subtle hints concerning her past and how she dealt with being in that less than savory crew leading to her outlook and relation with her new crew who were of a different cut yet presented challenges such as a distant crush on the captain who captured her and would have put her in the gravity dungeon until ordered to take her as crew then treated her as an equal. She put up with and often partook in very subtle gender teasing from the crew often being more open. Her pat also made her less repressed with her sensuality and had the claws to make sure it only went that far. Then came the new crewmember, a still wet behind the ears aslan male who was much out of his element among a human crew. Before the game ended (for now), she was becoming his friend and mentor though I was seeing a bit of the older 'cougar' developing.

This is how romance and romantic situations can make a game interesting without being a porn show.

 

[GypsyComet]

Had a fleeing divorcee PC in one game, but I don't think that counts.

 

[Reynard]

Script describes your character as a fleeing divorcee. The director say you are a fleeing divorcee, now work it! That's roleplaying.

 

[BrianSmaller]

I just remembered a game I ran where one of the PCs was in love with a 'companion' android. No one else in the game figured that his 'wife' was not a real person. They did know that she was a lousy cook (a flaw in her programming that he couldn't fix).