Traveller : Lower Decks?

[IanBruntlett]

I've watched some episodes of "Star Trek: Lower Decks", a comedy animated series set in the Star Trek: Next Generation era.

I was wondering, is there any interest in a Traveller Lower Decks or some kind of comedy take on Traveller?

 

[Condottiere]

For Adventure type ship crews, it would be inherent.

 

[G'Naakbusters]

The best comedy stems naturally from a setting, I find, without being overt. It comes in the form of situations that make complete sense in context but seem absurd from without.

Traveller has a fair amount, due to the various factions' perspectives.

The Hiver-K'kree War is pretty funny, for example.

"Things tried to eat us once. It was horrible. There was blood and everything."
"Well, *something's* got to eat the babies."
"We don't like you. Anyway, we need to take over the universe now."
"No, this is our garden. We're poking things with a stick here to see what happens. Stop killing them. That's not clever or interesting."
"War now."
"We forgot to have a navy or an army. We do have cheerful psychotic lizards, though. They like this game."
"Ha! we win! Even your cheerful psychotic lizards are no match for our monomaniacal obsession."
"That's a nice vegetarian population you have there. It would be a shame if someone were to SELL THEM MEAT SAUCE!"
"Noooooo! We've lost! Run away!"
"We know what evil lurks in the heart of horseman. Don't make us turn you genocidal crusaders into *monsters*."
"Er, I mean, we can take over the universe at some undetermined point in the future, we don't have to do it *today*. So there."
"We're very clever. Either because we did something clever or we pretended we did, which is equally clever, so there."

 

[Geir]

The best comedy stems naturally from a setting, I find, without being overt. It comes in the form of situations that make complete sense in context but seem absurd from without.

Traveller has a fair amount, due to the various factions' perspectives.

The Hiver-K'kree War is pretty funny, for example.

"Things tried to eat us once. It was horrible. There was blood and everything."
"Well, *something's* got to eat the babies."
"We don't like you. Anyway, we need to take over the universe now."
"No, this is our garden. We're poking things with a stick here to see what happens. Stop killing them. That's not clever or interesting."
"War now."
"We forgot to have a navy or an army. We do have cheerful psychotic lizards, though. They like this game."
"Ha! we win! Even your cheerful psychotic lizards are no match for our monomaniacal obsession."
"That's a nice vegetarian population you have there. It would be a shame if someone were to SELL THEM MEAT SAUCE!"
"Noooooo! We've lost! Run away!"
"We know what evil lurks in the heart of horseman. Don't make us turn you genocidal crusaders into *monsters*."
"Er, I mean, we can take over the universe at some undetermined point in the future, we don't have to do it *today*. So there."
"We're very clever. Either because we did something clever or we pretended we did, which is equally clever, so there."

I don't know if it's great or sad that I followed all that. That's the fun with Charted Space... it has an interesting history.

 

[MasterGwydion]

I don't know if it's great or sad that I followed all that. That's the fun with Charted Space... it has an interesting history.

Almost every adventuring party I have ever been involved in in almost 40 years of gaming was basically lower decks, doing ridiculous things and somehow not only surviving, but also thriving. Haven't done the PCs as just crewman or very junior officers as much, as I like a sandbox campaign, but those are fun too.

 

[metlk]

If you're thinking about writing a kind of Lower Decks comic, I don't see why it wouldn't work, but where Star Trek was serious drama and had to have an absurd premise to make a comedy (the episodes of Lower Decks where it works the best are where the command staff and Starfleet are played completely straight and true to the premise of Star Trek. The worst episodes are the ones where they're made idiotic for laughs. It loses credibility.) None of that is needed for Traveller. The bridge crew can be manned by a bunch of Deadpool clones and it would still fit in the universe.

 

[MasterGwydion]

Almost every adventuring party I have ever been involved in in almost 40 years of gaming was basically lower decks, doing ridiculous things and somehow not only surviving, but also thriving. Haven't done the PCs as just crewman or very junior officers as much, as I like a sandbox campaign, but those are fun too.

Or We all died. That happened a fair amount too. lol

 

[Condottiere]

You need a Vulcan straight man, and apparently, a genki girl from Orion.

 

[Limpin Legin]

Or a Carousing Skill could get all the npcs to ROFL

 

[InexorableTash]

There is an essential element of Lower Decks that is contingent on unwavering loyalty to both your friends and the higher ideals of an exploratory organization in the face of mortal danger and absurdity.

Did I mention I mostly play Scouts?

 

[Condottiere]

 

[Condottiere]

Star Trek: Lower Decks - T'Lyn Goes Rogue

www.startrek.com