Most Obscure Reference You've Ever Worked Into a Game

[Susano]

Re: Most Obscure Reference You've Ever Worked Into a Game

 

Which is?

[Guest Worldmaker]

Re: Most Obscure Reference You've Ever Worked Into a Game

 

The town was infested with vampires. Lord Arthur Holmwood is a character from Dracula. He's Lucy Westenra's fiancee, and is the one to drive a stake through her heart after she becomes a vampire.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Most Obscure Reference You've Ever Worked Into a Game

 

The players once were sent to investigate a series of mysterious deaths in a small town. They were met and given a tour by the mayor' date=' whose name was Arthur Holmwood. They never got the reference.[/quote']

 

Which is?

 

The town was infested with vampires. Lord Arthur Holmwood is a character from Dracula. He's Lucy Westenra's fiancee' date=' and is the one to drive a stake through her heart after she becomes a vampire.[/quote']

 

If Susano didn't get a reference, I don't feel bad.

[Susano]

Re: Most Obscure Reference You've Ever Worked Into a Game

 

If Susano didn't get a reference' date=' I don't feel bad.[/quote']

 

It's been years since I've read Dracula, and the only name I can recall reliably is Van Helsing.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Most Obscure Reference You've Ever Worked Into a Game

 

It's been years since I've read Dracula' date=' and the only name I can recall reliably is Van Helsing.[/quote']

 

I've never read Dracula, and the only name I can recall reliably is Van Helsing. Guess that one's just burned into the subconscious.

[Susano]

Re: Most Obscure Reference You've Ever Worked Into a Game

 

I'm working on a Star Hero scenario for introducing people to Hero titled "The Derelict." The subtitle is "The Return of the Eighth Passenger" and the company the salvage team is employed by is called "Cobb & Foss."

[Guest Worldmaker]

Re: Most Obscure Reference You've Ever Worked Into a Game

 

It's been years since I've read Dracula' date=' and the only name I can recall reliably is Van Helsing.[/quote']

 

 

Which was part of the point.

[GamePhil]

Re: Most Obscure Reference You've Ever Worked Into a Game

 

I'm working on a Star Hero scenario for introducing people to Hero titled "The Derelict." The subtitle is "The Return of the Eight Passenger" and the company the salvage team is employed by is called "Cobb & Foss."

 

That's going to bug me until it's revealed. It sounds familiar, but I'm not putting the pieces together correctly.

[GamePhil]

Re: Most Obscure Reference You've Ever Worked Into a Game

 

Alongside "Crom and Pun-is-meant," it made my head hurt.

 

Kudos for an excellent bit of word-play.

 

Spasíbo.

[zaras]

Re: Most Obscure Reference You've Ever Worked Into a Game

 

I've never read Dracula' date=' and the only name I can recall reliably is Van Helsing. Guess that one's just burned into the subconscious.[/quote']

 

Too many awfull rip offs on Stokers creation and the 'Kewl Vampyres!' blight affecting pop. culture can do that to a man.

 

There is a Giant in a pbem i play in that happens to be Green...and rather happier than those around it; it has yet to be ascertained is Sweetcorn is preferred. To make matter worse this giant is called Gamora. My Gm needs a slap

 

Chocolate factory owned by a man referred to only as 'William'; if this makes you think of that travesty of a film with Dep then reach for the memory-bleach (TM.).

 

Magic item: 'Boots of Fear'. Ill give you a clue- Podcast.

 

Anyone shoehorn wierd clones of politicians or Government figures into games?

 

Borak O'bmar (Alien Mentalist), Gordon Brawn (ex PM now a Superhero Brick with a hamfisted Scottish schtick ), Dereck Chain (ex. special forces type favouring the shotgun). Great potential for abuse.

 

Rural town called Innsmouth in a WFRP game. Funny how i can reliably count on certain players inventing reasons to NOT go there...which means ill have to postpone an encounter with a Bog Octapus.

[Susano]

Re: Most Obscure Reference You've Ever Worked Into a Game

 

That's going to bug me until it's revealed. It sounds familiar' date=' but I'm not putting the pieces together correctly.[/quote']

 

I quote IMDB:

 

Many of the non-English versions of the film's title translate as something similar to "Alien: The 8th Passenger".

 

Ron Cobb and Chris Foss were concept artists for the film.

 

Oh, and I'll be using Xenovores.

[Tungsten Shephard]

Re: Most Obscure Reference You've Ever Worked Into a Game

 

I tend to run games based on obscure historical references. For example I tied in the 1918 flu pandemic to all of my campaign players backgrounds. Even though all of the characters were born in 2035. Doing games based upon an obscure historical reference makes players think that actual history may have had an impact on characters in game history. This has the additional effect of players creating their own conspiracy theory's regarding their backgrounds and creating their own adventures.

 

Another Reference that has been driving the players nuts in the Superhero game I run is the 1908 Siberian explosion. This was a tie in for the 1918 flu Pandemic and the reason Super's exist in my game world today.

[GamePhil]

Re: Most Obscure Reference You've Ever Worked Into a Game

 

I quote IMDB:

 

 

 

Ron Cobb and Chris Foss were concept artists for the film.

 

Oh, and I'll be using Xenovores.

 

heh. Yeah, I'd read that bit about the movie. Had no idea about Cobb and Foss, though.

 

Thanks, now I can sleep.

[Gawain]

Re: Most Obscure Reference You've Ever Worked Into a Game

 

In a Fantasy Hero game I ran some years ago, the PC's guide to the haunted ruins was a very nervous scribe named Luther Heggs. The players didn't get it.

[Tungsten Shephard]

Re: Most Obscure Reference You've Ever Worked Into a Game

 

I once made a body of rubber stretching villain only known as J.J. (players thought it was jolly jumper at first) once the players discovered her real name only one person laughed about it. Her real name was Jenna Jameson.

 

The best details should always be left for the players to discover.

[Susano]

Re: Most Obscure Reference You've Ever Worked Into a Game

 

Shouldn't she have a body of silicone?

[Richard Logue]

Re: Most Obscure Reference You've Ever Worked Into a Game

 

Hey' date=' I don't care if he's the king of the world, all I want to know is 'where they are.'[/quote']

 

Well drop your socks and grab your... Peacemakers. I think they've been found. It's like they're havin' a town meeting or somethin.' They're crazy though. I think they're one can short of a six pack. Laundry day tomorrow, nothing clean.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: Most Obscure Reference You've Ever Worked Into a Game

 

In a Fantasy Hero game I ran some years ago' date=' the PC's guide to the haunted ruins was a very nervous scribe named Luther Heggs. The players didn't get it.[/quote']

 

Me neither.

[Weldun]

Re: Most Obscure Reference You've Ever Worked Into a Game

 

The Ghost and Mr Chicken

 

Luther Heggs was the name of Don Knotts' character.

[wrestlinggeek]

Re: Most Obscure Reference You've Ever Worked Into a Game

 

Well drop your socks and grab your... Peacemakers. I think they've been found. It's like they're havin' a town meeting or somethin.' They're crazy though. I think they're one can short of a six pack. Laundry day tomorrow' date=' nothing clean.[/quote']

 

Nothing clean, right.

[Kirby]

Re: Most Obscure Reference You've Ever Worked Into a Game

 

I haven't read through all of these, but here go four that I have done:

 

One PC was hunting a bond jumper named Gene. When she tracked him down, turned out he had a look-alike brother named Rod. Later, it was mentioned in passing that they were triplets: Gene, Rod, and Berry.

 

First big scenario in my online campaign had a V'han invasion. Various places around the world were under attack and there was a huge mothership in space launching shuttles for the attack. As GM, I try to nudge the players towards a local attack (the only one in the U.S.) at Stanley Air Force Base. They go after the mothership instead.

 

Most recently, the PCs are clueless about finding out who is chasing Witchcraft, despite DEMON agents attacking Homestead while three super villains are simultaneously attacking the mall for no apparent reason (the story is here) so I give a "suggestion" from an NPC named Georgia Marshall. No one listens to her.

 

Finally, and this may be very obscure, but I title a post OIGMPD and using NPCs recap what's been happening and explain how the PCs can find their answers. They're oblivious until their "answers" leave the scene.

 

I call these obscure because no one ever picked up the reference until I pointed them out later.

 

If you still don't get it:

1. Gene Roddenberry (Star Trek, hellooo?)

2. Stan Lee

3. GM and yes, I did bold her name in the online game as well.

4. OIGMPD Obvious Inaccessible GM Plot Device

 

[Susano]

Re: Most Obscure Reference You've Ever Worked Into a Game

 

I haven't read through all of these, but here go four that I have done:

 

One PC was hunting a bond jumper named Gene. When she tracked him down, turned out he had a look-alike brother named Rod. Later, it was mentioned in passing that they were triplets: Gene, Rod, and Berry.

 

Heh, in the anime Cowboy Bebop, the bounty hunters pick up three guys named George, Herman, and Ruth.

 

 

 

You might know him better as "Babe" Ruth.

 

 

[Vondy]

Re: Most Obscure Reference You've Ever Worked Into a Game

 

I threw quotes, characters, and places from old silver screen pictures into my freedom patrol game on occassion. I also threw in references from obscure cult classics.

 

Sometimes these were fairly obvious, like a club named the "blue parrot," but I'm a big fan of old movies and my players missed a lot of them. One of my players got big into film noir and cult classics so he could riff on my reference.

 

For instance: The Mandoras Corporation was a front corporation for a disembodied psychic brain experimentone of my villains ran. Mandoras was the name of the country the mad nazi scientists were hiding out in the movie "they saved hitler's brain."

 

I've also been known to use song lyrics as dialog on occassion. Once, when the team was moving into position on a paramilitary night raid the support element radio'd them: "Big Ben, this is Rubber Duck," which is from the song Convoy.

 

I've also been known to throw in characters from novels on occassion. Sometimes I just used the name, sometimes I took the character whole cloth. One example: since the Freedom Patrol game was set in the 50's the group ran across Sid Hudgens Hush-Hush keeper of "inside dirt supreme" from LA Confidential when running down leads in hollywood.

[Egyptoid]

Re: Most Obscure Reference You've Ever Worked Into a Game

 

the last scenario I ran was based entirely on the movie HOT FUZZ.

There was a murder investigation, a secret group in the background,

and a garden club trophy on the line.

[Susano]

Re: Most Obscure Reference You've Ever Worked Into a Game

 

the last scenario I ran was based entirely on the movie HOT FUZZ.

There was a murder investigation, a secret group in the background,

and a garden club trophy on the line.

 

You could base a CoC scenario on Hot Fuzz and I swear no one would ever know.