Ideas for the Firefly universe

[manfred]

Yes. If you are one of the unlucky people that hasn't seen the series (and the movie that followed) so far, do it now. There is also a fan thread around.


And this is to be a catch-all thread of any ideas related to the universe of Firefly, be they plots, characters, or whatever, short is fine, the better ones can be expanded later into full submissions on the main page.

I'll start with whatever I can think of, join me as you will.

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Stories

If we want to have a story written for this world, then there is obviously the question of relation to the original series and/or movie. There are several options:
 - original cast - the pure fan literature, taking your favourite heroes into a new adventure. While definitely neat, it has IMO a limited potential before it gets old. Obviously, the stories can happen before the series, after it or in-between.
 - around the cast - happening with other people around the series (so an alternate look on what happened), or, with some Firefly characters outside of the series (like exploring the past of the characters, or their future - both interesting options).
 - outside the cast - simply creating a story set in the Firefly universe. Easy, yet may be the hardest of all for the crazed fan.


Plot hooks

Bad Girl
At any rate, Companions should be rarely used characters, threatening to dissolve the drama into too much romance. An interesting option could be an 'evil' Companion (OK, I know all the talk about evil), or more exactly a Companion with large-scale political goals who is not afraid to use everything she has... to start a war, for instance. An adventure of intrigue and chasing a less-traditional enemy that can manipulate just about anyone.

Update: the character Saffron from the series is actually a good example for what an 'evil' Companion would be able of... now imagine that on a larger scale.

Finding and Hiding
Another top-secret Alliance experiment has escaped. No killer this time, but a mutated chameleon-like creature, that can amazingly adapt to its surroundings, designed to be an excellent spy. Barely sentient, it escapes from holding and somehow ends on your ship. All ships from a certain ports are to be searched by the Alliance, while strange things start to happen around you... and someone has eaten your lunch, too. A sillier take on the theme of River Tam.

The silent guy
You find out that the calm man travelling along just for business is a contract killer, and has dropped a guy or two on each of your stops.
Bad option 1: you find it out while he's still aboard. He knows.
Bad option 2: you find it out when he's gone, and somebody else has put two and two together. Now you are suspect.
Bad option 3: B.o.1  mutates into B.o.2

Space Flu
Someone on board contracts a highly infectious, but quite harmless disease... until the affected is exposed to Zero-G, getting violently sick. But that xxxxxxxxx-iser needs to be repaired outside! And all of you are probably infected, too. And you still need the medicine, and escape quarantine laws.

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A website for gaming in the Firefly universe: http://www.fireflywiki.org/Firefly/FireflyGaming

A pure forum website, but looks to be quite large: http://wavesintheblack.aimoo.com/

And a little dictionary in case you didn't know the few chinese words http://fireflychinese.kevinsullivansite.net/index.html

A bit crazy idea, but as we know how creativity can be, it works pretty well - 34 plot-hooks for the Firefly setting based on songs from Elton John - http://www.steved.org/rp_rules_eltonjohn.html

[Arminas]

Personally, the idea of a firefly worries me, if only for the possibility of heathens that might sully the pure jewel that is the firefly universe...

but still, I think it would be a lot of fun if that werent the case (I know, I'm a firefly nut)

[manfred]

Until I finish my own plot, I offer this one for anyone's taking:

Call from the past - an old colonisation ship is found drifting slowly into known space; damaged, but large parts are still functional, there are even people still sleeping inside. Unfortunately it's discovered by Reavers, that use it as comfortable hunting grounds, waking up a few people at time and chasing them for the sport.

Option 1: the PCs discover it with their ship, and decide to search it for salvage or out of interest - most likely both. The implications are obvious.
Option 2: the PCs are woken up as prey, and have to survive the chase and flee the ship; this would be a way to start in the Firefly universe.

[MoonHunter]

Personally, the idea of a firefly worries me, if only for the possibility of heathens that might sully the pure jewel that is the firefly universe...

but still, I think it would be a lot of fun if that werent the case (I know, I'm a firefly nut)

Don't worry, The same thing happened to Star Trek and Star Wars. However, without these fans following up with games and books and such, the series will go the way of Man from Atlantis, Gemini Man, 6 Million Dollar Man, 7 Days, and other good sci-fi shows that nobody except a few nutty die hard fans (like the original Battle Star Galactica fans, until recently... or the Dark Shadows fans) who congregate in dwindling numbers in odd corners of science fiction conventions, know.  So if you don't embrace the things that expand the fan base, your show will be nothing but a cyphered memory.