Review & Application of Shiny Object Syndrome By Venger Satanis For Cha'alt or OSR Campaigns Plus Tassie's Affair Session Report

 

Shiny Object Syndrome by Venger Satanis clocks in at seventeen pages of  solid female NPC's with a romantic difference for Cha'alt. And Shiny Object Syndrome has some solid NPC's that have been drawn out for the Cha'alt setting. But SOS could be used for any Science Fiction rpg or other OSR games with a Science Fiction element. Venger Satanis brings far more to the 17 pages then at first it seems;"The slow-burn or build-up when it comes to NPCs, specifically of a romantic type, is a lost art. You increase the tension and desire with anticipation. Don’t give the players what they want right away. Chances are, they don’t even know what they want. But if you dangle something alluring in front of them and then take it away, a few of them may get hooked. You can use this technique with almost anything, but Incremental Infatuation serves a singular purpose – make the PCs (perhaps just one or two, but that’s enough) excited about socially interacting with a particular woman. By the time they actually meet her later in the scenario or campaign, there’s something real, something special… a true connection. This connection raises the social interaction above and beyond the usual female NPC who’s just there to look pretty, get used by the PCs, or move the story along. She will hopefully fulfill another kind of purpose as either a long-term romantic interest or short-term wild night in Bangka’ak. However, because we took our time slowly building up the PC’s fascination, even a one-night stand will become a memorable diversion in your shared narrative." 
So in seventeen pages in SOS we get four well drawn out NPC's with background, motivation, and a romantic lead in for a PC. And these women are all trouble or simply lead in's for the DM. However there are some serious consquences for the player's PC's with these ladies. And this happens with incremental infatuation with this NPC. 

This factor allows the DM to gauge how deeply the PC is into this lady NPC. And in this afternoon's Wretched Space second edition game the Shiny Object Syndrome went into full effect with the PC's encountering Tassie within an elevator and the weird tentacle peusdo sexual fantasy in full effect. And then a couple of random rolls for motivation, why is she trouble, and the level we've got to find that girl. 
Well the encounter caused the players to get involved and assumed that she was a part of the action of Alpha Blue. And so she was! I've been wanting to get the space brothel back into focus & Tassie works aboard Alpha Blue but also has connections to Cha'alt & The Void Haven Outpost! So this directly connects back unto both the Outer Rim and Alpha Blue. 

Tassie was/is the escort to a rich merchant prince that has gone rogue and started. And this relates back to some of the events depicted in Alpha Blue's Alien Ass, Hydrogen Gas, or Cosmic Grass... No One Warps For Free. Tassie has heard and seen a bit too much. She's got secrets in her head that the Federation's officials would go away. 

And boy does one of the PC's in today's game want to help her (pity him) because the group has three Federation assassin droids after them. 

Now the PC's are aboard a strange star ship 'The Space Bird' with a pleasure cyborg, and assassin droids after them. They're  on auto pilot to Cha'alt but first they've got a refuel at a strange alien space ship truck stop. And that's where we ended! 

Shiny Object Syndrome by Venger Satanis is perfectly suited to get your PC's into lots of trouble and the NPC ladies in this supplement are ideal made to cause max. havoc in your campaigns!