Return of the Slumber Bandit
I run a Savage Worlds game for my brother and our friend. We’ve been playing since Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition. The setting we are currently using is my own home brew world.
Their characters in my first Keeper of Lore campaign had a random encounter with a mysterious individual. They were traveling in the wilderness and had made camp for the night. They took turns keeping watch throughout the night. But suddenly, the adventurer on watch fell asleep. It wasn’t his fault though.
A person cast a spell on them from somewhere in the shadows outside of their firelight. When they woke up the next morning, all of their money was gone. It was a considerable sum. They tried to track this person down, but lost their trail.
The event had nothing to do with the ongoing story. It was a random bit of bad luck that sometimes happens to people. The characters never found out what happened. Neither did the players. Until last night, that is…
We are now playing a new campaign. It’s the same world, but they have new characters. It’s a whole new story.
Their characters were out in the wilderness, looking for ruins to acquire some items for their boss. They got lost and were camping on the side of the road. One of them was on watch and felt herself getting unnaturally drowsy. Fortunately, she didn’t succumb to the spell’s effects. She woke her companion and they confronted their assailant.
The fight was brief and their foe was slain. Their characters didn’t know this, but they had just ended the Slumber Bandit’s reign of terror.
I revealed to the players that they had just avenged their previous characters. This was the same person that had robbed them before. The players thought this was hilarious.
Having a person from the past suddenly appear can be a powerful and entertaining game mastery technique. Even a nameless, minor NPC can cause a strong reaction.