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Jeivar
2011-10-24, 05:04 PM
Ever throw a real-life celebrity into a silly campaign, just for the fun of it?

My friends and I have done it on occasion, and my favorite example has to be an old Shadowrun game, when we were infiltrating an undersea lab and encountered the evil mastermind behind it: A cyborg David Hasselhoff, preserved by all the machinery in his body. After a massive cluster****y firefight we were forced to flee back to shore in a speedboat and he chased after us with the "I'llllll be ready!" Baywatch song accompanying him wherever he went, and sounding ominously in the background when he passed by our hiding place.


Personally, I was once running a short post-apocalypse campaign when the players ran afoul of savage raiders led by a middle-aged Jim Carrey; Living in a trailer filled with his posters and old DVDs.

comicshorse
2011-10-24, 05:13 PM
In a Sabbat Vampire game our pack killed Nicholas Witchell but he only counts if your British

Gensh
2011-10-24, 05:51 PM
He hasn't made an appearance yet, but in my current Exalted game, I've got Charlie Sheen set up as a rogue Green Sun Prince working for a raksha noble on an epic quest to gather enough madmen to save the world. As things stand, he'll probably be something of a tourguide for the party, but since it's Exalted's version of hell we're talking about, nothing he says will be crazy because it will all be true.

navar100
2011-10-24, 06:01 PM
During 2E I did play a cleric of Justice/Revenge named Judge Reinhold.

Velaryon
2011-10-24, 06:58 PM
I played in a game once where we ran into Terry Tate (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzToNo7A-94). We ended up training him as a Jedi, and one of the players even homebrewed a ridiculously overpowered Jedi Linebacker prestige class just for him. He had his own personal starship called the Pain Train and everything.

In that same game, Robert Loggia was on the Jedi Council. We had just been watching this (http://youtu.be/74bJVJ0ehFM), so of course Jedi Master Robert Loggia was always piping up to mention how somebody (usually one of the PCs) was right, and he would occasionally ramble on about something having as much calcium as milk.

Those are the only two I can think of.

prufock
2011-10-24, 06:58 PM
In a Mutants and Masterminds game, one of the villains was Xenu. Yes, Xenu. Tom Cruise made an appearance. He was killed.

Geddoe
2011-10-24, 07:30 PM
The Tao in my Anima game had a match against Hulk Hogan last Sunday.

El Dorado
2011-10-24, 07:45 PM
Years ago, Avery Brooks (Commander Sisko on Star Trek: DS9) did a commercial for IBM. He wanted to know why we didn't have flying cars in the year 2000. A buddy ran a Mage game and threw him in (since there were no flying cars he decided to build one himself).

Iceforge
2011-10-24, 07:48 PM
Ever throw a real-life celebrity into a silly campaign, just for the fun of it?

I wanted to, but so far, Jessica Alba has not responded to any of my letters :smallcool:

tahu88810
2011-10-24, 07:49 PM
I once played in a campaign where, at the end, we found out the Orc-things we had been fighting the entire time were led by Ray Liotta, who was actually a wizard.

Wait no, that was In The Name of the King: A Dungeon Seige Tale

Tengu_temp
2011-10-24, 07:53 PM
Morgan Freeman as a president of a post-apocalyptic country.

Dr.Epic
2011-10-24, 08:30 PM
The Awesome League of Awesome Adventurers made up of...

-Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
-Robert Louis Stephenson
-Henry David Thoreau
-Bram Stoker

And a certain Roman emperor I won't say too much about but Malcolm McDowell played him.

Nachtritter
2011-10-24, 08:43 PM
Not yet, but I am waiting for the day that I have an excuse to throw Christopher Walken at the party. Maybe as the leader of a tribe in a post-apocalyptic wasteland...

"I see. You ... DECIDED... to come here... and steal our WATER. I don't... understand... how you think you'd succeed, you tiny. Little monkeys."

Rasman
2011-10-24, 08:46 PM
one of my buddies is a DM and he does it all the time

the last one was a Nymph that looked like Megan Fox

in another game, one of our PCs, a Bard, his mentor is Frank Sinatra, but all scrambled up...we also have Judge Dujy coming up...made me lul

Nachtritter
2011-10-24, 08:57 PM
the last one was a Nymph that looked like Megan Fox

I feel so sorry for your party. Were there any survivors?

Cisturn
2011-10-24, 09:07 PM
I like to base my PCs off of celebrities. My last PC was based off of Sean Connery and then after his death, I based another off of Frank Sinatra. If anything happens to Frankie, my next PC will either be Harrison Ford or Clint Eastwood.

sokbeest
2011-10-24, 09:29 PM
I had a campaign (set in the 1990's) in which Prince (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_(musician)) was an NPC with supernatural powers. The schtick was that he had made a pact with Dark Powers™ (as in demons, not the record industry...) and he changed his name to that symbol thing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Prince_logo.svg), a name which cannot be spoken, in order to avoid upholding his end of the contract.

Knightofvictory
2011-10-25, 01:02 AM
I usually steal characters from fiction... but one time I couldn't resist making the leader of the thieve's guild a fast talking, fat, balding, nasty halfling named 'Dan' and did my best Danny DeVito impression while running him. The party got the reference immediately, and actually enjoyed interacting with him, despite the fact he did nothing but insult and order them around.

neoseph7
2011-10-25, 01:05 AM
In a game I play on these forums currently, I have a gnome sorceror that conjured a ball of glowing lights meant to look and sound (ghost sound) like a cat. I named it Mr. Hasselhoff.

In a game many years ago, I had a halforc whose father was named Shrod. In orcish, dinger means 'son of', in this campaign. So this half olf front line-kick the door in- scream bloody heck- meat shield was named Schrodinger. (so as to not give it away in the setup, I had to place the emphasis on the first sylable of 'dinger and lightly mispronounce Shrod).

DoctorGlock
2011-10-25, 02:01 AM
I've used Arnold Schwarzenegger as a barbarian in D&D, complete with barbarian yodels. I used him in D20 modern on the campaign trail which is where my sig comes from.

Charlie Sheen showed up in an arena fight, Warlock 6/Cleric 4/Assassin 2 or something like that with the madness domains and fell flight, screaming something about being an F15

Do the effects of real life celebrities count or just the celebrities themselves, because my D20 modern also included the party having karaoke night at applebees to a variety of rather bad songs.

Gettles
2011-10-25, 05:34 AM
Had a campaign where as a re-occurring joke the party kept running into Nicholas Cage.

The Glyphstone
2011-10-25, 08:02 AM
He hasn't made an appearance yet, but in my current Exalted game, I've got Charlie Sheen set up as a rogue Green Sun Prince working for a raksha noble on an epic quest to gather enough madmen to save the world. As things stand, he'll probably be something of a tourguide for the party, but since it's Exalted's version of hell we're talking about, nothing he says will be crazy because it will all be true.

So he's Devil-Tiger Blooded then?:smallbiggrin:

Eldan
2011-10-25, 08:32 AM
Well, it wasn't entirely intentional, but in a d20 modern game, my players once decided that the best plan was to crash the oscar ceremony.

Gensh
2011-10-25, 12:01 PM
So he's Devil-Tiger Blooded then?:smallbiggrin:

Of course. You know how he's always talking about having Adonis DNA? Guess the GSP's name. :smalltongue:

I can't believe that I forgot to mention this, but in the last 3.5 game I ran, the party ended up looting a minor villain's horse and kept it with them for several sessions. Later, they ended up in a red dragon's lair but couldn't find the dragon itself anywhere. When the horse revealed itself to be the dragon, I accidentally slurred his introduction, convincing everyone that it was actually Sean Connery and that his acting skills were the reason he was so believable as a horse.

Dimers
2011-10-25, 02:20 PM
I wanted to, but so far, Jessica Alba has not responded to any of my letters :smallcool:

Heh. :smallsmile:

I used Charlie Daniels (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Daniels) near the start of one campaign, as a 'country boy' sort of survivalist whose separation from urban life had allowed him to survive widespread devastation.

Tetsubo 57
2011-10-26, 07:03 PM
I ran a 3rd Edition Gamma World campaign that had Robert Adams the author in it. Though the players never knew his real name. He was an Horseclan style Immortal.

Shyftir
2011-10-26, 10:20 PM
In our games the DM will sometimes hand a character a "fate die" to roll when all is going bad. Thing is if your roll a one, a powerful outsider appears and screws with you. We don't know this outsiders name but he is always described as "Evil Antonio Banderas."

Archpaladin Zousha
2011-10-27, 12:44 AM
I don't know if this counts, but I deliberately gave my longest-running character Arnold Schwarzenegger's voice when I found that he'd have grown up in our campaign's Austria equivalent (it was a post-apocalyptic Europe that had returned to medieval levels of technology, while nanobots made prior to the Apocalypse were the source of magic). He was a paladin, so I thought it'd be fun to deliver pronouncements of justice and have gentle moments of mercy with that ridiculous accent. And I managed to pull it off well enough that my fellow players said he was the best paladin they'd ever seen played.

And he reinvented the Molotov Cocktail too! :smallbiggrin:

Shpadoinkle
2011-10-27, 01:01 AM
No real-life celebrities, only imaginary ones. I drew up stats for this guy (http://www.dumpyourphoto.com/files3/78775/gCxwZ25M.jpg) (take a look at the spoiler below for his stats and see if you can guess who it is first) but I haven't had a chance to use him yet.

Human (Medium)
Warlock 4
4d6+8 (24 HP avg.)
Init: +2
Speed: 30', swim 30'
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+6
AC: 17 (+2 (DEX,) +5 (Studded Leather +2)) (Touch 12, FF 15)
Attacks: Unarmed Strike +6, 1d6+3 *2
Full Attack: Unarmed Strike +6, 1d6+3 *2
Space/Reach: 5'/5'
Special Attacks: Eldtrich Blast +6, 60' ranged touch, 2d6+1
Special Attacks: Brimstone Blast +6, 60' ranged touch, 2d6+1 fire damage, REF save DC 15 or catch fire for 1 round (2d6 additional damage)
Special Qualities: DR 1/cold iron, Detect Magic at will, Deceive Item
Abilities: 16 STR, 14 DEX, 14 CON, 12 INT, 12 WIS, 14 CHA
Skills: Athletics +10 (+16 for jump and climb, +18 for swim), Tumble +9 (+15), Search (cc) +5, Diplomacy +9, Spellcraft +8
Saving Throws: Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +5
Feats: Improved Unarmed Strike, Superior Unarmed Strike, Point Blank Shot
CR: 4
Swimming the Styx (Complete Mage, swim speed = to land speed, +8 to swim checks, can breathe underwater), Brimstone Blast (ComArc, EB becomes fire-elemental and ignites target) Leaps and Bounds (ComArc, +6 to Athletics and Tumble checks)

Mono Vertigo
2011-10-27, 04:51 PM
I am very, very tempted to incorporate Nikola Tesla into a future campaign, just trying to figure out how exactly.
Every campaign needs a Tesla.

Tetsubo 57
2011-10-27, 05:14 PM
I am very, very tempted to incorporate Nikola Tesla into a future campaign, just trying to figure out how exactly.
Every campaign needs a Tesla.

Do you read Atomic Robo? Tesla creates the main character.

Lord Il Palazzo
2011-10-27, 05:24 PM
I am very, very tempted to incorporate Nikola Tesla into a future campaign, just trying to figure out how exactly.
Every campaign needs a Tesla.My campaign will shortly come to feature a city run by a group of powerful guilds, including a "Makers' Guild" of engineers, builders and inventors. I'm sorely tempted to name the guild's leader "Nicola", "Tesla" or both. "Tesla" sounds like it could be a dwarf name, right?

Brauron
2011-10-27, 05:39 PM
I tend to imitate celebrity voices when I want to convey a sense of what an NPC is like.

A local sheriff in my current campaign looks and speaks like Sam Elliot, while in Call of Cthulhu games I've run, Nyarlathotep speaks like Heath Ledger's Joker. There's an Ogre Mage that the PCs in my current campaign will be facing in a few sessions who is going to sound like Mako Iwamatsu, and that is a session I am truly looking forward to.

legomaster00156
2011-10-27, 05:42 PM
Hmm... maybe I'll create an Elf Bard named Elfish Pressleaf to throw at my players...

Lord Il Palazzo
2011-10-27, 05:51 PM
Hmm... maybe I'll create an Elf Bard named Elfish Pressleaf to throw at my players...Don't forget to throw in a human with fake pointed ears pretending to be Mr. Pressleaf. This scenario clearly needs an Elvish impersonator.

Notreallyhere77
2011-10-27, 05:52 PM
I've thrown in celebrity actors into my campaigns as NPCs, but they've always stayed in character. Patrick Stewart as the wise and noble king, Steve Buscemi as the greedy, scheming owner of Ironvale Arena (the world's most popular gladitorial arena), and Will Smith as a wandering paladin, that sort of thing.
I thought having Jason Statham as a high-level rogue/streetfighter was good, but I didn't get to use him yet. And as soon as I master my Christopher Walken impression, there's going to be a rather unique vampire lord in the world.

Dsurion
2011-10-28, 05:24 PM
I've never even thought about using any direct references to people or other media in my games, with the notable exception of Nicomo Cosca, from Joe Abercrombie's First Law trilogy. But he's not a real-life celebrity at all...

I think if I were to include anyone though, it would be Charlton Heston.

Hiro Protagonest
2011-10-28, 08:15 PM
Maybe I should use Tesla...

Artificer with a fetish for lightning items?

Shpadoinkle
2011-10-29, 02:41 AM
Maybe I should use Tesla...

Artificer with a fetish for lightning items?

Read up on some of the other stuff Tesla invented; the Tesla coil was just ONE. Guy was a certified real-life mad scientist.

Zaq
2011-10-29, 02:47 AM
Not quite real-life, but a long ways back, a couple of us spent most of an in-game lunch ogling Solid Snake's ass. The DM hadn't put Solid Snake there. We just kind of asserted that he was there, then ogled him.

It sounds weird when I put it that way. I mean, it WAS weird, but it was also hilarious.

Ted_Stryker
2011-10-29, 04:59 AM
If we're talking about NPCs who retained their real-life identities in the game, I have two: Robert Johnson and Coco Chanel.

If we're talking about just using real-life celebrities as the visual image for an NPC, then much, much more.

Pyromancer999
2011-11-01, 02:16 PM
I once used Justin Bieber......it didn't end well. I literally just gave the name of the NPC, which was modeled after him and was going to be a villain....but he was immediately attacked straight after I gave his name. My advice? Only do this in a game that has at least one female player.

Trekkin
2011-11-01, 02:34 PM
Well, in my last session of Deadlands an undead Teddy Roosevelt came charging through a quite literal hellportal through time to beat Death's favored son into pulp, making liberal if unconventional use of a massive Gatling laser and revealing himself as the as-yet-unidentified Obi-Wan of half the party before charging back through, at the party's insistence, to keep on fighting the Good Fight. The party enjoyed helping, so I'd say it worked out well enough.

They also accepted the mission he charged them with, and with abnormally little quibbling, but sadly he's got too much of a role to play in the future of the campaign for me to use him again for a while. :smallfrown: