Just a couple of guys

[DarthBoolean]

Alright, so, a few months ago I was marathoning Red Dwarf after they added it back into netflix instant, and thanks to adding an auxillary port to my car stereo I've spent an awful lot of time listening to the Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy radio plays. Long story short I decided I wanted to run a space game where rather than being intrepid space heroes, intergalactic wizards, or loner bounty hunters, you're just a couple of guys barely managing to survive by a mixture of luck, some inventive thinking, and your wits.

So I pitched it to my group, the same guys who are responsible for this little gem:
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=239740
A 3.5 game that we did playing all commoners (I notice my friend never got back to tell people how it went. If you'd like to know, I'd be more than happy to tell you but I dont feel like bringing a year old thread to the front page again)

So, my question is this. The party is comprised of cripples, janitors, and psychopathic robot chefs. Does anyone have an idea for a problem that a space crew might face that could be dealt with by a crew of rejects? Less Xenomorph infestation and more like "a meteor accidentally hits the ship, and they must land on a planet inhabited by aliens who want one of the crew to marry the chiefs daughter in exchange for replacement parts"

[Radar]

It kind off depends on how they got their ship and what happened to all the competent members of the crew. There are always a few shake-down adventures to be made out of the "how do we operate this ship?" idea.

Aside from that, a slightly recolored idea swiped from one of the best space opera webcomics (Schlock Mercenary): they find a derelict ship which looks to be in a fairly good shape. No crew on board, ship's computer doesn't seem to be broken, but is barely able to maintain the basic life support and not responding. Yet, they keep hearing weird noises, uninteligible whispers, moans etc. as if the ship was through and through haunted. After an investigation it will turn out the plumbing was clodged and the ship's computer poured more and more resources to fix the problem with no success. Then they find out, the plumbing is clodged with the previous crew - shot, chopped and flushed. From here it's a question of who did it and how not to meet those guys.

[Iceforge]

bonus points if you manage to include all from this video: (it becomes english after 5-6 seconds in when a song starts, and I know split screen is anoying, but only version I could find with actual footage from the show)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-ohxdLktbc

[mjlush]

Have you (or more to the point your players) ever watched Hyperdrive (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperdrive_%28TV_series%29) Its probably on Netflix (well it is in the UK) I think it could provide a useful source of inspiration.

I'd be inclined towards an HMS/USS Dumping Ground ship where all the losers and screw-ups eventually get posted. I rather think that a campaign about the crazy adventures of a bunch of 'commoners' is liable to sort of drift Navy life would provide useful leavers like


mad orders from the top
Competitions with the snobby HMS Fantastic
Inspections
Shore leave
God Forsaken assignments
Diplomatic visits (esp if its to a robot civilization making the cook the only acceptable ambassador

[Zahhak]

psychopathic robot chefs

See, they're running a package delivery service, and they have to deliver a package to this planet right, but its populated entirely by homicidal robot separatists who will kill the entire human crew in a minute, and the psychopathic robot chef is too lazy to actually do the work, right?

So that's an idea.