Easter Eggs

[Eradis]

Reading a thread about odd characters, a question popped into my head about Easter Eggs. I love them in games in general and I somethings insert some in my campaigns, but rarely. I'm wondering, what Easter Eggs have you seen in your campaigns as Player or Game Master and/or which would you like to experience?

For my part, I intend of presenting the four musketeers soon-ish standing as an elite group of an already elite faction of a king. I am not set on the faction's name yet, but I'll be sure to describe them all wearing a hat but the youngest and let as much of their personality traits known for the time of the affiliation.

[Elminster298]

I plan on introducing a group of four tortle brothers and their wererat teacher...

[DarkKnightJin]

You can honestly drop as many as you like in there. The GM's job is to make things fun, not to be totally original. If you take bits and pieces from games, movies, or shows... That's fine. If your players recognized bits, that's okay too.
Just don't let them metagame their way through.

[Falcon X]

Killed an ogre in the swamp. Had a donkey.

[Dudewithknives]

I once had a game where the group, level 3 at the time, we're hired to investigate why all the children in the area kept disappearing.

They tracked things down to a huge tree deep in the forests.
The tree was actually a portal to a pocket diminsion that was essentially a sweatshop for forced child labor.
The taskmaster and overseer of the operation, worshiped bane and was NE and just wanted more gold.
He was a NE wood elf named Kee'blor.

Later in the same game, the group needed some sage advice from the old wise one that hid under waterdeep. He talked in riddles and various wise saying. What through the group off was that he was a water elemental. He was the Deep Water of Waterdeep.

Also was the deep gnome monk who was always under nondetection. He was the unscrutable monk. He even taunted them with it and dared them to try and scrute him.

[Laserlight]

For a campaign set in AD1600 Belize, the village had a wise man, Old Juan, who was pretty spooky. He had a zombie servant, his shadow moved independently around the walls of his hut, and so forth. The players figured he was some kind of warlock but it was several months later before one of them said "Wait. I just realized....Old Juan. Old...One."

[TrinculoLives]

I don't think that my players ever got it, but they explored a fiendish dungeon known as the Devil's Workshop. The only approach to the dungeon was by way of Idle Hands hill.

[Eradis]

You can honestly drop as many as you like in there. The GM's job is to make things fun, not to be totally original. If you take bits and pieces from games, movies, or shows... That's fine. If your players recognized bits, that's okay too.
Just don't let them metagame their way through.

I know that originality can be a nuisance sometimes as much have already been done. I am seeking interesting Easter eggs to throw at my players, some more obvious than others, simply for fun as long as it fits in the settings. At higher level I'm pretty sure I'll want to throw at them the vorpal bunny of Monty Python and building up to the terrible creature, just to see how they will react to a mere fluffy bunny.

Actually, it is one way for me to give a bit of extra experience point at the group when they spot an Easter egg. Nothing major, but still, it's one more way to encourage sustained attention when sleep deprivation sets into the group. One of the obstacle of playing a late-night tabletop rpg in a world where everybody works hard.

[nickl_2000]

. At higher level I'm pretty sure I'll want to throw at them the vorpal bunny of Monty Python and building up to the terrible creature, just to see how they will react to a mere fluffy bunny.

This is only permitted if they have access to a one time use holy relic that deals massive damage on counting to 3.


I think the key to easter eggs in general is to make it something subtle in the background descriptions or an area or the people in a marketplace. If you make it a major plot point it draws people out of the story and into the story of the easter egg. For example (in my opinion), having 4 tortles and a wererat shopping at a food stand that sells flatbread covered in cheese at a marketplace, okay. Going on a ninja missions with them, to much :smallsmile:

[Eradis]

This is only permitted if they have access to a one time use holy relic that deals massive damage on counting to 3.


I think the key to easter eggs in general is to make it something subtle in the background descriptions or an area or the people in a marketplace. If you make it a major plot point it draws people out of the story and into the story of the easter egg. For example (in my opinion), having 4 tortles and a wererat shopping at a food stand that sells flatbread covered in cheese at a marketplace, okay. Going on a ninja missions with them, to much :smallsmile:

That's true. Though the thought of having them fight with that adorable abomination is now like a GM's dream to me. Most of my players never saw Monty Python, so only a few would get the reference. But still, in order to not break the flow of the game, well, to break it minimally I intend to make this fight one hell of'. Maybe forgo the holy grenade (also a classic Worms weapon) for that purpose, or use it as a stun grenade. Anyway, most of the time my Easter eggs are part of a room, objects that they will have to interact with or people they meet. Most often that not, the reference doesn't have the chance to be a real one and end up being a simple part of the game and it's okay too. I'm not running Community themed games anyway, so half my content does not relate to other stuff.

[the_brazenburn]

What about a wisecracking, red-cloaked drow rogue who hangs out in the city and fights crime? Prepared spells include Web, Spider Climb, and Alarm. Constantly fighting a mind flayer with eight metal arms and a hobgoblin. Enough said.

[Eradis]

What about a wisecracking, red-cloaked drow rogue who hangs out in the city and fights crime? Prepared spells include Web, Spider Climb, and Alarm.

That is a nice one. Subtle enough that people might rather tell "this guy reminds me of Spiderman" instead of actually spotting the gag. But still, subtle could be a stretch here.

[nickl_2000]

That's true. Though the thought of having them fight with that adorable abomination is now like a GM's dream to me. Most of my players never saw Monty Python, so only a few would get the reference. But still, in order to not break the flow of the game, well, to break it minimally I intend to make this fight one hell of'. Maybe forgo the holy grenade (also a classic Worms weapon) for that purpose, or use it as a stun grenade. Anyway, most of the time my Easter eggs are part of a room, objects that they will have to interact with or people they meet. Most often that not, the reference doesn't have the chance to be a real one and end up being a simple part of the game and it's okay too. I'm not running Community themed games anyway, so half my content does not relate to other stuff.

It sounds to me like you are using your Easter Eggs in a perfectly fine way though, so go for it, have fun.

PS - I do hope that you know that the classic worms weapon is paying homage to Monty Python...
PPS - Also, "Most of my players never saw Monty Python." There are D&D people who have never seen Holy Grail? That actually exists?

[Eradis]

It sounds to me like you are using your Easter Eggs in a perfectly fine way though, so go for it, have fun.

PS - I do hope that you know that the classic worms weapon is paying homage to Monty Python...
PPS - Also, "Most of my players never saw Monty Python." There are D&D people who have never seen Holy Grail? That actually exists?

I wasn't sure about the worm weapon, but after thinking about it, worms was released after the Holy Grail.

And, yes, it exists. I live in a French community where old English culture isn't quite popular. This is borderline a movie of "répertoire" where I live. Not all video club has it.

[nickl_2000]

I wasn't sure about the worm weapon, but after thinking about it, worms was released after the Holy Grail.

And, yes, it exists. I live in a French community where old English culture isn't quite popular. This is borderline a movie of "répertoire" where I live. Not all video club has it.

Sounds like your group needs to take a break from playing one night and watch it as a group with a beer (or wine if that's your thing).

[Eradis]

Sounds like your group needs to take a break from playing one night and watch it as a group with a beer (or wine if that's your thing).

I shall lend them my collection of Monty Python's and Baron of Muchausen I think.

[Elminster298]

A true D&D player does not need to watch Holy Grail, Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, Lord of the Rings, and countless others. At the end of your first session, the knowledge is simply there in your head. Like waking up from a dream and suddenly the world is a better place.

[Eradis]

A true D&D player does not need to watch Holy Grail, Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, Lord of the Rings, and countless others. At the end of your first session, the knowledge is simply there in your head. Like waking up from a dream and suddenly the world is a better place.

Still, those are cultural elements interesting to have. The world is a better place with books like The Lord of the Rings.