The opening scene of ‘The Hangover’ is one of the most memorable scenes in recent movies. The guys wake up, meet up with a bunch of people, and go to Las Vegas. It’s supposed to be funny, but it’s also really funny. I don’t think anybody has ever played a game based on that movie. We’ve had a few D&D sessions in Las Vegas, but most of our adventures have been in the fictional town of Whulz. (More on that below!)
I know what you’re thinking: “What the hell is a ‘Star Wars RPG’?” It’s actually a pretty simple explanation. Star Wars is an amazing series that has inspired many different film-based stories since the first movie in 1977. From novels to comics to video games, Star Wars has a long and storied history.
The staff of g15tools has been playing a ton of Edge of the Empire lately, and this past week, they ran a pretty hilarious game as a group. As part of the game, one of the players took on the persona of the titular character from The Hangover. The player did not know much about the film, but he did have a great sense of humor, so it was a successful and hilarious session.
I recently conducted a session in which one of our participants was unable to attend. I didn’t want to go on without this player since I was in the midst of a tale (The Jewel of Yavin). I thought we might have some fun with a filler session since his character was also important to the squad for the race (he plays their pilot).
My notes and resources for running ‘The Hangover’ in FFG’s Star Wars RPG: Edge of the Empire are included below. Of course, as a top-tier Dungeon Master, you may adapt parts of this for your own games, parties, and objectives.
Getting the Intro Started
Before the race, my characters planned to get some of their competitor racers intoxicated or drugged. Some of the characters had been working hard to equip their cloud vehicle, putting in long hours to do so.
Your players may need to ‘go along’ with this intro a little bit. I hope your group is relaxed enough to recognize that this is more of a filler session and that some railroading may be necessary.
The following is what I said:
You’ve all put in a lot of effort to make the vehicle ready for the big race. Some of you have become friends with the competitors. Lowhrick, you planned a drink with your new buddy and persuaded the rest of the crew to join you.
I then raised my glass and gestured for my teammates to do the same. We all sipped from our clinked cups.
The scene fades to darkness…… Give me a ‘Resilience’ roll, everyone.
Because you rolled the highest, Lowhrick, you are the first to wake up. You wake up with a pounding headache, face down on a Tan Tauntaun fur rug.
The Hotel
Describe the luxurious but destroyed surroundings the characters find themselves in when they wake up one by one.
Here are some ideas that I used:
- A cloud city casino hotel is a great place to start your day.
- The room was a shambles. Fear and hatred in the manner of Las Vegas.
- In the bathroom, there’s a huge cat named Nexu.
- Sunken living room with floodlights, like an indoor spa.
- In the ‘spa,’ a character dressed in a Transdoshian tail costume passed out.
There’s a Player Character Who Isn’t There
- Check for resiliency to see who is the first to wake up.
- PCs dressed strangely or half-naked. Words were scribbled on them.
- Droid PC was discovered spooning with the refrigerator.
- Inviting gamers to participate in the scene is a good idea.
Getting out of the Hotel
As the characters go through their belongings and bodily parts to see whether they still have everything, tell them which character is missing and what item(s) they have instead.
- A PC is equipped with a valet ticket. A card with an embossed gold ‘G’ is on another PC.
- The characters leave for valet service. The card is for a safe lock box at the Gold casino, as the concierge knows.
- When questioned about their travels or activities, the concierge promises them that they will be kept in the dark.
- Characters spent approximately 10,000 credits for the high-class accommodation and room service if they asked (Drinks, Moncal-cocktails,)
- Guard on the Wing (police) The valet brought the patrol vehicle.
- Poker chips for the ‘The Gold’ casino are kept in the glove box. (1,000 points)
*In order to avoid arousing suspicion, my players opted to conceal the police vehicle with their spacecraft and take a space Uber.
Cloud City Casino – The Gold
The casino is located on a rocky protrusion just outside of Cloud City. It’s connected by cables and a short bridge to its own platform.
As you approach and pass through the cloud layer, you will see lights and lasers of various colors. The impact of a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
To enter the casino, the players must surrender their firearms. Following a description of some of the gaming possibilities (Sabac, Blackjack, Roulette, Boxing). Guards in suits should accompany the player characters to a private rooftop garden.
Vorse Tabarith was visited (Casino Mogul). Last night, players got a job smuggling cash around the city. They took the money and never delivered it. The amount of money was 50,000 credits.
Vorse has video or a live feed of a humanoid person with a hood on their head chained to a chair that looks like their lost PC. (Perhaps being beaten)
Vorse may give players 4-8 hours to acquire him the money, depending on negotiation or roleplay. If they don’t pay up, their buddy will die and the rest of them will be hunted down.
The players locate the safe deposit box. Locate a suitcase with 22,000 credits. In addition, there will be additional narrative hooks for future sessions. (Phone number on napkin with lipstick kiss.) (Perhaps a picture of them concealing something in the roof of the hotel room.)
Making a Profit
There are many methods for the PCs to convert 22,000 credits into 50,000 (or 60,000) in less than 6 hours. Each PC gets a turn, and each round takes around an hour.
Here are some suggestions from my group to get you started:
- Taking chips from gamblers and enticing them. • Taking part in a cage match
- (Roll a d10 and win on an even number that isn’t 0)
- Making Deals/Selling Drugs
- Taking on more debt in exchange for a loan.
Taking the money back to the casino magnate secures their captive. If they’re late, the PCs may be able to make some pledges or take on some responsibilities.
(If the session timer has expired, this might be the missing PC; if you need to extend the session, it’s another NPC.) Maybe it’s related to the tale.)
It turns out that the missing PC isn’t the culprit. It’s a non-player character. In my situation (Gerrol Hunn Other Cloud City Racer).
PCs should return to the hotel as soon as possible. If not, persuade them by claiming that NPC left anything behind.
Returning to the hotel
When the PCs return to the hotel room, they hear music playing. They collide with a hulking bodyguard. At the piano is Lando Carlrissian (Baron of Bespin).
Lando punches one and knocks them out while appearing calm and nice (roll dice to choose a PC).
Players may want to fight back in this game. I explained to them that Lando is the mayor of the city they’re in, and that they’ve come to commit a robbery. Attempting to assassinate Lando may jeopardize the operation.
You may need to come up with a variety of reasons for your players to pay attention to what he says.
The player characters took Lando’s cat (the Nexu) last night, according to Lando’s bodyguard. Because the missing character left their jacket and hotel key in the tiger cage, Lando tracked them down.
The participants must figure out how to resurrect the cat. If you still need more persuasion, Lando adds that he has video footage from the night before.
The Tiger’s Movement
Now the players must get a big furious cat out of the toilet and securely onto some kind of conveyance to go to Lando’s.
This should include a variety of fun checks that your players may volunteer to do.
Here are a few suggestions:
- To calm or persuade the tiger out of the hotel, use skill checks.
- To knock it out, use stun settings on weapons or medical checks.
- By covering the cat in bed covers, the cat is disguised as a sleeping Hutt.
- To get it out of the hotel and into a car, you’ll need stealth.
- Distract the concierge with deception and charm.
Lando’s is a great place to eat.
- Footage of the gang getting drunk while stealing into Lando’s mansion.
- Peeing in his pool, tripping over objects, tussling with bushes, and so on.
- Lando shows them video of his tiger being stolen.
- Because there isn’t enough space in the Cop Car/Speeder, Missing PC must crawl into the boot. (If the players searched previously, there might be a hidden chamber in the boot)
PCs must return to the police vehicle and locate the player, who has just awoken rejuvenated from the car’s trunk.
Conclusion
This workshop was a big hit with our group. In contrast to our typical story-heavy slog, it was light and fast. Once the participants realized they were in ‘The Hangover,’ there was some meta-gaming. When one of the players attempted to inspect the hotel’s roof, I retaliated with a mild smack on the wrist and minor strain damage (since they were up in the clouds).
It’s a delicate balancing act to ensure that gamers can earn credits to pay for the Mogul and hotel but not overburdening them. There’s a time restriction in place to prevent this, and casino security may always take players out if they’re creating issues or winning too much.
I’d love to hear about it if you end up running this game, or if you have in the past.
