Faux Pas and Insults
Under Review
This content is currently under review, and is likely to be added to or modified Winter 2025/2026.
Faux Pas is intended to provide an ability-based “out” for players in sticky situations. Roleplay is still required, but using the call primes crew to know what you’re trying to do and lets them reward you accordingly. Note that Faux Pas isn’t a magic spell – it only works in appropriate situations and with the right supporting roleplay. It also won’t necessarily fully resolve a situation by itself, but will dampen the fallout. Crew are briefed to reward good calls of Faux Pas based on player effort, creativity, and matching the present situation.
How To Use
- Make a social or roleplay blunder that insults someone.
- Call “Faux Pas” during your recovery roleplay.
Examples
The Ardent’s crew are dining with the Velocipons ahead of their big race tomorrow. At the table, Ensign Scab eyes a huge piece of fruit and takes a big juicy bite out of it. The Velocipons freeze in anger and shock; Scab has just consumed a decorative offering intended for the Velocipons’ ancestors! After panicking for a second, Scab remembers their items list and calls “Faux Pas!”. The Velocipons pause, but then stare at Scab intently; Scab’s player still needs to roleplay! “Erm, ah, erm, my apologies, it’s just that the spread you made was so, ahem, sumptuous, I couldn’t resist! Ahem, and, erm, on my planet, eating votive offerings is a sign of greatest respect to the ancestors! Haha. Please forgive my foolish error!”. The Faux Pas works and the Velocipons relax a little; they’re clearly not happy, and this will make the rest of the meal quite tense indeed, but an immediate diplomatic crisis has been averted.
Had the Faux Pas call not been used, the Velocipons would not have overlooked this grave offence, even with apologies.
Spanners is negotiating with the medical computer onboard an abandoned vessel, asking for access to the patient records. The computer is being stubborn and refusing to grant access. Spanners loses their temper; “Chuck you, you chugging box of scrap!” Seeing the computer is about to throw a tantrum and realising they’ve just made a terrible mistake, Spanners hastily uses their call of Faux Pas, and then adds; “and furthermore, chuck your plunting scrimbloid mother, you rusty flug-bucket!” Despite Spanners’ use of the call, their roleplay made no effort to actually resolve the situation and so fails, wasting the call; the computer flies into a rage and refuses any further file transactions, while Spanner heads off to find the biggest pair of wire cutters they can get their hands on.
Morpho the Omdua is attempting to navigate a perilous maze strewn with patrolling attack drones. Unwittingly they trip a security laser and a killbot comes barrelling around the corner, blaster at the ready. Morpho calls “Faux Pas” in an attempt to laugh off the situation. In this situation, however, it doesn’t work; The Drone is not socially offended, it is simple-mindedly trying to execute a task; in this case, executing Morpho. Morpho screams and gets their inner athlete on as they attempt to dodge and outrun a hail of projectiles. The call is wasted.
