I stole my encounter from a Stargate episode and my players liked it

[Napftor]

I don't know if any DM can say he hasn't ripped off (directly or indeirectly) something from TV, film, or book. I've done it so many times that I wouldn't know where to start telling you about them. The great part is, with RPGs and sci-fi/fantasy genres sharing much the same audiences, you don't even have to disguise what you rip off to make it work. If your players recognize what you've done, they'll simply identify it aloud and thus deepen the communal experience of role-playing.

 

[Aeolius]

Teeing off through the Stargate...great image, there

Sounds like Groundhog Day.

"Who else could go for some flapjacks, right now?"

 

[Nuclear Platypus]

Sounds like Groundhog Day.

There was also a Xena episode, I think titled "Been There, Done That."

 

[HeavyG]

Window of Opportunity was a great episode. There's a Xena episode with the same trick. And yes, it's a GroundHog's Day rip-off. But they're fun.

Yeah, fun episode.

It seems many tv series must one day or the other do an episode like that. Angel did it, for example.

There is also something similar in the computer game Icewind Dale 2, I believe.

 

[Orius]

I second that Sez you! Amanda Tapping is much hotter.

Third.

 

[Orius]

Even the Manual of the Planes mentions the old Groundhog Day schtick — it's on the last page of the book under "Time Loops". Pulling a Groundhog Day can be cheesy, but if you do it right, it might rock.

The Stargate episode was cool though:

O'Neill, intimidating the alien scientist: "What kind of archaeologist carries a gun, anyway?"
Daniel: "Um, I do."

And hitting the golf balls though the stargate was funny too:

O'Neill: "How far is that again?"
Teal'c: "Several billion miles, O'Neill."
O'Neill: "Wow, that's got to be some kind of record."
General Hammond: "Col. O'Neill, what the HELL are you doing?!"



The Xena episode wasn't too bad either, but not quite as good as Stargate. The best part was when Xena followed a suggestion Joxer made, they all got killed, and then Xena kills Joxer first thing the next morning and goes back to sleep.

 

[domino]

And hitting the golf balls though the stargate was funny too:

O'Neill: "How far is that again?"
Teal'c: "Several billion miles, O'Neill."
O'Neill: "Wow, that's got to be some kind of record."
General Hammond: "Col. O'Neill, what the HELL are you doing?!"

In the middle of my BACKSWING?!

 

[Kesh]

Congrats, reveal. You've discovered the real trick to being a good DM: rip off good ideas wherever you find them.

 

[Evilhalfling]

ah .. how bout 12:01 a mid 80's movie that was Groundhogs Day with a plot.
It involved an atom smashing machine and someone gunning down the main characters love intrest at the middle of each day. Adds a bit more tension to the repeating day/love story.
because of course the woman barely knows his name at the begining of the day.

I stole all the villians for a game from rocky horror and the floor plan of the house from Kill Dr Lucky (I actually use the game board) and got away with it the first time I ran it at gencon.
The second time was just as much fun, even though I got called on it when Floatsam and Scarlett pulled out wands and started using bard songs at the end of the night

 

[Elephant]

Edit: Someone beat me to it.