I will soon be running an edge of the empire game with my gaming group. the characters created so far are a rodian explorer-force sensitive slicer wookie-ex imperial pilot-human mechanic-and a hk 74 droid assasin. Im really stuck on ideas for their first meeting as i want to avoid the usual met in a cantina scenario. I was thinking along the lines that they have been captured by slavers-freed by the ex imperial pilot, escape planet on a stolen ship on which they find the droid. another problem is how do i deal with a force sensitive wookie because of order 66 and the fact that there arent many free wookies so there maybe people wanting to cash in(in the party). does anyone also have any advice on how to work in a restraing bolt on the hk droid as i beleive his intention will be to cash in on the force sensitive at the earliest opportunity. thanks for any feedback.

I feel like you're going to have trouble if the ONLY thing keeping your Droid Assassin from being openly hostile to other members of the party is a restraining bolt. That just sounds like a recipe for trouble to me, but not in the fun way.

One way to solve this would be in how the roleplayer plays the Droid Assassin. The Droid could have its own reasons not to turn the Wookiee in. Maybe the Droid himself would be captured by the Empire for reasons. Maybe the Droid doesn't like the Empire. Maybe the Droid's programming has evolved and it's NOT just completely selfish and amoral.

Again I feel like it would be hard going to have a party where most of the PCs are nice and kind and one member is heartless and amoral.

We have a Droid Assassin in our party who does have a secret mission to assassinate some people and he keeps that hidden from the rest of the party. I'm expecting there to be a confrontation at some point between them, because the rest of the party has some moral scruples against assassinating innocent people.

However, this is a story that's going to evolve over time. I've talked to the Droid's player about the evolution of characters from pure evil to less evil to more trusted members of groups on shows like Buffy or Angel, where they do a great job of showing how the socializing influence of a group of companions can help turn a ruthless villain into a, more or less, trusted member of the team.

Anyway, I'd talk with your Droid Assassin's player about it. They don't HAVE to play the character as amoral unless they really want to.

Wookiee Player: I'm so excited to play this game! WOOHOO! I'm playing a FSE wookiee...

Assassin Droid Player: I'm going to cash in on your character.

Wookiee Player: Dude, seriously?

Sounds like a kick-him-in-the-crotch, spit-on-his-neck fantastic good time is in store for Wookiee Player. I bet Wookiee Player is champing at the bit to get started making his second character in as many sessions...

Also, as far as how the characters met, why not get together with the players and do a "Session Zero" where you all brainstorm ideas for it together.

You can go over the various characters' Obligations, Motivations, and personal backgrounds, come up with some NPC ideas that their characters could have in their pasts, and find ways to connect the party together.

Also, as far as how the characters met, why not get together with the players and do a "Session Zero" where you all brainstorm ideas for it together.

You can go over the various characters' Obligations, Motivations, and personal backgrounds, come up with some NPC ideas that their characters could have in their pasts, and find ways to connect the party together.

^ Seriously. That would solve a lot of your "tying the group together" issues right off the bat without having to play through it and risk them NOT coming together as a group.

Basically you guys make the story of how they are a group before actual play begins then you avoid the whole "meet in a cantina" trope and many other pitfalls of new campaigns. Have your players help work out why the HK74 won't immediately try and turn in the wookie, etc.

I highly recommend doing a "session zero", and using questions in the vein of this thread: http://community.fantasyflightgames.com/index.php?/topic/90270-group-character-creation-before-pencil-touches-paper/?hl=%2220+questions%22

I did this with my group, and it really helped us all be on the same page when we got rolling.

If you can't (or don't want to) do a Zero session, just go for En Media Res ala the old WEG supplements.

Have the opening scene be some kind of high action scene like a firefight or chase and give the players a simple script to read that sets the mood and establishes they already know each other somehow. Sort out the details of their relationships down the road and incorporate that into the story.

How force sensitive is your Wookie Slicer?

I mean have they taken actual force powers or just the universal career and a couple of talents from its tree?

That droid can't really turn someone in as a jedi or force sensitive unless they have definite proof which if not present leaves you with the point that they're more likely to turn the droid into scrap than believe that story without actual evidence of force powers which is why carrying a lightsaber is such a bad idea!

As for them meeting I'd go with the Rodian Explorer is hired to go on a mission and employs his usual creqw consisting of a pilot (the former Imperial Pilot-Mechanic) the droid as hired muscle and the Wookie because he owes him a life debt back from when he rescued from potential slavery back when they were kids and the Rodian was much better off.

Could throw in that the Rodian has fallen on hard times but has remained true to their friends with the former Imp being someone he helped after he was unceremoniously discharged from Imperial service for as yet undisclosed reasons.

The droid is a former Separatist that has a restraining bolt from its former master and is working off its debt to its new master in return for being freed from said restrainer however the key to its freedom is the Wookie Slicer whose job it is to remove that restrainer bolt since given its habit of speaking its thoughts aloud has left the rest of the crew a little on edge around it so it has a lot of work to do if it wants its freedom and talking about turning in the Wookie because the Empire has been enslaving members of his race isn't helping!

does anyone also have any advice on how to work in a restraing bolt on the hk droid as i beleive his intention will be to cash in on the force sensitive at the earliest opportunity. thanks for any feedback.

I don't think this is your problem, it's the player's problem. If the player is actively seeking to ruin another player's game they aren't welcome at the table. If the droid player thinks he's being "in character", then he needs to figure out his own reason for not turning the Wookiee in. Why should you do the work? If you impose something like a restraining bolt, it becomes an antagonistic game, and he'll just use a triumph in the next combat to knock it off or something.

does anyone also have any advice on how to work in a restraing bolt on the hk droid as i beleive his intention will be to cash in on the force sensitive at the earliest opportunity. thanks for any feedback.

Also just to add on to WhaFrog, remind the player that assassin droids are illegal throughout most civilized space, so turning in the Wookiee would mean turning in himself in the process. Essentially the two are in the same boat, both their very existences are illegal.

If the droid doesn't have Criminal, or Bounty obligation it doesn't mean he's not a criminal or have a price on his head, it just means it doesn't bother him.

Alternatively, you can have the droid belong to the Wookiee (remember, droids are property) or if the droid has Obligation Dutybound, Oath, or Responsibility, you can actually have that tied directly to the Wookiee. He can certainly still turn the Wookiee in if he doesn't mind his Obligation being maxed out until the Wookiee is rescued...