Back story be damned!

As an example OOMA- Everything is set up for the FSE to get his/her hands on a lightsaber, then BAM! signals get crossed and someone else ends up taking possession. Character still wants the lightsaber? Then he/she has an instant personal adventure hook.

As a GM, I find it difficult to justify the inequity in allowing one or two characters to have "a leg up" straight out of the gate, particularly when it may leave other characters looking at their empty hands and thinking "Where's my precious?"

For my group, i was clear up front that I wasn't going to give any Force trippy visions and secrets to ultimate Force power. The game wasn't going to make it a major theme. (Force and Destiny may alter that down the road.) For now, they are still firmly on the Fringe side of things and one of the players did wind up making the FSE that wants to be a Jedi (and has determined to draw the notice of the Empire and gain 15 points of effective permanent obligation in the process). As the lightsaber question has come up a few times, i told the player that there is a clearly defined way to get it:

Scrounge up money and suck up to the Scoundrel with Black Market Contacts and shell out a F Ton of credits to buy one on the black market from a collector. Then enjoy the Obligation increase the moment it gets used without caution.

On the stat side of things, it's honestly not that bad. The new books coming out have tons of wicked items that with some mods and talent trees will be sick. Vibroweapons can get to the same icky crit level. And ripping through minions isn't a worry as it's easy to pour more into a scene if needed. They are props with death screams. Above posters have mentioned the locked door issue not being an issue and for my group makeup the Universal Cutting Tool approach may be neat but hardly needed as they have all kinds of other ways to bypass physical barriers and security.

The biggest advice I have on it is to just not hold back on the social ramifications of being an open force user, especially if the group is Fringe and lacks a solid group network (like the Rebellion.) Don't glorify it, as that will give player attention reinforcement, but don't shy away by having some Inquisitor, a Hand, or some other nasty arm of the Empire make their life difficult. The group should start to self moderate by telling the Force user to calm the heck down and learn this thing called 'subtly' because they don't appreciate having Imperial Cap ships and strike forces chasing them about.

The other big advice I have to offer is give a different alternative. There are a ton of Force traditions out there. Many have roots in the Jedi/Sith sandbox, but a lot don't (or at least don't 'now'). Groups like the Wardens of the Sky or the Mutakai could be a lot of fun to add, let the FSE have some IC ways to play with and develop their Force powers in game and get that sense of belonging, and don't come with the high level of baggage that a lightsaber carrying self-proclaimed Jedi would. They can still get the 'hunted by the Empire' experience , but it doesn't rate the free upgrade to the Vader package.

Force Senstives will always be more powerful then your typical non-force senstive. That is the law of the star wars univerce that those touched by the force often leave an more sangificant imprint on the history of star wars then any other. Theres no doubt in my mind that in a static fight, a force senstive from Force and Destiny will be sangificantly better at static combat then any other character. After all, they can use the force to maniuplate objects, can devine into the future and will generally be unrivalled in short range combat.

The key is to fight against the force users advantages. Longer ranges, cunning and being well equipped will probably make you better all round then any static force user example. This game will probably handle that balience of "stronger, but not invinciable" better then previous systems that could allow a Jedi to use force powers while having a 30+ reflex defence and an attack roll of a +14 static skill modifier. More exp too. A lightsaber itself is merely a really close range weapon, needless to say if you are fighting in close quarters then the foe deserves everything they get.

That being said, lightsabers themselves are a greater libablity then they are worth in this system, which is pretty cool considering a Lightsaber is probably the 4th most deadly weapon at short/engaged range* but also has a huge social RP price associated to it. Like the entire Heavy autofire rifle series, it shouldn't avalible off the sheif. Can't afford a lightsaber in your opening budget? Then you don't have a lightsaber, though there will be oppertunity to have one later as even apprentices of Jedi in exile proably wouldn't have one as blaster safer then what is essencially a public enermy stick


My experiences? My captain has kept a lightsaber in need of heavy repairs in his office in a storage compartment, though several of us want to get rid of it. I personally want to keep it as a study oppertunity, though I would rather it wasn't stored on the ship. Overall, a lightsaber adds tension to the party in the sense we have a fantastic relic to study but on another note we are risking our lives just hanging on to it.

Either way, sure you can earn your lightsaber but for the sake of your party no member should recieve it in a non-rebellion campiagn for the sake of the RP. Indeed now that I am in hands reach of one I am strongly considering of disposing of it, and it's range means that in the hands of a untrained user that ranged combat can still bring one down quite quickly.

There is also the option if he was a padawan fleeing to stat out those nifty low power training sabers

There is also the option if he was a padawan fleeing to stat out those nifty low power training sabers

Force Senstives will always be more powerful then your typical non-force senstive. That is the law of the star wars univerce that those touched by the force often leave an more sangificant imprint on the history of star wars then any other. Theres no doubt in my mind that in a static fight, a force senstive from Force and Destiny will be sangificantly better at static combat then any other character. After all, they can use the force to maniuplate objects, can devine into the future and will generally be unrivalled in short range combat.

The key is to fight against the force users advantages. Longer ranges, cunning and being well equipped will probably make you better all round then any static force user example. This game will probably handle that balience of "stronger, but not invinciable" better then previous systems that could allow a Jedi to use force powers while having a 30+ reflex defence and an attack roll of a +14 static skill modifier. More exp too. A lightsaber itself is merely a really close range weapon, needless to say if you are fighting in close quarters then the foe deserves everything they get.of a untrained user that ranged combat can still bring one down quite quickly.

Oh, I don't know. In the words of a famed piece of slime called Dave Lister: "One swift knee in the love spuds, it'll drop like anyone else!"

Make you PC work to obtain the LS, then make them work to keep it.

Personally, I try not to tell my players no. I can however make them accountable for their actions, in any way I see fit. I'm not sure I'd have them hunted down for having a LS. Now if a PC starts waving it around every chance they get, word will get out and the hunters will come calling soon.

You're the GM. You may not control the PC's but you do control the galaxy around them and everyone else in it. So, don't tell your players, no. Just make them pay for their actions like the greedy dogs they are. Make it fun though! The higher the stakes the more awesome your game.

Now that I think about it, I might just have my non FS PC's come across a LS, just to see what they do.

Now that I think about it, I might just have my non FS PC's come across a LS, just to see what they do.

"Hilarity Ensues" is usually the comment made when this happens.

Now that I think about it, I might just have my non FS PC's come across a LS, just to see what they do.

"Hilarity Ensues" is usually the comment made when this happens.

Zoe Robinson had an amusing anecdote of how her group came across a lightsaber, with no clue what it was. The results lead to the standing rule that "any weapon that can potentially hull the ship is NOT allowed on board the ship!"

Now that I think about it, I might just have my non FS PC's come across a LS, just to see what they do.

"Hilarity Ensues" is usually the comment made when this happens.

Thanks, now I can't stop thinking of my group running around with lightsabers like a Benny Hill routine.

I would treat the "Legend of Jedi's" like Shaolin Monks...Have any of us ever seen one? Was Bruce Lee one?? Do they live in Namdi Parbat? I dunno??!!!

So if some PC runs around w/ a Lightsaber you are in awe for a minute and wonder who is that guy? Then when Imps show up and want to destroy your town and whomever who saw this dude and want him dead then you think...."Oh Snap we gonna Die!"

Oh and remember 1 thing..."Women do Stupid things for Love...Men do Stupid things for P**sy!!" Just ask Anakin.

Mm, yeah. I can't get enough palsy.

Obviously he didn't mean "palsy", BO. That's just patently ridiculous! Clearly he is saying "pansy". Which is a very nice flower, I'll freely admit. I just don't know why men do stupid things for violas...

If your worry is for the PC to turn too powerful, I would not care too much. A PC with a heavy blaster rifle is way more "deadly" with its auto fire than the force user is going to be with the lightsaber.

I actually asked in last night session if anyone would be interested and to my surprise there were no takers and i'm more than happy to let them have one..... go figure...