Greetings all. I'm sure this topic is been covered several times since it was released.

I'm thinking about just using the Beyond the Rim supplement for a group I'm starting. I've always created my own story and adventures but just having a new baby limits my time to create a made from scratch story. I've never used a book for an adventure, are they fun? I'm afraid I'll be pigeon held to the story and it would be fun.,

Let me know you thoughts and exp with the book adventure

It would really depend on your style of GMing, but the module does provide some locations and NPC's that can easily be leveraged into an extended campaign. The even have some advice on doing just that.

I'd say Beyond the Rim is a particularly good example of what a purchased module can be. If nothing else, it's worth the read to get a handle on how to create your own adventures, as they provide numerous examples of how to set up encounters and notes on how skills, advantages, and triumphs can be used in different contexts. There are some great adversaries, and good notes on how to run them. I found it pretty wide open and easy to adapt. I ended up dropping whole segments and adapting some parts with my own story elements.

I ran Beyond the Rim and dropped it into the group without issue. I skipped sections as needed, altered the set up to tie into existing obligations and went from there. My group already had some Imperial issues so it worked well.

You definitely don't need to run it page by page. It's even written with that not being the idea as there are sections in there about how to tie it into an ongoing campaign and adapt it to a groups perspective.

It's broken up into nice chunks and you can cut or expand on any of them pretty easily. The 'hook' setup at the Wheel is a great place to just do random Edge of the Empire style mischief so can let the PC's run amok there before you even kick them off onto the primary adventure.

If your group has a major Exlporer/research group, you can make the 'Getting to Chulgana' bit more elaborate, requiring them to go to another system to study ancient maps or what not. Or you can streamline it if the group is rather astrogation challenged.

The entire end chapter could be skipped by 'group drops off X at other location Y, gets reward as appropriate and sails off into the Sunset.' The group I ran it for almost went against the deal to take the lead scientist off to the Black Sun.

Due to choices they made, most of the middle section of Raxius Prime got cut for my group as it didn't make sense and I didn't want to bog down the adventure with it.

And the climax to the adventure module is intense. Tons of stuff for all types to do. The timeline encounter keeps things tense. My group lost their ship and half the crew got stranded as they did the big escape. Turned it into a very 'Empire' feeling ending, which made the follow up adventures of them getting back on their feet that much sweeter.

And since it's quite possible (likely) that some of the NPC cast (good and bad guys) will survive the adventure, it is a nice lead in for reoccurring characters if you are trying to keep your session prep down. Lots of NPCs that are fully flushed out. Some of them may never get any notable 'face time' either, depending on how things go down, making it easy to use them in a different adventure down the road.

I haven't used Beyond the Rim yet, but plan to soon. It has many great pieces for starting an on-going campaign. The Wheel, locations within the Wheel, a back story, and many potential contacts and adversaries. I've taken those pieces and dissected it to create my own version the Yirt (instead of the Wheel) which was more to my liking, but all of the basic pieces are still there.

I plan on posting the story and details of the Yirt, an alternative background and location for the Wheel/Beyond the Rim when I'm finished if anyone is interested. A much smaller space station with a deep back story located upon a battle damaged and thus inoperable Venator-class cruiser complete with Republic descendants running the place.

I feel your pain. I have a little one myself, I would suggest that the three acts ib the adventure be broken up into smaller acts. If you can make the time, try to break it into more natural breaks. Shorter sessions with cliffhangers will be better for you running your game and your partner will appreciate the shorter sessions as well.

Because you are helping out, right?

I'd say Beyond the Rim is a particularly good example of what a purchased module can be. If nothing else, it's worth the read to get a handle on how to create your own adventures, as they provide numerous examples of how to set up encounters and notes on how skills, advantages, and triumphs can be used in different contexts. ---snip--

This is exactly why I bought my copy. I may never actually run the adventure in the book, but it gives me a very good window into how the designers expect the system to play. In fact I always buy at least on pre-built adventure for every RPG I buy for just that reason.

I ran Beyond the Rim and dropped it into the group without issue. I skipped sections as needed, altered the set up to tie into existing obligations and went from there. My group already had some Imperial issues so it worked well.

You definitely don't need to run it page by page. It's even written with that not being the idea as there are sections in there about how to tie it into an ongoing campaign and adapt it to a groups perspective.

It's broken up into nice chunks and you can cut or expand on any of them pretty easily. The 'hook' setup at the Wheel is a great place to just do random Edge of the Empire style mischief so can let the PC's run amok there before you even kick them off onto the primary adventure.

If your group has a major Exlporer/research group, you can make the 'Getting to Chulgana' bit more elaborate, requiring them to go to another system to study ancient maps or what not. Or you can streamline it if the group is rather astrogation challenged.

The entire end chapter could be skipped by 'group drops off X at other location Y, gets reward as appropriate and sails off into the Sunset.' The group I ran it for almost went against the deal to take the lead scientist off to the Black Sun.

Due to choices they made, most of the middle section of Raxius Prime got cut for my group as it didn't make sense and I didn't want to bog down the adventure with it.

And the climax to the adventure module is intense. Tons of stuff for all types to do. The timeline encounter keeps things tense. My group lost their ship and half the crew got stranded as they did the big escape. Turned it into a very 'Empire' feeling ending, which made the follow up adventures of them getting back on their feet that much sweeter.

And since it's quite possible (likely) that some of the NPC cast (good and bad guys) will survive the adventure, it is a nice lead in for reoccurring characters if you are trying to keep your session prep down. Lots of NPCs that are fully flushed out. Some of them may never get any notable 'face time' either, depending on how things go down, making it easy to use them in a different adventure down the road.

And yes. Breaking it up and borrowing pieces is how I most likely will use it.

I liked some parts of the adventure and the NPC's, but the majority isn't very good and the transition from one chapter to another was kind of forced. So I've re-written it and made it a bit more suitable for our group, its a little bit more a mix of Apocalypse Now meets some 'rogue trader' kinds of aspects that tie in better with the backstory of the characters, their ship.

(for which I'm grateful to the authors for the inspiration, if not their story)

Lot of the loot and xp will be adjusted as well to suit and kicks off the tie-ins and relationships that 'should' be pursued in a sandbox environment I prefer playing that PC's choose their own destiny, rather than hop on a railroad.

I liked some parts of the adventure and the NPC's, but the majority isn't very good and the transition from one chapter to another was kind of forced. So I've re-written it and made it a bit more suitable for our group, its a little bit more a mix of Apocalypse Now meets some 'rogue trader' kinds of aspects that tie in better with the backstory of the characters, their ship.

(for which I'm grateful to the authors for the inspiration, if not their story)

Lot of the loot and xp will be adjusted as well to suit and kicks off the tie-ins and relationships that 'should' be pursued in a sandbox environment I prefer playing that PC's choose their own destiny, rather than hop on a railroad.

Is it railroading when your players chose to follow the plot? I actually see people use this term for any streamlined adventure nowadays, when that so isn't what "railroading" means. Railroading is when you do not allow your players to deviate at all,it is when you force them along a path holding their hand everynstep of the way. BtR is like that in no way. Sure, it follows a plot and has essential scenes but this is no railroad. In fact it hands you dozens of tools to actively avoid such.

Also, "sandboxing" in my opion, is massively overrated and the sessions that are improvised as such, for me, have been the worst adventures I played. They were terribly shallow in their broad scope...