So my story idea is from some friends but also from Dark Horse comics. Many years ago they released a series of comics based on alternate scenarios for the original movies.

So my scenario is this: What if the Tantive IV had not been the ship the Death Star plans were transmitted to?

This sets the entire original story out the window and landing right in my players laps. What do they do with it? Who knows they have it? Who is pursuing them? Where are they taking it? Who are they going to give it to?

Now this is the initial idea and I really need to hammer out plot points, scenarios, and the whole campaign. As of right now I have no player designs, ideas, or creation process done.

What I am presenting to my group and the make up of that group:

My players are experienced players having played all previous SWRPG editions at some point and time. My players are very familiar with not just the movies but the EU as a whole or in enough parts where they would. I honestly can not predict what my players will play in this game. I am hoping to be able to start in June of next year with at least all three copies of the Edge of the Empire, Age of Rebellion, and Force and Destiny (even if this is still in Beta at the time) to give my players the most number of options in not just class but story development.

Things that are going to change from the OT:

Princess Leia is never captured and taken to the Death Star

R2 and Threepio never escape the Tantive 4 in Episode 4

Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen don't die in ep.4 giving Luke a reason to leave.

Luke does not meet Obi-wan at this time.

Han does not take that job from Luke and Obi-wan.

Alderaan is not destroyed in ep. 4 (biggie right?)

Yavin 4 base is not discovered due to a tracking beacon.

Battle of Yavin never happens

This is about as far as I got as Episode 5 and 6 would not happen at all based on things that did not happen in Ep. 4. Also while those are the things I believe will not happen based on what it is my players may do that will bring parts of A New Hope back.

Differences I plan on making:

Instead of the Death Star appearing above Alderaan it will appear either above Chandrila or Dac (Mon Calmari home world) as a threat for them to give up known Rebel leaders.

The Imperial Senate shifts into an exile state as over 1,000 member planets walk out in protest of the Death Star being used. They immediately labeled Rebels and detained within the Senate House. The Emperor suspends Senate business until the Senators are cleared. However, as questioning begins it is discovered that several of the Senators have escaped the House. There are arrest warrants are issued for all of them. These members are member planets from the original 2,000 who protested the Clone Wars.

The path of the Jedi in the universe will also be different from Luke being the last (like if a player wants to take on the role of a Force User).

Depending on what the players do either there is a massive assault with the Mon Cal cruisers along with the rest of the fleet on the Death Star or the snubfighter assault on the Death Star with Biggs Darklighter being the one who blows it up no matter the scenario. (Unless the players get involved in the assault).

So thoughts and holes I have also suggestions for story plot or what not. Would be welcome.

I am not the wealth of EU knowledge that you and your players appear to be, but didn't Mon Cal join the Rebellion sometime later?

Other than that small piece of Handwavium, this sounds like a sweet setup.

Dac was known to be pretty seditious during the Imperial period, though the Quarren usually cooperated with the Imperials to suppress the more rebellious Mon Cal. If the Mon Cal become too much of an issue I'd could see a big Imperial crack down on the planet. Only reason I think the Imperials would be reluctant to actually use the Death Star on Dac is the shipyards on and around the planet. I don't they'd be too keen on destroying a major strategic asset they still nominally control.

So to start my plan is to run the group through the beginner box and The Long Arm of the Hutt adventures with two changes. The first the players will be able to generate characters instead of the pre-generated ones (unless they like one of them then <shrug>). The second is the reason they were on Tatooine in the first place which was to meet their Rebel contact to give him the info. However, due to the Empire wanting their plans back they get ousted while walking to the location. That leads them through the beginner box I believe with the exception of the final scene. This leads nicely into Long Arm with the added bonus that when they arrive on Ryloth they may communicate with their contact through an intermediary there. This is to familiarize the group with the game and me with it as well.

The only problem I foresee is: Will my players turn over the Death Star plans to the Rebels or try and start a bidding war? Factors in favor of them doing what I want is the fact that one will probably want to have association with the Rebellion, they have a mentality that they are already have a guaranteed payment, and the fact that I am betting good money I am going to have a Jedi or wannabe in the group. Things against it my players have a merchant/trader mentality to them that will want them to haggle and negotiate the price, they think they could get away with a double cross and just get paid twice by the Empire then sell back to Rebellion, and finally they have a very good tendency to go out into left field on what I think they will do.

Also what would be appropriate payment to be an armed escort/courier for such information? I was think 10,000 total but I might be low balling it?

After the plans are safely away I honestly don't know what the players may or may not do in regards of getting involved in the war. If they don't then I will just keep running EotE adventures for them maybe throw the intro adventure of FaD at them if I think they can handle it and that is about it.

If they wish to continue and join the Rebellion then I will need to run them through a Death Star assault they might survive. After that a mix of EotE and AoR adventures to get them Episode 5 which equals I don't have a clue right now.

I really like this alternate plot line you have laid out. As far as trying to foresee problems, odds are your players will do what you least expect when you least expect it. Just have some contingency plans ready. As for the 10,000 credit payment, it seems like plenty. You don't want to make the mistake of giving your PCs too many credits up front. If you need to, you can always supplement the payment with supplies and/or equipment upon delivery. Good luck, this campaign sounds like a lot of fun.

So here is a question that sprung up while I was listening to Order 66. Specializations & Obligations. I am wondering if anyone has come across either, or, or even both where they just don't line up or cause strife in the player cohesion. My group has been gaming a good long time and while I can predict their actions most of the time I can't predict their moods.

I have a combat monster not in the fact that he plays like one he actually likes monstrous characters with classes mainly combat oriented though. I thinking hired gun or bounty hunter is what he might choose. Outside chance he might choose Big game hunter.

I have another who wants to be a specialist. In what is anyone's guess but usually skills or combat.

I have someone very similar to me who will go over all the books. He usually plays a jedi/magic user and see that happening here. He will choose a specialization that best fits his force character.

Finally I have the indifferent, he has played everything under the sun so he doesn't much care. However, in the case of this game and genre he will try to heavily invest. I predict him to play a droid cause he has in the past.

So thoughts on what I should pitch them? There been random games where they play sibilings of the same class just with different builds so that could come into play again here.

Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen don't die in ep.4 giving Luke a reason to leave.

Luke does not meet Obi-wan at this time.

This is similar to the last setup I used, where a overzealous imperial gunner shot down an "empty" escape pod. In the Radio Drama, Luke is listening to a recruitment tape for the Imperial Space Academy. In this alternate history, he runs away to join the academy where imperial agents instantly recognize his force potential (due to mandatory midicholorian testing). Luke is taken to Vader where Vader convinces Luke to join him. Having no reason to hate Vader (maybe Obi wan was smart to lie to Luke), he joins him. These two, plus Tarkin and the Death Star begin to plot the overthrow of the Emperor (Tarkin hints at this in the novelization IIRC).

Obi wan, realizing what happened, quickly get to Leia and begins training her in the force.

Now you've got a three way situation. Both Vader/Luke and Obi Wan/Leia begin to recruit forces for a "cold war" against the Empire. Do the players join Leia or try support Luke hoping to turn him to the good side?

Having a three way battle makes it easier to justify a small group of PCs turning the tide.

How do they come into possession of the Death Star plans?

Did Bria or the Bothans manage to escape the Imperial blockade only to have their ship crashland somewhere on Tattooine and your players discover it?

Would one of your players be willing to run a character who survived that crash and is trying to get the plans offworld without revealing themselves?

Han agreed to transport Obi, Luke and the droids eventually to Yavin for 17,000 credits I recall 2,000 in advance with the rest upon arrival...

You know you could run this the opposite way and have them approached by Senators trying to escape the Empire's attempts to capture them and have them flee Coruscant... then have them persuaded to locate what happened to their missing agents and discover where Bria or whoever was trying to transport the Death Star Plans had hidden them before the Tantive IV was unable to pick them up...

Lord how much would they charge to blast through the Imperial Blockade on Coruscant with those Senators?!!!

This is one of the things I like to do if my game ever gets to follow the established EU or movies. make twists that changes how a player would think would happen, and turn them on it's head.

First of all, kudos to you my good fellow. I've been toying with similar ideas, but to yours before mine. What are you going to plan for the eventual player derailment? They might decide to join the Empire? Or what if they take to the Outer Rim in hiding and to avoid the war?

In my current group I have a PC with a secret motivation. She is a Chiss noble that's been exiled from the Ascendancy and a shadow child at that. She is the pilot and owns the starship, but is a loner and currently only agreeing to take people on board for their usefulness to her objectives. So that forces me into a tight situation where I have to keep all the PCs tied in with each other. Then one PC is a Big Game Hunter and kills all the beasties, while another PC wants to befriend and tame some. It takes innovation to create the right hooks.

Be sure to give a really good backdrop to the players to guide them to your desired party make up. Maybe even throw some of your own flavor into obligations. I wanted to use Beyond the Rim as the launchpad for my group so a couple of their obligations link them to the Yiyar Clan or IsoTech. The GM, in my opinion, should be involved in the PCs back story formation.

The Star War stories have been told. Make up your own in the setting

That is a massive undertaking to alter so much of the plot, but it sounds good! Write it all out so you can share once it's ready!

I ran a game like this several years ago, under the WotC engine. The point of divergence for me was the end of Episode III - the game had Padme still alive as one of the founders of the Rebellion, a 'more machine than man' Obi-Wan who was a grizzled, useless drunk and Luke and Leia raised by their father -- Luke ended up being the 'big bad' of that game after the party ended up offing Vader.

Changing the timeline is especially fun when everybody knows what's supposed to happen and can trace the lines that lead to the altered version of events. Sounds like fun!

I'm not brave enough to use an alternate timeline (yet) but this sounds like a lot of fun. Whenever you get around to running it, I'm sure I'm not alone in being interested in some info as it plays out.

*Princess Leia is never captured and taken to the Death Star

Meaning she's (probably) on Alderaan when it goes? Unless. . . .

* R2 and Threepio never escape the Tantive 4 in Episode 4

. . . Unless she was running around doing mercy missions and undercover Rebel work with them.

* Luke does not meet Obi-wan at this time.

Unless Kenobi forces the issue. Eventually, presumably, the plan was to train Luke eventually. Meaning taking him away from the farm - I don't see Owen letting Luke do that while in between errands to Anchorhead. So - what was the trigger to set The Plan in motion?

* Han does not take that job from Luke and Obi-wan.

Meaning that Han is still directly in a world of trouble. Regardless if he got the job or not, Jabba was coming a-callin at the Falcon, and the band of thugs with him was probably not there for tea. Does Han come up with something lucrative enough in time to save his hide? If it pays well, it's probably super risky (and he could wind up dead). If there is no job, does Jabba feed him to the Bore Worms or something? Perhaps, being a businessman, he'll just sell him into slavery or take the Falcon.

* Alderaan is not destroyed in ep. 4 (biggie right?)

He needed a big, showey flashy planet to nuke for intimidation purposes, I get the impression that Tarkin was always gunning for Alderaan anyway, and Leia was a convenient excuse. So no, Alderaan still might go ka-blewie. The important question still remains - was Leia (and her droids) on planet when it went?

* Battle of Yavin never happens

Not necessarily on Yavin, but somewhere else. Once the person with the plans gets the plans to the rebels and/or analyzed, they still might find the Achilles flaw and mount an attack. Now, without Luke on hands to use the force, it's pretty clear that the Death Star's port will remain unmolested. Everyone who took the shot missed.

More importantly - if that happens, if the Battle of X goes down and the Death Star remains intact - the Empire knows about the weakness. Tarkin might have been arrogant enough not to leave in his moment of triumph, but he's not so stupid as to not invest a hundred bucks in some steel rebar to criss-cross the shaft all the way to the reactor.

So the rebels better hope they can come up with a secondary flaw, because that first one wont work again.

BTW the Dark Horse series in question was called Star Wars: Infinities. A later volume of which featured a carbon-frozen Boba Fett being used as Lando's desk.