Part of Traviss' issue was that she made some hilariously inaccurate estimations of troop strength for both the GAR and the Separatists

Was this before or after that troop strength quote from Ep 2, which only makes sense if "unit" means some group of dozens of troops, but is never concretely defined (but is absurd if it's meant to represent a single trooper)?

In any case re: Mandos. I think the fact that to many fans they are a pan-Species organization means that having a Mando "species" isn't a great idea. If anything, Mando should be a template (in the same vein as D&D's Dark or Phrenic or Half-Minotaur), but that's a mechanic this game doesn't really have either. So with the mechanical options there removed, I say go for fluff, take an Oath to the Resol'nare, and just act/dress/arm yourself like a Mando would.

There are a lot of "near humans" in the star wars universe that might have facial horns, "prosthetic" and different skin color. With minor aptitudes or abilities. A lot of what defines them is the culture of their homeworld

Here's why you can't exterminate us, aruetii. We're not huddled in one place—we span the galaxy. We need no lords or leaders—so you can't destroy our command. We can live without technology—so we can fight with our bare hands. We have no species or bloodline—so we can rebuild our ranks with others who want to join us. We're more than just a people or an army, aruetii. We're a culture. We're an idea. And you can't kill ideas—but we can certainly kill you." ―Mandalore the Destroyer

As a GM you really need to discuss with your player what THEY think being a Mandalore means and is. It is more then just wearing fancy Iconic armor.

Part of Traviss' issue was that she made some hilariously inaccurate estimations of troop strength for both the GAR and the Separatists

Was this before or after that troop strength quote from Ep 2, which only makes sense if "unit" means some group of dozens of troops, but is never concretely defined (but is absurd if it's meant to represent a single trooper)?

It was after AotC, and she apparently assumed that "unit = 1 trooper" when just a basic review of the scale of the galaxy and a bit of research (or just a few questions off to Leland Chee) would prove that to be a grand fallacy in terms of being able to wage a galaxy-wide war. Could also be the presumption that Yoda took every available Clone Trooper with him when going to Geonosis, given that we don't see the full scope of the rescue force.

I believe her initial number for the GAR was 2 million clone troopers total, including special units like the ARC Troopers and Clone Commandos, with the Separatist droid forces not being that much higher (I want to say 5 million, but could be wrong).

I believe her initial number for the GAR was 2 million clone troopers total, including special units like the ARC Troopers and Clone Commandos, with the Separatist droid forces not being that much higher (I want to say 5 million, but could be wrong).

1) This is why sci-fi creators, whether they be authors or filmmakers, need to be very careful about giving exact numbers.

2) I wonder if it is a linguistic/cultural thing? I know that in the U.S.A. the term "unit" is commonly used by military personnel to refer to a grouping; a company, or a platoon, could both be called a unit. Maybe the U.K. military (which I presume Karen Traviss has the most experience with) uses the term differently?

But to get me back on topic:

Plenty of solid suggestions for handling Mandalorians in this thread.

I understand you were hoping that FFG had something official to say on the matter, but please bear in mind that FFG has only put out a few Star Wars books so far. While WEG and D20 Star Wars ran for years and years, FFG is still just getting settled in. And I for one hope that they get just as much time, if not more, to give us their vision of a Galaxy Far, Far Away.

I've been thinking about how to present mandalorians since the very early EotE-beta - I even made this attempt to use as adversaries against my players; they worked well - particularly after some tweaking.

When it comes to playing a mando it sort of boils down to what it is you like about it, "you" includes both the player and the GM. There needs to be some sort of agreement there, whether its enough with the armour and a gung ho attitude or you need some oath, code, cultural thingy or whatnot.

Going pure EotE obligation can in many ways reinforce these notions, but it's not a bad idea to consider some Duty as part of this too - the combination can be fun, I'm sure.

If going by the cultural thing, make a list of the most important mando skills, not including brawl, melee and ranged (any) weapons - these skills will be increased and used anyways, it's the other aspects of the mando culture you need to map if you want it to be unique, cool and fun (whether going with a Traviss, TCW, or some other interpretation of the mandomalarky). Also, make some suggested specialisations for mandos (and feel free to include AoR specs if you got access to the beta or think of getting the CRB when it is released).

Same with gear: what gear is important, beyond the armour and weapon(s), what sort of other gear is important to these guys? This list doesn't necessarily need to include many items that give any type of mechanical bonuses as such, but things that are important to the character, the style, the culture, be it some bone, coloured cloth, paint (for the armour), stuff like that.

I could see a possible opportunity here. We have universal specs, Force or otherwise, why not a racial or cultural universal spec? The spec could convey or enhance certain well-known facets of certain races or cultures. Or maybe racial or cultural signature abilities that could be tacked on to your spec as an alternative to career signature abilities.

Were I to give mandos a shot. I would include plenty of fluff in a sidebar or a string of paragraphs about what they're culture is like. Then I would make it a duty (or obligation, but I think duty might be better since it works as a form of motivation), that you can initially buy down to start out with a basic set Mandelorian armor set.

Mandos come in various forms, though the fighty-fighty type (that's a technical term) is the most prevalent, so I might not allow any characteristic bonuses. But I would allow the option of buying down the duty to start out with some skill ranks or something. If you have a high enough starting duty, that would allow you to buy down for both.

@mouthymerc: I'm not opposed to the general idea, but I do wonder if it's necessary with cultural/species specific universal specs, although I do wonder what it would look like. 20 talents for a specific culture (or species), plus perhaps 4 skills... that's quite a lot of stuff. I'm more fan of the notion of some species/cultural signature ability, perhaps not on the level of the ones in EtU or DC, but some more powerful talents for a species (or culture) could be cool. Not seeing it happen unless some fans make it though.

@kaosoe: Yeah, that's a good way of doing it I think - obligation or duty would depend on game and/or campaign/GM, but I generally agree with your idea.

@Kinnisin: you use the word prognistic... I do not think that word means what you think that means.

I bet it was an autocorrect for prosthetic.

I don't think there needs to be a custom spec that's for Mandos only.

Between Hired Gun, Bounty Hunter (especially Gadgeteer) and Soldier from Age of Rebellion, there's enough variety in combat-centric careers and specializations to cover most Mandalorian character.

That and a "universal Mando spec" runs the risk of being little more than a grab bag of really good talents that a PC would otherwise have to go through multiple specializations to acquire.

I could see a possible opportunity here. We have universal specs, Force or otherwise, why not a racial or cultural universal spec? The spec could convey or enhance certain well-known facets of certain races or cultures. Or maybe racial or cultural signature abilities that could be tacked on to your spec as an alternative to career signature abilities.

I can't say I'm sold on the idea of Mandalorians but I do agree with you in that I'd like to see universal specs explored in different ways to add content. I think it would be a great way to add the whole notion of inventor to the Tech trees and the kinds of mods they can add to items or items they can invent. It would be a great way to add depth to existing trees. Languages maybe or other useful content that maybe falls short of just other combat modifiers. Of course that might be what you mean for Mandalorians.

The pacifism was explained in the Essential Guide to Warfare that the Old Republic wanted to stop that cycle by crushing the Mandos around 740 BBY and installed a new goverment that due to the lost conflict preached non-violence.

Of course that could not sit well with all the clans.

And that got us a few IMO nice episodes about the struggle within an old proud warrior society that ended with the planet in a civil war.

I remember reading somewhere, back in the 1990s, that most of the Mandalorians had been destroyed, and assumed it was during the Clone Wars. And Boba Fett was supposed to be one of the survivors, whatever else his backstory was.

I should point out that I took Satine's denial of Jango's Mandalorian heritage was more of him being exiled from the culture for not being pacifist. If I ever run a SW game and someone asks these are going to be my canon, unless someone can give references for why (not that I'd mind it!)

Yeah, it's kind of hard to figure out exactly what the canon on Mandalorians is right now, let alone what it will be later. I think part of the issue is that George Lucas was only one of three creative minds behind the original trilogy, yet George, being the original visionary behind the whole thing, ends up with sole control over what went into the prequels and what became canon. Unfortunately, George Lucas seemed more concerned, at the end of the day, with making money than providing for a consistent universe. He isn't solely to blame though. There are some genuinely bad Star Wars authors out there, who don't do their homework and do things like hand out the Battle Meditation ability like candy on Halloween.

I should point out that I took Satine's denial of Jango's Mandalorian heritage was more of him being exiled from the culture for not being pacifist. If I ever run a SW game and someone asks these are going to be my canon, unless someone can give references for why (not that I'd mind it!)

I believe that was the intended meaning of her denial. Jango was very obviously a Mandalorian. He was speaking the language to Boba in AotC. He was referred to as a Mandalorian numerous times in that movie, as well. Satine is using a "No True Mandalorian" fallacy there.