Hey Gang,

Well this Saturday will be the first session of my new Star Wars Campaign, and only my second time running the game. To say I'm nervous is an understatement. Anyway, here is what I have:

CHARACTERS

Here are the player characters:

Zax Wettega - Human (Smuggler - Pilot)

Arcz Blakeney - Human (Colonist - Performer)

L'zadarma D'bro - Twi'lek (Technician - Mechanic)

El-Isara Vesri - Human (Sentinel - Shadow)

Nexus Tyrel - Human Clone (Ace - Gunner)

KYN-11T - Droid (Hired Gun - Bodyguard)

SETUP

The crew of the YT-1000 "Star Wanderer" made up of Zax, Arcz, L'zadarma and KYN-11T have been contacted by a mercenary who is seeking a way off planet for himself and an associate. The mercenary is Nexus and his ward, El-Isara.

Nexus and El-Isara are on the planet hunting information about an artifact that is believed to be what El-Isara's master was hunting before Order 66 was issued, and El-Isara was forced to flee the Empire with the help of Nexus, and Ex-Clone Trooper who was no affected by Order 66. Things got hot on the planet (where the adventure starts) when the were discovered in the warehouse where the artifact was supposed to be stored. What they did find was that the artifact had been moved, but its current whereabouts were unknown.

Meanwhile Zax, who has a strong connection with the Hutt Clans, has been asked to keep a look out for a rare artifact believed to have recently surfaced on the planet.

Now Nexus and El-Isara have agreed to meet the crew of the Star Wanderer at the “Techno Lesion”, a busy nightclub known for its shady characters, and proclivity to cater for the underbelly of the galaxy.

ADVENTURE

SCENE 1
There is pandemonium, after an attack on an Imperial Office tower. A ship flees the scene into orbit, chased by several TIE fighters launched from a nearby base. The heroes, aboard the ship, man the guns and make their way out of the system. The ship must escape the planet’s gravity well in order to escape. However, the combat will last only 3 rounds before we shift to “8 hours earlier”.

Cut to the interior of a busy nightclub in downtown Haenat. Seated in a booth are the El-Isara and her friend Nexus. Both watch the crowd as they are approached by a young well dressed man named Arcz. He has answered the call the clone had placed asking for transport off world. The man claims to have a ship to suit their needs.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the club, L'zadarma and Zax are seated and watching the transaction, whilst the droid KYN-11T remains outside.

Whilst the deal goes down, several burly armed and dangerous individuals enter the bar. These are Bounty Hunters who have received orders from an ISB Agent who has been searching for any coded transmissions of a similar nature to that sent by the Clone when he asked for passage off planet (**** holonet). The ISB Agent is several star systems away and can’t get to the rendezvous point for the meeting and has instead called upon the assistance of the Mandroxan Crime Cartel who have dispatched their mercenaries to deal with the situation.

Bar fight happens, and the PCs either win or escape via their speeder truck parked outside.

SCENE 2
Once dealt with, the heroes will flee into the streets aboard their speeder truck in the hopes of getting back to the ship. This leads to a speeder chase through the streets of downtown Haenat with several bounty hunters chasing the heroes on swoops. During the chase, El-Isara receives a message from a contact claiming that they have found that the artifact she seeks - and that the item is still on the planet. The contact reveals that the item - a statue made of yellow crystal, was transported to the Mining Guild Headquarters not far from their location, and that it was being collected by representatives from the Empire from Dominus High Command. The heroes must fend off the bounty hunters whilst El-Isara attempts to convince the others to help her reclaim the statue.

SCENE 3
The heroes, having dealt with the Bounty Hunters break into the top floor of the Mining Guild Offices in order to steal the statue before it is transported off-world. This leads to several encounters with Security Personnel, and eventually a squad of Stormtroopers who had been put in place to guard the statue. As the heroes reach the top of the building, so does an Imperial Shuttle containing the ISB Agent who has been chasing the Clone’s signature (and who had been tasked to transport the statue back to Dominus).

SCENE 4
The group flee the city and make their way off world chased by TIE Fighters.

So. What's people thoughts? Any ideas of which Adversaries might be appropriate? Any suggestions for twists in this adventure?

You could add in an NPC that is part of the party so if they get stuck you can have some influence.
Could even be a character that seems to be helping them but in reality might double cross them. or get kidnapped, or they owe money to NPC.

Your stuff seems fine its simple which is good, i know i get confused trying to remember everything when i make a complicated sessions sometimes. I dont think you will railroad.

It might be the kind of thing where you wont know how it will go until you do it. I think every GM will make mistakes on their first session which is natural so hopefully they all understand this if it happens, if you make mistakes its fine you will realize what you need to change.

I love starting out adventures in media res. The added gimmick of "8 hours earlier.." can be tricky to pull off, but rewarding as well. I would describe the beginning of the action with the TIEs hitting the ship a couple times. Then have them roll initiative.. then cut to the 8 hours earlier. When time catches back up to them, you've already got initiative rolled.

I have to add the pan down to a planet a ship flying towards the camera, several TIEs in hot pursuit.

I could probably actually make that pan down. (But 3ds max is big for my ssd)
Id make that for you but i probably wouldnt download stuff and then get around to making it in time.


I think i will make the Star Wars style text intro at least for mine.
If people do want one for themselves I can edit a copy for them after I've finished.

Now you're just teasing. I know somewhere online has the ability to do the text and the soundtrack, but I have no idea where I found it many moons ago...suggestions?

This is the scrawl:

VEIL OF DARKNESS
EPISODE I
The Golden Arcadium

Dark times have befallen the galaxy. 5 years have passed since the GALACTIC EMPIRE replaced the Republic. Thousands of Jedi have been murdered and millions of civilians have been forced to flee into the Outer Rim.

http://youtu.be/kkPpSNi0R0A

There you go if you know any way i can send it to you directly let me know.

I probably have the ability to make the spaceships flying around etc. but thats like a month of work instead of an hour or 2.
If i make one for myself, illl be able to make others more quickly but will see what i get around to.

GM Hooly,

This sounds like an awesome start to a campaign!

I'll start with the biggest issue in this: make sure to be flexible. You have quite a bit riding on the fact that the heroes are going to be on the ship. I think most will play along, but there are always a few people who will not want to be on the ship, especially if they can think of another way out. A judicious bit of railroading might be acceptable here. Alternately, come up with different ways the PCs can be on the ship fleeing TIE fighters and not have the scenario be what the PCs are thinking. What if they pull off the job superbly, evade all the Imperial security forces and then you have to come up with a reason on the fly that the TIE fighters would want to pursue them?

There's an old saying among GMs, "A campaign never survives contact with the players." So while I absolutely do not want you to abandon this idea, I would suggest thinking about what happens if the PCs don't do what you want. What if the PCs decide they don't want to go after the statue just because the Sentinel wants it? You may have to look into the PCs backgrounds to come up with something, especially because PCs...are sometimes not the heroic type. Break into a mining company, especially if they figure out that the ISB agent is arriving because of something they did? They may decide to try to get it later! I should also point out that your players don't seem like the type to do any stealthy breaking and entering. The stealthiest seems like the Sentinel, so why would the combat types try to help her out with some burglary? I can see the Performer doing something like that, though...

Back to my point--at some point in the game, the PCs are going to go off script. Let them, but make sure you take into account how the NPCs will react to the PCs actions. That's part of the challenge (and the fun!) of being a gamemaster.

Second, there is a lot going on in this adventure. Here's where I get into the nitpicky bit. I'm not sure why the clone would send a coded transmission. I'm kind of assuming that the involvement of the ISB agent would be the result of seeing a coded frequency that was used exclusively by clone troopers in the Clone Wars. So why would he send out a message on that frequency? I don't get it.

Perhaps a better way to play this might be to make the statue more central to the bad guys' reason for being on the planet. What if the ISB agent is there to pick up the statue and has heard that the clone and the sentinel have been asking around for it, thus prompting the ISB agent to sic the bounty hunters on both the PCs? This would definitely play into having the TIE fighters chase the ship, especially if the PCs had to steal the statue from under the ISB agent's nose!

Outside of that, I think you have a great session planned. You'll have to let us know how it goes!

Good luck and may the Force be with you.

There you go if you know any way i can send it to you directly let me know.

I probably have the ability to make the spaceships flying around etc. but thats like a month of work instead of an hour or 2.

If i make one for myself, illl be able to make others more quickly but will see what i get around to.

Yeah it comes up private. I'll send you my e-mail address in a PM.

Second, there is a lot going on in this adventure. Here's where I get into the nitpicky bit. I'm not sure why the clone would send a coded transmission. I'm kind of assuming that the involvement of the ISB agent would be the result of seeing a coded frequency that was used exclusively by clone troopers in the Clone Wars. So why would he send out a message on that frequency? I don't get it.

Perhaps a better way to play this might be to make the statue more central to the bad guys' reason for being on the planet. What if the ISB agent is there to pick up the statue and has heard that the clone and the sentinel have been asking around for it, thus prompting the ISB agent to sic the bounty hunters on both the PCs? This would definitely play into having the TIE fighters chase the ship, especially if the PCs had to steal the statue from under the ISB agent's nose!

Outside of that, I think you have a great session planned. You'll have to let us know how it goes!

I tried to bring in EVERYONEs Obligation into the first session:

Zax Wettega - Human (Smuggler - Pilot)

- Dutybound (10) - Working for the Hutts

Arcz Blakeney - Human (Colonist - Performer)

- Philanderer (10) - Wanted for being a womaniser (the ISB Agents wife will be one of his conquests)

L'zadarma D'bro - Twi'lek (Technician - Mechanic)

- Family (10) - I don't think I managed to get her's in.

El-Isara Vesri - Human (Sentinel - Shadow)

- Bounty (5) - Being wanted

Nexus Tyrel - Human Clone (Ace - Gunner)

- Bounty (5) - Being wanted and monitored

KYN-11T - Droid (Hired Gun - Bodyguard)

- Bounty (10) and Family (5) - Didn't get this one in either

The Clone has sent the message, and eventually he will realise that when sending a message, he has inadvertently sent the message in a code commonly used by Clone Troopers during the Clone Wars. Sort of a tracer signal in case they were on a covert mission or lost somehow. I kind of assumed that they rolled a Despair to bring the first scene down upon them.

Your idea however holds merit, and would make it more reasonable that they were keeping a watch for activity which may have related to the initial break in.

GM Hooly,

This sounds like an awesome start to a campaign!

I'll start with the biggest issue in this: make sure to be flexible. You have quite a bit riding on the fact that the heroes are going to be on the ship. I think most will play along, but there are always a few people who will not want to be on the ship, especially if they can think of another way out. A judicious bit of railroading might be acceptable here. Alternately, come up with different ways the PCs can be on the ship fleeing TIE fighters and not have the scenario be what the PCs are thinking. What if they pull off the job superbly, evade all the Imperial security forces and then you have to come up with a reason on the fly that the TIE fighters would want to pursue them?

There's an old saying among GMs, "A campaign never survives contact with the players." So while I absolutely do not want you to abandon this idea, I would suggest thinking about what happens if the PCs don't do what you want. What if the PCs decide they don't want to go after the statue just because the Sentinel wants it? You may have to look into the PCs backgrounds to come up with something, especially because PCs...are sometimes not the heroic type. Break into a mining company, especially if they figure out that the ISB agent is arriving because of something they did? They may decide to try to get it later! I should also point out that your players don't seem like the type to do any stealthy breaking and entering. The stealthiest seems like the Sentinel, so why would the combat types try to help her out with some burglary? I can see the Performer doing something like that, though...

Back to my point--at some point in the game, the PCs are going to go off script. Let them, but make sure you take into account how the NPCs will react to the PCs actions. That's part of the challenge (and the fun!) of being a gamemaster.

Having been a GM for many years (going back to the days of WEG when I ran a 7 year campaign), but I admit to having been "Pathfinderised" over the last 5 years or so.

The statue unfortunately is my "weakest link" because it hinges on the players wanting to go help the Jedi get the statue. I guess the strongest case is that this is the lead-in story from the smuggler's perspective, and lets face it, the party ain't going anywhere unless he's going with them:

A few days ago, Zax received orders from his “employer” Treska the Hutt , to collect a cargo of Rabanacus Leaf from Lekaz and transport it to Haenat . The narcotic, shipped in containers to represent Tea, was to be delivered to a warehouse in the lower Central district.

Upon arriving at Haenat , Zax received a personal message from Treska stating that he should keep a look out for any mention of a valuable artifact believed to have been recently uncovered on Haenat . The Hutt claimed claimed that she had several buyers interested in acquiring the object. She further claimed that she would sweeten the deal and offered Zax a “finders fee” should he bring her the statue in one piece.

Having completed the run, and delivered the goods, Arcz got wind of a quick transport job. Arcz claimed that the price was right, and was headed in the right direction – anywhere but Haenat . Arcz declared that he would take care of the arrangements, and soon a meeting was made to meet at the “Techno Lesion”, a busy nightclub known for its shady characters, and proclivity to cater for the underbelly of the galaxy.

There you go if you know any way i can send it to you directly let me know.

I probably have the ability to make the spaceships flying around etc. but thats like a month of work instead of an hour or 2.

If i make one for myself, illl be able to make others more quickly but will see what i get around to.

Yeah it comes up private. I'll send you my e-mail address in a PM.

I changed it to unlisted, i keep getting confused between unlisted and private.

GM Hooly,

This sounds like an awesome start to a campaign!

I'll start with the biggest issue in this: make sure to be flexible. You have quite a bit riding on the fact that the heroes are going to be on the ship. I think most will play along, but there are always a few people who will not want to be on the ship, especially if they can think of another way out. A judicious bit of railroading might be acceptable here. Alternately, come up with different ways the PCs can be on the ship fleeing TIE fighters and not have the scenario be what the PCs are thinking. What if they pull off the job superbly, evade all the Imperial security forces and then you have to come up with a reason on the fly that the TIE fighters would want to pursue them?

There's an old saying among GMs, "A campaign never survives contact with the players." So while I absolutely do not want you to abandon this idea, I would suggest thinking about what happens if the PCs don't do what you want. What if the PCs decide they don't want to go after the statue just because the Sentinel wants it? You may have to look into the PCs backgrounds to come up with something, especially because PCs...are sometimes not the heroic type. Break into a mining company, especially if they figure out that the ISB agent is arriving because of something they did? They may decide to try to get it later! I should also point out that your players don't seem like the type to do any stealthy breaking and entering. The stealthiest seems like the Sentinel, so why would the combat types try to help her out with some burglary? I can see the Performer doing something like that, though...

Back to my point--at some point in the game, the PCs are going to go off script. Let them, but make sure you take into account how the NPCs will react to the PCs actions. That's part of the challenge (and the fun!) of being a gamemaster.

Having been a GM for many years (going back to the days of WEG when I ran a 7 year campaign), but I admit to having been "Pathfinderised" over the last 5 years or so.

The statue unfortunately is my "weakest link" because it hinges on the players wanting to go help the Jedi get the statue. I guess the strongest case is that this is the lead-in story from the smuggler's perspective, and lets face it, the party ain't going anywhere unless he's going with them:

A few days ago, Zax received orders from his “employer” Treska the Hutt , to collect a cargo of Rabanacus Leaf from Lekaz and transport it to Haenat . The narcotic, shipped in containers to represent Tea, was to be delivered to a warehouse in the lower Central district.

Upon arriving at Haenat , Zax received a personal message from Treska stating that he should keep a look out for any mention of a valuable artifact believed to have been recently uncovered on Haenat . The Hutt claimed claimed that she had several buyers interested in acquiring the object. She further claimed that she would sweeten the deal and offered Zax a “finders fee” should he bring her the statue in one piece.

Having completed the run, and delivered the goods, Arcz got wind of a quick transport job. Arcz claimed that the price was right, and was headed in the right direction – anywhere but Haenat . Arcz declared that he would take care of the arrangements, and soon a meeting was made to meet at the “Techno Lesion”, a busy nightclub known for its shady characters, and proclivity to cater for the underbelly of the galaxy.

I think that's a good start, but what if you altered the story a bit so that everyone had a stake in acquiring the statue? They all want to get it away from the Empire, but it's what they do with it afterwards that's going to be the kicker. I think having the smuggler wanting to get it is a step in the right direction. I'd say something as banal as having the Clone want to get it to pawn it off for some live-saving medical treatments would work.

Just so you know, I don't want this to sound like I'm trying to co-opt your story. I've got a few years of GMing under my belt, too, and I've always been more of a narrative GM, so whenever I hear a cool idea I have to throw my suggestions into the mix.

That's perfectly fine, and exactly what I wanted people to do.

To go back to what you were suggesting. I think the Clone will go along to protect the Jedi - after all, it's one of his Motivations. The droid will go along with the smuggler as its Motivation as a body guard is to protect the smuggler. It's the mechanic and the con artist that I don't have a connection for.

The statues (of which there are many of) are going to play a part in the overall campaign. Perhaps the mechanic's family (her Obligation) has one similar as a prized family heirloom. This may spark her interest if nothing else and have the side effect of telling the players that there is more that one statue - thus revealing a larger plot.

That could work. Also, if the characters have been working together for a while before the game "starts", The other two might go along just because it's where the gang is going. Don't underestimate the power of friendship/sticking together.

Rocking the Obsidian! My only advice is keep records that are worth it to the players- some people write a novel, which works, if your players want that. I've tried to keep my records short and sweet, so the players get the information they need to keep their stories going.

http://youtu.be/kkPpSNi0R0A

That’s pretty awesome! Looks very authentic!

The only thing that occurs to me is that some of the text was a bit hard to read, and it would help if the line of text went the full width of the screen as it scrolls up from the bottom.

So how did it go? The players LOVED it, to the point half of them are asking to play next weekend (while the other half can't due to work. What I will say is that the three players who are also in my Pathfinder game which is nearing the end, all said, "So, can you just tell us what was supposed to happen in Pathfinder and we'll just play this at the next session thanks".

Needless to say, it was the most fun I've had at a gaming table in a long while.

This is how the first part of the session went:

SCENE : Starfield.
The expanse of space. The camera pans down to a reddish-orange planet. The space around the planet is busy, with starship traffic darting around the planet’s atmosphere and surface. Suddenly, a YT-1000 freighter races towards the camera. Several TIE /ln fighters can be seen in the background, all travelling at break neck speed, each attempting to catch up with the fleeing freighter. Two of the TIE /ln fighters manage to close with the ship, and each fires their laser cannons across the ship’s surface.

CUT TO: Cockpit of a Starship
A young pilot is frantically punching formula into a navi-computer. A Twi-lek female in coveralls is sitting next to him, the look on her face clearly shows that she is just as concerned as her pilot. The cabin of the cockpit shudders, and several alarms start sounding on the controls. The young pilot turns to the Twi’lek.

(PC) L’zadarma D’bro : That’s the forward deflector down! If you’re going to do something Zax, this would be the time!
(PC) Zax Wettega : I don’t know how the hell we’re gonna get out of this one!

CUT -TO: Exterior of a Nightclub “Techno Lesion”
Location: Haenat
The scene is several hours earlier. A large droid stands across the road from the nightclub, its sensors scanning the area for threat; a heavy blaster rifle slung across its back. A young woman dressed in a cloak and a tall male wearing what could be considered to resemble an older style Clone Trooper armour approach the front door of the club. As the young woman enters, the armoured figure surveys the surrounding area, before also disappearing inside.

CUT -TO: Interior Nightclub
As the two enter, a suave man waves at them, and the two make their way to the booth where the he is seated. The young man introduces himself as Arcz Blakeney and confirms that the tall man is Nexus Tyrel , the one who contacted him. Discussions progress and Nexus Tyrel reveals that he and his ward are looking to get off world in a timely manner without any Imperial entanglements. Concerned, Arcz Blakeney asks what price did they have in mind. Nexus Tyrel explains that they have a small amount of cash, but would be able to access larger quantities of cash at the end of their journey. Arcz Blakeney seemed concerned but after further discussion, he explained he would need to discuss the matter with his associates. Arcz then nods towards the bar, in the direction of another young man and a Twi-lek female both of whom appear to be keeping a watchful eye on the table. Arcz makes his way towards the rest room, and the young man at the bar informs the Twi-lek that he would be a moment. The Twi’lek, wearing coveralls and looking a little out of place, waits patiently, keeping a close eye on the two at the table.

Two of the Bounty Hunters arrived discretely soon after this, and took up position at the bar. They spotted their quarry, and contacted their boss. Soon after, a speeder arrived outside with 4 minions and a rival bounty hunter. He told them "boys" to stay outside and wait for his signal, and the rival went inside to speak with his men who were positioned at the bar.

It ended with everyone pulling guns, the crowd going into panic mode (providing 2 set-back dice to firing), and the droid opening up with its heavy blaster rifle on the speeder with the rest of the Bounty Hunter crew contained therein. The first shot missed but with some serious advantage, the droid forced the bounty hunters to remain in the vehicle. In the second round, a critical almost took out the speeder, but with 28 damage in total, it completely wiped out the remain hunters.

Inside the battle went along the lines of the Performed shooting out a window and escorting the young Padawan out the window. The Twi'lek went to draw and fire, and realised that she didn't pack her blaster but had a spanner instead (thanks despair - which the player suggested mind you). This was later used as a thrown weapon against the rival. The Clone shot out the lights to add further confusion, and ended up in hand to hand combat with the hunter.

Of course during this, the smuggler got jostled around (critical) and managed to lose the keys to the speeder truck they had parked outside. The keys got kicked around (ala Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom with the diamond). He then hit the deck, and spent the next round or so on the floor looking for them. The Twi'lek also hit the deck to avoid being shot at and started looking for the spanner she had thrown. She found the spanner, and when she asked "Can I see the keys? And where are they? Are they near the spanner?" I pointed to the Destiny Points and said, "They might be". Needless to say the point was spent.

Eventually all the bad guys were killed, and they escaped in the speeder truck. A Piloting check to avoid the authorities was successful, but with a couple of threats, a bystander had a comlink holo-cam which caught the registration of the speeder fleeing the scene.

Whilst leaving, the Padawan received the holo message from her contact. The information was parted, and the player asked, "So what do I owe you for your time?" The NPC Infomerchant, who ended up being a Toydarian (because I like doing their accent/voice) said, "Consider it that you ow me one". I then gave the player a 2 point Obligation. The Padawan thought about what she knew of the statue (the Golden Arcadium) and learned through 2 successes and two threat that the statue was a rare artifact that was powerful, and should she get close to it, she could be able to feel it through the force. This is not 100% correct (thanks threat) as the statue only has a strong force "pulse" when combined with 11 other statues of similar types (again a Temple of Doom rip off). The 12 statues actually activate a Temple of Kooroo, but that's further down the track in Season 3 A hack into the city's network provided a floorplan of the building they were to break into, and the group started their plans.

A further piloting check resulted in a traffic stop (one threat) as their actions avoided the speeder chase completely. With possibly the best combined deception check I have ever seen in a role playing game, they avoided the officer and went on their way. They decided on a plan and made their way back to the ship. En route to the ship however, they got caught in a security checkpoint and with some great role playing, and a bit of "hand waving" from the Padawan, they managed to make their way through without incident. This system yet again proves that great moments need not be combat.

Once at the ship, it was decided that the plan was that the Performer would act as an Imperial ISB Agent (they rolled to see what they knew about the ISB - very little), the Padawan would act as his "Cultural Advisor", and the Clone would be his personal bodyguard. The plan was that they would go through the front door and act as the ones there to collect the Statue. Great plan but its got its problems

Anyway, as part of the plan, the Clone asked the mechanic to make his armour more like that of a regular stormtrooper. This presented the biggest challenge to me GMing this system - no successes, a threat and 2 Triumphs. That hurt my brain, as the player and the majority of the table couldn't come up with anything appropriate - the attempt failed, provided a ground breaking event, but had a catch.

One of the players suggested that although it looked similar to a regular stormtrooper, to any Imperials observant enough, they would need to make a Perception check with a double upgrade to see that it was not real. I went with that, as it was the players showing the initiate. A gave her a point of Strain, because she was trying her hardest but had nothing more than a crappy image of a stormtrooper of the interwebs. Lets call it a good cosplay costume - lol.

The Performer got out an old costume of an Imperial Uniform (Destiny Point) and made it up to look like an ISB Agent. Needless to say: No successes and a threat. That will come back to bite him later.

We stopped the session there.

Everyone had a ball, and I had a ball running it. Can't wait for the next session...

For those that were interested:

STAR WARS - Veil of Darkness - Season 1: Episode 1 - The Golden Arcadium

Cool to see a full game published online, and cool to see what Obsidian Portal looks like with the themes and character images etc. I only just started writing stuff on mine still.