Just got together with a group of friends last night and played our first session of EotE together. Everyone seemed to have fun. We were playing the adventure from the back of the core rulebook. I think the most telling comment was "It feels like Star Wars."

Most of the time I'm a PC but for this campaign I am the GM. Part of the fun, I think is when players do the unexpected, like in last night's game. The PCs have successfully retrieved the "Pass" program from the R4 and have slipped past the sentry droid. Inside the pressure veil the crew of Daboh's ship are waiting on the gang plank to offload their cargo. Noting the power cord running from ship to veil. The PCs use their canon and destroy the cord.

Wait. Stop. That I was not expecting nor do I think was the author of the adventure in the back of the book.

Cargo, minions and the first mate all fly off into the vacuum.

This is an example where players can really surprise the GM. From this point on I was winging it. I think though that this is part of the fun and challenge of being a GM. Thankfully the adventure was written in enough detail that I had enough background info to go with the flow. I had also done some online research to get a fan made deck plan of the ship which helped tremendously. (As an aside, my players find graphics helpful in visualizing game play as do I. I hope FFG consider including more, even as supplementary items that must be bought separately.)

So has anyone else had their players surprise them with their enterprising tactics or unexpected decisions? How did you cope or did it derail the game completely?

I WANT my players to surprise me...I like to be able to move the direction the players want to move -- not in a linear path. I rather them think and move and not be like uhhh ok this is the battle scene let's fight...or ok we get it...it's the lock pick scene lets kick pick. They may do the ordinary but I like when they throw curve balls...in the beginner game they used a triumph to find a secret passage between houses totally avoiding the storm trooper encounter all together which was cool ...and it was te player who had never played who came up with the idea.

My players managed to coerce Sarev into joining the Alliance in the Takeover at Whisper Base adventure (AoR Beginner Game). Took the base without a single fatality.

So has anyone else had their players surprise them with their enterprising tactics or unexpected decisions? How did you cope or did it derail the game completely?

Every time we play. For the last 30 years.

Regardless of game system or whether I'm the GM/DM or a player, our group always seems to do the unexpected. I think, subconciously, we try to find something wierd to do instead of what seems to be the planned possible action(s).

I believe it's why we consider roleplaying games fun.

As for how to deal with it, well that's really the fun of being the DM/GM, I think. Even back in the D&D days (original box set) with Keep on the Borderlands, when I was reading through it the first time, I knew I would have to be aware of every room, every encounter, every nuance of the place because my players would be going whever they weren't supposed to when they weren't supposed to. I guess I've always just tried to plan for the unexpected.

If that doesn't work, I'd just have to make it up as I went along, which happened to be far more often than not.

Just did my first game after their prequel. They surprised me by manuevering around a bulk of enemy troops and Vas Reed, pirate leader nemesis. They managed to push him back into the landing bay. The one PC almost killed them all by running back to the command consoles and unlocking the barrier to vacuum them into space! Now it was a check to hack the comp so I quickly threw a challenge dice to hopefully see a despair or failure to keep the bad guy boss alive. It was a major curve ball and luckily they failed and he chased them down. He took heavy damages but I KO'd a PC with lucky hit and truimph crit-- my fiancé...she wasn't to happy, lol. But she lived. Again another curve ball as the marauder managed to intimidate the baddy who had locked himself up in the console room command the rest of his troops to finish off the PCs. They were winning and only were struggling slightly against Vas Reed. She scared him and they literally ended the scen by demanding him to take what remaining troops he had and taking his shuttle and leaving. Lol it was funny as they were like eyeing each other on the monitors saying...you step away from the computer...no you step away...no you first. My fiancé tried to sneak back while he ran to the shuttle to open the air locks before Vas made it to the shuttle --- she failed the check but it would have been funny. But now they have a reoccurring possible Nemesis. Vas Reed and his monkey lizard pet-- he's not not to happy they bested him.