Long story short: Myself and another player in my game are both playing force sensitives. He's leaning towards dark side and myself towards light - we decided it would be pretty cool if during a critical story moment he made one decision (that makes sense, but is clearly "evil") while I went the other way... the resulting duel would then determine the overall "leaning" of the party. Other party members would either involve themselves with one side or the other, or stay neutral.

This will probably happen at the end of a story arc in the ~500XP range (We do ~5xp per hour of actual play time - both characters have been involved in the party for the entirety. This is a way to reflect the culmination of a long, subtle, fall to the dark side.)

So! Does anyone have any suggestions for:

1) The situation and possible polar opposite decisions

2) Suitably cinematic duel locations.

The idea is to something evocative of the Annakin vs Obi Wan duel without just ripping it off exactly.

#1 - It should probably be developed organically as you develop the personalities of both characters and their motivations. I think the motivations of your PCs should be in conflict in some way that illustrates the good vs evil dilemma.

#2 - I just had a fire-fight that didn't last as long as I had hoped but had a really cool setting. It was set in a star ship that was already half destroyed in a space battle. The engines were barely functional and it was getting ready to fall into the atmosphere of the planet it was orbiting.

Huge gaping holes in the hull held air tight only by very light force fields. Lots of large star ship bits flying around the battered ship. Electrical sparks, fire! Gravity that only works off and on. I think you can see where threat and despair would result in.

Have the GM make a hidden count down for the ship to tumble down, and add a layer of suspense.

Voila! I hope you enjoy it.

P.S. Have a single escape pod set equally between them.

1) I agree with FangGrip, It should be natural as you roleplay during each session.

But the other members of the party may have got bigger problems to deal with, like surviving on a battlefield, or deal with mechanical problems (so they may not join the fight, or even try to stop both of you )

2) Maybe you could fight in the middle of a battle with stormtroopers and rebel soldiers and it could be placed into a star ship, a space station or even on an open battlefield as Hott as well, emphasizing your relationship during the battle.

Personally, I find that duels are most epic when the emotional stakes are the highest. Luke is highly invested in his duels with Darth Vader because he first thinks Vader killed his father (and he's "saving" his friends), and later, because he is trying to redeem his father.

In contrast, Obi-Wan's duel with Grievous lacks the same punch. Sure, Grievous is packing four lightsabers and there is a chase sequence, but neither is emotionally invested in the duel.

So, my suggestion is to pick a couple strong issues to clash on, and without forcing anything, get in some debates (heated or not) about it. When one of those issues comes up and you realize that it is the hill to die upon, go for it. The duel itself is less important than *why* the duel is taking place, I think. Without the latter, the former will fall flat.

Without knowing the theme of the game or what the over-arching struggles are, it's impossible to devise the perfect setting and situation.

Because it's still a ways off, and the intent is to build towards this duel, I think general ideas will work fine!

I really like your crippled starship idea, Fang. After some mission to cripple say, an Imperial Patrol Ship, it gets blown to hell. The power is fading fast, and there's only enough juice left to keep one of two hanger bays shielded with the emergency fields - one, a shipment of malnourished slaves, the other, a shipment of very atmosphere sensitive Rakhgoul vaccine. Save the dozen slaves right now, or the serum to save an entire continent later!?!

In my old Saga Edition game the Jedi of the party ended up in a duel with an Inquisitor during the New Republic's liberation of Taris. While they started off in the apartments of a scientist the party was looking for, a chase and the untimely crashing of a TIE fighter forced the duel to take place in the middle of a giant zoo. It tended to get interrupted a lot as the beasts escaped their cages, either because of something the lightsaber combatants did or just damage from the larger battle throughout and above the city-planet. The point where it became a four-sided fight between the Jedi, the Inquisitor, a rancor and a pack of nexu got a little dicey but it was fun to play out.

That could be cool too!

Battle inside destroyed spaceship, dilemma of what cargo to save

Battle inside... Space Monster zoo. Any ideas for dilemmas that would lend themselves well to that setting?

I recommend keeping the fight moving, like Luke vs Vader in episode V or the Anakin vs Obi-wan duel you mentioned. It gives the duel a feeling of progression and a sense of scale. You are not just fighting in a room, you are fighting all over a spaceship/mountain plateu.

It's also something to spend Despair and Threat on: "You find yourself on the defensive, getting pushed back." "The floor collapses." are example excuses to change the scenery.

I think it would be cool if you did a one on one-- and the party watched on in horror or dismay. Work it out with the other PC and the GM where you both would be some how trapped or separated from the party. Maybe a magnetic barrier or shield goes down around you or blocking off the other PCs like in EP 1 where Obi gets cut off from his master. They watch in horror as both you and him must duel.

Battle inside... Space Monster zoo. Any ideas for dilemmas that would lend themselves well to that setting?

You could go the Star Trek 4 route- a planet will be destroyed by some unknown and incomprehensible entity unless a creature which somehow connected to this being can be found. However, this creature is either very rare or almost extinct.

Other than that, maybe there's an attached botanical garden. Within this garden is the only known sample in existence of a plant (tree or flower) that has recently been discovered to hold the key to a cure for a deadly plague that has been ravaging the galaxy. Many factions are involved for reasons and goals either benevolent or malevolent. If one were so inclined, it might even provide a way to make the plague worse in some way.

Because it's still a ways off, and the intent is to build towards this duel, I think general ideas will work fine!

I really like your crippled starship idea, Fang. After some mission to cripple say, an Imperial Patrol Ship, it gets blown to hell. The power is fading fast, and there's only enough juice left to keep one of two hanger bays shielded with the emergency fields - one, a shipment of malnourished slaves, the other, a shipment of very atmosphere sensitive Rakhgoul vaccine. Save the dozen slaves right now, or the serum to save an entire continent later!?!

That's too blurry, imo. I think the traditional TCW-era Jedi would actually have gone for preserving the serum. I can certainly see Windu or Luminara making that decision. I think the better psychological call would be one based on "justice".

Suppose the decision is between helping people or a bad guy going free. And I don't mean "free and then they kill millions later", I mean a lack of punishment / justice. Like the way dictators sometimes cede power and are rewarded by keeping their ill-gotten gains and living an unpunished life. I can well see the Dark and Light side characters diverging over this. Let's talk specifics:

A villain is a powerful slave baron or dictator. Amongst their crimes they have murdered those that the PCs have a personal connection to, perhaps a loved one or people from their home community. There's no way to depose the murderer without bloody battles, further death. Possibly a war between factions that will be bloody and lead to much civilian loss of life. The PCs have a choice - let him escape with his entourage and much of the money he has stolen / extorted over the years and get away, probably never, ever to be found again as he has the money and the capability to disappear into the anonymous masses of the galaxy. Or pursue justice and make him pay for his crimes. You can scale it down to something much smaller and more personal if you wish - some local drug dealer or pimp whose droids will kill the hostages if an amnesty isn't declared. Here in the UK some extremely unpleasant and without a doubt guilty killers were released from prison as part of the Northern Ireland peace negotiations. These were genuine murderers who were released from their sentence and had their crimes pardoned, because it seemed the only way to keep peace negotiations going. You can replicate such situations in your game.

An Obi-Wan character will not like it, but he will be the sort to release those prisoners / let the killer go / not execute the slaver; all for the sake of peace and saving lives.

Anakin would execute the slaver because it feels so wrong to let him go and / or there must be justice.

The Light Side user has broken the cycle of violence and let peace return, even though injustice has happened it is not what they want to do emotionally. For the Light Side, emotional attachment is to be transcended, suffering and injustice are inevitable.

The Dark Side user has punished the guilty, followed their heart, refused to yield.

And neither are a bad person.

That's why I don't like it to be a mathematical choice of save some now, save many later. That's not a Light-Side / Dark-Side choice per se. Although it does tie into means vs. ends. I like it to be a Justice vs. Outcome choice. Remember what Anakin said: "From my point of view, the Jedi are evil."

Imagine how you would feel as the widow of one of those people those IRA murderers killed. That person might have shot your husband and they will never face justice. You might find them standing behind you in the queue at the supermarket and they are and always will be let off that crime. Would that feel right or wrong to you? Would part of you call out for justice? I think so.

Passion vs. Distance, Attachment vs. Separation from the World - such is the Sith / Jedi dichotomy.

Knasserll, that was exactly the sort of situation I'm looking for. Thank you, that's a fantastic idea.

Battle inside... Space Monster zoo. Any ideas for dilemmas that would lend themselves well to that setting?

You could go the Star Trek 4 route- a planet will be destroyed by some unknown and incomprehensible entity unless a creature which somehow connected to this being can be found. However, this creature is either very rare or almost extinct.

Other than that, maybe there's an attached botanical garden. Within this garden is the only known sample in existence of a plant (tree or flower) that has recently been discovered to hold the key to a cure for a deadly plague that has been ravaging the galaxy. Many factions are involved for reasons and goals either benevolent or malevolent. If one were so inclined, it might even provide a way to make the plague worse in some way.

So no whales then?

It's whaladons all the way down.