This covers a few things.

Ive just started running Crates of Kryats. and my players have just left Tatooine. I ran it pretty much straight out of the book, which may have been a mistake, as my players are more advanced than a starting party, and thus they monstered the Tuskens with ease. No biggie, but still trying to work out the power levels when it comes to Minions and Rivals and such.

(They eat minion groups for lunch, but Rivals seem to eat them)

They seem to have got it into their heads that they have 2 routes to Nar Shadda... the 'long way round' of around 4 days, but skirts the around the Outer Rim, and the 'shorter route' that would take them through the Mid Rim via Bothawui, about 3-3.5 days.

Since they are on a time limit having lost some of the sedatives (They never even considered looking for any on Tatooine.. which... might cause them issues.. but I wasnt going to get in the way of that mistake).

This brings up a question... when you travel via hyperspace, would you always use the known routes? (Be it a Primary route, or a lesser route, or a local route).

Or can you program a course DIRECT from point A to point B. Tatooine to Nar Shadaa..

Or would you need to make multiple jumps, from point to point, before reaching your destination?

(Yes I know "whats best for my group" but guidance would also be useful).

They are also rather paranoid about avoiding imperials, since they have out of date and forges import papers. Now the adventure doesnt cover anything of this nature, but I would really like to throw something it.

So I was thinking, as they arrive at bothawui for their next jump, they are waylayed by Customs ships, since this is the only stop in the Mid Rim before they move into Hutt Space.

Now They will have a few options, Run, Bribe, Fight, and I need some advice on the possible outcomes so I am not flailing about like a shot gundark next week, so suggestions would be HUGELY helpful here.

Cheers in advance.

RD

Programming a direct course is horribly risky- if you fly into the gravity well of a large realspace object, you drop out of hyperspace (and possibly crash into it). The known routes are carefully monitored to make sure there's no planets/stars/large asteroids in the way.

Equally, it's not clear if you have to drop out of hyperspace to change hyperspace lane, or if you can change course *in* hyperspace when you get to the junction. Perhaps the routes are just set up as best they can be but still require you drop into realspace to drive around a star at some points?

My approach is one part rules, one part Legends, to bear with me here.

Major Trade Routes are normally heavily patrolled hyperspace lanes. They are monitored, and you will have to come out at a few set points due to the constantly changing celestial bodies in space. These locations are how the Empire monitors trade goods and collect taxes, but they are by far the safest ways to go (I think Fly Casual gives bonuses for traveling them).

These usually give you the most direct route from Point A to Point B with the fewest stops as they are the most stable.

Think of them like highways. There will be police officers hidden throughout to quickly aid anyone in trouble, as well as mechanisms to warn travelers and charge them tolls. The are usually the most direct route, but will will require turns to get through challenging terrain.

Minor Trade Routes are the smaller routes that connect a major route to smaller systems. These don't have as much Imperial presence, but there's always the chance or running into them. Pirates hit these a bit more often than main routes due to the slower response time.

These are also a bit less convenient as they take much longer, but there's more leeway with avoiding Imperial Entanglements.

Think of these as your minor state routes to connect the interstates to the smaller areas. You might find a cop, but they are much rarer. You can also go anywhere with them, but they take MUCH longer.

Back Routes are somewhat known routes that don't see as much attention due to inconvenience, but are useful for those trying to stay under the radar. These take a lot more time, take more jumps, and are inherently more dangerous (thus the multiple jumps).

A real-world equivalent would be the literal back roads that only locals use. They'll get you there, but there's some risk involved (and it might take longer).

Unknown Routes are exactly that: unknown. As they are uncharted, they have the inherent risk of running into something that could cause massive problems and possibly kill you. These may be a whole lot faster or have less Imperials posted, but are by far riskier.

I think Fly Casual has some strict rules on this to show how dangerous it is. Plotting your own route could get you killed, after all.

A real-world equivalent would be offroading.

Now, all of that said:

1) From what I've read, there are few places you can get to in a single jump without a LOT of interesting calculations and high risk of something going wrong. As you are calculating the movement of EVERY celestial mass between yourself and the target, your chances of a miscalculation grow exponentially the further you go.

2) Stops are normally needed to change direction and, with longer trips, to update the NavComp at a relay or planet to be fully up to date on any unstable routes (think of updating your GPS). This is especially true in areas that are naturally unstable, like the Tapani sector, or anywhere with asteroids, nebulae, black holes or erratic revolutions.

So, a "Direct Route" without stops is going to be dangerous and challenging. Possible, but tough, especially for a starting group. If they insist on this, use the setback/despair to force them out of hyperspace and recalculate at an inopportune time.

If they want to avoid Imperials altogether, they're going to want to take a back route of some nature, but this increases the chances of pirates and things going wrong with the route.

Now, for the other part of the question: Outcomes with Imperials.

This is entirely based on a few things:

First, is there anything inherently wrong that will cause them to be boarded? If the ship is reported stolen, if the transponder has been obviously modified, if they are piloting erratically in an area they should be moving as ordered, or if they were tipped off that the ship (in particular or of that type) is carrying cargo, they could be boarded or pulled in.

If none of this matches, it could just be something to scare them for a moment to see how they act, and if they just remain calm, they can move along. If you want them to be boarded, make it a "random search", or that all ships bound toward <LOCATION> are being checked.

Remember that normal protocol is to announce your final destination when you leave, just in case you go missing (and so they Imps know if there's a hot spot along the way, they can flag you).

Second, are the party members wanted? Having out of date paperwork is easy enough to fix with a large fee on the spot (or a direct bribe to overlook it), but being wanted criminals makes it that much worse. This could determine how the group is treated, so. . .

Third, if the party is boarded, how many illegal items are they hauling? Illegal weapons being in the open is obviously a citation, but carrying illegal cargo can lead to fines and an arrest.

So if the party doesn't meet the first criteria, they can just move along. If they are told they are being boarded and decide to rabbit, make it a dramatic chase (shooting or otherwise) against whatever they have nearby. System Patrol ships and Guardian Cruisers are pretty good choices, and the Decimator wouldn't be too bad either. This situation can be as deadly as you wish, but scale it for the ship they have. Having a number of TIE fighters that are ordered to disable the ship instead of destroying it wouldn't be a bad touch, as they can probably outrun most patrol craft.

My group uses a Ghtroc, and even without mods, they tend to outrun the bigger ships with ease and TIEs are a good challenge.

If they are boarded, it all depends on the circumstances. Let them roleplay a bit and see if they can talk their way out of the situation. See if they can make a nice bribe (small fines for paperwork run in the hundreds on up, so bribing 500 to look away for a 1k paperwork fine is feasible). Maybe they can just smooth talk their way out of it ("The ship was just signed over to me on Tatooine and I was told it had everything in order! I didn't notice it until we got in system, but I will be more than happy to get everything processed once I get to <LOCATION>!").

Remember that if they are searched and contraband of some nature is found, things can get interesting and it may lead to a fight.

Really, in the end, you'll need to do what you think is right for the players and the story, and you'll need to scale everything to pose that challenge.

Good luck!

Having recently read Heir to the Jedi, they actually do have some tidbits relating to this.

Firstly, it is entirely possible to travel by your own hyperspace route. However, it's also quite risky and complicated and the longer the route the more difficult it becomes, also the closer to the core worlds you get the more difficult it becomes. Luke does this in a few cases in this book. In one case however, they do mention that doing this requires a lot of complex math and time, so it's not something your average person can do on the fly.

Secondly, I don't believe it's possible to change routes while in hyperspace. The hyperspace jump itself is a calculated trajectory from point A to point B. It is then necessary to come out of hyperspace, check your coordinates, the positions of celestial bodies, etc.. calculate the next jump and then make the next jump.

My impression from the book (which is one of the current cannon books, not EU from what I know) is that hyperspace lanes aren't exactly like a highway lane. There's nothing special about them that forces your ship to stay on it like if you were using a jumpgate or something of that nature from other settings. It is a well known, well travelled route between two points that is known to be safe, clear and stable. There are a lot of things that can get into your way in space and most of them do move and shift around moons and planets in their orbits, some asteroid fields may drift, passing comets, etc.. all of these factors make trying your own routes risky without a large amount of data to determine a completely clear path.

Secondly, I don't believe it's possible to change routes while in hyperspace. The hyperspace jump itself is a calculated trajectory from point A to point B. It is then necessary to come out of hyperspace, check your coordinates, the positions of celestial bodies, etc.. calculate the next jump and then make the next jump.

If you're a canon junkie this has been updated.

In Rebels Hera does adjust a hyperspace route while in hyperspace to bring them closer to a specific planet.

Of course Hera might be amazing at Hyperspace, or the route adjustment might have been relatively minor and along a fairly clear and well traveled route (like moving into the far right lane) so maybe the difficulty wasn't' especially hard that once...

Secondly, I don't believe it's possible to change routes while in hyperspace. The hyperspace jump itself is a calculated trajectory from point A to point B. It is then necessary to come out of hyperspace, check your coordinates, the positions of celestial bodies, etc.. calculate the next jump and then make the next jump.

If you're a canon junkie this has been updated.

In Rebels Hera does adjust a hyperspace route while in hyperspace to bring them closer to a specific planet.

Of course Hera might be amazing at Hyperspace, or the route adjustment might have been relatively minor and along a fairly clear and well traveled route (like moving into the far right lane) so maybe the difficulty wasn't' especially hard that once...

Yeah I think there might be a difference between a minor tweak vs. a major course correction...although both of those are rather arbitrary in scope. The feasibility of such a thing should be relative to how important it is to the plot kinda like hyperspace travel times themselves, or an airpeeder's max altitude, or the cutting speed of a lightsaber against a blast door.

OK here my plan, suggestions welcome.

The group drop out of Hyperspace at Bothawui having elected to take the quicker route, and risk Imperial Entaglements.

They arrive, and are ordered to heave to by a squadron of TIEs for Customs inspection.

They may at this point choose to run, and fight off c couple squadrons (Since they now have a Targetting array) before making their jump out of the system.

If they do heave to, they are boarded by Lieutenant Garn, Imperial Customs, who proceeds to investigate the ship.

They have no contraband, or illegal goods, just the Dragon and its Eggs, and forged paperwork.

He may or may not notice the paperwork if forged, but WILL see its out of date forms.

He demands a fine for using out of data forms, and if they resist, he holds them for a few hours as they decide what to do... long enough that they may start feeling they are running out of Sedative/Nutrients for the dragon, and he might well confiscate what they do have to make them more pliable.

Not sure if he will be corrupt or not... probably yes, since if he wasnt, he would simply arrest them for breach of import rules.

If he notices the forms are forgeries, he has more leverage.

If they dont pay up, he will simply leave them 'impounded' locked to the customs ship so they cannot leave, until they give in to his demands, or he grows tired and arrests them.

The players may be able to hack into the docking system and flee, and then fight off TIEs before running.

They can pay his fines and bribes (value dependant on if he has noticed the forgeries... the longer they wait, the more chance he has of discovering the forgeries).

Suffice to say, they will get away one way or another.

Suggestions?

RD

You have some fun ideas there!

The group drop out of Hyperspace at Bothawui having elected to take the quicker route, and risk Imperial Entaglements.

They arrive, and are ordered to heave to by a squadron of TIEs for Customs inspection.

They may at this point choose to run, and fight off c couple squadrons (Since they now have a Targetting array) before making their jump out of the system.

Using the TIEs is a good approach here; anything bigger for a new group may be a challenge. You can also implement a chase scene, or require the group needing to have a certain number of turns to get out of the gravity well in order to jump to lightspeed. And don't forget that calculating the jump to hyperspace takes time as well, so this is a great opportunity for you to show them the ropes of ship combat if they are new to things.

If they do heave to, they are boarded by Lieutenant Garn, Imperial Customs, who proceeds to investigate the ship.

They have no contraband, or illegal goods, just the Dragon and its Eggs, and forged paperwork.

He may or may not notice the paperwork if forged, but WILL see its out of date forms.

You can do a hand-wave for the forged document part if you don't want him to notice (you can save THAT gem for later if you'd like, like if they update it on the spot). That out-of-date thing may lead the group into the state of panic that a closer investigation into the paperwork will be a problem.

Also, would the dragon be considered illegal goods? That's a fine line, and I'm sure they can get slapped with fines/Obligation for "transporting a dangerous animal" (especially without the correct paperwork).

He demands a fine for using out of data forms, and if they resist, he holds them for a few hours as they decide what to do... long enough that they may start feeling they are running out of Sedative/Nutrients for the dragon, and he might well confiscate what they do have to make them more pliable.

The fine can work here, and as long as he doesn't push for them to update the paperwork on the spot (he has more pressing things to do, for example), they should be okay.

As for "resisting," that all depends on your definition of the term. Blunt refusal to pay (and not using a creative way to do so) could land them all into a small cell as the Imps doing a more "thorough" search of the ship. If they take actions, things could get really ugly, as it could lead to death in combat, jail time, etc. Things could get ugly.

Taking away the nutrients seems like a good idea, but that implies the party will simply let it happen. My group, which is more social, would resort to combat in such a situation, and they'd probably win.

Not sure if he will be corrupt or not... probably yes, since if he wasnt, he would simply arrest them for breach of import rules.

If he notices the forms are forgeries, he has more leverage.

If they dont pay up, he will simply leave them 'impounded' locked to the customs ship so they cannot leave, until they give in to his demands, or he grows tired and arrests them.

The players may be able to hack into the docking system and flee, and then fight off TIEs before running.

They can pay his fines and bribes (value dependant on if he has noticed the forgeries... the longer they wait, the more chance he has of discovering the forgeries).

Suffice to say, they will get away one way or another.

Suggestions?

RD

As for corrupt, remember that this is near Bothwui, there's a chance he takes bribes somehow, or someone near him (such as a superior or underling). If he doesn't accept a bribe, I'd be shocked.

Not paying does lead to impounding and being hauled toward a location they can be trapped in, so good move there.

Honestly, I think you're in good shape overall. Just be prepared for the party to do the unexpected!

Have a backup rival prepped to be the one to take the bribe, just in case they offend the Lieutenant through poor dice rolls, basically have a back door they can use to get off the customs ship if they end up impounded. perhaps they are approached after the 2 or 3 hrs you mentioned, and offered release if a bribe is paid, or if they will take the person with them as they want to escape the Imperial way of life.

In a modern cockpit, the pilot isn't supposed to be cruising along reading comics and the like. Even though he has multiple computerized and radio navigation aides, he is supposed to be looking out the window, using the old radio navigation aids near his course to check the other automated systems, checking fuel use, knowing where to do an emergency landing, and so on.

Similarly, in long hyperspace jumps I'm in and out of the cockpit whenever we are supposed to be going past something that would be detectable by instruments, just to do 'dead reckoning' checks. "Yup, passing that supergiant right on schedule".

I find this also lets me avoid certain annoying chores!

The group drop out of Hyperspace at Bothawui having elected...

Is it just me, or does anyone else picture Ricky Ricardo singing "Babalu" whenever they see the word "Bathawui"?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu6Ra59RSis

It is just me, isn't it?

OK, So developing this further.

Assuming they do heave to for inspection, the Lieutenant will clearly see the paperwork is out of date.

Repercussions of this could be what?

Fines? (How much)

If he DOES notice its a forgery he is probably going to try an bribe them, with a higher amount, probably beyond what the group can afford (They have just shy 2500 credits, including all their personal cash).

I dont WANT to appear like I am simply using this as a chance to rise them of all their cash, so I was thinking 5 or 10k... clearly beyond what they can pay.

But I dont want the number to be so large they decide outright to fight their way out (Which is always an option).

So I was thinking, the Lt would be snide, and leave them to "think it over" while the ship is locked to the Customs ship (See later).

Later his commander might crop up, and wonder what is going on... take a shine to the Twilek doctor, and demand some kind of date, or drink, or similar, take her off the ship, with the promise of getting things sorted.. but it will take time, so why not join me for a drink? kinda deal.

They WILL get away, no doubt, its important to the story, but it could be a nice distraction. It also eats up their time, which they have little of.

Questions.

Could the Commander get them more sedative for the dragon?

What kind of ship would the customs vessel be?

Assuming its a ship, and not a station? (Station would give more scope for the 'date' and a chance to get supplies)

But would the Empire have a customs station? feels abit too pemanent

Suggestions?

1. If its a big ship it will have medical and battle stocks, so yes its quite possible

Is a Vindicator abit overkill for customs inspection?

What about a dreadnought? Still big enough but less of a front line combat craft?

The cruiser probably wouldn't engaged as it would have a number of externally docked ships it's inspecting. But the ties would. As I said they need to get away regardless

Is a Vindicator abit overkill for customs inspection?

What about a dreadnought? Still big enough but less of a front line combat craft?

The cruiser probably wouldn't engaged as it would have a number of externally docked ships it's inspecting. But the ties would. As I said they need to get away regardless

Although we don't have any stats for them, I think the Imperial Raider would be of an imposing size, but nothing excessive.

I feel the raider would be too small for my plans and too new to be relegated to custom inspection duty. Similar to a full on star destroyer akin to an aircraft carrier assigned to the coast guard

I was thinking a dreadnought as it would be older and more utilitarian for such a mundane task while being bing enough to dock multiple ships at once (externally) for inspection and at the same time supporting a number of ties for enforcement duty

I feel the raider would be too small for my plans and too new to be relegated to custom inspection duty. Similar to a full on star destroyer akin to an aircraft carrier assigned to the coast guard

I was thinking a dreadnought as it would be older and more utilitarian for such a mundane task while being bing enough to dock multiple ships at once (externally) for inspection and at the same time supporting a number of ties for enforcement duty

What about a carrack? Small, fast, a little older but still a reasonable size crew, but powerful enough to hold it's own. Would make a good cutter equivalent....

I feel the raider would be too small for my plans and too new to be relegated to custom inspection duty. Similar to a full on star destroyer akin to an aircraft carrier assigned to the coast guard

I was thinking a dreadnought as it would be older and more utilitarian for such a mundane task while being bing enough to dock multiple ships at once (externally) for inspection and at the same time supporting a number of ties for enforcement duty

What about a carrack? Small, fast, a little older but still a reasonable size crew, but powerful enough to hold it's own. Would make a good cutter equivalent....

Yeah, that could work.

It doesnt need to fight, just big enough to have a number of inspection teams each handling a different ship docked at various points.

When they inevitably annoy the Lt, the Commander will pop up, start hitting ont he Twilek doctor, and maybe insist on a drink in his quarters while "things are being straightened out"

Which will give one of my players a good chance to use her Charm and Social skills. Im not going as far as him extorting sexual favours from him.. thats not a place I want to go to with my group, but could throw up some interesting ideas.

Of course, knowing my group, as soon as they see the customs ship, they will simply hit the accelerator and try and outrun everything, making ALL this a waste of time (At least this time), but I dont plan, they will let themselves get inspected. As usual.

Have them drop out of hyperspace within range of the customs ships tractor beams, should at least make running away harder