The combat pools are not the reason they are going against open combat, they just get too creative with what to do and decide to do random fun rather than fight.

9 sessions in still combat shy. =) We will see what happens during tonight's session. I have 3 combat scenarios that COULD happen, but I won't force any of them unless the story requires it.

Sounds like you have an excellent group. When combat does occur, I bet it will make you squeal.

Maybe a change of scenery? Every tried arguing with a vasladorian nightmare spider? They don't respond well to diplomacy...

If your players are having fun, and you're having fun, I wouldn't change much also as other have said, most GM's deal with quite the opposite problem, which believe me is much more stressing.

I am not trying to force the combat as I have stated before. I see lots of good ideas on how to force it, but I have plenty in store for the Players to fear without artificially having someone knife them in the back to piss them off.

My Players are having fun and 11 sessions without a fight doesn't seem like a bad thing.

On the other hand it will make the combat that much more surprising when it happens.

Heck 3 of the PCs have bounties on them, that has an "anytime I want I can force a fight" feel to it. I already have stats for them doing this in space or on the ground.

One final thought for the OP:

The thing is this - the idea as a GM is to tell a great story.

I remember playing a very long campaign in D&D once. I hadn't played in years, but I had made some new friends and they all played. So I joined in about 3 sessions into a new campaign.

From what I understand, the guys pretty much only knew to play D&D one specific way - the dungeon crawl, minimal story. And when I showed up with my Charisma Rogue... I completely changed the game for everyone. It was no longer about the dungeon crawl - it was about the story and the characters. It was about actual Role Play and challenging one another to do what is best for the story. And after a year playing in that campaign every other weekend... we all have one hell of a great adventure to talk about.

And the thing about it is - we only had about 4 or 5 actual fights the entire campaign that even mattered. We might have had a few simple skirmishes here and there just to liven things up, sure. But really and truly, those didn't matter. What mattered and what we remember are the fights that actually were relevant to the story.

My point to this is that I wouldn't worry so much about whether your players are being involved with fights or not. As long as the actual story is progressing - it doesn't matter. I won't say not to force one or two on them every now and again just to do something different, but I wouldn't stress about them avoiding story pivotal fights. As long as the story gets told... everyone should have a great time, and a great memory.

But if the story can actually be told better with a fight? Absolutely... force it, even if they try to weasel out of it. It's not because you're stifling their creativity. You're the director and the writer. You are the proactive force behind everything. Unless they just come up with something out of the blue that suddenly gives you inspiration to see things differently - then stick to your plan.

So after 7 sessions with my current group, it seems it is clear my Players are afraid of conflict.

I am pretty sure my last group went into every situation thinking "this is a great time to shoot people". This time it is the exact opposite.

While they started a few attempts at fights the first 2 sessions, since then it has been steadily avoiding combat all all costs. I have put situations that could be easily solved with combat, instead they try the hard way of talking their way out of it.

Last session there were at least 3 combat opportunities, all avoided. I got one person wanting to fight last session, during the first opportunity, but the other group members talked him down.

It is rather comical to watch the lengths they will go to avoid any form of combat whatsoever.

Not sure if I should force the situation or reward it. =)

Anyway it is much more fun for me as a GM to see a diplomatic solution than to have every angry issue end up in combat that is so mechanical.

Can we trade groups pwwease? My group loves to solve problems with combat. Remember that shopkeeper in the beta Vorn Tel-Ovis? After only asking a few questions and really taking no opportunity to heckle or deal with him for parts, my Wookie player just decapitated him. I wish they took more time to solve situations without an axe or blaster like yours does!

Anyway maybe have an Imperial bounty on their heads? Talking your way out of a fight with stormies is much more unlikely than paying off thugs and bounty hunters. If they decide to surrender rather than fight punish them for it by taking away items they've collected, with the only way of recovering them being to steal them back from an imp facility. Also possible is introducing a gang of psychotic pirates who aren't very keen to negotiating and prone to violence even when unprovoked. There are plenty of possibilities.

Also possible is introducing a gang of psychotic pirates who aren't very keen to negotiating and prone to violence even when unprovoked. There are plenty of possibilities.

Maybe a gang of Ganks who are keen on assimilating the best technology and taking samples of some of the most interesting biological specimens, and they’ve got a wild hair that they need some of the things and bodyparts you have? Maybe they just toss the rest out the airlock?

Or bring in the Yuuzhan Vong, but with a personal vendetta against the players?

There is no situation that will ever have me bringing the vong in. They are a stain on the star wars universe.

Looks around...

And that's a problem?

I mean some of us would love to have a party that treats combat as dangerous and the last thing they should be doing especially if the odds are against them since often their opponents are either military trained, lightsaber wielders or just plain nasty mercenaries...

Now when its necessary having a reputation for avoiding combat might actually come in handy after all your opponents won't be expecting you to put up a fight after all...

As long as they're having fun what's the harm?