So, tonight, I started a new game of Edge of the Empire with all first-time players. I'd managed to secure 3 RPG-experienced players a while ago with a total novice to RPGs as a 4th. The plan, the three experienced guys formed the core of the crew. They arrive at a space station run by a minor Hutt crime lord, so that they can recruit a new crewmember. They take a table at a dive bar to wait for their contact, a Rodian lawyer who found this new guy.

Here's the part I've been waiting to use: The lawyer slides a datapad in front of the new guy, a surprisingly bloodthirsty Gank assassin as it happens, and explains that it's his contract. To teach him rolling tests, I got this guy to test Education to see if he could find any clauses or things that would be bad for him. He failed, so as far as he knew, there was nothing hidden in the dense legalese of the document. He signed. I then, as the lawyer, congratulated him for taking on the post of Captain for this crew's ship, The Perfect Patsy. I went on to explain that, as Captain, he would be legally responsible and accountable for all the activities of the ship and its crew. The experienced guys were in on it, but the new guy was as surprised as I hoped. I dropped enough clues about the contract that he knew something was up, but not that he'd be captain. And a scapegoat. He said, "I'm going to insist that you guys call me 'Captain.'" I was ready for this, though. "Actually, it says in the contract that they don't. Very specifically."

After that, I basically repurposed a few encounters from the Beginner Game for combat. The new guy proved to be a vengeful, trophy-taking murder machine with a chip on his shoulder about being tricked. The rest was basically a breeze. A hilarious game of clumsy thugs and very gullible Gamorreans. Also, the party has now captured a master bounty hunter and his useless apprentice and is preparing to question them. The Gank assassin is really looking forward to this.

And these guys are all hooked, now.

At the very least, the new guy has a vested interest in not making things go badly for everyone.

This was very clever, and so long as everyone was cool with it, then I guess it's great. I'm all for setting up the PCs as dopes and fall guys, but I'm not sure about having it be the new guy and all the vetted players be in the know.

That right there seems like it could feel like being hazed (for want of a better term) as "the new guy."

Edit: spelling.

Just be careful to keep a tight rein on the inter-party strife. Nothing irritates players more than feeling that other members of the party are working against them.

So far, it's all in good fun and humor. Because the new guy wasn't around for the character build session with everyone else, they had no idea what kind of person they were conning into being the Captain. I didn't even know what kind of guy he'd be when I started this either. Turns out, he's a very dangerous character (a cyborg killer who collects trophies and keeps them on his person) and I don't think he'd be too easy to abuse. Besides which, I've now established this slimy lawyer character as the one who has basically set them all up.

He said, "I'm going to insist that you guys call me 'Captain.'" I was ready for this, though. "Actually, it says in the contract that they don't. Very specifically."

Now that's just... that's just EVIL. The least you could do is make them salute the poor guy as they go out and make his life miserable.

So, tonight, I started a new game of Edge of the Empire with all first-time players. I'd managed to secure 3 RPG-experienced players a while ago with a total novice to RPGs as a 4th. The plan, the three experienced guys formed the core of the crew. They arrive at a space station run by a minor Hutt crime lord, so that they can recruit a new crewmember. They take a table at a dive bar to wait for their contact, a Rodian lawyer who found this new guy.

Here's the part I've been waiting to use: The lawyer slides a datapad in front of the new guy, a surprisingly bloodthirsty Gank assassin as it happens, and explains that it's his contract. To teach him rolling tests, I got this guy to test Education to see if he could find any clauses or things that would be bad for him. He failed, so as far as he knew, there was nothing hidden in the dense legalese of the document. He signed. I then, as the lawyer, congratulated him for taking on the post of Captain for this crew's ship, The Perfect Patsy. I went on to explain that, as Captain, he would be legally responsible and accountable for all the activities of the ship and its crew. The experienced guys were in on it, but the new guy was as surprised as I hoped. I dropped enough clues about the contract that he knew something was up, but not that he'd be captain. And a scapegoat. He said, "I'm going to insist that you guys call me 'Captain.'" I was ready for this, though. "Actually, it says in the contract that they don't. Very specifically."

After that, I basically repurposed a few encounters from the Beginner Game for combat. The new guy proved to be a vengeful, trophy-taking murder machine with a chip on his shoulder about being tricked. The rest was basically a breeze. A hilarious game of clumsy thugs and very gullible Gamorreans. Also, the party has now captured a master bounty hunter and his useless apprentice and is preparing to question them. The Gank assassin is really looking forward to this.

And these guys are all hooked, now.

That's hilarious. I'm stealing this to use against my entire party. I'll make them responsible for a mob of pirates every bit as murderous, ill-disciplined and reckless as they normally behave. Let them see how they like it!

The only thing I would change from what you did was the bit about having to call him "captain". I'd just go with that. The other players are in on the joke so it would actually be quite funny to see how often it gets used. "Oh, you know that stolen fighter you told me to blow up? I actually sold it to some rebels on Tattooine and blew all the loot on this sweet blaster rifle... What do you want me to do next, captain?"