Hey all, soon my PCs will be sent to claim a "house of ill repute" that their hutt boss inherited from his father. However, in the wake of the dad hutt's death, Black Sun decided to make their move and claim the business enterprise, and scoff at the PCs as they present proper ownership papers, what have you.

I basically wanted them to get creative as to how to get this piece of real estate back. I initially had a high stakes sabacc game determine the owner which may or may not lead to violence, but I want to have something a little more interesting. Maybe the sabacc game is cover for the other PCs to sabotage the security for a late night sneak in?

Another option even is reminiscent of the Firefly episode where the crew defends the cathouse from the bandits, making the PCs ready the den for the attack and then have a good old fashioned shoot out (the only problem with this option being I initially had the local set for Kwenn Space Station and I don't quite see how to fit this one in such a setting...)

Any advice, opinions, or direction would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

Has the cat house already been introduced in-game? I think first you must get the players invested in the property. Make it important to them in some way, and not just on paper. They have to really care about the place to really fight for it.

Introduce the place to them and let them use it as a base of operations for awhile. Have some vital mission begin or end in it, or be vital to it. Make the place mean as much to them as their ship or their favorite blaster. Definitely show it as a profitable business.

Then, after awhile, introduce the Black Sun dudes who come in with their paperwork and their lawyer (or thugs) and claim it belongs to them and not the PCs. Forcefully evict them. Make it hurt.

The players will want to fight to get their property back.

If you just come into next session with "you've inherited a brothel but some Black Sun dudes are claiming it's theirs," they may not care enough about it to get you the results you want as the GM. If they inherit the place and then lose it in a card game, they decide just to walk away from it there as well. They may think, "ah well, we lost it fair and square."

You could do a three-pronged effort.

One is the obvious — the Sabacc game. That’s just the cover for the other two.

The second is the effort by the PCs to break into the security systems of the Black Sun operatives, to steal whatever documents they have that they’re using to “prove” ownership, and maybe discover if there are any under-the-table deals with local authorities to look the other way, etc….

The third is the Black Sun operatives trying to break into the ship owned by the PCs, to steal their documents, etc… and maybe plant some other documents on them that can be used by the compromised local authorities to get the PCs thrown in jail.

Just one idea.

Another option even is reminiscent of the Firefly episode where the crew defends the cathouse from the bandits, making the PCs ready the den for the attack and then have a good old fashioned shoot out (the only problem with this option being I initially had the local set for Kwenn Space Station and I don't quite see how to fit this one in such a setting...)

Barricading an area in the station can be the same fun. Picture a level in the station with a walkway leading to an open square with 4 office corners, each with an open lobby/patio, maybe a large sign (that a PC can make a sniping position), hallways inside that can be scattered with obstacles, etc.

Hmmmm ok I think I'm going to go with the stand off then in the space station, I loved the Firefly nod so I think I'll work it in the way they get Black Sun kicked out initially but they come back in full force.

Thanks everyone!

I love this idea. Consider it Yoinked for an adventure with my own group sometime. In return, what help I can offer is to not neglect the human factor. Well, Twi'lek probably but either way, remember at the end of the day they're battling over a place where people make their living and live their lives. It would probably pay well to spend half an hour or so sketching out the names and one-line personalities / accents / motivations of both some of the staff and some of the more notable clientele. If they can get some of the people who work there wanting them to be the new owners rather than The Black Sun, then that's going to give them a valuable asset. Similarly, remember that one of the reasons The Black Sun would love to own this place is not the income, but the information. Which local politicians frequent the place and what do they accidentally let slip during pillow talk? Which police chief's husband doesn't know she visits? All that sort of thing.

So have a cheat sheet with maybe four or five staff and a notable customer or two. Even if you don't actively work them in, it will add a lot of flavour. And don't forget that any properly reputable house of ill-repute should have a pianist in the corner playing old ragtime songs. This is Star Wars - it shouldn't be based on most real life brothels, it should be based on some Wild West joint with gambling, gin and fast dames. You need minimum: 1x musician with name like "Eight-eight Fingers Max", 2x sassy hussies who say things like "why don'cha send some of those credits my way, big boy", 1x sweet prostitute with heart of gold, 1x beautiful tough madam who punches the rowdy sailor who slaps one the girls near the start of the scene.

Also, there should be a juke box or a singer belting out Shirley Bassey's "Hey Big Spender", Peggy Lee's "Why don't you do right" (aka the Jessica Rabbit song) and Jennifer Connoly singing "Sway" from Dark City. At all times.

ALL OF THE TIMES!

You could do a three-pronged effort.

One is the obvious — the Sabacc game. That’s just the cover for the other two.

Also - the game is a good way to set up the party (on many levels)...

If they're winning, then they get accused of cheating before the end of the game. Loudly. In a public place. With lots of underworld witnesses.

If they're losing (or lose, more to the point), then they're sure that the other side cheated. Positive, in fact. But their 'proof' is either so weak that none of the above mentioned witnesses buy it, or so obvious that it makes them look like chumps for not spotting it right off the bat.

Either way, they called out by their opponents, and this leads directly to the shootout.

Most importantly, however... they need to be invested in the place. If they don't care about it, and if losing it doesn't have real consequences (personally and professionally) then... meh.

Sue ‘em.

In ancient Rome, trials were great public spectacles, with a raucous atmosphere. Lawyers engaged in incredible oratory and insane stunts to win their cases. Let your players engage in a wild satire of courtroom drama. Characters with social skills should excel, but you can also use mechanical skills to forge evidence, or even combat skills if opposing lawyers start brawling.