So, I'm finally making that Age of Rebellion campaign I've always been talking to my group about, ha ha.

Pulling on my own experience, the basic premise is that the group of PCs is assigned to a Nebulon B Frigate as midshipmen. They are each part of different departments, the engineer assigned to Combat Systems, the soldier assigned to the Marine complement onboard, etc. However, because they are all officers in training, they hang out in the wardroom in their off time and for meals, and being the same age and rank, they get to know one another naturally.

The progression of the initial phase of the campaign will be their time onboard ship, which is currently operating in the Mid Rim, along the Rimma Trade Route. Their primary mission is the harassment and procurement of technological/equipment shipments from Sullust to the Core. A rebel spy is tipping Fleet Command off as to the right shipments to seize. After a certain amount of time, they are caught in an Imperial trap and the ship takes heavy damage in the ensuing escape. They make an emergency blind jump to lightspeed and when they come out, the ship begins breaking apart. They crash on an uncolonized, remote ice planet and have to survive. I haven't yet decided if there are indigenous people, a remote Imperial detention center, a mining operation, or some other thing to help them get off the planet. They will then be dispatched to hunt down the intelligence leak on Sullust.

Anyway, this brings me to the reason I am posting, lol.

While onboard, I'd like them to complete a minimum of three 'missions':

A boarding action - a routine affair boarding the aforementioned shipping, they tag along to learn about boarding procedures, maybe have a social situation with the ship's captain, inspecting cargo, etc.

A smash and grab or raid mission - their ship is tasked with supporting a raid on an Imperial ship building yard or installation. They have to ride across in a boarding shuttle in the middle of a fleet action, board the station, accomplish their mission.

I'm looking for other mission ideas that they could do on ship or with the ship involved. I'd really like to tie them emotionally to the ship and its crew, making the loss more meaningful.

Any general comments on the plot of the campaign are also appreciated if you feel the impulse.

Welp, I hope the lack of response doesn't indicate that it is a bad campaign idea! Please feel free to say so if you think it is...

Take a look at the Far Orbit Project from WEG - http://d6holocron.com/downloads/wegsupplements.html - It has a lot of what you're talking about.

Otherwise, the idea seems sound.

Sounds like you have a good start. As for a mission idea, perhaps the Nebulon-B answers a distress call and you help a medium transport repel pirates. When the Neb gets there the transport has already been boarded and damaged so it needs both repairs and solders.

I would honestly look to Star Trek for inspiration for the kinds of missions I would run for the first part of this sort of campaign.

Actually I might steal this idea for myself. However I will use a MC-80 instead of a Neb-B so that when it crashes on the planet it will have a chance of being repaired. The PC will be responsible for going out and securing the crash site retrieving materials that sort of thing.

Thanks, now I have my next campaign idea.

How many hours of playtime are you expecting out of each adventure/mission?

Take a look at the Far Orbit Project from WEG - http://d6holocron.com/downloads/wegsupplements.html - It has a lot of what you're talking about.

Otherwise, the idea seems sound.

Holy schnikies, what a great resource Far Orbit is! All those delicious deckplans! Thanks!

Sounds like you have a good start. As for a mission idea, perhaps the Nebulon-B answers a distress call and you help a medium transport repel pirates. When the Neb gets there the transport has already been boarded and damaged so it needs both repairs and solders.

I would honestly look to Star Trek for inspiration for the kinds of missions I would run for the first part of this sort of campaign.

Actually I might steal this idea for myself. However I will use a MC-80 instead of a Neb-B so that when it crashes on the planet it will have a chance of being repaired. The PC will be responsible for going out and securing the crash site retrieving materials that sort of thing.

Thanks, now I have my next campaign idea.

Distress call! That's great, that totally slipped my mind for some reason. As a suggestion to your repairing the ship idea... What if they could repair, but not get it off the ground again, instead converting it into a rebel base? Like Defiant Base in Strongholds?

How many hours of playtime are you expecting out of each adventure/mission?

I'm thinking 2-4 hours per mission, somewhere in that ball park... Let's just say I'd like to get 10-12 hours of session time on the ship before kaboom time. If I have to run more missions to fill it, then so be it.

So, a boarding action and a smash and grab are not too different. Both involve bursting in and taking control, with the only difference being that the boarding action requires more staying power.

If you want to show your players that wider sets of skills can and should be used my suggestions are as follows:

Smash and grab as you have it sounds great and seems to also allow you to have a hostile takeover of an enemy vessel.

Boarding action would be a repel the elite squadron what just kicked down our door.

Thirdly, have them run a mercy mission. A disaster has befallen a world which recently allied with the rebellion, and you're boots on the ground to keep the peace and make sure everyone gets the supplies they deserve.

This last one can have some social encounters, perhaps a small survival situation, and even a medium-scale rescue. I mean, a small unit for four or five soldiers talking down a roaming gang of desperate savengers to keep a family safe just sounds cool.

Exploratory missions are the bread-and-butter of starship stories. For example, a mission could be based around surveying an unpopulated planet or asteroid that has potential fuel deposits... only said environment is home to a monster. Or they stumble across a lost Jedi temple or some other ancient artifact.

Another idea could be to have one of the NPC crew operating as an Imperial spy. The ship's captain tasks the PCs to investigate and suss out the traitor.

So, things have been going quite well. Due to real life stuff we have only gotten in two sessions since I posted, but they went quite well.

I started with an unopposed boarding and they had to deal socially with the captain, discover a hidden cargo manifest, and stun a surly, wrench wielding crew member.

I then did a station raid, where they had to (along with numerous other teams) fight their way through the station and plant demo charges (rules used from DC) and then book it. They managed to free some unexpected prisoners along the way, but had to leave behind a stunned imperial officer and lose out on some Intel.

After that, the ship docked at a neutral planet for hull repairs and I did several shore leave encounters with the crew. The best donuts on planet, a night out with the marines complete with drinking contest, a trip to a shop run by an old friend of the marine sergeant, and a fancy dinner with the rest of the officers that led to some fun sabacc games.

They then were tasked with going to sullust to pick up some Intel, which turned out to be an ISB trap. Still, they escaped and made some friends in the sullustan resistance.

I've now had them diverted to Titan base to do the AoR beta adventure (which I have heavily modified) and instead of nightmare squadron showing up at the end, it will be their frigate.

The next boarding they do after that will result in the imperial trap and ultimate destruction of their frigate.

After that, the ship docked at a neutral planet

Neutral? At least with enemies you know where you stand.

If you are into the Role Play, have the Midshipmen sit their Fleet Board (Oral exam for qualification/promotion)

Get Each One to separately walk into a interview with the Captain/Engineer/OC Marines and have them grilled on random questions of their trade, using knowledge checks that get harder. If they fail a knowledge check they can then try deception checks to bluff their way through (as someone who was once a Midshipman, this very rarely works )

Grill them hard and fast, and at the end, promote them to ensigns if they pass, with some XP, Duty and gear