So, fellow GMs, just brainstorming and wondering what you all think. I'll be having my next session of Edge this coming weekend. In the last session, the PCs had to make an escape from a space station, because they're carrying some sort of cargo for a trader, acting as smugglers to pay off a debt. Anyway, the session ended with them speeding out of the station as TIE fighters were dispatched to catch them. They found out that the container holds a bunch of people in cryo-sleep. They also captured a stormtrooper (who knows nothing) and an Imperial army officer (who knows only that the order to capture their ship was from "high above his pay-grade."

At the moment, the PCs are not known to the Rebellion, though of course, they know it exists. They have a container of 20 cryo-frozen people the Empire apparently wants. And of course, the captured imperials.

Now, for the start of the session, they have an escape to do (to wit, last, like, 5 rounds against two TIE fighters so they can calculate the hyper jump and also get out to the hyper-limit). After that...what do you think they'll do next? What should I be planning for?

Mind, I'm very loose in my planning. Very barebones, since I want this campaign to be player-driven, as it were. Still, I wouldn't mind some help to make a guess or two about what they might do.

To me, I think they have to either contact the Rebellion some how (and that'll be the adventure - them trying to make that contact). Or, they have to ignore the people and deliver them to the Hutt crime lord that originally commissioned the job (in which case I'll give them something else I'd already prepared, that will again make them run into the "why are they stealing people" issue). They'll either "dump" the two troopers they captured (the group is "good", in the Han Solo vein, so I don't think they'll just dump them out into space naked, but they might in space suits or something) or, they'll keep them and dump them on the next planet somehow. They specifically stunned them to capture them, so...I hope for non-tortury reasons? We'll see!

In any case, what do my fellow GMs think?

It really depends on their obligations and motivations.

If one of them is secretly pro-imperial I'd eject those two Imperials in an escape pod and tight beam one of the pursuing ships that their people are in there and they'd contact the nearest base once they know where they're heading for.

Now that could be an ideal way to delay the TIEs long enough to jump into hyperspace but it really needs them willing to part with an escape pod as well as have someone willing and able to make the TIE pilots think its worth not immediately blowing it up or splitting up to pursue that escape pod?

Who are the people in the cryo pods?

Are they well known enough to be worth something to someone?

Are they slumbering clone troopers?

Does the Hutt even know what the cargo was?

Maybe they assume the PCs switched out the cargo they were expecting or do so anyway to get out of paying?!

Do the PCs wake up one of them to find out?

I find it helpful to think of what is happening 'off-screen', as it were. Clearly this is important, and there are three major parties interested in it. I would think about, as the GM, what do the parties that the PCs choose NOT to interact with do off-screen while the PCs are doing something else with the third party? There's a lot of possibility for conflict and intrigue there.

First of all I would expect the players to wake one up. My playgroup would do this 100% sure, probably after beating the imperials up to make sure they don't hold back any information.

Before we know anything about the cryo-sleepers and the player motivations it is very hard to tell what they'd do

Let's assume they'll open the container and question the people. They'll find these people are a bunch of semi-famous engineers. They worked for various companies in the sector, were all asked to leave their jobs for a special "commission" from someone in "Imperial R&D", and all of them refused. Some have a memory of doing their regular stuff and then suddenly not, then waking up in a room full of doctors, then waking up when the PCs awoke them. So, obviously, a kidnapping for engineers to work on the Death Star (the game is set "some time" before the first Death Star is revealed; my very loose plan for this first story arc is that this will lead to the PCs discovering that something's going on, and eventually, when they end up near or with the Rebellion, them being on the mission that led to "the death of many bothans" but getting the plans for the Death Star).

I should mention, the "hidden" story is that two Moffs in two different sectors are trying to one-up each other to meet the suddenly increased recruiting and retention quotas; their happy to engage in people smuggling and slavery to do it, as long as they remain good in Imperial eyes). These Moffs are cutting corners in other areas as well (like, I was planning to have one of them responsible for faulty thermal exhaust port shielding or something).

So, that's the background. PCs have Obligations and such, but they are tangential to the current dilemma.

No matter how many thoroughly well-considered and expertly learned answers you might get, at the end of the day, the players will come up with something totally different, either something incredibly smart, or hilariously stupid, or both at the same time.

At least, that has been my experience so far. So, good luck, and keep on "planning loosely"!

No matter how many thoroughly well-considered and expertly learned answers you might get, at the end of the day, the players will come up with something totally different, either something incredibly smart, or hilariously stupid, or both at the same time.

At least, that has been my experience so far. So, good luck, and keep on "planning loosely"!

Oh, I know. Been running games for 25+ years. Just, been a while since I ran a Star Wars game (let's see...2002?, right after the first one from WOTC came out maybe?). Also, this one has me thinking a little ahead as I try to mesh "what I think is cool" with what they are probably going to do. Naturally, I'd like to have a little song and dance ready for the general things they might think up. Some NPC names and motivations, things like that. Which sort of depend on what one thinks they'll do.

In all probability, they will do whatever would be worst for your game.

So, try to think like Mr. Murphy, and figure out what would be the worst possible thing they could do that would throw the biggest monkey wrench into the works, and assume they’ll do something at least that bad — if not much worse.

But leave yourself open to all the possibilities, as the game actually develops.