I think it's safe to say that one of the big appeals of Star Wars as a genre is that every time you go see a film or read a book or play a game there's always a good chance that you'll be presented with something new and different--the galaxy is certainly large enough that you can fly from one end and back again and see new sights both ways. In service of preserving that spirit, what sort of things have you concocted from whole cloth (Or shamelessly borrowed from elsewhere) that didn't previously exist in Star Wars canon (Legends or otherwise) just to make sure your players never felt too secure in their meta-knowledge? Starships, events, planets, lore, whatever.

EDIT: ****, this should've been in the Game Masters forum. That's what I get for posting while drinking.

I think it's safe to say that one of the big appeals of Star Wars as a genre is that every time you go see a film or read a book or play a game there's always a good chance that you'll be presented with something new and different--the galaxy is certainly large enough that you can fly from one end and back again and see new sights both ways. In service of preserving that spirit, what sort of things have you concocted from whole cloth (Or shamelessly borrowed from elsewhere) that didn't previously exist in Star Wars canon (Legends or otherwise) just to make sure your players never felt too secure in their meta-knowledge? Starships, events, planets, lore, whatever.

EDIT: ****, this should've been in the Game Masters forum. That's what I get for posting while drinking.

In previous games that I've run, not using this system, I often drop ships from other shows or movies that I like. For instance I once used Shadow vessels from B5 for Sith ships.

I "imported" Gru and minions from "Despicable Me" as the major employer for Edge of the Empire. Gru was once a criminal who collected stolen artifacts, but "reformed" after a fashion and switched to funding exploration and finding unclaimed riches. (slightly more legal in the Empire) Gru was Pau'an, and the minions were Utai in the Star Wars translation.

I briefly included a rival, who still stole things. A Rodian thief-mastermind by the name of Vector. In the closing chapters of the campaign, they encountered Macho the Hutt.

Most planets my PCs interact with are made by me. It's easier for me to use them as settings if I don't have to keep double-checking Wookieepedia or a source book to make sure my ideas aren't conflicting with any established facts. Alternatively, I'll use planets that have been mentioned but not fleshed out. I'm not above adding my own twist to established locations, though: I gave Belasco a Halloween-like holiday for our Halloween game.

Every SW RPG campaign I've been in was set in a homebrew sector.

The Star Wars universe is so big adding aliens, new tech, and planets from scratch is easy to get away with. I've considered using the Thunderfighter and Warhawk from Buck Rogers. They may yet make an appearance. My lady wanted a Risa-like world from Star Trek so we have Cerigo. Cerigo was the Venetian name for Cytherea, the island whose sea-foam spawned Aphrodite. I also base NPCs on characters I like from other media.

I was wondering: is there a limit to what you consider an "acceptable" new idea? For example, if somebody proposed introducing Lovecraftian extradimensional monstrosities to a campaign, would you consider it okay - or would you say that this goes too much against SW-verse's established feel?

I was wondering: is there a limit to what you consider an "acceptable" new idea? For example, if somebody proposed introducing Lovecraftian extradimensional monstrosities to a campaign, would you consider it okay - or would you say that this goes too much against SW-verse's established feel?

SWTOR kinda did that already, I think -- trying to find a reference.

EDIT -- OK, found it... "Terror From Beyond"... a group of rogue Sith Lords known as the Dread Masters seize an ancient Gree hypergate and attempt to unleash the titular terrors from beyond.

I was wondering: is there a limit to what you consider an "acceptable" new idea? For example, if somebody proposed introducing Lovecraftian extradimensional monstrosities to a campaign, would you consider it okay - or would you say that this goes too much against SW-verse's established feel?

I think aesthetics, genre-appropriateness, and mood are key factors in judging whether a new element is appropriate. So, yeah, Lovecraft is out... as are many SW video games.

I'm a fan of obscure references or dropped plot threads from canon and legends works, then creating content around that. However, like has been mentioned by a few posters, I also like to create my own locations.

I've gotten a lot of utility out of a star system of my own creation, the Kharan System in the Mid Rim. Surrounded by a dark matter nebula, there is only one safe hyperspace route in and out allowing the system to be easily bottled up and defended. There are "back ways" in through the constantly shifting mass shadows of the dark matter nebula, but only the most daring astrogators would risk it (insert PCs here). The system's natural chokepoint has led to a fiercely independent spirit and adherence to their traditions of strong monarchy and swift justice.

Abeloth is quite Lovecraftian, IMHO: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Abeloth

Interesting...

How about Xenomorphs? Has this kind of gore and body horror any place in a proper SW story?

Interesting...

How about Xenomorphs? Has this kind of gore and body horror any place in a proper SW story?

That's more a question of taste for your group. As has been pointed out, Star Wars is a big galaxy with plenty of room for virtually every kind of story. Want to play a medieval-style knights and wizards campaign? Check out Weik in the FaD CRB.

For something lethal like the xenomorph, make sure your group is on board for the concept, but so long as they are go nuts. Throw in some zombies if you want.