Our game is strictly AU. Set 8 years after Order 66 with a surviving Jedi Knight and her niece-***-padawan as protagonists, the primary point of departure is that Padme Amidala is alive and running field operations for Bail Organa's nascent rebel network. Obi-Wan Kenobi is the senior military adviser to Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, and Padme but isn't active in rebel operations (very often). Instead, he focuses on training Luke and Leia, who he believes will one day fulfill the prophecy in Anakin's stead. They are in the care of Padme's former handmaiden, Sabe. Padme does visit them when her duties (some have called it a grim, obsessive crusade) permits. The question is, what planet should they be hidden away on? I don't want it to be Tatooine. They may visit Dagobah, but they don't live there. Living on Alderaan with Bail would be too open for Padme or Kenobi to visit. So would Padme's family on Naboo. This won't be a major campaign detail - it may never be directly relevant - but I was wondering where others might choose to put them. Thoughts?

How about in Wild Space or the Unknown Region? That's what outside of the long arm of the Empire and provides protection. If I'm not mistaken, the Rebel Alliance has a safe world out in the Unknown Region to protect the families that members are fighting for the Rebellion.

How about in Wild Space or the Unknown Region? That's what outside of the long arm of the Empire and provides protection. If I'm not mistaken, the Rebel Alliance has a safe world out in the Unknown Region to protect the families that members are fighting for the Rebellion.

Upon looking, the Alliance safe world "Sanctuary" (lamely obvious name) is in Mon Cala space. In our game, Mon Cala hasn't liberated itself yet, but the concept is sound enough. I can always make a name up, grab some colony concept art, and call it a remote safe world.

Yavin IV?

Since we're talking before ANH would it hurt to make that their hiding place?

I would recommend a small Space Station in the Outer/Mid Rim areas, make it a base of operations for a Starfighter unit, and/or a key re-supply point for the Rebels.

I would recommend a small Space Station in the Outer/Mid Rim areas, make it a base of operations for a Starfighter unit, and/or a key re-supply point for the Rebels.

I wouldn't since it would unnecessarily expose Padme' and the twins to the Empire. It would also gain the attention of Vader since he does have a force bond with Padme'. The best solution is to put distance between the two and hide them near a dark side well to mask their presence. That was how Yoda managed to avoid the scrutiny of Vader and the Emperor by living near the dark side cave on Dagobah.

Yavin IV?

Since we're talking before ANH would it hurt to make that their hiding place?

One of the adventures I have planned is the discovery of the ruins on Yavin IV and establishing a base there.

You could have them on a station in the Maw. Since the change to canon, the Death Star was developed over Geonosis, so it wouldn't be in the Maw like some of the Legends EU had it. And Legends did have Lando build a station there post-Endor that the new Jedi students fled to. If you wanted to work more Legends into your AU, then the presence of Abaloth (or whatever it was called), would be a large dark side influence that could have kept them hidden.

I would recommend a small Space Station in the Outer/Mid Rim areas, make it a base of operations for a Starfighter unit, and/or a key re-supply point for the Rebels.

...hide them near a dark side well to mask their presence. That was how Yoda managed to avoid the scrutiny of Vader and the Emperor by living near the dark side cave on Dagobah.

I agree with creating distance and maintaining a low profile. I also agree he would be more able to sense her than other people. But...

I know the EU and fans have made a great deal of hay about Sith and Jedi being galactic-class blood hounds who could sniff out force use many sectors away, but I've always found that to be unrealistic and unsatisfying. Also, film-wise, its not so cut and dried and could be interpreted very differently. Vader does sense Obi-Wan when they are both on the Death Star, and Luke when the shuttle Luke is on passes his flagship over Endor, but we don't see him sitting on Coruscant throwing darts at a holo-display of the galaxy saying "they are here, I feel it."

I prefer to think of sensitivity to ripples due to force use and familiar presences being largely limited to same system or even planetary proximity. At no point do we see Vader showing up with the 501st Legion in his wake because he got hooked on a feeling. He showed up at Hoth because of probe droids, and at Bespin because of bounty hunters. He did not go stomping off into the woods of Endor with his force-nose to the ground to capture Luke. In both of his duels with Luke, he lured his to him through cruelly cunning machinations.

Anything more than that is like a finger-wagging elders trying to scare kids into behaving, "Don't use your force powers, youngling, or the Sith will get you..." The Force isn't PRISM or ESCHELON. Star Wars isn't Person of Interest. Running a game that way hamstrings PCs, implies a greater magnitude to sense / seek / etcetera I'm not comfortable with, and forces an interpretation that doesn't really fit the aesthetic I have from the films about how the force works. I'm less concerned about foresee and vast distances for, "always in motion the future is."

We do see pan-galactic sensing when Luke senses his friends suffering on Bespin, but we could actually make the opposite argument for that. We could argue he was only able to sense them so far away because Dagobah is a planetary scale vergence in the force. Ergo, we could say Dagobah is to Luke as Cerebro is to Professor X. Which would also give us a reason for Yoda to hide there! He can see very far from such a place, and talk to Ezra Bridger all the way on Lothal. Another interpretation is that Luke was foreseeing and not sensing.

Excellent and well thought out points Vondy. I do agree with you on it. A lot of groups use Force bonds as deus ex machina to get around the difficulty.

Dantooine

While I largely agree, Vondy, with the view that galaxy-scale "sensing someone through the Force" is a "story-breaking superpower"... we also see in TCW that Palpatine senses Maul's rise on the Mandalorian world from all the way over on Coruscant.

It's hard to come up with a reason why he senses Maul at that point, that wouldn't also apply to Vader sensing Padme... unless one rules that Vader's post-Mustafar condition counteracts the connection that he has to Padme, while Palpatine is still able to sense his former apprentice back during TCW.

While I largely agree, Vondy, with the view that galaxy-scale "sensing someone through the Force" is a "story-breaking superpower"... we also see in TCW that Palpatine senses Maul's rise on the Mandalorian world from all the way over on Coruscant.

It's hard to come up with a reason why he senses Maul at that point, that wouldn't also apply to Vader sensing Padme... unless one rules that Vader's post-Mustafar condition counteracts the connection that he has to Padme, while Palpatine is still able to sense his former apprentice back during TCW.

Well, one might argue that the reason Palpatine is so perceptive is lazy writing or straight-up discontinuity.

On the other hand, Maul is

1. A reasonably powerful and skilled force user
2. Intimately known to Palpatine over many years
3. Involved in critical events directly impacting Palpatine's personal destiny

Whereas, Padme is

1. not a force user
2. Intimately known to Vader over many years
3. Only indirectly involved in events impacting Vader's personal destiny (at present)

In other words, Maul had more working against him. Meanwhile, Vader is something of a blunt instrument. He's given to overt displays of the force. There is still a brash, direct hotshot pilot in that suit. Its not a huge stretch to assume the Emperor is much more skilled with intuitive, subtle uses of the force like sense and foresee. Additionally, the fine distinction between those two powers is significant.

One could argue the Emperor "foresaw" Maul's Mandalorian Machinations rather than sensed his precise location. Why would that matter? Because one is a narrative tracking device while while the other amounts to an anonymous tip. The former is fairly infallible (triangulation), while the second relies on specific, potentially shifting events in a narrow time-window (reading tea-leaves).

Personally, if its a one off, I tend to take it as writers caveat. An exceptional event introduced as a conceit to make a story work doesn't always represent a consistent, reproducible norm. Or, to be more precise, inferring a general rule (norm) from a specific instance (anecdote) is not always wise.

Games run better on a narrative "bell curve."

While I largely agree, Vondy, with the view that galaxy-scale "sensing someone through the Force" is a "story-breaking superpower"... we also see in TCW that Palpatine senses Maul's rise on the Mandalorian world from all the way over on Coruscant.

It's hard to come up with a reason why he senses Maul at that point, that wouldn't also apply to Vader sensing Padme... unless one rules that Vader's post-Mustafar condition counteracts the connection that he has to Padme, while Palpatine is still able to sense his former apprentice back during TCW.

Well, one might argue that the reason Palpatine is so perceptive is lazy writing or straight-up discontinuity.

On the other hand, Maul is

1. A reasonably powerful and skilled force user
2. Intimately known to Palpatine over many years
3. Involved in critical events directly impacting Palpatine's personal destiny

Whereas, Padme is

1. not a force user
2. Intimately known to Vader over many years
3. Only indirectly involved in events impacting Vader's personal destiny (at present)

In other words, Maul had more working against him. Meanwhile, Vader is something of a blunt instrument. He's given to overt displays of the force. There is still a brash, direct hotshot pilot in that suit. Its not a huge stretch to assume the Emperor is much more skilled with intuitive, subtle uses of the force like sense and foresee. Additionally, the fine distinction between those two powers is significant.

One could argue the Emperor "foresaw" Maul's Mandalorian Machinations rather than sensed his precise location. Why would that matter? Because one is a narrative tracking device while while the other amounts to an anonymous tip. The former is fairly infallible (triangulation), while the second relies on specific, potentially shifting events in a narrow time-window (reading tea-leaves).

Personally, if its a one off, I tend to take it as writers caveat. An exceptional event introduced as a conceit to make a story work doesn't always represent a consistent, reproducible norm. Or, to be more precise, inferring a general rule (norm) from a specific instance (anecdote) is not always wise.

Games run better on a narrative "bell curve."

I really can't (and really feel no desire to) argue with any of that.

I'm working on an isolated, uncharted planet right on the map border where the letter Q is right on the "western" map border.

I would recommend a small Space Station in the Outer/Mid Rim areas, make it a base of operations for a Starfighter unit, and/or a key re-supply point for the Rebels.

I wouldn't since it would unnecessarily expose Padme' and the twins to the Empire. It would also gain the attention of Vader since he does have a force bond with Padme'. The best solution is to put distance between the two and hide them near a dark side well to mask their presence. That was how Yoda managed to avoid the scrutiny of Vader and the Emperor by living near the dark side cave on Dagobah.

I'd buy this if Padme was the strongest Light-Side Jedi in the Galaxy. She's not, so while Vader does have a emotional attachment to her it is far from a "Force Bond" (whatever that is). Also considering in Canon, Vader had no idea he had children (Even when coming face to face with his daughter) until Luke blew up the death-star nearly 20 years later, I'd say they'd be fine in an out of the way place.

Lucas' as-you-go / what-looks-cool writing style gave us that odd situation... supposedly, when Vader and Leia interact in ANH, Lucas had no intention of her being his daughter or Luke's sister.

Which leaves us trying to make sense of it after the rest of the movies came out.