I'm writing a new F&D campaign (posting it here because the setting will be more EotE than F&D), and am looking for some advice on setting it in an alternate timeline to Canon. I know people here have lots of experience with this, so hoping to avoid pitfalls/problems they've encountered.

The tentative title for the campaign is "Shards of Alderaan." My plan at the moment is to set the campaign in the same timeframe as the RPG recommends -- immediately ABY.

The difference is that the Death Star was *not* destroyed. Han Solo did *not* come to the rescue (which was the linchpin of Luke's success); both Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker were killed during the assault; Yavin 4 was annihilated by the Death Star, and the Rebels were crushed and driven into hiding; Leia Organa fled and is currently whereabouts unknown.

Intended effects of the differences

• The defeat of the Rebels at Yavin is hailed as a monumental victory for the Empire. The Rebel Alliance has been dissolved, and driven into hiding. Pride in the Empire is surging, though the simmering resentment still exists on dissatisfied worlds. The story will take place one year ABY, and will open with the victory celebrations over the Rebels -- and a terrorist attack (see The Shard, below).
• Solo's no-show was a small but significant difference that allowed Luke to complete his task. Instead of helping his friend, he continued on as he had originally intended -- to pay off Jabba and resume life as a smuggler. (GM plan is to have him become a leader in a criminal enterprise, though still unclear if/when this will play a role in any future stories.)
• Vader's killing of Luke and eventual death defending the Death Star has made him into a martyr and hero of the Empire. Billions of Imperial Citizens have flocked to a cult that has sprung up in his name, and emergent Force-Users enter into his ranks devote themselves to him as a kind of patron saint of the Sith. This has resulted in a strange renaissance of sorts for Force-Users: they are being sought out and encouraged to come forward, but are emphatically being trained as Sith. This means the Force is no longer considered a "myth" by most people (as in vanilla), though it is still distrusted and misunderstood, and the Inquisitors still fill the same role as before. (Very little has changed w/r/t the social perception of the Force, except that the Empire is now channeling that ignorance differently than in vanilla).
• Leia Organa is still a prominent leader of what were once the Rebels, though they now call themselves the Shards of Alderaan, but are commonly known as "The Shard". Their logo is a shattered blue planet on a black blackdrop. GM plan for the Shard is pretty "dark": after the defeat at Yavin, and being driven underground, The Shard have been forced to rely on terrorist methods: some cells do not shy away from targeting civilians, if the result is sufficiently symbolic or potent. Leia does not promote such approaches but neither does she deny their utility -- her own cell targets only military forces, but she is being pressured to change her approach. The Shard will play an active role in the story.

I'm intending to open the story in Imperial loyalist territory -- specifically, on the ecumenopolis/city-planet of Axxila. The PCs are mostly F&D characters but there are likely going to be 1-2 EotE Force Sensitives in the bunch. They are all trainees in an Imperial Sith Educational Facility -- and their first exposure to organized Force-use will be via the Dark Side. (They will all start with a Morality rating of of 29 to match this opening, though I am also giving them +5 XP and +500 Credits to compensate for the forced start, but also to represent their "training".)

Does this all sound feasible for an alternate setting? Has anyone else here experimented with a similar approach? I'm not intending to be programmatic on the Sith-Jedi morality piece after the start -- it will be entirely up to the PCs on their moral direction. (So, this isn't a "Dark Side" campaign per se. They are entirely open to proceed on a path to Redemption if they so choose.)

Thoughts appreciated.

Nice ideas. Do you plan on using the schtick that the Empire's new S&R station the death star arrived too late to Alderaan to prevent the planets's destruction at the hand of those terrorist rebels?

Since the entire EU is technically now non-canon you have a tremendous amount of options. Me? I'd focus on some basics.

What do the players want? What do their characters want?

Game power level? What they are starting with is fine...as long as it is keeping with the feel u r looking for.

Primary focus? Making do ala Firefly, being part of the fragments of the alliance, sticking with the empire (based on their choices while training as sith.)

I'd suggest a background session where the players come up with backgrounds and something that ties them together (not just we are noobie sith, unless that's what they want.). Secrets? Did one of the other characters save another or do they have a enemy in common? Link some of their obligations to each other.

Have the graduation exercise "only one survives.". Incentive for team building to escape...or work together on some plan.

Nice ideas. Do you plan on using the schtick that the Empire's new S&R station the death star arrived too late to Alderaan to prevent the planets's destruction at the hand of those terrorist rebels?

You read my mind!

Have the graduation exercise "only one survives.". Incentive for team building to escape...or work together on some plan.

That's a really terrific idea, actually. Thanks for that.

I'm not so sure about killing Vader and Luke. It removes the one weakness that the Emperor has and makes the Rebel cause even more hopeless. Completely hopeless if you ask me. If you're players are ok with it then that's another story.

Forex, Vader captures Luke after the battle (his ship is only damaged just prior to making his shot), converts him to the dark side and, using his control of the Death Star, starts to secretly disobey the Emperor by training Sith on a large scale. So now the players can be evil but loyal to Vader, evil but loyal to the Emperor, or good and loyal to Leia and the Shard.

Something to think about: With Darth Vader dead, there's no clear successor to Palpatine. Is he taking steps to groom an heir and ensure an orderly transfer of power, or is he planning on living forever? That is a potential shatterpoint that the Rebels/Shard (or some other group) can exploit to still have a chance of bringing down the Empire.

I'm not so sure about killing Vader and Luke. It removes the one weakness that the Emperor has and makes the Rebel cause even more hopeless. Completely hopeless if you ask me. If you're players are ok with it then that's another story.

Forex, Vader captures Luke after the battle (his ship is only damaged just prior to making his shot), converts him to the dark side and, using his control of the Death Star, starts to secretly disobey the Emperor by training Sith on a large scale. So now the players can be evil but loyal to Vader, evil but loyal to the Emperor, or good and loyal to Leia and the Shard.

It's a reasonable suggestion. I guess part of my motivation in killing Vader and Luke is personal: I don't like the idea that there's some other "messiah" out there and the players all kind of know that he's a likely candidate to "slay the dragon". While there's certainly an element of hopelessness at the outset, I don't like predetermined ends (Vader+Luke = Dead Emperor), and so I was kind of looking to remove the agents most responsible for that action.

I'll definitely give some thought to your "co-opted to the Dark Side" idea, though!

Something to think about: With Darth Vader dead, there's no clear successor to Palpatine. Is he taking steps to groom an heir and ensure an orderly transfer of power, or is he planning on living forever? That is a potential shatterpoint that the Rebels/Shard (or some other group) can exploit to still have a chance of bringing down the Empire.

Again, someone else reading my mind.

I actually think taking the "God NPCs" out of story where the players are the Big Darn Heroes runs a bit better. I prefer having the PCs be the stars and not feel like the hangers on or extras. If that's the feel you want

I actually think taking the "God NPCs" out of story where the players are the Big Darn Heroes runs a bit better. I prefer having the PCs be the stars and not feel like the hangers on or extras. If that's the feel you want

That's very much how I feel as well. I don't like my PCs to feel like they're just pond scum living in the shadow of great events. I'm not saying they have to Save the Universe, but it's no fun for me as a GM to say "sorry guys, it doesn't really matter what you do/say, because we all know how this ends."

I like the idea of the PCs knowing each other before entering this new Sith Academy/cult. It really opens up the possibility of one of them being groomed to be the Emperor's new apprentice while struggling with staying loyal to the rest of the player characters.

I also feel like one pc should be kidnapped by the Shard and have him/her exposed to the truth of what all is really happening behind the end of the rebellion and the destruction of Alderaan. Might even be fun to see if one of the PCs wants to secretly already be a member of the Shard and keep that from the others until it is revealed in the game/story.

Seems to me like you have a great setting. The only real concern I'd have is making sure the players understand the new status quo.

Seems fine. Just minor suggestion is that in Rebels at least, Empire kept their eye out for any recruits who had unnatural reflexes/skill and would take them in to be inspected to see if they'd be possible Inquisitor-material. So, just an alternative way for how some of the force-sensitive players might have been selected for the program, as opposed to everyone knowing they're sensitive from the get-go and then joining up.

I also feel like one pc should be kidnapped by the Shard and have him/her exposed to the truth of what all is really happening behind the end of the rebellion and the destruction of Alderaan. Might even be fun to see if one of the PCs wants to secretly already be a member of the Shard and keep that from the others until it is revealed in the game/story.

Good idea!

Seems fine. Just minor suggestion is that in Rebels at least, Empire kept their eye out for any recruits who had unnatural reflexes/skill and would take them in to be inspected to see if they'd be possible Inquisitor-material. So, just an alternative way for how some of the force-sensitive players might have been selected for the program, as opposed to everyone knowing they're sensitive from the get-go and then joining up.

Oooh...that might be interesting. Starfighter Ace = TIE Fighter Ace, etc. Nice.

The campaign I've run for two and a half years now is a bit like yours. The Death Star is still around (blowing that up is PC work) and there’s no Luke or Han in the Alliance.

Of course, we made other changes too, so it may not be too helpful to you, but I can share if you’re interested.

The main reason I changed things (and I discussed all this with the players so they were on board) was pretty simple. ‘Star Wars’ is a hero’s journey, which works really well for a film... but less so for an RPG, where it’s pretty much essential that the players are the heroes.

So we got rid of Vader because he’s really part of Luke’s story, not theirs, and the PCs can have their own villains. I was going to kill off the movie characters, but the players naturally had a lot of affection for them. So the ideal situation was to move them to mentor roles, where they could still be awesome but the PCs got to do the actual adventures. 20+ years after Alderaan, Han (now in his fifties) faked his death and lives quietly raising his twins with his wife, Breha Organa. He’s kind of a ‘den father’ to the EOE party, always threatening to come out with them and ‘show the kids how it’s really done’. The Luke character had nothing to do with Anakin, but is otherwise much the same. He’s now in his early 40’s and is mentor to the F&D group – he’s somewhere between Bruce Lee, Jesus Christ and Terence McKenna. Leia’s the daughter of Bail Organa now, who is much darker after the loss of Alderaan and his wife.

It keeps a lot of the infrastructure, allows us to use the existing movie characters in an NPC capacity, and puts the PCs front and centre as the heroes of the story. Works for us.

Interesting ideas, Maelora. I think I'm headed in a similar "infrastructure" direction, with Leia at least in the "den mother" role. That is to say, "eventually, and if they choose" -- I'm thinking strongly about having the PCs directed towards helping the Shard as the primary vehicle for their actions against the Empire, but I don't want to be too prescriptive.

Leia, for me, is still one of the most compelling characters in the OT, and her political and military career are standalone pieces that are operating outside of the whole Luke-Vader saga. It's my hope that with the father-son duo out of the picture -- but still representing figures of "inspiration" and menace (depending on your beliefs) -- that they will still have something to hold on to in Leia. She will retain many of her qualities from the OT -- military and political leadership, fierce independence, moral conviction -- without the need to reference the Jedi. Alderaan always struck me as a kind of missed opportunity for narrative in the OT: a Core World , populated by billions, was annihilated. And it was Leia's homeworld. That is galactic trauma on an almost unimaginable scale -- far bigger than any Will-to-Power of a father-son conflict. I want to make that act of destruction, and the consequences it has on Leia and the Rebels/Shard, the emotional centre of this campaign.

But your note is making me question the decision to rid the campaign of Luke entirely. The only critical issue is that he's a relative unknown up until the destruction of the Death Star -- just another hotshot pilot and resistance fighter. I'm wondering: how to memorialize him in such a way that gives him some kind of presence, that allows the PCs a relationship with him (even if it is just posthumous)? The only thing I can think of is that the Shard consider Luke a "martyr" in the same way that the Empire considers Vader one, so maybe Luke and Vader killed each other in combat, and they are mirror images of heroism for the different sides of the conflict?

I've always felt that Alderaan is a missed opportunity too (It was redshirted merely to show us that the Death Star is a threat. Just as the Hosnian System or whatever else they called it didn't exist until Death Star 3.0 has to destroy it). As a film-maker, Lucas lives entirely in the moment, he's unconcerned with world-building or continuity, so nobody even references Alderaan once it's done its job, after everyone feels sad for a scene or so. In our world, it's what essentially formed the Alliance and the Alderaani phoenix is their symbol. (It even started the Imperial civil war, as the DS was sabotaged internally soon afterwards, as even many Imperials baulked at destroying a human Core World just for the 'Evuls'). And in general, Alderaan is referred to as an atrocity, and has the same weight in culture as Hiroshima or the Holocaust has in ours.

(and yes, I understand Lucas didn't want to go grimdark - he wasn't trying to make 'Platoon in Space' after all. But there's no reason adult gamers can't give the destruction of Alderaan, the Death Star or Endor the gravity of treatment they deserve...)

I kept Leia mostly unchanged, very much the hard-nosed freedom-fighter from the films. But hardened by the loss of her planet and her father's descent into dark depression, and worried about the difficulty of the Alliance keeping its moral high ground when fighting enemies that have no such compulsions. I don't feel she was ever intended to be Force-sensitive, so uncoupling her from the weight of the 'Skywalker' heritage actually gives her room to breathe as her own character. (Same with our version of Luke - he's awesome because he's awesome , not because he's from some special snowflake dynasty... The Force is in everyone , no?)

As for 'Luke' (we renamed him 'Lucas Lars' ) I was originally going to kill him off in a womp rat accident, but the players convinced me he'd make a great mentor and a 'wild card' in our faction war. So the womp rat incident is what sets him on his redemptive path now. It was interesting to reimagine him, and what he would have become if he wasn't a Jedi. Our version is more of a guru or a shaman, a preacher in wild places, the one sane man in a galaxy that's collectively lost its mind. The F&D PCs are his students, and their role isn't notably different from the canon F&D concept, other that they are fighting the Jedi rather than the Empire.

If he's dead in your version, he might even reappear as a 'force ghost' guide, if that suits your story and isn't too cheesy! Or even the Sebastian Shaw version of Anakin, if he can attempt redemption as a Force ghost?

You're absolutely right that Lucas always lived in the moment and was largely unconcerned with the before or after.

It has long bothered me that there wasn't more "wait a minute" among the "old guard" of the Imperial military, no sign outside the EU/Legends of it causing backlash or schism. We never see a "von Stauffenberg" or "Plagge" figure or anything of the sort emerge inside the canon story. But then, I guess that wouldn't have been in tune with the depiction of the Imperials as "The Bad Guys".

(I consider the destruction of Alderaan to be a Pearl Harbor, Sept 11th, or the Paris attacks at a far more massive and daunting scale -- and the destruction of the two Death Stars to be equivalent to the two atomic bombings... if anything can be a parallel here. Any discussion on that should probably be in PM.)

Agree with you. In fact, there were lots of smaller reasons I wanted to rework the material, as well as make it more player-centric.

And I wanted more 'shades of grey'. If Order 66 didn't happen, how would have the Jedi become corrupted over time? How long could the Alliance keep their moral high ground against foes who will do anything to win? What would happen if all the 'Scum and Villainy' factions allied? With Palpatine dead, what would the struggle to control the Empire look like? Are there progressive factions, and 'good guys' among them? These were all questions that were fun to answer for us.

So we have a few 'rogue' Alliance cells that are straight-up terrorists, officially denied by the top brass, but quietly funded. And there are decent people among the Imperial remnants, looking for a way to make peace. There are 'good guy' criminal organisations like Talon Karrde, and quite nasty ones like the Hutts or Zann Consortium. The Jedi are arrogant and controlling, but not all of them, and those who are have a very good reason for being so. It all keeps the players on their toes.

I don't blame Lucas for doing what he did though. It's very hard to put nuance into a 2-hour movie, and he made the choices he did to make a good film that everyone could easily relate to.

RPGs of course are a fantastic way of exploring all those elements that wouldn't fit in a movie.