Ive begun my preparations for out first session in a couple of weeks. I have a general plot in mind and have decided on the key locations in which to concentrate the action. Now I find myself with the daunting task of reading up on the tons of information out there in order to be mentally prepared to present the game!

For one example, the planet of Cato Neimoidia will prove pivotal in this adventure and wow, there is a lot to study up on there. A very rich history with cool architecture, underworld influences, war relics and now a big boss type Imperial Moff running his own little Vegas right in the faces of the uptight Neimoidians.

Ive got pages of notes on the various influences, several cities, NPCs, possible subplots and its just one of a few worlds they players may be visiting.

I can see where running Star Wars is going to be a challenge. I was fairly familiar with the size of the Star Wars canon but whoa! I had no idea it was so in depth.

If you try to use all the EU you will go insane.

Added to which it's bloated and frequently contradictory.

When I started, I had some knowledgeable types (especially a poster on this board named Chortles) who helped me through it a bit, flagged up some stuff I might be interested in.

Things like Wookiepedia are a great resource, but there's no requirement to use all or even any of it. A lot of it I found straight-up silly, and I didn't want endless super-weapons or every dead character coming back to life at some point.

There's no canon police, and you can make it what you want at your table. Your players have no right to start quoting 'canon' at you. Pick what you want and what fits the game you want to run.

How many new races feature in Maz's place in the new movie? Does anyone have a body count on that? Feel free to make some stuff up for your campaign.

Send the PC's out to some real fringe regions where nothing much happens in canon. Introduce some weird little known force-user tradition for your players to ponder. I had one in a 2005 campaign that featured farsighted seers that scribed the history of the universe as seen in their visions and scripted plays from the stories for theatre to entertain the rest of the population. It worked well for player exposition and hooks.

Oh I am absolutely applying a screen to what Im finding in the EU, some of it is well... odd. However, a great deal is perfectly in tune with what I imagine and it seems a shame to ignore it and conjure up something new. The real challenge is organizing it all. Files on everything and how those everythings interrelate. Add that to the nature of a Star Wars adventure which doesn't stay in one place very long typically and it keeps a GM hopping I'm finding out.

Guardians of the galaxy, both the movie and the series, can be a great source of inspiration. Also, a lot of TCW episodes can be adapted into "quests" with minimal effort.

The more they come out, the more I'm inclined to default to using FFG's material, which often nicely condenses a lot of the information in the EU, simply to reduce the waste of time. I generally would go into heavy research, and I can generally recall a vast amount of (useless) trivia, but just for the ease of access.

The recent F&D module Chronicles of the Gatekeeper has a segment on Cato Nemoidia which might be of interest.

I'm not sure what you want from this thread? You didn't actually specify a question to the forum. Are you looking for advise on where to find information to use? Or how to juggle the details without going insane?

Oh I am absolutely applying a screen to what Im finding in the EU, some of it is well... odd. However, a great deal is perfectly in tune with what I imagine and it seems a shame to ignore it and conjure up something new. The real challenge is organizing it all. Files on everything and how those everythings interrelate. Add that to the nature of a Star Wars adventure which doesn't stay in one place very long typically and it keeps a GM hopping I'm finding out.

I wouldn't sweat any of it. The second you start your campaign the universe is yours. People run whole campaigns where Luke takes his father's place by the Emperor's side, or Tatooine has jungle oases. One way to keep the players from going just anywhere is making the plot dependent on the places you've already set up. If the PCs make an Outer Rim roll to decide where best to sell their ill-gotten gains, then the options you present on success are entirely up to you. So technically they *can* go anywhere (and it's important to sustain the illusion), but there's usually no reason for them to do so.

It is handy to have street shots or terrain images, and for that I have an iPad handy to pass around the table. It's best of course if you can do it pre-session, but if the players take an unexpected turn just search google images and you'll get a boatload. (A note on searches, you can often get more interesting results if you use "sci fi" instead of "star wars", e.g.: "sci fi city" gets some immediate gorgeous results.)

In the Force and Destiny campaign my group is doing, we're keeping with most of the OT canon, but having it so our four Jedi Exiles exist alongside Luke. Essentially, it's Luke's destiny to confront Vader and the Emperor, but the Exiles' destiny is to hunt down ancient Jedi relics and lore, destroy the Inquisitors, and discover the location of a new Jedi Temple for rebuilding the order - maybe even the one in TFA. If all goes well and they can continue their training through learning secrets and finding exiled masters, they will join Luke in rebuilding the Jedi when the time comes.

So, yeah, you can do whatever you want at your table.

The recent F&D module Chronicles of the Gatekeeper has a segment on Cato Nemoidia which might be of interest.

Seriously? Dang, and I have that in hardback on my shelf. I had no idea.

I'm not sure what you want from this thread? You didn't actually specify a question to the forum. Are you looking for advise on where to find information to use? Or how to juggle the details without going insane?

Im sorry, I wasn't aware every thread had to be a direct question. (wow, that sounds confrontational... believe me its not, just stating a fact)

I suppose, if anything, I was curious how other GMs manage the huge amount of info required to run a game. Especially when embracing the sort of freeform, unscripted, narrative approach - its hard to constrain your players into a given prepared area.

In many other more conventional RPG settings travel is much slower of course. You can fully develop a particular kingdom, region or state or what have you and keep the players there a while, feeding off your background work. In Star Wars it a whole different animal.

My plot line for our first adventure has the players moving (probably) through 4 key worlds but skipping over a dozen as they travel. They might stop at any one of them so, well I have to at least be familiar with whats there even to just wing their time in port, arrange and encounter etc.

Im imagining you guys have been doing this for a couple years now and have some good advise.

Don't assume your players are going to go where you want them to go for one.

You will hear the term "modular encounters" tossed around this site a lot, and for good reason. The mechanics of this system, or really good for improvised encounters.

So as a GM, to try and manage the ton of information....I don't. I come up with various scenes I think would be cool, but that don't have any specific planet they must be on. Cool Bar Fight Scene, Cool Jungle Encounter, Ancient Ruin, etc. And just have those scenes set up and waiting. Then, if my players decide to go left instead of right, I can just re-skin the stuff and keep rolling.

Since you don't know which of 4 possible planets your players might go to, don't tie any encounters to any specific planet. And then just learn a basic overview of the planet. What the main species is, the dominant type of biosphere for the area, and that's about it. For the most part, Star Wars cities are the same on every planet. Ridiculously tall buildings shaped all futuristic, flying cars everywhere, and lots of aliens.

Then just insert your premade encounters where it's appropriate, based on where they show up.

Ive begun my preparations for out first session in a couple of weeks. I have a general plot in mind and have decided on the key locations in which to concentrate the action. Now I find myself with the daunting task of reading up on the tons of information out there in order to be mentally prepared to present the game!

For one example, the planet of Cato Neimoidia will prove pivotal in this adventure and wow, there is a lot to study up on there. A very rich history with cool architecture, underworld influences, war relics and now a big boss type Imperial Moff running his own little Vegas right in the faces of the uptight Neimoidians.

Ive got pages of notes on the various influences, several cities, NPCs, possible subplots and its just one of a few worlds they players may be visiting.

I can see where running Star Wars is going to be a challenge. I was fairly familiar with the size of the Star Wars canon but whoa! I had no idea it was so in depth.

I think this is something a lot of GMs are guilty of: OVERPREP. I've done it in the past myself and so have several of my GMs over the years. For me, it's a 'creative crutch' so I didn't have to think on my feet, I could go to my A4 lever arch folder and pull out a map OF ANYTHING (village, town, city, dungeon, sewer, bandit lair, ruined castle/building, inn, tavern) an encounter, a fully detailed NPC, and TBH looking back it would have been time better spent writing the adventure. Over time with experience and the changes in my life I don't need to OVERPREP.

Our GM for PFRPG would sometimes spend most, if not all, of his day off prepping for our sandbox Kaer Maga campaign,,,,

I may mind map or bullet point where I want a self penned adventure to go. The SW Universe is HUGE.. take a 'sit back' and think on what you REALLY need as info for the players.

Years ago when I was a teenager there was this older guy about 50+, at our local RP club, running an AD&D based game - own world setting - he could run it on the fly. He would turn up with the rulebooks, an a4 pad with some notes on it and a graph paper pad. TBH it was great fun.

The books give you all you need and the OBLIGATION roll can set you up for the session - although session after session of bounty hunters trying to take the party down can get boring.

As to the old vet running his pet world from the hip. I've done that, its a blast and frankly pretty easy when its 'your world'. You just make it all up as you go. It feels very different with something as established as Star Wars. I get this nagging pressure to 'get it right'.

My plot line for our first adventure has the players moving (probably) through 4 key worlds but skipping over a dozen as they travel.

What do you mean by "skipping over a dozen"? There's no need to have the galactic map out showing exactly which route they took and which systems they're travelling past. Even the most hi-res map out there shows only a small fraction of the settled systems that litter the galaxy *between* the systems they skipped, fleshing it all out is an impossible task.

Edit: main point ninja'd, modular encounters is the main way to go. The back of each regional sourcebook has several you can pick from if the players do something unexpected. Also, there is a "set pieces" PDF which is useful for coming up with encounters on the fly in certain environments. You might check out this link:

https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/85616-compiled-resources-list/page-1

And also, if you can get your hands on it, the Galactic Campaign Guide from the old D20 Star Wars game is actually really useful. Lots of quick maps for everything from cantina's to speeder repair shops to noble houses, their exact location on which planet isn't what's important.

It feels very different with something as established as Star Wars. I get this nagging pressure to 'get it right'.

FFG can't even 'get it right'. The Beginner adventure has the PCs landing on a planet and interacting with a culture that's supposedly been wiped out in one of the recent cartoons.

Some people purely run canon. Others (like me) take a vibroaxe to canon and change loads of things.

It doesn't matter really, providing you set expectations to the players and they all buy in to what you are trying to do.

The FFG stuff is really good and gives me just about enough information for me to elaborate. For example, I was interested in Centrepoint Station in the Corellia book - but when I looked it up on Wookiepedia, in the EU it was just a boring old superweapon-of-the-week and the FFG write-up of it had given me much better ideas on how to use it.

Preparation is good, even essential for most of us, but don't over-prepare either. I had a very specific, three act/film campaign set up for our games - which was eventually de-railed by unforeseen player actions that led to a new Galactic Civil War.

Most of the lore is contradictory anyway. Don't be afraid to tell the players that this is how you are doing things.

It feels very different with something as established as Star Wars. I get this nagging pressure to 'get it right'.

FFG can't even 'get it right'. The Beginner adventure has the PCs landing on a planet and interacting with a culture that's supposedly been wiped out in one of the recent cartoons.

Some people purely run canon. Others (like me) take a vibroaxe to canon and change loads of things.

It doesn't matter really, providing you set expectations to the players and they all buy in to what you are trying to do.

The FFG stuff is really good and gives me just about enough information for me to elaborate. For example, I was interested in Centrepoint Station in the Corellia book - but when I looked it up on Wookiepedia, in the EU it was just a boring old superweapon-of-the-week and the FFG write-up of it had given me much better ideas on how to use it.

Preparation is good, even essential for most of us, but don't over-prepare either. I had a very specific, three act/film campaign set up for our games - which was eventually de-railed by unforeseen player actions that led to a new Galactic Civil War.

Most of the lore is contradictory anyway. Don't be afraid to tell the players that this is how you are doing things.

Yep, that's what I do. Though I also based my game in Old Republic, so it's a lot easier to handwave away canon without ruffling any feathers.

Why would you need to know all that to run the game? Will it come up? Paint with broad strokes, my friend, and don`t focus on anything unnecessary!

Make the setting your own and feel free to put your own spin on things, ignore what isn`t interesting to you and make up whatever you like.
A tip is to use a planet you like, but have your own cities, aereas and npc`s and don`t make it too detailed, just some hooks to improvise around and some things that give you and the players the feel of the place.

Good luck!

FFG can't even 'get it right'. The Beginner adventure has the PCs landing on a planet and interacting with a culture that's supposedly been wiped out in one of the recent cartoons.

Long Arm of the Hutt release predates all of the material that covers the sterilization of Geonosis. The actual writing likely predates the entire Disney purchase of Lucasfilm. FFG didn't 'get it wrong,' they had the rug pulled out from under their feet.

I ran into this as well, and I basically devoted an hour or two an evening to reading about the setting for about the first 6 months of my campaign. I tried to stick with things I could foresee coming up in my campaign, then followed the rabbit hole from there - it's easy to do on Wookieepedia. Now, years later, I am That Guy that knows entirely too much about Star Wars for casual discussions, but when I sit down with the real grognards I'm but a neophyte.

FFG can't even 'get it right'. The Beginner adventure has the PCs landing on a planet and interacting with a culture that's supposedly been wiped out in one of the recent cartoons.

Long Arm of the Hutt release predates all of the material that covers the sterilization of Geonosis. The actual writing likely predates the entire Disney purchase of Lucasfilm. FFG didn't 'get it wrong,' they had the rug pulled out from under their feet.

This is fiction. There can be endless "right" versions. Just look at all the different versions of the Joker, of Alfred and even the Batman himmelf!

The best advice I can offer is to channel your inner Obi-Wan and speak "from a certain point of view."

Don't use absolutes - the PCs want to interact with Twi'leks? Have them put in contact with an "expert" who relates the information, or a holonet site they go to get facts. Then, later, if the site or contact told them something that you later find to be untrue, then it wasn't you messing up, it was the opinion or disinformation of the contact/site/etc.

When on a planet, only talk about things in the location that they are; don't have representatives speak of the planet/continent/greater area. This way, you can minimize the specifics and if something is proven out of context later, narrative hand-wavery can explain it as a local quirk or custom.

Always make sure that facts come from NPCs or spurious data sources - never as fact from you as the GM. That way, anything that is later wrong has an in-game reason for change if it needs to later, as well as relieving you from needing to constantly remember a billion precedents.

As to the old vet running his pet world from the hip. I've done that, its a blast and frankly pretty easy when its 'your world'. You just make it all up as you go. It feels very different with something as established as Star Wars. I get this nagging pressure to 'get it right'.

So my suggestion to 'get it right' is to channel your inner GM-fu, and take a deep breath. Then borrow a quote from a wise ole hermit an "use the Force, dude"

Being a 'good' GM means keeping your players happy, and wanting more. While running a challenging encounter, that lasts in their memory beyond the rolls.

I recently tried to run a beginner game for EotE at a local game store, and had my adventure all planned out. Til I got a table that wanted to 'right the prequels' and just knew there was a bounty on Jar Jar, so they were off to Naboo..

What began as a 'We'll stump the GM' turned into a pretty investigative heavy galactic romp, an when they did try to deliver Jar Jar's head. Turned out to be they brought in the Gungan trying to cash in on Jar Jar's fame an popularity. At the end they thought it was pretty kewl, and want to go again.

Deliver an experience your players enjoy, and let the overprep sit secondary. prep multiple minions, have nemesis, and rivals ready. An be ready for the player interventions.

Get that right, and let your Star Wars universe evolve from your table.

To answer a couple questions above...

Whafrog "What do you mean by "skipping over a dozen"?

The PCs do have star charts and undoubtedly will look them over to see where they are going. Refueling and such may, or may not, require stops along the way but they should certainly have the option to take shorter jumps and visit the worlds as they go. I don't know that they will but its a possibility. Its certainly 'realistic' in that travelers of the space ways may click on the nav-computer data base and "Hey, Denon. Isnt that an all city planet, like Corruscant? Lets stop and check it out."

If they do, I need to be at least a little prepared for it. Granted, I cold construct the adventure to disallow such things but that's typically frowned upon. So would not allowing the players to see the star charts when they travel to avoid them getting distracted.

RodianClone "Why would you need to know all that to run the game?"

Well what I would need and what I wouldn't is left unknown until the game starts but its safe to say you need a little bit of background, color and such to describe the place.

"You step off your ship and are immediately struck by the oppressive heat, two suns glaring down from an piercing blue and entirely cloudless sky. The spaceport and surrounding settlement is whitewashed, weather bleached from the sun's rays or by the occupants to protect from them is hard to say. The structures are domed for the most part, huttled together to form lots of shade, creating twisting and turning alleys all around them with only a few broad boulevards allowing one swift progress. In the distance, beyond the last row of huts, you see the skeletoned scarecrows of moisture vaporators dotting the nearest dunes before the sun turns the sand into a blinding haze."

These kinds of descriptions and the ones that follow regarding businesses, occupants, vehicles, and the hundred other things one might notice when engaging a culture, can be made up on the fly certainly but it helps to have a good general idea of what the culture, climate and history of a place are to give you a head start.

The worlds of Star Wars are unique and full of individual character and should present that way in the game, or so I believe. I cant imagine just generalizing them during a session. The more you know ahead of time, the better you can present the image to the players.

The description I posted above is that of Mos Eisely of course, made incredibly simple because of my prior knowledge of the place, honestly just a few remembered scenes from the film. If I hadn't had that to go on, I would have had to think about it for a while, generate the specifics in my head. Doable certainly but more complicated when generating dozens of worlds over a campaign. Someone else has done this for quite a few worlds as per the various sources. I just want to familiarize myself with their work if possible.