I am amazed reading this thread that no one has mentioned obligation yet. You have a built in game mechanic for when the Empire is going to come calling. Give them 30 or 40 group obligation and just bide your time until that unlucky dice roll...

I try and keep the response bound more to the canon reaction of the world, and less the rules. I already know the Empire's going to retaliate at some point I was just asking when they would canonically. Duty/Obligation is useful but I don't let it make someone act out of character so I wanted to double check that it was in character for the Empire to bring down the hammer when they're so preoccupied.

Well in my galaxy this is the standard emperial workflow... send in an report of the station comander every 2 - 4 Weeks allowing a delay of 1 week. If there is no report, get the commander on the comlink... when there is no responde send an small investigation team (1 Carrack and maybe 2 cannonboats)

they´ll find out no one is alive... seeing that damed big banner in the mainhall and by checking the security-cams find out who those bastards are that just make the biggest force in the galaxy theire enemy

giving 1-2 weeks until the system moff and the Empireal fleet decided how exactly to respond, then the fleet starts.

A small fleet of let´s say: 2-3 Stardestroyers (ether 1x Class: empereal I or 2x Victory and 1x interdictor class) with 3-5 carracks and 8-10 cannon-boats just to get sure thoses little punks won´t flee. That´s the tarkin doktrin:" Rule by fear! If someone thinks he hasn´t to fear us, then bring him down and show everyone else that we are to feared."

if your player makes a Tony Stark then answer in a Mandarins way! Blow his Home!

(I really like it when players do a Tony Stark... it give me so much reason to throw a whole lot of sh*t into theire way)

Of course you should give the players these three oppurtunities:

1. They can find out the empire will attack an get the change to evacuate (or fight to the death)

2. They can´t find out about the attack but are away from home when it starts, returning just the moment the Attacking fleet starts the run. They may decide to flee and abandon al the mercs they gathered sofar, or they can fight along side them (and eventually die)

3. they can´t find out, and are at home but get the change to slip through the attacking forces to escape... or stay and beeing as good as dead...

IF you don´t like the idea of a lethal endgame you could also insert "beeing shot down and forced to land on rattaka while the station goes down in a big blast of turbolasers"

As for obligation:

As RAW states the players get any further obligation if they a.) choose to except them as part of an deal (like you know a guy that could get you a new ship but well it will be propardly be a stollen one an give you +15 obligation on criminal)

or b) they decide to ignore the existing obligation (like you know that hutts wants you to get his beloings from Coruscant and bring it to him on Nar shaddad as part of your dept. you don´t do it?? Ok he just increased your dept by 10k credits. Raise your obligation by 5)

The GM shouldn´t bother to bring up obligation for everything the players do... otherwise any Forcee would have to get the obligation "Hunted by the empire" and raised everytime he does something forcy ...

Well there isn't really a main hall. The pretty much nuked the core area from orbit before landing and exterminating the survivors. Then they left their banner in the middle of the crater. Thinking of going with option 3. Have them be in the station and a couple Victorys just drop out of hyperspace.

Rattatak might be in the middle of nowhere, but it's also the same middle of nowhere that the Empire is using to build its second Death Star. How unfortunate for your group...

Oh F***. I never even noticed its proximity to Endor. Well then.

Rattatak might be in the middle of nowhere, but it's also the same middle of nowhere that the Empire is using to build its second Death Star. How unfortunate for your group...

Oh F***. I never even noticed its proximity to Endor. Well then.

That sounds like somebody will find out there is a massive imperial presence in the middle of nowhere...

ed: The boat starts rocking when the plot come's knocking

Rattatak might be in the middle of nowhere, but it's also the same middle of nowhere that the Empire is using to build its second Death Star. How unfortunate for your group...

Oh F***. I never even noticed its proximity to Endor. Well then.

That sounds like somebody will find out there is a massive imperial presence in the middle of nowhere

Happydaze I will be forwarding all player complaints to you. If they ask why 3 Imperial I Star Destroyers just came out of hyperspace I'm telling them they can blame you for that.

It sounds like the proximity of Endor is going to be a good path, but if you wanted to have a longer lead time/build up to that I also wanted to throw out an asymmetrical approach.

While the Empire certainly has the firepower to come in guns blazing, and your PC's calling card should make for a shorter investigation, I could see a small task force of ISB, COMPNOR, and other investigators steadily squeezing a target organization where it hurts to weaken them before an attack. Hit their logistical and support train. Maybe some of their fuel/weapon/food supply runs get impounded. Or the transponder codes on those frigates you mentioned are flagged with BoSS and they face an automatic cold or hostile reception from any system authorities they arrive in.

This can have a gradually increasing pressure on the group to feel less independent, and maybe they need to consider allying with the Rebellion sooner, or they get desperate and lash out again. Either way, it can make for a less linear arms race before the inevitable Imperial assault.

Or the group wakes up to some stormtrooper ninjas in their living quarters

It sounds like the proximity of Endor is going to be a good path, but if you wanted to have a longer lead time/build up to that I also wanted to throw out an asymmetrical approach.

While the Empire certainly has the firepower to come in guns blazing, and your PC's calling card should make for a shorter investigation, I could see a small task force of ISB, COMPNOR, and other investigators steadily squeezing a target organization where it hurts to weaken them before an attack. Hit their logistical and support train. Maybe some of their fuel/weapon/food supply runs get impounded. Or the transponder codes on those frigates you mentioned are flagged with BoSS and they face an automatic cold or hostile reception from any system authorities they arrive in.

This can have a gradually increasing pressure on the group to feel less independent, and maybe they need to consider allying with the Rebellion sooner, or they get desperate and lash out again. Either way, it can make for a less linear arms race before the inevitable Imperial assault.

I actually plan on using this strategy later while they deal with the Hutt they pissed off.

It sounds like the proximity of Endor is going to be a good path, but if you wanted to have a longer lead time/build up to that I also wanted to throw out an asymmetrical approach.

While the Empire certainly has the firepower to come in guns blazing, and your PC's calling card should make for a shorter investigation, I could see a small task force of ISB, COMPNOR, and other investigators steadily squeezing a target organization where it hurts to weaken them before an attack. Hit their logistical and support train. Maybe some of their fuel/weapon/food supply runs get impounded. Or the transponder codes on those frigates you mentioned are flagged with BoSS and they face an automatic cold or hostile reception from any system authorities they arrive in.

This can have a gradually increasing pressure on the group to feel less independent, and maybe they need to consider allying with the Rebellion sooner, or they get desperate and lash out again. Either way, it can make for a less linear arms race before the inevitable Imperial assault.

I actually plan on using this strategy later while they deal with the Hutt they pissed off.

I'll point out that Hutts and Moffs have worked together in the past....

At a time when the Empire is actively searching for a hidden rebel base.... the players assembled an army, stationed it at a hidden base, and made a significant attack on Imperial holdings...

Under normal conditions I'd say a single star destroyer shows up and ruins the players day. In this case, I'd probably go all out mistaken identity and have Vader and the entire Executor battle group show up.

Please please please tell me the player's party is composed of a pilot, a face, a forcee, a large non-human, a female, and they have a pair of droids....

Sadly It's a bloodthirsty gank, a force user and lightsaber weilding gank with no proper training, a shamed kaleesh warlord, and a modified B1 sniper droid. But they did decide that the other two also have the force so could flood them with Inquisitors.

You could still have the base mistaken for Echo Base and run a short personalized Empire Strikes Back for your players.

It's just more fun when the party is kinda/sort/a little like the Heroes of Yavin since then you can have the only escape vehicle available be a run down YT-1300 and really crank the mistaken identity up to 11 and have them chased by the entire death squadron for a while.

At a time when the Empire is actively searching for a hidden rebel base.... the players assembled an army, stationed it at a hidden base, and made a significant attack on Imperial holdings...

Under normal conditions I'd say a single star destroyer shows up and ruins the players day. In this case, I'd probably go all out mistaken identity and have Vader and the entire Executor battle group show up.

Please please please tell me the player's party is composed of a pilot, a face, a forcee, a large non-human, a female, and they have a pair of droids....

Sadly It's a bloodthirsty gank, a force user and lightsaber weilding gank with no proper training, a shamed kaleesh warlord, and a modified B1 sniper droid. But they did decide that the other two also have the force so could flood them with Inquisitors.

You could still have the base mistaken for Echo Base and run a short personalized Empire Strikes Back for your players.

It's just more fun when the party is kinda/sort/a little like the Heroes of Yavin since then you can have the only escape vehicle available be a run down YT-1300 and really crank the mistaken identity up to 11 and have them chased by the entire death squadron for a while.

Actually their personal ship is the Ebon Hawk that they stole from a museum. Other than that their other main ship is a Gozanti-class Cruiser called 'Ingmal'.

First you need to ask yourself, does the base add to the kind of story you want to tell, or is it detrimental? The base falls when it needs to fall, when it no longer serves the story.

Then, once you are absolutely sure that base is on a supply line between Coruscant and DS2, and it is already behind at least one terrorist attack, it's time to get down to business.

Start small. Put some informants inside the base. Enjoy yourself immensely when the players start looking for them, and only manage to find the fake spy you just set up as a distraction. Once that sessions ends and the players have a whole week to get paranoid, it's time for infiltration. Dock a shuttle full of "miners" or "refugees" with the base. Make everything look fine. Even better, the miners may be legit, but the real threat is hidden inside the ship. It may be a 'quisitor, a team of shadow troopers, an HK unit, or even a Hand. Don't start a fight immediately, use the players' fear and paranoia to make a better game. Bomb the power source. Set a horny gundark loose on the corridors. Use a holographic costume to change clothes and appearance on the fly. Mix up some chemical agents into the life support. Turn the station's AI and all the droids rogue. Open all doors and hatches on the station to depressurize it.

Then, after the players have survived against all odds and the station is suitably weakened, you can just decloak your corvette and start the real attack. It is time to go Echo Base on the players and GM a glorious escape against all odds. Or, you know, escape attempt.

I took a look into my trusted Imperial Handbook and would argue that the usual response would be about an

Attack Line: 3 Heavy or 6-8 Light Cruisers plus fighters

Or if they suspect your team to be heavily entrenched up it up to a

Heavy Attack Line: 4-8 heavy cruisers, possibly including a Victory Star Destroyer(!).

If your group tries to build a 3rd front as new rulers of a planet ... the Empire could go so far to upgrade that to a Heavy Squadron, thats usually 2 Heavy Attack Lines. OR they add a torpedo sphere to one of the lines to, and i quote the Handbook, 'penetrate planetary shields and quell uprisings on rebellious worlds'.

The Empire as i GM it has no tolerance for upstarts and mercs running amok. Leaving your banner and recordings of your doings behinds makes it so much easier to find you. The Rebels did not do that and even they got found.

Even in the Outer Rim or Wild Space they will send someone after you. So the PCs should consider faking death and retreating.

Out of curiosity when exactly is this being run in the Star Wars Timeline?

I'm getting visions of the Rebels preparing to attack the second Death Star when news of the attack on that imperial base comes through!

Maybe just maybe the Emperor delegates a small portion of the gathered fleet to investigate what could be another rebel fleet presence and in so doing whilst your Players are busy fending off this Imperial attack the ROTJ is going on and provides a reason why the Rebels actually pull off that unexpected victory!

Not that your players will probably ever realise the significance of this of course!

I took a look into my trusted Imperial Handbook and would argue that the usual response would be about an

Attack Line: 3 Heavy or 6-8 Light Cruisers plus fighters

Or if they suspect your team to be heavily entrenched up it up to a

Heavy Attack Line: 4-8 heavy cruisers, possibly including a Victory Star Destroyer(!).

If your group tries to build a 3rd front as new rulers of a planet ... the Empire could go so far to upgrade that to a Heavy Squadron, thats usually 2 Heavy Attack Lines. OR they add a torpedo sphere to one of the lines to, and i quote the Handbook, 'penetrate planetary shields and quell uprisings on rebellious worlds'.

The Empire as i GM it has no tolerance for upstarts and mercs running amok. Leaving your banner and recordings of your doings behinds makes it so much easier to find you. The Rebels did not do that and even they got found.

Even in the Outer Rim or Wild Space they will send someone after you. So the PCs should consider faking death and retreating.

You had me at "Torpedo Sphere"

Out of curiosity when exactly is this being run in the Star Wars Timeline?

I'm getting visions of the Rebels preparing to attack the second Death Star when news of the attack on that imperial base comes through!

Maybe just maybe the Emperor delegates a small portion of the gathered fleet to investigate what could be another rebel fleet presence and in so doing whilst your Players are busy fending off this Imperial attack the ROTJ is going on and provides a reason why the Rebels actually pull off that unexpected victory!

Not that your players will probably ever realise the significance of this of course!

Not a bad idea. They're about 2 months out from the battle of Endor. Right now the Rebellion is beginning to amass it's fleet over Sullust.

To be honest, I think you guys have bigger issues then this. Your PC's sound really kind of boring. No plot hooks aside from more violence? Might want to revisit the system from a more narrative standpoint, specialists, like a team of heIsters. XD