Relating to astromech characters, I wish FFG had handled droids differently. I would rather have each droid type be its own race, with set characteristics. As it is, being a droid leads to a great deal of min-maxing and odd results. Starting Astromech with Brawn 5, everything else 1? No problem with the rules. I guess individual GM's just have to put their foot down. But it would have been nice to have each droid have a special ability like the races. Protocol droids get a blue on social checks, etc.

Exactly, the GM has to exercise his role as arbiter. If they made it a separate "species" per make and model it would be a cluster. You'd have set characteristics, and not enough XP to improve them, leading to certain droid classes being almost never chosen. (Not to mention the mess of people demanding a unique species block for every single droid ever).

So, if you make a Protocol droid that's a Hired Gun:Heavy with 2 Brawn 5 Agility and a heavy weapon the GM's gotta at the very least council the player and explain that's not a protocol droid, it's a fire support droid; an automated weapons platform, and not really appropriate for the campaign.

But this is one of those things that really falls into the GM-player dynamic on a group by group level. Establishing campaign themes is one of those thing ya gotta do.

The name is L1-FT. (Do you even L1-FT Bro? yes, I'm always this hilarious) We call him Tiny, the astromech with 4 yellow dice in Brawl.

.... one of the load lifters in my campaign just got a name....

I don't really see the need to make a special house ruled penalty for Atromech players (or other binary only droids) when Wookies, Gands, Trandoshans, and many other races that cannot speak basic are not forced by the system to have an interpreter available.

Not to derail this too much but, aside from Wookiees, pretty much all species (including Trandoshans and at least some Gands) can speak Basic.

There is even a whole species who can not talk at all. If a droid desires to talk in basic, he buys a speak synthesizer and that's it, same as polis massans buy a voice box.

I think it's fine. Just take a page from Mr. Welch and make sure there isn't an entire party of astromechs.

I actually liked the Clone Wars episode which was about an astromech only party. It was hilerious

And now that I think about it, it would be hilarious as well to play a group of astromech only, all in the same Alliance Squadron and constantly trying to save the butts of their pilots. Think about it, the battle of Yavin from Astromech perspective. Hacking enemy ships, using your gunnery skill with assistant of your pilot, assisting the pilot or getting assistance from the pilot for flying, etc. You can get away with low agi even as long as your pilot as high agi values, mod your ships, make sure your pilots survive. It does sound like a fun military campaign, which could work just fine for AoR. "The Droids of Rogue Squadron Episode 1, Battle of Yavin"