There have been a couple of criticisms in our group regarding the way character side quests are handled:

1. Each player might not get their side quest over the course of a campaign.

2. If the side quest is failed, the character doesn't receive their bonus item/skill/etc...

3. If their character's side quest gets pulled too early in the campaign, criticism #2 is more likely to occur.

The biggest 'bummer' that has happened so far was the failure of Diala's quest. The player was excited to get their hands on a light saber and it was anti-climatic when the quest failed and the loot was lost.

These criticisms have led me to ask the following questions:

1. How can we work in all the character side quests in a campaign without eliminating ally/miscellaneous side quests while maintaining game balance?

2. When is the right time to introduce the character side quests?

3. Can there be a measure taken whereby the character loot is acquired regardless of win/loss of the scenario?

4. If the character quests are to simply be additions to the main campaign being played, how should they be scored?

The questions have led me to the following conclusions, which is where you, the masses are invited to agree, hate on, and/or discuss in a civil manner:

1. Following the second story mission, side track to run each characters side mission, in succession.

2. If the rebels win, they get the item and nothing else. If the empire wins, they get some chunk of their rewards and the rebel player gets the item.

3. No shopping/xp assigning for the rebel players during this four mission run.

4. Following the four character side missions, proceed to running the two side missions between story mission 2 and story mission 3.

Things to think about with these measures:

1. The jump to 4 threat with story mission 2 might sway things in the empires favor's. If they win all four character missions, the partial bonuses awarded via statement 2 above may throw remaining missions our of balance. I'm not intending to create a disturbance in the force.

2. We play once a week (sometimes one, sometimes two missions per session). Will this ruin the main story narrative with such a delay between story mission 2 and story mission 3 (it would now be six missions and possibly six weeks).

3. Simply gift the character items following the first rebel victory once the threat meter hits 4 pts/rd. personally, I want to play the missions (I'm the one with the financial investment and would prefer not to omit content).

Enough said on my part for now. I'm sure there are several additional variables to consider I've not thought about yet.

I think having every rebel go into the campaign knowing that they'll get their hero rewards seems fundamentally busted. It also pulls a third (I think, can't actually remember deck size right now) of the random side missions taking the chance out of that. Giving rewards to the IP to compensate is problematic since the power of hero reward cards is quite variable. Also the thought of going through a month where the each hero only gets to grow once makes me grimace.

Ultimately I think the answer to question one is "you can't" (and three is yes but it is damaging to the campaign).

What I would do if I were running the campaign and the rebels really wanted to get all the hero rewards I would have the hero side missions always available for selection.

I think having every rebel go into the campaign knowing that they'll get their hero rewards seems fundamentally busted. It also pulls a third (I think, can't actually remember deck size right now) of the random side missions taking the chance out of that. Giving rewards to the IP to compensate is problematic since the power of hero reward cards is quite variable. Also the thought of going through a month where the each hero only gets to grow once makes me grimace.

Ultimately I think the answer to question one is "you can't" (and three is yes but it is damaging to the campaign).

What I would do if I were running the campaign and the rebels really wanted to get all the hero rewards I would have the hero side missions always available for selection.

good point. a month of no xp's will be a drag but that is an opportunity cost to their desire at a shot at their character mission.

This is what I did (a bit more extreme in some ways than just giving them all their character missions): https://boardgamegeek.com/article/22343065#22343065

It seems to be working well for us, but it may not be the right solution for your group.

Also, it doesn't guarantee that they get their side missions, just that they get their reward when they attempt it.

The one that usually gets mentioned in this sort of topic is Diala; I don't recall anyone complaining so much that Gideon didn't get his mission. I think it's because Diala's a Jedi, and a Jedi without a lightsabre is just wrong. Moreso, I think, because the miniature and the box art show her waving the sodding thing around! If she started with a fairly crappy 'sabre, but could improve it via her upgrade cards, that might be better. Perhaps the side mission could instead let her learn a new Force ability - Force Throw, or the ability to use the lightsabre as a ranged weapon, or something. That way, it's still worth winning her side mission, but she doesn't feel like she's missing something without it.

We just assumed that what the model is actually holding is a scaffolding pole painted fluorescent blue.

Helping the rebel heroes get their various rewards and such defeats the replayability of the campaign - I've often pointed out to my players that they won't necessarily get all their missions. Play the campaign again, and the missions might come in a different order. Trying for different allies, the random gray missions, having more side missions than slots (especially when you include Agenda missions and threat missions), it makes it worthwhile to try play through the campaign again.

To deal with teh possibility of the missions NOT coming up, if they didn't draw a hero mission for two consecutive side missions, I pull the remaining hero missions and they add one, (randomly), to the side mission draw. This way, at worst, every other side mission is a hero mission. Still doesn't guarantee they will get all of them or that they will succeed at them, but, they get to play for their toys.

House Rules are great, but what you come up with needs to work for your campaign. I'd simply allow them to buy their missed reward for 3XP. That seems to be the appropriate cost for the upgrade items in hero class decks that came later in those expansions.

They get thei r reward but at a slight cost of some other key skills, but it's not the end if that character has one less 3xp/4xp card chosen.

~D

House Rules are great, but what you come up with needs to work for your campaign. I'd simply allow them to buy their missed reward for 3XP. That seems to be the appropriate cost for the upgrade items in hero class decks that came later in those expansions.

They get thei r reward but at a slight cost of some other key skills, but it's not the end if that character has one less 3xp/4xp card chosen.

~D

I may actually incorporate this as well. Nice idea

House Rules are great, but what you come up with needs to work for your campaign. I'd simply allow them to buy their missed reward for 3XP. That seems to be the appropriate cost for the upgrade items in hero class decks that came later in those expansions.

They get thei r reward but at a slight cost of some other key skills, but it's not the end if that character has one less 3xp/4xp card chosen.

~D

That is an interesting idea. I'll bring it up to the group and see where it goes.