I am preparing to run chronicles of the gatekeeper for my group but the group didn't go for a ship as a group resource*, i have quite a bit of time to prepare before the adventure begins so i have to come up with a way to make it work.

One idea i have is to change names a little and have the 3-4 main areas of the adventure to be in the same planet.
One other idea i have is to have the mentor have ties with the rebel alliance and make those guys ferry them across the outer rim. I am thinking after they discover the holocron, they show it to their mentor and then she contacts the alliance for help promising her and the PCs help in a future event. That could also serve as a starting point for the next adventure since i am thinking about running onslaught at Arda I or Friends Like These (depending on how much time it takes us to finish onslaught at Arda I).

Does anyone has encountered that problem before and/or have any ideas on how to solve it?

*i was cought by surprise with that decision, i mean you are about to play star wars and you do not a starship!!!!!!! i don't understand it (personally), 3 of the players want a mentor and 1 a holocron

You know, the mentor could have a ship.

Yes that could work as well (i don't know why i didn't think of that), there is the issue of the players feeling like the kids who ask their mother to drive them to the party but it's a small price to pay.

Very good idea Tramp Graphics, keep the ideas coming people.

Have them book passage on whatever the star wars equivalent to a greyhound bus transport ship, then tack whatever price that suits your game to the ticket.

Start in flight on a passenger transport. Have them drop out in the pirate situation that is an optional way to give em a holocron.

Run the encounter as is with some reason given for the passenger transport to drop them on the wounded ship. Chase off the pilots and have the captain give them the ship in his/her dying breath as "something I see within you"

this gives your players a pile of junk to fix up and the holocron. It gives you an additional plot hook of "inheritance" later (maybe act 3).

Have them book passage on whatever the star wars equivalent to a greyhound bus transport ship, then tack whatever price that suits your game to the ticket.

That is difficult to do a) because the adventure has the players travelling a lot (4 different planets) 2 of them being "off the grid" and one of them being

You can see how that would either skyrocket the prices and/or create too many complications, it can work but requires a lot of adjustments and i have it as a last resort.

Start in flight on a passenger transport. Have them drop out in the pirate situation that is an optional way to give em a holocron.

Run the encounter as is with some reason given for the passenger transport to drop them on the wounded ship. Chase off the pilots and have the captain give them the ship in his/her dying breath as "something I see within you"

this gives your players a pile of junk to fix up and the holocron. It gives you an additional plot hook of "inheritance" later (maybe act 3).

I had thought something similar (taking the bounty hunters' ship) but i thought that it would a) be too much to give them a ship at the opening of the adventure (immidiately after char gen when they had the option to get a ship but they chose the mentor) and b) wanted to run a single session (or a couple) them getting a ship after the adventure had ended.

What you propose is different and it might work because the ship would be in shambles barely able to fly and it would cost A LOT of credits to repair it (we all know how expensive repairing hull damage is), maybe i can even have most (if not all) of it's weapons damaged, this might work.

What do you mean by "inheritance" plot? like who really was the previous owener of the ship? and how can something like that happen in act 3?

I think that my answer is unlikely to be helpful if you're set on jumping into the adventure, but perhaps have them play out getting transport (by whatever means) over a few sessions is best. After all, they've already declared that their first interest is not in jetting about the galaxy. If this isn't a choice you (as the GM) are prepared to accept, then you should have been very clear that choosing the starship was the only 'correct' choice at the time of character creation.

How about you pull a "A New Hope" Obi-wan. Hire a smuggler to cart you around for the promise of majority of payment after services rendered are complete? Alternatively, you could pack out their liquid assets by having them do a bunch of jobs that would give them enough credits to purchase a super cheap light transport/freighter. OR part of the payment for a job could be a ship that just barely has hyperspace capabilities.

I think that my answer is unlikely to be helpful if you're set on jumping into the adventure, but perhaps have them play out getting transport (by whatever means) over a few sessions is best. After all, they've already declared that their first interest is not in jetting about the galaxy. If this isn't a choice you (as the GM) are prepared to accept, then you should have been very clear that choosing the starship was the only 'correct' choice at the time of character creation.

Hmm, that is definetely a way, yes i suppose i could run a couple of sessions first of them getting a starship (maybe running a variation of the etoe beginner box adventure), yeah that could work but i am not sure if the players want to play (epsecially as their first sessions) something like that, after all they chose FaD between the other lines.

Anyway i will ask them if they want to play a couple of (non FaD) sessions for getting their spaceship before they jump in the actual chronicles of the gatekeeper adventure OR if they want me to find another way for them to play chronicles without owing a spaceship.

How about you pull a "A New Hope" Obi-wan. Hire a smuggler to cart you around for the promise of majority of payment after services rendered are complete?

Yeah they could do that but it would be a lie (from the PCs) since they don't know if at the end of their journey they are going to find a pile of credits, after all the PCs will be looking to complete a holocron in order to know some small part of the mysteries of the force and not adventuring for credits.

I suppose that i could have one of the characters sending the bill to his parents, one character's family were (since the senate is no more) attache to the Dorin senator, it seems like a cheap solution and i am not sure i want to open that can of worms yet (the asking for money from the parents) but it is a solution.

Alternatively, you could pack out their liquid assets by having them do a bunch of jobs that would give them enough credits to purchase a super cheap light transport/freighter. OR part of the payment for a job could be a ship that just barely has hyperspace capabilities.

Ok, firstly i don't understand what you mean by "pack out their liquid assets", secondly by doing a bunch of jobs or just one big job runs the same issue as does the issue of them playing a couple of sessions for getting their spaceship.

Start in flight on a passenger transport. Have them drop out in the pirate situation that is an optional way to give em a holocron.

Run the encounter as is with some reason given for the passenger transport to drop them on the wounded ship. Chase off the pilots and have the captain give them the ship in his/her dying breath as "something I see within you"

this gives your players a pile of junk to fix up and the holocron. It gives you an additional plot hook of "inheritance" later (maybe act 3).

I had thought something similar (taking the bounty hunters' ship) but i thought that it would a) be too much to give them a ship at the opening of the adventure (immidiately after char gen when they had the option to get a ship but they chose the mentor) and b) wanted to run a single session (or a couple) them getting a ship after the adventure had ended.

What you propose is different and it might work because the ship would be in shambles barely able to fly and it would cost A LOT of credits to repair it (we all know how expensive repairing hull damage is), maybe i can even have most (if not all) of it's weapons damaged, this might work.

What do you mean by "inheritance" plot? like who really was the previous owener of the ship? and how can something like that happen in act 3?

have the original owner or someone who is friends with the captain who gave them the ship show up as a big complication.

This could be as a continuation adventure or during....

Start in flight on a passenger transport. Have them drop out in the pirate situation that is an optional way to give em a holocron.

Run the encounter as is with some reason given for the passenger transport to drop them on the wounded ship. Chase off the pilots and have the captain give them the ship in his/her dying breath as "something I see within you"

this gives your players a pile of junk to fix up and the holocron. It gives you an additional plot hook of "inheritance" later (maybe act 3).

I had thought something similar (taking the bounty hunters' ship) but i thought that it would a) be too much to give them a ship at the opening of the adventure (immidiately after char gen when they had the option to get a ship but they chose the mentor) and b) wanted to run a single session (or a couple) them getting a ship after the adventure had ended.

What you propose is different and it might work because the ship would be in shambles barely able to fly and it would cost A LOT of credits to repair it (we all know how expensive repairing hull damage is), maybe i can even have most (if not all) of it's weapons damaged, this might work.

What do you mean by "inheritance" plot? like who really was the previous owener of the ship? and how can something like that happen in act 3?

Please be aware of a spoiler in this response!

have the original owner or someone who is friends with the captain who gave them the ship show up as a big complication.

This could be as a continuation adventure or during....

Act 3 as the someone (they suggested the pirates from act 1) appear in orbit as they arrive @ Korriban.

Yeah i haven't read that far into the adventure yet so i didn't know about that.

Anyway, interesting idea, what kind of complication are you thinking about? Maybe a relative coming to claim the ship (and having them being a little too aggresive due to you know what influence)? something else?

Start in flight on a passenger transport. Have them drop out in the pirate situation that is an optional way to give em a holocron.

Run the encounter as is with some reason given for the passenger transport to drop them on the wounded ship. Chase off the pilots and have the captain give them the ship in his/her dying breath as "something I see within you"

this gives your players a pile of junk to fix up and the holocron. It gives you an additional plot hook of "inheritance" later (maybe act 3).

I had thought something similar (taking the bounty hunters' ship) but i thought that it would a) be too much to give them a ship at the opening of the adventure (immidiately after char gen when they had the option to get a ship but they chose the mentor) and b) wanted to run a single session (or a couple) them getting a ship after the adventure had ended.

What you propose is different and it might work because the ship would be in shambles barely able to fly and it would cost A LOT of credits to repair it (we all know how expensive repairing hull damage is), maybe i can even have most (if not all) of it's weapons damaged, this might work.

What do you mean by "inheritance" plot? like who really was the previous owener of the ship? and how can something like that happen in act 3?

Please be aware of a spoiler in this response!

have the original owner or someone who is friends with the captain who gave them the ship show up as a big complication.

This could be as a continuation adventure or during....

Act 3 as the someone (they suggested the pirates from act 1) appear in orbit as they arrive @ Korriban.

Yeah i haven't read that far into the adventure yet so i didn't know about that.

Anyway, interesting idea, what kind of complication are you thinking about? Maybe a relative coming to claim the ship (and having them being a little too aggresive due to you know what influence)? something else?

Yup something along those lines. In my non-CotG game the players are given a ship by Bail Organa just before Alderran is destroyed. I am planning for a scene with Leia later and using her response to them having the ship as a launch into a helping the rebellion arc.

Alternatively, you could pack out their liquid assets by having them do a bunch of jobs that would give them enough credits to purchase a super cheap light transport/freighter. OR part of the payment for a job could be a ship that just barely has hyperspace capabilities.

Ok, firstly i don't understand what you mean by "pack out their liquid assets", secondly by doing a bunch of jobs or just one big job runs the same issue as does the issue of them playing a couple of sessions for getting their spaceship.

Alternatively, you could pack out their liquid assets by having them do a bunch of jobs that would give them enough credits to purchase a super cheap light transport/freighter. OR part of the payment for a job could be a ship that just barely has hyperspace capabilities.

Ok, firstly i don't understand what you mean by "pack out their liquid assets", secondly by doing a bunch of jobs or just one big job runs the same issue as does the issue of them playing a couple of sessions for getting their spaceship.

Liquid assets is a universal term meaning cash money

Sorry no native english speaker here, and by pack out you mean inlfate the credits rewards?

I decided to go with VIxen Icaza's idea, the PCs will take the cargo ship (G9 rigger named Silver Star) of the optional encounter, i am thinking of having the ship having sustained hull damage in excess of it's hull threshold meaning that the PCs will have to do what is described at p.248 of FaD core rulebook and maybe have the ship with a couple of critical hits, in addition i will make a slight change in the dry goods of the cargo to include a lot (maybe half of the cargo) food (in order to see what they when they see the situation in Qualas).

My questions are:

1) Can you attempt repair critical hits after you have the done the whole "make the ship somewhat operational after taking damage in excess of hull threshold"?

2) What critical hits do you think would be fun for the ship to have?

My solution to this was that the pc's started on their mentors ship for the beginning of the adventure. They where fast enough to save the freighters captain and the bounty hunters ship was destroyed in combat with their mentors starship. Now the freighters captain wants to know why they have a contract for assaination on them but need a crew and the pc's need a ship.

Another question:

If the PCs take the Silver what happens when they land in Jorra in episode 2, the space ship is listed to another person with another captian etc.

That sounds like a great opportunity for the PCs to negotiate, intimidate or fool the dock authority. If it comes up at all, they could easily have hacked the ship's system, changed its ID code, (or at least deleted it) and maybe repainted the ship so it wouldn't be so easily recognized. I'm not trying to be mean or off putting here, but these kind of questions are the bread and butter of role playing, the kind of things you as a GM should already be taking into account or just ignoring as it suits your play group.

Your job is already QUITE complex so I wouldn't over-complicate it with details and policies that continuously drag down the adventure. However, if on the other hand, your thinking of using this as a spring board for a interesting interaction,confrontation, or teachable moment, by all means spring it on them. It's your world, and your in charge of the checks and balances.

I am already thinking of these questions and possible answers but I find it better to have multiple people discussing the problem, it tends to bring more possible solutions.

For example the transponder of the ship can't be hacked in order to change it's ID just like that, what I am thinking might be possible is hacking the ship's log and changing the name of the captain.

Another possible solution is forging papers that say that the ship was sold.

If it comes up at all, they could easily have hacked the ship's system, changed its ID code, (or at least deleted it) and maybe repainted the ship so it wouldn't be so easily recognized. I'm not trying to be mean or off putting here, but these kind of questions are the bread and butter of role playing, the kind of things you as a GM should already be taking into account or just ignoring as it suits your play group.

Your job is already QUITE complex so I wouldn't over-complicate it with details and policies that continuously drag down the adventure. However, if on the other hand, your thinking of using this as a spring board for a interesting interaction,confrontation, or teachable moment, by all means spring it on them. It's your world, and your in charge of the checks and balances.

The correct difficulty for this is a daunting computer check … well, as you want to change the ID code sa well, it another hard mechanic check AND a second daunting computer check for another for the new ID, and that ID needs another 1000c and an average computer check and is still a stolen ship ID. The second you start your engine signature is still not fitting to your transponder ID, changing that as well is another daunting mechanic check with the option of permanent engine damage.

Personally I rather deal with Vader than BoSS.

Info's from Fly Casual Page 75. Basically stealing ships is hard.

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To be helpful as well,

Not hacking the transponder code and charming the dock officials sounds like an average daily job task for smugglers and witches in hiding.