Hi all

Just thought I'd try to tap into the hive-mind of the FFG forums. It seems fairly ubiquitous in RPGs that, while the non-combat characters can have a significant impact during combat encounters, it's tricky for non-social characters to get involved in social encounters. This is something I've run into in the last couple of sessions, where there were important social encounters that one or two of my players found boring. Now, not every character has to shine in every encounter, but I'd really like to find ways to make those encounters more interesting for non-social characters.

However, forcing non-social characters to make social checks is just begging for failure with a bucketload of threat, so I'm trying to come up with various roles that non-social PCs could take on in a social encounter - ways in which they could be useful, and which they can be encouraged to consider when heading to a meet. I've come up with the following examples off the top of my head, but I'd love to know if anyone else has any thoughts.

• Security : Meeting a contact in a dodgy cantina might not be the safest option. If there is a genuine threat of being ambushed, double-crossed, mugged, or simply having their pockets picked - and if the PCs are made aware of this by the GM - it might make having someone with good Perception , Vigilance, Ranged (Light) and/or Brawl skills a good idea.
• Advisor: One way of finding out if someone is lying to you is to use Perception , but it's even easier if you just know whether what they're saying is true and/or makes sense. So having a smart fellow with a datapad and a decent amount of Knowledge could be handy. [Depending on the nature of the meeting, this could also bring in characters with other areas of expertise.]
• Good Cop/Bad Cop: There are talents based around this, but even without these talents it could be useful to have a second social character present, especially if they specialise in Coercion while you make a Charm offensive (or vice versa). [This doesn't really help bring non-social characters in, but does at least get more characters involved in the encounter.]
• Getaway Driver: You've come out of a secret underground meeting, you're cruising away through the streets of Coruscant...but you seem to have picked up a tail. Thank the Force your mate has some ranks in Piloting (Planetary) . [This one's a bit of a stretch, as this is unlikely to occur with any regularity.]

Anyone have any other ideas? In particular, I'd love to come up with something for characters with ranks in Mechanics , Computers , Medicine , Stealth and/or Skulduggery to do in social encounters.

Thanks in advance.

My immediate thought on Computers doesn't even necessarily have to be in the location (may help if not), namely hacking into systems to gain information for leverage.

Medicine could notice something about the contact or allies that needs to be investigated and help for good will (or a weakness to be exploited).

Mechanics could do the same for their equipment / surroundings.

Skulduggery could notice something hidden perhaps (though really it's about hiding, you might notice someone doing it based on experience).

I think you're on the right track.

Don't forget boost dice from assisted checks, too. If the Figurehead is making a Coercion check, that Wookiee Commando can very easily assist by looking menacing and growling, thereby giving a boost die. For techie characters and pilot types, the assistance might be more about supplying crucial knowhow. For instance, if the Performer is trying to talk his way into a restricted hangar, the Pilot can give a boost by supplementing the pitch with a bunch of technical jargon.

Encourage your combat-oriented players to narrate ways their characters are helping in these ways, while still letting the character with three ranks in Charm and maxed out Leadership make the check. Everyone will feel like a team, as they should in combat encounters.

Don't forget to hand out bonuses for role playing. Even that low presence and cunning commando might be able to pull off a roll if they get a couple blues or an upgrade for good role playing.

You can also put in some situations where they can use alternate skills. If you are discussing war strategy, the rival parties might not care quite so much about niceties and let you get away with just using a Kno: Warfare roll, perhaps at a slightly higher difficulty. You don't want to do this so much as to step on the toes of your face characters, but just as you try to find things for non-coms to do in a fight, you can look for alternate skills that might come in handy.