I'm a pen & paper RPG newbie (I've been a player in one failed PbP session) and I'm aspiring to GM my own campaign . I will probably run a few beginner game sessions first to get more used to the EotE/AoR/FaD systems.

My idea is a SWRPG PbP campaign loosely based on the History Channel show Vikings, and it will take place about 30 years before The Phantom Menace .

I'm basing all of this off of a fan fiction piece I've been working on.

Mandalorians will be standing in for the Vikings, Force Sensitives will stand in for the various priests.

Since the time period is different from the core games, the Empire will be replaced by the Republic and the Inquisitors will be replaced by Jedi .

It will be mostly narrative style for sure, since my severe Dyscalculia makes the crunchy stuff much more difficult for me. For example: reading an analog clock is a challenge, and I have to use my fingers or tally marks to do simple math.

So I'd like to have a few players well versed in the rules-as-written to help me a bit with the crunchy stuff. Maybe one expert in each system (EotE/AoR/FaD) perhaps?

I'm not sure yet, but I'm thinking about creating pre-set knight level characters based on the characters from the show. Then assigning them to each player, like casting for an acting role. But I definitely don't want to put the actual story on rails though.

Any advice? Do's & don'ts?

Sounds like a fun campaign! Thirty years before TPM isn't a bad choice, since it's doubtful the story will run into any canon characters or events. You might consider going even further back if you want more freedom to represent how the Republic/Jedi operate, unless you're not interested in slavishly adhering to canon. (Which is a flaw in my own GMing style.)

Making sure the story doesn't run on rails is a good thing. There's nothing wrong with basing a game on fanfic, just remember to let the players determine the course of the narrative through their actions. Don't get hung up on how you imagine the story going. I only emphasize this because I used to write fanfic and run game based on that, and sometimes I'd be so in love with the story that I forgot the PCs are the protagonists at the table. It's more forgivable if they happen to like your fanfic, but give them a chance to forge their own path.

As for pre-made characters, that's certainly a viable option. I like to do that with new players - they tell me the kind of Star Wars character they'd like to play, I handle the initial mechanical design while they fill in the backstory and narrative details. However, if they're new players, you should consider rolling with just starting XP. While the extra 150 XP might not seem like that much, for someone who just started this game the amount of skills and talents they can have will be confusing and overwhelming. It's less of an issue for starting XP, since you can put most of it into characteristics and just use the free ranks in skills to make the character competent.

On the flip side, if your players aren't new to the system - even if their experience is only a beginner game or two - Knight-level is a fine choice, but you should let them build their own characters.

Finally, I don't have dyscalculia, so I can't speak to any difficulties you might experience. However, I can say that I have precious little patience for excessive crunch at the table, and this game calls for virtually none. The closest I've ever come to crunchiness is the passage of time, and even the source material isn't super fastidious about keeping track of that. (Even Saladin Ahmed admits that letting something like travel time ruin your story is silly.)

If you're going that far back in time you might think to replace the empire with the old republic. Of course that is thousands of years before A New Hope, but it could work. The game it should be set in is probably Force And Destiny. Also if you're doing old republic, maybe add some sith?

19 hours ago, CaptainRaspberry said:

Sounds like a fun campaign! Thirty years before TPM isn't a bad choice, since it's doubtful the story will run into any canon characters or events. You might consider going even further back if you want more freedom to represent how the Republic/Jedi operate, unless you're not interested in slavishly adhering to canon. (Which is a flaw in my own GMing style.)

18 hours ago, Alphabonnie101/TheHeroking said:

If you're going that far back in time you might think to replace the empire with the old republic. Of course that is thousands of years before A New Hope, but it could work. The game it should be set in is probably Force And Destiny. Also if you're doing old republic, maybe add some sith?

My fanfic is about 30 years prior to the movies for a few reasons. It's during the events that lead up to the Mandalorian Civil War. And some characters are the parents of some canon characters.

Most of all, it's is an effort on my part to salvage elements from legends and marry them with the new canon.

When I was watching Vikings I realized that this would be a perfect showcase of what the Mandalorian culture was like before the Republic helped establish the New Mandalorian government after the Mandalorian Civil War. How else would pacifists take over a warrior culture?

20 hours ago, CaptainRaspberry said:

Making sure the story doesn't run on rails is a good thing. There's nothing wrong with basing a game on fanfic, just remember to let the players determine the course of the narrative through their actions. Don't get hung up on how you imagine the story going. I only emphasize this because I used to write fanfic and run game based on that, and sometimes I'd be so in love with the story that I forgot the PCs are the protagonists at the table. It's more forgivable if they happen to like your fanfic, but give them a chance to forge their own path.

As for pre-made characters, that's certainly a viable option. I like to do that with new players - they tell me the kind of Star Wars character they'd like to play, I handle the initial mechanical design while they fill in the backstory and narrative details. However, if they're new players, you should consider rolling with just starting XP. While the extra 150 XP might not seem like that much, for someone who just started this game the amount of skills and talents they can have will be confusing and overwhelming. It's less of an issue for starting XP, since you can put most of it into characteristics and just use the free ranks in skills to make the character competent.

On the flip side, if your players aren't new to the system - even if their experience is only a beginner game or two - Knight-level is a fine choice, but you should let them build their own characters.

What I meant by "pre-made" characters, was characters loosely based on the characters from the Vikings show. With different names of course. With appropriately chosen motivations. I also wanted to give them free specs, but then after that, the players can customize their stats all they want. And we wouldn't follow the exact plot of the show, just sessions inspired by the show.

Ragnar - Male Mandalorian, Smuggler: Charmer / Tactician

Floki - Male Mandalorian, Technician: Mechanic / Healer

Athelstan - Male Human, Counselor: Sage / Slicer

Lagertha - Female Mandalorian, Bounty Hunter: Gadgeteer / Advocate

Rollo - Male Mandalorian, Hired Gun: Marauder / Commando

Is this idea a disaster waiting to happen? Would anyone be willing to play a game like this?

21 hours ago, Mychal'el said:

When I was watching Vikings I realized that this would be a perfect showcase of what the Mandalorian culture was like before the Republic helped establish the New Mandalorian government after the Mandalorian Civil War. How else would pacifists take over a warrior culture?

Because the impression I got was that Neo-Mandalorians are/were sensible pacifists. Rather than the Lurmen (the clone wars 'pacifist racoons' if you remember them) approach of being unable to do anything about being oppressed but complain a lot, they went for the David Carradine Shaolin Monk approach to pacifism; "I do not wish to fight, but I can and will still kick your face in with one arm tied behind my back if it becomes unavoidable". Discipline and self-control are a creed a warrior culture can get behind, especially if the Republic is reaching the point where individual clan raids won't cut it against republic military forces anymore.

Aaanyway. Back on topic.

Mandalorian raider clans as the Vikings sort of makes sense. I don't know if there are any official stats for the Basilisk but if not, making something up by taking a beast rider mount spec, bolting on the droid talent and some guns should give you something acceptable. Basilisk Droids were supposed to be an iconic part of Mandalorian raids; giving every trooper (or at least the elite) something somewhere between starfighter and grav-tank.

The force-sensitives-as-priests (if you mean that in a 'raiding the churches' sense) is rather more of a wobbly connection. Mandalorian clans attacking republic or independent systems is fine, but it tended to happen for one of several reasons:

• They were trying to sieze territory (fairly rare outside of big crusades which would result in open Republic/Mandalorian wars, like the Old Republic one around the time of Darth Revan)
• They were trying to sieze resources (fuel, ships, weapons, etc)
• They thoughts a given enemy would give them a 'challenging fight'
• Someone was paying (or manipulating) them as mercenaries
• They really wanted to

Ultimately, you need to find a reason why your potential raiders think their target is going to be profitable to attack. Taking Vikings as an example, what really sets Ragnar on his road is finding a means to cross the North Sea out of sight of land - in the Star Wars universe, a Hyperspace Route that takes you to [Rich Industrial Sector] without having to deal with system after system of poor outer rim scratch-colonies and Republic Border Fleets would serve well enough; and the route itself can be something that 'Ragnar' can acquire in such a way as to explain why the clan haven't been using it already (you could either buy it off an infochant or else ambush or stumble over a Republic scout mapping the route the other way and capture it, which is probably a more satisfyingly Mandalorian option).

Jedi turning up once their pattern of raiding starts makes sense, but until that point, I don't get that Force Sensitives are a logical target - unless the local jedi temples are somehow a major source of wealth or (more likely) the major effective garrison force, in which case capturing or killing younglings takes out the immediate supply of reinforcements until they can call for more knights to be sent from the core.

1 hour ago, Magnus Grendel said:

• They were trying to sieze resources (fuel, ships, weapons, etc)
• They thoughts a given enemy would give them a 'challenging fight'
• Someone was paying (or manipulating) them as mercenaries
• They really wanted to

Ultimately, you need to find a reason why your potential raiders think their target is going to be profitable to attack. Taking Vikings as an example, what really sets Ragnar on his road is finding a means to cross the North Sea out of sight of land - in the Star Wars universe, a Hyperspace Route that takes you to [Rich Industrial Sector] without having to deal with system after system of poor outer rim scratch-colonies and Republic Border Fleets would serve well enough; and the route itself can be something that 'Ragnar' can acquire in such a way as to explain why the clan haven't been using it already (you could either buy it off an infochant or else ambush or stumble over a Republic scout mapping the route the other way and capture it, which is probably a more satisfyingly Mandalorian option).

Jedi turning up once their pattern of raiding starts makes sense, but until that point, I don't get that Force Sensitives are a logical target - unless the local jedi temples are somehow a major source of wealth or (more likely) the major effective garrison force, in which case capturing or killing younglings takes out the immediate supply of reinforcements until they can call for more knights to be sent from the core.

This was my plan. You summarized it well.

Force Sensitives would not be a logical target. And yet my players will be attacked by ones defending sacred treasures. It will solidify the mistrust the Mandalorians have for the Jedi in canon. Just like how the Vikings didn't trust Christianity.

I was thinking that Jedha could be their Paris possibly

No Basilisk war droids in this campaign though. This would take place right before the fall of the movie era Mandalorians. About a millennium after Basilisks were used.

I view the peaceful New Mandalorians as like modern day Nordic peoples. See: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_neutrality .

On 7/31/2017 at 10:05 PM, Mychal'el said:

What I meant by "pre-made" characters, was characters loosely based on the characters from the Vikings show. With different names of course. With appropriately chosen motivations. I also wanted to give them free specs, but then after that, the players can customize their stats all they want. And we wouldn't follow the exact plot of the show, just sessions inspired by the show.

Ragnar - Male Mandalorian, Smuggler: Charmer / Tactician

Floki - Male Mandalorian, Technician: Mechanic / Healer

Athelstan - Male Human, Counselor: Sage / Slicer

Lagertha - Female Mandalorian, Bounty Hunter: Gadgeteer / Advocate

Rollo - Male Mandalorian, Hired Gun: Marauder / Commando

Is this idea a disaster waiting to happen? Would anyone be willing to play a game like this?

Has anyone seen a similar plan have success? What should I do to help make it a success? How would I even go about finding actors willing to play these roles?

Drawing inspiration from books or TV is a good plan. Just be careful not to try and force players down a given story: give them situations and see how they cope.

To be honest, making in-rpg equivalents of famous characters is often quite an interesting and fun experience.

And yes, thats more or less what I wad thinking of for the neo-mandalorians: modern scandinavia clearly can grow (eventually) out of a clannish raider culture (because it did), and is another good example - poloitically neutral, but neutral behind what is per population and GDP one of the best militaries and indigenous defence industries going.

Given the emergent Mando mercenary culture, medieval Switzerland springs to mind, too.

On 8/1/2017 at 10:43 PM, Magnus Grendel said:

Drawing inspiration from books or TV is a good plan. Just be careful not to try and force players down a given story: give them situations and see how they cope.

To be honest, making in-rpg equivalents of famous characters is often quite an interesting and fun experience.

And yes, thats more or less what I wad thinking of for the neo-mandalorians: modern scandinavia clearly can grow (eventually) out of a clannish raider culture (because it did), and is another good example - poloitically neutral, but neutral behind what is per population and GDP one of the best militaries and indigenous defence industries going.

Given the emergent Mando mercenary culture, medieval Switzerland springs to mind, too.

I think we are on the same page inspiration wise.

I'd like to to pretty much rip the main characters from Vikings and plop them into Star Wars . The scenarios from Vikings will just be starting off points though, I don't want to put the story on rails. But I'd like to have a group of players be true to their characters. For example, since many of the characters from Vikings are murderous-hobos, that type of behavior may be true-to-character for some but not all.

Finding five or more players who are:

• Fans of both the Vikings show & Mandalorians
• Excited to play a blatant rip-off character and be faithful to it.
• Well versed in the rules-as-written so they can help me out with the crunchy stuff

...That's the trick

On 8/3/2017 at 0:35 AM, Magnus Grendel said:

It's not a bad idea. As long as you make it clear that you shouldn't be aiming to kill your opponent (although lightly maimed is fine), PvP fights give you a good way to get people used to the combat mechanics.

Fights in Star Wars RPG are....not difficult, but different. The dice mechanics like threat/advantage and the various manoeuvres offer lots of ways to make a fight narratively interesting, but players have a tendency to default to "I aim for my manoeuvre and attack for my action", turn after turn.

Making them fight in an interesting arena (Mandalore's duelling arena in Knights Of The Old Republic that's essentially a network of foot-thick chains suspended between pillars is a nicely interesting 3d arena, with plenty of environmental effects to exploit with threat and advantage, and force the players to move and use things like guarded stance) against an opponent with the same range of abilities as them, gives you a good crash course in the combat mechanics.

Plus, it gives you a nice way to establish 'command hierarchy' amongst the players, and the odd 'duelling scar' (read: cybernetic replacement extremity!) helps flesh out a character (possibly a poor choice of words there).

Deathwatch was the same - with space marines spending most of the fights firing semi-automatic at medium range. Playing Only War, with much 'squishier' characters, made them actually learn stuff like suppressing fire, covered advance, and so on. Which, when they then switched back to playing marines, made them all the more scarily effective.

I've done 'shared GM-ing' before; in Deathwatch, we had a rotating GM, such that different players would run a given mission, then hand over to the next for a subsequent mission.

14 hours ago, Mychal'el said:

The Duel on Kuar is pretty fantastic, but I'm going to take more of a 'Christopher Nolan's Batman' approach to Star Wars. I don't think that will make it any less epic.

I was actually referring to the Mandalorian Battle Circle specifically. I think this could serve well as PvP.

But I plan on also featuring the similar Taung blood duel for PC vs NPC. Because I don't want PCs killing each other.

These Mandalorian customs coincide with the real life Scandinavian Holmgang

SPOILER ALERT!

These posts were from my other thread but they belong here

So I've been working on the setting and concept for a while

But does anybody else have any advice on the logistics side?

My idea is to hold an open casting call for a role in this RPG campaign. Then players will 'audition' and that's how I'll build my party of players.

I'll grant each PC two free specializations and assign a motivation that best fits their respective roles.

On 7/31/2017 at 10:05 PM, Mychal'el said:

Ragnar - Male Mandalorian, Smuggler: Charmer / Tactician

Floki - Male Mandalorian, Technician: Mechanic / Healer

Athelstan - Male Human, Counselor: Sage / Slicer

Lagertha - Female Mandalorian, Bounty Hunter: Gadgeteer / Advocate

Rollo - Male Mandalorian, Hired Gun: Marauder / Commando

On 8/2/2017 at 0:58 AM, Mychal'el said:

five or more players who are:

• Fans of both the Vikings show & Mandalorians
• Excited to play a blatant rip-off character and be faithful to it.
• Well versed in the rules-as-written so they can help me out with the crunchy stuff

Any advice?

37 minutes ago, Mychal'el said:

My idea is to hold an open casting call for a role in this RPG campaign. Then players will 'audition' and that's how I'll build my party of players.

I'll grant each PC two free specializations and assign a motivation that best fits their respective roles.

On 8/1/2017 at 1:05 AM, Mychal'el said:

Ragnar - Male Mandalorian, Smuggler: Charmer / Tactician

Floki - Male Mandalorian, Technician: Mechanic / Healer

Athelstan - Male Human, Counselor: Sage / Slicer

Lagertha - Female Mandalorian, Bounty Hunter: Gadgeteer / Advocate

Rollo - Male Mandalorian, Hired Gun: Marauder / Commando

I would advise you to be flexible in your interpretations of the characters, and allow the players to have some input, in regard to the specializations.

On 8/5/2017 at 6:51 AM, Edgehawk said:

I would advise you to be flexible in your interpretations of the characters, and allow the players to have some input, in regard to the specializations.

Good advice. The players are co-writers after all. And the more effort they invest in the character, the more they will care about the character. Pride in ownership.

So I plan on making 5 separate character audition threads.

'Ragnar'

• Male Mandalorian
• EotE Career
• Free AoE specialization grant
• Free Mandalorian Armor grant
• Free Vergence Starchart grant

'Floki'

• Male Mandalorian
• EotE Career
• Free FaD specialization grant
• Free Mandalorian Armor grant
• Free Journeyman Tools Inc. Custom Tool Kit grant

'Athelstan'

• Male Human
• FaD Career
• Free AoE specialization grant
• Free Concealing Robes grant
• Free Holocron grant

'Lagertha'

• Female Mandalorian
• EotE Career
• Free AoE specialization grant
• Free Mandalorian Armor grant
• Free Shield Gaunlet and/or Kyuzo War Shield grant

'Rollo'

• Male Mandalorian
• EotE Career
• Free AoE specialization grant
• Free Mandalorian Armor grant
• Free Arg’garok or Mythosaur Axe grant

what do you guys think?