Hello, everyone!

I hope you are all well. I've been lurking for a couple of weeks and have screwed up the courage to make an account and start participating!

I'm entirely new to roleplaying and am looking to head to my newly discovered FLGS and see if anyone wants to play any of FFG's SW lines. I am thrilled at the prospect, but also have a little trepidation.

I own all three core rulebooks and am primarily interested in Force and Destiny, though am also willing to try any of the other systems. I also own the Soldier splatbook (yay, Shistavanens!) and the Consular splatbook (the career I'm most interested in pursuing).

I've got some questions and ideas I thought I'd throw at you guys. This is almost definitely going to be long-winded, but please bear with me!

1. As I mentioned, I'm completely new to RPG's. Utter and entire neophyte here. As such, do you think FFG's Star Wars line is appropriate for someone new to the genre?

2. I'd like to try my hand at creating a character. I think maybe the easiest thing to do would be to make someone (very) roughly equivalent to myself for a first try, as it seems to me that it would be easier to play such a character for a newcomer. I thought I might bounce a few ideas around:

A. IRL, I am a committed humanist. I did my graduate work in a pre-modern, non-Western literature and believe sincerely in the power and importance of texts of all types to help us: navigate the sentient condition; foster positive relationships between individuals of different cultures and backgrounds; learn from societies from different times and places; and participate knowledgeably and effectively in civil discourse. Given this background and these views, I am thinking that Consular: Sage is the best career and specialization fit for me in F&D.

B. Probably going to make the character's background story a short, rough analogue of my own. Maybe a paragraph or two.

C. Species and stats: I'm open to whatever on species. I really wish we had more about other species' cultures in canon in order to better build a background and character, but it is what it is. At least we have the bare basics. It feels very strange and wrong to try to stat myself, especially since it feels very presumptuous to try to give the character a 4 in anything. I might be going about this the wrong way. But I DO know that I should have, like, a negative ten in CUN. ;P

D: Morality: I don't really like some of the dichotomies they've set up here. When I think 'moral strength' I think of a more altruistic virtue, not something like 'Curiosity' or 'Caution'. Oh, well. I do know that Jealousy is my main moral weakness, so that's a start. Mercy and Justice appeal to me as strengths. I want to do what is fair and what is right.

E: Force Powers/The Force in My Life: Flashy stories are fun, but I think I am going to use my character's academic background in ancient stuff to suggest something like "Uh, oh, I was looking into [some species here]'s mythological and shamanistic traditions and got put on an Imperial blacklist!" We'll see. I'm thinking of making the character initially skeptical of his Force powers, but open-minded about the issue, if that makes sense. I'm interested in exploring Foresee and Sense because of how they can potentially affect character development, especially Foresee. As a somewhat worry-prone person, what if I saw a nebulous glimpse of the future? Also, as a primarily non-combat focused character, Sense and Foresee seem like ways I could potentially help out the group.

3: I'm a little nervous about approaching the FLGS here; what are your experiences with accepting new players? I'm particularly worried because I'm a gaymer and unsure how that would go with the rest of the group. Do you have any thoughts/pointers or experiences?

Apologies for this being so long, but I'd really appreciate any help or advice. Thank you!

Also, some trivia:

Favorite SW movie: A New Hope. It's just so giddy and earnest. Very endearing.

Best SW movie: The Empire Strikes Back. For all the reasons we've all seen before: more cerebral, takes the series in a slightly darker direction.

Favorite SW Species: Shistavanen. I enjoyed the short story about Lak Sivrak in Tales From the Mos Eisley Cantina very much. Walked a thin line between camp and seriousness, but managed to nail it. I also think the species' eccentricities would make for interesting characters: the guy is a jerk, but he's YOUR jerk.

Pie or Cake: Pie. Accept no substitutes.

Looking forward to talking with you guys!

1. Any rpg is a good one to start with IF you can find people to play it with. Without having other people to ease the transition/learning, most RPGs are going to be challenging in one way or another to get a grasp on. So come back here for help.

That said, this rpg has some elements that can give ppl, with a more traditional background in RPGs, difficulty. The FFG Star Wars rpg is more narrative-facing than some traditional RPGs (D&D). As someone new to the hobby, it will just be "what an rpg is" to you, so I wouldn't worry to much about it. Just read the book, visualize what you read in play, and ask us when something isn't jiving.

2. Yes! Making a PC is a great way to begin to learn about ANY rpg. That character sheet embodies so much of where "the rubber meets the road", that it's always a good place to start.

Have you found Oggdudes character creation software yet?

3. I haven't found FLGS' to be great places to meet ppls to play with, however this is something that seems completely dependent on the nature of your FLGS. Is it busy with a diverse and friendly patronage? If so, maybe you'll get lucky and find friendly, dependable ppl. If not, you may get one of the nightmare stories you hear about on reddits rpg subs. Reality is it will probably fall somewhere in between. I would recommend starting with friends, do you have any personal acquaintances that might be interested in this? If not, I would then move on to MeetUp.com, look for tabletop rpg AND boardgame meet-ups. I found ppl on meet up are more serious about meeting up, than the grab bag you get at an FLGS.

All I can say about being a gaymer would be that - in my personal experience - ttrpgs often revolve around an atmosphere of - to put it bluntly - making fun of each other.

If you're gaming with ppl you don't know, this can make things awkward.

I have a personal friend that is gay and began gaming with my table that had been together for several years, and indeed GMed for the group. Our table is more joking than many perhaps as we've been together for like seven years, but in general romantic relationships is not something we ever include in our stories because it's perhaps just not something we know how to communicate into a good dramatic storyline, or because we all tend to take what the GM clearly intends to be a serious situation and make it ridiculous. We don't do many heavy storylines. But anyway my friend involved a homosexual relationship in his plot, and - because we're assholes and don't remember any NPCs name - we started calling this NPC "Captain Boyfriend", and were generally dismissive of the significance of that element of the plot line. And while we do this to probably 90% of NPCs (give them a ridiculous nickname), and as mentioned generally mock any situation the GM tries to make serious or overly dramatic, I was never certain whether this hurt my friend or not. I later - away from the table - apologized and asked if he was ok with that situation, and he was good with it, but it was something I wanted to do better with moving forward.

I mean, my friend was not a thin-skinned guy, and "got" the humor of the table, and participated in the humor of the table, and had been exposed to it for several months before he ever GMed, and was just as hard on other GMs in a similar way (being ridiculous), and he had started attending birthday parties and other family-and-friends functions of other ppl at the table, and all that - he was one of us, is still friends with me and a couple other tablemates to this day, although he doesn't do RPGs anymore (work schedule). But...

I guess my point being, table humor can at times be insensitive to what can be sensitive subjects for ppl.

Accordingly, depending on where you are at in your life, and the demeanor of the ppl you're playing with, I could see this type of make-fun-of-everything humor - again, a type of humor that in my experience is pervasive in tabletop gaming - to be unwelcome if not painful, in certain situations.

There's my dissertation on tabletop rpg gamer-culture

Good luck!

5 hours ago, Mindless Philosopher said:

Hello, everyone!

I hope you are all well. I've been lurking for a couple of weeks and have screwed up the courage to make an account and start participating!

I'm entirely new to roleplaying and am looking to head to my newly discovered FLGS and see if anyone wants to play any of FFG's SW lines. I am thrilled at the prospect, but also have a little trepidation.

Welcomes

I note that you say you have the three Core Books - which is great, buy moar stuff! - but it might be worth taking a look at one of the Beginner Sets too. Maybe the Force Awakens or F&D one as you want to play a Sensitive.

They are actually pretty helpful in walking you through the rules, setting the tone and feel of the game, and getting to grips with the way the dice work. It's a narrative game at heart and the way you interpret the dice gives you a lot of freedom compared to most games. Success and failure are not binary here, and the dice help drive the narrative.

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A. IRL, I am a committed humanist. I did my graduate work in a pre-modern, non-Western literature and believe sincerely in the power and importance of texts of all types to help us: navigate the sentient condition; foster positive relationships between individuals of different cultures and backgrounds; learn from societies from different times and places; and participate knowledgeably and effectively in civil discourse. Given this background and these views, I am thinking that Consular: Sage is the best career and specialization fit for me in F&D.

That sounds good and it fits the genre well. This isn't a combat-only game and a scholarly character can be fun to play. I think that F&D in particular lends itself very well to philosophy and discussion. My F&D games are about understanding oneself and the galaxy around you, even if these answers are different for each person.

It also makes for a Kickass Force Wizard You'll be hurling multiple YT1300's in no time!

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B. Probably going to make the character's background story a short, rough analogue of my own. Maybe a paragraph or two.

C. Species and stats: I'm open to whatever on species. I really wish we had more about other species' cultures in canon in order to better build a background and character, but it is what it is. At least we have the bare basics. It feels very strange and wrong to try to stat myself, especially since it feels very presumptuous to try to give the character a 4 in anything. I might be going about this the wrong way. But I DO know that I should have, like, a negative ten in CUN. ;P

Really, don't choose species or stats on what 'works best'. This isn't an MMO or Pathfinder game where you have to be 'optimised'. Go with what suits the character; it's about weaknesses as well as strengths.

Choose a species that interests you, not one that has 'the right stats'. Choose something you will be happy to play in person at the table. Humans are always a good default; most Star Wars stories are human-centric.

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D: Morality: I don't really like some of the dichotomies they've set up here. When I think 'moral strength' I think of a more altruistic virtue, not something like 'Curiosity' or 'Caution'. Oh, well. I do know that Jealousy is my main moral weakness, so that's a start. Mercy and Justice appeal to me as strengths. I want to do what is fair and what is right.

You are not forced to pick their pairings. Choose whatever two you like, and the ones you want to role-play. Our group plays these as more 'yin and yang' than 'strengths and weaknesses', but I feel at its heart F&D is a game about exploring the limits and extremes of your personality. (Unfortunately, the binary Morality rules don't really do this well )

Go with the things you will want to focus on.

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E: Force Powers/The Force in My Life: Flashy stories are fun, but I think I am going to use my character's academic background in ancient stuff to suggest something like "Uh, oh, I was looking into [some species here]'s mythological and shamanistic traditions and got put on an Imperial blacklist!" We'll see. I'm thinking of making the character initially skeptical of his Force powers, but open-minded about the issue, if that makes sense. I'm interested in exploring Foresee and Sense because of how they can potentially affect character development, especially Foresee. As a somewhat worry-prone person, what if I saw a nebulous glimpse of the future? Also, as a primarily non-combat focused character, Sense and Foresee seem like ways I could potentially help out the group.

Its' fine to go with what you like. Play the things that suit your character, not what's 'more powerful'.

However, you need to discuss these things with your GM, make sure he's on board with you being a scholarly type who loves to know things. This game works best when the GM runs adventures that play to your strengths. For example. the stories I run for our Explorer and her sidekick feel very different to those that involve the Hired Guns shooting stormtroopers or the Aces shooting TIE Fighters.

Ideally, the GM will run stories that make use of your prophecy and sensory powers, as these are at the core of this character.

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I'm a little nervous about approaching the FLGS here; what are your experiences with accepting new players? I'm particularly worried because I'm a gaymer and unsure how that would go with the rest of the group. Do you have any thoughts/pointers or experiences?

I've no idea I'm afraid. I'm fortunate to have a great group; hopefully you can find a group that gels well with what you have in mind.

Failing that I think there are a few online games played here?

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Favorite SW movie: A New Hope.

Never seen it. Sounds like a mid-90's romantic comedy starring Tom Hanks and Jennifer Aniston.

Marcy

I will add to this , while it can be "easier" to play yourself in an RPG it does kind of miss the point a bit, similarly with the background, many people do it though and even more play the same charscter over and over , even in different games ad nauseam.

This being said I would recommend taking it one step further, this game is "cinematic" and by this I mean that it sacrifices the simulation aspects of some other games as well as some of the more crunchy mechanics and replaces them with an idea that you are playing characters in a movie, you are the stars and heroes of your own game.

Where I am leading with this, is imagine a film director taking a look at your life and then imagine how a Hollywood director would depict you on screen. You would be larger than life, things in your life that were minor issues would have been major events, that were perhaps even news worthy at the time. So instead of having a major split with a boyfriend/girlfriend this person happened to be a person of importance, and this had an effect not only on your life and your ex partners but on many of those around you. Something that was gossip worthy isnt just gossip worthy but a major scandal, an argument at a coffee shop, was a major fight that led to group/family divisions. Magnify everything.

Perfect example is to look at one of my favourite films "Cool Runnings" with John Candy. In case you dont know the story is about the, unlikely combination of having a Jamaican Bob Sleigh team, it wasbased on a true story. Although the facts in the film are few and far between. They didnt use Olympic sprinters, but went to the Jamaican army for their sprinters, they did not have to "fight" their way passed the rules lawyers like they did in the film, and did not have to earn the respect of the other teams as much, in fact apparently the other teams were very supportive of them, and one of the teams actually gave them their sled. They did crash at the finish line(but were not doing as well as they were made out in the film) and they did not have to carry their sled over the finish line (they did walk, but other people carried the sled for them). The point Im making is yes base it on yourself, but make it larger than life and take liberties with the truth for the sake of the "Camera"

Finally , if you do , dont take offense if someone pokes fun at something you might take offense to in real life. If an aspect of your history/background could potentially be an issue then leave that particular aspect out of your background. An example could be that in your past you got caught in a comprising position and had people make fun of you as a rssukt, if you include this in game people may wrongly assume you are playing the humour card, and then run with it, making what could be an embarrassing and bad time of your life way worse at the table. So be careful what you port over, although you could just take the same example and go way over the top with it for its humour value, all comes down to you, Things like that can be entertaining, as long as certain lines arent crossed, and also dont assume because you are okay with it, others are as well, you could hit a nerve on other players and offend them. Real life can do that, if you make it outlandish, it's not likely to cause offense!

Good luck with your search and I hope it all works out, apologies for the long post, but I felt like I had a lot to say on the topic, so I hope it was useful and not too boring to read through

13 hours ago, Mindless Philosopher said:

3: I'm a little nervous about approaching the FLGS here; what are your experiences with accepting new players? I'm particularly worried because I'm a gaymer and unsure how that would go with the rest of the group. Do you have any thoughts/pointers or experiences?

I have to ask simply for clarity. Given the spelling of gamer you used, was that a typo, or are you stating your sexual orientation and asking how that would fly with a gaming group? I'm guessing it's intentional, given the rest, but I find it better to make sure when it comes to online discussions.

I can't speak for anyone else, but I have a feeling your orientation will be hit ormiss depending on the people. I've never played at a gaming store, but the one around here seems to be relatively laid back people, and I would be surprised if they had an issue with your orientation. I mean, I could be wrong, I don't really hang out with them, but you'd really have to see how the waters are at your local store. You might try asking one of the staff there that you can easily speak to about it, if it's that big of an issue.

For my personal group, it didn't matter at all. One member was a gay guy, and he frequently GM'd our sessions, we did a round robin kind of GM system. And another, the gaming house mother, was bisexual. The rest of us were cis-white hetero guys, and it was never a problem for us. Again, your mileage may vary.

Yes, you're correct. The spelling was intentional. My experience with the nerd community has been mostly positive (with at least one glaring exception), but you never know, and the facet of the community with which I most regularly interact as a consumer, sci-fi and fantasy fiction, has been going through a lot of socio-political/cultural upheaval with the direction it's been going in the last several years.

Thank you for the advice, everyone. Any more replies would be welcome, too!

Yeah, these are very strange times, if you are living in the US at least. But yeah, it's been my experience that most gamers are pretty liberal about that stuff. The ones I've gamed with have predominantly been athiests/humanists, myself included, and if we even claim a political affiliation, it's usually liberal, at least when it comes to social issues if nothing else. And I live in Alabama, so the ratio of biggoted jerkwads is pretty high down here, but very little of it seems to spill over into the gaming/nerd culture. So if I had to guess, and I do, I'd say you probably will be ok. For the people I've gamed with, stating you are gay is about as shocking as saying you're left-handed or something. We might comment on it upon revelation, but otherwise shrug and go about our day. Though I did give my gay friend who was a frequent GMer at our table grief about it, mostly because he openly said he had the hots for me. So I had to ham it up just to amuse myself, and him. But like I said, I'm pretty laid back about that whole subject.

If your FLGS hosts other people's games, you could put up a notice that you are looking for a group, and specify that you are looking for a group that doesn't care about your sexuality. I would again suggest asking the staff there. If you don't frequent the place, you might start going by to just establish a presence, get a feel for the staff and average clientele they have, see if it's friendly enough to try out. You might try out social media, and check with any LGBT sites that are located in your area, and ask there for people who are into gaming. That might work better, since the pool of people is already inclined to be accepting. There are so many social groups out there, you might try a google search for "lgbt gaming clubs/groups in my area" and see what results you get. I'd bet money you'd find something in the ballpark for what you are looking for.

But check out the FLGS too, I suspect most gamers are similar in social tendencies regardless of location, with the small percentage of outliers that you get in any large cluster of people.

19 minutes ago, KungFuFerret said:

There are so many social groups out there, you might try a google search for "lgbt gaming clubs/groups in my area" and see what results you get. I'd bet money you'd find something in the ballpark for what you are looking for.

If you do this. I would recommend not advertising yourself as a Gay Dungeon Master. That might attract a whole different set of people.

Unless of course that kind of gaming also appeals to you.

24 minutes ago, kaosoe said:

If you do this. I would recommend not advertising yourself as a Gay Dungeon Master. That might attract a whole different set of people.

Unless of course that kind of gaming also appeals to you.

"Ok remember, the safe word tonight is Galadriel. Now put on the muzzle and bark!" *cracks whip*

31 minutes ago, KungFuFerret said:

"Ok remember, the safe word tonight is Galadriel. Now put on the muzzle and bark!" *cracks whip*

"In place of a dark lord you will have a queen! Not dark but beautiful and terrible as the dawn ..."

Ok. I think I'll let myself out.

6 minutes ago, kaosoe said:

"In place of a dark lord you will have a queen! Not dark but beautiful and terrible as the dawn ..."

Ok. I think I'll let myself out.

No it's fine, I just find it amusing, the idea of geeks/nerds using nerd phrases while getting kinky. "This isn't the kind of roleplay I was thinking about!" "Too late!" *cracks whip* Plus, I've known a few too many REALLY kinky nerds to not suspect something along those lines regularly happens around the world.

Something something Smaug, you wicked worm, something?

31 minutes ago, Mindless Philosopher said:

Something something Smaug, you wicked worm, something?

So that's what they're calling it these days?

ANYWAY!

So I peeked at the character generator thread, and it looks like a lot of fun. I might try whipping something up this week.

free advice DBAD and the other players will love playing with you, have fun!

31 minutes ago, Mindless Philosopher said:

ANYWAY!

So I peeked at the character generator thread, and it looks like a lot of fun. I might try whipping something up this week.

Hehe, you said whip.

Aaargh, thinking of species and unable to access all of their stats! I am thinking of going human (easy, well-rounded) or something else, preferably something with a picture that might enable me to poke fun of myself a bit (i.e. pompous, tedious blowhard type). You know, that Bothan Colonist with the red robe, Gand diplomat with the green robe, Arcona guy going "HMMMMMMM" in the preview for the Colonist (I think) splatbook (also, I might add, in a robe).

OR I could live my fashion dream and pick a species who would look good in eighteenth century Enlightenment gentleman attire: powdered wig, pumps with silver buckles, long swallowtail coat, and tight trousers. Probably not going to go for the tricorne hat, though.

Ack, so many choices. I might just go full-on Intellect and be a cute, fwuffy Drall. I dunno.

As a fellow gaymer, I welcome you to this amazing and fun hobby! May your characters be ever FABulous! and may you never meet a gazebo!

In all seriousness, though, I'm sure you'll have few problems! I am in Denver which is a pretty darn tolerant city, so my experiences may not be the norm, but mine match with what others have reported in that nerd/gamer culture is, on the whole, very accepting . If you're at all concerned, if just suggest not mentioning or making a big deal out of it until you've had the chance to get the feel for your group.

As for your species question, I have a feeling you might like robes . Since you're going for a scholarly type Drall is a very good choice. Mostly for the fluffiness, but I've heard they're smart or something. Cereans are well known for their intelligence and are in Force core (and look good in robes), and I'd go the unconventional route and also suggest taking a look at Mirialan. Their martial training could help with portraying a "warrior-sage," which is definitely cool .

Of course, the OBVIOUS right answer is Togruta, who are objectively the best at everything, but I can understand wanting there to be SOME challenge !

Yeah picking species can be difficult, if none of them really stand out to you, or spark an idea for a background. I'm lucky in that the background part of character creation is something that comes easily for me. It's the mechanical stuff about gaming that always makes my eyes roll into the back of my head. It's one reason I enjoy this system so much, it's so rules light, that I don't really care about the crunch. I just wing it as the GM and go with what feels right in the moment.

Sometimes you can get inspiration from the species background, if there is one of sufficient depth. Or a single trait of the species might spark an idea for a background. But I prefer to think of the galactic society as being way more diverse. With so many different planets, and different clusters of people, living in such different regions, it's very believable (to me anyway) to have the different species really not have much in the way of a unified behavior. Your character might be a Gand that's never seen their homeworld, and has zero ties to their culture. And given how widespread the galactic society is, that's really feasible to be that way.

I kind of think of it like someone who is ethnically from another country, but was born and raised somewhere else. So they only have 2nd hand information at best, about their culture. And when you dilute it with the local culture of whatever planet they might live on, or space station, etc, the amount of deviation from the alien "norm" is almost to be expected really.

So don't get too hung up on stuff like that is my advice. People might try and accuse you of making a special snowflake, for breaking from the species norm. But if you actually sit down and think about it, the likelihood of the species norm actually being the "norm" is slim to none in my book.

20 minutes ago, Absol197 said:

and may you never meet a gazebo!

I'm now going to make a character named Zeebo, and make him gay, just so I can see if anyone picks up on it.

Oooh! OR! Name somebody Gaze Eeboh! It even sounds Star Warsy! Have it be some powerful combat character or something, but as part of his background, include a bit about how they like to do woodworking and carpentry, and making outside enclosures for people to sit under and enjoy the weather.

Hey again!

So, reviewing the end steps of character creation in the RAW (I learned that acronym while I lurked here, yay!), I'm staring at the 'pick more money, more exp., or both' thing. I'm almost definitely going to go for the full +10, as it might make the difference between being able to grab a Force Power or not.

However, if I/we end up doing Edge or Age, is it worth it to fudge starting Duty or Obligation for the extra XP? What do you guys think?

Also, any recommendations for starting gear to buy with spending money? 500 seems really low, but I'd much rather have the exp.

Thank you as always!

I'm not sure what you mean by "fudging" Duty or Obligation. I mean, I know what that is generally used to mean, but I fail to see how that works in the context of character creation regarding Duty/Obligation?

As to gear, I'm the kind of player who doesn't really pay much attention to gear, so I can't speak to well on it. I usually buy equipment, things that would be handy in the weird situations you will likely end up in, as well as things that naturally make sense to have. Thermal cloak, rations, a glowrod, possibly some climbing gear if the PC is that kind of person. Datapad and maybe a restraining bolt if they're more of a techy kind. Heavy Clothing is usually the best type of armor to get starting out, in my opinion, given your money limitation. That's about all I can suggest on that front.