I've been running the same Star Wars campaign for about a year now, and felt it was time to shake up the formula of the game. The party had been working for a Devaronian crime lord named Ba'lael for quite a while, and after some recent in-game actions, the party members managed to get a massive bounty posted on one of their heads, and Ba'lael wound up owing 100k credits to The Wheel due to the party's actions. Needless to say, it was time for Ba'lael to cut his losses and sell the party out to the Empire for the huge bounties.

The game today started with the players getting betrayed, and the moment they dropped out of hyperspace, there was a Star Destroyer waiting for them. After an intense dogfight against some TIE Fighters, the Star Destroyer captured the party's Wayfarer in a tractor beam. The players were left with a choice. Abandon their Wayfarer, their home for the past year, and flee with the ARC-170 resting in the ship's added hangar. Or, attempt the impossible check to escape the tractor beam of the Star Destroyer. Naturally, the group's pilot attempted the impossible check, succeeding with a despair. This resulted in them heavily straining the ship just to get out of the tractor beam, and leaving the Wayfarer as a sitting duck for the Star Destroyer. A single shot from a turbolaser was all it took to finally disable the battered old freighter.

With that done, the Empire dragged their heavily damaged ship into the Star Destroyer's hangar. The players initially planned on opening the landing bay of their ship and running and gunning their way through the Star Destroyer to the tractor beam controls, disable the tractor beams, and escape A New Hope-style. However, after a moment of reflection, the party instead decided to go with the flow, and allow themselves to be captured and interrogated by the Empire.

This being Star Wars, I figured it only made sense for the bad guys to offer the good guys an option to join up with the Empire. I only expected a single player to join, a Dark Jedi whose player had been interested in being an Inquisitor. Much to my surprise, however, each of the players convinced each other that it was a good idea for all of them to sign up under the Empire! With that in mind, I will now be shifting my campaign primarily from Edge of the Empire to Age of Rebellion.

With all this said, has anyone here ever run an Imperial-based campaign? If so, please, please give me advice on how you went about it! My players will be working under Darth Vader's 501st, and working alongside the Inquisitorious. I'm itching to provide a compelling story for their stint with the Empire, but I'm drawing a blank at the moment for game ideas.

I have little experience in running an Imperial Campaign, but I can offer what I think would be your best bet.

Run it like you would a Dark Heresy game with the players as acolytes under an Inquisitor. Only in this case, they're answering to someone within Imperial Military.

Given the players background as scoundrels, any imperial officer is likely going to keep them for use on missions that can't be solved with throwing wave after wave at it or a good ol' fashioned Base-Delta-Zero. They are likely going to be employed on investigation missions where they must navigate a good ol' fashioned conspiracy or to investigate rumours of criminal activity (Spice Traders, smuggling rings, etc) or even with routing out Rebel sympathisers. You can have them go to backup a squad or battalion or send them on military actions now and then, but maybe don't make a habit of it (Unless the party wants to go all military campaign in which case things could get interesting) too often. Now sending them as an insertion team of specialists to eliminate a threat or retrieve someone of importance? Highly likely.

The parties problems have now changed. No longer do they need to dodge the empire or deal with old debts, now they have to navigate Imperial politics and the military hierarchy. Remember as well these people are former scoundrels and lawbreakers, that's going to mean they are going to be up against some scrutiny from fellow officers and soldiers due to them just being what they are.

These are just my suggestions though, do with them what you will.

Just don't forget... those old Obligations are still out there... waiting, and watching. Always watching...