Ok so I'm in session three of my first adventure with my players and there is a chance that some of the party may get captured by imperials. During this arc I want to introduce one of my main villains to the party, a Compnor agent who has served with both destab and the ISB. The main theory is that the players will want to break into an imperial holding facility, both to rescue some rebel captives and liberate a forger who specialises in ship transponders and ID markings. My idea is that my Agent will capture them during their infiltration attempt and decide to let them escape after murdering the rebel captives. Unbeknownst to the players they will be framed for this to make the rebellion look merciless by silencing captives.

What I don't want to do is railroad the players too much though, is it bad form if I manufacture their capture in such a way that they can't prevent it?

My other issue is a twofold obligation question, I have several players who may well be known to Compnor: a former clone trooper, an academy defector and an agitator/con artist type. Should I use their backstories obligations here or will it seem too unfair? The other players have almost no reason to be known to imperial security or compnor.

The second part of the issue is how to deal with the fallout of their escape, the agent wants them at large to spread fear of the rebellion among the populace so I'm planning to have them "star" in a holonet report accusing them of murdering prisoners and terrorism against the Empire. Should I add to their group obligation as a result of this? It seems reasonable that they'd have a price on their heads after this and that others might treat them differently.

It is quite hard to capture a group without leaving them the possibility to escape without making them notice there is no way out.

I'd go with a raid feeling. Place a perfect trap for the players and make the empire fall onto them. Stun grenades them first, then the first lines of stormtroopers that makes the attack, leave you players kill some, even alot of you feel it. At some point make some stronger armed or different lvl NPC to capture the group. Make one bounty hunter catch one of the players and force the other to drop the weapon otherwise the NPC will pull the trigger on the PC captive. While they think about what to do don't leave them time. Ask for immediate answers. If it goes bad make them resilience check a sleep gas. In that kinda blend or mix I think the players will enjoy the railroad. Put alot of drama if you have experienced players. Or alot of RP make it more RP scene then fighting scene with alot of dice rolls.

For your second issue make them have a favor obligation in order to free themselves of the empire but even better blackmail. Empire blackmails them if they don't do what they want and they also have the difficulty increase with the wanted for the murdering. The more obligations you have the more respected you are in underworld but beware of the law enforcers they will attempt to arrest or shoot without talking.

Be prepared to knock out all your players in combat, as it's quite common in role-playing games that players don't surrender, they fight to the death or try to escape.

On 2018-03-19 at 5:09 AM, Frostweasel said:

What I don't want to do is railroad the players too much though, is it bad form if I manufacture their capture in such a way that they can't prevent it?

Depends on your players. If they've never been captured before, or you've used previous captures to take all their stuff, they might not like it at first. My players were so used to dying at the hands of other GMs they assumed the worst, and I had to break out of story mode to reassure them. The movie/tv characters get captured a lot, so if your players balk just remind them of that.

You can also just flat out lie "Oh, wow, I thought you guys could handle 5 squads of stormtroopers and their reinforcements. My bad, I'll do better next time."

On 2018-03-19 at 5:09 AM, Frostweasel said:

My other issue is a twofold obligation question, I have several players who may well be known to Compnor: a former clone trooper, an academy defector and an agitator/con artist type. Should I use their backstories obligations here or will it seem too unfair?

If you're only in session 3, they can't really have generated too much of a reputation yet...unless the previous sessions had public mayhem of an unusual nature. It might be that this capture puts them on the radar: Compnor doesn't really know about them yet (other than basic demographics), and now they are personally known to the agent. But before the agent can file a proper report, the PCs escape, and maybe have a chance to delete their information. Now it's just all in the head of the agent, which makes it personal.

In my experiance players don't take capturing very lighthearted since it means they got defeated in some way. So make sure it is their "fault" to get captured.

Best way is to try to overcome them "accidently" in combat, while having a plan B for the story for the case they do overcome the dozend stormies (well always have a plan B, C, D for when the players wreck your pland way of the story) Stun Grenades are a perfect weapon there fore (especially as long as theiy are not to well known by the empire, as your story continues the orders may chance from capture to kill)

I use my "prisionbreak" story ideas when ever my players got really knocked out (bad luck on the dices or to much overconfidence while attacking an Gorgon or an AT-ST or attacking the whole military base on theire own while a well know Not-Clone-General from Order 66 is in the house, he just knew how to fight jedi scum.) I never intentionally try to capture them... that almost never worked out for me. And everytime they get captured they will whine about losing theire stuff (did this only one time... and it will always be a reason for grudge against those situations... but sometimes you just have to do it).

And the idea of capture one to make the rest give up.... never works as @GroggyGolem already mentioned, they fight till the last wound point always trying to find the silverlining that rescues them (and in this system Triumphs can help a lot with that).

so you have 3 possibil ways to make your idea work,

first: forge the scenerie in a way your players can't win while not noticing it!

second: let them play through the rescue and see if they pull it of good or are overwhelmed by their own mistakes, if not then just save the "capture-encounter" until a day when they do a mistake of their own.

third: If you really think you need to introduce the villain this way as crucial to your Story, talk to your players: "Hey Guys, I know you don't like it to be railroaded, but there might be a situation tonight when I need to do that a bit for the purpose of the story." later: "Guys you did a very well job up to here, but there is now a battalion of Stormtroopers surrounding you and you know you won't escape here fighting, when the seargent offers you to surrender you agree. it is better to live and fight on another day, then you are brought to an officer.... - Important is to announce the railroading in the beginning of the session and let them have some credit for planing this heist by maybe rescuing at least some prisioners or the forger before getting captured so they don't feel that theire efforts are in vain (always the biggest issue with railroading)

Your other issue:

It is never unfair to use Obligations against the players or for the flow of a story.

an Academy Defector? "Therew you were, your old instructor is still wanting your head my friend!"

a retired clone? "Well thought you were all dead old champ! Well nothing we couldn't correct, could we?"

Use it play with theire heads, that is what Obligations is for.

As for the fallout obligation: NO!!

Obligation is a currency by RAW, players have to decide activly to take them on (individual or as group) to gain something benefitical from it that otherwise wouldn't be in theire Reach and is not part of the story.

Like: "you want a new ship, while your old is still ok? Well you only have 5000,- credits... but hey you remember that guy from Ferion IV who knows how to get a good ship really really cheap. After you contacted him he tells you that he has what you are looking for, it may be a bit damaged but it flies and you have not to ask where it is from.

If you want it, you will pay the 5000,- credits and get a 10 point obligation - Which one? I'll tell you IF you take the deal!"

Or it can be help to speed things up:

Hey guys yeah you got once again imprisioned, you may try to escape on your own (once again) or you take the offer from one of the corrupt wardens, he'll help you escape there fore you will have a dept with him that will be a 5 point obligation for everyone - you take it? - fine then the sessions starts when you are leaving the supply hover transport the warden smuggeld you on. you escaped the prision but are still in danger, but it will take 2-3 hours before anyone notices that you are gone... make the best of it.

You may say that obligations are good elements for later sidestorys, and the players actively take them!

If it is just a main story element that the players have to deal with, than it is no obligation, it is just story. there is no difference between beeing framed, hunted by bounty (as fact if they go against the empire there will be bountys sooner or later on theire heads and that will be bountys they can't get rid of)

Never force obligation on the players always let them choise.

e.g. one of my players PCs got drunk during a very openminded party... 2 Despairs got her pregnant.

While beeing pregnant was never an obligation but a story element (and sometimes a hinderence in form of setback) once her little hellspawn arrived, I gave her the option:

You can ether acknowledge the Baby as your own, but have it in the care of some women of your homested. Therefore the Homested will give you big babyshower and you'll receive some nice presents (weapons and gear she really wanted for some time) but you will have always have the 20 Point obligation - Family, Son! - And this will decreasing only very slowly.

Or your don't acknoledge him and give him away on the doorsteps of an orphanat. you will never look back and he will grow up not knowing you or his heritage. (would have made a nice villain later on in a future campaign - I like to link all my storys together somehow)

She decide to take the obligation, got a lot of nice stuff and a baby son to look after and quite the good character development out of it.

En media rez. Start them right after they've been captured, that should help out with "railroad" situation some.

On ‎3‎/‎19‎/‎2018 at 8:55 AM, Storm-Trooper-God said:

While they think about what to do don't leave them time. Ask for immediate answers.

This. If they stall, then you can say "Well, while you froze in indecision, the stormtrooper fired a stun bolt at you. The last thing you remember is a flash of blue light."

That way it can be their fault that they were captured, and they won't feel railroaded because they'll be busy thinking "If I had been a little quicker with my dice..."