Hello, my name is Shaheed I'm a Gand, from Gand (lame). I really enjoy the discussions and the content available by the contributors here (special shout out to 2P51 and Vergence for the pics that have really helped build the imagery and expand the games I've hosted.) I have followed the forums here for a bit, made an account but didn't want to dig up old threads just to state my single opinion. I did however believe I could get some advice from some fellows GM and gamers.

My play group is going through Beyond the Rim. Going on the fifth session, ( 4 sessions completed, 15 hours total so far) they are still on Cholganna. My players have tried to push the age old question of, "How much is our GM pushing us in a direction?" And they have dug themselves in a hole. Their backstory is working for a Hutt Clan, subcontracted by them to track the Sa Nalaor for Reom.

Before the 'negotiations' between the crew of the Nalaor and the Yiyar Clan, my PC's ran off from the village back to their ship (close to the main crash site) but not before setting the retreat on fire. They also alerted Imperials to the village in the process.

So now, they are back in their ship, and flying around Cholganna as the last session ends. They do not have Cratala, Harsol, any villager, or treasure in their possession. If they go back into civilized space at this point, Reom, not to mention the Hutts, will be very disappointed. I really want to push them to go back to the village at least and loot after the Imperials leave (I really want them to back before the Imperials fully raid the place.) I just need some advice on how to let it play out from here while still allowing the PC's their freewill and freedom to roam the galaxy. Thank you for your time.

Can I get a little more backstory? Why did they torch the place? Why are they leaving? Are they not interested in any of the treasure/tech, or keeping their deal/contract with Reom? What was their relationship with the survivors? How did they handle the encounter with the Yiyar on the Wheel?

They saved IT-3 from the Yiyar. They fought them off well and the Yiyar ran before security showed up.

As far as the villagers go, Harsol is pretty suspicious of them (because they honestly just act shady even though their characters are mostly good-natured) but since they have IT-3 he wants to give them a chance. Cratala liked them until they set loose her nexu and started a fire. They didn't really try to interact with any of the other villagers, I had given some of them names and personalities to make them less 'standard NPC.'

I think they want a successful mission but are more afraid for their lives. I had Harsol setup a 'no weapons meeting' between all parties to determine what was going to happen and I think that spooked them.

So basically they torched the place because they had gotten caught trying to escape in the early morning hours and didn't want to really kill anybody or fight Cratala's nexu.

Now that ISB has arrived at the village they may just leave the planet (which I think they are happy with.) They did talk about leaving the hemisphere to go back and 'loot the village' but in reality what could be left after the ISB capture and/or kill whoever?

Thanks for taking the time to explain all that This is going very differently than it did for my group. Is IT3 with the group? What kind of relationship did they foster with him? He could call the PC's and plead for help. If the PC's don't return, the survivors will probably side with the Yiyar, and blame the PC's for bringing the ISB to them. I was actually going to recommend the ISB intercepting the PC's. Even though they lead the ISB to the planet, they are still very much people of interest to the ISB. Remember, even if they do escape Cholganna, their ship still likely has a tracker on it. Harsol will likely feel backed into a corner if the ISB arrive, and probably blame the PC's for their arrival (as per the encounter on pg 72). Cratala, however, is probably afraid of being captured and would be more likely to reach out to the PC's before they leave atmo, and plead with them for their help. If they "fear for their lives", she can promise them the tech she has on hand in exchange for getting her and several survivors off of Cholganna. She will likely do this behind Harsol's back, and he may turn on the survivors and PC's if he finds out.

Speaking of escaping Cholganna: There are no other known hyperspace lanes in or out. The ISB or Yiyars are likely parked at the one that lead everyone there. It will take some slick flying to get around them. The text on page 73 says "technically their destination could be anywhere", but without known hyperspace lanes, it would probably take a risky astrogation check to just jump to a nearby system. Even if they do escape, they will still be tracked and hunted by ISB, and Reom will be very cross at they way they handled things. He can afford to send discrete skip tracers after them to find out what happened.

What do you want to happen? It sounds like the PC's want to bounce, and honestly, you should let that be an option. If you want it to be easier for them, then I would not have had the ISB arrive just yet. Maybe they're just blockading the hyperspace lane in/out to cholganna, and that might encourage the PC's to turn back around and try to salvage the situation with the survivors, but running should also be an option.

So the mission has gone off the rails, especially from what the book says. They pretty much kidnapped IT-3 from Harsol's possession telling the droid that it wasnt safe on the planet and they needed to leave.

At the moment, no one is really focused on the PC's, they already killed a small Imperial scouting party they ran into on their way to the ship. All focus is on the village from Harsol, Cratala, the Yiyar, and ISB. If they flee I know ISB will be on their tales (2 of the 4 PC's have bad standings with the Empire, and the other 2 are known accomplices.)

I just want them to succeed and stop making it so hard on themselves. They've wanted to upgrade their ship, get better equipment, pay off some debt and stay in good standing with their employer. I'm probably venting at this point, and I apologize. If they do try to leave, I will make sure to let them know the hyperspace route, that is a good idea. They also don't have any food! I even asked with they wanted to use a Destiny Point to 'remember to pack extra rations' and they turned that offer down. It's really funny.

On a more general note, the Tales from the Hydian Way podcast had a very recent episode about adapting official adventures for you and your group. Might be worth a listen!

Awesome, thank you. Will listen when I get home.

I find it hilarious that they decided to "save" IT3. He would probably feel obligated/programmed to care about/save Harsol and the survivors. Maybe he could sabotage the PC's ships so they have to do that thing.

They turned down free food? Do they know it's a few days trip in hyperspace? They probably feel way in over their heads and not confident in their abilities (or in the system).

They ate dinner at the village the night before. The Yiyar brought some crates of food so I may point that out. IT-3 may try something, that could work to keep them on the planet though they may just end up blasting him! I am with you, it is pretty funny how all of this went down and hopefully they can do some things to salvage it.

Edit: They do know it is roughly a 3 day hyperspace journey back to the Wheel and that concerned them. There are some other systems kind of nearby they can check out, which could be interesting in its own way. By the way do you have a good reference on hyperspace time between Cholganna and Raxus Prime?

It's about 36 hours in hyperspace with a Class 1 drive from Cholganna to Raxus Prime.