With the coming of Rise of the Separatists, I'm excited about a different period of play. At the same time, I'm not really wanting to do war stories, and much of that period is based on the conventional large-scale conflict of the Clone Wars. Unlike some, I don't really want PC Jedi nor PC Clone Troopers in my games. However, I think I would like something set just before the Clone Wars during the period referred to in Legends as the Separatist Crisis. This period officially begins with Dooku's Raxus Address, and then goes on for about two years before ending as the Battle of Geonosis sparks the Clone Wars. During this time, there is a great deal of chaos within the Republic born from corruption and then ripped open by the Sith plotting from the shadows.

I like the idea of playing in this pre-war setting. One campaign concept I'm rattling around would involve working as deniable assets for a patron in the Senate, preferably one in a Mid Rim system that could go either way in the conflict depending on how the campaign goes. Alternately, a Hutt patron using such assets to get the better end of the conflict no matter how it ends is another possibility. Admittedly, my recent reading of Cyphers and Masks has me itching for an espionage-focused game, so that's a big part of this. This would no doubt bore those that want more shooting and saber-waving in their games, but for those that liked the political and economic backdrops of the Prequels, it might be ideal.

It definitely provides a nice framework for episodic play. Each session you go to a new sector/planet/corporation and have to persuade them to pick your side, whilst dealing with whatever the local problems are and interference from the other side.

14 hours ago, Talkie Toaster said:

It definitely provides a nice framework for episodic play. Each session you go to a new sector/planet/corporation and have to persuade them to pick your side, whilst dealing with whatever the local problems are and interference from the other side.

Yes, it would allow for episodic plots. I think combining the two ideas (Rep/Sep divide and meddling Hutts) makes for a more lively idea. I was also looking at Far Horizons for how do the same thing with a Colonist-styled game where the PCs have their home at stake, but that's even smaller scoped and I'm not sure that would be as entertaining. Either way, I definitely want it to be focused in a backwater "jumpthrough sector" (equivalent to "flyover state").

The PCs would be private contractor spies? I kind of like that idea. The campaign might take a spy-for-hire approach in the beginning but then develop into a cause the PCs can become invested in and get behind. Or the campaign might continue its mercenary theme throughout. Lots of different ways to go.

3 hours ago, RLogue177 said:

The PCs would be private contractor spies? I kind of like that idea. The campaign might take a spy-for-hire approach in the beginning but then develop into a cause the PCs can become invested in and get behind. Or the campaign might continue its mercenary theme throughout. Lots of different ways to go.

Correct. Essentially, if you're familiar with the Shadowrun game line, the PCs would be Shadowrunners. Much of the fluff from that line regarding character roles could be translated over to this game to see how various Careers and Specializations might fit. The big trick to the campaign would be in staying discreet and deniable, but 'Star Wars discreet' isn't nearly as harsh as real-world discreet.

In my combing of various non-canon sources, I found myself flipping through the SWTOR Encyclopedia. I'm now wondering if this campaign would fit better into the Separatist Crisis era or into the Galactic Cold War. There are certainly some strong differences, but both look promising for an espionage game. I'm still thinking that the Separatist Crisis era would be a little less militant and have greater options for players to have sympathies for both sides (harder to empathize with the Sith Empire unless you really like the openly embracing the bad guys).

1 hour ago, HappyDaze said:

In my combing of various non-canon sources, I found myself flipping through the SWTOR Encyclopedia. I'm now wondering if this campaign would fit better into the Separatist Crisis era or into the Galactic Cold War. There are certainly some strong differences, but both look promising for an espionage game. I'm still thinking that the Separatist Crisis era would be a little less militant and have greater options for players to have sympathies for both sides (harder to empathize with the Sith Empire unless you really like the openly embracing the bad guys).

I had a somewhat similar idea for the post-OT era. The PCs would be fixer-uppers for a junta on a mid-rim world in a buffer zone between the New Republic and Imperial Remnant. Dealing with political interference from both sides, practical interference as the Resistance/First Order begin to rise, playing both sides off for as much as they can get and stopping other non-aligned worlds from being subverted. Maybe *slightly* easier to sympathise with the Imperial Remnant than the Sith Empire, but then you still have a clear Bad Guy in the FO, and potentially have an extra layer of politics as the New Republic/Imperial Remnant ask you to try and stop their breakaway factions from antagonizing the other (e.g. the Resistance wants to capture a FO-friendly Moff on a diplomatic visit to your planet, the NR leaks their plans to you).

22 minutes ago, Talkie Toaster said:

I had a somewhat similar idea for the post-OT era. The PCs would be fixer-uppers for a junta on a mid-rim world in a buffer zone between the New Republic and Imperial Remnant. Dealing with political interference from both sides, practical interference as the Resistance/First Order begin to rise, playing both sides off for as much as they can get and stopping other non-aligned worlds from being subverted. Maybe *slightly* easier to sympathise with the Imperial Remnant than the Sith Empire, but then you still have a clear Bad Guy in the FO, and potentially have an extra layer of politics as the New Republic/Imperial Remnant ask you to try and stop their breakaway factions from antagonizing the other (e.g. the Resistance wants to capture a FO-friendly Moff on a diplomatic visit to your planet, the NR leaks their plans to you).

I could go with that idea if it followed the Legends version of post-RoTJ (warlords period as described in X-wing series was pretty good, Heir to the Empire and other Thrawn books were good too, Dark Empire was a bit too fantasy for my tastes, but I would still prefer it over TFA and beyond). I just can't stomach the sequels, so anything with them just turns me off.