Hola bandola.

Disclaimer: this is going to be a long one, but I am interested in ideas and input. If you have anything constructive to add (or not).

After a couple of years of playing various other fun (and some not so fun) role-playing games, as a GM and a player, I'm finally back in the SW RPG GM chair. Whether this will actually turn into a multi-year campaign like last time we'll have to see. But one may dream.

I have only two players now, while this is far less than ideal, they are good players, and fewer players means less hassle with scheduling and timing (time is becoming more and more a premium for some of us [me just me, their priorities are ... lives of hedonistic computer gaming, junk food eating, sleep when and as much as they see fit, etc.]). So, in fact, it is - to me - an ideal gaming situation.

Having merely two players and only a desire to run a game again, I still managed to lure them in - we're also in another larger group (5 players and a GM) together playing another game (which is a seriously fun game - Coriolis ). I had no real fleshed out idea about what type of game I wanted to run, other than knowing I wanted to run Star Wars, with these two players. This is not very unlike me and how I start and run games (and have done since I started out around 8-9 years old): I have a rough idea (some times very rough, sometimes just a little rough - this time it was very rough, like ... one massive rock with its top just sticking out of a large heap of gravel just enough to crack your kneecap) and then I improvise and play off player choices, desires, and actions. I'm not one for creating rail-roady adventures, scenarios, campaigns or encounters (I'd love to, but it doesn't seem to work that way for me - and with my current life and work situation, there's no real time, except perhaps today, but I write this instead). My approach has its advantages, but also several drawbacks.

Anyhew, this isn't a post about the superiority, or inferiority, of ways of running games.

My setup was this:

Giving the players an extensive, but limited, list of alien species for them to choose from (no humans, and no "pretty" species - I wanted them to play something new, and fugly). This caused some grumblings, but they were still interested. I forgot to remove two "pretty" species Kalleran and Nautolan (these were the prettiest at least).

Then, as a sort of background inducing incentive I gave them 20 free XP to pick a universal specialisation, hinting strongly for them to look at the ones in Dawn of Rebellion. This XP could only be used for that purpose.

Then I agreed that we would play knight-level, so they'd have extra XP and cash to increase the competence of their characters, and give them some cool gear.

As they arrived just after noon on a Saturday, I just put all the EotE books on the table and said; "Choose a career. And please try to create a synergy in the theme of your character's chosen career." In other words, career choice should matter, in addition to their background uni. spec.

5 hours later, I had a Kalleran colonist marshal (and padawan survivor from DoR - with a Bounty obligation [and Malleabilty and Dogmatic as emotional strength and weakness]) and a Tognath bounty hunter martial artist (and pirate from DoR - with Betrayal and Fame as obligations).

I was pretty satisfied with choice of species, and jumped on the marshal theme - lawmen, what a nice idea!

I quickly wrote up a star system, Imperial controlled, but with little military presence, as law enforcement for some reason is contracted to Sherek Security, the employer of the PCs. There are three habitable planets, at least two space stations (one a mining platform on a gas giant, and more inspired by the Colossus from SW Resistance than Cloud City), then some uninhabited/uninhabitable rocks - no asteroid field as of yet.

Considering they are lawmen (private security force), I had to come up with a crime for them to solve. Quickly establishing that they were usually working on the two frontier planets, that would be farming communities, mining communities, that stuff, like wild-west (think Firefly duh) planets, their character choices made sense. They are hardy characters, with a penchant for violence and roughing up of ne'er-do-wells.

The game started as they, in their U-Wing, were approaching the gas mining platform - to investigate a murder of some senior adviser to the big boss-man of the gas mining platform. So, they were out of their element, as one players said: We are used to the culprits starting to shoot as soon as we approach the scene of the crime, here no one wants to tell us anything, and least of all fire a blaster at anyone ...

I won't retell the whole session, but in short: they stumbled across corruption, saw the suffering of the poor and unprivileged, met a small family of force-sensitive smugglers (now imprisoned for smuggling), an assassin droid (smuggled on to the platform by said smuggler family - the daughter managed this, and did it for reasons)... and a uniformed man in a hologram who supplied the motivation and reasons for the daughter to do it. In addition they met some incompetent, as well as competent, security colleagues.

They solved the crime, have clues to someone ordering the assassination but no identity - just potential rank or station.

The game is also set "around Return of the Jedi", so I'm going to drop the end of the Empire on them on some point.

So, I know who the man was, and also why he ordered the murder.

But before I drop all that on them, before I drop the fall of the Empire (Endor is a Lie!), I need some filler ideas. To establish the system, to get them invested in it.

So, I need suggestions for crimes, disputes, and the like, that the players can solve, have fun with, and entwine them in the system, the societies (and the larger meta-plot ideas?) to get them invested.

Next session will probably start on the system's capital, where they transported the prisoners and the assassin droid remains. As an image, if the two other inhabited worlds are wild-west frontier planets dotted with small towns, the capital planet would be more like a large provincial European town (or small city) of the same sort of era.

So if you get any brain farts with ideas that could fit with this, aim them below.

May the Force be with you, and have a happy new year!

Random thoughts.

Organizations

• Is Sherek Security the only law in the system? If not, throw in competitor security groups. One could be very corrupt and basically the stooges of a mining company doing their bidding. Another could be a group from a large security megacorporation that has more gear and tech then they know what to do with. But, the recruits sent to this system are all noobs and the local chief is an arrogant braggart with no skills.
• Mining Guild office. There are miners, so have a local office. You could make it benevolent or have a corrupt official running the office.
• Crime syndicate. I'm guessing you already have some ideas for this. But, a lawman campaign of course begs to have the players stumble upon a syndicate behind the scene with connections amongst politicians, lawmen, and mining companies.
• With the western/Firefly theme, you need "Indians". You could go the Tusken Raider route with a race of vicious native beings on the frontier. Start with them being obvious boogey men then you could change it up later when the players realize the natives aren't actually that vicious after all? Too cliché?
• A frontier settlement or string of settlements wanting to set up their own government and rule themselves independent of the capital.

Crimes

• Smuggling (you've already got this covered in the first adventure it seems).
• Riot at a mining facility. Not necessarily a combat adventure. This could be handled with social skills.
• Start dropping hints of a serial killer. A person found dead that may or may not have been a farming or mining accident, for example. You could end this line with the person actually being a crazed killer. Or a psychotic droid. Or perhaps the killings were just made to look like the work of a crazed killer when actually the deaths are all connected and part of a larger cover up.
• Rebellious settlement(s). See the last entry in Organizations above.
• Theft of a very large mining vehicle or ship. Where the heck could have this big thing be hidden?

Thank you! I've got stuff for a long time now thanks to you

This is ace!

You also reminded me a Mantellian Savrip (spl?) Dark Horse comic thing from way back when.

'... 5 hours later...'

Good job you only had two players!!! 🎅

1 hour ago, ExpandingUniverse said:

'... 5 hours later...'

Good job you only had two players!!! 🎅

Yeah. They took their time - and we had a meal as part of the process - to look through all the career books, read through about their species, build some backstory and finding a suitable universal spec from DoR.

Also, it had been a while since they'd made new characters for EotE.

We had a good time

Well tbh I have 2 weeks off over Chrimbo, so the day that the wife is off to see her auntie I'm getting all my Edge and F&D books off the shelf and onto the dining table... along with nibbles and alcohol.... sorted readafest

On 12/31/2018 at 12:24 PM, Sturn said:

Start dropping hints of a serial killer. A person found dead that may or may not have been a farming or mining accident, for example. You could end this line with the person actually being a crazed killer. Or a psychotic droid. Or perhaps the killings were just made to look like the work of a crazed killer when actually the deaths are all connected and part of a larger cover up.

Seeing as one of your players is a Padawan Survivor you could use an emergent Sith or Fallen Jedi as the killer!

Also, Sturn... for random thoughts that whole list is awesome man 👍

3 hours ago, AceSolo5 said:

Also, Sturn... for random thoughts that whole list is awesome man 👍

Thanks!

Another suggestion I didn't have time for last time.

I've always seen the start of a new campaign as an opportunity to set some later story lines from the start. It's more rewarding to defeat a nemesis that you've known from the start of the campaign then one that the referee just described during the start of the current session. For example, I once had a friendly NPC be part of a D&D party for several sessions with plans all along to have him stab the party in the back and become an enemy. It made for a much more emotional nemesis for the players.

So, here's an idea I thought up when trying to tie my first suggestions together. An early, simple, introductory crime solving mission could involve an investigation regarding a possible murder on a ranch. The players investigate a suspicious death involving "Rancher Joe". Rancher Joe has a wife and a teenage son and a worker was killed on his ranch that came to the attention of authorities. A rival bumbling security group is claiming Rancher Joe is a murderer. The player's investigate and find several clues that exonerate friendly Joe showing that it was just a ranching accident after all. The family is indebted to the players and thankful.

Fast forward later in the campaign. The players are investigating the criminal syndicate they believe is operating behind the scenes. They are watching a drop point where a corrupt politician/security officer/mining official has dropped information or a payment. They see a younger cloaked figure pick up the drop and they chase him hoping to get him to turn on the syndicate...only to find it's Rancher Joe's teenage son. Joe's son plays the part of the victim at first. But, the players will eventually realize they were duped long ago. Rancher Joe may be the head of the syndicate with his family (fake family?) being participating members. The ranch hands you met before during the investigation are actually hardened gunmen. That large barn at the cliff far behind the ranch house is actually covering the entrance to the smuggling base or whatever the syndicate is involved in.

The players will be much more emotionally involved taking down the syndicate leader with a history like that. Compare this to the players finding out about the false ranch base just before they have to take it down. Not nearly as fun.

I request a necro of this thread.

On 12/31/2018 at 2:58 AM, Jegergryte said:

Next session will probably start on the system's capital, where they transported the prisoners and the assassin droid remains. As an image, if the two other inhabited worlds are wild-west frontier planets dotted with small towns, the capital planet would be more like a large provincial European town (or small city) of the same sort of era.

How’s the game going?

4 hours ago, Rean411 said:

I request a necro of this thread.

How’s the game going?

It died. Sadly.

I started a new one. It goes well. In the same sector , different focus. Currently exploring other systems and planets.