I think it's kind of funny that once or twice, this thread mentions lack of Jedi as a positive thing. Different genres, but Jedi = Samurai = Gunslinger. Less so in the Prequel era, but the idea of a lone weapon master dispensing justice from town to town/world to world...

An iconic samurai or gunslinger doesn't require magical powers. An iconic Jedi pretty much does. You can make a *heck* of a gunslinger or 'samurai' without ever referencing the Force rules. The Jedi may originally have been (loosely) modeled on samurai, but they went well beyond that archetype.

I respectfully disagree. It's all about perspective and context. With a traditional samurai move or spaghetti Western, the samurai or gunslinger is just as far head-and-shoulders in power level above "normals" as a Jedi. A gunslinger or samurai DOES, in fact, have "magical powers" (although they are usually related solely to their supernatural combat expertise and possibly intuition rather than the ability to move things with their minds). Ultimately, though, same character, different weapons.

BTW, the Dark Times comic book did a great story arc called Blue Harvest, which is based on the Yojimbo/Fist Full of Dollars model and stars Das Jennir, a Jedi. Fantastic story, and an overall really, really good comic. Anyone who doubts that Jedi belong in the EotE should check out Dark Times.

Blue Harvest. Last Man Standing. Fist Full of Dollars. Yojimbo. The works of Dashiell Hammett (Red Harvest and The Glass Key). Same hero, different weapons.

I think it's kind of funny that once or twice, this thread mentions lack of Jedi as a positive thing. Different genres, but Jedi = Samurai = Gunslinger. Less so in the Prequel era, but the idea of a lone weapon master dispensing justice from town to town/world to world...

An iconic samurai or gunslinger doesn't require magical powers. An iconic Jedi pretty much does. You can make a *heck* of a gunslinger or 'samurai' without ever referencing the Force rules. The Jedi may originally have been (loosely) modeled on samurai, but they went well beyond that archetype.

A gunslinger or samurai DOES, in fact, have "magical powers" (although they are usually related solely to their supernatural combat expertise and possibly intuition rather than the ability to move things with their minds).

In other words, the samurai or gunslinger *doesn't* have magical powers that allow them to fling people through the air with a thought, read mind, or control thoughts. (aka: magic, or the Force) They have *remarkable*, and awe-inspiring skill with their chosen weapons, but they don't have *magic*.

There's certainly possibilities for concepts where the samurai or gunslinger *can* do those sorts of things, but they're certainly not required for the archetype. They are, however, pretty core abilities for a Jedi.

A guy with a lightsaber who can't use the Force simply isn't an iconic Jedi (though he may well be a seriously badass samurai).

So my intro adventure is coming together. It's a three "episode" model.

I'm inventing a peaceful outer rim planet called Serran; it's a typical "quiet town" with a modest star port. I'll come up with ways to color and flesh it out it later. The way it begins is the Empire shows up imposing their order. They force sections of the populace into slave labor and begin construction of a garrison and a "magno-rail" between the garrison and the star port (the construction of which kills hundreds as they rush it through).

"what's a 'magno-rail'?" you ask? I made it up. It's a train that's built on a powerful magnetically sealed rail. It's supposed to be hijack proof; you can't shoot at it or blow it up. Naturally the next bit in the adventure involves a train heist.

The peaceful folk of Serran want to fight for their freedom, but they're no match for the Empire. The only way to really stand up for them is for the Serra to get their hands on some Imperial weapons. The fight for Serran's freedom begins with a gang of bandits; to which the PCs can easily be a part of. A heist from the great magno-rail becomes the plan.

I plan on actually letting the PCs formulate the entire insurrection against the Empire from there themselves. What do you all think?

Another good space western is the anime Cowboy Bebop. Arguably one of the best animes every produced. The main characters, villians, and some of the story arcs can easily make a transition to Edge of the Empire.

Here is episode 1 for those interested:

So my intro adventure is coming together. It's a three "episode" model.

I'm inventing a peaceful outer rim planet called Serran; it's a typical "quiet town" with a modest star port. I'll come up with ways to color and flesh it out it later. The way it begins is the Empire shows up imposing their order. They force sections of the populace into slave labor and begin construction of a garrison and a "magno-rail" between the garrison and the star port (the construction of which kills hundreds as they rush it through).

"what's a 'magno-rail'?" you ask? I made it up. It's a train that's built on a powerful magnetically sealed rail. It's supposed to be hijack proof; you can't shoot at it or blow it up. Naturally the next bit in the adventure involves a train heist.

The peaceful folk of Serran want to fight for their freedom, but they're no match for the Empire. The only way to really stand up for them is for the Serra to get their hands on some Imperial weapons. The fight for Serran's freedom begins with a gang of bandits; to which the PCs can easily be a part of. A heist from the great magno-rail becomes the plan.

I plan on actually letting the PCs formulate the entire insurrection against the Empire from there themselves. What do you all think?

I think it's a good start BVS. However, I think you need to flesh out the reasons for why the Empire decided to show up there in the first place. There has got to be a better reason for them to show up without just coming across as complete dicks. And since we're talking about Edge of the Empire here, I think something like, the Empire has been investigating a smuggling operation for a number of years, trying to determine its origins and the organization in charge. They know it leads from the Deep Core (or wherever) to the Outer Rim and Serran is one of their first stops of many.

And give a better reason for the train heist as it just sounds like a regular 'ole terrorist attack. If the PC's are fighting for the good guys, I think rephrasing it to something like, "throwing off the planet's shackles the Empire forced us to build and incarcerate ourselves with." (Or some such silly thing that gives everyone an excuse to blow up some Imeprials.)

An iconic samurai or gunslinger doesn't require magical powers. An iconic Jedi pretty much does. You can make a *heck* of a gunslinger or 'samurai' without ever referencing the Force rules. The Jedi may originally have been (loosely) modeled on samurai, but they went well beyond that archetype.

It all depends on how you use that Jedi. If they come roaring into town hunting sith and being Guardians of Moral Justice, the Jedi archetype doesn't really fit.However if the Jedi is a subtle, low-key character who more of a problem solver gun-for-hire who ends a fight with one swift stroke of his blade, then yeah - I could totally see a Jedi in that roll.

Here is a plot idea for you that is pretty Spaghetti...

Party is hired to stop a series of heists of some sort. When they confront the thieves, they realize several of them are tied to the party (siblings, old friends, etc).

This is the start of one of the Terrance Hill ones... not sure which. He stops some robbers and one of them is his brother.

I think it's a good start BVS. However, I think you need to flesh out the reasons for why the Empire decided to show up there in the first place. There has got to be a better reason for them to show up without just coming across as complete dicks. And since we're talking about Edge of the Empire here, I think something like, the Empire has been investigating a smuggling operation for a number of years, trying to determine its origins and the organization in charge. They know it leads from the Deep Core (or wherever) to the Outer Rim and Serran is one of their first stops of many.

And give a better reason for the train heist as it just sounds like a regular 'ole terrorist attack. If the PC's are fighting for the good guys, I think rephrasing it to something like, "throwing off the planet's shackles the Empire forced us to build and incarcerate ourselves with." (Or some such silly thing that gives everyone an excuse to blow up some Imeprials.)

fair points. I'm still writing stuff up.

The Empire does need a reason to come to town so to speak. Maybe there's something they want or someone. Some kind of ore, fuel, or something else. Having a smuggling ring go through Serran would be a great excuse to get the players a ship or provide an out in case the players don't necessarily want to be from Serran. I'm leading toward the smuggler option since it also give me an excuse to provide Serran with an interesting space port and options for possibly getting any arms they get their hands on off the planet.

and the train heist won't be some random attack; the idea is that there's some kind of big arms shipment worth attacking; something that wouldn't just provide some arms, but would actually provide enough arms to start a real fight. It would be, like you said, the opportunity Serran freedom fighters were looking for to begin fighting for their independence.

Then there's the villain. I think I'll use the Imperial Moff from the book and turn him into a vicious baddie governor; like a Zorro villain.

You could also throw in a Star Destroyer captain with high aspirations who got sent to the boondocks because someone up the chain does not like his aspirations but his skill as a captain kept him from being killed/assasinated (or whatever). He and the govenor make a deal, the magrail is built as a part of the deal but as we all know how deals with the Empire go, it gets worse everytime for the governor and much more so for the people (and PC's) caught in the middle.

Also, you could develop Serran into a planet with a major space port for maybe... meduim sized ships (or larger), and a half-dozen other smaller "ports." Think of it as a small town just big enough to have a railroad run through the town as well as a couple of hotels with small stables out in their back areas. And maybe the reason for the Empire being there isn't so much of it being an economic thing or one person, but maybe more on the strategic level.

Include a Mine location. That's an excuse to have explosives and wiring available to the players.

Include a Mine location. That's an excuse to have explosives and wiring available to the players.

yeah that makes a lot of sense; especially if the idea is that the empire wants something on Serran in the first place. let's say the empire knows about a vein of some kind of ore. They build the magno-rail with slave labor and then set to work on mining the ore. This sets up what could be the first big battle in this rebellion; freeing the people from the mines (and destroying the mines in the process). That'd make a killer third act.

Unexpectedly I got moved to work days at the casino I'm employed at. Holy cow; I have time to run this game now.

So, I just got finished working with a couple friends and we've got our first two PCs! Enough, dare I say it, for a buddy style Han/Chewie sort of party. They responded well to the idea of the spaghetti western style. One is playing a human scoundrel and the other is a droid bounty hunter. They're going to play a couple desperadoes. This is going to be cool; probably not starting right away with this adventure idea since it opens the door to a much bigger story really. I really would prefer to start small and build these guys up first a little. First up, let's get things going with some simple bounty hunter capers.

keep it spaghetti, everybody. GO!

Thinking about, since this is a bunch of new players, actually whipping up their ship for them. Keep in mind, they're a couple bounty hunters so that should come out in the build. I started with a YT-1300 and used the guideline for a 120K credit limit. She comes out to be worth all of 119,200 credits.

Unnamed Ship

Silhouette 4, Speed 3, Handling -2, Defense 1/1, Armor 4

HT 22, ST 15

Hyperdrive: Primary 2, Backup 12

Navicomputer: Yes

Sensor Range: Short

Ship’s Compliment: One pilot, one co-pilot/engineer

Encumbrance: 165 (25 in smuggling compartments)

Passengers: 6

Consumables: 2 months

Cost/Rarity: not for sale

Hard Points: 1 remaining (advanced targeting array, enhanced armor, smuggling compartments, upgraded weapons)

Weapons: One Dorsal and One Ventral Turret Mounted Medium Laser Cannon (fire arc: all, Damage 6, Critical 3, Range [close]), One Forward Mounted Light Tractor Beam (fire arc: forward, Tractor 2, Range [close])

To get into the proper mood, name the ship, "the ship with no name."

That's a good idea, but one that I still want to leave up to the players. I'll come up with the ship's background; basically, I'm just going to say that the ship falls into their lap with no name in place. I'll leave it up to them to go "oh we're just going to keep it nameless as a reference to spaghetti westerns"

To get into the proper mood, name the ship, "the ship with no name."

I would have gone with Blonde or Angel Eyes myself

ehh... not very star wars-ish. I mean why not call it the U.S.S. "grave marked 'unknown' next to Arch Stanton"?

I'm surprised no one has mentioned "Bounty", the Clone Wars episode that features an interesting twist on the train robbery theme. In it, Boba Fett, Bossk and Asajj Ventress are the muscle hired to protect a treasure train - typically, I'd expect bounty hunters to be the attackers.

A number of the Clone Wars episodes featuring Cad Bane and Hondo Onaka fall very squarely in the spaghetti western motif. And for those who dismissed the series after the terrible movie and rough start - it is a show worth sticking with.

Another good source no one has mentioned is the Armand Assante western "Blind Justice". The plot is pretty adaptable. A gunfighter taking a valuable object from point A to point B becomes trapped in a town besieged by thugs. The players could have been hired to take an heirloom or escort a person. Once they arrive, they find that the Imperial governor only allows their ship to land at a spaceport, so they have to go overland to complete their mission. They arrive in the town to find it overrun by a gang of thugs and a small imperial garrison that's also just barely holding on.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned "Bounty", the Clone Wars episode that features an interesting twist on the train robbery theme. In it, Boba Fett, Bossk and Asajj Ventress are the muscle hired to protect a treasure train - typically, I'd expect bounty hunters to be the attackers.

This one's actually plausible -- working on both sides of the law has precedent .

Just watched a late night western " Alvarez Kelly'' that could be used for Edge or Rebel.

Kelly a neutral cowboy in the Civil War transports and sells a herd of cheap Mexican cattle to the hungry North troops for a high price. After getting his money, he is captured by South troops. The only way to get his freedom is to train the South to herd cattle and steal back his herd for the South troops. The only flaw, I had with the film, was that no one serving for the South during the Civil War ever worked with cattle?

The players could be in the outer rim with a load of " x" that they could not give away. Then they get word that the Empire and inner rim want " x" and will pay big credits for it. The players strike it rich and may even lower some Empire or money debts. But the Rebellion needs " x" to and the players are the only ones who can go back to their buyer and have a ship already set for shipping " x".

Join the Rebellion and if the players can steal a needed shipment from the Empire, getaway with just a large bounty on their heads, or rat them out and have Rebels wanting their heads.

Okay, saw a Spaghetti Western last night so goddamned manly it'll put hair on your chest (so ladies, watch out viewing this!) called Django the Bastard. If 50% of my players hadnt watched it with me, I would SO be stealing this for a game right now.

A number of the Clone Wars episodes featuring Cad Bane and Hondo Onaka fall very squarely in the spaghetti western motif. And for those who dismissed the series after the terrible movie and rough start - it is a show worth sticking with.

I'd agree. Hondo is a pirate, but the arid climate of Florrum, and the overall motif of his crew on speeder bikes really does lend itself well to the spaghetti western style. Cad Bane is a classic gunslinger in attitude and presentation, and even shows a certain sense of honour even if presented as a recurring villain in the series.

I'd even say that the Long Arm of the Hutt adventure has some spaghetti western elements to it, especially around the ownership of the ryll mine.

Appaloosa has some great lines and scenes. The premise of the mercenary lawmen assuming control of a town by contract to clean it up is a great plot hook.

Any of the Clint Eastwood westerns, but Outlaw Josey Wales is a great idea, former CIS soldier that won't surrender pursued by Imperial sellouts.

The Last Outaw. Not spaghetti, but a **** fine western. Contemporary cast, all-star: Mickey Rourke is the lead "villain", with Dermot Mulroney, John C McGinley, Steve Buscemi, Ted Levine, and more. It was a made-for-HBO movie (1993).

Introduction (fr: Wikipedia): The story follows a band of former Confederate soldiers who were part of a cavalry unit that had fought during the American Civil War , with few members surviving to its end. Their commander, Graff (Rourke) had once been a heroic and staunch supporter of the southern cause, but after losing his family he became cold-hearted and ruthless. His second in command is Eustis (Mulroney), whom Graff has trained since 1861 on the strategies of leadership and combat command, right down to knowing exactly how many rounds of ammunition each of his soldiers has. The film centers around the relationship between Graff and Eustis, and the irony of Eustis turning on Graff due to Graff making a decision that Eustis disagrees with, and which mirrors a decision Eustis is also forced to make himself as a commander later.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKxtD3Bvvl8

As awful a film as it may be, Shanghai Noon has some elements that would be pretty cool. Mostly the idea that a "foreigner" or alien goes on a long journey to the "wild west" or Outer Rim to rescue a kidnapped princess. Add the fact that the princess was kidnapped by a member of the alien's own species for extra intrigue.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPQIQ6VIfJo

I once ran a game based on West World that worked out great!

It's a movie from the 70's set in the future... or at least their future.
The idea is that people go on these elaborate vacations at West World, where they get to relive the old west. Take on a persona, and interact with incredibly life like Androids.

You might have a shoot out with a gang, and the androids act like they're dead, but they're not.

At night, automated repair sort of does this whole reset thing, and the next day things are back to new.

Trouble ensues in the movie when the androids get a mind of their own and go on a killing spree (big shock, popular theme then and now).

It's just a setting though, you can do whatever you like with it. I actually put it all on an Ithorian Home World ship, that had these amusement parks instead of jungle bio domes.

You can have all sorts of reasons for your adventurers to need to go...

Since only the wealthy can go, it's an excellent target for pirates. Maybe your team is hired as protection.

Maybe they're hired as the pirates.

Maybe their guests and the androids go berserk.

Sky is the limit, but it gives you a reason to go full on spaghetti western in a sci fi setting.

But wait there's more. Just like the movie, you can also have Rome World and Medevial World (or whatever they called them)