Not always.

Well, they are always wrong about the Empire not being evil.

without trying to browbeat everyone with "EMPIRE BAD!! REBELS AWESOME!!"

Thats the Star Wars line though. The Empire are not another wargaming faction to cheer on. They are pure breed despicable villains. They are the bad parts of the Nazis, the bad parts of the Soviet Union, the bad parts of the US in Vietnam and the bad parts of the British Empire rolled in to one loathsome package. And really, that is a lot of bad bits to choose from. What the heck do people think they could have done to emphasise more that the Empire are the bad guys! Now, certainly one could rewrite the setting to make the Empire more sympathetic, but I don't think Disney are going to have any interest in doing that. Less even that George Lucas did. They have a multi billion dollar kid friendly franchise to shepherd, and the last thing they are going to want is controversy. So to an extent you can keep wondering why the Empire are always painted in such a bad light, or you can get with the **** program, find something about the Rebellion to love and the Empire to Hate (and if you can't find something to hate in the Nazis, the Soviet Union, the British Empire, that 'How do you shoot women and children?' guy from Full Metal Jacket, the guys with the guillotines from the French Revolution, Mr. Kim above or Mr. Assad and his sarin you really are not trying) and we can all get back to giving space Hitler a sock on the nose!

Or maybe you can get with the program and realize that a keyboard and a massive amount arrogance doesn't give you the right to judge others on how they like to play pretend.

Now shut up.

You can pretend to be a space nazi all you want. I just don't think Disney is going to be interested in helping you.

Rommel was not a lily white good german he was invested in the Nazi state was CO of HItlers Bodygaurd company so that is not the comparison you want to make, The empire as present is evil it is complety humacentric and I am sure if it was around in real they would be yellow stars and pink triangles appering on those aliens that look human. The way Pals seem to run his empire would inplode even with out the rebellion I belive that the destruction of the Alderaan shows how bad it was and rember in the film It was not even the emperor giving the order There was no indication that Tarkin spoke to or had prearanfed it with the Emp. No action seems to have come from it except that a bigger death star is to be built.

You can pretend to be a space nazi all you want. I just don't think Disney is going to be interested in helping you.

*points to HUGE pile of video games and source books from the Empires and/or bad guys perspective*

You can pretend to be a space nazi all you want. I just don't think Disney is going to be interested in helping you.

Pretty sure you lack even the slightest of clues of what Disney is interested in.

*points to HUGE pile of video games and source books from the Empires and/or bad guys perspective*

*Guestures to Disney having just purchased the franchise for four billion dollars, and having big plans for it*

Pretty sure you lack even the slightest of clues of what Disney is interested in.

This is true, but the advertising copy for Age of Rebellion doesn't seem very interested in painting the Empire in a sympathetic light, and I can't imagine JJ Abrams would want the **** from his mum for spending 200 million dollars on a movie that is pro nazi.

*points to HUGE pile of video games and source books from the Empires and/or bad guys perspective*

*Guestures to Disney having just purchased the franchise for four billion dollars, and having big plans for it*

And your point is? Are you on the board of directors? Are you privy to information that we, the general public, do not know? You managed to sneak a glance at the Star Wars marketing plan for the next decade? If none of these things apply, then you sir, are talking out of your arse.

1) The precedence is there. There has been a boatload of material to play on the Imperial side. You sticking your fingers in your ears wont change that.

2) The Empire can be portrayed as not a completely evil, baby eating force. Not everyone in the Imperial War Machine drowned kittens for fun.

3) A well written rulebook will allow the players to be in ANY military. A Sargent is a Sargent is a Sargent, regardless of what color the uniform is.

Pretty sure you lack even the slightest of clues of what Disney is interested in.

This is true, but the advertising copy for Age of Rebellion doesn't seem very interested in painting the Empire in a sympathetic light, and I can't imagine JJ Abrams would want the **** from his mum for spending 200 million dollars on a movie that is pro nazi.

You truly are clueless. Disney owns a crap ton of properties that are very adult in nature. We may see a Disney castle at the opening credits, we may not, but seeing as there is a wealth of source material for star wars that flat out invalidates this delusional fever dream you've been obsessing over, I suggest you come to the conclusion that not agreeing with doesn't make us pro nazi, and maybe you might be wrong in painting us that way.

Or continue to troll, you are going on my ignore list anyway.

2) The Empire can be portrayed as not a completely evil, baby eating force.

Sure, but it is intended to be a completely evil, baby eating force. And I think Disney will almost always portray it as such.

And it isn't even all that unrealistic. If you can think of something nice to say about Nazi Germany that makes up for the downsides I will be impressed.

And I think people will have more fun fighting a completely evil, baby eating force. Unless again, you actually think people will enjoy pretending to be terrorists trying to bring down a largely benevolent legitimate government.

Rommel was not a lily white good german he was invested in the Nazi state was CO of HItlers Bodygaurd company so that is not the comparison you want to make

Rommel was the leader of the Afrika Korps, which was never brought up on war crimes, he regularly ignored orders to kill Jews, civilians, and POWs, which from all accounts, he treated well. He also protested a lot of the actions of the rest of the German military, refused to deport the French Jews when he was in command there, and was openly angry at the German propaganda circles telling fanciful lies about him for their benefit.

Rommel was a career military man long before the Nazi party took over. He was loyal to the uniform, not to the man. In the end, he was forced to commit suicide for being associated with a plot to assassinate Hitler. Which he didn't actually participate in because he thought killing Hitler would turn him into a Martyr, and that instead he needed to face trial for his crimes.

He wasn't a shining beacon of good, and he worked for evil men, but he himself wasn't really evil. Its just more COMPLEX than that.

Though if you still find Rommel to objectionable for the idea that people could be Nazis without being evil: John Rabe

And I think people will have more fun fighting a completely evil, baby eating force. Unless again, you actually think people will enjoy pretending to be terrorists trying to bring down a largely benevolent legitimate government.

When the hell did you get elected Spokesperson Of The People? You speak for YOUR game, bucko - not mine.

And for the record, I've had fun playing:

* A straight up Rebels versus Empire game

* An all Jedi Phantom Menace era game

* A Black ops game where we were, in fact, terrorists (not freedom fighters) out to bring down the Empire

* And of course right now I'm having a blast playing the staunchly pro-imperial core world princess.

So don't you dare presume to tell me what I will have fun playing or not playing, Mister Arrogance. You want to ban it from your table, go right ahead. But you just shut right the hell up when telling me what to enjoy.

Okay my view is yes it is possible for elements of the Empire to be not evil and even be good although their efforts are limited to who they are, their rank and how the hierarchy of the Empire has been portrayed ala the original trilogy.

My own view is that the Emperor isn't going to let an unknown number of force sensitive children wander around free unless it advances some scheme of his.

That's where my idea about the Brotherhood and the Sisterhood come in.

The Brotherhood are Darth Maul style trained but with very limited force training to avoid them threatening Palpatine's inner circle or his acolytes, the Sisterhood are groups of three force wielders required to operate as agents with the very best of each having the chance to become one of the Emperor's Hands although by then they're operating alone and kept unaware that there's more than one of them.

Each are used to forward the Emperor's plans and to secure the Empire's hold over the Galaxy, some used to either goad the Rebels or even imitate their activities to insure the majority of the populace won't support them and restrict their activities as much as possible.

One of the ideas I had was that a few Imperials are actually colluding with smugglers and others to safely transfer such force sensitive children out of the Core so they have a chance at a normal life, but I don't ignore the fact that the majority of the Empire is fully under Palpatine's control.

Given what I've read here I have to ask is this unlikely?

It was only last week that I found out Yularen was actually aboard the first Death Star before it was destroyed in A New Hope so I was wondering what limits are you willing to impose on players that want to start the game as Imperials and whether you want an explanation for why they're playing that character in your game?

Do they have to explain they've been declared a traitor and this is their only means of escaping certain death, are they an agent whose been turned because of the truth about what's been going on (for example like Tycho learned of an action of the Empire that cost them family, friends or loved ones)?

How do you handle this situation?

You speak for YOUR game, bucko - not mine.

What about FFGs, that doesn't seem to offer an option for playing the Empire?

What about FFGs, that doesn't seem to offer an option for playing the Empire?

Dude, either you're a troll or just monumentally stupid - there is one rule book and ZERO sourcebooks out. Would you like a (rather long) list of things FFG is not letting us play yet?

Whatever. I'm done with you, troll. Good day.

At this point FFG has given players more ability to play Imperials than to play Jedi, and in the case of Jedi that's wholy by design.

At the heart of it, I'm just sickened that ErikB has felt the need to bring a real-world, days-old human tragedy to the boards to try and make some nonsensical 'point' about a Star Wars roleplaying game.

Time to go outside and play, man.

You can pretend to be a space nazi all you want. I just don't think Disney is going to be interested in helping you.

A parting smack upside the head for you.

Know which fangroup has marched in parades during Star Wars Weekends at Disneyworld for several years now?

The 501st Stormtrooper Legion.

Honestly, if you that incensed/offended by ErikB's posts, then report them to the moderators.

Enough people complain about his posts, and he'll get booted just as he did when he was posting under AluminumWolf back during the EotE Beta.

I've set my profile up to completely ignore his posts, so that way I don't have to even bother scrolling past his garbage-strewn posts in the first place.

Know which fangroup has marched in parades during Star Wars Weekends at Disneyworld for several years now?

The 501st Stormtrooper Legion.

They probably have, like, Jafar or Queen Grimhilde as well, and will expect the Empire to play the same roll and lose gracefully, shaking their fists at the good guys.

They probably have, like, Jafar or Queen Grimhilde as well, and will expect the Empire to play the same roll and lose gracefully, shaking their fists at the good guys.

You seem to have a really low amount of knowledge of the properties Disney owns. It goes far beyond just their animated movies.

Just report it as the inappropriate content it is people. The more you post, the more important Erik feels, and the more acceptable his behaviour appears to be.

It's funny that ErikB thinks Lucas derived the Emperor/Empire from Hitler/Nazis when you look at the actual development history of the Palpatine character.

If you read the Star Wars: A New Hope novelization, which gives more details then the movie, it speaks of Palpatine actually being a Senator with ambitions that was at the most a corrupt politician. His original character, during the release of Episode IV, was actually more like Chancellor Valorum then the Palpatine we see in Episodes V and VI. It wasn't until script writing of the Empire Strikes Back that we see the development of the evil Sith Emperor. Palpatine didn't originate from Hitler at all.

If I get a chance, I might type in the passage from A New Hope to show you what I mean.