Yeah... So, I recently had my first game with my group, which I have been anticipating for a long time (first real game since my failure of a campaign in the past), and I'm pretty sure I messed up on a few points.

My game is basically a bunch of short adventures based off of the PCs working in a colonial setting. However, the short missions makes experience harder to distribute. I mainly want to know how much experience would be expected in one session, compared with how long an average adventure lasts.

I know from my experience with Escape from Mos Shuuta that an average adventure takes one full session for my group, and rewards about twenty EXP. I had four adventures in the same time it took to do Mos Shuuta, and my players got about twice the experience.

Now, my first adventure had no experience as it was with my two early players, and I was expecting two more (only one more showed up), so they didn't earn experience. The PCs drove to the nearby town to get some supplies and were waylaid by a bear (I didn't have any other ideas, and I just wanted to get into the groove). The reward was just supplies for the homestead (and a nice mantle piece), as well as a new contact in town, who they sold the bear to so they could get some of his supplies.

Then, they had to search for some missing children, and met two other mercenary groups in the colony to interact with. They found the children with an old man, and we're led onto a search for a strange creature which had been following the children and scared them away from the town. They looked for it, and then my other player showed up, so I quickly wrapped it up for him.

I then initiated a complete failure of an adventure where the PCs fought off some pirates that turned out to be natives. The pirate fit was okay, but then they had to search for the pirate base, where I screwed up big time and made the PCs die. I scratched it and begged forgiveness, and changed it so they just landed on the planet and were attacked by pirates (who turned out to be natives). I initiated this by interrupting there argument on what to do by saying 'thump thump thump, thump-thump-thump-thump-BOOM!' Then they were attacked by enemies who blew a hole in the wall.

They fought the natives, and went out searching afterwards. I led the PCs to a cave, where they were 'attacked' by a spectral cat beast that eventually left them alone when one of the players decided to try to use the force to dispell the creature. It didn't work, but it decided to leave them alone anyways.

They then scavenged supplies to escape and fix up the side of the ship, and then flew away and fought a few native ships. They returned to the colonies to find them under attack by the natives, who were invading, but I decided to have them land because one of the players had no space skills and kept getting bored with the space battles.

When they landed, I realized the failure that is large scale combat the hard way, and decided to award the players with a ton of credits and some experience.

After this, they went to a seperate town on their colony planet (the colony is multiple planets over a sector, hidden from the Empire for alien rights) and we're met by bandits. They then were half captured, half left, and I had the two who were captured (Force Sensitives) be captured by what happened to be a Force Sensitive bandit and the last player, a mercenary, have to save them. It went pretty well, and when I realized that having the bandit leader want the Force Sensitives to attack the nearby town was out of hand, I had chaos ensue. The crazy spectral cat from earlier was actually in the base (which was intentional) and the outside player freed it. This then released absolute chaos, and they were able to escape after they had a brawl with the bandit leader.

They were rewarded with experience and enough credits to pay for the hospital bill.

I led this up with a suspense mission where the crime lord after the group told them they could pay off some of their debts to him if they took some of his enemies from Coruscant to Tatooine so he could punish them. The passengers were a couple of shady figures, a few nobles, and ten standard citizens. As they got on the ship, one of them payed off the extortionate fee for "the right to enter the Imperial Center, considering you're alien loving scum."

Then it turns out that monster from when the kids got lost is on their ship. And it's out to kill one of them.

As they were in hyperspace, it turns out that one of the passengers gets killed and shoved in a crate. The passengers freaked out, and started revolting. One of the nobles said that he was next, one said that it was the crew, and one said that he didn't exactly care if it would turn out that the other two would meet the same fate as the random individual.

The rest of the citizens were just worried and freaked out, and didn't trust anyone. Three of them decided to join under the influence of the noble who blamed the crew, and they locked themselves in the cockpit. When the PCs tried to knock them out and put down the mutiny, the noble blew the circuits and shut down all of the power. The PCs found one of the shady figures to help get into the cockpit, and he planted a bomb to blast th door open. Before they could blow the door, they heard screams followed by ripping in the cockpit. They blew the door, then found that the people had been ripped apart.

The players realized this was the beast from the planet that chased the children, so they started searching the cargo. Through searching, they found a crate with a Wookiee in it, who they put back after knocking him out. The noble one of the nobles (the one who paid for the trip and thought it'd be okay if the other nobles died) said that he wanted them to make sure that the Wookie was okay (I was trying to get the image in the end that he was an Imperial). They also found that he had info pads, strangely enough.

They eventually asked after they had searched through and marked the expensive merchandise if the Imperial had any guns they could use, which he had (they asked the passengers in general). They then went around looking for the creature, until one of the people screamed the beast was in the engine. They then went on a short little look-see and hunted the creature, and ended with killing it in a dramatic fashion, involving its spirit fixing the cockpit (I couldn't leave them in hyperspace).

Once they arrived at Tatooine, the Imperial bumped into the PC captain of the ship. Of course, this always means a note, and this was no exception. He found a data pad with a Rebellion symbol on it, so he stopped the Imperial and quickly said that this was a trap. The "Imperial" hid in the ship, while the crime lord, who had just zapped everyone who got off and was still alive, asked what had happened to everyone else. The captain said they had died and left the bodies (which had been shoved in crates) with the crime lord as proof, saying one had been eaten.

Then noble left over thanked them for warning him, and was left off on another planet. The reward was a good amount of experience as well as the over flowing amounts of cargo they sold for some hard cash and for colony supplies.

I mainly messed up on strain and experience. Also, I need some ideas for future adventures. I regret thinking out the whole natives mission, and plan to do something with the natives having some form of issue with the colonies involving a local spice. I also plan to do a mission based on the Most Dangerous Game.

Thoughts? Ideas? Advice?

EDIT: The main issue is experience and strain. I gave experience out A LOT and never used strain.

You can always adjust the amount of EXP you gave out. Frankly in the first starting sessions you will make alot of rule/system mistakes that you'll learn from. Just be honest with your players and address it quickly. I pretty much have to do a weekly 'rules we missed/messed up' email recap after our game. Frankly I think this system doesnt give enough EXP on creation anyhow, so not like it'll affect much in the scheme of things.

If you think it the EXP was really excessive, garnish some of their future EXP (like 50%) until they get to the point you think it'll be fixed.

Not sure what you are referring to when messing up strain. If NPC's arent trying to take Players alive, they wont be doing that much strain damage. I have to constantly remind my players they can take that extra maneuver at the cost of strain. When they pull off cool actions but generate threat, its typically strain I inflict back onto them.

Wow, that's quite the post. I have to admit I skimmed the middle. First, don't be worried that you may have given excessive experience, there is tons of things to spend it on in this game and people will be buying things for quite a while. It won't unblance anything at all.

I tend to give experience based on feel. If they did four short adventures in a few hours, I would give 20xp. If they dithered and didn't get much done in 3 hours, I'd give 15xp. If they finish up a longer adventure in the session, I might throw on extra xp. Basically, it varies on how I feel about what they did and also how they are feeling.

Strain... I don't think you did anything wrong there. You strain for threat, maneuvers, obligation, but the bad guys rarely do strain damage to the PCs. (Even though it would be easier to take them down as they usually have less strain...) If you have a reason to stun them, do it. I inflict strain sometimes if there is hazardous conditions or if they are under the effect of fear, but that is just usually to make that decision to use a second maneuver a hard one.

Just by the by, but killing players takes some effort as you have to cause a critical that says they die. Just exceeding their wound threshold leaves them unconscious. Incapacitating the entire party should just lead to some interesting side quests where they have to escape.

As such the game has a fairly robust reset button for when the GM blows it or gets lucky.

Just a few things I noticed:

XP rewards suggested in the rulebook between 10 and 20 XP per session (assuming 2-3 major encounters) So for each major encounter you're looking at around 5XP. Yes, starting players will advance kinda fast, that will slow down as the campaign progresses.

Don't worry about everyone having different XP totals. The game isn't level based and the power difference between a character with +10XP and +20 isn't that great. So if you want to give out XP to the guys that made the game, and not give XP to those that didn't, it'll be ok. The guys that made the game will have an extra talent or skill rank, but that's all. You won't have D20's issue of the the XPshort player being weak, dirty, and unable to shoot straight while everyone else is a combat god who rides unicorns and sparkles.

How did they happen to die?

Just by the by, but killing players takes some effort as you have to cause a critical that says they die. Just exceeding their wound threshold leaves them unconscious. Incapacitating the entire party should just lead to some interesting side quests where they have to escape.

As such the game has a fairly robust reset button for when the GM blows it or gets lucky.

How did they happen to die?

I know that they don't die on critical injuries, and that they need to be careless in order for it to happen. I warned them before hand that they can die in this game, but only if they act stupid or don't fix themselves up. They died because I had them crash into the ocean and I'd said they'd died (my fault, I admit it, I screwed up and I told them so and we took a step back).

Thanks for the advice. Any story ideas anyone's got?

So you guys crash in the ocean and your spaceship starts to slowly sink. Flips a Light Side Destiny counter to dark, "Oh look a life raft", make a survival check and see if you can grab some useful supplies before your ship sinks.

Now you have a whole new problem for the players to deal with.

Remember, make the story happen by saying "Yes, and...." if you need to think about the "and ..." part take a bio or get a drink stop for snacks or hey give me a minute of thinking time.

Just a reminder: the players didn't crash into the ocean. I said that they crashed. It was unpreventable. Hence the whole "botched the job" part of the title. Still, good advice for if this whole kind of shebang ever goes down again (hopefully mainly on their part, but they seem to follow along with the story more than I normally expect from them. They're doing what would be normal to expect someone to do rather than random, murdering chaos, which is nice, but unexpected from this particular group).

Okay, I got a plan for the next meet, which I'm hoping is soon (depends on whether or not one of the players can come):

I'm going to have the PCs go on a play on The Most Dangerous Game, where they are transporting a noble going on vacation to some getaway planet. He's trying to stay away from the poparazzi, and admits after some inquiring that he's in trouble and needs to get away. He says, however, that he wishes to stop at a hunting planet on the trip, so that if he's being tracked, they can lose anyone with the out of the way location and make it seem like he's just on a hunting trip. He mentions that a friend of his suggested it.

As they come to the planet, it turns out a magnetic field catches them. THIS time, I won't have them nosedive into an ocean, and instead will have them ease their way into an emergency landing. The ship is still active and the gear still works, with the main issue being extra speed due to magnetic pull. Once they land, the noble will say that they should go to a nearby location where he thinks he saw a house.

Once they get to the house, they will see it is guarded by several heavy duty security droids. A Trandoshan will greet them, and welcome them into his home. The rest of the story follows the line of The Most Dangerous Game, where he shows them a magnet that draws in sentient prey, but only fringers and criminals that are sent this way. He gives the group a head start before he hunts them, and they have three days to survive until he'll let them go.

The noble will become very grim after this, and once they've left will start muttering half to himself that this wasn't the plan, and that Kerriss is an Imperial, and that someone has to warn Vast. He will tell the PCs that he's with the Rebellion, and then say that if he dies, he needs hem to go to his destination and warn the man at his house of what's happened, and tell him that a man named Kerriss is an enemy.

Then the group has to survive the jungle, which involves a lot of miscellaneous chases until a final showdown when either the Trandoshan dies or the PCs evade his hunting. If they evade him, he'll fix their ship and let them go. If they kill him, the droids at his house have been set to help the PCs (he tells them this before hand, and it's obvious he means it with the crazy, determined look in his eyes). If the PCs decide to blow him up as they leave, there's nothing stopping them. I might have him happen to survive and come back later with the Imperials, as it turns out they'd been sending criminals his way, but that waits to be seen.

Then, once they return to the homestead, I plan on having just the player's PCs stay at the house, while the other members of the group go out to go do some business (supplies, connections, etc.). While they are sitting around, Vurunna, the crime lord that is after all of them, comes to pay a little visit. He brings a small army with him, and forces them to come with him to his palace on Correlia.

Upon reaching the palace, they are thrown in a cell. They have a few opportunities to use to escape this cell, but the end result is basically that Vurunna finds them and invites them to a dinner party (if they escape and beat the guards immediately, then they can look around the palace for a little while before they most likely get caught, as their ship and gear are under heavy guard.

At the party will be a Quarren and Aqualish, as well as two opposite seeming Imprial officers. The PCs will be told that some of Vurunna's men have recently deserted, and that the Imperials believe they've joined the Rebellion. The PCs are to find where it is believed the Rebels are hiding, and capture some for questioning. The Quarren, Marris Varn, and the Aqualish, Kelsh, are sent to make sure they do so immediately. Marris is of some importance, and seems as if she's only here because she has to be.

Once the mission gets under way, I'm planning on slowly letting off that Marris feels some conflicting on this mission. Once they get to the Rebels, she has her hand on her guns at all times, but always looks at Kelsh, as if she's tensed about shooting him.

When they arrive where the Rebels are, they are asked for the code, which is on a data pad that Vurunna gives them. If they answer correctly, then they are brought to the Rebel base. The players have to decide around this point whether they want to stick to the right decision and help the Rebellion or to stick to the selfish goal of their Obligation. Most of my players are morally correct, although I'm ancsious as to what they do. It's okay either way, although I'm hoping to integrate the game into a Rebellion campaign when I get the chance.

Does this sound like a good plan? What do you guys think?

On second thought, my above mentioned adventure will put the players in a bit too uncomfortable position. On to the next idea!

Planning on a basic mission where they do some colony work involving the merchant from earlier asking if the PCs could find a pet for his kids. This will mix in with the spectral cat (whom my group now refers to as Eight Eyes) who is willing to give up a spawn of his (basically mini him, but non-sentient) in return that the group hunt down a creature for him.

Upon this, the cat gives them the pet, and they give the pet to the merchant. In return, and as an act of pure friendship, he gives them some old droids (I thought of this based off of how one of my more ascertive players keeps asking about whether or not they can get some old battle droids to guard the homestead). These droids are some older war droids (3), a protocal droid, and an old astromech droid (which will possibly have a slight humorous rivalry with one of the other player's droids, the one who didn't show up).

Then, they will be contacted by Vurunna to go investigate a Force Sensitive for him. This individual is on Dantooine, and Vurunna wants to make him a personal asset. To contact the group, he send the above mentioned Marris. She will give them their destination and do some background help.

On Dantooine, they must first find an old Jedi temple, then search it for the Force Sensitive. The temple is full of the old, dusty remains of battles past, and many visions of battles will appear before the PCs. These will increase in intensity until the PCs are actually in one of the visions, with someone trying to interact with them. This person will be demanding what they are doing here, then after the sound of some explosions and a pause on her part, she will charge them with a lightsaber. There will be a small skirmish that deals temporary damage that turns into strain when awake from the vision. There's no permanent damage from the fight.

When they awaken, the PCs will find a skeleton right where the Jedi died in the vision (if she woops them, then she'll die from another source in the vision before the PCs wake up). Also in the room will be a Trandoshan in old robes. He's about thirty, and stares at one of the Force Sensitives in the group.

He will have a short conversation if the PCs are willing, but will come with them just the same. He says that the one who sends them will not find what he expects when they take him, but again, he'll go anyways.

After this, I plan for the PCs to eventually return to the colonies, and go immidiately to the homestead. Upon arriving, they will find that the homesead's area is barricaded, and the merchant and his family are inside. The group will arrive in time to find the merchant in the middle of an arguement with a gruff looking man, and when they get closer the man screams histarically and whips out a gun. There will be another short battle, and the merchant will be willing to tell the PCs that recently it's been discovered that what was once thought to be just a strange cold is actually a disease that turns people insane.

This isn't zombies, exactly, but it's very close to it. I plan to work on this one more, but the PCs basically have to help calm the situation and find out that a local substance that's smoked is the cure to the disease.

After this, I plan to use the Galaxies Most Dangerous Game idea and follow it up with a little searching mission to find a crashed ship, if time permits.

THoguths? Suggestions? I'd appreciate any help with this.

I find that strain is more of a hassle to track early on as it doesn't really come into play that often...generally PCs will get into more trouble with their low wound threshold and lack of armor/defense and defensive talents...

But as they start to earn more XP, they will be unlocking talents that allow them to suffer strain to activate...they will likely have access to better armor, and better/more efficient ways of avoiding and healing wounds. This is where strain starts to become the GMs tool for keeping the power balance in check. It seems to be the great equalizer. There are not many ways of regaining lots of strain quickly, and the 'Grit' talents are few, far between, and only increase threshold by 1 at a time.

If characters start to roll through your encounters too easily, start tossing stun grenades at them. I used one in a game recently and activated the blast quality on the roll. I nearly dropped all of the PCs (who were huddled in a tent, or just outside). To top it off, the wookiee in the party had the "At the Brink" critical injury, so every action caused a strain as well. When they are on the cusp of passing out due to strain, they cant use their extra maneuvers, they cant spend strain to activate signature talents, etc. It is very crippling to otherwise tough and robust characters.

My recommendation is to be diligent about tracking it early on, so it doesn't come as a surprise later on when you are using it to keep them in line.

I find that strain is more of a hassle to track early on as it doesn't really come into play that often...generally PCs will get into more trouble with their low wound threshold and lack of armor/defense and defensive talents...

But as they start to earn more XP, they will be unlocking talents that allow them to suffer strain to activate...they will likely have access to better armor, and better/more efficient ways of avoiding and healing wounds. This is where strain starts to become the GMs tool for keeping the power balance in check. It seems to be the great equalizer. There are not many ways of regaining lots of strain quickly, and the 'Grit' talents are few, far between, and only increase threshold by 1 at a time.

If characters start to roll through your encounters too easily, start tossing stun grenades at them. I used one in a game recently and activated the blast quality on the roll. I nearly dropped all of the PCs (who were huddled in a tent, or just outside). To top it off, the wookiee in the party had the "At the Brink" critical injury, so every action caused a strain as well. When they are on the cusp of passing out due to strain, they cant use their extra maneuvers, they cant spend strain to activate signature talents, etc. It is very crippling to otherwise tough and robust characters.

My recommendation is to be diligent about tracking it early on, so it doesn't come as a surprise later on when you are using it to keep them in line.

Roger that.