The only instances of Cyberware being used in the movies (Vader, Luke, Grievous, and Vance in the comics) seems to have been when someone was badly hacked up and as a straight replacement for the bits they lost. Or maybe, as Lobot, when they REALLY need something to do their everyday jobs.

But in EoE, there's no real reason why anyone with the credits wouldn't want +1 Intellect, Agility and Brawn for 10k each. That seems like a big deal seeing as you can't even raise stats with XP, and it doesn't have any drawbacks save the cost.

When Luke lost a hand, he just replaced it, he didn't get a full body upgrade. It seemed out of place to me, so I restricted these to droid only upgrades.

There seems enough anti-droid sentiment in the universe for there to be a taboo about replacing healthy body parts with tech. And that way, when they meet someone like Cratala, she comes across as a real oddball.

I wondered the same thing. I believe that they should also result in negative social interactions. Luke takes great care to hide his hand, Vader is looked upon in horror by Piety when he walks in on him in his meditation chamber. General Grevious is an abomination to many. I think that there must be a social taboo and otherwise general revulsions to cyborgs.

The Ionization Blaster (p162) is enough for me to avoid cybernetic enhancements / replacements from a mechanical point of view.

I feel, and you all have talked about it already, that there is some sort of social taboo against cybernetic parts, but I have never come across anything specifically talking about it.

As for credits making it possible, we play in a starved economy and seeing that type of coin would be odd for us at this point. Not to mention the rarity of the item.

The narrative base for this game leads to many side effects of choices being up to the GM or not defined.

Look at the consequences of the Darkside use of the force. It is mostly left up to the player and GM to resolve.

Underworld Obligation MAY be a benefit when dealing with other criminals, depending on how the GM handles it.

Cyberware has no explicit social skill impact, but that doesn't mean it can be a drawback if the GM chooses.

Create the nuance of your Star Wars world with GM intent and player consensus. Make it your world, and enjoy it.

Certain characters (Aurra Song, is only one that add springs to mind) in the game have enhancements that are cybernetic in nature. There are probably a lot more characters than you realise that get cybernetics, or have them. It's just not focused on in the films.

Create the nuance of your Star Wars world with GM intent and player consensus. Make it your world, and enjoy it.

Totally agree.

Cybernetics are not something I have pushed in my game. In fact, I doubt my players even know that they are available to them.

We have no doctor in my game, so if a player wanted a cybernetic implant they will have to find an NPC doctor. Unless the PC is trying to replace a lost body part, no respectable doctor would be willing to remove a perfectly healthy part of the character's body to replace it with a cybernetically enhanced replacement. That sort of practice is probably done either by seedy disgraced docs or physician contracted by the imperial military. In that case, I would make an adventure out of it, and probably have the Player take on some obligation (which translates to more story).

Of course, that's how I'll probably make it work in my game. If the PC lost a limb from a bad crit roll, that would change things drastically.

The Ionization Blaster (p162) is enough for me to avoid cybernetic enhancements / replacements from a mechanical point of view.

As for credits making it possible, we play in a starved economy and seeing that type of coin would be odd for us at this point. Not to mention the rarity of the item.

But really, how many non-jawas do we see toting Ion guns?

And yes, while it's not cheap, it's not insurmountable (at least two FFG adventures offer 100k or more as rewards).

And they are no more rare than a Heavy Blaster Rifle or Armour Clothing. You won't find them lying around, but far from impossible to find.

We have no doctor in my game, so if a player wanted a cybernetic implant they will have to find an NPC doctor. Unless the PC is trying to replace a lost body part, no respectable doctor would be willing to remove a perfectly healthy part of the character's body to replace it with a cybernetically enhanced replacement. That sort of practice is probably done either by seedy disgraced docs or physician contracted by the imperial military. In that case, I would make an adventure out of it, and probably have the Player take on some obligation (which translates to more story). Of course, that's how I'll probably make it work in my game. If the PC lost a limb from a bad crit roll, that would change things drastically.

Very good points.

I don't feel it's very Star Wars-y to have PCs cybering up like Shadowrun characters.

Beyond the rim adds cybernetics as a custom skill , and is a key point to the adventure, even to the point of you fighting cybernetically modified opponents. As for it not being Star Warsy, each of the main characters in the 2 trilogys are cybernetically enhanced as lbeit through injury. Its not exactly a stretch of the mind to apply this for self enhancement. Look today at peoples attitude towards plastic surgery, most people avoid it, some however embrace it. Its not for me, nor is cybernetics for my character either, but for others, why not?

Cybernetics mean double the time it takes to get thru customs, Imperial TSA not a fan when you set off their metal detectors!

But really, how many non-jawas do we see toting Ion guns?

And yes, while it's not cheap, it's not insurmountable (at least two FFG adventures offer 100k or more as rewards).

It depends on the situation of course. If the PC's make a name for themselves, any potential "hit squads" that come after them are likely to be sporting Ion grenades if not blasters.

It's not insurmountable for PC's of course, but "commoners" probably wouldn't be able to afford the enhanements.

Beyond the rim adds cybernetics as a custom skill , and is a key point to the adventure, even to the point of you fighting cybernetically modified opponents. As for it not being Star Warsy, each of the main characters in the 2 trilogys are cybernetically enhanced as lbeit through injury. Its not exactly a stretch of the mind to apply this for self enhancement. Look today at peoples attitude towards plastic surgery, most people avoid it, some however embrace it. Its not for me, nor is cybernetics for my character either, but for others, why not?

I think Vader would probably have been "enhanced" but I think Luke just went for the prosthetic replacement. No stat upgrade and much less expensive, which is where I think the majority of people in the universe would go.

There is also a phrase that I am forgetting regarding the social stigmas associated with amputees. It has somethig to do with seeing a person, but realizing that something is missing, and viewing it a " wrong" or seeing something close to human, but just a little bit off.

there are also the above stated implications regarding legality and such. As it stands, none of my PCs are interested, unless they loose a limb in combat.

I don't feel it's very Star Wars-y to have PCs cybering up like Shadowrun characters.

This is an interesting point and speaks to many things in this game. On the one hand, the galaxy is vast, with an incomprehendable multitude of races, worlds, and cultures. So it's easy to imagine situations where cybernetic enhancements are seen as socially taboo. But at the same time, it's easy to imagine situations where cybernetic enhancements are seen (by particular people, in particular places) as de rigeur or at least something to be worked toward. Entire religions or even societies could be built around the idea that cybernetic enhancement is the be all end all of a being (as with the Cult of Mars in Warhammer 40K).

But, as Maelora rightly points out, that doesn't feel "Star Wars-y." At least not to me. But it's important to note that to others, including some commenters on this thread, it does feel Star Wars-y, and those commenters have supported their viewpoint with textual examples.

So like so many other things, it comes down to what your particular game's culture and vision can support.

We're downplaying cybernetics in our games. The're not unavailable or anything but mostly they are for replacement of lost or damaged bits, anything else is a very niche market and just not that common. We don't want our Star Wars to turn into a Shadowrun style cybernetic arms race, if we did we'd play Shadowrun...

There is even an entire race devoted to cybernetics withtin the canon, so if the players and GM are in agreement, why not?

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Arkanian

There is also a phrase that I am forgetting regarding the social stigmas associated with amputees. It has somethig to do with seeing a person, but realizing that something is missing, and viewing it a " wrong" or seeing something close to human, but just a little bit off.

It's called Uncanny Valley .

Well this is kind of interesting. I happened to be reading the first Dark Horse Star Wars Omnibus last night, which collects the first twenty-seven issues of the Marvel Comics Star Wars title that ran from 1977 to 1986. I'm aware that the "canonicity" of much of that run is a matter of some debate in the community, but I still thought I'd point to a scene in issue #7 (the first "original" issue, following the six-issue retelling of what's now called A New Hope ).

So, this is from the story "New Planets, New Perils," primarily created by Roy Thomas and Howard Chaykin. Han and Chewie have left the Yavin system, bound to pay off their debt to Jabba. They quickly lose all the "treasure" they were awarded by the Rebellion to "Space Pirates" and so go to ground on a planet called Aduba-3, where they immediately get involved in an altercation between some spacers and an insectoid priest.

The priest is trying to bury someone the spacers don't want buried on "Spacers' Hill." Here's some dialogue from p. 126 of the Omnibus.

---------

Han: Now, Pera, what's the dispute? And who's the guy on the travois? [Han is referring to the corpse.]

Priest: He is a Borg who died last night. You know the term, I'm sure...half human..half mechanical droid. Yet, the man half of him had a soul...or so my faith believes.

[panel break]

Priest: The spacers, as you know, have an age-old prejudice against any kind of robot, and refuse to let him be buried on Spacers' Hill, as his right as a onetime pilot.

-----------

A subsequent panel shows a closeup of the Borg (Borg!) through the clear glass of his coffin. He's literally bilaterally divided between human flesh and droid body.

This was the January, 1978 issue of the comic.

Prejudice against obviously cybernetically enhanced individuals is fairly common among many species in the Star Wars galaxy. I'd handle it much like the anti-alien bias of the Empire, with occasional sprinklings of Setback Dice and something that might trigger spending of a Dark Side Destiny token for added compication.

There's a paragraph about prejudice against cyborgs in the Wookipedia article covering them, but it's very poorly cited and sourced. Can anyone point to other instances of prejudice against cyborgs in the fiction/comics/games by product and page number?* Off the top of my head, the only obviously cybernetically enhanced characters in the films are Darth Vader (who is universally feared), General Grievous (also feared, and apparently viewed as an abomination? don't have a citation for that but someone upthread indicated that's the case), and Lando's assistant at Cloud City, who seemed to be a respected member of the community to judge by his limited screen time.

* Sorry, I'm an academic, trained to be very wary of pronouncements not backed up with documented evidence.

Lumia (another darksider). From the miniatures game I remember a lil' Jedi guy with mechadendrites. Think he went to the dark side, too. Maybe that's the thing - people hate 'em because it sends folk Cyberpunk 2020?

One of my groups pc's wants full cybernetics as he views droids as the most perfect creation and wants be like them. I would love a cybernetic based sourcebook but like with all role play if you don't like it don't use it.

Speaking of that pc another player makes fun of him and says he'll end up like one of those boxes with legs and can only say "womp, womp".

Doesn't anyone find the idea of voluntarily lopping off body parts to be icky? And then having artificial stuff glued, sewn, or screwed on to be even ickier? If you're replacing something that you lost or doesn't work, that's different.

I guess we've played down cybernetics in our game, too. No one has any and no one has mentioned getting it as an option... although I've heard people say that if they needed it, they would probably enjoy the game effects.

Doesn't anyone find the idea of voluntarily lopping off body parts to be icky? And then having artificial stuff glued, sewn, or screwed on to be even ickier? If you're replacing something that you lost or doesn't work, that's different.

I guess we've played down cybernetics in our game, too. No one has any and no one has mentioned getting it as an option... although I've heard people say that if they needed it, they would probably enjoy the game effects.

I find it icky in the same way I find plastic surgery icky, doesn't stop a whole boat load of people using it for enchantment. As much as I might find that I don't like it I can think of no reason not to include it in the game. The movies has it, the clone wars has it, even the real world has it(how long before it becomes an option like plastic surgery), so why can't a sci-fi game like EOTE have it. I find the idea of cybernetics less distasteful than the thought of killing someone with a vibroaxe, or shooting them with a blaster.

I find it icky in the same way I find plastic surgery icky, doesn't stop a whole boat load of people using it for enchantment. As much as I might find that I don't like it I can think of no reason not to include it in the game. The movies has it, the clone wars has it, even the real world has it(how long before it becomes an option like plastic surgery), so why can't a sci-fi game like EOTE have it. I find the idea of cybernetics less distasteful than the thought of killing someone with a vibroaxe, or shooting them with a blaster.

I know its in the movies but we only see main characters getting that done unless a jedi chops off a hand. Like I said, doing it to replace something you've lost is understandable. I really REALLY get that. I just have a hard time imagining anyone opting to have healthy limbs removed so something artificial could be... installed. Yuck.

I don't think it is anything like plastic surgery, either. Even in the cosmetic jobs involving *ahem* implants, in the end, you're still looking at your own parts... modified. Sticking some fake arm on that you picked out of a catalog and knowing your REAL arm was probably fed to the doctor's pet womp rat is just... really... unnerving to me. Which is appropriate, seeing as it is Halloween, I guess!

Oh.... and just to be sure, I'm not saying you should eliminate it from your game. I'd say no one has any business telling anyone else how to play their game if the people involved in it are having fum (CHUM IS FUM!). I'm a n00b but I figured that lesson out reading this forum almost instanty.

The only instances of Cyberware being used in the movies (Vader, Luke, Grievous, and Vance in the comics) seems to have been when someone was badly hacked up and as a straight replacement for the bits they lost. Or maybe, as Lobot, when they REALLY need something to do their everyday jobs.

But in EoE, there's no real reason why anyone with the credits wouldn't want +1 Intellect, Agility and Brawn for 10k each. That seems like a big deal seeing as you can't even raise stats with XP, and it doesn't have any drawbacks save the cost.

When Luke lost a hand, he just replaced it, he didn't get a full body upgrade. It seemed out of place to me, so I restricted these to droid only upgrades.

There seems enough anti-droid sentiment in the universe for there to be a taboo about replacing healthy body parts with tech. And that way, when they meet someone like Cratala, she comes across as a real oddball.

I agree I get the gist to the star wars universe it is more medical prosthesis rather than voluntary upgrade. Though their is some in Cracken Field guide if I remember right. Though I don't know if their should be some humanity cost, I know this isn't shadowrun or cyberpunk but its worth reflecting on as it is an easy rode to upgrade without xp cost and could unbalance things.