Why do you think the Alliance is cooler than the Empire?

By ErikB, in General Discussion

I don't mind. My groups usually try to avoid running into the canon characters on the other side unless we plan going in to toss what happened in the movies and EU out the window like the setting where we had Palpatine die because Anakin got held up in traffic on his way to Palps office in ROTS and our party was added to the force sent to arrest Palps. The Clone Wars were still raging 8 years later, we did several campaigns in that one. That one turned into a 4 way war between the CIS, Republic worlds that rebelled after Palpatine's death and the pardon of Mace Windu, the main Republic (Which actually included Anakin since we felt he would have followed Padme's lead and she would have stayed with the Republic), and a resurgent Mandalorian Sector (This started before The Clone Wars Cartoon second season threw out pretty much everything previously established about Mandalore's role in the war.)

Groups I've been part of have worked with several canon or EU characters though. We've been rebels at Endor, or NR forces at the taking of Courscant several times, part of the Bacta War a couple of times with different groups, and members of Luke Skywalker's, and Han Solo's fleets in the GCW

Say, RogueCorona, why not post some of your past "Infinities" campaigns in the Alternate Campaigns thread started by Maelora that shows off her big campaign?

Edited by Chortles
Why do you think the Alliance is cooler than the Empire?

I don't.

Say, RogueCorona, why not post some of your past "Infinities" campaigns in the Alternate Campaigns thread started by Maelora that shows off her big campaign?

Thanks Chortles!

I was about to comment that I've really enjoyed hearing about people's alternate 'what if?' campaigns.

Because I'm not a pompous jack a** that the movie villians came across as.

So just saw the article on the AoR beginner box and it gives the impression that all the careers are for the rebellion (at least from the blurb about the pre-gen characters but that could just be for the included adventure), is this true for the beta book? Kind of odd to try and force everyone to join one side if so. Some of us want to be a faceless cog in the machine, being the center of the universe in every game (computer, rpg, boardgame) is boring.

So just saw the article on the AoR beginner box and it gives the impression that all the careers are for the rebellion (at least from the blurb about the pre-gen characters but that could just be for the included adventure), is this true for the beta book? Kind of odd to try and force everyone to join one side if so. Some of us want to be a faceless cog in the machine, being the center of the universe in every game (computer, rpg, boardgame) is boring.

You may want to take your question over to the AoR beta board and start a new thread rather than gum up this thread.

But to answer your question. While the game focuses on creating Rebel characters, you are not stuck with only that. The careers/specs themselves are mutable and can describe many types of characters.

Make your sales pitch for why the players would want to fight for the Alliance to Restore the Republic instead of the Galactic Empire.

A question that has been asked many times but has remained unanswered for months now Erik; Do you even play the game or did you ever? I'm really curious...

I think it was me who asked originally, DR. And the question still stands.

But hey, I'll bite: fighting the odds is always great for an RPG, the select noble few against the evil majority. It's a very old trope, but it works for a reason.

And I don't think that following that trope and enjoying playing the Rebels means that I can't also depict the Empire as interesting and multi-dimensional antagonists.

I'm late to this but I like me some wookies. That is reason enough.

Say, RogueCorona, why not post some of your past "Infinities" campaigns in the Alternate Campaigns thread started by Maelora that shows off her big campaign?

Well I got the Palpatine dies Clone Wars one up. Sorry that took so long but I haven't been feeling the best.

Has anyone been tempted to have the Alliance eventually turn out as bad as the Empire once they assume control?

For example after the Emperor was killed in ROTJ he could have just possessed anyone within range and escaped the Death Star with noone the wiser.

What if your new rebellion starts after an Alliance Senator jury rigs events to allow them to seize control and whilst the PCs are barely beginning to realise whats going on the former Emperor is making his way to Byss to transfer himself into one of his pre-arranged cloned bodies...

Lord imagine if someone figured out that the Emperor was still alive and their actions are miscontrued as turning evil when they're desperately trying to hunt down the Emperor's current body before he switches again... sounds like that Denzel Washington movie I think it was called The Fallen.

Except how do you kill someone who can swap bodies?

Heck how do you defend against that without going to Denzel Washington route?

And would the creators of Stargate sue if they tried this in the movie sequel to explain the Emperor's return? :blink:

That's not the Alliance turning out as bad as the Empire, that's the Emperor secretly surviving and body-hopping his way to undermine the Alliance from within...

Mon Mothma is actually the Emperor... well that would explain away the appalling end of that arc in the Star Wars comic...

Interesting though what if whoever assumes control of the Alliance is as bad as the Emperor was?

Then our heroes would go all James Raynor, "It's funny... It seems like yesterday Arcturus was the idealistic rebel crusader. Now he's the law, and we're the criminals."

Mon Mothma is actually the Emperor... well that would explain away the appalling end of that arc in the Star Wars comic...

Interesting though what if whoever assumes control of the Alliance is as bad as the Emperor was?

Garm Bel Iblis is certainly capable of going all-out autocrat in persecuting Imperials once the Emperor is overthrown.

Mon Mothma is actually the Emperor... well that would explain away the appalling end of that arc in the Star Wars comic...

Interesting though what if whoever assumes control of the Alliance is as bad as the Emperor was?

Garm Bel Iblis is certainly capable of going all-out autocrat in persecuting Imperials once the Emperor is overthrown.

Except he's the one who's worried that Mothma plans to declare herself Empress...

Mon Mothma is actually the Emperor... well that would explain away the appalling end of that arc in the Star Wars comic...

Interesting though what if whoever assumes control of the Alliance is as bad as the Emperor was?

Garm Bel Iblis is certainly capable of going all-out autocrat in persecuting Imperials once the Emperor is overthrown.

Except he's the one who's worried that Mothma plans to declare herself Empress...

Those with a mind to take power often see threats everywhere, even where there aren't any.

Now thats a character I'd like to see whether in the comics or tv especially with a flashback from back when he first met Han whilst he was in the Imperial Academy (back in the Thrawn trilogy if I recall correctly?)! :D

Edited by copperbell

Theocracy, corporatocracy, democracy or whatever other crazy " -cracy" you can invent: "Bureaucracy happens. If bureaucracy happens, power rises. Power corrupts." ( Leach summarising Michels ).

Mon Mothma is actually the Emperor... well that would explain away the appalling end of that arc in the Star Wars comic...

Interesting though what if whoever assumes control of the Alliance is as bad as the Emperor was?

Garm Bel Iblis is certainly capable of going all-out autocrat in persecuting Imperials once the Emperor is overthrown.

Except he's the one who's worried that Mothma plans to declare herself Empress...

Those with a mind to take power often see threats everywhere, even where there aren't any.

Yeah but he had legitimate reasons to fear that she might be another Palpatine. I mean look at the incident which led to her kicking him out of the Alliance. She and Bail Organa discussed an attack on an Imperial garrison. Nine months after Bail Organa's death she decides completely on her own that its time to launch the attack.

A: I'm no military expert but i'm pretty sure that launching attacks based on nine month old information is generally considered a very bad idea.

B: Mon Mothma has never been shown as being an expert on military affairs. So why was she committing Alliance forces to an attack without consulting her military advisers, including Bel Ilbis?

What happens is she announces that they are launching the attack, Bel Iblis asks her to reconsider because he has information indicating that the garrison is actually a disguised imperial intelligence station, which the Alliance isn't ready to hit. She refuses, he points out that she's not a military expert and refuses to send troops under his command on a suicide mission. Than she tells him the Alliance doesn't need his services. He leaves with those loyal to him and starts his own resistance movement, Mothma launches the attack he warned her against and it turns into a disaster for the Alliance.

And a lot of sources have pointed out how much power Mothma had under the Alliance, and how easily she could have declared herself Empress if she chose to. Just because she didn't doesn't mean those who feared she would didn't have good reason for those fears.

Now thats a character I'd like to see whether in the comics or tv especially with a flashback from back when he first met Han whilst he was in the Imperial Academy (back in the Thrawn trilogy if I recall correctly?)! :D

He's my favorite EU character. I actually rped Garm in a very short lived campaign once. I'm all but certain

he died between NJO and LOTF in the EU but still hate how they never mentioned him post-NJO to make it clear.

And he first met Han when Han was in elementary school. Han was dared to ask him a couple of questions. The questions impressed him enough that he kept a loose eye on Han after that until Han was booted out of the Imperial military.

Edited by RogueCorona

Certainly not enough was done with him that's for sure!

Now with Disney looking to fine tune the canon I'm left wondering what they'll change or keep!

I've made it clear that if the Alliance actually wins the GCW in our game, then their problems are just beginning. Being able to unite against the Big Bad is keeping them united.

One problem with every successful revolution is that it becomes the new orthodoxy...

Isn't that pretty much what happen in teh EU? A bunch of fights between different New Republic members the Empire was keeping clamped down on, and a massive amount of anti-humanist feelings that got reinforced when the New Republic wound up so very human-centric in it's higher government?

Zahn wrote it beautifully IMO in his Hand of Thrawn Duology (Specter of the Past, Vision of the Future) how the New Republic decided to no longer intervene into inter-system quarrels. Lots of old vendettas, wars and grievances came back up that had so far been supressed by Imperial/Republic Central Fleets.

After the Peace Treaty between the Remnants and the Republic it took some time, but several systems went back to the Imperium for that tighter control over warships and such.

Edited by segara82
On 11/13/2013 at 5:40 AM, ErikB said:

Make your sales pitch for why the players would want to fight for the Alliance to Restore the Republic instead of the Galactic Empire.

So now can we argue about why players would want to fight for the Resistance instead of the First Order?

(Number 1: A chance to steal Poe's awesome jacket. Number 2: The First Order are a bunch of weenies!)