(warning: long posts!)
A few people on another thread asked me about my own AoR/EoE campaign, so I thought I’d answer here.
Rather than just being about me, I thought I’d do a thread for it, canvas your ideas and ask players and GMs about alternative or non-canon games. Which could include things like the players being Black Sun or Empire or whatever, possibly? Or Sith or Jedi or something?
Why do something like this anyway? Well, when we decided to so a Star Wars game and I ended up being GM, I wrote down a bunch of things that I wanted to include, and my reasons for doing so.
My players and I had a few SW experiences in common: we all loved the original movies, broadly disliked the prequels, and had mixed views on the EU. I disliked the EU myself, finding it bloated and contradictory. I disliked the modern elements that borrowed from manga/anime rather than the original films, and which seemed to be an arms-race of ever-increasing power, with everyone trying to make the biggest, loudest, most-badass threat or character.
So high on my list was trying to capture the themes and feel of the original films, but present that material in new ways, and to an audience that was not seven years old any more! J
I actually like the movie characters, but SW is a film series about Lucas’ PCs. I need my game to be about my PCs. A movie needs engaging characters for the audience to root for – an RPG needs these characters to be the PCs. So above all, they must be the heroes. If they do not rescue the Hot Princess, nobody else will. If they don’t blow up the Death Star, nobody does. Their successes or failure will determine the fate of the galaxy. NPCs should be cool, and support or hinder their efforts, but the game must be the story of the PCs.
As it is their story, the movie heroes and the movie antagonists have to go. I may use Luke in an altered role, especially if the PCs don’t recognize him… But they must make their own allies and have their own antagonists. They won’t merely be replaying the films, as fun as they were. I wished to make a SW experience that was recognizable thematically, but different in content.
Having lived through the early 90’s RPG experience, and the emergence of all those ‘grimdark’ games, I wanted the PCs to be heroic, like Han or Luke. This must emphatically NOT be ’grimdark’. The heroes are heroic, and they should win… though victory will require effort, and even sacrifice. Hard lessons will be learned. The Dark Side is seductive, but quick, easy victories must ultimately come around to bite you on the ass.
That DOESN’T mean the antagonists should be dull and flat. There is still room for moral quandaries, and for seeking out allies in unexpected places. There will be Imperials who can be reasonable, even decent, or Alliance who have fallen to the level of their worst enemies.
We are now adults, but the game shouldn’t be a cheap sex & violence fest either. More mature plots can and should be done, but it’s also important to have fast-paced action thrills too, and recover our youth a little J
I wanted to get away from the Special Snowflake Syndrome. The PCs should be like Han or Wedge; they succeed on their own merits, not because they have plot armour or author privilege or have a special surname or are part of a prophecy. The Force is in ALL THINGS. It’s not in the blood. Force-sensitives are rare, but they can be anyone . The players will mostly come from ‘ordinary’ backgrounds, though these should be cool and detailed, naturally.
The game should keep its roots and influences – these should not be WH40K or modern anime. However, using themes and influences from other sources like Mass Effect (which steals shamelessly from SW anyway!) and ‘Firefly’ would be perfectly fitting and would benefit the game. Moral choices, shades of grey and eastern spiritual influences are all part of the original movies, however, and should therefore be part of our game.
Finally, the game should have strong thematic themes, clearly visible in the five powerful factions. The Empire, high technology and endless disposable troops, ruthless and authoritarian. The Alliance, the rag-tag heroic underdogs, using their wits and limited resources. The Fringe, ambiguous and acting as both allies and antagonists. The Jedi and the Sith, representing mystic power and mighty forces – mirror images and flip-sides of one another, both ultimately flawed and too dogmatic.