Greetings! Just registered and I am looking to start a game and will be the GM. I have not roleplayed in years but have a friend who really wants to try so I agreed. So we grabbed EotE and want to start. I have begun work on a campaign that I want to run across this community and see if there is any feedback. Beyond the movies I don't have any exposure to the Star Wars Universe -- whch I am concerned about. But anyway, here's what I am thinking.

Read to Party:

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The planet you have found yourself on is truly on the outer rim of the outer rim. It is on the furthest reaches of the known galaxy -- beyond it lies the unknown. It is the tiniest of galactic outposts. D-Sota-A is a planet that is almost entirely frozen with a small habitable zone at the planets equator. What's more, the planet has vast land masses but, through an accident of geology, there is only a tiny portion of the planet's land mass in the habitable zone. A small Isthmus runs through the zone, connecting two large land masses in the northern and southern hemispere of the planet. The small piece of land is also refered to as D-Sota-A, residents call it Deesota.

Deesota is sparsely populated with two small Space ports and several small settlements in the mild habitable zone. In fact, the seems like all Deesota will ever be. The frozen wastelands seem barren, bereft of valuable minerals or other commodities that would bring greater settlement. However, for now, the space ports are active and should be for the near future as this part of the galaxy is explored and Deesota is an important base for that exploration.

You are currently in the main port of Mos Sota. It is inhabited by almost entirely explorers, galactic travellers and the usual menagerie that supports such exploration. Unlike much of the outer rim, D-Sota-A is a relatively quiet place. It has its share of scoundrels, bounty hunters and the like but with little wealth to exploit, it has not, to date, drawn in some of the worst, and unfortunately, usual, criminal elements in the galaxy. Deesota does not feel the long arm of the Empire but also is not subject to the complete lawlessnss and chaos o some of the outer rim terrritories. It is a relatively independent outpost, although, in your short time here, you have not yet quite sorted out the politics of the place.

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My Wookie pilot will have recently arrived having delivered a boring cargo of spare parts, tools, and medical supplies. He will also have brought with him 3 passengers.

My plan is for one of the passengers to have been headed to Deesota to meet up with a shadowy group of scholars that have established a sort of out of place college on D-Sota-A. That's going to be important (maybe a rebel front or some other anti-empire underground operation) but I haven't fleshed it out yet. The pilot will have decided to hang around a few days before setting again or exploring Deesota a bit. Just as he is about to, he will be paid a visit by [someone interesting] asking questions about his recent trip and in particular, the human passenger who largely kept to herself throughout the voyage.

I suspect the other passengers might be found dead by Deesota authorities and they may need to ask the pilot who brought them there a few questions too.

So that's where I am at. The woman passenger will be some kind of entry into this college outpost. The bounty hunter makes a good early nemisis (although probably only a minor one in a larger emerging story).

I purposely tried to design a potential home planet/base of operations that was managable. There's not much there and there can't be (at least for the time being) and I like that at this stage.

Does the setting make sense in the Star Wars Universe? Are there any other basic things I should know about the planet? The Space ports? The Population?

I also don't know for sure about the entire gaming group, and I think the way this starts I could relatively easliy encorporate other players if they come on board -- bring them to Deesota for some reason and meet the PCs.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

I like it at first glance, and it "fits" SW in that it's a planet that the movies never showed, but well within the realm of possibility.

Are you planning to have everything happen on planet? If so, you're missing out on a great deal of depth for the SW universe, even if you make it all up...

Thanks and I am not planning on everything happening there. Just looking for a manageable start. I think there a multitude of possibilities with the planet -- maybe the PCs will set up shop there as a base of operations. The scholars on the planet might take on a greater role as the campaign develops. The wastes of Deesota might end having something valuable in them, drawing the attention of the empire. Not sure. But it will give me some time to think about how the campaign can expand.

The setting sounds interesting enough. This isn't a criticism, but it's not really coming through in the description above: the players will need a reason to stay and make it their base or to hang around there at all. The scholars might be an interesting reason for at least one, but the rest need a reason as well. I can easily imagine the first thing the players saying is "we hijack the next ship out". It might be simpler to make them born there, perhaps the "first native generation" of the new colony, which gives them some status and implied responsibility. And family ties can always be useful as a way of luring them back if they venture too far away: perhaps there is an outbreak of some virus, seriously affecting some treasured family member, and the cure just isn't available on Deesota. Perhaps the "scholars" are behind it, using the quiet colony as a way of testing something for later terrorist use on the galaxy at large...

Thanks whafrog. I see your point although at this stage I don't think my PCs will be all that independent. But still, am thinking about ways I can move my plot forward w/o the characters taking any particular actions like setting up a later encounter with bounty hunter that can take place anywhere. I like the disease outbreak idea too, I could use that in a variety of ways. Not the least of which could be to quarantine the planet so they can't leave!

Also, your post made me think more about using this as a home base. I think one of the passengers aboard the PCs initial ship to the planet will be a merchant looking to set up shop on the planet. He will have some underworld connections and potential jobs/leads for the PCs. If he's already on the run from a powerful Hutt, who's the wiser?

I see your point although at this stage I don't think my PCs will be all that independent...

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Not the least of which could be to quarantine the planet so they can't leave!

These two statements make me cautious You say you haven't RPG'd in a while, so you might find this useful (and I think most GMs would give you the following advice) : beware of those kinds of traps. If they unfold temporarily as part of a story, then it's okay, but players don't like to feel railroaded. Players aren't there to explore your world, no matter how cool it may be, they are there to explore their characters through your world. It's a balancing act.

That said, it's useful sometimes in the beginning to start with a railroady adventure and let it evolve from there. My Team-50 group (we're all over 50) did just that with the Beginner box set, but the tale has already morphed beyond recognition based on the choices they've made...without the boundaries of the threats they are facing, of course. Carrots and sticks drive a good story, but jails don't unless it's a breakout.

Don't worry I won't RR them too much. I just want to get them started on this world, establish some contacts, get some ideas on what they might do next, acquire some adversaries, introduce them to the SW universe and the narrative while I get my bearings as well. I'm going to find a way to use virus, though, it is too good of an idea to let go. Thanks again for the advice, I appreciate it.

You know i will throw in the idea too - Maybe run through the Beginner Box's scenario first with Pre Gens and then even maybe hit the Long Arm of the Hutt before running the above scenario. No

For the cost of the BB Box you also get the dice (an extra set or two is always helpful) and working through the mechanics for one or two evenings may go a long way before jumping in fully with the adventure.

Just my 2 cents....