Apparently nothing.

Been collecting and reading the latest Star Wars comic from Dark Horse dealing with the big three following the battle and Yavin and to say #12 was a let down was seriously understating it.

They had a new main villain, they had a new squadron and Han meeting a new friend.

And then they revealed their new foe who had displaced Darth Vader aboard that Star Destroyer was a relation of Mon Mothma

Gods they could have used the new characters in their own series using Han's new friend as their main pilot and a ship to base their operations with.

The new nemesis could become their new adversary after all somehow Leia was being tracked and what perfect time to introduce Winter so they can lead him away whilst Leia searches for a new base for the Rebellion... all for nothing.

Sorry but this leads me to my question, what is COMPNOR good for?

How do you handle this part of the Empire's means of inspiring loyalty in its people?

COMPNOR works as a lower-ranking adversary for the PCs. Yes, they've got spies and military assets, but they don't have the kind of funding or training that Imperial Intelligence or the Imperial Army/Navy has. And once the Senate has been disbanded during the events of A New Hope, they can be used to reflect the political machine that supports the system of Moffs/regional governors that takes the Senate's place.

They're also good as a way to show the Empire isn't comprised entirely of Stormtroopers and Sith Lords as well, as COMPNOR isn't above doing all sorts of shady things in the cause of ensuring the Empire's continued existence. Things such as ISB Agents grabbing people off the street and out of their homes on the weakest bits of evidence that said people were guilty of sedition and/or treason, with many of them either never being seen again or being very different (re: traumatized) after their "lengthy interview" with COMPNOR's interrogators. There's also the fact that they have youth groups intended to mold future generations into being loyal Imperial citizens.

I'm sure a bit of research on your own will draw parallels to other groups that used similar means and tactics to enforce the obedience of the populace to the controlling regime, and not just in recent history.

You can read up a bit more on COMPNOR as an organization here if interested:

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

I think of them similar to the Nightwatch from Babylon 5. Or the human that sympathize with the Visitors in V. They are the everyman that might be an informant. Sure, some pick up guns to fight for the Emperor, but these are the ones that are largely expendable (a doctor or engineer that joins COMPNOR is not going to be sent to fight).

I use COMPNOR as the hardline true believers in the Emperors New Order. Effectively, they are "The Party", in the way INGSOC/English Socialism are "The Party" in 1984.

So if I need an irredeemably evil shithead, they work for COMPNOR. COMPNOR provide political officers to ensure the Imperial Military are acting according the the values of the New Order, guards at the extermination camps where the New Order sends undesirables for liquidation and the blocking detachments who gun down Imperial troops who try to run away.

Basically, if I need a guy like this:-

I go to COMPNOR.

Or the Galactic Empires equivalent of fingermen in V for Vendetta would be COMPNOR.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDO0Hc4klic

Also, the COMPNOR SAG/Sub Adult Group is the Hitler Youth equivalent should one be needed.

ErikB's version certainly works too. I like it. I'm still keeping with COMPNOR having casual members everywhere that provide a flood of information for the Empire, but his take on hardline card-carrying/armband-wearing members works wonderfully alongside it.

For me, COMPNOR is a combination of a political action committee, a youth indoctrination program, and a source of political officers for various agencies.

In my understanding of it, it's not as powerful as the Gestapo nor the KGB, but far more politically adroit. It's a civil agency that generally doesn't oversee the military, and doesn't provide political officers to the military... but does "investigate" disloyalty, and does indoctrinate the youth, and does provide a system for reporting disloyalty. And it does so with Palpatine's blessing, and despite the Military and the Internal Security Bureau's joint displeasure.

Moffs tend to listen to COMPNOR because Moffs who don't seem to attract "unwanted attention" from Vader and Palpatine, and/or sudden upsurges of Rebel activity. In other words, the implicit hazard of ignoring them is grounds for losing the perquisites and power of the Moff's office.

And where the Moffs lead, the military (often grudgingly) follows.

To me COMPNOR is an Inquisition. Their purpose is to spy and root out any who seek to undermine the New Order.

I like to think of CompNOR as the neighborhood watch from Hot Fuzz

"The Greater Good".

I like to think of CompNOR as the neighborhood watch from Hot Fuzz

"The Greater Good".

...The Greater Good...

COMPNOR - what is used for?

Apparently nothing.

Sorry but this leads me to my question, what is COMPNOR good for?

Sorry to be facetious, but that sounds like the old Edwin Starr song:

"COMPNOR! Hurh! Good god, y'all!

What is it good for?

Absolutely nothing!

Say it again!"

Could make a pretty good Alliance protest song maybe...?

Been collecting and reading the latest Star Wars comic from Dark Horse dealing with the big three following the battle and Yavin and to say #12 was a let down was seriously understating it.

Gods they could have used the new characters in their own series using Han's new friend as their main pilot and a ship to base their operations with.

The new nemesis could become their new adversary after all somehow Leia was being tracked and what perfect time to introduce Winter so they can lead him away whilst Leia searches for a new base for the Rebellion... all for nothing.

But to answer your question sensibly... I think the well has just run dry on these characters. Everything has been said about these characters, a dozen times over.

I was always happier leaving them on the moon of Endor, where they never had to grow old or uncool or end up in stories that feel more like 'Friends' than 'Star Wars'. We didn't need to see ' Darth Vader -the awkward teenage years' and we don't need to see 'Han Solo - the middle aged and nappy-changing years' either.

Time for some new heroes, methinks.

What we really didn't need was the future Emperor puttin' on shades, biting his lower lip and going " DAT FORCE " at the future Vader.

Robot Chicken Star Wars anyone?

I agree with ErikB. COMPNOR is basically a group of radical loyalists who would sooner die than see the glorious Empire be even hinted towards malevolent (and gladly will). Again, think Hitler Youth and the Nazis on this one. Because in my opinion, COMPNOR is really just Hitler Youth and the Nazis.

Sending people around to spy on you, discriminating, indoctrinating the next generation into loyalists, etc.

COMPNOR is basically the civillian ideological/administrative aspect of the Empire (COMmission for the Preservation of the New ORder). The ISB is its intelligence/security agency (with a heavy ideological bend, unlike Imperial Intelligence). However, COMPNOR also has its own militant arm, COMPForce. These are basically combat-hardened fanatics with an insanely high casualty rate. The ones who survive a few battles, however, are extremely competent. In my West End Games campaign I used COMPForce troops as muscle for the ISB, since the regular Imperial military tend to hate their guts, and my players quickly learned to be careful when going up agains them.

we use COMPNOR as basically the hardcore party troops. They're part FBI, part cult member. they have drunk the kook aid, if you will.

COMPNOR - what is used for?

Apparently nothing.

Sorry but this leads me to my question, what is COMPNOR good for?

Sorry to be facetious, but that sounds like the old Edwin Starr song:

"COMPNOR! Hurh! Good god, y'all!

What is it good for?

Absolutely nothing!

Say it again!"

Could make a pretty good Alliance protest song maybe...?

I was gonna say it, but you said it, so I don't have to!

Off to look for beer... carry on!

Compnor is a group that is drinking the cool-aid of the empire and trying to convince everyone that it is THE thing, everyone should join, and be a part of. Propaganda, intelligence, whisper campaigns, cronyism, social elite. Basically, if you are Pro-Empire and not in the Military, your at least part of a local Compnor chapter.

Goes something like this on the lowest levels:

Hey, did that shopkeeper say something bad about the Emperor? We just need you to confirm it.

(Shopkeeper gets shut down and arrested for sedition)

Great job on that shopkeeper, if you find someone else saying something bad, we will give you this pin and you get to be invited to a party where only super special pin wearers are invited. Don't mind the propaganda films we show you or joining us in chants. It is just brainwashing to help you become one of us

Does anyone expect the COMPNOR?

Does anyone expect the COMPNOR?

Actually, yes. They're not a shadowy inquisition - they're a very public face of the Empire. Those that act against the interests of the Empire should always expect COMPNOR to be looking out for them.

Does anyone expect the COMPNOR?

Actually, yes. They're not a shadowy inquisition

Nobody expects the shadowy inquisition!

I was imagining them brainwashing recruits with the equivalent of a political officer on every ship to insure loyalty.

Now I'm remembering the Phantom Project graphic novel and thinking something a bit more insidious than that!

I was imagining them brainwashing recruits with the equivalent of a political officer on every ship to insure loyalty.

As it turns out, the WEG Imperial Sourcebook (both editions?) already portrayed the Imperial Security Bureau as a COMPNOR subsidiary organization (with CompForce as a different subsidiary organization) tasked with the shipboard political officer role.

Commission for the Preservation of the New Order.

It is a fairly massive organisation, because Palp's just loves organisation like most of us love boobs.

At the very top is the Select Committee which is basically a bunch of fat blokes that speak to Palp's and the Imperial Advisiors, then look after all the other 5 big sub-departments.

SAGroup

Runs all the recruiting, re-braining, recreation and re-education of nice young people and turns them into alien bashing, rebel murdering and make them nice functional members of society. It's an easy generalisation to compare them to 'Hitler Youth', but they're probably not that pleasent.

Coalition for Progress

These nice people make sure that the sciences, art, commerce, justice system and education meets the requirements of the empires doctrines and is basically up in everyone's fun on a day to day basis. There is no kicking in TV sets in anger over rap music video clips showing too much jiggling by average imperial civilians, its far too boring and harmless.

Coalition for Improvement

Big jobs! These guys are a Moff's worst nightmare as they roll in and literally rip a sector down to its bare bones and build it up to follow the requirements of the empire. Make sure they're producing taxes, working the inhabitants 24-7 and machinegunning the more useless ones in an open slit trench. Comes down to it, they can tick yes/no or request that the planet be grav-shocked into a glowing ball of something more useful.

Compforce

Its kind of hard to put this nicely, but they're violent, terrible people who do all the horrible things to living beings that even the navy, army and stormtroopers won't do. Yes, there are even some limits for those guys... but not these guys! They're split up into sector sized groups, which in turn comprise of Assault (Violent men with guns) and Observation units (Commisariat), they are comparable in terms of equipment to Stormtroopers + Army. Just with slightly less training in the actual 'physical killing stuff' and more of the 'I like to kill everything' training.

Imperial Security Bureau

Aka- ISB, they are essentially a little bit of KGB and a little bit of Gestapo. They're sort of responsible for the Internal Affairs, Investigations, Surveilance, Interrogation and Re-Education of members of the Empire that aren't up to scratch, then they fix them. This also means by default they're quite good at picking up rebel sympathisers and beating the naughty out of them.

Note, that they are not Imperial Intelligence Ubiqtorate (spies) that's another department.

My first reaction was to wonder why anyone other than double agents would join the rebellion since if COMPNOR was doing their job properly they wouldn't want to turn against the Empire!

Excepting Tycho since blowing up his home world of Alderaan along with his family would be a good reason why their brainwashing failed so badly!

I also assumed most of the Rebellion was made up of people the Empire had either directly or indirectly incensed.

That was before learning about the back story for Biggs, this thread was my why of trying to understand what purpose COMPNOR was for when everything pointed it to being... well a complete waste of time!

Palpatine apparently thought differently, I think I need to rethink COMPNOR's purpose... drastically rethink it if I ever run another game of Star Wars it might be a little too dark unless Star Wars Rebels demonstrates otherwise...