A player asked me recently how much of the EU I was using/planning on using in my campaign cause they wanted to know if Luke's academy on Yavin 4 would be around later(talk about privliged GM information...) I never really thought about how much I was using/going to use before then. I pretty much just used the movies and the clone wars show, but I did use a lot of backstory from the Tales of the Jedi comics at one point(the only EU I've used so far) which is what raised the player's question in the first place. Just curious as to how you other GMs are using the EU canon in ya'alls campaigns or if it's just generally disgarded.

EDIT so the qustion is : "How much EU Canon is in your campaign and how to your players deal with that"

If I don't know it, it doesn't exist. If I do know it, but don't like it, it doesn't exist (The Force Unleashed is the only thing I can think of, and the only thing that's come up in game). But I'm pretty well-read as far as Star Wars goes, so my game contains a lot of EU, at least subtly.

I'm fairly similar to Colyer. I use quite a bit of EU but freely discard things I don't think will fit or that I feel will get in the way of what I want to do with the game.

Nothing past the Thrawn Trillogy. The whole New Jedi Order stuff is simply rubbish...

And as Colyer said best... "If I don't know it, it doesn't exist. If I do know it, but don't like it, it doesn't exist"

And as a note there is no such thing as EU Canon... its either Canon or EU , not both..

Nothing past the Thrawn Trillogy. The whole New Jedi Order stuff is simply rubbish...

And as Colyer said best... "If I don't know it, it doesn't exist. If I do know it, but don't like it, it doesn't exist"

And as a note there is no such thing as EU Canon... its either Canon or EU , not both..

As yet, we are still in tiered canon, so there is such a thing as EU Canon. It is just not as absolute as the movies or Clone Wars cartoon. Soon, things will be either Canon, or not Canon. No tiers.

I started my players in the Corporate Sector.

Nothing past the Thrawn Trillogy. The whole New Jedi Order stuff is simply rubbish...

And as Colyer said best... "If I don't know it, it doesn't exist. If I do know it, but don't like it, it doesn't exist"

And as a note there is no such thing as EU Canon... its either Canon or EU , not both..

A quick quote from wikiepedia:

In July 2001, Lucas gave his opinion on the matter of what is canon in Star Wars during an interview with Cinescape magazine:

That's where I get the term "EU canon" from. I treat the EU as lower priority than the movies and TCW show canon.

Anyway to each his own ya know Tamato/Tomato, Crick/Creek, Gobanzo beans/chickpeas, etc

The Thrawn Trilogy and a VERY HEAVILY altered Dark Empire are the only EU canon I plan on using after the battle of Endor. I don't really like the NJO stuff very much either/either...

If I don't know it, it doesn't exist. If I do know it, but don't like it, it doesn't exist (The Force Unleashed is the only thing I can think of, and the only thing that's come up in game). But I'm pretty well-read as far as Star Wars goes, so my game contains a lot of EU, at least subtly.

That's a good rule of thumb. I'm lucky enough to have only one player besides me that is familiar with the material outside of the movies but unfortunatly we don't see eye to eye on what is considered a quality star wars story when it comes to the EU.

I have had another player look up weapons/armor/ships on wookiepedia(*shuders*) and attempts to aquire said gear...

I guess I should rephrase my question "How much EU Canon is in your campaign and how to your players deal with that"

Depends on your definition. Universe wise I use the EU quite a bit, mostly in the form of things like specialty stormtroopers, vehicles, and equipment that didn't appear in the films, but does show up in other fiction.

Plot wise though, rarely if ever. So much of the EU clings so tightly to the Skywalkers that really it never comes into play on any noteworthly level. Furthermore the further away from the films you get, the weirder, more derivative, and for lack of a better term, incestuously inconsistent the material seems to feel.

I'm definitely influenced by the novels I've read and The Clone Wars TV show.

In the campaign I'm just starting, the first adventure takes places on Christophsis, setting of an early battle in the Clone Wars, and will feature clues that could lead the characters to Cad Bane, notorious bounty hunter from that period.

Our game is set right after the Battle of Yavin, so he'll be older.

I loved the portrayal of Prince Xizzor in Shadows of the Empire, so there is the possiblities the PCs might get mixed up with The Black Sun and he could come into play.

I don't think I'm going to do much with the characters from the films like Luke and Leia, etc, but most others from novels or the show are fair game for me.

Virtually none. Some Old Republic stuff has been explicitly discussed, but other than that, if I don't mention it then it can be assumed to not have happened.

When we move far enough ahead on the timeline, we'll probably see Shadows of the Empire , the Thrawn trilogy, etc. But I like having wiggle room to make up whatever I want, and my players seem to dig it as well.

Force Unleashed is not there, rebellion was created as stated in WEG sourcebooks, not during some crazy plots with dozens of Jedi popping-cloning from nowhere and intrigues followed by intrigues. I hated when ppl responsible for the books started squeezing more and more between movies and already existing novels just to put few bucks more into Lucas pocket.

And big NO for the Kevin J. Anderson books also known as "I don't know how to create an interesting story so I will put a few tons of superweapons instead".

Of course Han Solo shots first!

For my games most of it tends to be canon, at least in broad strokes, with the understanding that game events may have a ripple effect that alters what they expect to happen.

IE: A game set in 1BBY, then yeah Revan existed a few thousand years ago, Anakin had a Togruta Padawan, but there's no guarantee that Luke will blow up the Death Star, etc.

That said, It's never been a major problem, my players - oddly enough - haven't had a major urge to mess with canon. I had a RCR game that took place throughout the Clone Wars, and ended with a showdown with the recently fallen Anakin Skywalker. It was an epic battle but my players all knew they weren't going to kill Vader, rather my Jedi PCs were most concerned with having meaningful and cinematically cool deaths that gave the rest of the party a chance to escape. It was awesome.

Any other game I've run have tended to stay on the fringes enough that EU hasn't had a big effect on my plots.

Force Unleashed is not there, rebellion was created as stated in WEG sourcebooks, not during some crazy plots with dozens of Jedi popping-cloning from nowhere and intrigues followed by intrigues. I hated when ppl responsible for the books started squeezing more and more between movies and already existing novels just to put few bucks more into Lucas pocket.

And big NO for the Kevin J. Anderson books also known as "I don't know how to create an interesting story so I will put a few tons of superweapons instead".

Of course Han Solo shots first!

Couldn't agree more specially about KJA, still enjoyed Tales though(minus the whole Sith species thing). The suncrusher, darksaber, Naomi Sunrider's force sever, death star prototype....Come on man! Star War has super weapons but it's not about them so much as it is about the characters.

woah! easy...Greedo never shot...

We play with the entire EU history accepted. However, there's rarely any overlap other than using it for setting an environment for a planet on the map. And the occasional vehicle.

I use enough EU to make things interesting; if it isn't useful, I don't acknowledge it. I am always up for hearing ideas, and if the player can prove it and/or supply the material (and not argue about in during the session), I am more than willing to brush up and determine if it will exist or not.

For example, a player once asked if he could have a droid he saw in one of the games. After looking at it, I made a decision about it. The same is true for weapons, ships, species, and homeworlds.

The original trilogy. That's it.

If I'm feeling feisty, I will create an alternate timeline that uses everything up to the last ~8 minutes of RotJ.

There is a lot of EU that I love (Archie Goodwin comic strips, KotOR, the cartoons set between episodes 2-3) but I don't feel the need to include all that.

Since my game takes place shortly after ANH, there really isn't any EU material i need to worry about contradicting. Also since most of my players have only seen the movies there isn't a need to stay focused. The players really appreciate my knowledge of EU tho when I use it in my game.

But i ignore almost all video game canon material.

All of it!

Bur seriously, I tend to work in little hints to different events, whether about movie or EU events, almost everywhere.

One group of players had a run in with Rebel privateers who wanted to seize their Lambda shuttle, but eventually let them go because "its codes are too old". They also did some exploring on Haruun Kal, finding an old Republic militia bunker and briefly capturing a Force-sensitive native.

The other group fought a Magnaguard droid in the wreckage of a Geonosian treasure ship. They defeated it, but it managed to destroy the main computers first, so they only caught a glimpse of the schematics for a prototype spherical battle station.

Lando Calrissian's exploits tend to feature prominently, both groups have spent a lot of time on Cloud City, and a third is going to witness (or even participate in) the Battle of Taanab. Garik "Face" Loran will also make an appearance, in his youth as a holo-star, as will Ibtisam. I haven't figured out a way to work Bail Organa in yet, but he's a crowd favorite.

Etcetera.

EDIT: As a caveat, I consider books (and especially parts of long-running series) much more reliable than video games, while comics I treat as in-universe dramatizations ("don't know for sure, but I heard...")

I'm actually considering creating my own system of Canon Tiers, to let my players know what is likely to come up.. The Original Trilogy, Thrawn Trilogy and Hand of Thrawn duology would make up my equivalent to "G-Canon". The Clone Wars TV series might actually be a higher tier than the Prequel trilogy. There is a lot of stuff like Dark Empire and New Jedi Order that I am willing to accept in broad strokes, if only because it sets up things that I like later on, ties into things earlier on that I like, or has one or two things I like in it that will make up my equivalent to S-Canon. They'll definetly get modified to some degree, in fact I will probably change around the Yuzzhan Vong quite extensively.

That's not a bad idea Lord Zack.

There was a line in the 3rd ed version of the Forgotten Realms setting that I always liked. Paraphrasing it: "Remember, this book is a guide, but it's your world. If you say "The river runs through the village" and your player says "Actually on pg 54 it says it runs alongside it" Then tell your player the book is wrong! Your river runs through the town."

EDIT so the qustion is : "How much EU Canon is in your campaign and how to your players deal with that"

Wookiepedia is an insane rabbit hole. So for the sake of simplicity in the EotE game I run, canon falls in the following order of priority:

1. The films.

2. The Clone Wars.

3. Published material for Edge of the Empire.

4. Published fiction, WEG material, and comics.

If an idea contradicts a source above it or it's a video game, it's nixed. If it doesn't, or it's very unlikely to, it's not.

While I certainly have nothing against KOTOR, The Force Unleashed , and The Old Republic , the "gamey-ness" that make a video game fun (for example, flying bacta sprayers and Dragon Ball Z -style Force blasts) severely conflict with what makes a film or serialized story immersive and enjoyable.

I usually only have canon characters interact with my players in a cursory manner. In the last adventure, the players were boarded by an Imperial blockade, led by a Captain Pallaeon. Though they managed to get away, only now do they realize that their clean getaway was a little too easy. Classic Star Wars.

We're playing a few years prior to episode IV, and I just recently threw a Rodian bounty hunter known as Greedo at them. If he dies, meh. I'm not attached to canon, I rather my players make their own story, wherever it goes.

I'll ride the train that I tend to stick with canon that I am familiar with. Mainly I like all the various species that come from EU. In the Greedo fight, the scoundrel and trader had to deal with him while the 2 force sensitives were struggling to keep from getting eaten by an Anzati.

I'm a big fan of the EU. I can't say that I'm an expert in the whole **** thing but frankly I doubt anyone really is. With that said I have areas that I really enjoy and am well versed in and areas that are a bit more in the dark. When I started my game I was pretty enthusiastic about embracing the whole nine yards but after six months of play I'm finding that dancing around every nook and cranny of the EU is kinda tiresome. I'm quickly getting to a point where I'm going to focus in on the original trilogy movies and the fluff FFG provides in their books and try not to get too wrapped up with the rest. I have a few players that are pretty hard core with it, but I'm hoping the more that they invest in their character's story the less they'll care about the serial number and Dark Horse comic book appearance of their freighter.

It depends on what I like and how it helps build the galaxy as I see it for example I have missions were smugglers work for Talon Karrde and missions where Bounty Hunters do jobs for Garn Bel Iblis.Also it depends form me on the source Vong are a no go, no Ashoka,PCs may kill JarJar after episode 3's events. I generally keep the Mandalorian stuff kept intact,as to Satine and her ilk I dont consider them to be Mandos,so at my table only Jaster Mereel and then Jango and Boba Fett are the legitimate rulers of Mandalore.I mainly avoid alot of the Clone Wars cannon.