RPR Archive A New Old Star Wars Galaxy

Aye aye. I believe it was Hammurabi who first used it.

Adding a second ship is one way to present another perspective, but that also pretty much doubles the GM workload - again, it would make having a co-GM extra-necessary. It's an interesting idea, though, and it sounds like a solid potential area for expansion, if this develops some strong support behind it, it's a direction I'd be willing to look into. But I think it'd have to wait until a ways down the line, unless I got a great co-GM and too many applicants to turn down.

But in terms of opposition, that's where side characters come in. I still think it'd be neat to have players make guest appearances as characters who appear every now and again - the sort of characters who are recurring, but don't show up in every episode. I imagine some of these characters would cooperate with our heroes, but quite a few would serve as antagonists. It's an interesting concept I'd like to play with if I get the chance.

Anyways, I don't have much time to write tonight. But my schedule gets a lot more open in a couple days.

Okay, I've started working on a possible opening post. I've still got some work to do on it, and I also need to find a couple hours to watch the original Star Wars. But expect a post soon.

Expect to see a potential opening post tomorrow. I'm still writing it, and it keeps getting longer, so I expect to edit it. But if all goes well, we could expect to see a thread up in the RPF within the next week.

EDIT: Actually, I think I'll do this in parts. Here's most of what I've done already, a little bit of narrative to establish things, and then a general introduction. I intend to edit this, and I'd possibly like to merge the first two sections.

SJNN 4/14/34
BREAKING NEWS - REBEL VICTORY IN YAVIN SYSTEM
updated 17 minutes ago

At 400 Sau Jau time, Rebel forces destroyed an Imperial battlestation - the so-called 'Death Star' - in the vicinity of Yavin IV. Reports have only begun to come in, but the battle seems to be a significant victory for the Rebellion. Many are already hailing it as the Empire's biggest defeat since the Clone Wars.

The 'Death Star' has been secretly in development for years. Information regarding it is hazy, but reports describe it as a superstation featuring a high-powered blaster cannon unlike any the galaxy has ever seen. Rebel officers have described the station as "the size of a small moon", and estimates of crew size range from 100k to 1m. Nearly all died in the battle.

Rebel casualties were minimal in comparison. In the wake of the victory, donations have poured into the Rebellion at an unprecedented rate. Expect more updates as news comes in.


The Battle of Yavin represented a turning point - the first major Imperial defeat in decades. It proved that Imperial influence was limited, and established the Rebel Alliance as the center of the organized rebellion against the Empire, a rallying point which, following the victory at Yavin, began uniting the various rebel organizations and drawing more and more insurgents to its cause. The Rebellion also began to draw in official support, as it reached the point at which it could successfully appeal to independent governments for support. Alderaan and Yavin became emblems of the Rebellion and symbols of Imperial atrocity and weakness.

Both sides spent the month following the battle recuperating from the battle. The Rebels commemorated three war heroes: Tijou Orinassa, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Luke Skywalker. All three played a critical role in researching and destroying the Death Star, and all three died in battle or in the events leading up to the battle. The Empire quietly recognized its losses. The funerals of Grand Moff Tarkin (and other Imperial officers) were not highly publicized, and Darth Vader's death was commemorated in a secret Jedi ritual.


Introduction

Welcome to a new/old take on the Star Wars galaxy. The general idea of this new galaxy is a return to the series' roots. Before Star Wars was about epic battles between good and evil, it was the story of a ragtag team flying around in a scrappy little ship. Some of them are Rebels, some are sympathizers, and some are only out for themselves. During their journey, they encounter the Empire and the Rebellion, and in the end, they battle and defeat evil.

In the decades since 1977, the series has gradually upscaled, and we've almost entirely lost the idea of the scrappy band of good guys. The Star Wars galaxy has become more orderly, with the series' focus gradually shifting away from the galactic rim and increasingly towards Coruscant. This RP strives to focus more on the original Star Wars - something we really don't see much around these boards. We'll also be drawing upon may of Lucas's influences, including Western concepts and Japanese concepts such as the yamabushi.

For this RP, only the first film is 100% canon (and even then, there are minor changes - specifically, Luke's death). The other two films in the trilogy are partial canon: I'm willing to include elements such as Hoth and Yoda, but I'm not keen on adding any elements that take away from the Star Wars feel I'm going for. The Force, for instance, is going to be mostly constrained to it/>/>

Yes, yes and yes. Go for it. I think there's only so much you can discuss without actually running the game and seeing how players work within it. And that is a solid opening post.

You know, it's freaky, I had a lot of these ideas (short episodes, 'special characters', episode-specific co-GMs) for a Star Trek game that I posted in the Discussion Thread. I don't know if you read that, or if it was just a case of great minds thinking alike...

Nonetheless, very awesome. Not sure how I feel about the deaths of Luke and Vader, but I'm sure you didn't just kill them off for the sake of killing them off, but that you had some plan involved in their deaths. Can't wait to see what happens.

Now, do I wanna play a shipboard droid or crazy old claims-to-be-a-Jedi character? Decisions decisions...

I think I'm gunna go for a fat old guy.

There isn't really a huge 'plan' going on there. The issue I had with them is that the Star Wars saga completely hinges on the Skywalkers, and I would like to unhinge the Star Wars galaxy (following the events of ANH). Though I guess they're not necessarily 100% dead - Vader's fate at the end of the film was left fairly open, and his survival at Yavin is really pretty unlikely. But then again, that doesn't mean he won't come back in our story. The chance remains.

And Luke is really an overwhelmingly important character in the OT. Adding him back in makes things a good deal trickier, but I'm reconsidering it right now. Hm. What does everyone think about Luke's inclusion? I imagine he'd grow from a war hero into a rebel leader, though he wouldn't be the overriding force he is in the films. He's the sort of character who (like Vader) might make a surprise appearance somewhere down the road.

So as it stands now, Luke and Leia are actively participating in the Rebellion, and Vader's gone missing since hte battle. So have Han and Chewie, but they're probably not dead. Our story certainly won't center around any of these characters, but I think it'd be fun to occasionally throw in a little surprise appearance.

And it is actually pretty surprising that we'd think of these same things. Which discussion thread did you mention them in? I occasionally drop in on the various design guilds around here, but I'm not really actively following either of them.

I'm going to post some other opening post info later tonight. And expect an actual thread in the RPF by Friday.

EDIT: Looks like we'll have to wait until tomorrow for any new updates in this thread. Google documents is acting up...

All right, here's the tail end of the opening post:


Character Design/Application

There's essentially two ways your character can get aboard the Ronin; you can either start as a crew member, or join the crew in one of the episodes. Our first episode (expect more details later) will probably start on Tatooine (we'll be visiting Mos Eisley, where we'll probably drop in at the cantina at one point) before travelling to Eto, an independent grassland planet with a midsize population. If anybody wants to set up a character who'll join us on either of those planets, feel free to create a character with that in mind. There are certain roles on the Ronin I'd like to fill. Your character sheet will benefit from the inclusion of a specific role aboard the ship which you would play: pilot/co-pilot, mechanic, thug, medic, whatever. Mind you, some roles will be limited. I don't know what I'd do with four pilots or three medics. So if anybody feels like sending a preliminary sheet my way, just to check in on their chance of acceptance in a given role, feel free to do so. I'll tell you if I've already seen enough medics, that I'm more in need of engineers.

A quick note regarding Jedi - this is a world in which the Jedi are in decline. There are no more conventional Jedi Knights; the closest thing to old-time Jedi are the occasional old hermits like Ben Kenobi. However, I am open to the inclusion of Force-user characters, though I'd like to limit the number of Force-users aboard the ship to one, with the possibility of a second member who trains under the first. The Force, mind you, isn't dead; people just don't use it like the old-time Jedi. Force/lightsaber training is too intensive to really be worth it on a large scale, especially with cheap blaster technology now available. However, I imagine people adapting the Force to the new galaxy, maybe using the Force in improve perception and blaster aim, or mastering mental manipulation. I'm open to the idea of players who aren't Jedi, but have managed to develop one or two Force techniques. Again, I'd still like to keep Force-users limited.

And if anybody would really like to be a side character, feel free to PM me about it, also. And if anybody doesn't make the initial list, there will be both side character positions open and future main character positions available. Some side characters will become very important. If enough people are interested, expect to see a number of antagonistic positions to open up. I'm thinking a Vader-figure and/or maybe a ship crewed with Imperials, one in pursuit of our heroes. But that wouldn't be a factor early on, and would only ever happen if I got a co-GM. Another potential area for side characters might come in the form of film characters, such as Han or Leia, who might make appearances in future episodes. Anyways, here comes the character sheet.

Character Sheet:
Name:
Species/homeworld:
Gender:
Age:
Skillset/Profession: (what role would you play on the ship? ie pilot, mechanic, etc. Also, what other skills do you have?)
Affiliation (if any):
Physical Description:
Personality/Psychological profile:
Possessions:
Character History:
Other Notes:
Potential subplot material: This section is for my eyes only. It's reserved for ideas regarding the direction you see your character taking as this story goes on.
Other GM Notes: This is a miscellaneous section for whatever else you want to tell me (without making the info public). One thing I'd like to know (if it isn't explained elsewhere in your CS) is how your character winds up aboard the Ronin. The options are pretty much a) start aboard, b) join up on Tatooine or Eto this episode, d) join the crew later one, or e) play another (off-ship) role.


And of course, before we get going, here are the rules:

The Rules:
1. Respect everyone. Let's keep our tone positive.
2. Double-respect the GM. Defy me and you answer to the Irish mob.
3. No god-moding. This isn't your show. You're one member in a midsiz/>

Tonight @ midnight.

It is with great joy and anticipation that I, Hammurabi, have pressed the 'Post New Topic' button in the RPF for the first time. Ronin exists!

Now that the thread's up and running, I'd like to use this space to return to fleshing out our galaxy. The first topic: planets. I've already thought of a few:

Indus: Highly populous planet, with multiple populous moons. The most important Imperial-controlled planet in the outer systems - similar to India's status in the British Empire.

Nova Atta: The capital of the Tyrus Federation, one of the most significant interplanetary governments aside from the Empire. The Tyrus Federation is smaller than the Empire, and power within it is considerably less centralized.

Sau Jau: Another planet on the frontier of the Tyrus Federation. Think American West.

These are mostly based on real world locations and cultures - though the association is still somewhat loose. What other worlds do you see working out in our galaxy? What ideas for worlds do you have?

I could see some of the planets from the early drafts of A New Hope working well here.

Granicus: A gray gas giant, with the Imperial Capital as a floating city (think Cloud City).

Aquilae: A desert world ruled by a monarchy, but the royal palace is an oasis.

Utapau: A blue world orbited by five moons, the fourth moon is a gray wasteland with a blood-red sky.

Just as a sidenote, some other aspects of the early drafts may also be useful, since some things like the Emperor being more controlled by his advisors and the history of the Republic/Jedi/Empire/Sith were expanded upon there.

That's pretty funny that you would include Utapau, LI. I actually made an Utai for this game.

Really a very good idea. I've started going over some early script/concept stuff.

And on Utapau: I think the original draft version of Utapau might be different from the ROTS Utapau. Lucas sometimes shuffled his planet/character names around, and they often vary between drafts.

If I can still use the same species, that's fine.

Definitely.

Okay, new topic: the Force. I haven't fully defined its role yet - as far as I can tell, its role has gradually changed over the course of the series. As I've said before, in ANH, it's very much an interpersonal Force. Obi-Wan can sense events such as the destruction of Alderaan, and he also uses the Force to influence minds. It also affects perception: Obi-Wan uses it to scare off Sand People and evade Stormtroopers. It can be used to enhance one's on perception, as evidenced by Luke's practice sessions with the lightsaber. And, of course, it can kill - we see Darth Vader use the Force to choke people to death. This is probably the hardest application to interpret; it borders on telekinesis, which opens up a number of possibilities. Mind you, we don't actually see any obvious telekinesis until ESB. In this film, we see a whole bunch, from Luke's lightsaber in the wampa cave to Darth Vader's rampage in the film's final battle.

So what do we permit? A strict, ANH-based interpretation would exclude telekinesis. Personally, I'm inclined to include it - but in a more limited fashion than we're used to. Looking at the OT, the Force appears to be something which is used different ways by different people. Obi-Wan, for instance, uses it for deception, whereas Vader uses it as a weapon. Luke becomes a sort of semi-gymnastic duelist, but he's fairly balanced, with a decidedly limited ability to influence minds.. There are distinct differences in the way each man uses the Force. In the PT (and to a lesser extent, in the EU), we don't see anything resembling this specialization; rather, it's pretty common for Jedi to be fairly skilled in a wide variety of Force powers. I'd like to shift away from this. Perhaps it would be possible (but only for a highly trained, exceptionally talented Force-user) for a person to master a wide variety of Force abilities. But I feel like that would only happen in special cases, and in general, Force-users would specialize in concentrations.

So, what do you think?

Two perspectives I'd raise about the Force in ANH. The first is Obi-Wan's classic introduction:

"The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us, and penetrates us - it binds the galaxy together."

The other is Darth Vader's perspective:

"Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed. The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force."

And:
"Surely he must be dead by now!"
"Don't underestimate the Force."

In other words, it is the definition of the Genie's Phenomenal Cosmic Power. Almost anything can be achieved using it, if you have sufficient mastery of it.

I caved, bought both Omnibi, and have been rereading Tales of the Jedi for the past couple days, and I really think their interpretation of the Force just feels similar to what I envision the Force like in Ronin. In TotJ, the Jedi's greatest power is Battle Meditation, the ability to flow through the minds of all the warriors on a battlefield and spur your allies to victory while demoralizing your opponents, while the Sith utilize a far more sinister version, bringing your fears to life right in front of you, watching the hallucinations overtake you and leaving you either easy prey for their soldiers, or in a crippling state of terror. Whether or not telekinesis is known is unimportant, but the mental aspects of the Force are what are held in the highest esteem. Who cares if you can lift a big rock when you have the ability to convince them the rock is a gigantic beast moving of its own volition to eat you.

I like the idea of allowing other player's characters to pop in as cameos!

So, Hamm, how much longer are we waiting for approval?

I'm setting up a Google Page for the game right now, with everybody's sheet on. I want to have it ready when I make the post, but I'm getting very tired, so I don't expect to be able to work too much more on it tonight. Tomorrow, though, we should see it posted. Hopefully before tomorrow evening? We're looking at starting around Monday. I've got almost everything clear for us to go.

This bird is nearly ready to fly.

Hmmm...amusing little query, but who's this Jabba we're dealing with in the first post of the game?

Is it the Jabba we all know and love?

Or perhaps the Jabba that never was?

Or perhaps the Nimbanel Jabba the Hut?

As long as we've got a clean slate and aren't bound to our big piece of worm-ridden filfth from ROTJ and ANH:SE, we might as well nail down exactly who we're dealing with.