The "Enlighten Me, Master!" Newbie's Lounge...

Helloooooo, masters

Hey listen, I'm wanting to start getting into SW role play. I live in lil ol'New Zealand, so as far as I know there isn't a huge SW RP fanbase.

Basically, how do I get started? I'm *really* poor (hooray for $17 in my account - damn uni fees), so is it expensive? Where's some good online places? Basically I'm interested in Han Solo-type characters, not Jedi-type characters, uh... I'm not sure what info I need to give you.

What do I need? Where do I go? How do I start etc. I don't want to clog this thread up (i've probably made you all feel quite paternal now ) so maybe PMing me would be a good idea.

Thanks in advance, this thread has an awesome vibe to it

 

Do not worry about clogging the thread, that is what it is here for.
The first thing to do is buy the rulebook, and some dice. The revised edition is being released in a few days and will cost about $40. I suggest you start saving.
For the type of character that you are interested in, go with the Scoundrel class.
For finding other players, ask some of your university friends; I have never heard of a group at a college campus that could not get an RPG going.

 

*wonders if she can carve dice from soap and download the entire Rule Book from somewhere*



Another question; character construction. 20d and 6d. No idea how to correctly divvy up the d's, what level to start my character on etc etc. Help me, you're my only hope

 

Basic character generation is covered in the rules. For your six basic attributes, roll 4d6 and ignore the lowest die. Do this once for each stat, place the results in the attributes that will best help your character.
Downloading rules and making dice out of soap? Yes.

 

4d6? That means I roll a six-sided dice four times, right?

lol, I'm a fast learner

On a serious note, *is* it possible to download the necessary rules, descriptions etc.? I'm not tyring to break any laws, but I think I'll only be playing online, in which case the gear I need will change, won't it?

 

Alright, I gots a couple questions...

First one, easy to answer and kind of embarassing to ask...but what constitudes a "round" when playing? I just got the Invasion of Theed starter, and it mentions the Jedi having "force points" that can be used to juice up attributes in rounds. So here's my question(s): is a round limited to battle situations? What exactly is a round?

Next question...I'm thinking about getting figures to enhance gameplay (real figures, not WOTC's miniatures), and am wondering if there's any places to get lots of loose stormtroopers and battle droids quickly. I found one place selling a bunch of magnetic battle droids from some set at wholesale prices. Are these any good?

As always, thanks in advance. And before everyone sees Episode 2, go support your friendly neighborhood Spiderman in theaters!

 

C_Minor, the gear that your character uses in game will be the same playing on line or on tabletop.

Lone__Gunman, one round is equal to six seconds. Rounds are mostly used in combat, however some Force abilities that have duration of X rounds can be used outside of combat. It is up to the GM to keep track of in game time during these situations.
Anything can be used as miniatures in a game. Those battle droids sound like they would work quite well. Buying loose figures is problematic. Outside of getting lucky at a garage sale, the only thing I can think of is buying them from collectibles shops, but you would end up paying the going rate for them which could get expensive.

 

Ok...so how many rounds comprise a typical combat situation? At first I thought every part of combat was considered a round, then it occurred to me how abusive the idea was that these little lv. 1 Jedi could use the force twice per each section of combat for their benefit. So can they use it just twice per battle *situation* , ie it is assumed that force points regenerate after rest, like hit points and wound points?

Also...yet another sad question...when are saving throws employed? And is it up to the GM's arbitration to determine what they roll against? I was playing through the adventures quickly on my own, seeing how things would play out for my friends when I showed it to them...and then the faux Darth Maul section was just murder on my imaginary team. I was guessing that a fortitude saving throw would be best (being cut in half by a double-bladed lightsaber should qualify as "massive physical damage") and then I was confused: to what do I roll against? See which one gets a higher roll? Arbitrarily say "roll an 11 or better and you're saved?" And is there any limit to how many times a character can use their saving throws? Granted, faux Maul was handing our arses to us, but I'd sympathize with the guy if some little Padawan was just refusing to keel over.

Sorry for the long-windedness...and thanks for the help!

 

Can anyone tell me where to find a fun and entertainting online RPG or MUSH (I think) that does NOT resemble a highly complicated math equation?

 

Combat lasts as many rounds as it needs to. A Jedi can use the Force as many times in a battle as he wants to. Some actions take a full round to do others do not. Example: if a Force power only takes a move action to activate, the Jedi could use this power and still attack, but if the action requires a full round, that is all he can do this turn.

Force points do not have to be used to activate Force powers. They simply give a bonus to the d20 rolls. They do not regenerate. They are gained when a character levels or when the GM awards one for heroic action.

Saving throws are required when the GM says they are, but there are guidelines in the GM section of the Core book to help him decide when to employ them. Usually Fort saves are used when a character takes wound or poison damage. Reflex saves when a situation where someone would normally react by reflex (If a character falls off a bridge, make a reflex save to see if he can grab the rail.) Will saves are usually made against (most) Force or other types of mental attacks. The DC of the save is determined by the GM, who should be using some sort of system to bring constancy to them so that they are not totally arbitrary. As a general rule the harder it is to resist something, the higher the DC will be.

 

Any more questions?

 

C_Minor, I don't know that you can find the rules online, unfortunately, at least, not for the "official" systems. There's a thread around here somewhere about "alternate methods" that lists some other systems that can work for Star Wars if you're willing to customize the rules. One, FUDGE, can be read or downloaded at the official site. The others might be as well, though I'm not sure.

For online RPGing, there are several ways that it's done. One is to have all the players get together in a chat room. Another is via email. There are probably even a few more out there I don't know about.

Whichever set-up you use for the game, there are a couple of ways to determine how the action goes. One is to have each player generate a full character sheet, complete with stats, and for each action the GM or the player rolls to see if they succeed. This can make for slow going, especially in a play-by-email campaign. (AKA PBEM) (Of course, the speed of combat is always slowed by the constant need to roll dice!)

What some choose to do to help speed things up is called "simming." Instead of having character sheets and stats and making rolls, the players have their character idea, and they just react to the situations as the GM presents them, assuming successes or failures based on their character's history and assumed skills and all that. For the money-strapped, this might be a good way to go, so long as you don't have players who think they always succeed at everything they try, no matter how difficult.

If you do go the dice-rolling route, there are some online dice-rolling programs, like those at this site.

Hope that helps!

 

hey Masters what are the skills feats ect for te slicer. [I cant find Thatngamer anywhere!]

 

Can you guys answer me one question?
can i make my own d8s/10s/12s/20s cause where i live in the uk its like impossible to find any.
I mean could i make like a spinner and number it 1-20? Or is there something special about a 20 sided di that I can't recreate?

 

Well how's about joining me at www.ezboard.com ID fthejeditemple94140 where i'm holding a Diplomacy Class or at http://pub66.ezboard.com/bstarwarsrpg49703 (a RPG set in the new hope era)
http://pub66.ezboard.com/bstarwarsrpg6856
(a RPG set in the empire era )

 

You can make a spinner as long as all side are the same. [a friend of mine did it]

 

Have you tried buying dice online?

 

RPG.net Has some links to various on-line vendors of dice and other fun things. And depending on the set-up, there are computer programs that will roll for you, if it's convenient for your game.

 

Hope do you still want that info about slicers?

 

yes please.

 

Ok then...

Requirements:
Base Attack: +3
Skills: Computer Use 7+ ranks, Disable Device 3+ ranks, Forgery 3+ ranks, Read/Write Binary, and Repair 3+ ranks
Feats: Skill Emphasis (Computer Use)
Extra: Must build or modify a computer for slicing.

Class Skills: Appraise, Bluff, Computer Use, Craft, Disable Device, Escape Artist, Forgery, Gather Information, Hide, Knowledge, Move Silently, Profession, Read/Write Language, Repair, Search

1d6 Vitality Die

Ok thats strait from Gamer #5 anything else you want?

 

Ok then...

Requirements:
Base Attack: +3
Skills: Computer Use 7+ ranks, Disable Device 3+ ranks, Forgery 3+ ranks, Read/Write Binary, and Repair 3+ ranks
Feats: Skill Emphasis (Computer Use)
Extra: Must build or modify a computer for slicing.

Class Skills: Appraise, Bluff, Computer Use, Craft, Disable Device, Escape Artist, Forgery, Gather Information, Hide, Knowledge, Move Silently, Profession, Read/Write Language, Repair, Search

1d6 Vitality Die

Ok thats strait from Gamer #5 anything else you want?

 

Okay, My Jedi has two wepon fighting and two lightsabers, would he need ambidexterity. Is he suffering penalties without it? [please exuse my bad spelling]

 

He is getting a -4 penalty to his off-hand without it.

 

Ambidexterity is highly recommended.