Reference The Game Designer's Group

I think we should not overanalyse now. A short text doesn´t have the effect of a long one and Star Wars HAD a tradition of historic fact-exposition in the first text that rolls over the screen, forgot? I think it is fine to have that second text, it was only the first that totally did not do anything to me. And having two of them makes it one too many, anyway.

But I say keep the second.

 

Star Wars gave us new info rather than recapping stuff in generalities that we already know in intimate detail. "tl;dr" is a real thing on the internet.

 

Not to mention I've got to be a geek here and point out the opening crawl was inspired by/an homage to film serials' awful recapping habit.

EDIT: And man, don't even make me bring up the RotS opening. You know I will. And no one wants that.

 

WAR!

 

EVIL IS EVERYWHERE

 

And yet there are heroes on both sides.

....That should keep you guys thinking while I work <.< *type type type*

 

Well, the historic exposition in the opening crawl got new infos, because the movies progress. If you look ESB then RotJ and then ANH the last one actually gives you a few pretty well known info. As Sarge´s game plays between ESB and RotJ I don´t see why he can´t "fake" giving us new info which we actually know.

I think to be true to the OT feel, we need a chapter like this. I like the short version LordT put up. The years gives us a lot info and then the whole ambush on the convoy thng is new to us . . .

I might be minority here, but it works for me.


You know what? Having a GDG is great. Other boards don´t have something like this. They should though. They should.

 

Yeah but the Battle of Derra IV can be stacking a bit to it I admit. I mean the loss at Hoth is enough to go by saying how screwed the Rebellion is right now. Derra IV can be something else that pops up elsewhere in the game for discussion or something I did take out the first paragraph of the story and I reduced the first two paragraphs to one but, otherwise, I've kind of left things a bit unchanged with what's going into the actual game intro

 

Post it!

 

I still need to make up the second post! Gawd!

 

Alright, here be the first part of the post! I cut a couple paragraphs, shortened the rules, and all-in-all I don't think anyone will have a problem with this part. But don't let that stop you from any last-minute critiques.



3 ABY - The Rebellion

[image=http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080415144651/starwars/images/d/d8/DefTF.jpg]

Before the rise of the New Republic and the reestablishment of the Jedi Order, there was the Galactic Empire and the Rebellion that was needed to bring it down. Established by men and women of varying species who have grown tired of being ordered to kneel at the feet of the Emperor Palpatine, the Rebellion was a rallying point for all those wishing to strike back. Though outnumbered and outgunned against the might of the Empire, the Rebels nonetheless changed history in the face of these odds. This is the story of one group of Rebels that took on the worst that the Imperials had to throw at them.

[image=http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20070612034841/starwars/images/thumb/e/ee/Battlefront_promoart.jpg/530px-Battlefront_promoart.jpg]

The Story

The game takes place one month after the catastrophic defeat at Hoth where Echo Base had succumbed to the ruthlessness of Vader?s Death Squadron. With the use of probe droids, the rebel facility was discovered and quickly destroyed with the might of the dreaded walkers and 501st Legion. It had been thought that the Rebel Alliance had been ended and with good reason; over half of the evacuating transports had been shot down trying to break through the Imperial blockade and anyone who had been unable to reach the ships in time were killed or taken prisoner. Severely weakened, the Rebellion was forced to scatter their fleet while Imperial task forces were sent out to hunt them down.

But they were only weakened. Despite the loss of prominent heroes over the years such as Jan Dodonna, Han Solo, Arhul Narra, and several others, the Rebel Alliance?s leadership was still intact. And with the acquisition of more and more new allies such as the recently-promoted Supreme Commander of the Rebel Fleet Admiral Ackbar and the rest of the Mon Calamari, the Rebel Alliance is far from over. Nonetheless, it is being hounded by the Emperor?s massive forces. Unwilling to risk consolidating their forces and leadership in one place in fear of a repeat of Hoth, the Rebellion has decided to seek protection within the vastness of space.

Retreating into the Outer Rim, the Rebel Fleet has divided into small groups. Their mission? To survive. To harass Imperial forces in any way possible while these groups gather resources, ships, allies, and strength.

For the Dissenter Task Force, they find themselves in the Pondera Sector where the Empire has already established a presence. With the construction of hastily-erected space platforms and sensor arrays that have been established to give the Empire the eyes, ears, and force necessary to subjugate the sector. Though there are worlds that have been swayed to side with the Empire ? whether through negotiations or force -, the campaign to ?pacify? Pondera is hardly going as smoothly as the Empire?s finest would like. A moderate pirate presence has been formed in response to the Imperial intrusion and the militia forces on a number of worlds have not exactly proven cooperative to Imperial ambassadors which may require the Imps to request reinforcements to deal with them.

Until then, the Pondera Sector is a suitable patch of space for the rebellious men and women of the Dissenter Task Force. Here the fires of rebellion have already been lit. All that?s needed is a raid on a supply line here, assaulting one of those Imperial sensor arrays there, a treaty with one or two of those pirate groups, and the Rebels may find their little group to become a formidable force that could be a great aid to the Rebellion when it comes time to strike back at the Empire.

As long as they can survive the inevitable Imperial reprisal that is sure to come that is.

[image=http://images1.wikia.

 

Alright, now here's the second part. This one I'm a bit more uneasy about considering, as I mentioned before, I had something like this in my second draft before I decided to erase it and considered it to be too much. But, as many have pointed out, if the players are indeed hooked on the game, then it wouldn't hurt to have something to give them more information about the task force and what their characters will be a part of. So with that....



[image=http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090923175314/starwars/images/thumb/9/92/Rebels-BF.jpg/538px-Rebels-BF.jpg]

Dissenter Task Force

Named after its command ship, the Dissenter Task Force is one of the dozens of groups that had broken off from the main Rebel Fleet in order to evade capture while performing hit-and-run tactics against pursuing Imperial forces. However, while the task force is able to launch attacks against supply convoys and lightly-guarded space stations and sensor arrays, even combined the task force can find itself outmatched against one of the Empire?s Star Destroyers. Fact of the matter is that being so far out in the Outer Rim after Echo Base?s destruction and with no other major Rebel Alliance supply bases around, the task force is on its own with minimal supplies, personnel, and most of their weapons and fighters being outdated.

[image=http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080721224322/starwars/images/e/ec/Venator_clonewars.jpg]
The old Venator-class Star Destroyer, the Dissenter, serves as the flagship as well as a mobile base and command center for the men and women of the task force. Having been modified to fulfill the secondary role of a carrier, the warship is the home of Rebel pilots and soldiers that would load up into starfighters or assault transports, launch towards the latest Imperial target, and then return to rearm and recharge for the next attack. Though having once been a formidable warship during its time in the Clone Wars, the Destroyer is severely outgunned and outclassed by nearly every modern Star Destroyer that the Empire has in its fleets so its main focus is to be used as a platform that allows Rebel forces to carry out their hit-and-run attacks.

However, even the Dissenter finds itself hard-pressed to field an effective fighting force. Though the Rebel Alliance has obtained X-Wings that are renown for having fired the shot that killed the Death Star, the Dissenter only fields a little over a squadron of those fighters that are designated as Red Squadron. Blue Flight is used to designate the four valuable A-Wings while Green Group is made up of six B-Wings. With that, all the Dissenter has left are two squadrons of older fighters with Gold Squadron made up of Y-Wings and Gray Squadron formed out of Z-95 Headhunters. The rest of the ship?s hangar space is used for assault transports and shuttles to transport the task force?s ground forces and whatever other ships that the Rebels may possess.

It is at the bridge of this ancient vessel that the captain and overall commander of the task force ? Commodore Kayl Alder ? issues orders to the men and women under his command. The aging human had served as a bridge officer on a Dreadnaught ?class heavy cruiser during the Clone Wars and, later on, was promoted to command the same Star Destroyer that he now leads from. Two years before the Battle of Yavin, Alder, becoming increasingly agitated with the conduct of the Empire?s finest ? especially when it came to aliens -, had been contacted by agents of the newly-formed Rebel Alliance and was convinced to join the Rebellion.

[image=http://images.wikia.com/starwars-exodus/images/3/31/MC40a.jpg]
One of the many starships that has entered in the service of the Rebellion with their alliance to the Mon Calamari, the Hikahi is a MC40a light cruiser that has been assigned to the task force. With its varied armaments of turbolaser turrets, ion cannons, and warhead launchers, the cruiser provides some additional firepower to the task force. Nonetheless, like

 

There are matters of taste and matters of quality.

I would have made some things different, no doubt. But not necessary better. It would just make it a Fin OP. Now it´s a Sarge OP. So let´s push that stuff aside.

Qualitywise it is perfect. I see no single flaw in it, anymore. Even the intro - which is still not my style - actually works when you read on. It becomes well integrated into the rest.

second post is actually now a totally different experience. Und the assumption I read it to make a character it is outright wonderful. The ships come alive to me. I feel like I know what to expect. And it is balanced, Star Warsy and interesting.

I think it´s ready. I really think it is interesting and got a very high quality OP.

Rock n´Roll baby!

 

The main OP is a bit uninteresting to me, but that has more to do with the story and not the actual content of the post. But the second part about the ships is where the game shines to me. The ships are like the homes and you have to protect your home, especially since the Rebels wont have worlds they can dock to often in the sector. The second post just makes this better to see than anything in the RPF right now, its so interesting and engaging because there is an actual firm sense of hierarchy and figureheads, being the commanders of each vessel.

So for a first post, it's very well done and creative.

-b

 

Agreed. Basically, it wasn't until this version of the OP that I realized that this RP, probably 100% intentionally, features much of what made
[image=http://www.nsidetech.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/battlestar-galactica-last-supper-2008.jpg]
work so well for the first two seasons, and then manage to stay afloat amid that "What the ****?!" of the last two.

 

So, when I start working on a game I critique it to the end. Not much to do here, though. Last day today, is it? How fitting you made it a completed game within your 7 days Sarge. It is certainly not the most creative and groundbreaking OP. It is pretty mainstream. And you know what? That is what makes it perfect. You are going back to mainstream here. It is the most basic SW story ever told. Rebellion against Empire. Therefore the conservative approach serves you very well. All in all it looks interesting enough, got depth and detail and is well written. I agree with those above who said it´s complete. Timing works now, too. Nice OP. Really nice OP.

Bring it up and let the players come, I would say.

Sorry for picking you out blue, but I read a lot about this from various users since I returned to lurking.

And as opinions seem to be very popular right now, here you got mine.

You know what? This competitive thinking is the greatest problem you guys have with making good games. I know, I know someone will rub the age of most users here under my nose any second now. But no matter what is your age, EGO is not a good advisor. It is not an advisor AT ALL. It simply is a liar who follows very much his own interests.

Make a game, not a pokemon to compete with the other pokemons called games.

 

I wrote this one a while back and let it sit for a good long time. Recently there was discussion of continuing AFaS or of instituting a new AU RP, so I decided to resurrect this and throw it out there.

---

[i]"Even though I knew that the Senate was corrupt, the Council was fallible, and Jedi training methods far from perfect, I remained with the Jedi Order for twelve years after Galidraan. Why? Because I still believed that I could accomplish some good as a Jedi. I thought I could bring about some positive changes, right certain wrongs, and do better than maintain the status quo. In short, I was an utter fool."[/i]

[blockquote][b]- Darth Tyranus[/b][/blockquote]

[image=http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/d/df/Lightdark.jpg]

The betrayal was swift.

Darth Tyranus knew enough of his master?s ways to know that this was no partnership, that the old man would not honor their plans and their deals. He was too selfish, too greedy. Sidious? overconfidence was his weakness; there he was, shackled to a chair, unconvinced of his vulnerability. With a few quick strokes of his lightsaber, Darth Tyranus showed the venerable Chancellor the flaw in his planning.

Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Negotiator, crushed beneath a fallen platform, was killed next. Skywalker, the Hero With No Fear, was too strong and brash to be fought honorably. Sidious was wise to want to train him, but where he may have served the kindly old Chancellor Palpatine, he would not serve Dooku, particularly not after watching the Count kill both his mentors in the space of a few minutes. No, it took a veritable army to destroy Skywalker ? General Grievous called upon every droid he could muster and, combined with Dooku?s command of the Force, the Chosen One finally fell, his spirit entering the Unifying flow kicking and screaming.

And then it was done.

Without Palpatine?s machinations to hold back the Confederacy?s full might and construct a Republic?s victory, they fought as they always knew they could. Coruscant fell. The Galaxy buckled. The Republic fled to the Outer Rim and were, to some extent, tolerated. Emperor Dooku ruled.

And twenty years passed.

Above the planet Tatooine, the [i]Tantive IV,[/i] carrying information vital to the survival of the Republic Remnant, is chased by the [i]Invisible Hand[/i] and its foul cyborg commander, Lord Grievous. Luke and Leia Skywalker, scions of the Chosen One and soon to be Jedi Knights themselves, realize that their situation is untenable. They must do something swiftly, or the galaxy will be lost to Emperor Dooku and his droid army forever.

[b][u]Factions[/u][/b]
[hr]
[b]The Empire[/b]
[image=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Confederacy_of_Independent_Systems.svg/149px-Confederacy_of_Independent_Systems.svg.png]
At the end of the Liberation War (known to some as the Clone Wars or the War of Republic Oppression) in 16 rS the galaxy was conquered and redivided into the Confederation, a loose, semi-feudal conglomeration of corporate and political bodies all swearing to a single constitution under Count Dooku, who administrated from Coruscant. As had the Sith Lord's plan from the start, however, Dooku was within two years made Emperor of the First Galactic Empire - one of the few ideas Dooku borrowed from his former master. Opposition from long time allies was quelled, and many partner commercial interests in the Clone Wars were nationalized. Compliance, on the other hand, was lavishly rewarded. The Senate and the Throne are both on Coruscant. Human High Culture laws have been relaxed in the intervening years, though Humans and Near Humans continue to receive preference in practice. System governors are not merely politicians, but enjoy a sort of aristocratic grace; in fact, many are bestowed hereditary noble titles.

The Empire prizes loyalty, efficiency, culture and bearing - it is often said to be modeled on the old Count Dooku himself.

[u][i]The Imperial Droid Army[/i][/u]
[image=http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/b/bf/Homingspidergeonosis.jpg]
While organic tr

 

I will try to find time for an in depth look later, but for now I realize you left out the one and only thing that is the primary concern of every player when it comes to AU games.

WHO CAN I PLAY?

Are Dooku, Luke, Leia and all Jedi up for the taking? For example.

 

I agree with this 100%.

(bet you never thought you'd hear me say that LordT )

The RPF is not a zero-sum game: one good game does not make the other games worse. One good GM does not make the others worse. Yes there is some element of competition - you compete for players, for Awards - but for the vast majority of the time, if you make a good game the players will come, regardless of what else is out there.

---

Now that's an idea I haven't seen before, Matt. I am intrigued. :D

And yes: what can we play?? Can we be members of any of those factions you mention there? What about canon characters?

(You're also missing rules and the CS, but those are pretty standard, I'm sure you'll be able to shove those in somewhere in the OP.)

 

As always, I not only will allow canon characters, I will encourage them. After all, the fun of an AU is seeing how things we know turned out differently.

I think the only character I'll consider off limits is Dooku, and that's only because I think, as in most of the Original Trilogy, he will be a distant character pulling the strings from afar. That being said, I will probably put a lot of thought into which characters to approve, because AFAS shined - as do most games - when large groups are interacting in one plot thread, and if things get too sprawling, it becomes difficult.

As for rules, yeah I don't think anything particularly interesting will apply here.

As for CSes, though, I'm actually really enjoying how blubeast's system in Origins is working, as it allows for, as in other forms of writing, adaptation and growth as the story goes on. It seems especially useful in this instance, an AU that's been AU for twenty years now, where we're collaboratively building what the galaxy looks like.

 

Xany, I knew one day you would We were meant to agree on something. Now I can rest my RPing career and know I did it all!

But yes to your additions, too. Exactly!

---

Okay, it wouldn´t be me if I did pass on a spiritual sequel of my beloved AFAS.

Very well. Let´s see. I like the AU-spin. Dooku is a good villain and it automatically avoids any comparison to AFAS. It immediately brings a dozen ideas to the head. Anyway, I see some stuff that could be improved in my humble opinion. So I just list it and people can feel free to discuss or ignore it.

1. Not another rebellion. I think if it went down like this the Jedi would not have retreated to the Outer Rim (which was actually in the Confeds hands, I believe) and with their machinery of war they could secure some planets. Do something interesting iwth it. Let them have the deep core! Empress Teta, Foerost, Tython? Allied with the Chiss? With Vjun and Praktih in their backyard?
Make them a bit stronger, I´d say. Have it a civil war or cold war with the odds heavy in Dukes er Dookus favours. Let them worry about planets to defend and hear rumors of the great offensive operation of Dooku. Give it a few new spins and twists and turns. It makes more unique stories and it doesn´t feel that forced to reenact the OT. Because this won´t be an OT. Not with that many Jedi around.

2. Where is Vader? I don´t mean Anakin, but the second Sith? The guy the characters will go head-to-head with. The Executor. The Dark Prince. The head of the evil round table. The Lancelot of evil. And . . . who is it? and don´t even dare to CONSIDER Savage Opress. [face_tongue] Yeah, now you´re looking. old man watches Clone Wars. Kinda like it, actually.

3. Go into depth with the Tantive IV situation. It is a wonderful in media res beginning.

4. Pictures. Mando pic is too dark. Can barely see it. Droid picture is not graceful enough for an Empire. Something with more order might be good. Like the march into Geonosis arena.

5. Better do hell of a casting for Luke! [face_tongue] I mean Luke without Larsons and Obi Wan? maybe much more like his father and . . . okay I stop it, I wanted to point out it is inspiring.

6. Otherwise I wanna point out this one looks good. Really good. It might even tempt me . . . I´ll lurk anyway.

7. Facts and factions in a second post I say.

 

[face_hug]

Tehehehee....

That's an interesting proposition. As I mentioned, the Remnant has a few worlds and is, to some extent, tolerated. The idea of having them in the core is interesting, though...and I must admit the alliance with Chiss is...hm...

I kind of like it, too. But no, not Savage. It's an interesting question, as in the OP I obviously have Grievous playing the Vader role. Ultimately, I initially saw the role as being kind of split - Grievous the military commander and Ventress the hunter, warrior, and Sith apprentice. But the Fist of the Empire as a whole might fit such a role, no?

As was the original it's based on haha.

Do you mean that you want to know what they're carrying and who to?

Without them and with some sort of Jedi training his entire life, a vibrant Jedi Order, and, presumably, mommy Padme.

I'd love love love to have you. Obviously.

Fair dues.

 

2.) Yes, they can perfectly fill the role, but I always think there is a stronger . . . more intense drama when there is ONE person they can really blame. A single dark force that is the driving power behind the whole trouble they have DESPITE the shadowy figure in the background. Asajj Ventress is a good choice. My idea was that one of the Clone War Jedi might also have fallen. Or . . . Sora Bulq might be alive.

3.) I meant it would be a good "introduction scene" probably from Grievs perspective. More prose like. It would put me even more into the world to see it happening again, instead of only been reported. And then with the twist. You know?

A long time ago . . . opening roll . . .

Then description of the small Tantive IV chased by the Invisible Hand . . .

And then the text you got there about what happened.

5.) Yes. Padme would be alive! Hadn´t realized that.


Clone Wars got a few nice things you could use here. Like this Supership he had in season one, they might now be mass produced and serve as flagships and such things.