"The Jedi Order is as ancient as time itself. It would take the might of the entire galaxy to strike us down."
-Jedi Master Kreia
The Jedi were once a great power in the galaxy, they wielded both political and military strength. They were an organization older than many could remember and they seemed, to all those who cared to look upon them, as a group that would never fall. But that was in times past, that was before the dark times, before the Empire, before Order 66.
"The time has come. Execute Order 66."-Emperor Palpatine
It has been just over 15 years since Palpatine first turned the hand of fate against the Jedi. In that time the ancient and once powerful order has been all but wiped from existence. Those few who survive must do so in places that they might never have known in the past. They must lurk the shadows of backwater worlds. They must blend into the crowds of the underworld. Mingling with all manner of foul criminal for now they is a time of danger for the Jedi, and one of opportunity for those with the courage and skill to hunt them.
But the changes that have overtaken the galaxy have not only effected those who would seek to use the force. The list of those who have been forever changed by the Emperor and his Empire grows and grows. It includes diplomats and leaders who have seen their power stripped from them, Old Republic loyalists who are now wanted as political criminals, smugglers who's jobs have been made both more difficult and infinitely more profitable, and even those who would support the Empire and its promise of peaceful order.
The lives of all things can be looked upon as paths, paths through time, through the galaxy, through existence. And in the end, its not the path we choose that decides who we are, but rather how we walk it and how we react with it crosses another's path.
On the edges of Hutt space travels The Uncharted Bounty. A former luxury cruise ship that has become a haven for those who seek to avoid and escape the Empire. For the past three years The Uncharted Bounty has been under the protection and ownership of Higara The Hutt, a crime lord who's influence has allowed the ship to remain safe from imperial forces.
But now there have been whispers of Jedi using the ships unique situation to their advantage, and there is even rumor of a planned gathering of those would overthrow the Empire taking place within the next few days. Even a powerful hutt does not have the influence to stop Emperor Palpatine from hunting both those loyal to the Old Republic and the Jedi. Though it is unknown to those on board, The Uncharted Bounty's days of being a safe haven are now coming to an end.
Ok, so after some thought, and some seeing just what sorts of interest that everyone has I've come up with a plot that I feel should work very well
.
Basically I want to try and tell the stories of several different aspects of those who would be running from the Empire. Specifically I want to focus on Force users, Rebels(though at this point in Star Wars history there is still no formal Rebellion), and criminals such as smugglers, slavers, etc. If there's interest I'd also be open to telling the story of those who side with the Empire but so far that doesn't seem to be the case. Anyways I've broken each aspect into its own little storyline in my head and if I have enough people interested in said storyline to get it going I'm willing to tell it. Ideally, each of these storylines will run at the same time and inter-cross with one another. The two main (and one optional) storylines are as follows.
The Jedi and the Republic they protected were once great, but now they are fallen. Those who remain loyal to the Republic are now in constant danger. But despite this danger they must act, they must prepare to fight back, they must take action to restore that which once was.
This story will consist mainly of characters who are opposed to the Empire, it will tell of how they attempt to survive, and help to lay the ground work of resistance to The Empire. They will find themselves planning and executing attacks on Imperial installations, freeing Imperial prisoners, and negotiating to rally allies to their side
Not everyone in the galaxy is concerned with who governs it. For many beings it is the smaller things, like how best to make a somewhat less than legal credit, that really matters. For these people, the emergence of the Empire is neither particularly bad or particularly good. It is simply a small change in exactly what punishments they can expect if they are ever captured. As always, they must fight to survive, gain wealth, and above all else never get caught.
This story will focus on characters involved in the galaxy's illegal underworld. They will find themselves trying to make deals with crime lords, running illegal cargo, escaping authorities, and running from bounty hunters.
While those who would seek to see the Empire destroyed are numerous, those who would see it continue for all time are also great in number. Some are simply those seeking power, others are true believers in its message. But, exactly why one would fight for the Empire always leads to the same question. And that question is, just how far will one go to preserve the new order?
This story will focus on those who would fight for the Empire, such as Imperial agents, military members, and to some extent bounty hunters. Players will find themselves fighting to hunt down and destroy enemies of the empire, interrogating subjects, and faced with decisions where no choice is truly 'good.'
Ok, so I don't want to go system heavy with this game, but I do want to have some level of balance and order. So with that in mind I'm going to simply have everyone create their characters and then apply stats to each character based off the following list of stats. It should be noted that these stats will ONLY be used if (1) A player is fighting against NPCs and we need to decide how said fight would go or (2) Player characters are fighting one another and the players can't come to an OOC agreement on who would win. It's my hope that the stats will be rarely used for Player vs Player situations and that it wont hamper creativity at all.
Ok, so the first step in creating your character is to decide which of the above paths you want them to follow. Once you've got that, please pick one of the following roles for each path. Once you've done that, if your character is going to be a force user you'll need to read the 'force users' section, if not you wont. Once that's done its as simple as filling out the character sheet.
Experienced Force User(Required) This would be someone of Jedi Master level skill
Knight Level Force User(Optional) This would be someone who is of Jedi Knight level skill
Inexperienced Force User(Required)Possibly a member of the Jedi Order, or just someone connected to the force
Inexperienced Force User(Optional) Possibly a member of the Jedi Order, or just someone connected to the force
Anti-Imperial Leader(Required) This would be someone who is a leader of others, such as military commander or a politician they would also be someone with a ship.
Anti-Imperial Leader(Optional) This would be someone who is a leader of others, such as military commander or a politician. They would also be someone with a ship.
Anti-Imperial Soldier/Pilot(Required) Someone who is interested in fighting against the Empire
Anti-Imperial Soldier/Pilot(Optional) Someone who is interested in fighting against the Empire
Anti-Imperial Soldier/Pilot(Optional) Someone who is interested in fighting against the Empire
Smuggler Captain(Required) The captain of the smuggling ship, they would also be the owner of the ship
Smuggler Crew(Required) A member of the captain's crew, they would not be likely to own a ship
Smuggler Crew(Optional) A member of the captain's crew, they would not be likely to own a ship
Mid Level Criminal(Required) A criminal in charge of other criminals, but not many
Low Level Crimina(Required)l A low level follower of other criminals, could also be a slave
Low Level Criminal(Optional) A low level follower of other criminals, could also be a slave
Imperial Agent(Required) An agent of the Empire, such as an Emperor's Hand or Imperial Intelligence agent.
Imperial Agent(Optional) An agent of the Empire, such as an Emperor's Hand or Imperial Intelligence agent.
Imperial Officer(Required) An officer in the Imperial military
Imperial Solider(Required) An Imperial solider such as a storm trooper or other soldier.
Imperial Soldier(Optional) An Imperial solider such as a storm trooper or other soldier.
Imperial Solider(Optional) An Imperial solider such as a storm trooper or other soldier.
Bounty Hunter(Required) A bounty hunter hired by the Empire
Bounty Hunter(Optional) A bounty hunter hired by the Empire
[b]Image[/b]
[b]Path[/b] Which path are they on? Rebel? Rogue? Imperial?
[b]Role[/b] What slot do they fill in said path?
[b]Name[/b] What is their name?
[b]Species[/b] What species are they?
[b]Gender[/b] What is their gender?
[b]Age[/b] What is their age? Is this old or young for their species?
[b]Appearance Details[/b] What details on your character's appearance are not shown in their image?
[b]Bio[/b] What is your character's personal history?
[b]Equipment[/b] What equipment does your character have?
[b]Skills:[/b] What unique/special skills does your character have?
[b]Ship[/b] Does your character own a ship? If so what kind?
[b]Force Power[/b] Explained in "The Force" section
[b]Force Skill[/b] Explained in "The Force" section
[b]Dark/Light/Grey[/b] Is your character a Darksider, Lightsider, or in-between? Choose one of the options in bold to tell us which.
[b]Force Techniques[/b] What force techniques is your character able to use, and how skilled are they with them?
The ForceSince The Force is going to/can play a very important part in the game for some characters. An explanation of how it will work in our game is needed. A character's strength in The Force will be measured by 2 ratings. They are
Force Power: The measure of how easily your character can tap into The Force. This does not constitute how skilled they are at using The Force. The best metaphor is that this is the amount of water that is in their well, not how skilled they are at drawing water from their well. There are 5 different levels of Force Power
Level 1 None Characters at this level have no real ability to tap into The Force
Level 2 Low Characters at this level are able to tap into The Force with effort. In earlier times beings with this level of power would come to the attention of The Jedi Order, but would not be able to truly use the force without being inducted into The Jedi training program. Their connection to The Force manifests itself as "luck," "good instincts," and "quick reflexes" without proper training.
Level 3 Moderate Characters at this level have a strong connection to The Force. They have the potential to truly use The Force with or without training. The 'average' Jedi Knight or Sith Apprentice normally possessed this level of power.
Level 4 High Level 4 beings are truly blessed by The Force, they have an exceptional ability to tap into it's power and wield it as they wish. This is the power level that beings such as Mace Windu, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Count Dooku possessed.
Level 5 Very High(Requires GM's Permission) Very few beings in all of galactic history have had a connection to The Force that is strong enough to be ranked at Level 5. The amount of energy they can tap into is near limitless. To compare Level 5 beings to the likes of Yoda, Darth Vader, and Palpatine would not be an overstatement.
&
Force Skill Represents the amount of control with witch a character wields their power. This can best be described as how well they can drive their car, not how fast the car can go.
(Players with a Force Power of Level 1 need not worry about Force Skill)
Level 1 Low Character's at Level 1 have received no formal training. What they know of using the Force has simply come from their experiences in life thus far.
Level 2 Moderate Characters at Level 2 have received some training by another Force user, they can best be compared to Padawans of the old Jedi Order
Level 3 High Characters at Level 3 have completed both basic and advanced levels of training, were these earlier times they would have already passed the Jedi trials and been granted the title of Jedi Knight.
Level 4 Very High(Requires GM's permission) Jedi and Sith Masters are the only beings who can claim Level 4 skill.
This is just a little section to state some things that our game's force users should keep in mind.
Using The Force Has Its Limits You can only do so many things in a certain amount of time before you just run yourself dry. The harder the task/more powerful the ability the more it drains you. Over use the force and you may find yourself notified by the GM that you've simply run out of force energy for the duration of your current fight
You Can Be Beaten The Force isn't a win all tool/ability. It gives you advantages but also disadvantages. Don't get too cocky thinking that your ability to use the force means you will always win (even against NPCs)
There Is a Light and a Dark Side The force has both a light and a dark side. You must choose which side you are to inhabit and then accept the things that come with said decision.
Both Sides are Different Yet Equal Neither the Dark nor the Light (nor even a balance of both) side of the force is stronger than the other. They may be geared toward different things and some things may be easier to do with one side than the other, but they both have their strengths and their weaknesses.
Some Abilities are Only Usable by a Certain Side of The Force There are some skills that lightsiders can't use, and there are some skills that darksiders can't use. The GM will let you know if there is an issue with this. But do bear it in mind.
Your Actions Dictate Your Standing Doing bad things strengthens your connection to the Dark Side and weakens your connection to the Light Side, doing good does the opposite. Doing too much bad or too much good can cause your affiliation to change. Leaving you unable to use some skills but also able to use others that you weren't' before. You'll be notified if your affiliation is changed.
You Should Still Have Much to Learn Even our most skilled force user will have many new skills to learn as the game goes on. So please try to leave room for such growth.
The Dark Side Tempts Those on the Light side of the Force will find themselves tempted by the Dark.
My rules for this role play are as follows (more may come at some point but right now this is it)
1. Be polite and courteous to everyone.: This is a no brainer and has honestly never been a problem for me on E
2. Please actively seek to talk about the game with one another. I've found that the best games are ons where OOC communication is strong so please everyone make an attempt to share ideas and work together to create a better story for all.
3. Players should try to create characters that can easily come into contact/interact with one another. This game will have a good amount of combat it in but it will be even more focused (in my vision of the game) on interaction between characters. So that means that we will all have to keep character interaction in mind as we create our characters.
4. Players should be dedicated to taking part in the game. I can only handle so many players in one game, so if you do take up a slot please be an active participant.
If you're interested please feel free to state so, if I garner enough interest I'll get a character sheet up and get to work setting this game up.
p.s. please make sure to mention how you feel about a possible (limited and unobtrusive) system or lack there of.
