Looking to play Star Wars SAGA

[FragarachZ]

Hello dear people of Elliquiy!

I was getting back into Star Wars mood lately and wondered if anyone were up to run a system game set sometime between the movie trilogies, basically during the dark times of the empire. I'd like one of the major parts of the story to be avoiding imperial entanglements, perhaps the characters are ex-jedi, early rebels or just outlaws the authorities would want to round up. Trying to get past checkpoints and cargo inspections might involve bluffing, bribing, or misdirecting authorities. Perhaps the ship captain has to distract the stormtroopers from finding contraband or their identities until a female crewmember blows their commanding officer to persuade him to let them pass? Or the party might seek shelter in the underworld of crime lords, where they have to lay low pretending to be bounty hunters and dancers? Maybe they're in a race to find as much remaining records and knowledge of the now extinct jedi as they can, to hide it from the inquisition for when there might be a chance for rebuilding the order? In which case the empire's agents might have just the sexual interrogation techniques to make a captured character talk...and moan? So many possibilities, so many ideas... but ultimately I'd be down with playing almost any type of scenario as long as it's not during the prime of the jedi order. Honestly I think space samurai wizards are cool, but being one should mean an immense risk.
If a GM would have interest in running a SAGA game along (or close) to any of these, I'd be more than happy to play. Heck I'd be even up to play through dawn of defiance, perhaps with a bit less filler parts, and a little bit of sexy thrown in.
I also don't mind streamlining play a bit to make it easier to run a system game on the forum, but I would like it to be a system game using saga.

Many thanks if anyone's interested. :)

[Muse]

  This is something I would love to play as well.  (Or just about any other star wars game.) 

[KirbysFolly]

I just signed up for another Star Wars game, but I would be all over a system-based one, especially set during the time period mentioned in Frag's post.

[Cassandra LeMay]

I am rather tempted to offer my services as a GM, as I was thinking about maybe starting an interest check for a SW Saga game anyway. But I would deviate in some important aspects from the ideas in the opening post. So if you folks want to wait a little and see if someone else offers a game more in line with the original request that's fine by me.

Here's what I could offer:

Time period: A few months after the battle of Endor. The Empire is slowly beginning to fall apart and split into factions, while the Rebel Alliance gathers its forces and slowly begins to liberate imperial star systems.
Setting: A small sector (something like 8-10 inhabited systems) under imperial control.
The Players: A group of Rebel operatives (can be rebel soldiers, political dissidents, or hired help) on a mission to scout the sector and make contact with local dissidents, gather information on imperial personnel and ship strength, engage in acts of sabotage, and whatever else it takes to pave the way for an eventual Alliance assault on the sector.
Content: Action adventure; sexy smexy scenes with NPCs probably few and far between, as I'm not all that interested in writing sex scenes. Doesn't mean it can't happen at all, but don't expect too much in the smut department.

If someone else volunteers to run a game in the Rise of the Empire period I would be happy to play in that game. It's just not what I, personally, would run as a GM.

[FragarachZ]

I like the setting of your adventure Cassandra LeMay.

I'd be interested in playing in your game as long as canon heroes don't show up to hog all the spotlight (seeing how this is closer to the movie eras) and your setting of imperial controlled space is its own sandbox we get to discover and play in. Not sure if I like the idea of casually slipping out of imperial space and highfiveing Luke Skywalker for bringing the primary threat of our time to its knees. I'd like the shadow cast by the Empire to still be a threat and oppressing force that would require skill and cunning to maneuver past.

[Muse]

  I'd enjoy that setting, Cas.  If you decide to run it, please count me in. 

[Cassandra LeMay]

I like the setting of your adventure Cassandra LeMay.

Just call me Cass. 

I'd be interested in playing in your game as long as canon heroes don't show up to hog all the spotlight (seeing how this is closer to the movie eras) and your setting of imperial controlled space is its own sandbox we get to discover and play in. Not sure if I like the idea of casually slipping out of imperial space and highfiveing Luke Skywalker for bringing the primary threat of our time to its knees. I'd like the shadow cast by the Empire to still be a threat and oppressing force that would require skill and cunning to maneuver past.

If there will be any high-fiving it will be Luke congratulating you on a job well done. I have no intention whatsoever of having the canon characters show up (except maybe Admiral Ackbar or General Madine or someone like that for the initial mission briefing, to drive home that this mission is important). This will be the players' mission(s), period. If I ever need a deus-ex-machina it will be an ally the characters made during one of their adventures, and not one of the canon heroes.

  I'd enjoy that setting, Cas.  If you decide to run it, please count me in.

Count on me counting you in.

[FragarachZ]

Yeah I'd rather keep it mostly if not entirely original. Still I'm itching to be on the player side of the table for once and not quote Palpatine every 5 minutes. OK, count me in.

[Cassandra LeMay]

Alright then ... Now, how to proceed ... I think it might be best to work out a few small details here, before I put out a general interest check. I usually don't play favorites, and this is kinda a new situation for me. But since you guys were here first I think you should have dibs on crew positions, character roles, and so on.

So who does want to play what kind of character?

I am thinking about level 6 for starting characters, with point-build attributes (30 points maybe? not sure yet). Level 5 characters would also be fine by me, or a mix of level 5 and 6. I figure if someone is a bit uncertain about their character they could make a level 5 character with enough XP to bring them to level 6 after one or two short missions. That might allow more flexibility and opportunities to adjust a character to what the group needs after we get to know characters and setting better. But level 6 with just enough XP for that level is fine by me too.
Or would you folks rather roll your stats, instead of point-buy? I could live ith a 4d6, count best 3, place as desired stat creation method, as long as no one tries to cheat so obviously that I have to feel insulted. 

Also. since you guys will be having your own ship I'll have to decide what ship you'll get. Maybe just PM me with one aspect you consider most important for the ship? (speed, offense, defense, maneuverability, something else) There are several options I have in mind, but some players input can't hurt.

Oh, and as for races, rules, and so on: I would like characters to be build with only the core rules feats, classes, and talents. That puts everyone on an equal footing, no matter what rulebooks they have, and it makes things easier for me. Races you can take from other rulebooks, but clear that with me first, please.

[Muse]

  Would 39 point buy be too much?  Maybe 36? 

  Oh... 

  Core rules feats and talents takes out some of the options I like.  For example, a martial artist is a lot more competitive with the talent that lets them apply their strength modifier twice.  Still stuff I can work with.  When we get to prestige class level, will that be included? 

  Will force using characters be acceptable?  We're still early enouhg in the story taht Jedi should be pretty rare it sounds like.  Personaly I usualy don't use a force using character.  (After all, SOMEONE'S got to not use the force.    )  But I imagine people would want to know. 

 

[Cassandra LeMay]

I think I could be persuaded to allow a 36 point build, but I may call for a limit of 1 or 2 stats above a certain number. It's something I might have to sleep on, but I might end up placing some limits on max stat levels, to prevent a character from completely outshining those who go for a balanced build. But do points really matter, as long as your character is the strongest, fastest, smartest, whatever in the group, no matter how many points everyone gets to build their character?

Prestige classes are a bridge we will cross when we reach it, but my first instinct is to say that taking a prestige class should require some in-character actions and gameplay events anyway. You don't become a Crime Lord if you never had any dealings with the underworld, don't become an Ace Pilot if you never sat in a fighter cockpit, and so on. If someone really works toward acquiring some prestige class skills and talents I will not stand in his way, but if someone intends to take a Prestige Class at their next level I would ask them to let me know well in advance so I can take a close look at that class and figure out how best to work it into the game.

The Force... Good question... Right now I am thinking more about adventures and the setting, but ... Yes. Force Sensitivity is a feat like any other. If you want to take it, take it. Levels as a Jedi, now that's a different matter. In a setting like this I woul say you can take half (rounded down) your levels as a Jedi - provided you have a background that makes sense of it. If you want to take more than that as Jedi levels I might require a character to be old enough to have received some initial training during the times of the Old Republic. That could mean being 'old age' and having your stats adjusted according to table 7-2 (p.110) "Aging Effects".

@FragarachZ: This is still your interest check, so the moment you want me to take this to another thread, you just say so and it will be done.

[FragarachZ]

Levels 5-6 in my experience are perfect for a small group starting out. If we start with 5th level and earn 6th after one or two short missions, it gives a general feat which can represent the characters growing and adapting to their new environment and situation within the game mechanics. If we start at 6th, we're closer to the more specialized and archetypical prestiege classes that the heroes can achieve. Either point buy or rolling for attributes is fine with me. I'm good with as little or as many sourcebooks as the GM wants. For the ship, I guess it would also depend on who owns it? I love some of the classics, maybe with a bit of tweaking, that I'd like riding around, but I guess we get what we get.

For my character I'm thinking either
a) A force sensitive human, descent from clone war veteran jedi who deserted and went into hiding. He wouldn't have known of his heritage until very recently when his parents passed on. They did their best to shield him from the eyes of the galaxy, so he's a fringer and a greenhorn mercenary currently caught between two worlds. He believes the jedi way of old flawed (it must be if his parents left it), but is intrigued by the possibilities opened up by his untapped potential, even if he has trouble drawing it out for now. Depending on how we want the story to go he may or may not have inherited a lightsaber, a weapon he is fascinated with, just for the sheer amount of restraint and discimpline needed to even use it properly. He'd be eager to oppose the rebellion and is secretly angry with his family for keeping him out of the fight. (scout/soldier, maybe with a level of jedi mixed in if he picks up a saber. could go a force adepth path eventually, but he really, really likes those lightsabers)

b) A gearheaded alien spacer babe complete with her own ship and astrodroid sidekick that she likes to tinker with. She probably worked for the Alliance in the past either my smuggling personnel or medical supplies (not weapons though). She has a nasty scar on one side of her face she suffered years ago in an imperial attack. She was traumatized by the experience and is genuinely scared in combat or when confronted by imperials, making her prefer the safety of her ship and companions, and always trying to talk or cheat her way out of a situation, leaving fighting to others. While others would engage imperials in a brawl or firefight, she'd be hidden somewhere hacking a terminal to get her friends an edge. (noble/scoundrel most likely with lots of pluses in tech-based skills and piloting. definitely ace pilot material with the possibility of one of the techie prestiege classses long-term)

c) A martial artist and former holonet star who fought in the galactic championship, but because he is an alien was sabotaged by the empire at the time. He lost one of his arms and his career was ruined. He turned to alcohol and drugs, having a hard time getting back on his feet. A friend with connections to the rebels helped him out later, setting him up with a prosthetic arms that was salvaged and modified from a defunct super battledroid. He's now back to make the lives of imperial leadership miserable, either with a blaster or an iron fist. He enjoys punching troopers in the face. (soldier/noble focused on brawling and morale. martial arts material long term prestiege classwise, with maybe some upgrades to his droid arm?)

[Cassandra LeMay]

Levels 5-6 in my experience are perfect for a small group starting out. If we start with 5th level and earn 6th after one or two short missions, it gives a general feat which can represent the characters growing and adapting to their new environment and situation within the game mechanics. If we start at 6th, we're closer to the more specialized and archetypical prestiege classes that the heroes can achieve. Either point buy or rolling for attributes is fine with me. I'm good with as little or as many sourcebooks as the GM wants. For the ship, I guess it would also depend on who owns it? I love some of the classics, maybe with a bit of tweaking, that I'd like riding around, but I guess we get what we get.

The Ghtroc 720 is definitely on my list, as are various YT models and the Kazellis light freighter. But another option would also be a frigatte-sized transport that can carry several speeder bikes and/or a landspeeder. Not a ship that would engage in dogfights, but it might still be an option.

For my character I'm thinking either
a) A force sensitive human, descent from clone war veteran jedi who deserted and went into hiding. ...

c) A martial artist and former holonet star who fought in the galactic championship, but because he is an alien was sabotaged by the empire at the time. ...

Have you thought about combining those two ideas? Someone who always felt his parents were hiding something from him and turned to the fighting circuit to escape from them, only to discover that there may be more to fighting than raw strength when his parents were killed? Maybe someone who discovered through a defeat that strength isn't all, the "boxing champ" beat by the "judo master"? Something like that that sets up an internal conflict between strength and discipline?

[FragarachZ]

Okay, so...

A force sensitive human who was in the local dueling ring where he had a career early on because he felt his parents were secretive and overprotective with him and wanted to prove them wrong. Eventually he got unwanted attention and the Imperials wanted to pay him off and lose on purpose, that he refused. As a result, the Imperials ruined his career and almost killed him, but his father intervened. Seeing how his skill alone wouldn't save all the time the character started asking questions of his parents, realizing they were not colonists but jedi deserters. They left the clone wars and the jedi ways, but now that the character now of the force he needed some guidance at least. The character learned some basic, almost subconscious use of the Force to complement his skills, but after the passing of his parents had no one to give him any, least of all formal training. He would have eventually left the fringe world he was on and become a mercenary or spacer along others and got mixed up with a rebel contact.
I picture him sort of like Annikin Starkiller but with a more fringe/regular raising and no formal training, trying to find balance between skill and instinct stuck between two worlds.

or there's still the techie/pilot who has a paralyzing fear of personal combat and prefers being behind machines than before the enemy.

[Cassandra LeMay]

I'm fine with either character concept. As long as the bio answers when, where, why, and how the character got mixed up with the Rebellion I should be able to work with it. And the final bio doesn't have to be all that complex or detailed, if anyone has trouble coming up with details.

[FragarachZ]

Ok, I'll try to see how I'd build the character then. Any source you want or don't want us to use?

[KirbysFolly]

Man, everything happens when I go to sleep. 

I'll go dig up my book and take a look at the classes, but I'd be interested in this new idea, too.

Edit- Thinking maybe former scout on a fringe world. Responsible for keeping wildlife away from the town, rescuing lost people, leading expeditions and such. When the Empire moved in to take things over, they saw first-hand the brutality and destructiveness of the Empire. No longer having any purpose at home, they left their homeworld, eventually ending up in contact with a member of the Rebel Alliance. From there, it was a natural move to turn their bitterness at the Empire into action against it.

[Cassandra LeMay]

Ok, I'll try to see how I'd build the character then. Any source you want or don't want us to use?

As I said, for feats, talents, and so on, I'd like to stick with the core rulebook. If you want to play a race from one of the sourcebooks, be my guest. I have a couple of sourcebooks and if I don't have a book you take a race from I can probably find enough information online to look up what we are dealing with.

Edit- Thinking maybe former scout on a fringe world. Responsible for keeping wildlife away from the town, rescuing lost people, leading expeditions and such. When the Empire moved in to take things over, they saw first-hand the brutality and destructiveness of the Empire. No longer having any purpose at home, they left their homeworld, eventually ending up in contact with a member of the Rebel Alliance. From there, it was a natural move to turn their bitterness at the Empire into action against it.

Sounds good to me. Maybe someone who helped your character get off that planet got you in touch with the Rebellion (or worked for it)? Might depend a bit on the circumstances of your scout leaving that planet. Did they just take the next ship out, was there some repression by the Empire they had to escape from in a hurry, etc.?

[FragarachZ]

As I said, for feats, talents, and so on, I'd like to stick with the core rulebook.

Okay, I'll keep to those then. Sorry I missed it before.

[KirbysFolly]

Sounds good to me. Maybe someone who helped your character get off that planet got you in touch with the Rebellion (or worked for it)? Might depend a bit on the circumstances of your scout leaving that planet. Did they just take the next ship out, was there some repression by the Empire they had to escape from in a hurry, etc.?

Hmm. I'm thinking maybe they stuck around for a little while afterward. This gave them some time to see the Empire treat citizens poorly, and perhaps they complained about this (in semi-private, I think). An old friend let them know that the Imperials were going to pick them up, and they made a hasty exit from the planet, enlisting some help to get past the guards and such at the starport.

[Ephiral]

Just a minor warning from experience: I've (semi-accidentally; was going for strong but not overwhelming) snapped the game in half with a 36-point Force user before. Built properly, they only need one great and one good stat, and 36 points lets them get that without any deficiencies.

Edit: By way of useful advice, watch out for Cha total of 20+ with solid Wis, and especially for kinetic specialists. A well-built kineticist is amazing battlefield control, solid with a lightsaber, can end entire encounters in one round in the right circumstances, and has ridiculous endurance as a caster. (I literally never got down to 50% powers.)

[Cassandra LeMay]

Just a minor warning from experience: I've (semi-accidentally; was going for strong but not overwhelming) snapped the game in half with a 36-point Force user before. Built properly, they only need one great and one good stat, and 36 points lets them get that without any deficiencies.

Thanks for the warning. 

I've rolled a few sets of attributes with the 4d6 method and got several good, solid sets that were the equivalent of a 33 or 34 point build. If that's what the dice turn up it can't be so bad for the point-buy method either, I guess.

Lets go with 33 points for character attributes.

[FragarachZ]

Just a minor warning from experience: I've (semi-accidentally; was going for strong but not overwhelming) snapped the game in half with a 36-point Force user before. Built properly, they only need one great and one good stat, and 36 points lets them get that without any deficiencies.

Edit: By way of useful advice, watch out for Cha total of 20+ with solid Wis, and especially for kinetic specialists. A well-built kineticist is amazing battlefield control, solid with a lightsaber, can end entire encounters in one round in the right circumstances, and has ridiculous endurance as a caster. (I literally never got down to 50% powers.)

I neither intended to take Force training or to have a wisdom or charisma over 12 max. Like I  said, the character has potential and lacks formal training.
Btw force wizards who use force powers to attack shouldn't last longer than a few encounters, considering they can rack up 3-4 dark side points per power use depending on circumstances.

[Batman4560]

Hey guys, just wanted to let ya know I'm stalking this page with lots of interest.

[Cassandra LeMay]

Hey guys, just wanted to let ya know I'm stalking this page with lots of interest.

A stalker who makes his presence known fails at stalking.   

If you need some information, or have any questions, before your interest might turn into a commitment, just let me know, please. With four players we would have a group that could work. 5 or 6 players might be better, just in case someone drops out along the way, but 4 could be enough.



Group size aside, I'd like to ask everyone to keep one thing in mind when you work on your characters: You are all working for a larger organization that has assembled this crew for a specific task. Every character should have at least one or two skills or abilities that make him/her/them an asset during a mission of spying, fact-finding, making contacts among the local resistance (if there is any). At the very least the group should cover Gather Information, Mechanics, Perception, and Use Computer as trained skills taken by one or more characters. This won't be a combat mission (at least not primarily) so don't neglect the "scoundrel-type" and "social" skills.