[SWitP Non-Canon] Universe OOC Discussion

[Trog]

I've opened this thread to discuss the nature of the [SWitP Non-Canon] universe. Specifically, I'd like to start with what often, imo, kills off interest in role playing Star Wars here in the Playground: The established people and events of the SW cannon universe.

If The Town, waaaay back when, had started off being not just a generic town but instead started off as, say, Minas Tirith in Middle Earth, FFRP might have never gotten off the ground due to people trying to stick to the source material. Or rather, being limited by the source material. Instead, The Town was a generic fantasy setting and thus it was very open to people doing what they want with it. Which brings me to the [SWitP Non-Canon] universe.

I'm proposing that we approach this Non-Canon universe in the same spirit of openness. Utilizing all the interesting features of the Star Wars Universe without being tied down to specific people, organizations, events, or even timelines of the Canon Star Wars Universe. Making our own legions of Jedi, Sith, Stormtroopers, Clones, Separatists, Smugglers, Droid Armies, our own version of SW planets, alliances, governing bodies, and, most importantly, Wars.

By being open to, essentially, creating our own version of the Star Wars Non-Canon Universe out of the settings' component parts we give everyone the freedom to do Star Wars their own way. Establish their own characters as the movers, shakers, heroes and villains of the universe.

Basically, I'm looking to find a way for the universe to expand as players see fit. Right now it exists only as the swampy planet of Trogtooine, located at the midway point between several systems which are at war with one another. What these systems are and how they are involved in the war has yet to be established but as characters find passage off of Trogtooine, players can add to the universe to meet their current story needs. This may mean making a map later as things get more complicated to give people an at-a-glance idea of what the universe contains so far. This is similar to the development of early Town - build largely by the efforts of the roleplayers within.

Thoughts/Contributions to how to expand?

[druid91]

As long as it has the empire in some way shape or form I'm happy. I didn't post in the other because it was the wrong timeline.

since this is more inclusive this problem doesn't happen.:smallbiggrin: Besides. IT might be fun trying to make an emperor type character.

[Moff Chumley]

I support this one hundred percent. I've never played KotOR, and I barely know anything about the time period. And I'd rather not RP while digging through Wookipedia, if that's cool wit' y'all. :smalltongue:

I'm perfectly fine with thinking up plawts* if there are guys who'd like to join me with that. I'd rather not do it myself, of course. >.>

*Not very good plots, of course.

[druid91]

Hmmm plots...... I've never done one of those. Unless you count the death note ITP thing.

So how would one go about making himself the leader of the second galactic empire of doom?

[Trog]

I don't see why it couldn't have the Empire in it. If we set up the Empire, the Republic, etc., as all somehow overlapping one another I think it could work. The Rebellion could exist in Empire-run systems, the Republic could have lost systems to the Empire and still be dealing with Separatists, etc.

Plus then you can get odd mash-ups like clones fighting stormtroopers, etc. :smallbiggrin:

[druid91]

You know this is sounding like star-wars. mixed with time travel and a bit of distilled essence of insanity.
Minus actual time travel, just the weird side effects.

Sounds like fun.:smallbiggrin:

[ThirdEmperor]

I approve most certainly. However, a thought strikes me. If this includes the Empire, the Sith AND the Republic... Just how many Sith armadas are floating around in space right now? In fact, I vote this be part of the settings history, a battle between a half-dozen or so armadas that lasted a month before they figured out they were all on the same side.

[Trog]

What would you suggest to someone looking to start a thread/organization.

Well make sure to tag it [SWitP Non-Canon] so we can keep things straight, I suppose. Fill your first post with all the pertinent information someone would need to know about the organization.

If you are using one of the major achetypes for organizations from SW I'd name it something unique so others can still make their own if they like. If it's the Empire, make a particular general or star system of the Empire rather than the whole thing.

If some smaller organization give it a unique identifier to allow for others to make their own organizations later to work with/compete with your own.

Something as broad as the whole Empire or the entire Republic might be best left to be built up by everyone as the sum total of all contributions. :smallsmile:

[Mina Kobold]

I definitedly like this, and I also like the other Star Wars FFRPG so I'm happy about everything! Yay!

I may or may not have time to post here, though.

I'm in half the sub-forum already and my timey Whimey machine is broken. :smalltongue:

[druid91]

Well we (meaning I, at least until someone else joins) could always use someone in the mini-empire.

The planetary governor of Newbaark wants you! (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=183126)

[Rebonack]

Canon with two Ns.

A cannon with three Ns is one of those big guns that fires Super Lasers (that aren't actually lasers) that can blow up a planet for whatever reason.

And just to snag some official terminology from Star Wars itself non-canon stuff is usually refereed to as the Expanded Universe (EU). A tag like [StarWarsEU] isn't as big!

Anywho, I'm in much the same boat as some other posters here. The SW universe is absurdly diverse in its scope and I like that. But I know squat about the KotoR setting.

[Mina Kobold]

Canon with two Ns.

A cannon with three Ns is one of those big guns that fires Super Lasers (that aren't actually lasers) that can blow up a planet for whatever reason.

And just to snag some official terminology from Star Wars itself non-canon stuff is usually refereed to as the Expanded Universe (EU). A tag like [StarWarsEU] isn't as big!

Anywho, I'm in much the same boat as some other posters here. The SW universe is absurdly diverse in its scope and I like that. But I know squat about the KotoR setting.

But the Expanded Universe is just everything not in the primary medium...

Whether it's canon or not depends on who you ask but George Lucas marketed the books as canon.

Then he made the prequel movies and several books are now un-canon 'cause he thought he had a better idea, this angered some peoples. :/

My pretend-point (since I'm too nutty to have a real one) is that Expanded Universe describes both this, the other SW FFRPG, any canon material not a movie and some non-canon material that makes a Hunkydump more sense than some canon stuff. :smalltongue:

[Beans]

For Non-Canon SWITP characters, would you recommend placing them in the SWITP Character thread and marking them Non-Canon?

[Trog]

Canon with two Ns.
... >.< Damn my spelling!

Fixed. :smalltongue:


EDIT:

For Non-Canon SWITP characters, would you recommend placing them in the SWITP Character thread and marking them Non-Canon?
Um... I don't know? I sort of got the impression that the WSitP threads were a free-form adventure being run by a couple of people. So I guess I don't know if putting characters there will be a problem or not?

So today at work I had a thought about how the Non-Canon Universe could work... or could perhaps be visualized. It offers some simple solutions but also one vexing problem (spoilered for length)
Basically picture a large pie chart divided up into several even slices all meeting in the middle. Start with one slice and call it "Post Films Star Wars Universe" then, moving counter clockwise, label the next slices for the six episodes, and the slices before it go under Old Republic or what have you. The final slice can be labeled "Playgrounder Contributions." This is a rough map of the Universe. There are many power groups in power and seeking to overthrow/crush other groups but by arranging the Universe in your head mentally to flow from accepted SW time period to time period allows for it all to make sense in a "fighting your neighbors" sort of way. Then, of course, each of these slices meet in the middle allowing for a meeting between any of these slices while skipping over the slices between (Old Republic vs. the Rebellion, Clones vs. Stormtroopers, etc.)

If one were to place a planet or thread or organization somewhere people could decide how close to the center they would want it to be. With the center representing a complete mix of all the time periods and the edges sticking more completely to the slice they fall into. In this way people can be as strict or as relaxed as they want and can identify where they are currently adventuring or what have you. The Playgrounder Contributions allows for places that are not set in any particular SW time period, traditionally. Trog's Cantina would fall into this category, for example.

By separating power groups into non-universe-spanning roles that fit in their slice (Empire only existing in the Ep. 4-6 "slices" or sectors, if you will) it allows each part of the Star Wars Non-Cannon Universe to have its own flavor/base of power while mixing together in the center. In this way The Rebellion will be eternally fighting the Empire, The Republic will be eternally fighting the Separatists, etc. Players can overthrow smaller sections of each of these large flavor-filled organizations but they will always exist to keep the universe distinctly Star Wars-like.

However, with this concept of an intermingled universe spanning the entire chronology of the known Star Wars Universe we run into one teensy problem:

What do we do with the established worlds of Star Wars?

In which timeline should each of these worlds be found? Clearly the Republic and the Empire both control Coruscant at some point and both need to be located somewhere separate from one another so we end up with two separate but similar worlds.

The obvious solution would be to not use any SW canon worlds but they have such a draw I don't see how this is going to be possible. Anyone have any solutions to this problem before it pops up in play?

[Moff Chumley]

The planets themselves could be divided up, if need be. :smalltongue:

Also, idea. Somewhere near Trogtooine is another system containing a large number of smaller planets and asteroid belts, and a large smuggling network is based out of it, based around a huge, patchwork spacestation cobbled together out of other ships. They're constantly buying and selling any number of otherwise illegal goods, and use their not-inconsiderable military strength, and the complexity of their system, to evade whoever's trying to bust them at the moment.

I need a name for the system and the group, though...

[Mina Kobold]

Why not have more than oneof each planet? That way we can have plots about time-travel that involves spinning galactic pies! :smalltongue:

If you don't like that approach then what about having the disc rotate? Sometimes Coruscant exist in the Empire Era, sometimes in the Old Republic and so on.

Given the nature of giant-space thingies they could even beinseveral time-streamsat once if need be. :smallsmile:

[Trog]

I'm just waiting for the opportunity to role play in another thread aside from the Cantina. =/

[druid91]

You could always RP in one of the less imperial locations on Newbaark. Yes I realize that is the most unimaginative name ever.

Like landing.

OR you could make a settlement up.

[Falgorn]

Wait, non-canon? That means we could...be more creative?
I like the idea, but I'm not sure if I actually will post. Like with what happened with the "canon" SW itp.

[Moff Chumley]

I'm just waiting for the opportunity to role play in another thread aside from the Cantina. =/

Well, if you wanna play as the group I thought up in my previous post, that'd be a great source of PLAWTS!, I guess. :smallsmile:

[druid91]

Could my imperial guys be the bad-guys?

[Moff Chumley]

Sure, as long as we understand for OoC reasons that they won't be able to succesfully get rid of them, or vise-versa.

[druid91]

Of course! That would be no fun at all.

Now shooting the gold plating off your ship on the other hand...:smalltongue:

Anyway, now with the success of the Trogtooine mission establishing them as Competent I can fail all I want!:smallbiggrin: And blame it on any number of extenuating circumstance!

[Falgorn]

Wait, would I be able to have a planet so convoluted that the only way to win an election is to fudge the ballot in your favor, but since everyone one would be doing that, you would have to spend billions on paper ballots just so you can write your damn name billions of times?
Basically, a planet consisted of, mainly, 60's-Batman-esque villains.

[druid91]

We have a planet called Newbaark, trogtooine, a settlement that worships desert... :smallwink:

[Dienekes]

settlement that worships desert... :smallwink:

I got really excited and then realized the good kind is spelled ss. Oh well.

[druid91]

Wait did I spell it wrong? THey worship the sweet foods that come after dinner.

[Dienekes]

Wait did I spell it wrong? THey worship the sweet foods that come after dinner.

Ahh yes, because as of now they worship a landscape that receives little precipitation, generally (but not necessarily) identified by sand. Cacti may also be involved.

[Trog]

Well, I have a character I'm going to play... and the potential for a mission to Newbaark to thwart the Imperials. All the character I'll be playing needs is someone to run the villains (if we tip them off somehow... we may not) and individuals to aid said character.

I guess for lack of any other place to start him out I'll start him out in the cantina and go from there. Aside from the overall mission objective how we get there is pretty open to whatever way everyone wants to make it all happen - I'm not DMing so much as playing along and providing a mission objective is all. I think the type of character that he is works well for generating missions to go on and ongoing play. If things go well he may end up being my main character here.

Anyhow, feel free to join in. :smallsmile: