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View Full Version : [SW: Saga] New Campaign, Need Ideas



DragonSlayerDan
2008-07-02, 06:20 PM
Posted this at the wizards boards, but no responses...so I turn to the awesome OotS gang for some help.

So my D&D group and I decided we wanted to try a Star Wars RP, and we all took to the system quite easily, and we are finding it very enjoyable.

I am GMing (My second time ever) and I think I am developing plot well for the two sessions we have had already.

I am looking for long term plot for them, a general direction that I am having a hard time trying to figure out, so any insight on some ideas would be very helpful. Here is the story so far.

The cast is:

Human Female Soldier
Male Duros Scoundrel
Male Kel-Dor Jedi
Male Mon Calamari Noble
Male Ewok Scout
Human Female Jedi


The time setting is a few years before Episode 1:

A female soldier is given a code cylinder that she has to deliever to someone on the planet of Nar Shadda. She has no idea who gave her the job, but she knows she will be paid once she delievers it. She finds another soldier on the frigate she was riding on, and they chatted about weapons, and he gave her some general tips for travelling on Nar Shadda. They parted ways, when he told her she should check the local cantina called The Winch. She thanks him and she heads to the tavern. She finds a Duros man (another player) and begins to ask him about the local area, he agrees to help her find the man she is supposed to give the code cylinder to.

At that moment there is an explosion in the nearby spaceport, people are running around, all hell is breaking lose. The two companions see something hanging from a rail above the cantina, and realize it is an Ewok. They ask him if he saw a man leave the scene of the crime, and he did. They then try and coax an answer out of him, but realize that they can't understand him. They head to what could be considered the Embassy disctrict of Nar Shadda and find a Mon Calamari Nobleman who can speak Ewok. After they leave the Embassy, they meet up with a mal Kel-Dor that they recognize as a Jedi. They get their lead and head back to the crime scene. After some searching, there is another explosion, hurting the Duros man. They leave with some evidence and a ship log.

The log has a list of several bounties, some legal, some illegal. The group splits up:

Duros Man/Kel Dor Jedi - Head to the Bounty Hunters guild.
Ewok - Stays at the cantina for a lead
Female Soldier and Mon Calamari head to the slums, since that is their best lead.

Most of the group doesn't find out anything but the solider and noble stumble upon a drunk man, who they attempt to sober up with some questioning. They learn that he was working for the Hutts, and is actually a fallen Jedi (gasp!). His contact was the council, and that is why he had the bounty on his head. They escape the slums, but only after seeing some elite guard sweep the area, trying to find the contact. The female solider asks him if he knows anything about the code cylinder, and he says it was for him, and it was a message from the council, but he couldn't listen to the entire message, since his computer was in ill-repair.

They flee to the spaceport, after taking one of the guard as a captive. They make it back to the port, finding a Bothan pilot to take them off planet. After escaping, they get a good look at the solider, and it was the man the female soldier met on her arrival to Nar Shadda...

They are now following a new lead to Kessel, trying to find the man responsible for the port explosion.

----------

Now, if you read over that entire thing, awesome. That spanned 2 nights of RP, and it was really fun. My problems are now, however:

-I made my NPC (The Fallen Jedi) really awesome, but I don't want him to overshadow any of the rest of the RPers.

-I don't know much about the time period I am in. Since they cant fight the Empire, are they fighting the Trade Federation? Who was the BBEG's (Beside the sith) prior to Ep. 1?

-Long term ideas for a group of rag tag adventures?

I thank you guys for any help you can shed on my situation.

DeathBD
2008-07-02, 07:06 PM
That sounds awesome. I wish I knew someone with the SW: Sagas book.

Anyway, as for enemies, it could always be a Sith Cult, but it sounds like that's something you want to avoid. So what about a corrupt corporation who has started vying for political control through force? That could even be the Trade Federation, I think.

Your NPC could just go away for some reason while your PCs level up and then you can reintroduce him.

I've never DMed before so I can't help much, but I hope this at least gives you an idea or two.

KillianHawkeye
2008-07-02, 10:27 PM
That sounds like a pretty fun game you've got going there!

As for big villains, there should be very little overt Sith activity during this period, since they do not want the Jedi to notice their return. However, Palpatine has probably already begun plotting and maneuvering the pieces of his plan into place, which means that tensions are slowly on the rise between certain factions within the Republic.

In particular, the Trade Federation and other future Seperatists could be rubbing shoulders with their neighbors already. It is likely that Palpatine made use of an already existing tension that was exploitable enough to create a more drastic situation down the line.

If you want to steer clear of that, then there's always pirates, smugglers, bounty hunters, diplomatic missions gone horribly wrong, salvage/rescue missions, Dark Jedi, and Hutt gangsters to worry about. I mean, there doesn't always have to be a single BBEG after all.

SilverSheriff
2008-07-02, 11:45 PM
and nobody (as in, so few have been there and even fewer come back) has been to Endor yet, so the Ewok is quite a bit out of place, even on Nar Shaddaa.

turkishproverb
2008-07-03, 01:37 AM
Long term? Make the NPC or another one that shows up recurringly a traitor. Past that, you could always use the whole thing being an attempt to destabilize the republic by forces within (The Tarkin's?) whom want to use the inner turmoile to build a military and gain power.

You can easily feature the trade federation as well, as they were known for being annoying even before naboo.

Caewil
2008-07-03, 05:24 AM
Yeah, the trade federation can be a potent foe. Have the characters uncover their plots to exploit planets, using force to secure trade routes, bribing of senators. Once they've annoyed the Trade Federation enough, have bounty hunters sent after them.

Dervag
2008-07-03, 09:23 AM
I'm going to second all the suggestions that if you need a major overarching villain you use the Trade Federation. Or you could use one of the more obscure factions that made up the CIS (the Techno Union, the Commerce Guild, or whatever).

As others have observed, the Sith were very much in hiding during this period, to the extent that the Jedi Council did not even believe that they still existed.


and nobody (as in, so few have been there and even fewer come back) has been to Endor yet, so the Ewok is quite a bit out of place, even on Nar Shaddaa.Hmm.

Does it need to be an Ewok? Couldn't it be just about any other obscure species from the Star Wars continuity, or even a homebrew? I gather what matters with this Ewok from a plot standpoint isn't that they are an Ewok as such, so why not swap them out with something more likely to be found off their native planet?

The inclusion of an Ewok here reflects a common urge in Star Wars- the tendency to make the Star Wars universe a small closed system, in which almost all the action occurs on a few dozen planets and between a dozen or so species (the ones we saw in the movies). I think that's a mistake, because it cuts into one of the greatest assets the Star Wars continuity has: the sense that it is a big galaxy out there.

KillianHawkeye
2008-07-03, 06:33 PM
and nobody (as in, so few have been there and even fewer come back) has been to Endor yet, so the Ewok is quite a bit out of place, even on Nar Shaddaa.

Yeah, I saw that too, I just decided not to mention it. :smallwink:

Mushroom Ninja
2008-07-03, 09:09 PM
Dark jedi can be a big problem. DO NOT LET YOUR PCS PLAY AS THEM. It is bad karma for Dark Rage is BRO-KEN!

A rebellion of droids can be an interesting idea as it raises a whole variety of philisophical questions. Do organic races have the right to enslave droids? What does it mean to be sentient? Do androids dream of electric sheep?

Vexxation
2008-07-03, 09:16 PM
Do androids dream of electric sheep?

Not if you memory wipe them frequently enough.

I've never played a Star Wars d20 (except Kotor and Kotor 2, so that's where I'm pulling this from).

Does Czerka exist at this time?
If Czerka Corporation and the Trade Federation both exist, they're liable to butt heads. In doing so, they create ripples, and these ripples might affect the PCs. Perhaps they take on some work for one of them only to discover that doing so will involve conflict with the other. Perhaps they discover corruption in the ranks and seek to rid the corporation or federation of them.

And on Nar Shadaa there shouldn't be any shortage of needy people to help, either thanks to the Hutts or whomever.

Mushroom Ninja
2008-07-03, 09:30 PM
Not if you memory wipe them frequently enough.


To me, that's one of the more interesting moral questions. Is it right to be destroy the memory of a droid? As we can see in the Star Wars movies many of the droids who don't recieve regular memory wipes develope personalities and feelings. It's always fun to make your PCs have to seriously consider if they are doing the right thing before they choose their sides.

Vexxation
2008-07-03, 09:38 PM
Is it right to be destroy the memory of a droid?

Yes.
From a Human standpoint, a droid is a tool. It is not alive. It should not be given the title of sentience. It is tool designed to make life easier.


Next you'll be saying that mistreating animals is wrong :smallbiggrin:

But seriously, it would be cool to see a party struggling with whether they can send droids into combat, even going so far as to start a nonviolent droid uprising.

Now *there's* a campaign; the players must try to liberate the bourgeoisie droids from their human oppressors.

Mushroom Ninja
2008-07-03, 09:50 PM
That, my friend would be AWESOME! You might have to break continuity with the movies, but who cares.

Note: if somebody here is in my campaign (which woudl be highly unlikley because I think I'm the only person in my group who uses these forums) don't read this

There's a droid rebellion run by an ancient sith (deathstar-like) superweapon that developed a mind and flew off to the edge of the galaxy in my campaign. But it's a more secretive organization and the PCs don't know much about it yet.

Btw, the bourgeoisie are the upper class by Marxis theory. You're looking for the proliteriat.

Vexxation
2008-07-03, 09:56 PM
That, my friend would be AWESOME! You might have to break continuity with the movies, but who cares.

Note: if somebody here is in my campaign (which woudl be highly unlikley because I think I'm the only person in my group who uses these forums) don't read this

There's a droid rebellion run by an ancient sith (deathstar-like) superweapon that developed a mind and flew off to the edge of the galaxy in my campaign. But it's a more secretive organization and the PCs don't know much about it yet.
Perhaps the almighty Star Forge, the ancient Sith war factory from Kotor, that disappeared after it was finally turned off. That was, what? 10,000 years before the Episodes?


Btw, the bourgeoisie are the upper class by Marxist theory. You're looking for the proliteriat.

Ah yes. I was thinking of French revolution times, where the bourgeoisie were middle-ish class. But then again Marxism didn't factor in the church (did it?) because it had less power at that time.

Mushroom Ninja
2008-07-03, 10:24 PM
:thog: thog like spoilers
Nice idea! I'll have to check wookiepedia to make sure I'm not killing continuity (some of my pcs are big on that). All I need to do is give it an AI.

hold a sec. let me make a knowlage (political theory/history) check

Marxist theory believes that the history of civilization is shaped by the continuous struggle between the upper and lower classes. What those classes were changed over time by Marx's theory. Marx believed that, at the time he was writing, the classes had been narrowed down to two: the bourgeoise and the proliteriat. He thought that the bourgeosie had sprung from the ruins of feudalism as the ruling class. This is sort of an aknowlagement to the French revolution. If you're curious, here's a link to an english version of the Communist Mannifesto http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/communist-manifesto/index.htm

But, I'm afraid that we're pulling this thread off-topic.

DragonSlayerDan, could you tell us a bit more about the personalities of the PCs? That might help us aide you. Also, what sort of group do you have RPers? Hack-and-Slashers? Something-in-betweeneers?

Dervag
2008-07-03, 11:15 PM
Does Czerka exist at this time?I checked Wookieepedia. Czerka survived to the end of the Republic and the Galactic Civil War era (in other words, the time of the movies). However, they closed down a lot of operations and were not a major power in the galaxy. All they were doing by the time this game is set in was making guns, and they weren't even the leading maker of guns.

So they wouldn't be a major rival for the Trade Federation all by themselves, though you could certainly include them if you want to give a nod to KOTOR.

j0lt
2008-07-04, 12:47 AM
I am looking for long term plot for them, a general direction that I am having a hard time trying to figure out, so any insight on some ideas would be very helpful. Here is the story so far.

The cast is:

Human Female Soldier
Male Duros Scoundrel
Male Kel-Dor Jedi
Male Mon Calamari Noble
Male Ewok Scout
Human Female Jedi


The time setting is a few years before Episode 1:

Aside from the Ewok, it sounds great. (ignoring the fact that they aren't supposed to have been discovered until about 4 ABY, I had an Ewok PC in my first SW RPG game, and it was the most annoying thing ever)


The log has a list of several bounties, some legal, some illegal.

Right there is a good source of possible hooks. Maybe they could track down the source of the bounties (crime syndicate/hutt gangsters), or they could go the other way and try to warn those who have a bounty on their heads.


They flee to the spaceport, after taking one of the guard as a captive. They make it back to the port, finding a Bothan pilot to take them off planet. After escaping, they get a good look at the solider, and it was the man the female soldier met on her arrival to Nar Shadda...

They are now following a new lead to Kessel, trying to find the man responsible for the port explosion.

Sounds pretty solid for a first couple sessions. :)
Have you planned out who the person responsible for the explosions is? Is he somehow connected to the bounties on the log that the PCs got?


-I made my NPC (The Fallen Jedi) really awesome, but I don't want him to overshadow any of the rest of the RPers.

This is a fairly common problem, and an easy one to deal with. If he's too powerful, have him act as a mentor figure to the PCs until he is removed from the immediate story (perhaps he redeems himself in a final selfless act and comes back as a force spirit, or is called away on urgent personal business).


-I don't know much about the time period I am in. Since they cant fight the Empire, are they fighting the Trade Federation? Who was the BBEG's (Beside the sith) prior to Ep. 1?

As I mentioned above - Hutt gangsters, a crime lord seeking to carve himself a bigger territory, a group of terrorists bent on disrupting the Republic (but not necessarily aligned with Palpatine), Mandalorian raiders, space pirates...


-Long term ideas for a group of rag tag adventures?

Hmm, that depends on where their loyalties lie. If they're really "good guys", they could work as privateers rooting out threats to the stability of the Republic. If they're more mercenary-like, then the main motivation is simply a well-paying job.

DragonSlayerDan
2008-07-05, 12:15 AM
Thanks for all the help guys!

Droid uprising would be really funny, probably something my group would find hilarious, but maybe not to serious.

To answer the previous question, I was going to keep the port explosion an on-going thing. Probably find more info on Kessel that will lead them to perhaps a bigger threat/problem. Like I said, I am fairly new to the system, but feel I am doing an okay job as of now, lol.

ALSO, I am letting the person in my group play an Ewok, because he is a little bit (by like, 5 years) younger then the rest of the group, but he manages to do a good job and doesn't mess things up, so I will allow it. He is using a VoxBox to communicate which is really really funny. So yeah, all good.

Mushroom Ninja
2008-07-05, 08:50 AM
Yeah, vox-boxes are fun. I wish one of my PCs would hurry up and buy one. He only speaks Trandoshan which is getting in the way of communication:smallmad:.

I sent my PCs to kessel once. They had to rescue some rebel alies from the imperial mining camps. But, you're not running during the imperial era, so I'm not quite sure who's set up camp there.

I can't remember all that much about Kessel (need to look on wookiepedia) but doesn't it have a thin atmosphere or something? Or was it that the gravity was weird. Hmm... you'll want to look that up (especially if you've got star wars fanatics in your group who'll know if you've got it wrong).