Running Star Wars campaigns advice thread

[Yora]

Just general Star Wars anything one-shot. (Though I think Rebellion period is most accessible for that purpose.)

[AvatarVecna]

Just general Star Wars anything one-shot. (Though I think Rebellion period is most accessible for that purpose.)

My advice for one-shots in general would be to test out particular iconic bits of "Star Wars" to get a feel for them in isolation. That is to say...

1) Space Mission where you get a feel for the vehicle/dogfighting mechanics. This the one-shot where you find out if you're going to have fun running space battles or if it's going to be a slow grindy neutral-game until one of you gets a lucky hit that ends the whole fight. Finding this out in a game you care less about is a good way to make space battles more or less of a focus in the real game.

2) Force Battle where jedi and sith duke it out with each other. Probably with some goal beyond "murder the other" to keep things interesting, like Jedi have to give [important politician] time to escape so they can't let the Sith get away from them, or something. If force mechanics are unwieldy in practice, you can make a no-force-users party, and play up force abilities being rare and special and mystical and scary when they show up.

3) Running battle against a mob. This is our plucky heroes surviving a battle against a large number of stock enemy soldiers while trying to get to safety, classic Star Wars action. If the players can just stand out in the open and gun down a squad of storm troopers, that's a problem. If the players can't so much as peek out from behind a wall without getting disintegrated by pinpoint accuracy, that's also a problem.

4) Heist. This is a good general set-up that gives you a chance to play around with mechanics for social interaction, stealth, and potentially computers.

[Pleh]

What do you think would be a good approach to short one-off adventures for a single session or two in Star Wars? I think meeting in a cantina and having the characters get to know each other for a while isn't really an option. It probably should be a wild adventure with plenty of action that is very easy to grasp without much exposition. But any neat ideas for a scenario?

Seriously.

Firefly is your answer.

You are a group of mercenaries for hire, sometimes working legit jobs, other times less so, whatever pays the bills. Your primary goal is to keep the ship flying and keep food on the table while earning maybe just enough to save towards a comfy retirement and get out of this paycheck to paycheck life in a galaxy that is rigged against you.

Great for episodic one-shot adventures where each week you're dealing with a different job, different employer, and different set of complications that keep things interesting and not too profitable to end the campaign early.

[LibraryOgre]

I completed my five months D&D campaign and now work seriously on preparing a first Star Wars d6 adventure. Not having run or played the system before, I think I want to run two or three one shots first before starting with a full scale campaign. (And perhaps check out some players who I might or might not invite for the full campaign.)

What do you think would be a good approach to short one-off adventures for a single session or two in Star Wars? I think meeting in a cantina and having the characters get to know each other for a while isn't really an option. It probably should be a wild adventure with plenty of action that is very easy to grasp without much exposition. But any neat ideas for a scenario?

On a cruise liner that is boarded by pirates. Something has gone wrong, and the pirates aren't doing the usual "take the money and run"... they're talking hostages, they've shot someone... and the players are still free, in a small room, playing cards.

[Misereor]

On a cruise liner that is boarded by pirates. Something has gone wrong, and the pirates aren't doing the usual "take the money and run"... they're talking hostages, they've shot someone... and the players are still free, in a small room, playing cards.

...and the players are still free, in a small room, playing cards> on the Holonet, arguing fiercely and not noticing what is going on around them.

[Yora]

You are a group of mercenaries for hire, sometimes working legit jobs, other times less so, whatever pays the bills. Your primary goal is to keep the ship flying and keep food on the table while earning maybe just enough to save towards a comfy retirement and get out of this paycheck to paycheck life in a galaxy that is rigged against you.

Great for episodic one-shot adventures where each week you're dealing with a different job, different employer, and different set of complications that keep things interesting and not too profitable to end the campaign early.

Yeah, I think everything that is basically an In And Out Job would be very well suited. It gives the players a clear goal of "I want you to do this" and also clearly fences in the area in which the adventure takes place. And you get a resolution when the goal is accomplished or the players accept that they have failed and retreat.

Stealing a couple of starfighters for the Rebellion out of a hangar and then fighting through hostile fighters guarding the location could be neat. Gets you some sneaking, exploration, gunfights, and space battles in a neat small package.
I also always thought that stealing the Death Star plans would make an excellent introduction to Star Wars RPGs for completely new players. Though I could see that being expanded into a mini-campaign as well.

[Yora]

So I got a specific idea for a one shot that I started working on. Maybe someone got some ideas how to add to this:

Spoiler: Garbage Haul

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In the early years of the Rebellion, a junkyard worker on Malastare has leaked to the rebels that they got a big load of recently decommissioned Y-Wings from a planetary security force. The cost to refurbish them for sale to another poor planetary government wouldn't be economical, and the Empire is putting a stop on starfighters being sold to civilians without a license. So they were sold to a junkyard that has a government contract to remove all the weapons and transponders and then get cannibalized for spare engine parts. But most of them are still in flying condition and wouldn't be that difficult to get them combat ready.

In preparation to steal them, Rebel agents have bought some large bodywork panels from the junkyard and announced that they would come with a big Action VI bulk freighter to pick them up. They call the junkyard twice over the day that they will be late and then show up only 10 minutes before the place closes for the night. And then there will be an unforseen situation where the panels don't actually fit through the cargo door and they'll have to unbolt part of the freighter's hull to get it trough. Also the pilot speaks only bad Basic. (A situation that could be taken straight from real life, as anyone knows whose workplace gets truck deliveries. )

While the last two or three workers that remain on the site and want the customers to hurry up so they can lock up and go home, the PCs take care of the security and pick out the Y-Wings that will be loaded up. When that's done, the freighter crew will take care of the junkyard workers and get the ship over to where the Y-Wings are parked. Then they quickly get loaded up, the PCs hop on the freighter, and they all make their escape to the Rebel base.

In theory.

However, there will be problems with disabling the burglary alarms and the security guards won't be following their usual patrol round.
And while the PCs are checking out the Y-Wings, they get spotted by someone who was working late in the office, who will try to explain to them that the Y-Wings can not be sold before the weapons and electronics have been removed.
Also the freighter will not come flying from the bodywork heaps to the Y-Wing storage right away when the PCs send the signal to start with the loading. And then the heavy anti-grav sled they brought to move the Y-Wings into the cargo hold breaks down with only two fighters loaded yet. (But of course the junkyard has its own ones. Somewhere.)

Of course, the Imperial Army will get an alarm about a break in at a facility dealing with military hardware and arrive at the junkyard halfway through the loading process, forcing the freighter to take of early, to get chased by TIE fighters before it jumps to hyperspace.

With so many complications that should all be very easy to implement, the adventure should easily adjustable for length as the need arises. If it starts getting too long or things begin to drag, any of the complications could simply be skipped.

What I would really like to set up is something that keeps the players from jumping into the freighter before it has to take off, forcing them to get out in another way. And somehow make it seem like it's the players' own idea to jump into two of the Y-Wings they just powered up. It would be really cool if they do, but I don't want to give the impression that I decided for the players that they will now have a starfighter segment. Or that the freighter takes off without them before they even have a chance to get on board.
All the other complications are something for the players to react to, and regardless of how they chose to deal with those, it won't actually interrupt the mission unless they get themselves killed. All outcomes that I can imagine would come down to "someone will probably arrive in the next 10 to 15 minutes to stop us, when we're hopefully already gone". Completely switching gears and pushing the PCs to the next encounter through a cutscene doesn't seem right.
I think when in doubt, I'd just let the players get on the half loaded freighter and man some of the hidden gun turrets to shot at some TIEs before jumping to hyperspace. That would be a complete adequate ending to that adventure. But stacking the odds so that they see the freighter take off without them while there are Y-Wings with running engines on the field would be really cool. Any ideas to subtly nudge towards such an outcome?

[Dr paradox]

But stacking the odds so that they see the freighter take off without them while there are Y-Wings with running engines on the field would be really cool. Any ideas to subtly nudge towards such an outcome?

Possibly add some kind of heavy security cannon that works reliably against larger ships, but can't lock on to fighters? It could be a part of the junkyard infrastructure, or on an imperial ship that jumps in to raise the stakes. I'd favor the former option, because you could establish it as a danger early on while it's powered down. If you mention it twice, that should be a good reason for them to think fast and jump in the Y wings, AND a good reason for the freighter to jump out of there pronto. Characterize the freighter as a sitting duck that could really use a distraction to keep from being blown out of the sky.

I'd make the cannon be part of a repurposed derelict, so it's harder to get to and not directly part of the security system they're shutting down.

[Pleh]

Spoiler

Show

Also the pilot speaks only bad Basic.

Add an irritating C3PO style protocol droid just to emphasize the problem by contributing an unnecessary middle man with way too much sass and uncooperative drama.

However, there will be problems with disabling the burglary alarms and the security guards won't be following their usual patrol round.

If I were a player here, I would be somewhat convinced we had been betrayed just off this alone, and I'd be trying to warn my friends to be ready to run if the Empire shows up.

And while the PCs are checking out the Y-Wings, they get spotted by someone who was working late in the office, who will try to explain to them that the Y-Wings can not be sold before the weapons and electronics have been removed.
Also the freighter will not come flying from the bodywork heaps to the Y-Wing storage right away when the PCs send the signal to start with the loading. And then the heavy anti-grav sled they brought to move the Y-Wings into the cargo hold breaks down with only two fighters loaded yet. (But of course the junkyard has its own ones. Somewhere.)

This may be a few too many complications when things are already smelling fishy. I would think towing a set of starfighters onto a freighter more or less manually will be slow enough without the freighter being additionally late. I'd say the freighter is on time, with a sled breakdown being enough of a complication. Imply the defunct grav-sled belongs to the pilot who tries to make excuses in some other language while the protocol droid tries to translate frantically, wasting yet more time. The players should probably get the hint that arguing about it is a waste of time and start exploring alternatives.

Remember, if a few things go wrong, that's normal. If every possible things go wrong, that's probably a trap going off.

Of course, the Imperial Army will get an alarm about a break in at a facility dealing with military hardware and arrive at the junkyard halfway through the loading process, forcing the freighter to take of early, to get chased by TIE fighters before it jumps to hyperspace.

This is just about perfect, but I would avoid railroading by planning for the possibility the players say, "screw the y wings, we gotta get ourselves out or it's all for nothing" and abandon the fighters to jump on the freighter.

Note that between junkyard security having new routes, the updated alarms, and the imperial tipoff, it's almost stupid to think someone didn't blow the whistle on this operation. You should have a plan for who it was, or if it was somehow a really unlucky coincidence, have a story for how it happened.

Best way to make sure they don't get on the freighter in time is to have the empire show up while they are trying to get the junkyard's anti-grav sleds. They can drop the sleds and race back, but the freighter pilot didn't wait for them. Now the fighters are their only option.

Maybe they split the party and some of them stayed with the freighter. Fair play, they can join the freighter and/or try to force the pilot to wait for their friends. You gotta let them have this if they go to this much effort to control the situation. Maybe the pilot tries to double cross them and take off even with a gun to his head (death better than imperial prison for rebel affiliation) and they have to fight to prevent the freighter from leaving. Or these scoundrels may feel no loyalty to their party members and force the pilot to leave them behind. Who knows? This is where the players need to have autonomous agency to mess up the plot.

Any ideas to subtly nudge towards such an outcome?

Have an NPC talk up how much good is still in the fighters while they're trying to load them. "Hate to see such a fine machine stripped for parts to dust crops on the outer rim. You should see the hyperdrive they've got loaded on these guys. Empire doesn't make fighters like that anymore. Everything's built to be expendable now: fast, mass production so you replace and never repair. Just strip mine another planet and you've got another fleet."

What they maybe didn't mention was that the hyperdrive hasn't been primed in years and might take a couple minutes to warm up before it can jump to hyperspace...

You make it so they want to fly these things before they have a need for it, then the empire is just a proper excuse.

Next, you want to carefully time it so they aren't near the freighter when it takes off without them. Best bet is to remind them each antigrav sled can only haul 1 y wing at a time and emphasize how long it will take to move the y wings with a single sled. Now they need probably 3 or 4 sleds to get the job done faster, so each player grabs a sled, meaning no one can stay behind with the freighter, not to mention it will be easier to get the sleds past security if they all work together.

Finding and acquiring the sleds should feel like a win, like things are finally starting to go their way. They don't get the warning that the empire is here until they are already driving the sleds back to the freighter. Suddenly, their quiet and stealthy sled heist turns into a full tilt sled race where they have to blast through junkyard security on their sleds while the pilot warns them he can't wait any longer.

Of course, assuming they make it to the loading bay, they see the freighter leaving without them, a protocol droid translating profuse apologies as they fly out of comms range.

[Yora]

Another great idea someone gave me is to make the hazardous spill highly flamable, for additional drama.

Also, things become much more managable if the fighters are stored in a closed hangar instead of outside on an open field. It makes it more plausible that the scrapyard is allowed to process military hardware and provides simple protection against someone snatching them away with a freighter by means of a simple roof.

[Yora]

While I was on vacation, I was reading the Gamemaster Handbook for Star Wars 2nd edition on the plane to Portugal and back. It's not a big book and not a particularly long read, but I found it to be really quite fantastic. Absolutely worth hunting down for new and moderately experienced GMs, for any game really.

[hifidelity2]

While I was on vacation, I was reading the Gamemaster Handbook for Star Wars 2nd edition on the plane to Portugal and back. It's not a big book and not a particularly long read, but I found it to be really quite fantastic. Absolutely worth hunting down for new and moderately experienced GMs, for any game really.

I have seen the book but never read it so will do so as any help is useful (and as running a D6 SW game at the moment I am sure will get something out of it)