Star Wars: Empire's Edge (Off-Topic)

[glitterboy2098]

Please use this thread for off-topic discussions and questions, as well as planning of stories. the RP thread is found here:
Star Wars: Empire's Edge (RP)

A character focused roleplay set in the star wars  galaxy, 5 years before the events of A New Hope.

The Galactic Empire is at it's height, and only scattered and isolated resistance movements oppose its might. In the Outer Rim, the Imperial grip is looser, and much of life goes on with less imperial entanglements.

A few ground rules:
we will be using the old EU (aka the "legends") continuity. although elements of the new canon from shows like star wars rebels can be added where it does not conflict.

This is a game of characters and their personal stories. not one of fleet actions and massive campaigns. players should restrict their roles and hardware appropriately. please approach this with a semi-serious attitude suitable to the setting.

in accordance with this, full blown Jedi are discouraged except as rare NPC's, although force sensitives and less than fully trained padawans should be ok.
the following NPC's are also offlimits, due to metaplot issues.. Luke Skywalker, Owen and Beru Lars, Yoda, Obi-wan Kenobi, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Leia Organa. other NPC's from the films should be given appropriate plot armor.

-----------------
a quick primer on the timeframe of 5 years before the Battle of Yavin. ( 5 BBY)
The calender in use is the Great ReSynchronization Calender created by the Republic. it is written [year]:[month]:[Day]. 5 BBY = 30:3:##–31:2:##

The Rebel Alliance does not yet exist. it will not form until 3 years later (2 BBY). instead there are many resistance groups operating independently, such as the Alderaanian Resistance, the Chandrillian Resistance, the Corellian Resistance, etc. these are primarily insurgent and/or pirate forces with limited direct combat capabilities. those which have attempted to conduct open warfare against the empire have always been crushed. there are few organizations that are not tied to any specific world, such as the Rebel Network, the Antarian Rangers, and others, but these are often even weaker in terms of direct action capabilities, though they do often offer the ability for the different groups to share information.

the X-wing, A-wing, and B-wing do not yet exist. however their predecessors the Z-95X Headhunter, H-60 Tempest, and R-22 Spearhead are available and in use.
the TIE Interceptor has not been developed yet either.

[GBscientist]

Do we have a starting planet or region selected?  It would make starting the game easier if we were all in the same star system.

[glitterboy2098]

do you have a suggestion? preference for mid to outer rim areas IMO, since those have the weaker imperial presence and would seem to offer the most options.

i was thinking my guy might start at Dantooine but that world to be honest may not offer much for anyone else. i just have this idea that he could smuggle some stuff to refugee camps on the plane, then make his way to the thousands of years old jedi ruins to explore a bit.

[idea weenie]

Key questions:
1) How does the group get together?
2) Purpose (are we a trading group taking advantage of the unified Imperial tax/trade systems, or a merc group that used to be hired to provide bodyguard services (no longer needed under the Imperial protection), or?
3) Are the characters preferring the Empire to not?  I.e. a Naboo citizen might appreciate the fact that the Empire has taken down the Trade Federation, and stops similar actions.
4) Are the Imperial characters always going to be evil and the Rebels always good?  (Please say no)
5) The Empire has over a million systems (from Tarkin's quote in ANH).  Are we going to be going to the already named systems all the time?

Thank you for making sure that Jedi would be extremely rare in the story.

[glitterboy2098]

Key questions:
1) How does the group get together?

well, since this is a freeform RP, groups will form and split up organically. a better question would be "would anyone like to collaborate in creating a story"?
once stories get started, players can weave them together.

2) Purpose (are we a trading group taking advantage of the unified Imperial tax/trade systems, or a merc group that used to be hired to provide bodyguard services (no longer needed under the Imperial protection), or?

whatever you'd like to do. suggest a story and players will help you build it, alongside their own.

3) Are the characters preferring the Empire to not?  I.e. a Naboo citizen might appreciate the fact that the Empire has taken down the Trade Federation, and stops similar actions.

up to you.
though i would point out that by EU canon the Naboo were some of the biggest critics of the Empire. the Trade Federation ceased to be a problem after the clone wars, but the Empire's policies were much worse.

4) Are the Imperial characters always going to be evil and the Rebels always good?  (Please say no)

up to you. in the canon, things ran the whole gamut. you had Imperials who tried to do good, rebels who were not much different from terrorists, and quite a few on both sides who were just corrupt.

5) The Empire has over a million systems (from Tarkin's quote in ANH).  Are we going to be going to the already named systems all the time?

named systems are handy for shared universes (you can always go look them up on wookiepedia) but if you need to invent a system i doubt anyone would care. as long as it's described well enough.

[GBscientist]

After some significant review of Wookiepedia and various maps, I can confirm that there's significant skullduggery going on in the region around Dantooine in the years prior to the Battle of Yavin.  While Dantooine itself is quite dull there's much to do in the nearby systems, and several worlds in the region are considered Imperial fortress planets.  If players want to find adventures in the region, there should be no shortage.

[glitterboy2098]

After some significant review of Wookiepedia and various maps, I can confirm that there's significant skullduggery going on in the region around Dantooine in the years prior to the Battle of Yavin.

like what?

[GBscientist]

like what?

On Ahakista the Empire constructed a massive computer complex called The Hub within a heavily fortified administrative ziggurat called The Pyramid, and then Vader pushed the planet's elite into overthrowing the democratic government so the Empire could consolidate power.

On Gravlex Med the Empire siezed control of the Gravlex Launchworks, a massive set of cannons for throwing things into orbit, to use as a disposal system for hazardous military experiments.  But then they lost containment in one of the warehouses used to store the experiments and so completely polluted the planet that the native Anx species had to evacuate to their colony worlds of Anx Minor and Sinsang, and even then their population is a fraction of what it used to be.

Dubrillon's sector was hotly contested during the Clone Wars, so there's probably still some reconstruction going on there 13 years later.

Bescane is an industrial hell run by Galantro Heavy Works

The planet Equanus was wiped out by a the misfire of a prototype superlaser shortly before the Clone Wars.

Ord Trasi is an Imperial fortress planet with major ship-building capacity.

And Jaemus was a major shipyard for the CIS during the Clone Wars and remained so under the Empire.  It had enough capacity to rival Sluis Van and was the headquarters of an operation to abduct people from Bescane and send them to the planet Zeta 0-9 for involuntary conversion into Death Hunter killer cyborgs (although that particular RPG module was set in 0 ABY to 3 ABY).

All of that is within 2 to 3 sectors of Dantooine.

[glitterboy2098]

a few examples of the kind of stories you can do during this era.

Star Wars Rebels (new continuity, not EU, but a lot can carry over)
The Han Solo Adventures - Han Solo at Stars' End, Han Solo's Revenge, Han Solo and the Lost Legacy
The Lando Calrissian Adventures - Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu, Lando Calrissian and the Flamewind of Oseon, Lando Calrissian and the Starcave of ThonBoka

plus more i probably haven't found yet.

[Lord Harlock]

Dantooine works for me especially since it is on the Myto's Arrow Hyperlane.

[GBscientist]

Provided we haven't written this project off as dead, I'm ready to reveal my character.

Markos Actemra is an Imperial Scout from the Core world Alsakan.  He and his parents had a falling-out when he decided to go into an aspect of government service more active than bureaucracy.  His ground specialties are investigation, sniping, and SMGs.  His current guns are a BlasTech DLT-20A, a BlasTech E-11 carbine, and a Merr-Sonn Model Q4 hold-out blaster.

His ship is a modified MRX-BR Pacifier scout ship, named The Nosy Neighbour, with the three gun mounts upgraded to full turrets and slaved together.  This allows the single gunner to put the fire of all three laser cannons onto one target, but removes the guns' former ability to each track a different target in their respective fire arcs.  The modification also brings the crew requirment down to two individuals, with the pilot retaining control of the twin proton torpedo launchers and the gunner acting as a navigator.

Markos' navigator, bodyguard, and purser is Mhar-Moh-Stet, a Tiss'shar of the Nil-ar racial group.  Mhar is skilled with both blaster pistols and vibroblades and utilises both to hunt his own food, prefering it fresh.  He also aspires to hunt and eat one individual from every non-sentient, non-endangered species that is non-toxic to Tiss'shar.

Markos also owns an LE series repair droid named LE-D8T449, nicknamed Luddite, that handles all maintenance and repairs of the ship.

Further details will be provided to glitterboy as he is the GM of this mess.

[Lord Harlock]

Now that work has slowed down a bit I can get back into again.

Hal Lockton- An Imperial Naval Commander who once was considered a rising star until he ran afar of a reckless Imperial Inquisitor. Though he saved a small fleet from destruction if he had followed the Inquisitor's instructions, he still disobeyed orders leading to Hal's "promotion". He was given command of the Imperial Gozanti- Class Cruiser, the Solid Light, and put on patrolling hyperspace lanes. Though Ordan is aware of his new lot in life, he tries to the best of his abilities to make the most of it. It's not easy with is crew including First Officer Lieutenant Padme Elisa Arl who will always tell you she is from Naboo, Chief Engineer "Pig Pen", and an astromech droid R3-78. 

All he wants is one more chance to get back into the Imperial Navy's good graces, so he can be promoted away from the Solid Light. It's starting to get to him.

[glitterboy2098]

Garen Cyn - Stands about 6ft tall, with a wiry build. prefers to wear jumpsuits with a nerf-hide jacket and grey billed cap.
although he takes pains to appear to be just another Spacer, a small scale courier and trader, Garen is actually a member of the Atarian Rangers. The rangers were clan based paramilitary organization created to provide support for Jedi Knights. with the fall of the Old Republic and the rise of the Empire, the Rangers have gone underground, working to protect surviving Jedi knowledge, force sensitives, and any surviving members of the jedi order they can find. Garen was only a young boy when the Empire destroyed the jedi order, though he still remembers them, as well as the personal connection his family had to them.

Garen flies a G-1A starfighter, the Wraith, a courier design equipped with basic living space for prolonged missions. His has been modified with a Slave circuit, enhanced navigational computer, and encrypted Holonet transceiver. His only regular crew is MKE-55, a DUM-series Pit Droid modified to function as a starship repair droid (and which Garen often employs to move cargo) (The Wraith is the ships code name within the rangers. it routinely employs alternate registries created by the Ranger's in different areas, changing as needed to maintain anonymity.)

He was given command of the Imperial Gozanti- Class Cruiser, the Solid Light, and put on patrolling hyperspace lanes.

with or without TIE-fighters?