B is for Blasters

A special guest post from reader of the blog Blanco 613.

A galaxy of diversity exists in the Star Wars universe. So, too, does this diversity extend to the variety of handheld weaponry available to your Crew, their associates, and their enemies. Use the chart below in the uncommon situations where the type of handheld blaster weapon used by a character is important; an investigation of a violent crime, illegal transport of arms to militia groups, framing a rival for a crime he or she didn’t commit, or a covert assault against a military installation.

As always, roll some dice to get a random item for inspiration, or use the list to pick and choose your design.

d100		BLASTER
01-02		Arakyd Accelerated Charged Particle Array Gun
03-04		Baktoid Armor Workshop E-5 Carbine
05-06		Baktoid Armor Workshop E-5 Droid Blaster
07		BlasTech A-280
08		BlasTech DC-15
09		BlasTech DC-15S
10		BlasTech DH-17
11		BlasTech EKX-10
12		BlasTech DH-23 “Outback”
13		BlasTech DH-X
14		BlasTech DL-17
15		BlasTech DL-18
16		BlasTech DL-22
17		BlasTech DL-44
18		BlasTech DL-7H
19		BlasTech DLT-19
20		BlasTech DLT-20A “Longblaster”
21		BlasTech DT-12
22		BlasTech DT-57 “Annihilator”
23		BlasTech DY-225
24		BlasTech E-11S Sniper
25		BlasTech EE-3
26		BlasTech HH-50
27		BlasTech HSB-200
28		BlasTech RT-97C
29		BlasTech SE-14C
30		BlasTech SE-14R
31		BlasTech T-21
32		BlasTech T-6 “Thunderer”
33-34		Caliban Model X
35-36		Corellian Arms CR-2
37-38		Corondex VES-700 Pulse Rifle
39-40		Coronet Arms H-7 “Equalizer”
41-42		Coronet Arms HL-27
43-44		Czerka 411
45-46		Czerka Arms 84-U
47-48		Czerka Arms A95 “Stingbeam”
49-50		Czerka Arms C-10 “Dragoneye Reaper”
51-54		E-11 Blaster Rifle
55-56		Elmainin Armaments SBP-200
57-58		Fed-Dub Protective Services “Spukami”
59-60		Gee-Tech No. 12 “Defender” MicroBlaster
61-62		Greff-Timms Industrial ATA Pulse-wave
63-64		Herloss HBT-4
65-66		Imperial Munitions Model 22T4
67-68		Imperial Munitions/BlasTech KK-5
69-70		Imperial Munitions/SoroSuub SC-4
71-72		Liquidsilver L7
73-74		Merr-Sonn “Power”
75		Merr-Sonn DR-45 “Dragoon”
76		Merr-Sonn Flash 4
77		Merr-Sonn IR-5 “Intimidator”
78		Merr-Sonn M-40 “Thunderbolt”
79		Merr-Sonn Model 434 “Death Hammer”
80		Merr-Sonn Model 44
81		Merr-Sonn Model 454
82		Merr-Sonn Model 53 “Quicktrigger”
83		Merr-Sonn Model 80
84		Merr-Sonn Model B22 “Imperial”
85		Merr-Sonn Model JI “Happy Surprise” Palm Blaster
86		Merr-Sonn Model Q4 “Quickfire”
87-88		N’Gant-Zarvel 9118 Carbine
89-90		Raider Arms Model-I “Nova Viper”
91		SoroSuub ELG-3A “Diplomat’s Blaster”
92		SoroSuub Firelance
93		SoroSuub Heavy Tracker 16
94		SoroSuub Model Kylan-3
95		SoroSuub OK-98
96		SoroSuub “Renegade”
97		SoroSuub Security S-5
98		SoroSuub SSK-7
99		SoroSuub X-30 Lancer Precision Blast Pistol
00		Talus Ironworks XL-2 “Flashfire”

C is for Characteristics

When designing a deadly, challenging B is for Beast or N is for Nemesis, it is often helpful for the Galaxy Master to begin by envisioning what extreme Characteristics their creation should have. These types of superlative enemies should always have an array of talents, tricks, weapons, and defenses that present a challenge to the players that have broken the rules, gone beyond the envelope of “fairness”. Most importantly, these additions make this creature into something totally awesome. The techniques described in this post are in large part an extension of the design of the major enemies in Fane of the Sith Lords, such as The Emperor, Mara Jade, and the Four-headed Hyper-evolved Dianoga.

Under the FFG Star Wars RPG, a typical creation made in this manner will have one of four options for their brutal base Characteristics:

1. one characteristic at 7
2. two characteristics at 6
3. four characteristics at 5
4. a mix of the above

In addition, every frustrating enemy must always have one or two Characteristics at a lowly 1. Your creature should have an unfair advantage, a true challenge to be overcome, but also a distinct weakness that can be exploited by clever and persistent players. The fun in using these horrorific creations is not in punishing the other players or reveling in your own ability to “win”; satisfaction is instead found in seeing the players pull out a glorious victory in the face of certain doom.

At this stage, a Galaxy Master should also begin imagining the fiction that informs and supports the Characteristics. What makes your creature’s abilities so extreme? Is it cybernetic, Sith-touched, genetically modified, from another universe, incredibly ancient, or something else?

Lastly, make sure to enforce your narrative with real bite by applying concrete, definable new abilities and weaknesses to reflect your creature’s Characteristics. An enemy with Willpower 7 is just one that rolls a lot of dice, but a foe that can drain the life force of living creatures is an opponent that will never be forgotten. An array of special abilities and weaknesses has been provided below to help inspire your own designs. It is recommended that a truly frightful enemy be provided with a minimum of 3 such abilities.

C is for Crime & Punishment

The Galactic Empire rules its subjects through uncompromising laws. Frequently, your player characters will encounter, or become, special Imperial citizens that have been accused of a heinous crime. These crimes all represent cases that are somehow unique, with the details of the circumstances left open to fit the needs of the Galaxy Master’s story.

Each crime has a Perpetrator, an individual suspected to be the head of the offense or perhaps merely a scapegoat. A suggested list of misconduct is then provided to describe the Crime for which this character stands accused.

Each wrongdoing here is consider a grave felony and with comes a Punishment designed to instill abject horror in any would-be felons. When the player characters get involved with this crime, and surely they will, a complication or wrinkle will be brought up that may make them question their previously held values. The Motivation behind the crime, why the perpetrator committed such an act, should come as some sort of surprise or revelation, a most excellent way to introduce ethical and moral decisions onto the players at your table.

Roll randomly (d10) on the charts below or choose the grim sentence of your own volition.

When designing a Crime & Punishment, it may be helpful to also envision the associated Trial to go with it.

H is for Hot rod

image from inside a WWII-era B-29 bomber cockpit (from http://justacarguy.blogspot.com)

I’ve been thinking a lot about how Han Solo’s space ship, the Millenium Falcon, stands apart. The very first ship shown in Star Wars, which came to be known as the Blockade Runner, was originally built to be Han’s ship, or what the film crew referred to as the “Pirate Ship.” Lucas’ model maker Joe Johnson, explained:

“It was supposed to look like a ship that had been assembled from other ships… George wanted it to look like it’d been hot-rodded, so we put we put bigger engines on it and stripped things off of it.”

The 90’s cult-classic video game Star Control had a similar way of thinking about the protagonist’s main space faring vessel. Throughout the course of the games interstellar campaign, the player is able to add , piece by piece, onto the frame of the starship. Slowly, the craft is built into a devastating warship of the player’s own design; reflecting his or her own style and the benefits granted through playing well and finding the game hidden secrets. Remembering back, this was an immensely satisfying way to play a video game and an element of game design that I often try to imitate.

Thus, for Star Wars: Edge of the Empire, I have created a set of House Rules to allow for greater depth of starship customization at character generation at the start of a campaign. I took the time to backwards-engineer the starting stats for the 3 potential starting ships in the Edge of the Empire Beta (sorry, the Silhouette 5 Wayfarer is out of the scope of this article) and created a baseline, minimalist starship which could then be upgraded outside of the realm of Hard Points by a one-time opportunity pick-and-pay method. The goal here is to foster emotional investment on the part of the players into their starship by giving them a more direct hand in establishing that starship’s abilities, much the same way that a typical character is created. Opening up this level of customization is an oft-tread path towards game imbalance and out of control build combinations. I welcome such sights and challenge readers to find out the most outrageous strategies using this system and to share them here in the comments.

T is for Talents (EotE)

Building on the successes of the first T is for Talents, this post aims to include a variety of new situations to cover the Careers and Specializations in both FFG Star Wars roleplaying game core books.

Combat in Edge of the Empire cannot be avoided. However, special care needs to be taken in a campaign so that the Galaxy Master does not fall into the seductive path of quick, easy, predictable, repetitive, and boring combat encounters. In fact, player characters in Edge of the Empire would do well to find ways to avoid fighting, if at all possible, even if that means sending allied troops to certain death for the greater good.

In order for Galaxy Masters to help push their players away from too much tactical combat in a non-tactical game, they must entice those players with rewarding scenes in which the players’ characters are able to demonstrate their value and worth. This can be done by designing scenes which benefit the unique and often underrepresented Career Talents. Compiled in the table below are interesting challenges, scenarios, and problems to be solved all taken from the benefits incurred by the Talents offered for each Career and Specialization that do not have an obvious benefit in combat, or whose benefit in combat is in a specialized niche.

When you, as Galaxy Master, are struggling to find a way to either move the plot of your adventure along in a new way, or are grasping to find a way to shine a spotlight on a player character that has been too long neglected, consult the list below to gain inspiration by either choosing an interesting scene or challenge described, or roll randomly with a d100 to let fate be your guide.

O is for Operations

image from http://tabu-art.deviantart.com/art/Star-Wars-Heirs-of-the-Empire-358517490

Operations provide the guiding framework for Imperial-centric adventures in Star Wars roleplaying games. By using a matrix of randomized tables, a catalyst for creativity is created for the Galaxy Master to grow forth a unique, engaging, and fun adventure for his or her game. This article distills the essence of what it means to be an elite operative of the Emperor and enhances all of the challenges that they must surely face while at the same time accounting for the rightful advantages the backing of the Galactic Empire confers upon its Agents.

Though they serve the same basic function, Operations and H is for Heists differ in several key ways. Heists function in a campaign focused on greed and lawlessness. The main drive in an Edge of the Empire campaign is the acquisition of more and more wealth (see EotE Core Rulebook, Keeping The Players Hungry), through an infinite variety of creative means. In stark contrast, a Crush the Rebellion campaign is instead focused on just the opposite; using unlimited wealth to keep peace and order in a galaxy teeming with chaos and an infinite variety of threats.

L is for Lightsaber

Rules as written, the Lightsaber presented in FFG Star Wars is static and unchanging, with no modification options due to its lack of hardpoints. This comes across at odds with my view. I see the lightsaber as a weapon that reflects a personal style and customization. Compared to any other piece of equipment in the whole Star Wars milieu, I have felt that the lightsaber should be the one to display the most variety; crafted by hand in a sacred, personal ritual as opposed to one of countless manufactured, identical items. Indeed, Darth Vader remarks to Luke in Return of the Jedi, “I see you have constructed a new lightsaber.” The key word here being constructed. Luke didn’t buy a  lightsaber, he didn’t find one, he wasn’t handed one – Luke Skywalker, jedi knight, builds this very personal weapon with his own two hands. It is unique to him.

While working on a section of Fane of the Sith Lords (namely, The Serpent Mothers’ Cloister), I came upon a great idea on how to integrate at least a little more variety and customization into Lightsabers in the FFG Star Wars roleplaying game.

T is for Talents (AoR)

Combat in Age of Rebellion cannot be avoided. It is at the core of the setting. Galaxy Masters need to stop worrying and learn to embrace it. With such a strong focus on warfare, deadly battles seep into every part of the campaign. However, special care needs to be taken in an Age of Rebellion campaign so that the Galaxy Master does not fall into the seductive path of quick, easy, predictable, repetitive, and boring combat encounters. In fact, just like their Edge of the Empire counterparts, player characters in Age of Rebellion would do well to find ways to avoid fighting, if at all possible, even if that means sending allied troops to certain death for the greater good.

In order for Galaxy Masters to help push their players away from too much tactical combat (in a non-tactical game), they must entice those players with rewarding scenes in which the players’ characters are able to demonstrate their value and worth. This can be done by designing scenes which benefit the unique and often underrepresented Career Talents. Compiled in the table below are interesting challenges, scenarios, and problems to be solved all taken from the benefits incurred by the Talents offered for each Career and Specialization that do not have an obvious benefit in combat, or whose benefit in combat is in a specialized niche.

S is for Secret agendas

A few weeks ago, I spoke of two big ideas I had in mind for the Star Wars Age of Rebellion roleplaying game. These ideas presented a taste of what I feel would be the best way to design and implement a truly remarkable, fun campaign played over a long time. One of these ideas, Crush the Rebellion, throws the players into the roles of elite Imperial special agents working directly for the Emperor.

The main impetus and drive behind a Crush the Rebellion campaign is the inherent conflict, betrayal, and intrigue of working as an agent of the Emperor. In addition to their overt tasks performed as a group, which will be expounded upon later under O is for Operations, each agent is also preoccupied with completing his or her own personal Secret Agenda. These tasks are always secretive in nature and often in conflict with the desires of the Emperor and other Agents. All Secret agendas have five major tasks that must be directly overseen by the controlling Agent. These tasks are drawn from a common pool of 11 Duty types, as loosely described in Age of Rebellion. The first agent to complete all five tasks to their secret agenda wins the campaign. The completion of this secret agenda will fundamentally alter the way the Galactic Empire operates and is a momentous occasion worthy of a campaign’s conclusion.

At the start of the campaign, the Galaxy Master assigns a different secret agenda to each agent, either randomly or by some other means. When a secret agenda is complete, the agent takes narrative control away from the Galaxy Master and describes the story behind this ground-breaking change to the galaxy, what lead up to it, the troubles that plagued it, and how it will forever remake the face of the Galactic Empire.

H is for Hutt

Disgusting, slimy, filthy, criminals.

The Hutts derive from a large, slug-like species and are well-known throughout both the outer rim and the core worlds as an expansive clan of immoral gangsters. Everything about them is vile and gross, both in body and in spirit, both in word and in deed. Hutts are a perfect “frenemy” for your Star Wars crew, offering lucrative contracts through their underworld connections, while offending all around them with their very presence, making conflicting side deals behind the crew’s backs, and tugging on both Obligations and Motivations in the most repulsive ways possible.