Star Wars RPG - Part 3 - It's all Marks fault!

Long time coming I know but here it is, the final SW rpg post from that infamous 'fun' game...

So with all the players banded together at last! They set out in their stolen courier van to Aramur City's industrial area. They travelled through the city with little delay as most other traffic headed back in the direction of the starport. Leaving the commercial areas they crossed major arterial highways which headed into the mining facilities in the eastern mountains. Taking an exit the van turned down a sweeping off ramp and passed into the shadows of the roadway above.

The headlights of the van illuminated debri strewn across the road in the form of a large dumpster and rundown vehicles. Conan at the controls swerved the wide van to avoid a minor collision throwing the unsecured passengers in the back into each other. As they questioned the ability of the merc's driving blasterfire erupted from behind the dumpster and highway support struts. The panels of the van blackened under the assault and with the other players clamering to react Conan successfully swung the van completely around with it's rear exit facing the assault.

Ryan and Conan exchanged fire with their assailants from the driver and passenger windows with Aaron(the Jawa) clambering over them with jetpack in tow attempting to exit. The attackers looked to be an armed street gang taking advantage of the chaos in this sector, unfortunately a van full of armed player characters are not the ideal victims of a car jacking. Leon burst out and broke right, opening fire from his heavy blaster cannon upon the very outclassed criminals. Cody having kept his toys concealed in the earlier bar fight, leapt from the rear doors, landing in a suitably Neo pose and igniting his twin lightsabers!

At this point and with no regard for the initiative order Mark proclaimed loudly from his seat at the table "Filthy Jedi! Kill him!" or words to that effect ;) There was the expected "Are you really going to say that?" with Mark being true to his character replying in the affirmative and this is where it all went pear shaped.

Mark opened fire on Cody as he was engaging with the crooks. This drew on Stu to defend his fellow Jedi and upon Cody being free of thugs in reach had Mark's character flung within range by a Force push. Leon having spent his time blowing large holes in the crooks decided he'd best defend his bounty hunting mate. Aaron awkwardly clambered free of the drivers compartment and rocketed into the air with his jetapck. Now seeing as the trio of Ryan, Conan and Joel were all seated together at the end of the gaming table they had already worked out their next move. With the other two subgroups clear of the van, Conan gunned the engine with Joel's wookie hanging on for dear life in the back and sped the van back the way they had come towards the onramp.

In amongst the sudden infighting Leon took offense to this act of retreat and sighted the damaged vehicle with his cannon... 1 die roll later and the van and its contents went into a careening flip horrifically damaging the player characters inside. At this point I think it was Ryan who had suffered enough damage to transform his smuggler into a red smear upon the road so he used his force point(which can be used as a get out of the sh!t option) so instead with the shattering of the windscreen he rolled out as the vehicle flipped up and over him to land upon its roof. The other batterd two joined Ryan and they fled for the refuge of some small buildings near the onramp to wait out the fight.

All the gang members were well and truly down or fleeing at this point. Mark had been knocked out cold with no dismemberment as I recall due to some repeated force slamming via Stu, thats right 'force slamming'. Leon was in a game of run around the intervening terrain and blow up the Jedi while Aaron was dropping stun and frag greandes on Cody from his aerial position.

In the end the details are hazy but I think Aaron escaped into the night screaming "Utini!" on the wings of a jetpack at the Jedi. Cody and/or Stu had been dropped by the combination grenade/blaster cannon combo and if Leon was still standing he wasn't in a good position either.

So even though this all went to crap in a can it did leave the RPG virgins wanting more. The Wellington based lads are very eager to start a regular monthly game which is fantastic and I am more than happy to run for them. In whatever system we do end up playing I will enforce one thing, the players will agree to be a functional party before the game starts. This will allow us to avoid the situation that occured, even though if you were there it was hilarious with all the good natured name calling and yelling about that table. I will point out that the players barely got through half of the material I had prepared so this leaves me in a good position to start with in a future Star Wars game.

Tonight after a couple month break in which I played an absolutley useless barbarian(any roll over 10 on that D20 would be nice) I embark on the DM'ing of another RPG game. It will be the start of a story I've had in the back of my head for a while and the regular Levin guys can use the Pathfinder/D&D characters they've used in Aaron's fun game if they want.

Whatever happens tonight it will be ok though, as a certain Imperial bounty hunter won't be there to implode the group =P

Star Wars RPG - Part 2 - B&E Jedi style

Part 2 at last...

After the 'incident' at the bar the three groups of galactic entrepreneurs made their way through the evening streets of Aramur City to the spaceport. Sounds of distressed citizens and traffic grew as they converged on their destination and as they crossed onto the main thoroughfare to the port came across a mass of halted traffic and growing crowd. Still not making any attempt to join forces the trio of groups all made their approached differently.

The Imperial bounty hunters with their Droid dragging Jawa forced their way through the throng to the security guards stationed at the entrance. The guards had no specific details of events in the city but had been tasked with only letting registered ship crews into the port. There would be no exit from the planet though as a forcefield had been emplaced over all docking bays to prevent departure in case of a warranted medical incident. Mark, Leon and Aaron politely presented their IDs and were permitted into the port to check on their ship and stow the Jawa's damaged droid.

As the Imperial trio got access Stu and Cody the Jedi on the run made for an alternate entrance. Shying away from the crowds they wandered off around the exterior wall of the port looking for an access point and soon found one clear of and guards view. With concealing hoods up and a flick of telekinesis from Stu at the security camera out came the lightsabers at last, for the time honoured tradition of busting into somewhere. I swear in all the games I've used over the years the lightsaber is used for cutting through doors, walls and floors more than combat, it is the practical tool of the Jedi in any situation. Stu even made the effort to block line of sight from any bystander as Cody easily cut through the simple door. Scurrying down the maintenance corridor the pair easily blended into the horde of space farers milling about in the central promenade of the port.

The third group of Ryan, Joel and Conan had the easiest passage through the crowd for two reasons. Joel's bikini clad Wookie simply moved through like Moses parting the sea while any civilians who glanced at Ryan's smuggler cleared out of the way quick as his condition worsened, the infection from the bite inducing a feverish sweat and pale complexion. After a cursory examination from security the trio was hastily escorted to the spaceports A&E facility. The waiting room was a mess of different species all spreading wild stories as to what malady had fallen on the city. As Ryan had the only genuine medical issue he was seen immediately by a Mon Calamari doctor. With the 'it's a trap!' comments out of the way various medical drugs and bacta were injected into Ryan's character until the infection was stabilised. The Doctor took samples as to prepare for any further cases. Conan's merc seemed to have staved off any spread of the wound he had suffered but was treated as well for good measure. They were clever enough to question the Doctor about Cerulean Sciences, the company the guards ID badge had identified. The Doctor told them that Cerulean Sciences had an administrative and lab facility in the eastern industrial part of the city. This was also where the start of the public disturbances and injuries had occured. After a failed attempt to convince the Doctor to part with some medpacs they left the A&E.


After stashing the inoperative protocol droid on their ship the bounty hunters made their way out of the docking bay onto the main promenade as the Jedi duo came by(convenient eh). Recognising each other from the bar Stu and Cody concocted a suitably bulls*&t story as to who they were and why they needed passage off world. Mark, Leon and Aaron agreed to give them a ride if they could get leave to depart. Not seeing much else to do in the port other than be jostled about by irate travellers they made their way back out into the city(2 groups combined, 1 to go).

The Mercs - Ryan, Joel and Conan left the port as well with the interest of having a nosey at this Cerulean facility and any carnage ensuing in the industrial sector. Lacking any form of transport Conan spotted a large extremely dirty red hovervan obviously used for a courier service. Looking in through the windows at the mess of food wrappers and debri he decided to persist and break in(yeah we know whose van i'm talking about). While this 'subtle' attempt at auto theft was ensuing the now combined group of Mark, Leon, Aaron, Cody and Stu were approached by a disheveled yet attractive young human woman. Her business attire placed her as a young professional but her unkept hair and tattered clothing showed her to have been subjected to more of the city's current mayhem than others.

She breathlessly introduced herself as Hailen Wordew, administrative assistant to Mills Obera, CEO of Cerulean Sciences. Her boss had dispatched her to find a group of able bodied fellows to escort some important documents and himself to a starship at a facility not under the forcefield subjected by the starport authorities. When questioned as to why the muscle was needed she said that some lifting may be needed and that Mr Obera was in an agitated state and she was simply following orders. Aaron in firm Jawa mindset was already looking for a ride before Hailen finished talking. He spied Conan's ugly Merc making a balls up of unlocking the van and with a squeal shoved him out of the way and easily got the door open. Impressed by the Jawa's mechanical skill Conan assisted Aaron in hotwiring the transport and with a quick pooling of interests all the groups were teamed up at last... maybe this wasn't a good idea though...

Star Wars RPG - Part 1 - its a cantina scene

Last Saturday after a very full day of wargaming I ran a fun game using the Star Wars Saga edition rpg system. As I was going to have a few more players than normal(ideal party size is usually 3-5 players and a game master) I had the guys email me through what they'd like to play so they would be ready before hand.

With Leon's assistance we had pretty much all the characters good to go before we played and with talking to the players throughout the day could nail down their concepts a lot better so the character could actually be functional- looking at you Joel ;)

The cast of player characters were

Cody - human male, angry Jedi close comabatant
Stu - human male Jedi specializing in force powers
Aaron - Jawa with a Flamethrower and a Jetpack
Leon - human male soldier in heavy armour with a massive gun
Mark - human male, trained in Imperial service and hunting rogue force users
Ryan - human male charismatic smuggler - Mal from Firefly/Serenity
Conan - human male, butt ugly dual wielding merc
Joel - female Wookie, unarmed fighting specialist - initial confusion of Joel wanting to be a 'priest type' clarified into him wanting to be a monk type which then made sense

So after a gaming feast of fish n chips we filled my gaming room, distributed the D20s and got started. I gave the players time over dinner to decide whether they knew each other and thankfully the 8 of them split into 3 groups. Cody and Stu being the rogue Jedi. Joel, Ryan and Conan forming an independant trio of freebooters. Mark, Leon and Aaron making a trio of pro Imperial bounty hunters. Now I will refer to the players and characters as one because I didn't actually bother to learn their character names during the game anyway.

The planet of Seeriona sits on the Outer Rim near the end of the Corellian Run. A world whose major continents are covered in jagged mountains and alpine forests. During the Clone Wars Seperatist forces took control of Seeriona whose independant city states failed in uniting to oppose them. The Seperatists landed their driod task forces and began extensive mining operations, plundering the mineral content for their war machines. With the end of the Clone Wars and subsequent rise of the Empire, Seeriona has again become independant and is now in the process of ecological and financial recovery. This has lead to a variety of enteprising businesses establishing themselves in the cities and industrial complexes left behind after the war. With this comes a variety of individuals arriving for fortune, work and whatever they can get their hands on.

In a downtown bar/cantina(yes someone did have the cantina theme on their phone, sigh) not far from Aramur City's spaceport a trio of groups busy themselves with their own business as the day grows late. A weathered Bothan with grey streaking his golden fur tends the bar doing his best to avoid small talk with his current patrons. A pair of human men in hooded jackets sit at the bars end doing their best to avoid eye contact with anyone else. A heavily armoured man sits cautiously upon his groaning seat while his table companions of a chattering Jawa and a clean cut man with military bearing converse. In the bars centre with an array of empty vessels upon their table is a pair of human men and a Wookie. The first, a square jawed handsome fellow plonks a tray of fresh drinks down. The second a scarred, hardened looking individual refills his while the Wookie wearing a yellow... polka... dot... bikini over her shining fur helps herself to more.

From the bars small lobby where a protocol droid watched over the enforced weapons lockers came cries of distress from the droid. With a crash the tarnished droids body clattered down the steps into the bar and stopped upon colliding with the bounty hunters table. A pair a men staggered down the steps, one in a very worn brown jacket and the other in a blue security uniform. Both seemed very inebriated by their manner and incoherent moaning. They stumbled into the bounty hunters table drawing am aggresive glare from Mark and Leon while the Jawa - Aaron, his golden eyes gleaming at oppurtunity slid off his stool to 'assist' the fallen droid(frakkin Jawas).

Admist jeers at the drunkards from the players, Ryan took his beer and threw it into the jacketed mans face and scooted to the far side of the table behind the swimsuit wearing Wookie. At this insult the man let out a shriek and charged at Ryan with grasping hands outstretched. Conan sprung from his seat and grabbed the assailant doing his best to restrain him while other players made their way from their seats towards the weapon lockers for fear of escalation. Joel's wookie swung at the grappled man and with a horrific crack he slumped in Conan's grip his head resting at an unnatural position. While this occured the security guard had sighted the Jawa under the table and made a grab at him, in swift retaliation Aaron drew his hold out blaster he had successfully concealed in his tattered robes and planted a shot dead in the guards chest. With a thump the man fell to the floor with a plume of smoke rising from the wound.

As the two antagonists were now apparently lifeless it was startling to see both bodies start to convulse and develop a feverish sheen. Ryan quick to take advantage as Aaron continued 'helping' the droid, knelt over the security guard and started 'looting' the injured man. As he drew a security card and a cred chip from the pocket, the guard grabbed the offending limb in a vice like grip and bit down hard into Ryan's forearm resulting in a scream of pain. Still in a grappled state by Conan the other man snapped his head about and sunk his now blackening teeth into Conan's shoulder while ineffectively scratching at his armourd chest.

Aarons Jawa retreated from the guard firing shots from his pistol as he scurried under tables for protection. Ryan threw himslef out of reach as Leon, who had now retrieved his heavy rifle opened fire at the guard raking blaster shots into him. Conan maintained his grip while Joel unsheathed his claws and ripped into the deranged man.

Quickly the two were put down... again and the Bothan bartender started hooting and hollering with a variety of colourful language for everybody to get out of his bar.
Aaron grabbed a foot of the now inoperative protocol droid and taking advantage of the confusion dragged it out into the street making for the spaceport while Leon and Mark followed past Cody and Stu who had managed to observe the fight and keep their abilities and lightsabers hidden. Ryan whose wound was unnaturally rapidly worsening found that the guard's card identified him as an employee of Cerulean Sciences, but along with Conan was in need of immediate medical attention so also headed for the spaceport A&E with Wookie escort.

As the three groups all headed for the port sounds of conflict rang through the streets and plumes of dark smoke rose from the industrial sector.

in part 2 - spaceport - getting the characters together