I've come up with a campaign idea that I'll have to let simmer for a while (Currently running one already that's nowhere near being 'completed') and these types of discussions always fascinate me, so before I describe my concept, I'd love to hear what you guys have either heard or developed yourselves in terms of alternate Star Wars universes to run around in and cause havoc!
Posted Oct 2, 2017, 10:09 PM UTC
I’ve done some practice games to help people understand the narrative dice and other mechanics in a Jedi Party themed universe.
My players are no longer allowed near a bar unless they want this roll’s result to come up again. https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/352237512275656716/360997531699642378/unknown.png
Oh dear GOD. A player in my current campaign just succeeded at a rarity check of 2 green vs 4 purple and a red to find the clone-wars minigun (Sidewinder, I believe). Similar situation with slightly less threat - I let him have it at an exceedingly overpriced cost, and they're about to meet the very rich clone wars memorabilia collector who had been waiting for the specific shipment to come in...
Do you mean Z-6?
Nah, the gunnery one with insane cumbersome. http://swrpg.viluppo.net/equipment/weapons/206/
Edit: I see what you mean though, the Z-6 is the Clone Wars minigun, I must have gotten the SoroSuub VX mixed up with it. Dangit! Might be able to swap them out for the player though...
Here's the campaign idea I've been mulling over, inspired by yet another binge of the clone wars tv show: Chancellor Palpatine fails. Due to a number of factors, Mace Windu takes Anakin along to arrest him and he is sentenced for treason. The treachery of Order 66 is discovered before it can be carried out, and Darth Sidious is executed publicly.
Chaos reigns throughout the galaxy as the separatists fracture without their figure head and the republic falls to rampant corruption in the wake of the execution. After a year of this, a group of Jedi corrupted by the dark side due to their actions during the clone wars and lead by Anakin Skywalker decide to take over the republic to restore peace to the galaxy. This goes against the wishes of the rest of the Jedi, leading to the party starting play at the outset of the Second Jedi Civil War. Thoughts?
Sounds cool, although you would have to come up with a good explanation for how Palpatine gets found guilty.
I'm planning on having the clone purchases lead back to him through the Clone Wars spoilers? - Although that might make for a cool prequel one-shot with the players using major jedi/investigators!
What about the Phineas and Ferb Star Wars special?
Because that was a thing, and it was awesome.
No wait, this song is better because damn R2 can DANCE!
EDIT: Also here was the opening text crawl.
Episode IVa
MAY THE FERB BE WITH YOU
On the Desert planet of Tatooine lived two happy young moisture farmers, who had absolutely no plans of leaving or getting involved in any kind of intergalactic shenanigans.
Unbeknownst to them the Galactic Empire had recently finished constructing its ultimate weapon, the DEATH STAR.
Meanwhile, having learned the whereabouts of the Death Star's plans, the rebels send their best platypus agent to obtain them, in hopes of finding a weakness.
And none of this is canon, so just relax.
I mean I use the system to run a forceless au...It's Firefly.
The last game I ran was having a young Darth Sidious sewing unrest in the outer rim. the idea was he was sewing the seeds of the Seperatist movement that would happen 15 years later when the prequel movies take place.
He was secretly apprenticing Maul while Plagues was secretly apprenticing a replacement apprentice for when Sidious bit it.
So, the way it worked was, Sidous would visit a planet and comment on how the Jedi didn't care about the outer rim world, especially this world. Really get the rumors/complaints swirling.
Later, he would leave and Maul would show up and do some horrible stuff (I think I had him bomb a school or something).
Then when the Jedi PCs showed up. Nothing but complaints and resistance. And when they had to leave to deal with the new outer rim atrocity, more accusations about leaving befor ethe problem was fixed.
I used Black Sun mercs as Storm troopers/mooks/goons.
As the players slowly started catching up with the conspuiracy they got clues as to what was happening and why.
Until they confronted Maul (and eventually a young, deadly Sidious).
Good times, good times...
My favorite AU:
[MASSIVE SEASON 3 REBELS SPOILERS!!!](/s "Maul kills Obi-Wan during their duel on Tatooine, discovers this so-called chosen one (maybe guided by Obi-Wan's force ghost, since at least Maul also wants to destroy the Sith), and trains Luke to be a hardcore badass. From there, it could go any number of ways, although it is likely the Death Star isn't destroyed. Still, there are any number of ways for Luke and Maul to get involved with Han and Chewie, and maybe even Leia if Ben guides them to her. Plus, there is a big fat gap where a new "Hero of the Rebellion" can step in without always being overshadowed by that Luke guy.")
Link doesn't work.
I've had my players participate in a plot by Imperial Intelligence to infiltrate a bunch of droids in key positions and rig them to blow, thereby killing most of the Galaxy's leaders. Ysard has now taken control of the Core Worlds and Colonies and instituted an ultra-efficient yet "benevolent" police state, while the rest of the Galaxy has gone to shit and is divided between the Rebellion, some rogue Moffs turned Warlords, and various other groups like Black Sun and the "Emperor's Loyalists" back in the Unknown Regions.
Also, they murdered 99.99% of Mon Cala's population.
It's been fun, to say the least.
The current campaign I'm running has this as it's biggest backdrop: Anakin killed Padme on Mustafar; meaning luke and Leia were never born.
This has been a lot of fun. Wedge, because he's Wedge, destroys the first Death star, but things have been much darker for the Rebels after Yavin.
Currently its working its way to a more open military conflict, since the only Force Sensitives in the group are no where near as powerful as Luke would have been.
I feel like this is going to end up a large Cold War type scenario with 2 Galactic powers.
My favorite AU is called "What if the Empire wasn't stupid?"
No, they don't shoot the escape pod with R2 and 3PO, but they do acknowledge that the plans could be hidden away on the pod almost immediately and follow it down. The droids are captured, interrogated, and disposed of.
Vader learns that Obi Wan is on Tatooine ... and through further investigation, discovers his son. He kills both Obi Wan and his son. Leia is killed. Yavin base is destroyed. The Rebel Alliance is decimated.
Wedge Antilles ( because he cannot ever die ) is among the few Rebels who escape destruction and now flies out of Bespin, occasionally harassing the Empire with a small crew ( less than 10 other pilots ) ... especially Imperial Cargo shipments. Lando, sympathetic to the remnants of the Rebel cause, helps them hide out at Cloud City.
Han and Chewie never met Luke or Obi Wan ... but they did eventually topple Jabba. Han now runs the Tatooine Underworld.
Cool, except for Han replacing Jabba, which he was nowhere near capable of doing.
Sure ... that one is a stretch. You could alternately have Jabba take down Han. Or you could leave the situation unchanged ... with Han running from everyone always at the edge of his luck.
I just felt that Han made a more interesting crime lord ( and yes, he'd grow into the position ) than Jabba.
Yeah, but I don't think Ham would do well as a crime lord, not do I think he'd actually want to be a major crime lord.