Star Wars Quick Shot: The Setting

Last time I laid out the approach I took to the rules I wanted to use for a Star Wars quick shot of sessions.  This time, we look into setting up the world and scenario in which to play.

(As an aside, I find that these sorts of licensed games are best suited to a "mini series" rather than the open ended long running game-play of fantasy RPGs.)

The first decision is, which era of the Star Wars galaxy to play in.  There is material aplenty to run a game from the Ancient Republic through the decades following the events of the Original Trilogy (Not to mention 2 sets of continuity from which to pick and choose). 

For me it was a no brainer to go with a time frame where the Empire is active.  If folks are playing Star Wars, they want it to look like Star Wars, and that means Storm Troopers and Star Destroyers.  I settled on a time right between the Prequels and the OT, this makes it easy to have Imperials, hidden Force Users, etc. without worrying about bumping into continuity or playing second fiddle to movie characters.

Following that train of thought, I next had to think about what the characters would do in this setting.  Again, I want it to feel like Star Wars, but not be hemmed in by continuity.    A quick trip to  Wookieepedia (best named fan community ever) and after looking around at whats happening 10 years before A New Hope and Hutt Space looks like a good candidate.  There is probably all kinds of interesting things going on the borders between Imperial and Hutt control.

Next it is time for some Pre-Gens. Why Pre-Gens? Speed and Simplicity, this is going to be a short set of sessions, my players tend to be less interested in mechanics and more about getting into "make-believe".  Plus, as we discussed, I made some house rules, so it is easier to present an archetypal character and not have to guide 4-5 people thought making one.

What sort of characters make a Star Wars story?  A scoundrel, a translator/diplomat, a force user, a droid, a pilot, and someone will want to be  a Wookiee. With 4 players to start, I set to make 6 characters, so there are options.  I dont want off-brand copies of existing characters, but nothing too oddball.  Finally, I settle on 5th level for these characters, powerful enough to feel like they are accomplished in there "jobs" but not too powerful that system (and house rules) break down.  Since this is a "mini series" character advancement is not a goal/concern.

When done, I ended up with:

• Human - Force Adept 5
• Wookiee - Soldier 5
• Twi'lik - Scoundrel 5
• Human Pilot - Scout 5
• Battle Droid running Protocol Droid OS - Soldier 1 /Expert 4
• Human - Noble 5
  

A nice mix of weird and fun.  I ended up putting the characters sheets face down in the middle of the table and let the player's pick at random.  A pair traded, and everyone was happy (the Force User and Noble got left in the pile)