Star Wars - (not those) Aliens vs Empire

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Ghost Whistler

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An unspoken element of the Star Wars is that the Empire comprises only the British. Sorry, I mean only humans. (Who are British.)

As far as I know that is the case with a single notable exception; Thrawn. I don't know his backstory so perhaps there are some mitigating circumstances. Dark side adepts, largely apocryphal, may get a free pass. I don't think the Inqusitors in Rebels were human.

The characters in my Age of Rebellion game are all alien (one's a droid).

So I'm wondering if designing a mission to infiltrate a Star Destroyer and rescue the Admiral aboard who wants to defect is viable, or if it's just asking too much. There isn't much they can really do about what they are and if they get caught it's going to be pretty obvious they aren't with the Empire. I think the scenario is a good idea, but I don't want them set up to fail
 
The only viable scenario if they get caught is that they might be bounty hunters in the employ of the Empire. If that’s the case, they’ll elicit the “we don’t need their scum” sort of remarks.
 
One bit I've always loved from Spacemaster Privateers is that the same races are fighting on both sides of the war. It sure makes it easier to run infiltration scenarios.
 
On the Chiss (Which is what Thrawn was/is), they're a semi-xenophobic, Near Human race with their own mini-empire of sorts, their goals align with the Empires so both sides tends to leave the other alone. Thrawn was an outlier, because he had this ability to look at a race's art and somehow figure out how they thought as a species (Which is pretty stupid if you ask me, because Artists tend to not fit into the societal norms. Would be like looking at the Peanuts comics and basing humanity of it.) so that made him almost the ultimate strategist according to the Trilogy. I don't know what they changed other than his age to make him fit into Rebels.

As for your scenario, other that being slaves, or bounty hunters, I don't see it working without it being a completely stealth extraction/kidnapping, no bluffing or interactions with other officers.

Or LOTS and LOTS of blaster fire (Which frankly, I'm all for. This IS Star Wars after all.)
 
Odd, I've always thought Peanuts pretty much nailed it. Though there was that one experimental web comic where they left the fourth panel off Peanuts strips, very dark stuff.
 
On the Chiss (Which is what Thrawn was/is), they're a semi-xenophobic, Near Human race with their own mini-empire of sorts, their goals align with the Empires so both sides tends to leave the other alone. Thrawn was an outlier, because he had this ability to look at a race's art and somehow figure out how they thought as a species (Which is pretty stupid if you ask me, because Artists tend to not fit into the societal norms. Would be like looking at the Peanuts comics and basing humanity of it.) so that made him almost the ultimate strategist according to the Trilogy. I don't know what they changed other than his age to make him fit into Rebels.

As for your scenario, other that being slaves, or bounty hunters, I don't see it working without it being a completely stealth extraction/kidnapping, no bluffing or interactions with other officers.

Or LOTS and LOTS of blaster fire (Which frankly, I'm all for. This IS Star Wars after all.)
That's my feeling also. I'm not sure lots of blaster fire would work as they not entirely a combat cell (the droid character is explicitly not). And the FFG rules don't really support mowing down gobs of troopers, weirdly.

The target is an Imperial Admiral who is a senior figure/in charge of the ship. He has made overtures to the Alliance and so the pc's are sent to get him out.

I considered having it set aboard a neutral ship (like a Black Sun or Hutt ship) but that makes it difficult for the Admiral to be aboard.

I also wanted an ISB agent to be after them, someone that knows there's a defector. He would then need a reason to be aboard the ship. Furthermore the Star Destrouyer was to be testing a prototype kyber cyrstal powered superlaser (this is pre Yavin). The ship would then suffer a malfunction in orbit of a planet and start to fall. So the players have to escape. All these elements seem to work best with the Empire and not a crime lord ship
 
Could there be a technological solution like Mission Impossible stlye masks or maybe Avatar style hosts? That later would mean you would not even need an escape plan.

Of course once the mission is over, the Empire will develop counter-measure because in pulpy sci-fi you can never use the gimmick twice (unless its the Death Star, then you have to use it every time).
 
I considered having it set aboard a neutral ship (like a Black Sun or Hutt ship) but that makes it difficult for the Admiral to be aboard.

I also wanted an ISB agent to be after them, someone that knows there's a defector. He would then need a reason to be aboard the ship.

Uh, I can work with this. Admiral decides that the Rebels are moving too slowly, OR ISB is onto him so he begins his defection, sadly, he gets caught by X (Black Sun, Tenloss, Hutt Cartel, made up Pirate Band) now the Players are sent to get him back, by any means necessary. Which includes negotiation or whatever the players excel in.

Furthermore the Star Destrouyer was to be testing a prototype kyber cyrstal powered superlaser (this is pre Yavin). The ship would then suffer a malfunction in orbit of a planet and start to fall. So the players have to escape. All these elements seem to work best with the Empire and not a crime lord ship
What? Pirates can't steal a prototype power source for sale or personal use now? :hehe: :wink: And are limping back, but get caught in a gravity well with a small fleet of Star Destroyers at their back wanting both the Admiral and stolen weapon.
 
Could there be a technological solution like Mission Impossible stlye masks or maybe Avatar style hosts? That later would mean you would not even need an escape plan.

Of course once the mission is over, the Empire will develop counter-measure because in pulpy sci-fi you can never use the gimmick twice (unless its the Death Star, then you have to use it every time).
There are two choices I can think of:

Have them pretend to be bounty hunters, hired and bought aboard while in port for some reason.

Have them pretend to be engineers, hired and bought aboard while in port for some reason.

The adventure is intended to take place aboard the ship. Star Destroyers are suitably large for this to be viable I think, a smaller ship would mek it easier for them to be noticed. If they weren't obviously alien. The players would embark while the ship is docked at a planet to resupply etc.

They could be prisoners, like the ruse in ANH, but I'm wary that could work.
 
There are two choices I can think of:

Have them pretend to be bounty hunters, hired and bought aboard while in port for some reason.

Have them pretend to be engineers, hired and bought aboard while in port for some reason.

The adventure is intended to take place aboard the ship. Star Destroyers are suitably large for this to be viable I think, a smaller ship would mek it easier for them to be noticed. If they weren't obviously alien. The players would embark while the ship is docked at a planet to resupply etc.

They could be prisoners, like the ruse in ANH, but I'm wary that could work.
Alternative idea, let the players figure out their own ruse, instead of them being pieces in your story.
 
I'm a little bit disappointed that this thread wasn't about a Star Wars/Aliens mash-up.

Yeah, no offense to the OP, but that was why I clicked too.

Sudden oddball realization: Robotech + Aliens Xenomorphs = Muv Luv Alternative
 
You don't see much in the way of aliens in Imperial uniform, but there is a fair amount suggesting they utilize aliens as hirelings, spies, bounty hunters etc so it wouldn't be much of a stretch to fit in a couple of aliens, but a whole party is probably pushing things, I mean why would they send such a difficult to infiltrate party on the mission?

One thought, maybe because the admiral demands it. Imperials are probably a paranoid bunch, could be he feels there is less risk of being set up by a double agent with alien operatives.

Rather than on a ship, what about making the grab while planet side, perhaps during an inspection of the facilities. While not shown on screen much, I'm sure the empire uses a lot of local alien labor, as most colonial powers do.
 
I'm a little bit disappointed that this thread wasn't about a Star Wars/Aliens mash-up.

They already have their Aliens in the Old Republic. Rak Ghouls! FUN STUFF

Okay - so the thing is The Empire isn't exclusively Human. It just mostly is. There is *no* reason that a pack of Aliens can't be in the Empire, but it IS unusual. And it depends on the species of course.

There are members of the Empire that are Duros - in Imperial Intelligence - fairly high-ranking too. Thrawn is the exception, but later establishment of the Chiss, especially in the Old Republic era makes he Chiss particularly badass. The Chiss Ascendency fought the Sith Empire (which is *radically* scarier than the modern Skywalker era Empire) to a standstill and eventually they became "allies" (the Chiss would have been too difficult to take).

So again - depends on the specific makeup of the party. As others have said - Bounty Hunters. The only issue with Bounty Hunters are they probably wouldn't be allowed to roam freely around and despite being integral part of law-keeping, especially on the Rim - BH's are not well liked by the rank-and-file in the Imperial Navy.

ONE possibility is that someone is an asset for Imperial Intelligence or has some connection? And that can allow them to go as a group. Or maybe someone has the skills to pretend they are? ISB has their own formal uniforms etc. They do use non-humans for special missions - it's pretty rare to be an actual agent, but assets? Sure.

Droids are like Clipboards. If you have one with you - you're clearly doing something needful. Could be good cover. Maybe they're a maintenance crew?
 
The top is the Empire. The bottom is the Republic.
 
Cleaning crew. Envoy from a local system/organization dealing directly with the Empire, and the Admiral is the person doing the negotiating. The plot-twist is the ISB is watching the Admiral... and watching closely.
 
An unspoken element of the Star Wars is that the Empire comprises only the British. Sorry, I mean only humans. (Who are British.)

As far as I know that is the case with a single notable exception; Thrawn. I don't know his backstory so perhaps there are some mitigating circumstances. Dark side adepts, largely apocryphal, may get a free pass. I don't think the Inqusitors in Rebels were human.

Wasn't Darth Maul an alien?
 
Wasn't Darth Maul an alien?

Zabrak. That was before Palpatine took control of the Republic and I think he made exemptions for certain aliens when it fit his purposes.
 
Zabrak. That was before Palpatine took control of the Republic and I think he made exemptions for certain aliens when it fit his purposes.

Nerd Alert - He's a Male Dathomiri. Basically Zabraks that evolved on Dathomir. They're the equivalent of Near Humans to Humans - but Zabrak.

Yeah. I know.
 
Perhaps the admiral has been captured, somehow, by the Hutts and is being held for ransom because X the Hutt knows who he is and is trying to play both sides against each other.

I also thought maybe instead of the Admiral it's his doctor who, being hi personal physician, has access to secrets he wishes to pass on as sympathetic to the rebellion. A bit like that B5 episode with the president's doctor who comes to the station with evidence that the president is a traitor. Except with less Michael garibaldi :grin:
 
So the problem I have when writing adventures is turning that concept into an actual adventure.

Defector was to meet rebel contact, that didn't happen. Or went wrong. Now the Defector is a 'guest' of a crimelord.
Meanwhile the ISB are on the trail.

Not sure how to develop that
 
Why can't a couple of them disguise themselves as Stormtroopers (assuming at least a couple of humanoids/near-humans) and the rest can pretend to be prisoners being taken to the holding cells?

I mean, it's a classic...

Motleycrew.jpg
 
So the problem I have when writing adventures is turning that concept into an actual adventure.

Defector was to meet rebel contact, that didn't happen. Or went wrong. Now the Defector is a 'guest' of a crimelord.
Meanwhile the ISB are on the trail.

Not sure how to develop that
A crime lord holding an Imperial Defector while ISB hunt him down? It practically writes itself.
 
A crime lord holding an Imperial Defector while ISB hunt him down? It practically writes itself.
not for me it doesn't. I just look at the elements there and draw a blank. As much as I love this hobby, I can't think up stuff like this. I don't know what I need to be creating and it takes me a long time to come up with something I feel works and most of the time what I do come up with is too convoluted
 
not for me it doesn't. I just look at the elements there and draw a blank. As much as I love this hobby, I can't think up stuff like this. I don't know what I need to be creating and it takes me a long time to come up with something I feel works and most of the time what I do come up with is too convoluted
What does the defector know that could be useful to the crime lord? Shipments, routes, codes, secret locations full of things to steal? Weapons depots, prison asteroids with friends of the crime lord incaerated on them. There's a million things that spring right from there.

As for the ISB agent, that's a spy thriller waiting to happen if I ever saw one. IMDB has a handy list of possibly inspirational movies.
 
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Of course, loyal ambassadors and dignitaries might get more of a free reign, you just have to replace them and hope the Imperials think all Trandosians look the same.
 
What does the defector know that could be useful to the crime lord? Shipments, routes, codes, secret locations full of things to steal? Weapons depots, prison asteroids with friends of the crime lord incaerated on them. There's a million things that spring right from there.

As for the ISB agent, that's a spy thriller waiting to happen if I ever saw one. IMDB has a handy list of possibly inspirational movies.
That's a really good list actually, thanks
 
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