RP Idea - Star Wars: Gordian Knot

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Templum Domini

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Star Wars: The New Republic - Gordian Knot (Based on a Canon Novel, Star Wars: Bloodline)

Twenty-six years have passed after the Battle of Endor, and the majority of The Galaxy is under the loose administration of the New Republic. Peace and prosperity are the norm, with an entire generation living underneath the democracy the Heroes of the Rebellion fought for. In Hosnian Prime, one of the many worlds selected as the New Republic's rotating capital, the Galactic Senate meets like it did in the days of the Old Republic, vowing that it has learned from the past, and will put those lessons to prevent a tyranny like the Empire from rising again.

...Too bad they have learned the wrong lessons.

For the New Republic was so frightened of giving too much power to one person, so afraid of raising another Palpatine or Vader, that it allows no one to hold power at all, for good or for ill. This has resulted in the neglect of poorer worlds, disputes among the richer, and the rise of organized crime and paramilitary groups that wish to turn the clock back to the days of the Empire. It has also caused a political deadlock not seen since before the Clone Wars.

At present, the Galactic Senate is divided between the POPULISTS, a diverse group of Senators who believe that individual planets should retain almost all power, and the CENTERISTS, who favor a stronger galactic government and a more powerful military. The Populists are principled and idealistic, but also unwilling to countenance that they are leaving worlds to neglect and decay, as well as predations by unlawful elements. The Centerists, meanwhile...are secretly controlled by the First Order, the remnants of the Imperial Navy who had fled to the Unknown Regions.

You are Senators and New Republic Military Officers, coming from the Populists or Moderate Centerists (aka those who don't know that they're pawns of the First Order), who are brought together by a strange chain of events, events that would, in this universe, either start the end of the political deadlock and nip the First Order's conspiracy in the bud - or make it worse. Your job is simple: Keep the New Republic from collapsing into anarchy in the face of the challenges that come with it.

The battles you fight will be in the Senate first, but there will be opportunities to 'inspect' both member and non-member worlds. In said worlds, you might find violent criminals, terrorists, thieves, and malcontents. Normally, this is a job for the New Republic's law enforcement, but if you and your security details are there and no one else is...you know what can be done.

Will you be up to the challenge of mind and body?

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Tone, Number of Players, and Posting Order (Or lack of):

The tone of the game is a mixture of Action (surviving assassination attempts, kidnappings, terrorist attacks, and undertaking vigilante action yourselves), and Politics (breaking the political deadlock that was getting nothing done in the New Republic). Basically, you go to a meeting and give a speech one day, then work with a professional thief to steal your enemy's secrets the next. You can also reveal the conspiracy the First Order is weaving early, ensuring that they are met with the might of the unified Galaxy when they emerge from the Unknown Regions. But a deeper theme is Bipartisanship and acknowledging that both sides have valid points and that they can not do anything alone.

Yes, the Centrists are a secret front for the First Order and air Neo-Imperial views, but that doesn't change the fact that their opponents are advocating for deliberate ineffectiveness and are letting law and order die. Nothing that a simple purge can't fix. Either way, you get to strengthen the New Republic and avert the events of The Force Awakens. Aint that grand?

Anyway, number of players is 5; each can control two characters, adding up to 10. It is recommended that you have a character for politics and another as a bodyguard or otherwise a fighter. Posting order is nonexistent, but Posting rounds are not; you cannot post again until everyone else has posted.

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Rules:

1.) Only one 'villain' player allowed!
2.) It's okay to hate The Force Awakens. But if you're only here to heap hatred on all of the New Canon and don't even intend to play, I regard that as rude and would ask you to go.
3.) More than one or two lines per post, please.

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Name:
Appearance:
Bio:
Age:
Skills:
Personality:
Faction (Populist/Moderate Centerist):
Rank (Senator or New Republic Military Officer):
 
Name: Paradise 'Par' Rapids

Appearance:


Originally Kanie from Amagi Brilliant Park

Bio: Born on Raxus, Paradise 'Par' Rapids was the son of reluctant Imperial Collaborators who were cowed to submission by the Antar Atrocity*, which forced former Seperatist worlds like Raxus to give up former members of the CIS to the Galactic Empire. Afraid of what can happen to their planet, Par's parents, Arthur and Miranda Rapids, continued to serve the Empire loyally - until the Battle of Endor, when the Rebel Alliance finally won. Then, finding courage, as well as a withdrawal of the Imperial Garrison from their planet, they managed to get the local administration of Raxus to declare for the New Republic, just in time for the Empire to tear itself apart. Several years later, Par was born, just as the remnants of the Empire completely dissolved, except of course, for the Imperial Navy in the Unknown Regions.

Raised in both peace and the legends of the Heroes of the Rebellion, Par was a quick mind, at least as regards technology, and not a bad pilot despite his relative physical weakness. Although his political skills were mediocre, the boy was a determined soul, with enough basic pattern recognition to avoid common political pitfalls. He also had good looks and a personality that, though awkward and 'dorkish', managed to make him look harmless. This fast-tracked his political career until he became the Senator of Raxus at the young age of 19, a feat that, though not the equal of other young politicians like the esteemed Padme Amidala, was still notable.

Joining the Populists almost immidiately, Par soon found himself disillusioned with both them and the Centerists. He became a Senator to help prop up the Post-Imperial political structure, only to discover that there was no structure! Not only that, but the Centerists were obviously corrupt Neo-Imperialists, all but a few who were unwitting pawns. Sigh...what did he get himself into?

*http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Antar_Atrocity

Age: 19

Skills: Technology (with a further specialization in former CIS Tech), Piloting, Droidspeak, Basic Shooting, a bit of Politics, History.

Personality: Par is someone who likes people easily, is committed to his constituents, and still has faith (albeit declining) that something can be done within the system. Raised in love and a stable environment, Par is generally inexperienced with matters of the world, but also determined to the point of obsession when he needs to be. Although aware that his actual skills in Politics are lacking, Par behaves as though he is more competent than he already is, while at the same time respecting those who are more skilled than he is...while taking advantage of their skills.

Faction (Populist/Moderate Centerist): Populist.

Rank (Senator or New Republic Military Officer): Senator.
 
Name: (Lord) Akira Sindian

Appearance:


Originally Akira Kurusu from Persona 5

Bio: Akira was born to the Elder Houses, the most ancient nobles of the Galaxy whose roots dated back to the Old Republic. Spending his early life in the influential planet Arkanis, Akira shared the Elder Houses' attitude that nobility by blood and title did not actually mean anything, a sharp contrast to his elder sister, Carise Sindian. While Carise believed that Nobility was a sacred birthright that made her better than the rest of the Galaxy, Akira saw it as an annoyance, but successfully hid it from his sister, who was a decade his senior and vaguely remembered the Galactic Empire. Devoting himself to his studies and surfing the HoloNet, Akira began sympathizing with the Populists, though not so completely as to lose all independent thought. Of course, this was still secret so as not to provoke his Centrist sister.

So successful was he at keeping his views to himself and the HoloNet that Carise, or as she preferred to call herself, Lady Carise, invited him to serve as her aide in Senatorial business. Driven by a sudden premonition, he accepted despite covertly opposing her policies. He was so good at being an aide, in fact, that he soon began to be trusted with more...sensitive business. This proved to be a mistake for Lady Carise, as Akira couldn't help but practice his hacking/slicing and decoding skills on his elder sister's messages. And through this, he discovered that Lady Carise and most of the Centrists (though not all) were pawns of a secret organization called the First Order which occupied vast tracts of space in the Unknown Regions, controlled the remains of the Imperial Fleet, and were preparing to invade the New Republic!

Knowing that he cannot confront his sister about this, Akira decided to covertly fight the First Order and prop up the New Republic by gathering a crew of young hackers/slicers and wannabe theives. This group, called the Phantoms, would steal information from Senators and military officers who covertly supported the First Order, either through the HoloNet or in person, wearing flamboyant costumes that nevertheless were woven from blaster-proof fabrics and hid tough Mandalorian Iron armor plates. The Phantoms quickly became a nuisance to the Centrists, but thanks to Akira's closeness to his sister and his planning skills, he and his friends were held as above suspicion. But despite their efforts, they were able to acquire no hard evidence that the First Order existed at all, and so the enemy's efforts are merely slowed down...

Age: 19

Skills: Akira is good at posing as the ever dutiful brother and aide, as well as looking elegant when close to his sister. He is also a skilled accountant, proofreader, and typist; all skills needed for helping a Senator. However, it is as a Phantom Thief that he shines, able to quickly enter and leave an area stealthily, non-lethally take down guards that try to intercept him, and above all, slice and hack needed information. One can also notice that his ability to leap, dodge, and fight is on a nearly superhuman level, and in private, Akira has confessed to one of his friends that he might - might - be force-sensitive...

Personality: Akira is a kind person with a strong sense of justice that cares not for distinctions of class and species. Raised as a Noble by other Nobles who did not take the concept of Nobility seriously, Akira is seriously annoyed by people who think they are better than others due to a title or relations to someone who was great. Thus, he opposes his sister, whom he is appalled to think has become a supporter of tyranny. For despite the manifest failings of the New Republic, Akira hates the idea of Empire all the more, and its restrictions on individual freedoms. When asked about this, Akira just says that the very idea makes him feel 'smothered by darkness'...

Faction (Populist/Moderate Centerist): Populist posing as Centrist.

Rank (Senator or New Republic Military Officer): Senatorial Aide.
 
A political intrigue-based Star Wars game is a really interesting idea, and I do very much like works that have dealt with the fallout after the end of the Empire and how the Galaxy tries to piece itself back together
 
A political intrigue-based Star Wars game is a really interesting idea, and I do very much like works that have dealt with the fallout after the end of the Empire and how the Galaxy tries to piece itself back together

Can you suggest a system? There's little market for freeform games in a Tabletop RPG site, I've noticed.

I don't like FFG's or WEG's official Star Wars RPing systems, btw - The first one deals with the Old EU while the second one is sort of bad, or so I've heard.
 
Revised d20 would be the best for a political game.
 
Can you suggest a system? There's little market for freeform games in a Tabletop RPG site, I've noticed.

I don't like FFG's or WEG's official Star Wars RPing systems, btw - The first one deals with the Old EU while the second one is sort of bad, or so I've heard.

If you give me an idea of games you like, I might get an idea of the sort of system that would handle this premise and appeal to you
 
West End D6 first edition is the only one I can think of.
 
If you give me an idea of games you like, I might get an idea of the sort of system that would handle this premise and appeal to you
West End D6 first edition is the only one I can think of.

Thanks, guys. And I like Chronicles of Darkness (although it's too crunch-heavy for me to run), D&D 5e, and Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2e (although I don't like the Warhammer setting that much). But right now, I believe I want a system that's easy to learn and modify but still has a decent amount of crunch (so not FATE).
 
I like it! Having to balance the Senate politics with the looming threat of a Third Galactic War.
 
I've only ever played DND, but I'm up for learning any new system! This would be a play by post right?
 
TristramEvans TristramEvans , Endless Flight Endless Flight ?

Is Mythras easy to learn and modify?


Mythras is pretty much the crunchiest game that I'll play (I tend to go for Rules Light-Medium games). I'd say it's about the same as WFRPG 2nd edition as far as how easy it is to learn. It is very easy to adapt and modify, but seeing as it is a low fantasy game, you may have a lot of work adapting it to SciFi. Although a science fiction adaption might exist that I'm not aware of yet that would be a good starting point (I know Raleel Raleel was working on a cyperpunk adaption).

My first thought for a system was something much lighter, like The Window (available free online here), but that might be too light for your tastes.

After that, I thought of Cortex, specifically Smallville, as a system that would give more of a focus on the political nature of the game. Smallville is much more of a narrative system, that involves the creation of "relationship maps" that drives a lot of the gameplay.

The other system I first thought of after reading the games that you like is Eden's Unisystem, used for the Buffy/Angel RPGs, the Army of Darkness RPG, Witchcraft, etc. I don't know if Eden is still around, but looks like all their original titles are on Drive-Thru ( https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse.php?filters=10097_0_0_0_0). Unisystem is easy to learn, very easy to adapt to any setting, and as far as crunch, I'd put it somewhere about equivalet to D6 or early White Wolf. It's a very streamlined game, I'd say in many ways it's like White Wolf's Storyteller System "cleaned up".

The compiled system rules can be found free here (though this is not the best presentation, as it's a fanwork, the published games were much better laid out/clearer).
 
Mythras is pretty much the crunchiest game that I'll play (I tend to go for Rules Light-Medium games). I'd say it's about the same as WFRPG 2nd edition as far as how easy it is to learn. It is very easy to adapt and modify, but seeing as it is a low fantasy game, you may have a lot of work adapting it to SciFi. Although a science fiction adaption might exist that I'm not aware of yet that would be a good starting point (I know Raleel Raleel was working on a cyperpunk adaption).

My first thought for a system was something much lighter, like The Window (available free online here), but that might be too light for your tastes.

After that, I thought of Cortex, specifically Smallville, as a system that would give more of a focus on the political nature of the game. Smallville is much more of a narrative system, that involves the creation of "relationship maps" that drives a lot of the gameplay.

The other system I first thought of after reading the games that you like is Eden's Unisystem, used for the Buffy/Angel RPGs, the Army of Darkness RPG, Witchcraft, etc. I don't know if Eden is still around, but looks like all their original titles are on Drive-Thru ( https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse.php?filters=10097_0_0_0_0). Unisystem is easy to learn, very easy to adapt to any setting, and as far as crunch, I'd put it somewhere about equivalet to D6 or early White Wolf. It's a very streamlined game, I'd say in many ways it's like White Wolf's Storyteller System "cleaned up".

The compiled system rules can be found free here (though this is not the best presentation, as it's a fanwork, the published games were much better laid out/clearer).

I'll consult those when I have the time.
 
TristramEvans TristramEvans , Endless Flight Endless Flight ?

Is Mythras easy to learn and modify?
Mythras is pretty much the crunchiest game that I'll play (I tend to go for Rules Light-Medium games). I'd say it's about the same as WFRPG 2nd edition as far as how easy it is to learn. It is very easy to adapt and modify, but seeing as it is a low fantasy game, you may have a lot of work adapting it to SciFi. Although a science fiction adaption might exist that I'm not aware of yet that would be a good starting point (I know @Raleel was working on a cyperpunk adaption).

Mythras is easy to modify, as I’ve done a pile of it. I found it easy to learn, but I found Cortex plus hard (but persevered and like it a lot). The base mechanics are pretty straight forward. Combat special effects can cause a little analysis paralysis, but there are solutions for that.

M-Space is the sci fi version of Mythras, and it is lighter than core Mythras. It’s based off of Mythras imperative, the stripped down version, but takes some pains to have a simplified combat system. It’s geared somewhat towards space opera and heroic sci-fi, so definitely in this space. It includes a planet generator and space combat.

the Mythras companion has social conflict rules that would be exceptional for doing high profile debates. Very similar to the combat rules. M-Space has some extended conflict rules that would work well too.

back when Mythras was RQ6 there was a Star Wars supplement, complete with light sabers and gamorians and xwings, released for a day before it was removed (I don’t know if actual lawyers were involved). It is still floating about on the web And easily findable. AFAIK, it was released for free.
 
Mythras is easy to modify, as I’ve done a pile of it. I found it easy to learn, but I found Cortex plus hard (but persevered and like it a lot). The base mechanics are pretty straight forward. Combat special effects can cause a little analysis paralysis, but there are solutions for that.

M-Space is the sci fi version of Mythras, and it is lighter than core Mythras. It’s based off of Mythras imperative, the stripped down version, but takes some pains to have a simplified combat system. It’s geared somewhat towards space opera and heroic sci-fi, so definitely in this space. It includes a planet generator and space combat.

the Mythras companion has social conflict rules that would be exceptional for doing high profile debates. Very similar to the combat rules. M-Space has some extended conflict rules that would work well too.

back when Mythras was RQ6 there was a Star Wars supplement, complete with light sabers and gamorians and xwings, released for a day before it was removed (I don’t know if actual lawyers were involved). It is still floating about on the web And easily findable. AFAIK, it was released for free.

Thanks, those might be useful!
 
I don't like FFG's or WEG's official Star Wars RPing systems, btw - The first one deals with the Old EU while the second one is sort of bad, or so I've heard.


I just want to address this - you heard that WEG Star Wars was sorta bad?

Because nothing could be futher from the truth. WEG Star Wars is one of the top ten RPGs ever published.

(Bad RPGs don't get 30th anniversay editions published in reverance of them long after they are OOP and retired)

I don't know if it's a game you'd like, but the first edition doesn't cover the EU at all - it is strictly the original trilogy, and the game is, I'd say, "medium crunch tending towards lighter". If it's not something you've looked at before and you're going on heresay, I'd really suggest giving it a look first before anything else. If I were to ever run a Star Wars game again, it is hands down the only system that I would evn consider.
 
I just want to address this - you heard that WEG Star Wars was sorta bad?

Because nothing could be futher from the truth. WEG Star Wars is one of the top ten RPGs ever published.

(Bad RPGs don't get 30th anniversay editions published in reverance of them long after they are OOP and retired)

I don't know if it's a game you'd like, but the first edition doesn't cover the EU at all - it is strictly the original trilogy, and the game is, I'd say, "medium crunch tending towards lighter". If it's not something you've looked at before and you're going on heresay, I'd really suggest giving it a look first before anything else. If I were to ever run a Star Wars game again, it is hands down the only system that I would evn consider.

Oh, I confused WEG with FFG, the New Canon one, which I'd prefer to use if not for the fact that I heard it has bad crunch.
 
Yeah, FFG has the setting I want but the crunch is supposedly bad.

It's ...not to my taste. It's an adaption of the WFRP 3rd edition system, that uses a variety of custom dice in a pool, and features lots of widgets, to the point there waas an (erroneous but understandable) mis-impression at the time that it came out that it was more of a boardgame than an RPG.
 
It's ...not to my taste. It's an adaption of the WFRP 3rd edition system, that uses a variety of custom dice in a pool, and features lots of widgets, to the point there waas an (erroneous but understandable) mis-impression at the time that it came out that it was more of a boardgame than an RPG.

What are Widgets in this context?
 
What are Widgets in this context?

Lots of individual game pieces. Instead of a traditional rulebook and character sheets, the rules and character qualities are spread over decks of cards, cardboard counters, small tokens, etc.
 
If you're coming from a freeform background, WEG D6 is the lightest of the official rules sets. Here's a character sheet. It's a dice pool system where you roll 2 to 5+ dice and add them. Skills add or dice or so to the ability (there are actually 3 steps up to a die add but it's still pretty simple).

You could also go for an ultra light system that's only a couple of pages of rules, like Risus or similar level of complexity. I bet there's also a stripped down version of FATE.
 
If you're coming from a freeform background, WEG D6 is the lightest of the official rules sets. Here's a character sheet. It's a dice pool system where you roll 2 to 5+ dice and add them. Skills add or dice or so to the ability (there are actually 3 steps up to a die add but it's still pretty simple).

You could also go for an ultra light system that's only a couple of pages of rules, like Risus or similar level of complexity. I bet there's also a stripped down version of FATE.

Thanks!
 
It was funny, watching The Mandalorian, I couldn't help seeing certain scenes play out as WEG Star Wars dice rolls.
 
I personally really enjoy the FFG system for Star Wars, it's very narratively rewarding with an instilled capability of allowing the players to help shape the story around them. I know it's not for everyone though.

I disagree on it being crunchy, the combat aspects are not at DnD levels of crunch at least.
 
Guess this RP isn't panning out yet - I just don't have the time and energy right now.
 
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