FFG Star Wars

[Doc Democracy]

I have just run three sessions of FFG Edge of Empire.  It was great fun, it has a definite Star Wars feel and some cool bits that helped the action along.  My concern is that the players did not trust me enough to run through the scenario rather than edging their way along feeling out the walls and floors for secret traps. We are a long standing group and pretty open to trying new things but a chunk of the players are cautious by nature which slows the game down.

 

I want to draw up a charter for a Star Wars game - something that makes it clear what I want as GM and for the players to hold me to when playing (in the event that I show recidivist behaviour, sliding back to my 14 year old D&D GMing style).  🙂

 

The question is, what should the charter contain?  What are the key tropes to fast-paced Star Wars gaming?

 

My first thought is to remove concerns about capture:

 

1 - If you are captured, there will be obvious and ready ways to escape.

 

What else?

 

Doc

[Tjack]

Wasn’t there a whole thread about capture and deathtraps a while ago?

[Doc Democracy]

Just now, Tjack said:

Wasn’t there a whole thread about capture and deathtraps a while ago?

 

There was, but this is a positive way around the issue - if the players can be sure that capture is essentially a doorway to adventure rather than an existential threat to their alter ego, then we may have a different dynamic in the game.

 

🙂

 

It was probably that thread that brought that up as my starter for ten...

[Ninja-Bear]

Doc you need an inside man or woman. Years ago the GM approached me cause the players he had were your typical super cautious D&D players. Well I had my Conan clone and for some odd reason the party let me lead, I rushed head first into scenarios.  That seemed to help them out. 

[Doc Democracy]

To be honest, that is my role in the group.  If I am not running the game I am usually driving the play, I think they have let me do it so long they have forgotten how to do it for themselves.  🙂

[Spence]

7 hours ago, Doc Democracy said:

What else?

 

Doc

 

This probably sounds stupid to ask, but are the players actually familiar with the Star Wars universe?  Not the video games, but the movies and the various TV series like Clone Wars?  The first few times I tried to run Star Trek Adventures I had much the same issue until I got them to actually watch part of TNG and DS9.  While they all swore the "knew" Star Trek, it was amazing how their play style went from D&D with Lasers to Star Trek. 

 

I ran some FFG Star Wars AoR when it first came out and also had the D&D with light sabers syndrome until I was able to get them to watch Clone Wars.  Plus I asked them if they were fine with me giving suggestions and nudges on what was possible to do in the game for the first few sessions (after Clone Wars).  Once they realized the openness of the system and that the die results charts are not iron clad results tables, but more of a guide to establish a baseline of what happens.Once everyone gets into the swing of interpreting the "bones", the game will really take off. 

[Doc Democracy]

Yeah, the most frustrating thing is that we all know the stuff well, are steeped in the material.  We even know the system, having played FFG Warhammer which was a more complex implementation but made us familiar with the dice basics.

 

I have used the destiny pool to good effect.  I just want to come up with a charter to free their minds and drive the feel of the game.

 

As I said to Ninja Bear, I think we have fossilised as a group and I need a tool to smash them into a different play style.

[Ninja-Bear]

Did you have a Jedi? Cause I had one in our WEG game and man you can use premonitions to good effect if you need to budge the group on way or another.  Or a Wookiee? I got to play with a friend the learning first scenario in FFG SW.  When we got to the Trandoshan, my friend wanted to sneak and be cautious. I ran right in and took him (Trandoshan) out in a single hit I believe.

[Doc Democracy]

We have no Jedi - the Edge of Empire setting is distant from the rebellion stuff and focussed more on "normal" action heroes.  🙂  It is more like a Han Solo RPG than a Luke Skywalker RPG.  I have not intorduced the Force in any way but future games might feature something of it.  I do have a wookie but the player there is closest to the playing style I want anyway, it is the others that need encouragement.

[Ninja-Bear]

Spence if I would play a Red Shirt in a Star Trek game I’d be more paranoid than a D&D player and have a high tech 10 foot pole to boot! 😁

[Ninja-Bear]

I don’t know how FFG does it but WEG has the Failed Jedi template. (You start with one Dark Side  Point). If you watched SW:Rebels Kansan Jarvis is an example on how you could play one with more Han Solo type game.

[Spence]

5 hours ago, Ninja-Bear said:

I don’t know how FFG does it but WEG has the Failed Jedi template. (You start with one Dark Side  Point). If you watched SW:Rebels Kansan Jarvis is an example on how you could play one with more Han Solo type game.

FFG has three distinct Star Wars game.  Same rules, but distinctly different models of play. 

 

Edge of the Empire is about smugglers, explorers and other adventurers the generally don't interact with the actual Empire that often. No Jedi or Sith. The only force related is force sensitive, which can't really do anything force wise.

 

Age of Rebellion has the PCs as soldiers, spies and such against the Empire. Also no real force users. 

 

Force and Destiny is the game that showcases Jedi and Sith.

 

Note: None of the games are designed to allow you to play the Empire or anything Darkside/Sith. You play a good guy or a roguish character against the Empire, or you don't pkay officially. 

 

Last time I looked there were a few homebrews for playing Stormtroopers and such.  But that is not the setting.

[Ninja-Bear]

Spence if you HolocronD6 there is the character sheet of which I’m talking about. A Failed Jedi isn’t evil nor Sith. He just starts out with a Dark Side Point- which meant he did something in his past to earn it and you get 6 of them then you fall to the Dark Side.  Also game wise he’s really weak in the Force (well all starting WEG characters are). I mentioned Kannan from Star Wars Rebels because even through most of the first and second seasons he’s really hides his Jedi Powers and the crew are more smugglers than true Rebels at first. Just saying that if you want you can have Force Powers and Smugglers in the same game. Plus if Doc doesn’t have any true gun fighters, he can add Teepo Paladins. It’s a sect which broke away from the Jedi but mainly have the same values except instead of a Lightsaber, they use Blasters.

[Anaximander]

I'm currently trying to put together a game using all three core rules at once.  It required a little bit of home brewing, but it wasn't tough.  As far as getting them out of the DnD mindset, maybe, you can offer some kind of bonus reward when they play more heroically and let the players know ahead of time that being brave will bring on quicker advancement, but you would also have to maintain trust by not taking advantage of their bravery overly much.  You get what you reward, as they say.

[Spence]

On 6/16/2020 at 6:31 PM, Ninja-Bear said:

Spence if you HolocronD6 there is the character sheet of which I’m talking about. A Failed Jedi isn’t evil nor Sith. He just starts out with a Dark Side Point- which meant he did something in his past to earn it and you get 6 of them then you fall to the Dark Side.  Also game wise he’s really weak in the Force (well all starting WEG characters are). I mentioned Kannan from Star Wars Rebels because even through most of the first and second seasons he’s really hides his Jedi Powers and the crew are more smugglers than true Rebels at first. Just saying that if you want you can have Force Powers and Smugglers in the same game. Plus if Doc doesn’t have any true gun fighters, he can add Teepo Paladins. It’s a sect which broke away from the Jedi but mainly have the same values except instead of a Lightsaber, they use Blasters.

 

Yes, but that is WEG not FFG.

 

In FFG SW there is not a RAW mechanism for mixing the streams. 

 

Anything can be homebrewed to a persons hearts content of course.

[Duke Bushido]

Doc:

 

the up-front talk is a great approach, honestly, and the one I prefer.

 

If you still have problems, add a timer.  It doesn't have to be a ticking bomb; it can be as simple as something chasing the party, or the need to meet an appointment.

 

If all else fails, Shot Clocks and Understudies.

 

You've got x time to meet a short-term goal (end of the hallway; sweep a room, find the princess-- whatever), after which time control of your character passes to the player next to you.

 

 

I hate that last one, honestly, but it _does_ solve the problem.  It bruises egos a bit, but it gets the point across.