Located in the Outer Rim Territories, Sumitra Sector, also known colloquially as "Tierfon Sector", consists of a number of star systems with a total of 12,387 planets and moons. Although the Empire has moved to tighten its grip on the Outer Rim, the sheer number of planets and moons in this sector alone has made it difficult for them to track - let alone destroy - all of the Rebellion's active cells.
Sumitra Sector At A Glance
One would think that the Sumitra system, which gave the sector its name, would be the sector capital, but instead this is a relatively tranquil farming world maintained by the Empire's iron grip. While it's not in open rebellion against Imperial rule, the Rebel Alliance does have sympathizers and at least two active cells there.
Thustra is both the sector capital and home to the Tierfon Sector Fleet. It's only fitting, given that this system was the focal point of unrest in the sector during the Clone Wars. Though the sector is overseen by Moff Caedius Geronne, he answers directly to Grand Moff Tarkin, who governs the Outer Rim Territories. Fleet Admiral Tzenkens currently commands the Tierfon Sector Fleet, replacing the recently retired Fleet Admiral Joser.
The Ptera system, home to the Flakax, is another Imperial hub within Sumitra Sector. While Thustra has a number of fleet facilities, Ptera's main world, Flax, is host to many mines and manufacturing facilities which produce various construction components for the Empire. The nature of Flakax society has posed a lot of questions for the Alliance High Command with regard to how best to sway the major hives to its side.
Like Ptera, Saurton is another major resource world in the sector. Essowyn, the homeworld of the Saurton, orbits between two asteroid belts rich in metals. Because the world's orbit is so erratic, it has experienced a great number of asteroid and meteor strikes in the past, forcing the native sentients underground.
Killaniri, the region's third resource system, is a major producer of prothium blaster gas. The system is also home to the Horansi, a tribal species that encompasses five different subgroups. In addition to corporate concerns for Blethern Gas, BlasTech and Czerka Weapons being in system, the Horansi homeworld of Mutanda is known as a draw for big game hunters.
Elshandruu Pica is a major metropolitan trade hub of the sector, and the home of Senator Thandor Mott. With the work of the Imperial Senate becoming ever more difficult, Senator Mott "retired" to his homeworld, but still remains sympathetic to the fledgling Rebellion.
The Reuss system, conversely, is the nexus of the sector's criminal underworld. Reuss VIII, the main world in the system, is an industrial disaster area, thanks to the Empire. The government is a corrupt hybrid of Imperial, corporate, and criminal interests. In terms of being a wretched hive of scum and villainy, Reuss VIII makes Mos Eisley look family-friendly. If you ever go there, pack an extra blaster, an environmental suit, and a couple of breath masks. You'll need them all.
Celanon, the homeworld of the Nalroni, is another major trade hub for Sumitra Sector. Traders (and smugglers) usually go there if they can afford the "fees" the officials "charge" and haggle with the best of them.
The Czeska Gap consists of nine star systems (Gap I through IX) running down the middle of the region. They were discovered by Republic scout Emar Czeska several millennia ago. At the time, Czeska evaluated the worlds to have little to no value to colonists, industry, or commerce, and even went as far to mark four of them "Not Habitable". These can be found on some older star charts labeled as "NH-1138" (Gap III) and "NH-1074" (Gap VIII), for example.
It's May 4th, and every Star Wars fan knows what day it is. As I write this, the main title for A New Hope is dancing through the air from my computer speakers. I haven't posted lately due to a number of contributing factors united against me under the banner of "Real Life". Needless to say, I've fought my way through them with some help from my friends and family to get here.
Star Wars is one of those few things in life that really make me happy and excited. I was three years old when the first movie came out. I had no idea what it was except that I really liked it for all the flashy, whooshy action that it was. My first action figures were C-3P0 and R2-D2, quickly followed by Luke and the rest of the cast.
Over the years, Star Wars became this idealistic farm kid's escape from the lonely life of an only child. Living on a northwestern Iowa farm with no siblings, unable to engage in any farm work due to allergies and asthma, made things difficult. George Lucas' universe provided me with a place where I could be the hero, first by pretending I was Luke or Han, and later heroes of my own creation, thanks to Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game.
Over the years, I collected the comic books, novels, toys, and any other memorabilia I could. I have vague recollections of seeing the vilified 1978 Christmas Special as a kid and was (and still remain) a fan of the two made-for-TV ewok movies and the Droids cartoon series. By 1987, with no Episode VII on the horizon, the franchise slowed down. Marvel's Star Wars comic series had ended the year before, and so it seemed that Star Wars was in the dusk of its lifespan. I still held the faith and occasionally created dioramas with my figures and vehicles, but other franchises - Star Trek, for example (Hey, don't judge me! I'm an equal opportunity nerd!) were basking in equal portions of my adoration and attention.
Thirty years ago, a starry-eyed 13-year old came across this book in his favorite bookstore...
In the fall of 1987, I was perusing the shelves of my favorite (and first) bookstore (The Bookseller, in Cherokee, IA), hunting down the latest issue of Dragon Magazine, when a familiar title caught my gaze. I had already been inducted into the ranks of tabletop gaming through a second-hand (Moldvay) Basic D&D set and, ironically enough, had tried my hand at designing my own version of Star Wars using the D&D rules.
I was enthralled with each page I flipped in the book. At the time, the satanic panic remained in full swing and gamers were still looked upon through squinty side-glances by peers and adults alike. Not even I was immune. Having pushed away from D&D after reading about the game's addictive qualities in Ian Livingstone's Dicing With Dragons, I was still trying to reconcile my faith and hobby.
The game hit all the right notes with me - it was an RPG without being D&D, it was Star Wars, and it used only the regular six-sided dice found in any board game. I cautiously approached my mom about it, and she said she would think about it. Meanwhile I had to keep my grades up and be on my best behavior. Christmas morning dawned two months later and I found the book under the tree as one of my presents.
Little did I know I had so much to look forward to. With the RPG breathing new life into the franchise, it wasn't until the summer after my junior year of high school when I ran across Timothy Zahn's book Heir to the Empire in a bookstore in Dallas, TX, while on a trip to the Lutheran Youth Gathering. I readily bought it and started in on it immediately upon returning to the hotel with my group. There were a few Star Wars fans among my peers at school, and of course, the big questions were whether or not the Jedi Master on the dust jacket was Ben Kenobi (Spoiler Alert: It wasn't.) and who the guy with the blue skin and red eyes was.
Yeah, it definitely wasn't Ben Kenobi on the cover...
Despite Lucas' universe moving into a dimension of conjecture and "what if?", I was satisfied that my itch was being scratched. By this time, I had broadened my geeky horizons to include comic books and was voraciously reading through Marvel's rebooted X-Men series. In February of 1992, as I was looking forward to getting out of high school and into college, I came across yet another surprise - Dark Empire. Zahn had yet to finish his trilogy and already they were looking farther ahead into the future of the universe! Initially awed and confused by the moody artwork, I hungrily devoured the third issue of the series and later got the first two issues for my birthday from my mom.
It just kept getting bigger and better...
More time passed and I was in college. West End Games' line went into a second edition and plunged headlong into the New Republic era, much to my displeasure. It was bad enough the second edition rulebook was a trainwreck, but I wanted more from the Rebellion Era than the New Republic. I even got flamed by one of the WEG folk online after I voiced that displeasure. By 1996, we had Dark Empire II (bleah), Tales of the Jedi, and a budding crop of other new Star Wars titles. Three years later, WEG lost the Star Wars license and Episode I was on the horizon.
I took my love of Star Wars to a whole new level by taking some vacation time from my first job as a reporter and sitting outside an area theater the whole day waiting for the first showing of Episode I. While I wasn't the first in line, I was certainly close enough to the door to guarantee a ticket for the show. It was shortly thereafter that I stumbled across the d20 edition of the Star Wars RPG, again, at my favorite bookstore. Having seen a number of settings and genres shoe-horned to fit the d20 system with introduction of the OGL, I had very mixed feelings. Nostalgia clashed with a desire to be up-to-date, but in the end, nostalgia won and I stuck with the d6 system. It didn't keep me from buying some of the d20 books to use as idea mines, though.
Tempting... but just not quite hitting the target like d6...
When Episode II came out, I was truly the first in line to see it on opening day. The Expanded Universe was growing at a breakneck pace, and with it came unforeseen complexities and complications. Authors found themselves navigating a womp rat trap of plot threads, character backgrounds, and historic events dating back to even before the Clone Wars. More time passed. I changed jobs and got married, but Star Wars remained a staple of my life.
Wizards of the Coast dropped the Star Wars license after the Saga Edition and the franchise continued to plow headlong through hyperspace. Disney bought Lucasfilm after George became fed up with the constant whining of butthurt fans who didn't like the prequels and a variety of other things in the EU. J.J. Abrams got his crack at Star Wars with Episode VII, and while he did earn some kudos from me for going back to practical effects rather than CGI, he still managed to earn a spot in Special Hell right next to R.A. Salvatore (for obvious reasons most fans are aware of).
On the bright side, Dave Filoni and his crew did an amazing job in cleaning up the canon and greatly simplifying the universe by relegating the Expanded Universe to the status of "Legends". While this brought about a new chorus of complaining and crying from some quarters, I myself welcomed it. It is George's (and now Disney's) sandbox, folks. We're allowed to play in and enjoy it by the grace of their generosity. The Clone Wars and Rebels series as well as Rogue One have helped to sustain and reinvent my interest in the franchise without taking away from the nostalgia from my childhood.
This renewed vigor, brought about a new generation of Star Wars tabletop gaming as that aspect of the franchise hit the 30-year mark. While I'm not exactly enamored with the new system and can't see myself spending $180.00 plus for the new books, I'm glad we still have Star Wars tabletop gaming. On the Dark Side, I do confess that I am terribly tempted by the X-Wing and Armada minis...
The next generation of Star Wars roleplaying.
Despite all this nostalgia and celebration of the 40th anniversary of Star Wars, it comes with a sad, terrible price. Authors, fans, and even the cast themselves pass away. Over the years we've lost Sir Alec Guinness, Sir Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Carrie Fisher, Kenny Baker (and his wife), and a number of others who I can't even begin to name. I would be remiss if I did not bring that up. Still, Star Wars thrives and lives on in each new generation of fans.
To close on a high note, here's some links to the 2017 Celebration panels. These brought me great joy as I began to come out of the fog I was recently in, reminding me there is much good in the wider family of worldwide fandom despite my past experiences on the local level. May the Fourth - and the Force - be with you all.
"The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created
by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the
galaxy together."
- Obi-Wan Kenobi
In the past, I've really tinkered with the rules for the Force and its related abilities based on the misgivings and dissatisfaction (real or perceived) expressed by fellow players and GMs of the system. At the same time, I've successfully winged a lot of stuff with the game simply by being a fan of Star Wars and doing what my players and I think "feels right" for the setting. I've looked over the past notes I compiled regarding the Force in D6 Star Wars and I'm going to post only those things that change as little of the system as possible.
The reason for this is because I want to give the system a chance and to give us a chance as GM and players to sort out what works and what doesn't. The only big change in the rules here is the institution of Peter Schweighofer's "Dueling Blades" system. This system emphasizes quick, simultaneous combat rolls with some nice dramatic flourishes. I'll go over that more below, but for now, let's dive in...
Creating Jedi and Force-Sensitive Characters
Creating a Force-sensitive character is not that different from creating a regular character. Dice for the character's Force skills are drawn from the 18D they receive for attributes as compensation for having those special abilities. In addition, the character receives two Force Points instead of just one.
In choosing powers for beginning characters, I like to use a "slot" system. For each 1D a starting character has in Force skills, they have one "slot". A character with 1D in each skill (Control, Sense, Alter), essentially has three slots. This gives you some flexibility in choosing your powers, and you do not have to fill all the slots at character generation if you don't want to. Each power fills a slot based on the number of skills it requires. A power such as Control Pain, which requires the Control skill, fills one slot. A power such as Transfer Force, which requires Control and Alter, fills two slots. A power such as Affect Mind, which requires all three skills, would fill all three slots for a beginning character.
If you want to find powers beyond what's listed in SW2R and the Tales of the Jedi Companion (TJC), you can check our main reference for this game, the Rancor Pit's Force Power compendium; any material from this book that does not already appear in the rulebook or TJC must be cleared by the GM first. Other notes and powers can be found in the following conversion books by the Rancor Pit crew as well as conversions by Gary Astleford:
(NOTE: I've temporarily removed the links for the d20 Power of the Jedi and Star Wars Gamer Force power conversions until archive.org is back up and running.)
Likewise, any powers and material from these conversion files and their associated books must be cleared by the GM before going into use in the game.
After that, the character either needs to find the lore and time to train themselves in the ways of the Force, or find a master to teach them, either of which is a hazardous challenge thanks to the Empire...
...and as always, because the Jedi are hunted, any master or other Jedi who teaches a Force-sensitive is most likely going to limit how many students they have. Thus we only have two slots for Jedi or Force-sensitive PCs. This does not preclude the inclusion of an NPC master in the group at the GM's discretion.
A Helping Hand (Optional)
One complaint I've heard from players and GMs is that Force-sensitives in D6 Star Wars start weak and become unstoppable later on. If a player thinks their character (either scratch-built or template-based) is going to be underpowered and vulnerable, they can choose one and only one of the following options at character generation:
In exchange for one (1) Force Point you can take one of the following options:
The Concentration Option:Concentration is a Control power which grants a Force-sensitive character an extra 4D to use on one action when the power is successfully used. Since it can be used in conjunction with Character Points and Force Points, this is an invaluable tool for beginning Force-sensitive characters. This option gives the character the Concentration power as a freebie, but the character must have the Control skill to use it.
An Additional 1D: You receive an additional 1D to one of your character's existing Force skills or add one Force skill they do not have.
By accepting one (1) Dark Side Point your character can receive:
An Additional 2D: Your character receives an additional 2D for their existing Force skills or may add one or two Force skills they do not have. You and the GM must determine how exactly your character earned that Dark Side Point, how it affects them, and what the character is going to do about it. This is by far the most dangerous option, but it can also provide an interesting backstory and satisfying roleplaying challenge.
Martial Arts and the Force
In witnessing the abilities of Chirrut Imwe in Rogue One, I thought it prudent to put in some info on the Force and the martial arts specialization for the brawling skill. Basically, the martial arts rules we'll be using can be found on p.116-117 of Rules of Engagement: The Rebel SpecForce Handbook (ROE). Overall, the interaction between the techniques and Force skills is pretty simple. A successful roll for the appropriate Force skill allows a character to add that skill's dice to a roll for an applicable martial arts technique.
The three Force skills are defined as such on p.141 of the SW2R rulebook:
Control:Control is the Jedi's ability to control her own body. A Jedi with control can access her own internal well of Force energy, learning harmony with and mastery over the functions of her own body.
Sense:Sense teaches a Jedi to sense the Force in other things beyond her own body. Te Jedi learns to feel the bonds that connect all living things and gains the ability to understand how all things are interconnected. Sense governs powers such as detecting danger and learning information about the world around the Jedi.
Alter: A Jedi with alter learns how to change the distribution and nature of the Force. Jedi who have mastered alter can move physical objects with their minds, can help others control their own Force, or can manipulate the Force in the bodies of others. This power can be used to change the perceptions of others and make them come to incorrect conclusions.
While the martial arts techniques shown in ROE are particularly effective, when bolstered by training in the Force, they are even more so.
Blindfighting (Sense):
A successful (Very Easy, modified by proximity) sense roll
allows the character to add their sense dice to the skill roll for
this technique.
Disarm (Control):
A successful (Moderate) control roll
allows the character to add their control dice
to the brawling (martial arts) roll.
NOTE: Per
Martial
Arts Revised & Expanded, the item lands 1D meters away.
Elbow Smash (Control):
A successful (Moderate) control roll allows the character
to use their control dice to boost or reduce the damage roll
for this technique.
Flip (Control and
Alter): A successful (Moderate) control
roll allows a character to add 1/2 their control dice
(minimum 1D) to the technique skill roll. A successful alter roll
allows the character to add 1/2 their alter dice (minimum 1D)
to the technique roll. The difficulty of the alter roll is
based on the weight of the attacker (Very Easy for objects weighing 1
kg or less; Moderate for objects 11-100 kg; Difficult for 101 kg to
one metric ton.
Flying Kick (Control):
A successful (Moderate) control roll allows the character to
use their control dice to boost or reduce the damage roll for
this technique.
Foot Sweep (Control and
Alter): A successful (Moderate) control
roll allows a character to add 1/2 their control dice
(minimum 1D) to the technique skill roll. A successful alter roll
allows the character to add 1/2 their alter dice (minimum 1D)
to the technique roll. The difficulty of the alter roll is
based on the weight of the attacker (Very Easy for objects weighing 1
kg or less; Moderate for objects 11-100 kg; Difficult for 101 kg to
one metric ton).
Headbutt (Control):
A successful (Moderate) control roll allows the character to
use their control dice to boost or reduce the damage roll for
this technique.
Hold/Grapple (Control
and Alter):
A successful (Moderate) control roll
allows a character to add their control dice
for attackers the same size as the character. A successful alter
roll allows the character to add their alter
dice to the technique roll when fighting
against attackers larger than the character. NOTE:
Per Martial
Arts Revised & Expanded, a martial artist who makes a
successful hold/grapple roll gains a +1D bonus to opposed brawling
skill checks while grappling the target. This technique can be
maintained each round with a successful new skill check.
Instant Knockdown (Control
and Alter): A successful
(Moderate) control roll allows a character to add 1/2 their
control dice (minimum 1D) to the technique skill roll. A
successful alter roll allows the character to add 1/2 their
alter dice (minimum 1D) to the technique roll. The difficulty
of the alter roll is based on the weight of the attacker (Very
Easy for objects weighing 1 kg or less; Moderate for objects 11-100
kg; Difficult for 101 kg to one metric ton).
Instant Stand (Control):
A successful (Moderate; +1 modifier for each additional 1D of damage
above 2D) control roll allows the character to use their
control dice to boost the brawling (martial arts) roll
for this technique.
Instant Stun (Control):
A successful (Moderate) control roll allows the character to
use their control dice to boost the brawling (martial arts)
roll for this technique.
Instant Wound (Control):
A successful (Moderate) control roll allows the character
to use their control dice to boost the brawling (martial
arts) roll for this technique.
Kick (Control):
A successful (Moderate) control
roll allows the character to use their
control dice to boost
or reduce the damage roll for this technique. NOTE:
This technique is added and handled
per the rules in Martial
Arts Revised & Expanded.
Multiple Strikes
(Control):
A successful (Difficult) control roll
allows the character to use their control
dice to boost the brawling (martial arts) roll for this technique.
NOTE: Per
Martial
Arts Revised & Expanded, this technique allows multiple
attacks at no penalty, but normal damage for each attack.
Nerve Punch (Control):
A successful (Moderate) control roll
allows the character to use their control dice
to boost the brawling (martial arts) roll for this technique. NOTE:Martial
Arts Revised & Expandedincludes a second Nerve Punch
technique that allows the martial artist to render the target
unconscious. We will be rolling these two techniques together. Under
this ruling, the attacker must clarify if they are going to render a
limb useless or knocking out the target for 3D rounds when making the
attack.
Power Block (Control):
A successful (Moderate) control roll allows the character
to add their control dice to the technique's skill roll, the
damage roll, or split the dice between the two.
Punch (Control):
A successful (Moderate) control roll allows the character to use
their control dice to boost or reduce the damage roll for this
technique. NOTE: This
technique is added and handled per the rules in Martial
Arts Revised & Expanded.
Reversal (Control and
Alter): A successful (Moderate) control
roll allows a character to add 1/2 their control dice
(minimum 1D) to the technique skill roll. A successful alter roll
allows the character to add 1/2 their alter dice (minimum 1D)
to the technique roll. The difficulty of the alter roll is
based on the weight of the attacker (Very Easy for objects weighing 1
kg or less; Moderate for objects 11-100 kg; Difficult for 101 kg to
one metric ton).
Silent Strike (Control,
Sense,
and Alter):
A successful (Very Easy for control and
alter; target's
control or PER roll
for sense) skill roll
for Force skill allows the character to add 1/3 of the dice (minimum
of 1D) for that skill to the technique's skill roll. NOTE:
Per Martial
Arts Revised & Expanded, a martial artist may declare that
they are using this technique to render the target unconscious for 3D
rounds. Otherwise, the technique does STR+3D damage.
Shoulder Throw (Control
and Alter):
A successful (Moderate) control roll
allows a character to add 1/2 their control
dice (minimum 1D) to the technique skill
roll. A successful alter roll
allows the character to add 1/2 their alter
dice (minimum 1D) to the technique roll. The
difficulty of the alter roll
is based on the weight of the attacker (Very Easy for objects
weighing 1 kg or less; Moderate for objects 11-100 kg; Difficult for
101 kg to one metric ton). NOTE: Per
Martial
Arts Revised & Expanded, damage for this technique is STR+1D.
Spinning Kick
(Control):
A successful (Moderate) control roll
allows the character to add their control
dice to the technique's skill roll, the damage roll, or split the
dice between the two.
Weapon Block (Control
and Alter):
A successful (Moderate) control roll
allows a character to add 1/2 their control
dice (minimum 1D) to the technique skill
roll. A successful alter roll
allows the character to add 1/2 their alter
dice (minimum 1D) to the technique roll. The
difficulty of the alter roll
is based on the weight of the attacker (Very Easy for objects
weighing 1 kg or less; Moderate for objects 11-100 kg; Difficult for
101 kg to one metric ton).
EDIT: The Martial Arts Revised & Expanded bookdoes have Jedi battlemaster and Sith martial art styles and does indeed make some minor changes to the system - adding several additional techniques (Kick, Nerve Punch 2, and Punch) and changing some of the difficulty numbers for techniques. We're going to dispense with the technique difficulty rolls and go with opposed rolls per the Dueling Blades rules; the rules per ROE will be used. I've included the basic punch and kick techniques here, but they can also be found in Martial Arts Revised & Expanded.
Lightsaber Duels
Peter Schweighofer, a talented individual who wrote quite a bit of material for the Star Wars RPG, designed and posted a fast, rules-light set of dueling rulesfor the D6 system. This is the system we'll use for lightsaber battles in our game.
Lightsabers and Fighting Styles
Lightsabers come in a variety of sizes and shapes. While most are customized to their owner's preferences and species, some do require specializations of the lightsaber skill, such as the greatsaber, double-bladed lightsaber, (aka lightstaff), etc.
There are also a number of fighting styles associated with the Jedi and Sith. Given that Disney's revision of the canon wipes away a lot of the specifics, we can really only go by the descriptions of the styles, counting them as specializations of the lightsaber skill.
Form "Zero"- While not really a specialization, this is pretty much just the standard lightsaber skill.
The way I see and understand it, the lightsaber combat power works as written in the rulebook. Under the Dueling Blades system, the two combatants make their lightsaber rolls as modified by their control and sense dice normally for attacks, parrying, and damage. Peter's system just flows with the first edition initiative rules we're using and the highest roll wins fighting for that round with the difference in rolls determining what you can do. The higher the roll, the more your character can do.
The vehicle rules went through a significant change between first (SW1E) and second edition (SW2R) from being rather abstract to a little more concrete. SW1E assigned each ship and vehicle a "Speed Code" - basically a dice pool representing how fast they could possibly go. Conversely, SW2R changed this to "Space" and "Speed" scores in line with the movement rules for characters. While SW2R's vehicle movement rules certainly work from a mapboard and counter perspective, we won't always have the luxury of space for those elements in the shop.Overall, if we don't have the space for a mapboard and counters or if I should forget to bring them, we'll use the SW1E rules with SW2R's scaling rules.
It should be noted that the first edition Rules Companion introduced a system for abstract/cinematic capital ship combat. It was more on par with the "command and control" rules for FASA's Star Trek RPG. Should the heroes manage to somehow find themselves on the bridge of a capital ship during a battle, we might give them a try.
Traveling at the Speed of Plot
As I've noted before, we're dispensing with the old timeframes for hyperspace travel. The multipliers still apply, but we'll be using the hyperspace rules cribbed from FFG's Age of Rebellion RPG (AOR). Additionally, I've folded the sublight travel guidelines provided on p.116 of SW2R into the sublight guidelines provided in AOR.
Sublight Travel Times Flying from a planet's orbit to a safe hyperspace jump distance: 5-15 minutes Flying from a planet's surface to one of its moons: 30-90 minutes Flying from one planet to another within the same star system: 2-12 hours* Flying from the center of a star system to its furthest limits: 10-72 hours* * - This time varies depending on the relative position of the planets in question and any stellar phenomena between them. Hyperspace Travel Times Within a sector: Ten to 24 hours Within a region: Ten to 72 hours Between regions: Three days to one week Across the galaxy: One to three weeks
Tabletop Starship Combat
SW1E had rules for ship combat both in the RPG and in the form of Star Warriors. Unfortunately, Star Warriors was a bit hard to incorporate into the RPG as it used a different system. Still, it seems a pity to let those counters and the mapboard go to waste simply because of a difference in systems.
The prime difference between tabletop starship and character combat is going to be the fact that ship combat is hex-based and character combat is on a square grid. Star Warriors favored wargaming's hex grid over a square grid, which I find is much better. Unfortunately, all of my character combat maps are square grids. Oh well.
Firing arcs for starfighter-scale ships are shown per the Star Warriors rules at right (we'll cover capital ships in their own section below). A vessel can move a number of hexes forward equal to its Move score. Turning is very simple; a vessel must move at least one hex space forward (counting as one (1) point of its Move score) before turning one hex face (again, counting as one (1) point of its Move score). Some ships can “turn tighter” than others. A ship’s maneuverability is determined by the number of dice in its Maneuverability rating. For example, an A-wing (Maneuverability of 4D) is far more maneuverable than a TIE/ln fighter (Maneuverability of 2D), but is on almost even terms with a TIE interceptor (Maneuverability of 3D+2). The number of hex faces a ship can turn is based on this maneuverability as shown in the table below.
EDIT: In going over this table, I came across a discrepancy which I'm going to adjudicate. In the RPG rules, the TIE Advanced x1 is given a Maneuverability of 1D+1. That just doesn't jive with Vader's performance at the controls of his signature fighter in Star Wars Rebels (see below). As such, I'm retconning that stat and giving the TIE Advanced x1 a Maneuverability of 3D. This actually fits well as the Rebels Season 2 sourcebook gives the TIE Advanced v1 a Maneuverability of 2D. Alternately, the homebrew Guide to TIE Fighters gives the TIE Advanced x1 a Maneuverability of 5D.
"Pushing The Envelope"
A pilot can push the limits of his fighter if things get rough, but there’s only so much stress a ship - and its pilot - can take. A tighter turn or more speed is limited by the ship’s Hull dice. For every die the ship has in its Hull rating, it may move one hex or turn one hex face beyond its standard ratings. The GM may require Starship Piloting rolls to see if the pilot maintains control of their ship or collides with any obstacles (including other ships).
Overaccelerating: A ship can be pushed beyond its maximum speed, but at the cost of maneuverability. For every extra hex the ship moves forward beyond its standard Move rating, it may turn one less hex face. Additionally, the ship takes 1D of damage against its Hull rating for each extra hex moved forward; deflector shields do not protect against this damage.
Tighter Turns: A ship may make a tighter turn than its Maneuverability rating allows, but stress is placed on both the pilot and the ship. For every extra hex face turned, the ship takes 1D of damage against its Hull rating; deflector shields do not protect against this damage. Keep in mind, this is in addition to the information provided above.
When either such a maneuver is made, the pilot and passengers take damage as per the passenger damage rules on pg. 112 of the SW2R rulebook. A ship may not make a tighter turn and overaccelerate in the same turn.
For example, a Y-wing pilot is trying to evade a pursuing TIE interceptor. The Y-wing has a Maneuverability of 2D and can turn a total of two hex faces, while the interceptor is twice as agile with a Maneuverability of 3D+2 and can turn three hex faces total. The Y-wing pilot attempts to turn tighter than normal, changing three (3) hex faces instead of the regular two (2). The GM rules that since it's in open space, there's no concern of hitting another ship or object, and so the difficulty is Easy (5). The pilot makes the roll, maintaining control, but he and his fighter take 1D damage per the SW2R rules.
Dogfighting
Star Warriors did have some rules with regard to certain maneuvers (1/2 loops, slips, double-slips, etc), and I know the RSB also had some diagrams of dogfighting maneuvers and tactics. I don't have rules worked out for such things yet, but I'll post them here once I've got the notes together.
Capital Ships
Capital ships follow the same rules with regard to movement and pushing their limits as above. The only difference is that capital ships can rotate – turn without moving one hex face forward. A capital ship can change a number of hex faces in one turn as it has points in its Move score; most capital ships listed in the SW2R rulebook can rotate a full 360 degrees in one turn.
The diagrams from Star Warriors and the Rebel Alliance Sourcebook (RSB)below show how capital ships turn and how their firing arcs are arranged.
Those of you familiar with the RSB will note I left out the diagram of the dorsal/ventral firing arcs. That's because the arcs for the Imperial star destroyer are incorrect. The RSB diagram showed no firing arcs for the star destroyer's belly, essentially leaving the docking/launch bay vulnerable. However, when you watch the chase at the beginning of Episode IV, you can clearly see turbolaser blasts coming from the belly of the star destroyer.
Mixing Scales
With regard to battles involving both starfighter and capital-scale ships, figure that capital ships move twice as fast as starfighters. Nothing puts the fear of the Dark Side in a character (and his player) than having an Imperial star destroyer breathing down his neck as he tries to make a getaway in his X-wing fighter. Turning, however should be handled on a 2:1 ratio. For every two hex faces a fighter can turn in one game turn, a capital ship can turn one hex face.
Range and Line of Sight
Line of sight is determined by either eyeballing the situation or by using a ruler. Range is figured in hexes when in space. In an atmosphere, range is figured at a ratio of 1 hex = 100 meters for starfighter scale ships, and 1 hex = 2 km for capital scale vessels. Elevation is also factored into combat situations and its effects are determined by the GM.
Vehicle Movement and Maneuvering Using Miniatures
The movement rules in SW2R are pretty much in force here. The exception is if we're using a hex grid for a wider area. In that case, vehicles move and maneuver as shown above for starfighters.
That's pretty much the nuts and bolts of vehicles and ships in this game. My next entry will be on the energy field that binds everything together - namely, the Force.
The Canon
Before Star Wars: Rebels and Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm, the canon for the Expanded Universe was a very convoluted and intricate thing. While the cultures and history of the Legends canon (as it's now called) have a lot of depth and detail, I don't have all the money and time to gather all the novels, games, and other media associated with it in order to become a guru.
That being said, I'm working with the new canon as established by Disney, bolstered by any details I find relevant and interesting from the Legends canon. For example, I consider the Han Solo and Lando Calrissian trilogies, Splinter of the Mind's Eye, and Dark Empire to be valid in this campaign. If you have questions about it all, just ask and we'll hash it out; just remember, as GM, I do have the final say.
The Meat of the Rules
Thus far, we've covered creating characters and the skill list for the game. I know I mentioned having notes regarding combining actions and the like, but to be honest, the bulk of the rules are going to come from the second edition revised & expanded (SW2R) rulebook.
Initiative
The first edition's initiative rules were more of a "flow-style" as compared to SW2R's conventional Perception-based initiative. Basically, if your character got the high roll against their opponent, they won initiative and the effects were determined from that point forward. For example: Jana (Blaster skill of 5D+2) and Roark (Blaster skill of 5D+1) both shoot at each other; the difficulty number for each shot is 15. Jana's roll is 19; Roark's is 17. Jana gets her shot off first (because 19 is greater than 17), and hits Roark (because 19 is also greater than 15). Roark's shot doesn't take place.
In resolving ties, PCs win out over NPCs. Between PCs, the highest attribute or skill code wins the roll. I find this is a bit more realistic than having a static initiative roll for each character during the course of an encounter.
Drama and "Speed of Plot"
While there are travel times listed on the astrogation chart in the rulebooks as well as several maps, all hyperspace travel is pretty much "speed of plot" as it is in the movies and TV shows (Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels). While I'm not a fan of FFG's new Star Wars RPG, Age of Rebellion has an excellent way of handling hyperspace and sublight travel. The hyperdrive multipliers still remain in effect; these guidelines just save us a lot of headache and bookkeeping.
Sublight Travel Times Flying from a planet's orbit to a safe hyperspace jump distance: 5-15 minutes Flying from a planet's surface to one of its moons: 30-90 minutes Flying from one planet to another within the same star system: 6-12 hours* Flying from the center of a star system to its furthest limits: 12-72 hours* * - This time varies depending on the relative position of the planets in question and any stellar phenomena between them. Hyperspace Travel Times Within a sector: Ten to 24 hours Within a region: Ten to 72 hours Between regions: Three days to one week Across the galaxy: One to three weeks
The same goes for ammo - although SW2R gave us how many shots each type of blaster has in its power pack, we're going with what's "dramatically appropriate". To extrapolate, if a character fumbles a blaster roll, the player rolls 1D to determine what happened.
Roll Result 1-2 - Malfunction! The weapon overheats, runs out of blaster gas, short circuits, etc. A successful Technical or Blaster Repair roll (2D difficulty) is needed to get the weapon working again. 3-4 - Out of ammo! A successful Dexterity or Blaster (5+) roll is needed to reload the weapon. 5-6 -Nothing happens. You're just a lousy shot.
The Wild Die
One of the things the second edition introduced that I absolutely despise is the Wild Die. This essentially made 1D of a character's die code an exploding (or fizzling) die. Normally, I don't mind such things as Star Wars is very cinematic. However, I just don't think it fits the way they've implemented it. The Wild Die is not used in this campaign. The exception is with Character Points (see below).
Character Points
Character Points are the exception to the abolition of the Wild Die rule. Per SW2R, any dice provided to a roll by Character Points (limit of 5 CP on any roll) that come up a six (6) are added to the roll and rerolled. My limitation on this is the number of rerolls as shown in the table below; "CP Dice" refers to the number of Character Point dice rolling a six (6).
For example, a player decides to burn three Character Points on a roll, netting their character an extra 3D for a shot at a major villain. The roll comes up 5, 4, and 3 for the hero's normal Blaster skill of 3D and three 6's for the added 3D from their Character Points. The player adds the 6D up for a total of 30 (5 + 4 + 3 + 6 + 6 + 6), and then gets to reroll the extra 3D. The second 3D roll nets the hero a 6, 6, and 3 for an added bonus of 15; this brings the total to 45. The player gets one more reroll on the two sixes and comes up with a 2 and a 3. The final total is a whopping 50!
My reasoning on this is to keep the dice rolls within reason for those who aren't fond of math, as well as keeping the momentum of the game up. For those who want to know, no, dice provided by a Force Point do not explode on a six.
LATE EDIT: One last note. Since Character Points do double duty as experience points as well as mini-Force Points, I strongly recommend people try to keep a bank of at least five (5) Character Points at all times. That way, you can use some for improving your skills and attributes and still have some Character Points to burn if you don't want to (or can't) use a Force Point in a situation. This is not a hard rule; you're free to burn your character's Character Points as you like, but know that there are consequences (and it's always good to have a few Character Points when they're needed).
Rolling More Than Five Dice
For some people, rolling more than five dice at a time seems a hassle because wrangling 6D or more is a pain and/or math gives them a headache. I sympathize. As such, here is a copy of the dice code simplification table from the revised, expanded, & updated (REUP) rulebook. In using this table, find the number of dice you're supposed to roll,
roll 5D and then add the number in the "5D" column to the total. Ignore
the Wild Die column.
Combining Actions
Getting back to the whole "combining actions" situation, I took a look at the rules as presented in both the first edition Star Wars Rules Companion and SW2R and while the first edition rules give a better boost, they do involve a little more wrangling of dice and pips than SW2R. For the time being, we'll go with the SW2R rules and if they prove to be too ineffective, we'll switch to the first edition rules.
Using Miniatures (Optional)
The d20 rules basically broke maps down into 5-meter squares. A character in SWR2 moves 8-10 meters. As such, figure the character can move two (2) squares for their regular move score, one (1) square for cautious movement, and four (4) squares for running. Diagonal movement from one square to another counts as two (2) squares. Elevation and line of sight (LOS) will either be eyeballed or figured using a straightedge. The effects of elevation in combat will be interpreted by the GM.
I'm going to close this entry out at this point as Blogspot gets cranky if I try to type too much. My next entry will go over the vehicle rules and the fourth entry will cover the Force.
Like any normal RPG campaign, Spec Ops-4 has some house rules. Overall, I use a mix of rules from the first edition (SW1E) (including the Star Wars Rules Companion and Star Warriors) and the second edition R&E (SW2R) rulebooks. I have not had a chance to really review the revised, expanded & updated (REUP) rulebook by Womp Rat Press. Before we dive into the rules governing the campaign, I'll preface them with Rule Zero:
Every rule, race, power, technology, variant rule, etc. is subject to change or removal at the discretion of the GM. Even if a game element is initially permitted, if it is later deemed incompatible with the campaign, it will be modified or removed. Any characters (PC or NPC) that use that element may be required to adjust to the change (in other words, grandfathering is not guaranteed). I will attempt to keep this sort of thing to a minimum (if at all), but sometimes this may happen in the process of keeping the rules appropriate to the campaign.
Character Creation
As this is a Rebellion Era campaign, there can only be two Jedi in the group. Check with the GM about character templates and concepts. You can find additional Force house ruleshere.
Character templates - essentially pre-generated characters you can customize - are available. The only thing that needs to be allocated on any given template is 7D for starting skills and specializations (see below). If a certain template interests you but you want to alter it in some way - making a Gambler a Rodian instead of a Human, for example - consult with the GM.
Scratch-built characters receive 18D for attributes and 7D for starting skills. Non-Force sensitive characters begin with five Character Points and one Force Point. Force-sensitive characters receive five Character Points and two Force Points.
Skills specializations may be used in this game; this is something to be determined by the GM and players at the start. You can keep it simple and allocate 1D each to seven different skills, or break down each die into pips (a "pip" being a +1 with 3 "pips" equaling 1D). The scale goes: 1D, 1D+1, 1D+2, 2D, 2D+1, 2D+2, 3D, and so forth. In the event specializations are not used, the GM will adjudicate skill usage accordingly. If a character attempts something they may not be familiar with (a technician trying transplant surgery, for example), the task difficulty may be increased. If the character is particularly good at something (a pilot flying their own modified tramp freighter), the task difficulty might be lowered. If specializations are used, a beginning character may spend 1D of their starting 7D to get three specializations, with 1D going to each specialization. These do not have to be under the same general skill. Starting characters may not have any general skills more than 2D higher than the governing attribute; they may not have any specializations more than 3D higher than the governing attribute.
Alien characters from templates (Ewok, Rodian Gunner, Wookiee, etc.) are the easiest way to bring aliens into the group. Scratch-built alien characters are subject to GM approval to keep within the canon of the campaign.
Droid characters are permitted, but are subject to GM approval. Template-based characters start with the stats for an established model presented in Cynabar's Fantastic Technology: Droids, The Rebellion's droid conversion section, the Rancor Pit droid conversionbook, or the conversion bookfor Scavenger's Guide to Droids. Scratch-built droid characters must be created using the rules presented in Cynabar's. Additional equipment and software may be found in the aforementioned links, but those items must have a reference notation and are subject to GM approval.
Replacement Characters In the event of a character being disabled, killed, turning to the Dark Side, etc., a replacementcan be generated either from a template or scratch. A character's experience level is determined by the number of "dice" they have - basically the total of attribute and skill dice, Character Points (5 Character Points = 1D), Force Points (1 Force Point = 1D), "Pips" above starting levels (3 pips = 1D), and dice based on advantages or disadvantages provided by special abilities. The experience levels are as follows:
With regard to skill levels:
1D is below Human average for an attribute.
2D is Human average for attributes and many skills
3D is the average level of training for a Human.
4D is equivalent to professional-level training for a Human.
5D is considered above average expertise.
6D is considered about the best in a city or geographic area. 1 in 100,000 have this level of training.
7D means the character is among the best on a continent. This level can be found in 1 in 10,000,000 people.
8D means the character is among the best on the planet. This level is found in 1 in 100,000,000 people.
9D indicates the character is one of the best in several star systems in the immediate area. Only 1 in a billion people have expertise at this level.
10D One of the best in a sector.
12D One of the best in a region
14D+ Among the best in the galaxy.
With regard to overall experience:
Average: This character is truly average, and has probably only had one or two "adventures" in their lifetime, if any. The character has up to 20 dice.
Novice: This character is a little bit better than average within the 12D attribute range for NPCs. Beginning PCs have 31 dice (18D for attributes, 7D for skills, 1 Force Point, 5 Character Points). Novice characters in general have up to 35 dice.
Veteran: The veteran character is likely to be good in a few key skills, but weak in others. Veterans usually have 36-75 dice total.
Superior: A character at this level has had a great deal of experience and has 76 to 150 dice total.
Master: These characters are the pinnacle of heroism (or villainy). We're talking capabilities on par with Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, and the Emperor. Such characters have over 150 dice!
Overall, players introducing replacement characters to the group should work with the GM and their fellow players to make sure the incoming characters fit and work well with the group. (EDIT: Some helpful guidelines can be found in this video by Seth Skorkowsky.)
Character Templates Character templates are the best way to hit the ground running in this game. I'll present a number of templates at the start of the game for interested players. If there's something not fitting your taste or your favorite template isn't included in the options, let me know and we'll work things out.
Character Skills
Spec Ops-4 uses a hybrid of the two skill lists in SW1E and SW2R. While the second edition did expand character skills, it did so a bit haphazardly. Essentially, what I've done is pruned and reorganized the skill list so it has the simplicity of the first edition skills but retains the skill specializations. Advanced skills, which seemed to work a bit backwards to me, are not used. Instead, they're just treated as skill specializations. Where necessary, I've renamed skills to better define them and prevent confusion. The specializations shown are examples only; many other specializations could (and do) exist.
Here's the list of skills and specializations as it currently stands:
DEXTERITY
Archaic Weapons - Black powder pistols, matchlocks, muskets, slugthrowers, Wookiee bowcasters, etc.
