Btw, peeps, I changed everyone's embedded images to links. I like to keep embedded images out of the game thread so it's more pleasurable to scroll on smaller devices.
So yes, if you have accompanying artworks, visual aids, even soundtracks, feel free to create links to them in your post.
I take it you all believe in the Force to some extent, considering you'll have witnessed Force-users training at Resistance base on Ajan Kloss.
So does anyone not believe in it? Most of you are Force users, except for Amos, Jix and 2BB-2 (obviously). Consider the Force as just 'magic' in D&D. It's used in lots of ways. Just because you're a wizard, doesn't mean you believe in the cleric's god, even though you both cast spells, frex.
Out of curiosity, Winta and Preach, what colour are your lightsabers? Preach's has a cracked Jedha crystal, so it's a bit fiery like the visual effect on Kylo Ren's. (Of course, no-one trained by the Resistance will have a red Sith crystal.)
The Force... yes. She can feel it- Maz started her on that path even though it has been something like a feeling, a tickle since she was young. But...
The Jedi? the Sith? Sure Rey is very strong. Some people who know her or have seen her say so. Stories spread quickly. Leia is close-mouthed about her own background with it... and there are oldtimers telling stories they remember or heard from someone even older than them,,, Some bad emperor who had troopers hunt down a lot of people and wipe them out, like 60 years ago... so there are stories about things and people from a long time ago in a part of the Galaxy that seems far, far away. Not much influence over the life of slave girl whose homeworld is at the ass end of the Corellian Run, and has lived almost all her life in Hutt Space or on the outer rim.
She believes. She has possibly been in the presence of Kylo before. Her parents were high enough for that. Obviously the stuff exists.yet outside of Snoke and Kylo, and some influences from the “Knights of Ren” not that much day to day influence. Apart from her own little abilities. But she rarely thinks of those and most of the time wouldn’t even think of the things she is doing in terms of ‘being at one with the force’ or some such. It’s just ‘things she does’
The Jedi have certainly gone through phases, from warrior-monks to knights errant to outright crusaders. They've been around for a long time so are most commonly associated with the Force. But you have the Guardians of the Whills, the Church of the Force, the Nightsisters and many other groups in the canon for whom the Force is integral to their faith.
Next question.
Lore and accessibility.
I'm trying to find a level that's right for everyone. Everyone has some exposure to Star Wars, but even if you've watched all the movies you might not know your YT-1250 from your Quadjumper, etc.
Have I lost anyone so far? Does anyone need more description or linkage? Or are you happy to read and Google anything you aren't sure about?
I'll try to be much more specific when it comes to combat and hazards, so you know where your characters are, what's happening to them and what they can do about it.
2BB-2 was on the Raddus, witness at first- or second-hand to General Organa's miraculous survival of the destruction of the bridge. It's not so much a case of belief as the comprehension that there are phenomena explained by the Force that are inexplicable by other means. It's a weird universe, weird things happen, the Force serves as a blanket explanation for the time being.
I am fine with the lore. I didn't look up the ship, but I have enough of a mind's eye, that I didn't need the specifics. Perfectly understandable the way you are writing the scenes.
As an introduction to the full game system, the Beginner Games starts us with this combat encounter.
Behind the curtain, conflict with these Strus Clan Gangsters cannot be avoided---well, presumably unless the PCs give them what they want but I don't think that's on the cards---but what the Beginner Game does is require the PCs to describe how they're handling the stand-off and make skill checks based on that. Successes and Advantages from these skill checks determine the order of combat and recupe Strain.
(All the PCs start the game with 2 Strain, to represent the demands of the mission up to now.)
This is instead of rolling for initiative normally, which is a mechanic the Beginner Game introduces later.
In short, by playing your character you have given me an idea of what skill checks they are making.
By succeeding in these skill checks, they will not avoid combat but gain the initiative over the Strus Clan Gangsters, and in this game system gaining initiative is vital. Han definitely shoots first.
Note, when you gain initiative you do not gain initiative for your specific PC. It is a PC slot that you can give to someone else, if it makes sense in the fiction.
So, for example, Amos might win initiative but if he would wait for Winta's signal then Winta can take his slot and Amos take a PC slot further down the order.
This avoids having to ready actions like in D&D.
Since the initiative order stays the same for the entire combat encounter, the PCs can keep shuffling around in their slots as befits the narrative.
The Beginner Game only requires four PCs to make skill checks here (it was only written for four), so to make this work I will have some PCs' checks effectively assisted by others. I think this makes sense in the fiction, where it seems some of the same skills are being used. In this system, assistance can drastically increase chances of success.
So, based on what your characters have done so far, not on what you've written they will do if/when combat starts, what skill checks am I making?
Amos = Coercion w/ Blue dice from unskilled assistance from Sirra Jelly Bean = Cool w/ Blue dice from unskilled assistance from 2BB-2 Jix = Skulduggery w/ Blue dice from being at the back Winta = Negotiation w/ Blue dice from unskilled assistance from Preach
The Beginner Game sets the difficulty for the check at Easy, aka 1 Purple dice.
For Amos and Sirra, I would annotate their Coercion skill check as YGGB¬P, or Yellow Green Green Blue versus Purple, or 1 Yellow dice, 2 Green dice, 1 Blue dice and 1 Purple dice. At the table you would roll them all together, and Purple's result goes head to head against the others.
Gypsy. Since you know the system, I'll just mention that Destiny Points aren't introduced until later in the Beginner Game so can't be spent yet. I'll get rolling those dice!!
Jix rolled a Failure, so the less favourable initiative order is used.
Bear in mind this is not the normal initiative mechanic, it's just the Beginner Game getting us straight into the action.
Also, for each Advantage, the characters who rolled it recupe 1 Strain. For each Threat, the characters who rolled it gain 1 Strain.
Thus, Winta and Preach gain 1 Strain and have 3 Strain total. They are making prime targets of themselves by stepping forward and representing the team, so I think gaining stress is understandable!
Amos and Sirra, Jelly Bean and 2BB-2 recupe all their Strain. Jix recupes 1 Strain, so now has 1 Strain.
Strain is not hit points per se, that's Wounds. Strain is more like a currency you spend to gain extra manoeuvres on your turn and activate certain Talents, but technically if you surpass your Strain Threshold you are exhausted.
As for the less favourable initiative order, this also seems reasonably explained in the fiction to me. The team are not bloodthirsty slythmongers, they have tried everything in their repertoire to avoid a fight.
What is the initiative order then?
1st PC Strus Clan Gangsters 2nd PC 3rd PC 4th PC 5th PC 6th PC 7th PC
I think Winta will take the first PC slot, kicking us off. Since the other PCs will follow after the Strus Clan Gangsters, I can freestyle the rest.
So are we other than Winta waiting for your post with the baddies then posting our intended actions, or posting our intended actions and then you resolve the whole set?
Art. Yes, what I do is resolve as far as I can, using what you've posted so far but at some point the situation will have changed so much that I'll come back to you for more posts.
Angrboða. Indeed. The important thing is that your negotiations didn't fail. The Strus Clan have made a trip out to the scavengers to rip them off. There's just no way they'd leave empty handed. You've given them a fair shake of the dice. The very covert nature of your team makes you less overtly threatening, so scaring them off isn't likely either.
In fact, given it's now over 50 years since the Jedi Order roamed the Galaxy, even threatening with lightsabers would probably just give the Strus one more thing they wanted to take from you. (They wouldn't understand the significance.)
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