KahlessNestor
Adventurer
How much Starting Obligation are we allowed?
Flight of the Resistance (Star Wars)
Quickleaf
Legend
Let me get back to you.
I just realized last night that my assumption that Duty, Obligation, and Morality were all different shades of a the same narrative mechanic for introducing complications into the PCs' lives. It appears they're actually substantially different.
So I may need to revise my initial thinking.
KahlessNestor
Adventurer
They can work together. It can just get a bit complicated sometimes.
KahlessNestor
Adventurer
Okay, here we go. This will probably all get changed once we get final approval on the extras from Obligation//Duty/Morality.
Arsinoe Anjuliz
Arsinoe Anjuliz
Quickleaf
Legend
I'll look over your characters tonight 
I just updated a few things...
First, I want to encourage about half the party or more to be human characters. It's a Star Wars aesthetic thing. To that end, I'm considering encouraging human characters with a +5 XP boost. However, if you guys are vehemently opposed to this idea, I'll nix it.
Second, I just updated the OP with setting details! Here they are...
30 ABY. The Galaxy is in chaos – power is up for grabs.
The Empire fell 25 years ago. The war is over…so the New Republic would have us believe. Those who rejected the surrender – known publicly as the “imperial remnant” fleet – fled into the Unknown Regions. Criminal war profiteers find themselves scrambling in search of new markets, trying to extort exorbitant prices from the fledgling Resistance, inciting Mandalorian rage, and brokering secret deals with the First Order. In the vaccum of power, the Hutts who were allied with the Empire have suffered losses in their vast criminal network and the ruthless Black Sun is on the rise. Some of the new criminals and paramilitary forces are secretly funded by the First Order, such as the Amaxine warriors who were used as proxies to fund the Nikto crime lord Rinnrivin Di’s cartel before Leia exposed them.
[SECTION]Other power groups scramble for control of planets and shipping lanes once under imperial occupation. These include:
The New Republic is mired in Byzantine politics.
After accepting the Empire’s surrender at the Battle of Jakku, the New Republic was formed in its ashes, championed as a new hope. However, political battle lines were quickly drawn between Populists (who advocated for upholding planetary rights) and Centrists (who advocated strong united galactic government) that crippled the New Republic from getting things done. A couple years ago, the Centrist leader Lady Carise Sindian failed at a movement to secede from the New Republic and support the First Order, but in the process ruined Princess Leia’s senatorial career. Moreover, corruption and bureaucratic ineptitude is rampant in the New Republic.
The fledgling Resistance is hanging on by a thread.
After Leia Organa Solo’s senate seat was undermined by revelations of her being a child of Darth Vader, the disgraced former senator established a rogue organization to deal with rising threats the New Republic turns a blind eye to. This Resistance began in a private hangar in the outskirts of Hosnian Prime’s capital city, drawing on old rebel allies like Admiral Ackbar, and amassing an armory from seized smuggler’s cargo. However, relations between the New Republic and the Resistance disintegrated when a spy outed Leia as the General of the Resistance and political pressure forced the Resistance to leave Hosnian Prime. Now, a ragtag fleet of starships travels toward the Outer Rim in search of a suitable planet to establish a new home for the Resistance.
The First Order has returned from the Unknown Regions.
The First Order was constructed out of the remains of the Imperial Navy (the “imperial remnant”), with those loyal to the Empire fleeing to the furthest corners of the galaxy to lick their wounds and plan a counterattack. It has taken over 20 years, but they are finally solidifying their position with allies in the senate and criminal organizations. The First Order is well aware that the New Republic doesn’t see them coming and won’t be able to unite against them when the time comes. First Order spies and scout ships have become an growing threat in the Outer Rim, where they sabotage Resistance plans, bully minor planetary governments, and abduct children to be trained as stormtroopers.
The reborn Jedi Order was decimated by the Knights of Ren.
Luke Skywalker began training a new order of Jedis, beginning with a small class. Though he managed to recruit the help of a handful of fallen Jedi Knights surviving Order 66, they rarely saw eye-to-eye with Luke’s approach. However, his prized pupil, Ben Solo (“Kylo Ren”), fell to the Dark Side and converted many of Luke’s students to join him; these Knights of Ren slaughtered those padawans who would not join their cause. Only a handful of padawans escaped thanks to the self-sacrifice of the last aging Jedi Knights; the Knights of Ren relentlessly hunt down these padawans wherever they could find them. In the aftermath of this tragedy, Luke Skywalker went into self-imposed exile and many believe the Jedi order will never rise again.
I just updated a few things...
First, I want to encourage about half the party or more to be human characters. It's a Star Wars aesthetic thing. To that end, I'm considering encouraging human characters with a +5 XP boost. However, if you guys are vehemently opposed to this idea, I'll nix it.
Second, I just updated the OP with setting details! Here they are...
30 ABY. The Galaxy is in chaos – power is up for grabs.
The Empire fell 25 years ago. The war is over…so the New Republic would have us believe. Those who rejected the surrender – known publicly as the “imperial remnant” fleet – fled into the Unknown Regions. Criminal war profiteers find themselves scrambling in search of new markets, trying to extort exorbitant prices from the fledgling Resistance, inciting Mandalorian rage, and brokering secret deals with the First Order. In the vaccum of power, the Hutts who were allied with the Empire have suffered losses in their vast criminal network and the ruthless Black Sun is on the rise. Some of the new criminals and paramilitary forces are secretly funded by the First Order, such as the Amaxine warriors who were used as proxies to fund the Nikto crime lord Rinnrivin Di’s cartel before Leia exposed them.
[SECTION]Other power groups scramble for control of planets and shipping lanes once under imperial occupation. These include:
- The Confederacy of Corporate Systems
- The New Separatist Union (presumably a callback to the Separatists of the Clone Wars)
- The Sovereign Latitudes (the name space pirates have given to their attempt at self-governance)
The New Republic is mired in Byzantine politics.
After accepting the Empire’s surrender at the Battle of Jakku, the New Republic was formed in its ashes, championed as a new hope. However, political battle lines were quickly drawn between Populists (who advocated for upholding planetary rights) and Centrists (who advocated strong united galactic government) that crippled the New Republic from getting things done. A couple years ago, the Centrist leader Lady Carise Sindian failed at a movement to secede from the New Republic and support the First Order, but in the process ruined Princess Leia’s senatorial career. Moreover, corruption and bureaucratic ineptitude is rampant in the New Republic.
The fledgling Resistance is hanging on by a thread.
After Leia Organa Solo’s senate seat was undermined by revelations of her being a child of Darth Vader, the disgraced former senator established a rogue organization to deal with rising threats the New Republic turns a blind eye to. This Resistance began in a private hangar in the outskirts of Hosnian Prime’s capital city, drawing on old rebel allies like Admiral Ackbar, and amassing an armory from seized smuggler’s cargo. However, relations between the New Republic and the Resistance disintegrated when a spy outed Leia as the General of the Resistance and political pressure forced the Resistance to leave Hosnian Prime. Now, a ragtag fleet of starships travels toward the Outer Rim in search of a suitable planet to establish a new home for the Resistance.
The First Order has returned from the Unknown Regions.
The First Order was constructed out of the remains of the Imperial Navy (the “imperial remnant”), with those loyal to the Empire fleeing to the furthest corners of the galaxy to lick their wounds and plan a counterattack. It has taken over 20 years, but they are finally solidifying their position with allies in the senate and criminal organizations. The First Order is well aware that the New Republic doesn’t see them coming and won’t be able to unite against them when the time comes. First Order spies and scout ships have become an growing threat in the Outer Rim, where they sabotage Resistance plans, bully minor planetary governments, and abduct children to be trained as stormtroopers.
The reborn Jedi Order was decimated by the Knights of Ren.
Luke Skywalker began training a new order of Jedis, beginning with a small class. Though he managed to recruit the help of a handful of fallen Jedi Knights surviving Order 66, they rarely saw eye-to-eye with Luke’s approach. However, his prized pupil, Ben Solo (“Kylo Ren”), fell to the Dark Side and converted many of Luke’s students to join him; these Knights of Ren slaughtered those padawans who would not join their cause. Only a handful of padawans escaped thanks to the self-sacrifice of the last aging Jedi Knights; the Knights of Ren relentlessly hunt down these padawans wherever they could find them. In the aftermath of this tragedy, Luke Skywalker went into self-imposed exile and many believe the Jedi order will never rise again.
Quickleaf
Legend
Here's my understanding of each system (Obligation / Duty / Morality) in brief...
Obligation is a mechanic for the GM to introduce complications. Narratively, it helps reinforce the theme of scoundrels working in gritty conditions. In Edge of the Empire, starting with an obligation is mandatory, but there's no mechanical incentive for a player to start with one if they had a choice. However, Edge of the Empire does incentivize taking additional obligations with bonus starting XP & credits.
Duty is almost the exact opposite of Obligation; it's a mechanic for determining the PCs' morale, using an increased wound threshold to model that. Narratively, it helps reinforce the theme of pledging allegiance to a cause greater than yourself. In Age of Rebellion there's no mechanical downside to duty. In a system where a character can choose Obligation / Duty / Morality, there's no mechanical reason not to take Duty.
Morality is a measure of Light Side / Dark Side orientation, having no mechanical impact until a character goes below 30 (Dark Side) or above 70 (Light Side); beyond those thresholds there are changes to how the character works in terms of destiny points, force points & force powers, and strain threshold. Narratively, it helps reinforce the theme of the struggle between the Light Side and Dark Side that dwells in the heart of every Force-user, and also provides a "mechanic" for the GM to trigger morality, similar to how the GM can lean on obligations. In Force and Destiny, morality is just part of being a Force-user / Jedi. A non-Force user would get practically no mechanical benefit from the Morality system.
To make these all work together, here's what I'm thinking...
- You have the option of selecting ONE: Obligation, Duty, or Morality. This is decided on a per-character basis. Deciding to have none of the above is fine, so long as you have crafted a good hook/motive for your PC tying them into the adventure.
- Certain character specializations might naturally lean toward Obligation, Duty, or Morality (e.g. a Bounty Hunter is a good fit for Obligation, and a Jedi Guardian is a good fit for Morality), but I'm comfortable letting you mix that up.
- If you're a Force-user who doesn't take Morality, then you are operating in the "grey Jedi" zone... there may be rules implications for this that we'll need to figure out... I haven't gotten there yet.
- If you're a non-Force-user who takes Morality, we may want to devise a way to generate Conflict through heroic actions (or anti-heroic actions) instead of through Force powers for your character.
- If you take an Obligation, gain +5 XP or +1,000 credits for a +5 Obligation, or +10 XP or +2,500 credits for a +10 Obligation.
- If you take a Duty, there's no mechanical benefit for boosting morale / wound threshold; it's simply a part of your character's narrative. Though there may be in-game benefits to having ties to the Resistance, such as gaining information or sanctuary from Resistance NPCs. If you get captured by the First Order, of course, being a known member of the Resistance is likely to lead to being interrogated first.
- If you take Morality, we can starting by running it as is and see how that works. It looks like a fun system but seems a bit complicated on paper, so we may want to streamline it for our game. Like Duty it's mainly going to be narrative tool. I may have certain scenarios that involve using Morality thresholds to determine how certain Force-user NPCs react or how holocrons respond to your character.
Does that sound like a good way to balance those three things?
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Unless KahlessNestor objects:
No-one gives much thought to the droids in their life unless they are personal servants. So it is no surprise that Arsinoe hasn't taken particular note of the droid in the background. Piloting the resistance ship, plotting their hyperspace coordinates, making repairs and being useful in general. Of course they haven't interacted much, the girl probably doesn't even speak binary, but that doesn't mean that Rex hasn't taken note of the girl. She seems so out of place, but at the same time she belongs wherever she goes, naturally the center of attention.
The resistance, while overall good intentioned does not always contain the best people. Rex keeps a watch over the girl ever in the background, an odd little guardian as he goes about his duties on the ship.
No-one gives much thought to the droids in their life unless they are personal servants. So it is no surprise that Arsinoe hasn't taken particular note of the droid in the background. Piloting the resistance ship, plotting their hyperspace coordinates, making repairs and being useful in general. Of course they haven't interacted much, the girl probably doesn't even speak binary, but that doesn't mean that Rex hasn't taken note of the girl. She seems so out of place, but at the same time she belongs wherever she goes, naturally the center of attention.
The resistance, while overall good intentioned does not always contain the best people. Rex keeps a watch over the girl ever in the background, an odd little guardian as he goes about his duties on the ship.
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Quickleaf
Legend
Awesome. I'll start with giving my feedback on your characters with Arsinoe
Good character background hooks!
1. Who do you see as being the one who betrayed Arsinoe to the Hutts? Her father? Her older brother? Or her husband (older brother's best friend)? If it was her husband, then is her father and/or older brother looking for her? Is she trying to avoid being found by them because she feels betrayed?
2. Tons of opportunities for other PC connections here:
- A prospective suitors who was turned down.
- Someone who has worked for (or is indebted to) the Hutt who still wants his "tiny dancer."
- Pirate who attacked the ship Arsinoe was being transported on and left her marooned.
- Resistance pilot who picked her up off the lonely planet.
3. Looking at the route from Corellia to Hutt Space, I'm thinking Arsinoe was taken along the Corellian Run and was to be taken along the Death Wind Corridor used by slave/stim smugglers bound for Hutt Space. The ship may have crashed on Tatooine or a similar planet in that region of space. OR the crippled ship may have attempted have attempted a hyperspace jump that was botched, crash landing on the forest planet Kabal where the game begins. I'll leave that detail up to you!
4. Either way, Arsinoe found her way to Kabal, a rough-and-tumble trading planet in the opposite direction from Hutt Space. What do you imagine she's been doing there? (I'll add details on Kabal to my OP soon).
5. What is Arsinoe's attitude toward the Resistance? She possibly was rescued by Resistance pilots from a lonely planet. Did she reject joining because of her own beliefs or uncertainty or mistrust? Was she eager to join but the Resistance didn't trust her due to her background? Is she currently on a Resistance mission or just getting by?
6. Do you have info. on Distracting Behavior you can share with me? Since I don't have Far Horizons, I have no way to discern whether it's a balanced talent or not.
7. There's a strong sexual exploitation vibe to Arsinoe's story. Is that something you'd like to play up or play down? If you feel it's an important aspect of the character to play up (e.g. by taking an Obligation to the Hutt), we'll need to pow-wow as a group about how mature/dark we want this game to be. I am very flexible, but I want to make sure everyone is on board.
8. Do you already have a trajectory for Arsinoe's character development/arc in mind? From victim towards something else? Or is that something you entirely want to discover during play?
9. What would you describe as Arsinoe's "party role"? Not that it's totally necessary to make that super-defined in FFG Star Wars, but I'm curious. Her skills/abilities suggest she is a bit of a "face"?
10. In regards to starting Obligation...I am OK with you going up to 20, and I think that higher Obligations make sense for Arsinoe. I am hesitant about boosting the XP bonus beyond what I've already outlined, so you could start with the bonus credits for +10 Obligation and bonus XP for +10 Obligation (netting 20 Obligation)...or if starting with the extra credits don't fit your character concept, feel free to pitch another idea to me.
11. Lastly, what's your vote for the Group Resource?
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