Fall of the Republic campaign underway

[KageRyu]

Ok, my new campaign is well underway know. The second game session has been completed, and the third is probably going to be tomorrow. The fate of one planet hangs in the balance now...and tied to that fate is the fate of the republic (what happens will drastically alter the timetable of future events in the campaign). While I am not completely happy with how things have gone so far, or player performance, the players seem to be having fun, and loving the game (despite their bumbling around aimlessly). I guess that's what really counts, I just wish they'd pick up on a clue every now and then, rather than resorting to blasters and player to player bickering.

We have:
Human Jedi Apprentice - Not extremely skilled in the force yet, and has yet to learn better control (which is oddly reflected by the player's personality himself). He calls on the force for everything, usually acomplishing nothing for lack of being specific, or lack of skills to acomplish his tasks. Acts very scattered, whimsicle, and aloof, missing vital clues, and disregarding his master. The Dark Side is watching him...weaving it's web already.

Gand Mercenary - Motivated by greed. While not the best shot, is effective. He is hot headed, and has a bad habbit of raiding the fallen in battle (which has already caused the group some troubles). Him and the Jedi are not seeing eye to eye.

and I just introduced...

Human Smuggler - Flighty, doesn't like to get bogged down, distrustful of everyone, especially bounty hunters and mercs. He is always looking over his shoulder because he owes way too much money for his ship. He was counting on his recent shipment to give him a big chunk of cash, but got robbed at the delivery site. Now he has stumbled onto the other players, and is hoping the Jedi can bring him justice and help him find the thieves (Jedi are known for that right?).

I have tried to give the players motivation to be involved in the scenario, but keeping them focused is proving difficult. I don't want to reveal any details of the adventure, as my group knows I am on these forums and I don't want to tip them off as to what will happen.

P.S. I have won over 3 more players to the D6 system. 2 of them were previous D20ers! The third has played other game systems with me.
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"There's a set way to gain new Force Points and it represents a very nice system, where you're rewarded for heroism, not for being a poor conductor to electricity." ~Jachra

[Ars_Fortuna]

Congrats on getting everything up and running. D6 can always use the new players, but it can take a little time to get them used to it. Remember that d20 heavily rewards the "shoot first, think maybe" mode of play. I have enjoyed a number of d20 games where my hardest choice was what type of pizza to order.

Getting the new players to start picking up on more complicated plots isn't very difficult, it just requires a little bit of planning. Start tossing in hints that they could have gotten "X" reward if they didn't dive in, blasters blazing. For example, the Gand Mercenary likes to loot people he's killed. Let him find a datapad on somebody. Some of the files are heavily encrypted and can only be accessed if the owner's living finger is pressed to a biometric pad on the side. Them plant a few clues in the unencrypted files that imply that there are some prototype schematics on the datapad, or anything else the cg=haracter would like.

When doing these things it is important to keep combat enjoyable and a viable solution. Combat doesn't have to be the best solution, but it needs to be workable. Most players that I've had have picked up on combat as a last resort and really enjoy the focus on story that it allows. With a little time, you can show your new players this g=facet of RPGs.

[Argamoth]

Yeah, I've played a few campaigns that have too much player-bickering. For that you just have to let them learn how to play with eachother nicely. Hopefuly they won't damage too much in the process.

[Trusty]

I love player bickering...as long as it is the characters bickering, and the players remain level headed (to some extent at least).

Why do I love it? Because major plot events run smoothly. It is always some throw away line or sub plot, minor event, or even the most minute tangit idea that they always seem to spend their time bickering about...things that absolutly DO NOT matter or serve the story. As a GM, I find it entertaining...

I've never heard the largest amount of words exchanged for the smallest ideas before roleplaying...and I follow politics...so you know that that says something about the gamers.
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Growing old is inevitable. Growing up is optional!

[Argamoth]

I remember one time, playing D&D, we spent an hour trying to figure out how to keep a wolf corpse from going bad so we could sell the hide....thbbbt. My bard was a very bored bard. I generaly dislike taking lots of time for trivial things, so I try and keep the game going.

[Trusty]

[Argamoth]

Actualy, we made lots of money off the furs. (Thanks to me) But for my campaigns, the threat of being blown up or some other combat situation should keep them moving. If they get separated, all the more fun trying to get back together.

[Lord Aramus]

mm.. you skin the wolf and dry the hide in the sun.. thats how.
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[Argamoth]

We had a bit of a time limit...and it was dark too...and there were probably more nasties around that would smell the blood....

[Hellcat]

[KageRyu]

[KageRyu]

Ok, if all goes as planned, Tomorrow is Fall Of The Republic - Outposts of Strife Part III. We were supposed to play last tuesday, but it was called on account of the players not being awake . It has given me more time to prepare, and lay out some contingencies to account for the PCs actions. Win or lose it will begin to shap the rest of my campaign, and the war (which hasn't actually started yet).
I am hoping to tie up the PCs adventure on the world of Verinon in tomorrow's adventure so I can move on to some of the other wonderful plans I have. On the other hand, I am reluctant because I have set up such a web of intrigue and mystery and such wonderfully detailed NPCs that it would almost be fun to continue exploring the problems on this seemingly insignificant planet. Still, the players are chafing at being stuck on this "backwater" planet "on the edge of known space", even though it's mid-rim, just not near any major sectors or trade routes.

If there is interest I will post how things go overall. So far, the players have honked off the planetary govenor, honked of planetary security, honked off 2 corporations, honked off the militants, and are clueless as to everything. They are hoping to gather some clues in tomorrows adventure...finally.
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"There's a set way to gain new Force Points and it represents a very nice system, where you're rewarded for heroism, not for being a poor conductor to electricity." ~Jachra

[Argamoth]

I once played a campaing that had a web of intrigue. The only problem was, most of the PCs were not the classes that deal with intrigue well, nor were any of them really looking for it. I don't think it was as fun as it could have been. Just be careful, if you want intrugue, you almost have to force it onto the characters if they're not expecting it.

[KageRyu]

Ok, so, things have gone from bad to worse.
Drevon (the Jedi Apprentice), Voc (the Gand Merc), and Trondo (The Smuggler), decide that they want to check out one of the alleged sites of a militant attack on the planet...the Arakyd droidworks plant. So, they sneak into the city late at night, dodging planetary security forces, local authorities, and the Military (which was called up due to the militant raids). When they reach the Droidworks, they then spend 2.5 hours of real time arguing over how to go about getting in
Finally, the Gand forces the issues, and they procede to try to sneak past the sentries walking the perimeter and bypass the security of the energy fence. While crossing the vast expanse of the Repulsor lot, the Jedi blows his sneak, and is spotted by one of the sentries, who orders him to stop. He runs. The other two PCs are already safely behind cover. The Jedi dodges underneath a repulsorlift cargo skiff to hide. The guard get's his buddy, and they begin sweaping the parking lot...splitting up. The Gand surprises one, and drops him with his shock whip (Stun damage), but the other guard hears it, and turns to face him from across the lot, drawing his blaster. Trondo charges him, tries to pistol whip him, and misses. A firefight ensues in which Trondo blows a hole clean through the guard, killing him in cold blood, then announces he is stripping the corpse. The player is shocked when I award a darkside point for this...but continuing...
The players begin looting the unconcious guard too, forgetting that there was just blaster fire, and they are in a ciyt. More guards arrive, the player try to flee, a blaster fight breaks out, the Jedi pulls his lightsaber, slicing one of the lightpoles illuminating the area to cause a diversion and give some cover of darkness. The players flee, but now the Jedi is listed as a criminal along with the other PCs for vandalism and destruction of property.

More bickering breaks out between players for another hour, as they all blame each other for "botching" the attempt to get into the factory. They are sure there is a conspiracy going on, and that they will find evidence inside. Eventually, they decide to make another attempt, and highjack a repulsorlift, advertising derrigible and fly it over the factory. When they get inside they learn the attack on the factory was in one of the unmaned storage warehouses, set apart from the main facility, with no real chance of collateral damage to the main facility. All of the damaged droids present in the rubble are out-dated, antequated, or scrapped models. The damage is consistant with modern thermite charges (well more advanced than the explosive the Gand recovered from the bacta farm attacks). This only serves to reinforce the player belief in a conspiracy, but sadly, no one had any form of recording device or camera to record evidence with

So, now the player decide to try to find the Kubaz who robbed the smuggler in the first adventure (sure that they were smuggling weapons). The Gand uses finding rituals, and they begin tracking. They get a lead at the starport, as the Jedi finally remembered a Kubaz arriving on the same ship. They take the Astromech droid to the starport and hack into the main computer (sneak rolls to avoid being recognized by security forces), and pull the name of the Kubaz off the passenger manifest (I practically had to hand them all of these clues BTW, with NPCs suggesting things as the players seemed completely stumped and just resorted to arguing). So, they learn the Kubaz has rented a modest apartment in the unregulated section of the city (like the slums, outside the central citadel walls). The Gand takes his speeder bike to stake out the appartment, and tells the other PCs to meet him there. The other PCs go off on other tasks (one wants to rent a speeder...and starts getting way to finicky, the other is trying to sell damaged and outdated droid parts he picked up from the factory ). I keep trying to give them hints to get them moving and meet up with the Gand, but they are intent on their own actions... So I return to the Gand. He sees the Kubaz is packing up and getting ready to move, and decides it's now or never. He storms the Kubaz'z apartment alone (which could have been very bad, and almost was). A long fight breaks out, as the two exchange blaster shots, and the Gand tries to KO him with the shock whip. The Kubaz manages to flee out the door and into the street, with the Gand in pursuit. The Gand switches his blaster onto stun, as he wants this guy alive for questioning, and finally guns him down. Seeing people gathering, he quickly collects the unconciouss Kubaz, and drags him inside...
Trondo, on his newly rented, 2 person, sport speeder, arrives (finally), and pulls right up in front of the Kubaz's apartment. He nonchalantly walks up to the door, knocks, and anounces himself When I remind him that this is possibly the Kubaz that robbed him, he replied basically that the Gand had dealt with him already (I HATE player who use PLAYER KNOWLEDGE!!). Trondo notices a small gathering of people pointing in his direction, and at the apartment (after all, He and the Gand shot their way out of the cities detention facility, and are notorious fugitives now).

By the time the Jedi finally arrives, he sees a small crowd gathered neer the ramshackle, multi-story building, with a police enforcment speeder, and a pair of security officers talking with several of the locals (getting statements). He casually walks right through the crowd (doesn't sneak or be cautious) walks right up to the Kubaz's apartment, sees the security officers looking at him and talking into a comlink, and knocks. He announces himself as "Space Jehova's witnesses".

Once inside, The Jedi does not feel the need to warn the other players about security (who are calling in backup as 3 known and dangerous terrorists are in the area, confirmed). Well, backup arrives, things go from bad to worse, the players try to flee out a back window into an alley... the Gand tries to jurry rig a primitive explosive to cover their tracks, and fumbles, it goes boom...all of them are wounded, while trying to sneak down back alleys around to where the Voc hid his speeder bike they get spotted (as they all rolled horrible on their sneak rolls and they are carrying an unconscious Kubaz). So, where we left off, they are facing off against three planetary security troops in heavy riot aromor with light repeater pistols.

Oh, did I mention where Trondo tried to interrogate the unconcious Kubaz?
_________________
"There's a set way to gain new Force Points and it represents a very nice system, where you're rewarded for heroism, not for being a poor conductor to electricity." ~Jachra

[Argamoth]

I think they should be arrested. Roll up some new characters, maybe. Unless someone evil and/or against the govornment decides to protect them. Actualy...that might be a good idea. If nothing else, it will give them a boss to be acountable to.