My First Campaign Has Begun!

[The Jedi Master]

So, after many months of planning, I have finally started the campaign. I have two players, both family, playing as Blaine Hansom (we ran out of time for character creation, and he fit the campaign) and Argon Farwell (a minor Jedi who hopped on the ship to run from the Empire).

The adventure started a week after Yavin. After the Main Axillary Thermal Generators went kaput, they had to land on Tatooine for repairs. After some searching, they came across a mechanic who agreed to not only fix their ship but upgrade it (+1 to all damage rolls on the blasters) if they provided her passage to Haldoras, a jungle world with large walled cities. After some negotiation, and promises of cash, they agreed to take the deal.

As they were leaving the planet, an Imperial customs ship encountered them in orbit. They asked to board the ship, due to a manhunt that was in full swing. Blaine found a clever way to avoid combat--he tricked the imperials into allowing him to reorient his ship first... which got it into position for a hyperspace jump. As you can imagine, this was not my original intent, but hey, why punish the players for being creative?

On the way to Haldoras, the mechanic was questioned about why she was so eager to leave during a manhunt. She admitted to being a member of the Alliance ("They never pay well," in Blaine's words) and promised ever-higher amounts of cash. Unfortunately, it turned out that Tarkin (or at least his cronies) had confiscated some spice that Blaine had been delivering for a crime boss... and he was now space dust, which meant that the crime boss was going to want revenge, since his 'goods' could not be recovered. The rebel mechanic promised to give them even higher amounts of cash (available from a profitable front company) and protection. Blaine and Argon agreed.

When they landed, they were approached by Jax Lerrian (yes, the hard-case rules lawyer from the rulebook). Again, they managed to avoid combat by calling Blaine's dog, who they claimed had been causing the noise the Stormtroopers had heard in the ship. It was this big, grungy dog with 'space fleas' as big as small worms. Jax wanted to get out of there quickly, of course, so he allowed them to leave. Mind you, none of this involved a Con roll--it was all roleplayed.

We were running out of time after that, so things moved along quickly. They met another rebel, named Dom, the typical alcoholic, cynical war vet archetype. He took them to the base, where they got their reward (which, in the end, will probably not be quite what was promised). Unfortunately, Blaine and Argon realized that their ship was now in Imperial hands, and they had to get it back. Dom, the mechanic and a couple other troops agreed to help them out, as part of the reward.

And that's how the session ended. There was no combat and very few dice rolls, but it was insanely fun for all involved nevertheless. The next adventure will, of course, start with the first combat scenario (it's unavoidable this time ), but I could use some tips on what to do next. The characters still haven't decided whether they're joining the Alliance for real yet, so that will probably be settled soon, but I'd like to have one more adventure before the decision.

I will keep you posted on the events of the campaign!
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This whole Empire business could have been avoided, Yoda...

[garhkal]

Perhaps they could get shoe horned into it via a fire fight, where the only real means of escape is to flee WITH the rebels into one of their transports?
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Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[Zarm R'keeg]

If you wanted to throw in a twist, start it as an ambush/heist- the mission to recover their ship- only it starts earlier than expected, and from across the hangar bay... another stranded crew wants to capture the players' starship for themselves! Thus, a three-way battle between the players, the Imperials, and this rogue faction (whose assault could be used to jump-start things if the players aren't already in place)- whom they could either fight, or choose to make a tense battlefield-deal with to take off planet if they help against the Empire...
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Star Wars: Marvels, the audio drama: www.nolinecinemas.com

Hard core OT, all the way!

[Lane Arroway]

I would have them get their ship back as planned, with some fun action of course! It's a good opportunity to explain how combat works, the use of cover, ranges and the back-and-forth of initiative. Then, just as they are getting away have the rebel base call for help. Maybe Jax was alittle gun-ho and had the group followed. Now, the mechanic needs the player's help. They fly to the base and engage some TIE fighters. Now, you can go over space/vehicle combat. It's important to keep things loose and fun. Use descriptions. Instead of, "you damaged the engine -1 move", say "you hit the port thruster. You see fire and alot of smoke as the TIE begins to list to the left!" As for the rest of the battle, I would have them rescue some key rebel officers and staff and make a gettaway for a rendeavouz point, possibly a small rebel fleet preparing for a battle. Since the base was compromised, the rebels must step up their plans of attack or scrub the mission. They were waiting for more ships, but the smuggler ship will have to do, if, the players are interested.
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"This job is 90% talking to people and 10% shooting at them."

[Ral_Brelt]

Building off of Lane, the next mission could be getting to the pocket fleet.

Maybe with the TIE engagement, their ship gets damaged in a way that isn't evident until later. Say they're flying to the rendezvous and the ship starts groaning and shuddering in hyperspace. If they don't drop back to real space, it could break up. Have it pop out at planet XYZ and have to put down for repairs...either a patch job or real fix...either pick a planet or build an uncharted one. It could be a backwater with indigenous life that may view them as gods come down in their shiny sky bird to help their loyal worshipers, etc with a problem with another tribe...war, theft of crops/meat/children...tons of options. It would offer a moral quandary for the Jedi...perpetuating a deity. You could even have the tribe have a holy relic that could be used to fix the ship...a raw focusing crystal for the fusial thrust array, or duonetic wire (as a tribal leaders armored shirt that shows his status) that could be wrapped around the hyperspace motivator to allow the ship to limp to civilization. All sorts of fun...

[Lane Arroway]

Building off of Ral_Brelt,

The Empire could show up looking for the rebels and begin harrassing the local tribe. Do the heroes stand up and protect the tribe or do they hide while others suffer? My guess is that the mechanic will do most of the repairs on the ship, so the players could try to hold off the Imperials long enough for her to finish. The adventure could end with a daring pick up at the last minute.
By this time the pcs should have a taste of how cruel the Empire could be and why people like them must stand up and fight.
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"This job is 90% talking to people and 10% shooting at them."

[DougRed4]

Great start to your adventure summaries, The Jedi Master!

The ideas shared so far are excellent! Make the choices for the PCs really black and white, with a clear contrast between good (the Rebels) and the bad (the Empire), as it perfectly fits the era you've chosen. The PCs will then either do the right thing and join up with the Rebellion, or choose the path of misery and despair (and perhaps start on the path to getting Dark Side points).
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Currently Running: Villains & Vigilantes (a 32-year-old campaign with multiple groups) and D6 Star Wars; mostly on hiatus are Adventures in Middle-earth and Delta Green

[The Jedi Master]

This is all great stuff, and will certainly factor into the next adventure (which will [probably] be sometime in the next three days)! Thank you all, and stay tuned for the report!
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This whole Empire business could have been avoided, Yoda...