Of Rebels and Dark Side Points

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

I was wondering what you guys thought of the WEG game rules and the darker tone set with the new movies.

In the novelization of Rogue One, Saw Gerrera is said to have bound a man and placed him in an air speeder, then, with his hands still tied behind his back (as if it mattered at all), dropped the dude from a height right next to the Imperial Barracks. The man was a traitor Gerrera found among his men.

Then, there's Cassian Andor, a man haunted by the things he's done in the name of the Rebellion. We see him murder an informant by shooting him in the back when Andor realizes that the man can't physically escape the on-coming stormtroopers.



Would you give these characters, based on their actions, a Dark Side Point in your game?

In the OT, it is understood that the good guys are GOOD and the evil Empire guys are BAD. The OT has a bit more of a black & white, good vs. evil vibe to it, where all bad guys are bad and all good guys are good.

These new movies show a Star Wars universe that has grown up a little bit and become more gray. The shows have a little more edge to them.

Does Cassian deserve a Dark Side Point because he murdered his informant in cold blood?

Hell, maybe the reason SAW is going mad is because he has too many Dark Side points, and they are screwing with his head.

[Sutehp]

In the RO novelization, we see Cassian rationalize shooting Tivik in the back. He justifies it by saying to himself that Tivik would have broken under interrogation, and that if Cassian had tried to help Tivik escape, he would have been caught as well and no one would have gotten the news about a planet killer to the Rebellion. And the horrible (or fortunate, from a certain point of view,) thing about this is that Cassian is absolutely right about all this but it doesn't make him feel better at all.

But to answer your question, yes, Cassian would definitely get a DSP for this. Cassian may have had a good reason to keep Tivik from talking, but he still murdered a man in cold blood. If doing the wrong thing for the right reason doesn't merit getting a DSP, then nothing does.

In general, I see the SWU introducing elements of gray into a black-and-white universe as a good thing. It makes for more compelling stories.
_________________
Sutehp's RPG Goodies
Only some of it is for D6 Star Wars.
Just repurchased the X-Wing and Tie Fighter flight sim games. I forgot how much I missed them.

[Naaman]

Its my opinion that pop culture is generally used for social engineering, and that the new tone of these movies is part of that. In other words, the intent is to move society from the "traditional" mentality of wholesomeness and morality to a poimt where what was once bad is now acceptable and what was once good is now "square" or oppressive (the prequel trilogy even begins to cross this threshhold: the parallels portrayed between Mace Windu and Palpatine are merely one example: "he is/was too dangerous to be left alive).

To the discerning adult, these things can be attriuted to difficult decisions, but to the younger kids watching, it starts to blur the lines, and I FEEL as though it is on purpose for the reasons given above. This is pervasive in much more than just SW. Superman, for example has been redefined, and the Avengers as well. Deadlool, Fast and Furious... the list goes on.

Having said all that, yes: I would give DSPs for all of the things you mentioned. Otherwise,might as well just get rid of the dark side altogether and just treat theforce like "magic."

[Sutehp]

Eh, Namaan, "social engineering" like that has been going on since the beginning of civilization. It's just a function of culture that any and all cultures are going to change and evolve their social mores.

Slavery used to be acceptable; now it's not.

Stigmatizing gay people just because they're gay used to be acceptable; now it's not.

Insisting that a woman could never be equal in worth to a man used to be acceptable; now it's not.

Mandating that only white male landowners should be able to vote in American elections used to be acceptable; now it's not.

All of these things have changed American culture for the better, and that can't be denied by any rational person. Anyone who says that people shouldn't be equal in worth under the law doesn't and can't understand basic American values.

But to get this thread back on topic, yeah, I'm curious to see what Rebels does in Season 4 to show Saw Guerea's (I never know how to spell his last name) decent into the extremist we see in Rogue One.
_________________
Sutehp's RPG Goodies
Only some of it is for D6 Star Wars.
Just repurchased the X-Wing and Tie Fighter flight sim games. I forgot how much I missed them.

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

[garhkal]

[Bren]

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

[Bren]

[garhkal]

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

[Bren]

The 1E rules are written from the perspective that the players are running heroes who are like Luke, Han, Chewie, and Leia. None of them are the sorts of characters one would expect would rape or murder a person. In the movie Han shoots Greedo only after its clear that Greedo is a threat.

I think the expected response in 1E to a character who does stuff like that isn't "You get a DSP." Its "WTF? We are playing Star Wars. You are supposed to be a good guy hero. Good guys don't do stuff like that. Either (a) come up with a different action, (b) make up a new character who won't act like that, or (c) don't let the door hit you in the @$$ on your way out.

2E and 2E R&E add some nuance, grayness, and even blackness and we start to see things published like Imperial PC templates, Black Sun campaigns, and Pirates & Privateers.

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

[Bren]

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]