The Old Republic

[DelanoRune]

I owned the main book a long time ago and since sold it. Now I own it again (thank you eBay!) after realizing my mistake. I have one player, and we're running a "solo campaign", which is a little more interesting than a group thing since I'm allowed a lot more flexability. Anyway...

My question is regarding the Old Republic. We decided that since we both have played KotoR that it wouldn't be a bad idea to set the time period back then, during the days of the Sith and the Mandalorian Wars. What I don't know is a possible resource to get information about the time period (beyond what's on the game). Anybody have any insight? Links?

[Hellcat]

There are several sources. WEG's Tales of the Jedi Companion, which is set a little more than thirty years before the beginning of the KotOR game. The comic series Tales of the Jedi, which can be aquired in the trade paperbacks Golden Age of the Sith (5,000 BBY), Fall of the Sith Empire (5,000 BBY), Tales of the Jedi/Knights of the Old Republic (4,000 BBY), The Freedon Nadd Uprising (3,998 BBY), Dark Lords of the Sith (3,997 BBY), The Sith War (3,996 BBY), and Redemption (3,986 BBY). Tales of the Jedi was itself called Knights of the Old Republic either before being collected in TPB or after and is known by both names as well as giving it's name to the over all series. It and The Freedon Nadd Uprising are covered in the TotJ Companion. Redemption is set thirty years before the first game begins. Beyond these, there is a timeline on the offical The Sith Lords game site that covers from GAotS through the second game in the KotOR game series. There's also the Essential Chronology which has a section on this period. Then there's most of the other Essential Guides that will offer some insights; the Essential Guide to Characters, the New Essential Guide to Characters, the Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels, the Essential Guide to Droids, the Essential Guide to Planets and Moons, the Essential Guide to Weapons and Equipment, the New Essential Guide to Weapons and Equipment, and the Essential Guide to Alien Species.
_________________
FLUFFY for President!!!!

Wanted Poster

[Chandra Mindarass]

For stats it might make sense to simply use standard stats from the rulebooks. If you need a small battleship, use the Corellian Corvette and just triple the hyperspace multiplier to reflect the old technology. Blaster AND shield technologies were less efficient back then, so it won't make a difference. Tweak the numbers a bit. Fighters were weaker and ships needed bigger crews to be operated. Ships where of simple structure and couldn't reach 8km. After all, the Star Destroyer was a revolution in technology.

What bothered me about KotOR, was that the portrayed ships looked like we where maybe 150 years max. before the battle of Yavin.

At RPGGamer.org, there is a huge collection of all kind of (im)possible ships, prequel adaptions and some KotOR stuff as well.

I've been planning an Old Republic campaign for a while now, too.
_________________
RPGGamer (featuring a big portion of DLOS-stats!)

>-q=p---

[Volar the Healer]

[Boomer]

[Chandra Mindarass]

It depends on where you look. The Thrawn trilogy mentioned a LOT of "Old Republic/Clone Wars" ships, that where nowhere to be seen in "official" sources and personally I think the Zahn books contain shiploads of logical errors. I don't use the Old Republic Dreadnaught and I see the Z-95 as something like a civilian/planetary gov. fighter not to be compared with military ships like the ARC-170. The prequels show that at least hyperspace and starfighter technology got a big boost during the Clone Wars.

The Aethersprite still needed a cumbersome docking ring for hyperspace travel. Lots of EU sources mention how OR-hyperdrives where much slower than in the movies.

Look at how starfighters developed over the original trilogy. Look at the Y-Wing and the A-Wing. If it all was so steady, how can designs be outdated?
_________________
RPGGamer (featuring a big portion of DLOS-stats!)

>-q=p---

[Boomer]

[Chandra Mindarass]

I guess it's a matter of belief. Things grow. That's a law of nature. I could imagine much more advanced tech, than the one presented in Star Wars. Sure: repulsor, blaster and hyperdrive have been around very long, but I think that the authors of the novels and games have no understanding, what can happen in 40,000 years, not even in 4,000 or 200.

I don't want to play in unrealistic settings.
_________________
RPGGamer (featuring a big portion of DLOS-stats!)

>-q=p---

[Boomer]

The laws of physics have their limits, and a lot of Star Wars technology skips around some of those laws.

Earth has had limited knowledge of science for a very long time, but we had a 4000 year period where tech was all the same. Only in recent centuries have we really been getting the hang of the basics of physics, and made a few large leaps. Despite these leaps, tech growth has begun to slow down again. We also have the capabilities to build many things that are just awfully expensive, so the giant, interplanetary Plasma Drive cruise ship just doesn't need built yet.
Ion Drives are currently one of our fastest engines.

Yes, the euphoria of our fast paced, changing world is neat, but you say you want realism. Realistically, you reach a limit and stop there.

I know I am coming off as hostile, and I apologize for it. I am still working on my people skills. But I am trying to help you. You see something wrong with the Star Wars galaxy and I am trying to tell you that it is perfectly normal. It is just my intention to help.
_________________
My backpack has jets!
I'm Boba the Fett!
And I bounty hunt for Jabba Hutt,
to finance my 'vette!

[Hellcat]

[Endwyn]

Technological admancement in Sci-fi, and the real world works like this: First you make something function at all, then you make it function taking up less space, then you make it better (which may increase size), then you make it smaller. It keeps cycling through those phases.

The problem is innovation and understanding. Few people really understand hyperspace, how and / or why it works. Improving tech that's hard to understand is difficult.

The Empire has controlled development of new and improved tech. If you have the better stuff, the enemy has little chance.

In rare situations the technology hits it's physics maximization; and then you have to find new physisics laws or change the entire route of tech. Think about power, we went from Franklin's key experiment to generating power. Some earlier methods included hydropower. Since then we've branched out to solar, thermal, nuclear, and fission. On one occasion I know of, man even had a brief success with Fussion. Unfortunetly, the lab results from the time I refer had not been replicatable last time I checked. The scientists couldn't replicate their results, which is a shame - they could have been rich.

The above example is to show for power alone, some methods become so inneficent that we have to find a completely different way to get a similar type result.
_________________
Luke, I am your father.
That's impossible!
And Leia is your sister!
That's improbable?
And the Empire will be destroyed by..EWOKS!
That's...highly unlikely.
The Force? Bacteria called midichlorians.
If you don’t take this seriously I'm out.

[Chandra Mindarass]

[Endwyn]

There are really cool things you can do to tech in star wars to make it better. Most of the tech just doesn't come that way standard. (Look at Craken's rebel field guide.) The key issue here is the fact that the empire is being run as a dictatorship. The reason the founding fathers insisted that everyone have the right to bear arms was so that no one could invade America without fear that we had the basic requirements to defend ourselves and so that the people were armed to prevent the government from ever trying to oppress the people; if it did the citizens were armed to defend themselves.

In a dictatorship you strip the people of as much defenses as you can, make having weapons more difficult. Next you make them rely on you, the more to secure your need. If the government owns the gas, water, and electric company and you have no access (or limited access) to these supplies; you'd think twice before giving them a reason to cut you off from them. To remain in power you have to control the best tech, resources, and create fear in the population.

In Star Wars, anyone with good research or the leader of their field "vanishes". They end up in an imperial research facility, they chose between cooperation (building the research for the empire only) or death / enslavement. Knowing these things happen tend to make someone slow / stop research before they become a target, or do it all in hiding where no one prospers from it. Not to say advancement is non-existant, but it is slowed.
_________________
Luke, I am your father.
That's impossible!
And Leia is your sister!
That's improbable?
And the Empire will be destroyed by..EWOKS!
That's...highly unlikely.
The Force? Bacteria called midichlorians.
If you don’t take this seriously I'm out.

[Argamoth]

Ditto. After the empire took over, new learning effectivly stopped. Yes, the empire did have many scientists nad made many advancements in ship and wepon technology. But most other feilds suffered and only the imperial civilzation gained from any advancement.

Once again, take a look at dictatorships. Many middle-east and african countries could be the most profitabe nations in the world, thanks to their natual rescourses (ie, diamonds, oil) but most of the poulation lives in poverty, and have been unable to contribute any advancements.

[Boomer]

4000 years ago was 2000BC, when the romans showed up. All I have to say about that.
_________________
My backpack has jets!
I'm Boba the Fett!
And I bounty hunt for Jabba Hutt,
to finance my 'vette!