Alternate force-using traditions, how do you handle them?

[lurker]

Ok yet again, I’ve been digging around wookiepedia and saw the various force using traditions. How do you all handle them?

The only reason I ask is because (if I ever get to run a game) I am planning on having force users a little more prevalent than in the movies, at least through the Empire era (Darth, a few old Jedi hiding out, and Luke) and to a point even more prevalent than the following EU. I just can’t see only a hand full of force users living through the whole galaxy. And even only 2 Jedi, plus a few thrown into the following books, surviving the purge seems a bit too few for me. Yes most of the fighting Jedi tied into the war are easy pickings with order 66. However, more than just a sliver should have survived. I would assume that many of the survivors, especially the younglings & padawans would be drawn to or actively recruited by the alternative force using groups. Even the surviving Jedi would gravitate towards them (at least the good groups) they may disagree on the fine points of force philosophy, but there is safety in numbers …

With that, how do you handle the other force traditions? Especially the ones that seem to be able to use the force more offensively without receiving significant DSPs?

I am specifically looking at the Potentium, Grey Jedi (though they aren’t immune from the draw of the dark side), the Grey Paladins, & the Jensaarai.

Oh yeah, with the Potentium I found my Greco-Roman version of the Jedi. With that, I will HAVE to dig into them …
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"And so I am become a knight of the Kingdom of Dreams and Shadows!" - Mark Twain

Forgive all spelling errors.

[cheshire]

If I'm not mistaken the Jensaarai and the Witches of Dathomir were given coverage in Cracken's Threat Dossier. The general advice of that book was "be careful in letting your players use this."
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Before we take any of this too seriously, just remember that in the middle episode a little rubber puppet moves a spaceship with his mind.

[CRMcNeill]

Actually, it was Falanassi from the Black Fleet Crisis, not the Jensaarai. I lose track after a while...
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[cheshire]

Oh yeah. Some of those traditions just run together after a while.
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Before we take any of this too seriously, just remember that in the middle episode a little rubber puppet moves a spaceship with his mind.

[Ankhanu]

I've taken to testing a singe-Attribute Force system in the past couple years (though I've only had opportunity to test it a little due to a lack of d6 playing), that treats the Force Powers as skills under the Force attribute... With this system, the alternate Force use paths work exactly the same as the Jedi; there's the base Force ability, and each power has its own rating (kinda like the Dathomirian spells in Cracken's); with this in mind, each tradition would simply have its own power list.

Using standard rules, I've only tested the Dathomirian rules, and they work OK, but not great; the power is a little too spread out.
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[lurker]

[Ankhanu]

[lurker]

Ankh

Thanks for posting those. It will be months (at best) before I can play much less run a game, so it’ll be a while before I can field test them.

That said, first look at the LS combat, rgr on your difference between other combat and the reflect bolts.

Also, I like your idea on the force alignment. I agree the dark side should be more seductive. However, I’m not sure any rules mechanic can capture that and it’ll be up to the GM to try and entice the character here and there. That said, I’d still say that things like force lightning would still inherently be evil and cause a DSP (at least if used by a light leaning Jedi. However, I like the idea of it opening up force push kind of powers to light users. Especially in light of the Potentium minded users (and the Clone Wars more aggressive use of the force)
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"And so I am become a knight of the Kingdom of Dreams and Shadows!" - Mark Twain

Forgive all spelling errors.

[Guardian_A]

I guess that I'm coming into this a little late, but I'll put in my two bits anyway.

I honestly think there are a lot more force users in the galaxy than it feels like in the books/movies/games. The reason that it dosnt always seem like there are many is because a lot of them spend their time trying to lay low so they arent noticed.

My advice:
1. Dont over do it. The Empire hunted ALL force users that they thaught could be a threat. Any time that force users gathered in any number,the Empire came after them. Even non-Jedi got pretty good at avoiding anyone who might be able to identify them as force users.
2. Do your homework. Choose a couple of groups that you want to use an read up on them. Add additional groups to the game as you go instead of trying to add everything at once.
3. If your players are NOT playing any non-Jedi force users, then dont share a bunch of informaton about those non-Jedi groups. Instead, let the characters learn about those groups through play.
4. Dont forget the Jedi & Sith. Even if your story dosnt focus on those groups, they are still the best known force user groups in the galaxy. People's prejudouses and preconceptions will affect the way people treat them even if they are not part of ether of those groups.
5. If the players are NOT playing non-Jedi force users, then you can fudge a lot of details instead of spending a bunch of time worrying about the mechanics. Sometimes its enough just to know that something works, you dont always need to know how.

[CRMcNeill]

I don't recall the reference (it may have come from the Wookieepedia article on Mandalorians), but I read somewhere that Mandalorians, as a rule, were never Force sensitive, and that "Mandalorian Jedi" were really just non-Mandalorian Force sensitives wearing Mandalorian armor.
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[Ankhanu]

[lurker]

[lurker]

[garhkal]

Don't forget the more "estoric/off the beaten path" you have force using groups be, the harder it should also be to find any teachers in it, let alone masters.
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