Help with a Campaign idea please

[AceSolo5]

First of all I'd like to say hello! This is my first post but I've been following the forums for a while now & I have to say that as a collective you guys post some really good stuff 😀 

I've been an avid gamer for a good number of years (I'm 43 now & should probably be old enough to know better) & Star Wars related stuff being my go to game fix seeing as I loved it since I saw A New Hope back in 77! It's been a good few years since I've played anything but I couldn't resist a D6 purchase off eBay which has got me back into things! 

I've now got my old group of players interested again & I've fleshed out the beginnings of a campaign but I'm struggling to come up with a way of getting the pcs involved so I was hoping you could maybe give me some suggestions 😀 

I've developed a star system where the main population inhabit a number of moons that orbit the gas giant Nukuru.

The system is ruled by a number of clans (Clan Settat being the current ruling Clan) who left the core worlds 1000 years BBY & set up a colony that has since prospered. The clans control different areas of the system moons & also areas of the systems industry (mining, med tech research, shipping etc etc) 

There are no pirates in the system but there is a group of mercenaries in a secret base in one of the neighboring systems. This group are separatist survivors from the clone wars who hire out their services to anybody with the credits. Note... In my universe the clone wars were fought against sentient races (both human & alien) not a droid army.

Nukuru is a blue/white gas giant located in the Outer Rim approx the same size as Saturn (but not ringed). There are a further 4 planets in the system but none habitable. There is also a large asteroid belt that lies further out from the star than Nukuru which is mined extensively... mostly under the control of Clan Mordakai (Clan Settat rival). The system is rich in ore & also sits at the head of the Nukuru Spur hyperspace route which is a safe route through the Bochiri Crescent Nebula to the worlds of the Bochiri Wastes.

Sarukaam is a temperate moon with large oceans & 3 small continents and is the most heavily populated. Sarukaam is approx 90% water but there are no underwater settlements. As well as the 3 continents there is also a large island archipelago (this is where Buaku the Hutt has his "palace"). The capital city, Alm Kaladan, sits atop coastal cliffs on the moon's largest continent. The moon provides its own food via agriculture, numerous farms dot the warm interior of the main continent that grow food crops & provide meat from herd animals. The moon still relies on imports for many luxury items tho. 

Baoshan it's a barren desert moon rich in ore with numerous mining facilities & is also the location of a reclusive religious sect (maybe led by a force user... Not decided on that yet) that recruits it's members from both Sarukaam & neighboring systems. Baoshan is a smaller moon than Sarukaam. The main mining facility (Tang Khoor) is basically a massive deep shaft in the moon's crust with a city built in & around it & is controlled by Clan Mordakai. There are also numerous other independent mining installations... However these are occasionally hindered by "accidents". The religious sect is viewed as merely a group of crazy outcasts by many. In truth I plan for if to be a puppet organisation of the Clan Settat usurper which he uses to carry out terrorist attacks against his own clan & its rivals. In order to recruit it's members the sect uses a poison (from the jungles of Sarukaam's southern continent) that increases an individual's susceptibility to suggestion. At present the Empire does not know of their existence as they have so far only recruited members from neighboring systems. 

Arakis (yes I stole the name from Dune, but I like it) is a frozen moon that is the location of a high security prison & there is also a medtech research station located here... It's rumoured that inmates of the prison are often used for elements at this facility. The prison is used by the Clans & also by neighboring systems. The med-tech facility definitely does use the inmates for experimentation, this is kept secret from the general populace of the Nukuru system though.

The current situation (to cut a long story short):

A member (force user on the brink of the dark side) of the current ruling clan (Clan Settat) seeks to usurp the current aging Clan Head & has begun to sow the seeds of dissent amongst the other clans (lies, deceit, acts of terrorism by (native) slave workers etc, etc). The system is now on the brink of a clan war & the usurper then secretly informs The Empire of the situation & requests their assistance in preventing the war. His aim is for the Empire to ultimately take control of the system & place him in control, allowing him to work his way up the Imperial hierarchy.

I plan to set this campaign approx 3 years BBY, so Alderaan is still there & the Death Star plans have not been stolen. The Empire is extending its grip on the galaxy system by system, mopping up seperatist survivors & hunting the few remaining Jedi. 

The players (3) are smugglers (pilot, mechanic & a bounty hunter). The introductory missions for the pcs aren't really a problem as I'll just set them up with a few basic trade missions (that obviously go wrong), runs from (directly or indirectly) from the resident Hutt Buaku (Who has a major rivalry with Jabba). What I'm struggling with is actually getting the players involved in the bigger picture & getting them to care about what happens in the system.

I'd welcome any ideas that you have & also any feedback on the idea for my campaign.

Cheers 😀 

[Dromdarr_Alark]

I think what I would do is give them innocent-seeming smuggling missions (like delivering a package to a certain someone, but inside the package is a datapad with an encrypted message used to help the clan usurper organize his allies for the overthrow). The party might become confused about why their simple smuggling missions are so dangerous, and that's when the usurper calls them to meet with him and thanks them for their help in securing his place as the ruler of the system. He then gives them an ultimatum: continue to work for him or die.

You could do the same by putting some bounty hunting missions in there, where the party is given a job to hunt an enemy of the usurper (maybe someone who knows too much and is about to squeal). That could create an interesting moral quandary.

I hope I helped!

I like the system you built, by the way.
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"I still wouldn't have a roll for it - but that's just how I roll."

[Dromdarr_Alark]

You posted this topic twice, by the way. You might want to delete the other one.
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"I still wouldn't have a roll for it - but that's just how I roll."

[Bobmalooga]

Didn't realize there were two threads on this...So I'm posting this here too

This sound like a great idea. I did something similar a couple of years ago where the player's were all raised together on the same planet and even made them good Imperial citizens until the 'deal went down' and then they lost everything. Family, friends and positions in the military...everything.

With mine, there were Quarantined zones and the sister of one of the characters crossed into one. The players had been lead to believe that the QZs were irradiated and 'being worked on' in fact they were areas where the indigenous population of the plant had been forced into and were being 'cleansed' from the planet with the population unaware of what was going on. They were witness to one of the cleansings and saw the mass graves. The group members were branded as traitors and the hunt was on.

Once they managed to get off of the planet and out into the system they realized that this wasn't a isolated event. As a matter of fact, I kept making references in the game to 'Revwein' salad and 'Ithorian' steaks, the players just thought it was a clever way of referring to the race that fixed the food or created it...until the Doctor in the group made a Medicine roll and recognized what they were eating, lol.

After that I had very little trouble uniting them against the Empire...
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[AceSolo5]

Hi,
Thanks for the input guys I'm liking both of those suggestions!
Dromdarr... I did spot I'd posted it twice, how do I delete a post?
Cheers 😀
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Keep calm & I don't know... Fly casual!

[Dromdarr_Alark]

[Bobmalooga]

I thought I would post these notes I created for my game, maybe they'll be of some use to you or inspire someone else.

Thirty years ago the Bakorn system was founded on the outer-rim territories as a colony system of planets utilizing funds provided by the Galactic Senate under the auspice of then Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. Clone troops were sent to scout out the colony worlds and there was word of separatist cells that had taken up refuge on the planets in the system. The clone troopers were able to route the separatists quickly paving the way for the Senate to bring the engineers in and allow for terraforming and construction to begin. Due to the ecological damage done to several of the planets in the system from the use of ‘dirty-bombs’, the Senate asked that the clone army set up quarantine zones to prevent the populace from wandering into these ecologically damaged areas of the planets.

Colonists were allowed to move to the planets in the system with the understanding that their lives would be rustic to say the least and that supplies might be few and far between. Due to the cost of maintaining and fueling ships, travel beyond an individual’s planet, much less from the system itself (Which at current technology levels would mean at least a month’s trip in hyperspace to Tatootine…) is so cost prohibitive that it’s unheard of. Individual’s don’t own their own ships as the cost of getting the license, much less owning and maintaining the ship itself (with taxes, insurance and fees) far outweigh any benefit of having such a luxury this far out from the galactic core.

This was taken a step further in the fact that repulsor-vehicles would have also been an expensive luxury and while they are scarce, with ground vehicles and beasts of burden being more common in their use than in the galactic core, they’re use and ownership in the Bakorn system is not unheard of.

When it came to protecting the populace the Empire had their work cut out for them, there were still Separatists lurking about and it was decided that the volunteers would be taken to supplement the Imperial troopers. But rather than training them and making them into Storm troopers, these volunteers would be part of a unified colonist coalition (Called U-Cols…) that helped with planetary and domestic protection as well as policing their individual shires, towns and cities. It’s important to note that while they were armed (strictly with slug-throwers) the U-Cols deferred their authority to the Republic as Grand Moff Tomal Kadir is the actual power in the Bakorn system with his Imperial force (Fifteen Star Destroyers, 450 other warships, and 250 support ships, Sector Army numbered 750,000 front-line troops, and a little over 150,000 support personnel).

It wasn’t long before word reached the Bakorn sector about the attempted assassination on Supreme Chancellor Palpatine by the Jedi, but it was through the bravery of his bodyguard Darth Vader that clone troops were led in battle against the Jedi and the order was extinguished from the universe once and for all. In the aftermath of the Clone Wars and Jedi uprising the holonet which had been used by the masses for long range communication and entertainment was brought under strict military control to maintain order as it was said that sympathizers to the Jedi order and their heretical beliefs were attempting a coup against the lawful government of the Republic as a result communication with the galactic core, of which there wasn’t much to begin with, was completely cut off to the masses and all information and news was disseminated by the Empire.
Sectors of the Bakorn system.

Boko (Bock-Oh): Home planet to the player characters and capital of the Bakorn (pronounced Bock-Orn) system. The planet is primarily made up of open plains and swampy regions. It is heavily wooded with dense foliage in unclaimed places. It is not uncommon for cities to be built in swampy regions with bridges extending like walkways between buildings and living spaces. Boko is humid and hot, there are insects big enough to scare large canines and as if that wasn’t bad enough it actually has a ‘rainy’ season for six months of the year.

Large sections of Boko have been declared quarantine zones and are off limits to locals, travelers and anyone else brave enough to venture near the areas. The living conditions on Boko aren’t the greatest and many live out of previously converted storage facilities. Permanent structures are for the wealthy or land owners. There are a few clone-war era separatist style military bunkers still left that have been converted for a variety of uses including smuggling, various criminal operations and the occasional survivalist.

Lotterby (Low-ter-bee): If Boko is the backwoods, than Lotterby is the big City. An Earth sized planet with 16 billion inhabitants, Lotterby bares a striking resemblance to 18th century London in the cobblestone walkways, roads and brick that is used in the construction of buildings. Furthermore Lotterby is on the outer most fringes of the Hapan Cluster (the nearest system…) and with that has actually adapted a fair amount of their customs and society. (Think Italian Renaissance with its finery, class structures as well as its clothing and 1800’s London with its look…) Lotterby is riddled with noble houses vying for attention from Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. The nobles of Lotterby play at political intrigues, and assassinations of other nobles is not uncommon, as is the right of Primae Noctis, the noble right to ‘sample’ women (or men…) before their finalized marriage.

Lotterby is a wealthy planet in both the wealth of the noble houses and its mineral rights that the peasants mine for the nobles. It isn’t an uncommon site to see lightrapier duels between nobles or when someone’s honor has been insulted or damaged.

Zn-a’Do (San-nahu-doo): This planet is similar in nature to a large gas giant with a high concentration of Crabana gas that the Empire has cultivated with processors for a variety of uses. The former population of the planet, Avions (human-like aliens with natural wings on their back…) were found to be members of the separatists armies and when the separatists were cleared from the system the Empire took the Avions as indentured servants to work off their war debt. There is very little actual ground surface that is hospitable to humanoid life on Zn-a’Do due to the proliferation of Crabana gas in the atmosphere, although with proper equipment life could flourish on the surface of Zn-a’Do, it doesn’t have to because of the great cities and factories held aloft by giant repulsor engines.

The Avions have been made to work in the most menial of positions and are sometimes even kept as personal servants with an eye towards working off the billions in war debt that the race accrued during the Clone Wars.

Arisa (Ah-ris-ah): Arisa is a planetary scrap yard. This is the place that the Imperials drop, dump or shuffle their garbage to. This planet has bits of garbage, broken down ships and other pieces of unused, outdated and trashed equipment. The air is toxic and polluted, it’s rumored that there is life on Arisa, but as of yet no one has seen or heard from them…although there are womp rats large enough to eat an R2 unit.

Klovia (Clov-ee-ah): This planet is comprised of water with few solid land outcroppings (a total of 1000 square miles of the few million square mile planet.), the Empire has built large floating cities and landing pads for commerce, trade and military action. Klovia is a fishery used to provide food for other parts of the system, there has been some amount of social protest over the amount of fish that have been taken from the seas and the damage that has been done to the environment as a result. The Empire has done what it can to assuage the fears and concerns of the public protesters and has had several meetings with the leadership in frank discussions about the matter.

There are fearsome creatures roaming the seas of Klovia that frequently attack fishing ships and those unfortunate enough to get caught out on the open seas of Klovia. The creatures range in size from great to small and are unintelligent beasts that are frequently hunted and killed by the Empire and local fisherman.

Opala (Oh-paul-ah): This planet has many rock outcroppings and buttes that litter the sparse country side. There is little flat land as the planet tectonic plates seem to be in a constant state of shift leaving large constantly shifting mountain ranges in their wake. It isn’t entirely uncommon to find volcanic activity or lava flows seeping out of the mountain ranges. The Imperials have a mining outpost on the planet of Opala that is used to mine important minerals to help in the construction of their Imperial fleets. Interestingly, but surprisingly rare, is the crystal outcroppings that grow in the deepest recesses of the volcanic veins.
Surprisingly there appears to be no native life that lives on Opala despite ruins that suggest otherwise.

Thrale (Thr-Ah-le): In the Bakorn system the Thrale sector takes care of manufacturing starships for the systems needs. Thrale has huge shipyard specifically for the purpose of constructing, maintaining and repairing the systems Imperial fleet. Also they do a fair bit of business when it comes to ensuring the lively hood of the local system’s shipping companies. It is said that Thrale produces as many pilots as it does mechanics to repair the ships to keep them flying.

Thrale is mountainous with cities built either on the ridges of the mountain or carved into the sides of the mountains. The ship repair yards are kept in orbit, construction happens on the planet in set locations.
Hedera (He-Dariah): This planet in the Hedera sector is thick with vegetation and planet life, with huge forests and jungles teaming across the surface of the planet. There is a huge Imperial processing plant on Hedera that is well maintained and guarded due to the importance it holds for the system and Empire. Hedera has long since been quarantined due to ecological factors and the Empire makes use of it as a harvesting facility for food: the local fruits, vegetables and Revwein coleslaw come from Hedera.

The imperial base and processing plant is near the surface of the planet and can only be accessed via a specially maintained route through the vegetation and foliage.

Sanska-re (San-Ska-Ray): This planet in the Sanska-re sector is a large desert like planet with sparse mountain ranges and few sources of un-harvested water that the populace can utilize or harness for drinking. The Imperial army has a vested interest in the planet in that there are immense liquid fuel reserves for the Imperial forces. The wealthy fuel barons of Sanska-re live in tribes but are technologically advanced enough that they barter with the Imperial army for the exclusive rights to distribute fuel to the Imperial forces.

The free peasantry of Sanska-re live in nomadic tribal settings moving to and fro trying to keep one step ahead of their baron masters who often times use them as slaves for servants, armed forces or in a more personal manner…

Torajii (Tow-Rai-Gee): There is no known archival information about the Torajii sector

Shada (Sh-Ah-Da): This planet in the Shada sector is a tropical prison colony for the system. The planet is largely covered in water and is made up mostly of small islands generally The worst of the worst are dumped here and form their own society having to fend for themselves. Occasional food drops are sent there by the Grand Moff, but for the most part the prisoners are left to fend for themselves with no guards or structures to house or keep them safe. Shada is heavily quarantined to keep criminals from mounting rescue missions or transforming the planet into some sort of shadow port.

Shada has predators large enough to eat people and while the prisoners do have occasional encounters with the Kaparc’I, they tend to avoid them by virtue of knowing their hunting cycle and routes. Punishment among the prisoners for the worst offenses is being staked to the ground with a dozen small cuts that attract the Kaparc’I to feed.

Telos (Tele-Los): This planet in the Telosian sector is another colony planet that is little more than a frigid wasteland; similar in nature to ‘Hoth’, the planet is a large ball of ice and snow that is the only habitable planet in its sector of the system. With a population of just over a million people Telos is sparsely populated due to the harsh environments and inhospitable weather. People who go there have a reason to do so and it is said that if someone truly wants to disappear or make someone disappear they go or take them to Telos.

Telos has something of a booming cybernetic market and has made tremendous advancements in the medical field due to the nature of certain flora and fauna as well as oils made from the blubber of the Wa’lavc

Allowed templates:
Armchair Historian, Brash Pilot, Gambler, Kid, Laconic scout, Loyal Retainer, Merc (Soldier), Outlaw, Retired Imperial Captain, Tongue-Tied Engineer, Tough native, Protocol Droid, Doctor, Ex-Imperial Commando, Ordnance Procurer, Resistance leader, Slicer, Tramp Freighter captain.
Blaster=Firearms, Blaster artillery=Artillery, Vehicle Blasters=Vehicle artillery, Brawling parry/Brawling=Brawling, Melee Combat/Melee Parry=Melee Combat, Droid Program/Droid Repair=Droid Program/repair

If the character isn’t designated a pilot (Brash or tramp freighter captain…) then they have no related piloting skills. Beast riding, ground vehicles and repulsorlift operations are all the normal. Furthermore if the character isn’t a soldier or related template then they have no experience with grenades, artillery or vehicle artillery either.
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No matter where you go, there you are...

[aegisflashfire]

Why limit templates? Can players not design their own?
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[garhkal]

Maybe he is limiting templates as some may not fit in with his out of the way area, like say the old republic senator, or retired officer..

As to ideas to use..

How's about word that one of the mining operations have found a very rare, but potent ore in one of their mines, but word about the discovery is spreading like hotcakes on the 4th of july. The PC's are hired by the mine's enemies/competitors to try and make and end run around their claim.
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[Bobmalooga]

Actually I did have players who wanted to do their own templates, I allowed it and then in the 11th hour they went with one of the ones I mentioned. No one started out as a force user as 'They were all Jedi Assassin', eventually though the entire party turned out to be force sensitive and in the end they all became Jedi (which offset player whining about either having a jedi in the party or the player playing the jedi being 'The chosen one'...) I limited the type of archtypes to keep the game simplified (in keeping with the area they were in...) and to keep the players all human as they were (former) members of the Empire or soldiers.

The really fun part of this game was when the players ran into problems with a hyperdrive on the ship they had stolen, only to have to replace the hyperdrive with one off of an Imperial ship. It was then that they realized there was a restriction plate keeping the Hyperdrive and backup 'restricted' and that the area the campaign was in, wasn't a series of sectors over incredible distances, but rather a series of systems in a large sector.

The big reveal took on a 'Village', '2001 Maniacs' turn when the players realized that the entire area had been held deep in Imperial space and that it wasn't during the 'New Hope' era, but the 'Legacy' era, a 100 or so years later and the Empire (from Vader on down...) were Imperial Re-enactors who were trying to recapture the glory days of the Empire.
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No matter where you go, there you are...

[DougRed4]

Welcome! It's great to have you here, AceSolo5!

I think I'd go with something similar to what's been suggested. Have them framed or conned or set-up such that the Empire wants to get them, and you should be off to the races.

Another good piece of advice would be to make a memorable NPC that they can't help but like. Basically use the technique TV shows use to get us to really care for/about a character. Then have something nasty or horrible happen to that character, like the loss of his kids, or his home taken away from him, or something along those lines. Then the PCs will have some emotional investment and will truly want to see justice, and for the evil Empire to pay for what they've done!
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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

[jmanski]

I deleted the other one.

And welcome to the pit!
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[AceSolo5]

Thank you All for both the welcome & the advice! 


I've still got a good amount of work to do in fleshing out the Nukuru system but I'm definitely going to use the ideas you've suggested to get the PC's involved! Hopefully they'll work in getting the players invested in what I'm trying to create.


I plan to run this in a kind of episodic fashion with the main plot running in the background whilst the players carry on with other unconnected missions... Which will involve them traveling off world in some cases. I've got some ideas for a couple of missions based on Ryloth & I'm also working on ideas for incorporating Level 1313 on Coruscant (I've been really inspired by the concept art for the, sadly cancelled, console game). Would also like the players to experience Tarkin's rise to Grand Moff & maybe witness/narrowly escaped from some of the atrocities he commits on his climb to power!


Ultimately though I want them to become invested in the Nukuru system & care about what happens there & as the main plot progresses they'll become more embroiled in stopping the usurper & the Empire achieving their aims!


That's the plan anyway! But as we all know, no plan survives contact with the players 😀


Bobmalooga... Loving the work you've done on your systems, some good ideas there 😀

Jmanski... Cheers for deleting my duplicate post 😀
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Keep calm & I don't know... Fly casual!

[Bobmalooga]

Thanks for the kind words, I have fond memories of the game and I'm glad someone is getting something else from it.
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No matter where you go, there you are...