Narrating in Star Wars

[shootingwomprats]

Has anyone read Star Wars Rebels Magazine #2 yet? Its only available for sale in the UK.

In the story "Learning Patience" Ezra is instructed by Hera to repair the targeting systems junction located on the bridge. His first attempt is a failure (he crossed some wires and it sparked). Ezra complains he has no skill in repairing it and Hera tells him to figure it out as she is flying the ship and the Imperial cruiser is closing in on them.

Over the next few frames we see Ezra concentrating in the Force. Pieces of the targeting system floating around then placing themselves back in the junction and everything is repaired.

This is fine, but how does that equate to mechanics?

I suggest one of two ways. First off Ezra is using a Force Point. This doubles his base skill. The parts floating around is nothing more than a special effect of using the Force Point.

The other possibility is that Ezra is using the Force power Concentration or perhaps using the power in conjunction with a Force Point or some skills points. Again, the parts flying around is a special effect.

This brings up some interesting ways to narrate stories to make them more dramatic, Star Warsish and so on. It really made me think as a GM how I could narrate a scene, use of skills, character points, Force Points, etc that doesn't have any effect on mechanics but makes it ... well ... Star Wars.

Thoughts and ideas of your own?
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Don Diestler
Host, Shooting Womp Rats
The D6 Podcast
http://d6holocron.com/shootingwomprats
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[cheshire]

My kids and I just recently watched the Clone Wars episode where the younglings are building their lightsabers. They used telekinesis to manipulate all the pieces into place, and my first thought was, "NOPE!" Something that difficult with such fine motor skills and complex technical skills cannot be done by circulating the pieces in the air.

Then I thought about what it would have looked like if the younglings had spent grueling hours at a work bench. No one would watch something that boring.

For the context of a cartoon, it was a reasonable visual display of a complicated task. If its done for cinematics, then I think that's a fine way to narrate things.

Should players take it as license to use "remote skills" or to say that if you let them manipulate one pieces of gear through the force, then they should be able to gain a mechanical or tactical advantage in another encounter, then I would step on it. But for mere dramatic purposes I would say it sounds like a good technique.
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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.

[Thx1138]

I always thought that the force would be needed in order to create a lightsaber since it requires precise alignments that only the force could accomplishment.

[Urban Spaceman]

It's a little out-there, but perhaps in these examples they are sensing the connections between the components, and The Force brings those pieces together?

The parts belong together, and through The Force, they are made so?
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"The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don't."

[tetsuoh]

you would think so - but one of those younglings gets it wrong according to their instructor and would have probably killed himself had he turned it on - so even if he was sensing how it went together he got it wrong - which means we cant say that the force will allow the jedi to automatically succeed - which Ezra and numerous others do.

Must be just more cinematic drama to make that one poor kid get it wrong eh?

Naw I see it as a sensing skill for how it should be done.

Using their sense to gauge what is correct - and telekinesis to put it all together as feels right.

Just that poor kid evidently can't sense that. While trying he was too concerned with what he would do with the lightsaber, instead of how the force flowed through it.

[Urban Spaceman]

Oh yes, I agree totally.

I was trying to give a possible explanation for how someone could use The Force to construct/fix a mechanical device they have little working knowledge of.

Reading my post again I can see it might have looked like I was suggesting an automatic success at this, which wasn't my intention.

The more I think about it, the more I like this idea as a Force Power.
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"The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don't."

[RyanDarkstar]

When she was younger, Jaina Solo had a natural affinity with mechanical devices through the Force while Jacen was empathic with animals. Unfortunately, there are no stats or Force powers listed (I think the dreadful Crystal Star was the first mention of the twins' abilities).
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Currently playing D&D 5E and painting an unholy amount of miniatures.