During our summer gaming group (and families) get together this weekend, the artist on several of the Black Campbell adventures (and up-coming Shanghai sourcebook) was apparently impressed with the politics that our Dungeons & Dragons game included. Specifically, he liked that they were rising in fame so quickly that the powers-that-be were taking note and working to suppress them before they became a problem.
He then wondered in a text at me what an imperial-centric Star Wars campaign would look like with this kind of bureaucracy, cynical approach. It wasn’t the first time someone suggested a Star Wars game, one of the other gamers had dropped hints about an imperial-oriented campaign.
It took a day or two, but now i find myself thinking about a Star Wars game, set during the rebellion, but before the events of the original movie. What would I do different? Ignore the prequels, certainly. What kind of characters? How could I do The Wire-style cynicism in the empire while having these (anti?)-heroes fight the Rebellion but maybe try to do the right thing inside the framework they have to work with…?
What system? I’m not touching the Fantasy Flight stuff. The moment I saw proprietary dice, I swore off, and I hate the multiple core books to do slightly different things. the old West End game? It’s a serviceable set of mechanics, but I haven’t come across it for a reasonable price. Fate seemed a good fit, but it doesn’t really capture the “brand name” quality to the gadgets, droids, and ships. Firefly, however, which is just Fate fused with Cortex, does a pretty good job of the “all characters can do most things” (if not well) that both Star franchises (War or Trek) do.
So now I’m thinking about a Star Wars game. It would be my first since 1994. Along with the D&D, it’s back to the future-time, gaming-wise, here at chez Rhymer.
The Black Campbell 