Happy Lifeday!

Any 'true' Star Wars fan would likely know what Life Day is... even if, perhaps, they'd rather forget the Star Wars Christmas Special... starring Beatrice Arthur! Art Carney! The Jefferson Starship!.. and many, many more. Here's hoping your holiday season is a great one. And from me, Chewbacca, Mala, Itchy and Lumpy- Merry Christmas!

Putting the FU in The Force Unleashed...AGAIN!

Speaking of 'Alternate Timelines'. The latest downloadable content for the Force Unleashed features another 'What if' scenario. Here, you take your (presumably) evil version of the 'hero', Starkiller, and kill Chewbacca and Han Solo. Or rather, you get Han to kill Chewbacca for you (by using the wookiee as a shield) and THEN kill Han by stabbing him through the heart. Now, this isn't really anything new. Downloadable content in the first version of this game allowed you to go to Hoth and kill Luke Skywalker, too. Since it is all in an 'alternate' timeline, I don't really have a problem with it...in theory. But in my jaded, hate-filled heart, I can't help but see this as a symbol of what this game has done to an already 'shakey' franchise. They rammed a lightsaber right through its heart. Yeah. I know I'm being overly dramatic (it isn't as though Star Wars has been a bastion of awesomeness as a franchise since about... oh 1983). But watching the video of Han and Chewie's demise felt like a kick in the balls- just like The Force Unleashed franchise has felt like a kick in the balls.

I still have to laugh (wryly) about the comments made by my favorite game reviewer Yahtzee:

"So I look forward to seeing how the fanboys justify The Force Unleashed II, because it is the most grossly offensive and mishandled application of intellectual property since the Schindler's List Easy-Bake Oven."

True enough.

A Campaign Without Death

I am likely to be lambasted by other gamers by posting this, but here goes:

When I run games, 99.999-percent of the time, I do not allow characters to be killed by the roll of a dice.

According to old-school gaming etiquette this is just plain wrong. I've heard lots of GMs and bloggers state flatly that without the threat of death hanging overhead, it just isn't a 'true' role playing game. To a certain extent, I can agree with the theory behind this. I remember playing 'war' when I was a kid. I remember 'shooting' someone else and that person saying "Nuh uh! You missed!". I remember BEING the person who said "Nuh uh!" The reason that RPG rules exist is to prevent a game from becoming a matter of a person never allowing anything bad to happen to their character. The mechanics of a game give a framework for success and failure in a variety of endeavors. And I agree, without the possibility of failure, any game can loose a bit of its edge (at least if you have players only interested in 'winning'). Where I cease to agree with that theory (and with most other GMs, it seems) is that 'chance of failure' ultimately equates to 'chance of arbitrary death'. To me, this has always been a matter of GM and player preference.

I believe that how you handle character death also has a lot to do with what kind of players you have. If you have those who really are in it for the 'roleplay' (i.e. playing their character, reacting how they would, liking being challenged morally and mentally as well as via combat or other physical challenges), then the removal of the threat of death isn't such a big thing. In fact, it's a little more liberating from a dramatic viewpoint. A player might make his character react to a situation in an irrational and emotional way- because that is how their CHARACTER would act in that situation. The actions taken might, therefore, not be the 'smartest' action in a given situation, but it is, perhaps, more emotionally charged and (from a certain viewpoint) 'realistic'. Afterall, when in stressful situations, most real people often do NOT make the best choices. When we should stay calm, we can panic, or lash out in anger or run away in fear. Knowing that their character won't be arbitrarily KILLED just because they do something irrational has allowed MY characters more leeway in really playing their characters instead of ALWAYS playing the smart-rational side. To a greater or lesser extent, all of my players seem to fall into this category. They're there to play their characters. THAT is where the fun comes from.

On the other hand, if you have a player who is in a game to 'win' it, mechanically, then you might have a problem without having that threat of death. Take your stereotypical power-gamer- The guy who wants to always be the biggest, baddest, toughest person in the room. The guy who NEVER wants to lose a fight and who ALWAYS wants things to go in his favor. This person might always be looking to the rules (and any loopholes within them) to give them an 'edge'. Without the consequence of death for poor choices, such a character might just take their 'immortality' for granted. "Sure, I'll charge entrenched platoon of Stormtroopers" says the gun-bunny. "the GM won't let me die, anyway." Admittedly, this is a worst case scenario kind of player. But yes, if you say up front that there is no way a character is going to die in your campaign, such a player might take advantage of it. That's where the .001-percent of my personal philosophy comes in. My players know I'm not just going to bump off their characters. But at the same time, they continue to play smart. They don't take outrageous risks when they don't have to. They don't 'flaunt' their in-game invulnerability. And if they did? Well, then maybe they'd find they aren't so invulnerable after all.

In further support of this no-death philosophy of mine, I think that setting matters as well. In a relatively light-hearted setting like Star Wars, having the characters dropping like flies in their early adventuring careers just totally wouldn't feel like Star Wars. None of the heroes died in the movies. The Characters are the Heroes of their own story. Thus, none of them should die either (at least not by a random roll of the dice). In another, darker setting (Call of Cthulu?), such a rule may actually run contrary to the bleak feel of the game. Though I have never really run a completely 'straight' D&D campaign, I don't see a problem with allowing character death here- as it feels like part of the game. It was intended to be part of the game. And truth be told, I'd like to try it some time! But Star Wars is a lot different in tone than your typical dungeon crawl- and so I feel it can use a different attitude towards character death. Not every rules set is conducive to the feel of every setting (except for D6, which is perfect of course. Ahem.).

I should also point to another caveat to this no-death rule: No ARBITRARY deaths does not mean no deaths at all. There may come a point where a character may actually WANT their character to die (or at perhaps just 'let the cards fall where they may'). This could be for dramatic purposes alone, or perhaps because the player is 'bored' with their character. From a GM's perspective, why just have a player 'disappear' from the campaign when you can have them go out with a BANG! In fact, the player and GM could work together to ensure that the death is a surprise/shock to the other players- and this in turn can spark lots of roleplay as the surviving characters deal with the death of their comrade. In this way, you can make a death as arbitrary or dramatic as you want. For example, your doomed hero could make a heroic last stand against hordes of stormtroopers. On the other hand, he could suddenly and unexpectedly have a reaver ship shoot a spike through his chest when you think everything is somewhat safe. Either way seems (to me) to be a bit more dramatic than: "Oh, you rolled a three on your strength? The guy you were in a random bar-fight with rolls an 18 damage with his knife. You die."

So, yeah. Assuming any other 'old school' gamers actually READ this blog, I could expect to catch a lot of flack for this decidedly 'wussy' policy of mine. But meh. I don't care. I've been running a Star Wars since 1991 and we've been having fun. And there hasn't been a single player character death that whole time. So to each his own, and make mine death-light.

p.s. I like the term 'lambasted'. It brings to mind the image of a lamb, roasting on a spit, being basted (which is probably where the word comes from...). Mmmmm. Lamb.

Sidekicks

Since I am a huge geek, I often look at things like books and movies from a 'gamer' perspective. One of the things I noticed about Star Wars is how there seem to be certain 'main' characters and then characters associated with them who serve as their sidekicks. The best example of this has to be Han Solo and Chewbacca. Of the two, Han is clearly the more 'important' to the story and Chewbacca is just there to be his buddy/comic relief. As the series went on, I noticed the same could be said for others: Artoo is Luke's Sidekick on Dagobah and elsewhere. Threepio seems to be the natural sidekick to Leia (her being a politician, him being a protocol droid). Heck, even Lando had Lobot. The prequels aren't quite as cut and dry, but do have some examples. Artoo seems to be Anakin's sidekick. Threepio becomes Padme's sidekick. Obi-Wan.. well, no, it kind of breaks down there, but still.. I think the point is valid.

So from a gamer perspective, I wonder if this couldn't equate to an interesting amendment to usual play- where each player would actually run TWO characters- his Primary PC (Han Solo) and a sidekick (Chewbacca). I can see where this might actually work, especially if you have a relatively small (2-3 person) group of players. I have kind of used this already in a campaign, though truth be told, the sidekick was often under my control as a GM rather than direct player control. And you know, I think that could work as well. So anyway, lets list the pros and cons...

Pro:

Running a sidekick opens the door to more 'oddball' characters than a person might choose otherwise as their 'primary' character. Afterall, who would have wanted to play Artoo and Threepio as main characters? It would be a little boring, I think. But every once in a while it could be fun

In a small group, it helps bolster party strength and flexibility. Not just in combat, but in all situations. You could have a 'tech' expert for those situations that require it. You could have someone to 'stay with the ship' while your main PCs go out on an adventure. And of course you could have an extra blaster when the chips are down.

It could add more character dynamics, particularly to a smaller group. If you have only two characters total in a game, they tend to 'get along'- if only for the sake of keeping the campaign together. But when you throw more people into the mix, you have more variety. Sidekicks could have likes or dislikes that, while interesting, don't threaten the cohesion of the party as a whole. Or heck, the Sidekicks could have amusing 'issues' and encounters with other sidekicks (a-la Chewbacca vs. the Droids playing holo-chess).

If a sidekick was at least partially NPC (i.e. the GM had some say in their background/personality), they can be used to introduce RP elements: Perhaps they have a background issue that the player didn't know about- a secret history that may spark adventure opportunities. They have a family in danger or a dark secret, or whatever. A sidekick like this would be open to more 'abuse' by a GM, because they wouldn't be running roughshod over a player's concept of their main character. They would only be tweaking the background of the secondary.

Con:

A player could abuse the Sidekick from a game mechanic perspective. They could make the Sidekick specialize in certain skills at the expense of being well rounded- thus freeing up the main character to specialize in other skills (i.e. you could have your MAIN guy be a badass combat-monster while your secondary is a tech/support guy). Likewise, a sidekick could turn over all his starting wealth or other earnings to the 'main character' (though, the way I run my games, this wouldn't matter all that much).

In a large group, having a lot of sidekicks could make the group size unmanageable. A group of 6 players running 12 characters could get confusing- not to mention the fact that trying to balance a typical adventure to challenge a group of 12 could be a bear.

A sidekick could conceivably steal the spotlight from a 'main character'. If the player finds his outrageous sidekick concept to be more fun to play than the main character, he may focus instead on always playing the sidekick. Though.. truth be told, this would be an easy fix. Just reverse the roles.

A sidekick could be used as a method of 'lashing out' at other players. Say your main character 'likes' one of the other characters, but has his sidekick dislike and constantly torment the other character. Okay, so I'm going out on a limb with this one. Because honestly? I don't think I've ever played for any length of time with a person as immature as to actually do this.

Verdict:

I think the Pros have it. As long as you have a relatively mature group who aren't into power-gaming, I don't see why this rule couldn't be put into play. Even so, it does seem to work better for small groups. Next small group I run, I may even put this into play.

Alternate Timelines

As I’ve stated before, my personal preference for Star Wars gaming is to run a group of adventurers during the same time as the Original Trilogy. This means that while Luke, Leia and Han are having their adventures, my group is having their own. From time to time, the paths of the heroes may cross, but I wouldn’t ever see them adventuring together on the same missions. In my opinion, the Galaxy is plenty large enough to have two (or three, or four, etc.) groups of ‘big damn heroes’ out there ‘saving the galaxy’ every other mission. In the meanwhile, the Campaign would build towards several common big events- such as the Battle of Yavin, the Battle of Hoth and the Battle of Endor. Thus, while everyone is ‘doing their own thing’, they occasionally check in with the main storyline of the movies. To me, this helps anchor the campaign and makes the players feel like they are a part of the movies. To me (and my players, it seems) this is just what they want out of a Star Wars game.

But strangely enough (to me), there seem to be a fair number of Star Wars gamers who, while liking the movies, feel that the ‘set’ plot somehow constrains their activities- that the ‘known’ ending of the movies removes the drama because you know that the ‘good guys win’. I’ve spoken about this before- what BS I think the argument is that the movies make the Star Wars universe too small to adventure in, so I won’t go into that again. But not all folks subscribe to that false belief. Some just PREFER an open-ended setting to that of the movies. And though it may not be my cup of tea, I’m all for trying new things in gaming, as long as your whole group is on the same page.

I’ve explored the notion myself in a couple time travel adventures that I have run. In one, the evil Charon race had conquered the galaxy, and those few people left alive (including older, grimmer versions of Han and Leia) fought a day to day battle for mere survival against the hordes of arachnoids. In another adventure, I had a Sith Lord character of mine go back and kill the Emperor and take his place. He turned the whole galaxy into a dark ‘playground’ for his own twisted whims. Both of these storylines are very dark, and not at all in keeping with the overall upbeat excitement of the Star Wars trilogy. In fact, they felt very ‘un-Star Wars’ to me. But that was okay, because I knew in the back of my mind that things would ‘return to normal’ in the end. And that’s what happened. The players were able to thwart the bad guy’s plans and return to the timeline to normal. If that hadn’t happened? Well. Crap. I would have totally been stuck with a timeline I would have hated to run- and one that totally didn’t feel like Star Wars to me.

In various comic books, alternate timelines have been explored as well. One notable series (Star Wars: Infinities) poses a ‘what if Luke had failed to destroy the death star’. The story diverges wildly from there- with Leia being captured and becoming Vader’s apprentice, etc., etc.. Other variations exist as well: What if Luke had died on Hoth? What if the Emperor hadn’t been killed at Endor?, etc.. Again, these are all interesting, but always leave me vaguely disturbed and glad that wasn’t the ‘real’ story.

And I think THAT is the reason I don’t personally run campaigns that diverge greatly from the movies. I want to play in a galaxy that feels like the movies. To me, the best way to do that is to include the movies.

That having been said, I do wonder what a ‘free-form’ campaign would be like in Star Wars. For me, if I were EVER going to do this, I would actually remove the heroes from the original trilogy from that campaign world. There would be no Luke or Han or Leia. Instead, there would be the PCs, perhaps thrust into similar roles to those in the movies, but with a bit more of a free hand in how things would go from there. Why would I remove the movie heroes? Well, I guess the main reason is that I LOVE them so. Or more to the point, I love their character development and story so much. To have them exist, but not be able to do the things that happened in the movies just feels ‘wrong’. Better they don’t exist- in my opinion.

Having a ‘free-form’ campaign that is solely dependent on the actions of the player characters (and the player characters alone) would indeed open up the setting a lot more. But at the same time, I feel it could open it up to becoming something that isn’t Star Wars. And that may be fine for some, but it isn’t the reason I got into the game. So, if you’re in to ‘alternate’ timelines, more power to you. I’d love to hear your stories, but honestly? I don’t see myself ever running a game like that.

The Payoff

As I've been working on my upcoming adventure for my (now) yearly trip to South Dakota, I have been thinking a lot about the 'payoff' portion of an adventure or campaign arc. Any dramatic expression goes through the various stages of introduction, build, and ultimate resolution. But what I have found is that even if the rest of the game/story is great, a bad ending (or even just mediocre ending) can sour the overall experience. Below, I will explore a few of my favorite games/stories and show how and why they 'failed' for me. Along the way, I will likely bring up a few examples to contrast them with- games or stories where the ending lived up to the hype.

I'll start with Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. This game was, in terms of complexity and mechanical design, head and shoulders above it's predecessor- KotOR. And THAT really says something, considering how awesome the first installment was. Throughout the entire game, things built and built- stories got deeper and deeper. It seemed as though there was no bottom to them- and that is a rare thing in a 'finite' form of entertainment like a video game. And then it just ended. Period. You fought the 'main bad guy' and there was some stilted exposition about what happened to your character and all your companions and that was it. So many plot-lines seemed to just go nowhere. It wasn't until AFTER I had finished playing that I found out that, in fact, a lot of the content in the game HAD been cut in order to reach a specific release date. Honestly? I would have rather waited another 6 months and played a complete game. As it was, despite how awesome I thought this game was, the ending ruined it for me. Whereas KotOR I must have replayed a dozen times. I only played this game twice- because I knew that all the build up wasn't going to pay off.

In stark contrast to this sequel, the original KotOR paid off in every way imaginable. the various story arcs all got resolved as you worked closer and closer to the climax. The final battles felt epic- played out against the backdrop of a huge space battle. Even if the controls and menus were clunkier and the characters perhaps not as deeply developed, the whole thing left me feeling complete- satisfied- wanting more, perhaps, but happy with the way things turned out.

Most recently, I have been playing the Fable 3 video game. Now, the Fable series has never been known for its particularly 'deep' roleplay (unless you think burping and farting is deep). But my experience with Fable 2 had been pleasant enough that I was really looking forward to the third installment. For the most part, the game did not disappoint...at least not at first. Essentially, you have to unite various factions, build up an army, overthrow the king (your brother), then lead your country through a period of turmoil, trying to prepare for an attack from an outside 'evil'. This is all well and good, and as I was doing things to build up my forces and defenses, my anticipation for the 'final conflict' grew and grew. I took great pains to be as prepared as humanly possible when the hammer fell. Unfortunately, when it did, it took the form of a single level, through which you proceeded largely alone (save for a few companions). You beat the bad guy and that's it. Invasion over. About the most you see of your gathered army is a few soldiers fighting in the streets. That's it. Oh sure, the post battle report shows that you saved the majority of your people, but.. all of it happened "off camera", there was no pay off at all for all that hard work. No huge battle you were involved in. Hell, there wasn't even a SERIES of battles. It was just one relatively minor level. Even if I didn't get to play in a battle, a cut scene or two would have been nice- showing the various NPCs and my soldiers battling against the bad guys. But nope. Nothing. No pay off at all. I have tried to play this game again, but honestly? Knowing that the ending is such a let down... I haven't finished it at all after that first time through.

For contrast, you have to look no further than Dragon Age: Origins. It follows roughly the same plot as Fable 3. You start out as a renegade of sorts, have to unify various factions, overthrow the tyrant and then face the armies of the bad guys. Where it differs, however, is in the pay off. At the End of Dragon Age, you have several big cinematic cut scenes of the final battle. And interspersed with these are different levels where you lead your forces through challenges. Depending on who you recruited, you can even call upon NPC allies to help you directly. This was absolutely awesome. Hell, I called on them even if I DIDN'T need them- just to see bands of Dwarves and Elves racing across the battlefield to help me. It felt epic because it looked epic. I wasn't TOLD how good my forces did, I saw, first hand. It was immensely satisfying. And I have played the game through several times just to experience it again.

For an example in TV shows you can see both sides of the coin in the "new" Battlestar Galactica series. The overall story arc played out well for me- with the conflict with the Cylons developing and coming to a head in a titanic last battle. That felt satisfying- as did the fact that the fleet does find a world to finally settle on. On the flip side, there had been this undercurrent of 'prophecy' throughout the story. Throughout most of the series, this prophecy was played off very entertainingly, always seeming to cross the line between true supernatural, coincidence and behind the scenes manipulation by the Cylons. I was fine with things never being completely explained- left ambiguous for the reader to decide with maybe hints that it could be spiritual or happenstance. But nope. It was god. And god brought Starbuck back to life to save the fleet- then she just disappeared into thin air. For a show that was relatively 'hard' sci-fi throughout its length, this sudden 'proof' that god was behind it all was just jarring- and it left a bad taste in my mouth. It was as though the writers hadn't completely thought out the prophecy thing from the beginning and just had to make something up to explain it at the very end- the great deus ex machina: "God did it".

In any case, where the hell am I going with all of this as it relates to Star Wars and Gaming? Simple- a GM should ALWAYS look ahead and be mindful when he's coming to the end of a story arc. He should really think about his players and what they WANT- and he should try to deliver it to them in a way that pays off- otherwise, even the greatest campaign can end with a 'wah wah wahhhhhh' downer. If your story is Epic- make sure the ending is epic. Don't TELL your players what happens, let their characters live it and influence it.

My Million Dollar Idea, Revisited

As I've stated before, I feel that Star Wars as a setting should be about more than just the 'eternal struggle' between Jedi Knights and the Sith. To me, a huge part of the appeal of Star Wars was the larger galaxy that it implied- with smugglers, freedom-fighters, aliens, bounty-hunters, gangsters, monsters and worlds to explore. Star Wars would not have been nearly as interesting without the presence of 'normal' people like Han Solo and Chewbacca- and even Princess Leia (prior to her revealed heritage as a Force user). And yet so much of this 'added flavor' seems to be pushed aside in recent years by focusing on the Jedi/Sith struggle. There was no 'Han Solo' character in the prequels. Hell, almost all of the non-Force users were boring (interchangable clone troopers, sketchily introduced senators) or annoying (Jar Jar). Arguably, the most interesting non-Jedi was Jango Fett- and he had only a relatively minor focus.

The same trend is visible in the Star Wars video-game franchise as well. Everything is Jedi/Sith-centric. From the good (KotOR) to the bad (The Force Unleashed). About the ONLY exceptions to this were purely combat games like the Battlefront Series and a few Real-Time Strategy games. And while I can understand the appeal of playing lightsaber-wielding, lightning-spewing bad-asses, I think that developers are totally overlooking the fact that folks DO and WOULD like something different- or rather something different that is still Star Wars. And I am also talking about something OTHER than an MMO. That is a different beast entirely. I'm talking about a roleplaying game (in the style of KotOR) where you dont HAVE to be a Force user in order to be the Hero.

THEME
Ideally, what I'm talking about is a game where you play Han Solo- not the guy himself, but a person who fills that same niche as a 'normal guy turned hero' in the Star Wars galaxy. You rely on your guts, your blaster, your ship and a crew of loyal companions- and nothing else. You begin with a beat-up ship and very little else. From there, you take various jobs to build up your ship, pick up new gear and recruit people for your crew.

I see people being able to follow a couple main paths in the game. The most obvious of these being that of a smuggler- hauling illegal cargo and trying to avoid getting caught. But you could easily work several different tangents into this. A person could fall into the role of pirate (raiding ships/ports) or bounty hunter (tracking down criminals) or even merc (hiring out to attack targets for employers). Ideally, your hero could incorporate a lot of these activities without having to specialize in just one. Likewise, there could be 'mini-games' like pod/swoop/speeder racing or even some form of planetary exploration or mining (No. No Mass Effect 2 planet scans, thanks).

There would be an overarching plot, of course- otherwise the game would quickly turn into just a sandbox where the player just 'grinds' away to get a better ship. This is the part that I haven't quite worked out yet- and it would depend a lot upon the time period chosen for the game. Honestly, I think it would probably work best if it was set in the 20 years between trilogies- or perhaps even in the years leading up to the events of Episode IV (just as the Han Solo novels were). Considering the lack of development of this period, it is wide open for lots of interpretations. Likewise, you could incorporate bits of technologies and plots from the prequel trilogy AND the original- i.e. you could start off dealing with Imperials in ARC starfighters and Venator destroyers and move on to TIE fighters and Imperial-class destroyers.

Unlike certain OTHER Star Wars games, however, I would prefer to have the plot not be directly tied to the movies. By this I mean that the game should have its own villains, victories and tragedies- its own 'hero's journey'. If KotOR proved anything it is that Star Wars (if done well) as a setting and a genre is just as popular with or without the 'big names' of the movies. You don't NEED Darth Vader as the main villain in order to have appeal as a Star Wars game.

MECHANICS
So, what would a game like this look like? I have only a nebulous idea of it, myself, but I think it could go something like this:

The main mechanics of the game would center around third-person exploration and fighting (as in the KotOR and Mass Effect games). But added to this would be a full-fledged flight simulator, meaning you could not only get into gunfights out of your ship, but you can dogfight in space or run obstacle courses or race other ships. And yeah, I realize I'm asking a lot from a game- maybe crossing a few too many genres. Afterall, your hard-core RPG folks may not have the fast-twitch reflexes or instincts for first-person shooter or flight simulator play. However, I think this could be taken care of with the various difficulty settings. Perhaps you even have different difficulty settings for different aspects of the game- one difficulty setting for the FPS aspect, another for the flight simulator. The easiest settings could be just a 'walkthrough'. Or.. hell, if the player is REALLY against the flight simulator aspect- just allow them to skip the section. They just don't get the XP for it (for a simplified example of this, just look at the Jade Empire and its 'ship combat' simulator).

TUTORIAL
Your tutorial mission has you as the first mate for an older smuggler who's ship is a bit run down due to a string of bad luck. You have to help your mentor through a series of challenges (flying, fighting, maybe puzzle solving and some basic use of various game skills). Once you're through the tutorial, your mentor decides to retire and hands the ship over to you. At this point, your adventure begins.

SETTING
You would have a selection of worlds to travel between. Some would be fully developed locations, others would be stopover points for cargo runs or small side missions. The locations I would love to see are: Tatooine (of course)- Mos Eisley in particular. Bespin would be another nice one. Something core-worldy- like Corellia or Kuat- to be used as a glittering, civilized contrast to the other rough-and-rowdy backwater ports. I would hesitate to use a world like Coruscant, though- at least as a 'main RP location'- since it would be so tightly controlled by the Empire. Nar Shaddaa could work as well. Its another den of scum and villainy- sure, but its different in look and feel from Mos Eisley.

COMPANIONS
Your companions would be gained via the numerous quests as the storyline progresses. It would be nice to have the available henchmen depend on how you are playing the game. You play as a 'nice guy' and you attract nice characters (or at least folks with a 'heart of gold'). You play nasty and you draw the scum of the galaxy. They did something like this in KotOR II- where depending on your 'alignment' you got either the 'good' hunter Mira or the 'bad' Wookiee hunter. As far as general crew types go, figure you could gather:

1) A trusty mechanic/sidekick (be he droid, stereotypical wookiee, etc.)

2) A gunman (or woman)- like a bounty hunter or ex soldier.

3) A brick of some sort (perhaps a wookiee fits here better, like Zaalbar in KotOR).

4) A rogue (sneaky type, perhaps not entirely trustworthy?)

5) A brain (some kind of doctor or scientist or scholar)

6) An idealist (A kid or senator type who urges you to 'do the right thing'- and who's ideals can really be a pain if you're trying to be a smuggler)

There are other ideas, but those are just the ones I could think of off the top of my head.

VILLAINS
These can run the gamut from Crime bosses to Imperial Officers to Space Pirates to Bounty Hunters to Rival Smugglers- or even to Rebel “terrorists” (if the player chooses to go a ‘dark’ route in their career). There could even be some kind of dark side force user in the mix- but just to switch things up, maybe this is a person who operates outside the of the Sith Order- it could even be a crime boss who uses his force powers to manipulate folks and gain power. Perhaps he intends to quietly gain power and maybe even challenge the emperor some day? Whatever the case, I would prefer the force-user be something unique to this game, not Vader, not the Emperor- hell, not even Mara Jade or one of the other ‘Emperor’s hands’.

QUESTS
As far as the quests themselves go, I can see there being a couple main types:
1) Your typical 'go to location, talk with people, get into gunfight with people', solve puzzle, explore area, etc.

2) A flight-operation mission, where you have to navigate an obstacle course or battle through enemy ships or defenses to reach your destination. This should include some kind of mechanic for 'outrunning' or otherwise evading opponents. A 'racing' mechanic would also have to be in play here- both to 'outrun' other ships and to beat a timer to reach a certain place by a specific time.

Within these you could have all kinds of variations- as has been proven in other RPG games- and indeed more than in your typical sci-fi RPG- as those produced so far seem to be severely lacking in the 'flying around in your spaceship' area. Mass Effect, for instance, has all space combat taking place in cut scenes. So once again, I know that the idea behind this is 'ambitious', but seriously... sci fi without space ships YOU can control? So far, that has been the norm.

SHIP UPGRADES
One of the main themes that would set this game apart is the idea of being able to modify your ship and upgrade it throughout the course of the game. Mass Effect 2 introduced this to a limited degree- limited because the power-ups mostly had no effect until the endgame of the plot. In this case, I can see the upgrades including ship speed, weapons, shields and maneuverability. It could also include special stuff like a medical bay, workshop or brig (for bounty-hunters) or even just a luxury lounge that the player can personalize to their own taste. Personalization would be the key here. The exterior should allow for designs to be applied to the hull (from a pre-programmed selection). The upgrades to ship performance would enhance the ability of the vessel in the various ship missions- faster and more maneuverable in combat or races; Able to haul more cargo by being faster in hyperspace; etc.

As far as the ship itself goes, perhaps it operates almost like a character- meaning that at the beginning of the game, you choose between three main ‘classes’ of ships- the big tough one (fighter) the small cunning one (the rogue), and the Jack-of-all-trades (the one somewhat in between). Each would suit a different style of play.

CHARACTER UPGRADES
Duh. Of course. In an RPG, development of your character is one of the main mechanics of the game. It would run in parallel to the ship classes: Fighter, Rogue, Jack-of-All-Trades. I don’t know what kind of skill system I’d use for this. As big of a fan as I am of D6, my mind always goes back to the KotOR system as a workable one for a computer RPG- afterall, the ‘math’ all takes place behind the scenes.

In any case, those are just my rambling thoughts put down in random order. It’s fun to think about this, even if I doubt we’ll ever see anything like it. I’ll likely expand upon this more later as things occur to me. If you have any thoughts/comments on my dementia, please share!

Railroading

Several people have brought up this topic recently in their own blogs- and oddly enough, it was a subject I had been giving a lot of thought to in the past few weeks. Must be a vibe flowing through the 'gamer wavelength' or something. In any case, I'm going to weigh in on this as well.

First of all, let me define the term as I see it:

Railroading is when a game-master has a plot-line for an adventure already thought out before playing. This plot-line is so narrow that the players simply have no choice but to do exactly what the GM intended or they 'fail'. Any attempt by the players to deviate from the GM's pre-determined course results in either 'lashback' (i.e. the GM punishes them for their tangent—perhaps even killing the entire group of characters) or redirection (no matter what the players do, they find their characters turned back onto the course of the adventure. In essence, then, Railroading is a case of the GM telling the players what happens to them, rather than allowing the character's actions determine how things play out.

Looking at the above, I think that most gamers would agree this is no fun. And evidently it is something that most gamers have encountered during their 'career'- at least to some degree (I know that I certainly have. I've even been guilty of inflicting it upon my players a couple times).

I think that my preference for 'story-based' adventures is pretty evident to anyone who has read my blog. I don't dislike sandbox-style play, I just prefer story. And yet in so many places I hear bloggers and forum posters lambasting 'story-based' adventures as ruining the hobby of gaming. In my opinion, this is just ridiculous. I would agree that story-based CAN lead to Railroading- but it is not the 'natural' result of all story-based gaming. Rather, it is the result of a GM who (through malice or laziness or even the best of intentions) ALLOWS his story to become a railroad. In short, railroading is what happens when a Story Adventure goes bad. And I would also say that it could be what happens when a SANDBOX game goes bad.

Sandbox style play is what the hobby of gaming began with- as early as 1974. In my personal experience, story-based play didn't really come into focus until the mid to late 80's (for me, it was with the release of the Star Wars RPG in 1987-88). And quite honestly, I wasn't entirely sure how it would work when I first started it. A lot of other GMs were probably in the same boat. Thus, there was a 'learning curve' on just what made a good story-based adventure. A learning curve typically means that mistakes will be made. And they were. I personally feel that this is where a lot of the bad reputation for Story-based adventures began. You have a new concept being tested and it doesn't always work out that great. But to say that these early failures just show that Story-based adventures are just plain 'wrong' is ludicrous.

I posted on this a LONG time ago, but I'm going to reiterate and expand upon it here. It is my belief that a Sandbox-Style dungeon and a story-based plotline— if both are done correctly- are actually very similar to each other. I would go on to say that neither are superior to the other from a purely functional viewpoint- and that neither are pre-disposed to be a railroad.

Let's start with your typical sandbox-style dungeon. On average, you'll have more than one entry point (with one being more obvious than the rest- a main entrance and several 'secret' ones or side passages). As far as the rooms of the dungeon go, you'll have several 'main encounter' areas. These would be large 'set piece' encounters with traps or puzzles or monsters to be overcome. You would also have a lot of smaller rooms, where lesser monsters can be found. But also, a fair number of these will be 'empty'- either to serve as a place of respite for the adventurers for a few moments or as a place to build tension- because you never know when a seemingly 'safe' empty room will hide a danger. In between all these rooms, you would have several main and lots of secondary corridors. Odds are these halls would allow the players to proceed along several different paths. Either by chance or choice, players could conceivably avoid any of the main encounter areas. And in some cases, these passages could serve as encounters in their own right- as dangers spring up in between rooms.

Now, on top of this dungeon would probably be layered some kind of overarching 'theme'. It could simply be a place where the adventurers are exploring in hopes of loot or it could be the lair of a band of goblins who raided their village. Likewise, there could be a particular villain (the goblin chief) who the adventurers want to eliminate. There could also be prisoners they have to rescue. There could be a particularly choice bit of treasure or magic item they want to find. Thus, besides of the physical exploration of the dungeon you have several set objectives. Depending on what course they take, the adventurers may succeed at none or all of these other objectives. Likewise, there could be elements in the adventure that require a particular maguffin in order to gain access to- say there is a magic portal that requires the group to find a particular 'key' to open. Again, there may be several ways to get through the portal, but the intent is to get the players to accomplish 'objective A' before they can get to 'objective B'.

Anyone who has played a D&D adventure- published or homebrew- would probably recognize a dungeon like this. A dungeon like this would NEVER be classified as a railroad simply because it is up to the players how to proceed from room to room- which dangers to bypass, which ones to take on, etc. Unless the GM grossly mishandled this adventure (forcing a player to take a particular route, for instance), then nobody would accuse it of being a 'railroad'.

Now lets take a look at a story-based adventure. You typically have several ways in which a party can get involved. They get hired to do a job. They are ordered by their 'bosses' or they just stumble upon something. Multiple entry points into the plot. Within the adventure, there are going to be several 'set-piece' encounters that the GM thought up. These could be clashes with the 'enemy' (whoever that may be), they could be traps or hazards the party has to overcome, etc. Sound familiar so far? Apart from these 'set pieces' would be smaller side encounters or events. Some would be relatively benign (i.e. empty rooms or tension builders), others would be minor obstacles. And in between all these encounters would be the different routes the players take- some of them packed with their own dangers (ambushes, traps, etc.). Sounds really familiar, huh?

Now, on top of the basic plot there is typically a framework- or theme. You're a group of agents out to stop a terrorist, for instance. You have to find the main terrorist leader. You may also need to find and neutralize his WMD. There may be prisoners to rescue. And just like the 'magic door' in the dungeon adventure, perhaps there is some plot point that will require you to get 'object A' before you can proceed to 'objective B': You need to capture an interrogate the terrorist's lieutenant before you can find the terrorist's lair. Or maybe you find another informant who knows the same information and is willing to part with it for some form of payment or deal.

I look at the above examples and see that sandbox and story are not so very different. And yet I hear SO many people talk about how story-adventures 'suck' and aren't 'real gaming'. That is just B.S.- and I feel that for some people it is motivated by trying to claim the 'old school gamer' title- like it is some badge of honor that sets them apart from or above other people. I don't think that all or even MOST gamers feel like this, but there are enough out there who seem to that it just ticks me off. Sandbox vs. Story is not a matter of right vs. wrong, it is a matter of preference and perhaps even just semantics. If done 'right' the two are just mirrors of each other.

I agree that railroading is bad, but I reject entirely that story-based = railroading. Hell, if I wanted to really turn the argument back on the dungeon I could say that /IT/ is the ultimate form of railroading. In most cases you have tunnels hewn through solid rock. You can only go down those routes the GM has given you- or else you have to burrow somehow through solid rock. Yes, I know that is a weak and illogical argument. But then so is the one against Story-based adventuring.

In any case, I think (hope) I've made my point- not that I think it will ultimately have any effect on the hard-core old-school 'elitists', but I just needed to get it off my chest.

Villains in my Campaign

I got to thinking about this a week or so ago while working up some details for my latest Star Wars adventure (to be run in South Dakota this coming January). I started thinking back over the breadth of my campaign and the various ways I handled villains within it.

Coming from a D&D gaming background, I always had the outlook that the 'main villain' was the guy who you found at the 'end' of the dungeon, and once he was beat, it was just a matter of 'mopping' up the rest of his minions. You would then move on to the next adventure and the next villain. I should point out that this kind of 'serial villain' was never expressly demanded by the rules- but it did seem to be reinforced by the official game modules that I played. For instance, there is a cave full of Orcs. You battle through them, kill the chief and its over. Next cave.

The 'one boss villain per adventure' thing may have been the case for stand-alone adventures, but what I didn't really notice at the time was the over-arching enemies to be found in adventures 'series'. A good example of this would be in the D&D 'Slavers' series. Here, your players are ostensibly pitted against a group of 'Slave Lords'. They battle against the various minions of these people before finally reaching the 'big bosses'. This takes place over the span of four different adventures. So maybe the 'one adventure, one boss villain' thing wasn't as common as I perceived, but in a sandbox type game like D&D, there isn't a whole lot of room for the development of villains- at least not in a traditional dungeon crawl. Sure, your players might hear rumors of the big-bad, they might meet his minions, but when they reach him it will usually result in a life or death struggle that will 'settle the matter' right then and there.

It wasn't until I started playing Star Wars that I REALLY began to think of what made a good villain. The story-focus of the game encouraged development of the bad guys- so that your players (and hopefully their characters) would get some personal impression of the villain they were up against- would have reasons to dislike them other than "they are bad". In the earlier Star Wars modules, much of this was accomplished via the use of the 'cut away' story-telling device. Here, the GM would break away from the in-character actions of the players and 'cut away' to describe things that the characters themselves might not be privy to. Here the Villain can rant to his henchmen about how the heroes are foiling his plans. He can drop threats and insinuations about what he's going to do next. He can show his PERSONALITY. In this way, players get a better dramatic feel for who they're up against- he becomes a character, not just a block of stats that they're going to have to fight later.

But by itself, the cutaway isn't enough to create a truly memorable villain. In my opinion, one of the best ways to do this in a cinematic RPG is to borrow other cinematic devices. One of these is the initial meeting with the villain- and perhaps subsequent clashes that are NOT climactic in nature. For great examples of this, just about any of the James Bond movies will suffice. Bond almost ALWAYS has one or two mostly 'civil' meetings with the villain. Having the hero and the villain actually TALK to each other in a non-combat situation is an awesome way to build enmity. You can play the villain as smug and superior. They can try and press the player character's psychological buttons- to make them angry. And the PC can do the same in return. Again, the villain suddenly has a face and a character- and the PC has a reason to dislike them on a personal level.

Unfortunately, with so much of RPG history being geared around combat, it is sometimes difficult to finagle situations where the players won't just try to gack the villain the first time they meet. A GM has to be VERY careful with his villains if he wants them to survive long enough to become memorable.

But then, I've probably said this all before in other posts (some of it I am sure I have). What I wanted to do here is lament some of my failures in building villains- and perhaps celebrate some of the successes. I will do this by going through some of the pre-fab adventures I ran for my party and describe how the villain in each worked (or didn't work) as the case may be.

Tatooine Manhunt
Jodo Kast. This Boba Fett wanna-be got killed in my play-through. He could have made an interesting recurring villain...but at the time, I had no idea this one-shot adventure would spawn a long-running campaign. Though glimpsed a couple times during the adventure, Kast never had much development other than a vaguely threatening background guy.

Zardra. This Femme Fatale was 'left for dead' by my players following a gun battle. Since her 'death' was ambiguous enough, I felt no qualms in bringing her back during Otherspace and subsequently throughout the remainder of the campaign. She eventually turned from foil to ally and became the wife of one of the PCs.

Battle for the Golden Sun
Karak. The evil leader of a tribe of seal-men. He was a minor dark-side user. Due to his physiology, however, he probably wouldn't have made a good recurring villain, so I wasn't too broken up when he died in the final confrontation. Karak's only real development as a villain was through his cut-scenes. Though there was at least one point where the players got to interact with him (I think) in a non-combat setting. Oh, and btw? Karak gets my vote for the most obviously evil villain name.

Starfall
Captain Kolaff. A cruel and at least somewhat competent Imperial Officer. As a GM, he just didn't stand out to ME as a great character. I didn't really even try to give him an obscure (and escapable) death. He WAS able to evoke some character throughout the adventure, however, through cut-scenes as well as by addressing the players via the shipwide coms as they battled through his ship.

Lira Wessex. A beautiful, haughty and corrupt Imperial noble. The group actually encountered here on several occasions AFTER this adventure. She made for a relatively memorable villain, but I could never quite seem to get a handle on just what to do with her. In this adventure, she only really appears in cut-scenes, but in a later appearance (during Crisis in Cloud City) she had some great non-combat interaction with players during a memorable sabbacc game.

Strikeforce: Shantipole
Generic Quarian traitor guy. I honestly don't remember his name (and don't have my books with me at the moment). This guy bumps into the players very early on in the adventure. He's surly and mean and (surprise surprise) turns out to be a traitor. There isn't really much development of him beyond this and he was gunned down in the climax of the adventure. Though billed as the 'villain' of the piece, he was rather weak. Much more interesting was..

Bane Nothos. The players never meet this Imperial ship captain face to face. He doesn't even really appear in any cut-scenes. Rather, they face off against his ship in the last bit of the adventure and pretty much humiliate him- at which point he comms them, states his name, and vows revenge! I went on to use Nothos in a semi-homebrew series of adventures set in the Minos Cluster. Here, he was (ultimately) defeated AGAIN- only to show up in the Otherspace adventures, where he finally met his doom. Even so, he made enough of an impression on me to warrant having a female version of him come back into the game: His niece, Rina Nothos. SHE became one of the most memorable villains in my campaign.

Otherspace
This adventure brought back several old villains (Zardra and Bane Nothos) and introduced a couple new ones- though only one of these really caught my attention:

Moff Ravik. A conniving old Moff who tries to 'ally' himself with the alien Charon. Needless to say, this doesn't end well for him- though he does make an appearance in the series next installment (Otherspace II).

I would be remiss to say that the Charon didn't make an impression, too. They became one of my favorite villain 'group'- in this case, as a species.

Black Ice
Though this is by far one of my favorite adventures, I look back and don't see much in the way of a memorable villain. There is a devious Imperial officer early in the adventure, but... well, there just wasn't much of a 'hook' to him at all. That just leaves me with:

The Engineer. I mishandled this adventure a little when I ran it. If I had it to do all over again, the Engineer could have been an awesome villain. The premise is that the players hijack a huge imperial freighter. The Engineer is a crewman onboard who launches a one-man campaign to get 'his' ship back. As presented in the book, however, the Engineer's stats were woefully inadequate to deal with an entire group of PCs, even WITH his preferred tactic of not facing them directly. It still ended with a nice little duel between him and the party's Tusken Raider (don't ask)- crowbar vs. gaffi stick. But if I could do it over again, I would make the Engineer an 'evil' version of Steven Segall from that one movie about the battleship- a complete badass ex special forces guy. THAT would be a bit more interesting, I think.

Riders of the Maelstrom
Big Jak Targrim. He was a pirate captain who mutated himself by splicing the genes of various other 'villains' into his own genetic code. This (supposedly) made him the 'ultimate' pirate captain (and also a little insane- he would 'switch voices (personalities)' between the various genetic imprints). This sounds cool enough, but.. Jak actually doesn't meet up with the players except for the big fight, and his stats are a bit less than impressive, especially if he's going up against an entire party. At the time, I didn't really futz with the stats in modules- and in this case, it bit me in the behind- Jak went down like a wuss and became something of a joke. But beyond that, there was no real build up to his unique 'mutant' status- in fact, there was no real 'reveal' to the players- just a note to the GM and a few odd cut-aways.

Crisis on Cloud City
This adventure brought back the beautiful but treacherous Lira Wessex- and had a great non-combat encounter. But I've already talked about that, not the module's other main villain:

XO-X1 "Exo". Here we have a full-fledged droid/supercomputer bent on destroying all organic life (or rather, changing it into more 'perfect' droid life via a virus that actually changes organic matter to metal, etc.). In my campaign, Exo died in the final scene. But you know? Who's to say a 'copy' of his program doesn't exist out there somewhere...I just never explored it in my campaign... yet.

Game Chambers of Questal
Moff Bandor. A ruthless Imperial determined to develop a means of controlling his subjects via a machine that generates fear- literally. Not only do the players have to somehow destroy this machine, they must also brave the Moff's private playground- his 'Game Chambers' where he hunts down live prey through a series of death-traps for his own amusement. Yeah, he's suitably vicious. Unfortunately, my guys put him down pretty hard. So... not much chance of him 'recurring' again.

Otherspace II
Here we have the Charon showcased again and the return of Moff Ravik. The evil scheming of this moff was enough to overcome his being 'rebuilt' by the Charon. He hijacks their ship and intends to use it to start his own private conquest of the galaxy. So, yes. He is insane- but dangerously so. Though he 'survived' the first Otherspace, he met his end here, finally- though in hindsight, I wonder if I couldn't have found some way to use him again.

Death In The Undercity
All in all, the villains of this adventure fell kind of short. The adventure it self was memorable, but the 'team of enemy agents' were just kind of generic. Meh. I suppose some effort on my part could have spruced things up, but.. you know, sometimes the PLOT of the adventure maybe should be the focus, not so much one (or two) main bad guys. This was one of those times (or else, I was just lazy)

The Isis Coordinates
In this adventure, I completely TRASHED most of the as-written enemies and replaced them with my own- namely Rina Nothos, neice of Bane Nothos. Rina was a memorable villainess who escaped this adventure with her life to become a big part of the campaign. There was also an Imperial Admiral or General involved, but.. he was kind of generic and 'meh'.

Domain of Evil
Halagad Ventor. He was a fallen Jedi night. Having been tortured by Vader, he escaped to self-imposed exile on the remote world of Trinta. Unfortunately, his shattered mind was further broken by the presence of a dark-side 'nexus' on the planet. Halagad lived in a fevered 'dreamworld'- into which the players are pulled. Halagad was interesting in that he was a 'reluctant' villain- driven to it by insanity and grief. His death at the end of the adventure came through redemption rather than combat- and that felt right. I can't see using him as a recurring 'villain' or even as a new ally after his redemption.

Crutag. A taloran bounty hunter. Supposedly a bad-ass. Unfortunately, despite the fact I had actually tweaked his stats to compete with my players, he became something of a joke. The PCs called him "Toe Tag" or "Body Bag".. and.. that's kind of how he wound up, I recall. Gunned down and left for dead in the swamps of trinta. Hmmmmm... actually, he did have a rather obscure death... hmmmm....

Graveyard of Alderaan
Though there was an Imperial officer in charge of the main 'plot' in this module, he was of the 'generic' sort in my book. Likewise the scavengers who are the foils of the PCs fall kind of flat. In fact, in retrospect, the whole module kind of falls flat. That being said, there is the fact that (due to a case of mistaken identities), Darth Vader himself makes an appearance at the end of the module and is foreshadowed in several cut-aways prior. Of course, there is no REAL chance for him to square off against the pcs (thank goodness), but... still, was a nice brush with greatness (or death).

Planet of the Mists
Vost Tyne was a ruthless Imperial overseer at a mining operation. He was a step above the standard villain due to the fact he had some minor force powers. He wasn't a 'sith lord' or anything close, just a crafty officer with an edge nobody really knew about. I actually did have some plans for Tyne, but at the climax of the adventure, one of my players did something unexpected- he blew up the escape pod Tyne was on- despite the fact he had a hostage (of sorts). This put an end to Tyne's recurring villain career before it had even started.

Darci and Marci Sertim. Twin female mercenary gunwomen. What's not to like, there? In my campaign, one of these twins survived (the other was the hostage killed with Vost Tyne). The surviving twin, though ostensibly an 'ally' to the PC party at that point, was left in a rather ambiguous position- not at all liking the people responsible for her sister's death...

Anyway, that's all for now as I'm just rambling. But this was fun for me, and reminded me of a few loose ends that could (at some point) come back to haunt my PCs... muhahhaaa.

Ships as Characters

Anyone who has read this blog has probably come upon my 'rant' about how many Star Wars adventure modules seem to treat player character ships as being disposable. A large majority of adventures include the player's ship crashing, being stolen or even being outright destroyed. While I realize that by removing a player's ship you can 'guide' them into a situation that might otherwise be bypassed by simply flying away or strafing the hell out of a target...but come on, game authors. Do you ever WATCH Sci Fi series?

Think about it for a moment. In almost all science fiction movies and television programs, the 'main' ship of the setting becomes just as much a character of the show as any of the organic cast members. Examples:

Star Trek: The Enterprise
Dr. Who: The TARDIS
Blake's 7: the Liberator
Starblazers: The Argo
Star Wars: The Millennium Falcon
Robotech: The SDF-1
Battlestar Galactica: The Galactica
Farscape: Moya (okay, this one is LITERALLY a character, since 'she' is alive)
Firefly: Serenity

See what I mean? In these shows, the ship either was or became a big part of the show. It wasn't a disposable plot device. In fact, the DEATH of a ship in these shows was a HUGE event emotionally and for the story as a whole. It signified a time of great change. Who didn't feel a little catch in their throat upon seeing the Enterprise blow up, then burn into the atmosphere in Star Trek 3? Who didn't sympathize with Adama in the recent Battlestar Galactica when his ship was falling apart and there was nothing he could do to save it.

In my Star Wars campaign I always tried to keep this in mind. In those situations that arbitrarily called for the destruction of the party's ship, I had to actively work to find some other way to make the adventure work. Those times I 'allowed' the ship to be downed, I tried to make it a 'fair fight' rather than an automatic lose. And even when it was taken out in a Kobayashi-Maru type scenario, I tried to make it recoverable. Yet in looking back on my campaign, I see that most of the main ships in it did eventually meet their ultimate fate. I'll talk next about the main ships in the campaign.

The Lightblade
This was the first ship in my Star Wars campaign and the one that probably saw the most action. She was a YT-1300, just like the Falcon (very original, I know) and went through major transformations in her career- from a rather ramshackle and 'average' boat to a thinly disguised gunship with all kinds of support gear built into her. Personality-wise, the Lightblade reflected the party. She was cobbled together over time and looked a bit rough around the edges, but was very effective when push came to shove. She could still go undercover as a legitimate freight hauler, despite the fact that its combat specs were pushed WELL past factory settings. The 'Blade was a dependable and versatile workhorse that saw a lot of good and bad times. She was also home to a large population of droids (that the party picked up, piecemeal, along the way)- giving it a very organic and 'living' feel. As I recall, the ship was fire-bombed at one point, severely damaging her. She also survived numerous crashes. Right now I'm working with its pc owner (Marko) to determine her final fate. Though I'm pretty sure at this point that the official story is that the Lightblade was destroyed in action during the New Republic Era, a few years prior to the current timeline of my campaign.

The Stormbringer
This was another Y-1300- only this time, the cockpit was on the other side! Okay, so at its base level it doesn't sound all that original, but the concept for this ship certainly was. It began as a 'shell' but was transformed by player effort (and saved up wages) into a gunship. There was NO way this vessel could ever pass for 'legit', and thus her use was restricted to full-out combat missions and to ports where such design violations were ignored (Mos Eisley, Nar Shaddaa, etc.). The ship was the brainchild (and property) of the character Rick Oman- and was used in the New Republic era as a transport for his Bounty Hunting career. The Stormbringer had a very different 'vibe' than the Lightblade. She was an aggressive ship- a tough soldier who gave as good as she got. She served with distinction throughout the latter stages of the War with the empire and well into the New Republic Era. She was the flagship of the group who liberated the planet Mandalore. Fittingly enough, she met her end in service to that planet- destroyed during the contest that would determine the 'New Mandalore' of that people. Her death signified a big change in the life of her owner.

The Trivial Pursuit
Probably one of my favorite ship names, ever. The 'Pursuit was a big, beefy Barloz-Class freighter owned by the PC, Adrienne. In some ways, she was a contrast to her rather petite owner, but like certain other ships, this one 'had it where it counted'. She may have been a bit unwieldy, but she was fast as heck- and in the hands of her pilot, the 'Pursuit could hold her own in a lot of dangerous situations. Personality-wise, I always saw the pursuit as a big, loyal, tough, brick. A constant and a foundation in the life of the character who piloted her. Apart from her enhanced speed, however, the ship wasn't really a gunboat- a fact that also seemed to reflect the pilot (a person who tried to avoid conflict when she could). The pursuit was heavily damaged at one point and had to be partially rebuilt. Fittingly enough the ship became a hybrid of Corellian and Santhe-Seinar technology (just like its owner). Oddly enough, I can't for the life of me remember how she 'died' later in the game, but I am pretty sure she did. I'll have to ask her owner's player about that...

Anyway, I think I've made my point. I have quite a few fond memories about the 'ship characters' in the campaign. And in most cases, the death of the vessels in question was not something arbitrary, but rather marked a dramatic moment in the life of its owner. I feel that this is how it should be.

Shields and Aerodynamics

I came upon something relatively recently (within the past couple years), in one of the 'incredible cross-sections' Star Wars books. In the listing of statistics for various Episode I-III spacecraft, the speed in the atmosphere was dependent upon whether or not the craft had its shields up or not. And the difference between shields up speed and shields down speed was quite dramatic (to the tune of several thousand KPH).

This is actually kind of an interesting new development that has never been talked about before- certainly not in the Star Wars roleplaying game. What it seems to suggest is that starship shields can be 'shaped' to give a craft a dramatically better aerodynamic profile. On the one hand, this seems to make a lot of sense. Afterall, shields obviously have an effect on matter and energy- so why wouldn't they work against atmospheric particles. It would certainly help explain why the Millennium falcon (not exactly the most streamlined of ships with that huge radar dish), could soar through the atmosphere of Hoth and Bespin without any trouble at all. In fact, the 'shields as aerodynamics' could help explain away a LOT of things we see in the movies that would otherwise be some major physics problems (of course, it still doesn't explain why Lambda-Class shuttles have such huge wings...).

On the other hand, it kind-of makes you wonder how MUCH effect this aerodynamic shielding would have. If it is as much as the books show, then any non-shielded aircraft would be next to useless in trying to fight a shielded one (at least speed wise). It also makes you wonder why any fightercraft would NOT have shields. The TIE fighter, for instance, would likely be crap in an atmosphere, 'realistically' speaking, what with those huge panels. Any kind of crosswind would be a bitch to handle, especially considering they don't seem to have any control surfaces on them.

That's why I'm inclined to allow shields to have SOME aerodynamic effect on craft, but not as drastic as some of the books suggest. In fact, I'm just good knowing that shields can help to 'gloss over' why brick-like Starships can fly in atmosphere at all.

Why do I play Star Wars?

In reading posts from other bloggers that relate to Star Wars I have come across a particular 'sticking point' more than once. Namely, a lot of gamers seem to have a problem with playing in a setting where there is an over-arching Storyline (such as the six movies that now make up the Star Wars saga). To me, this attitude is perplexing- but I think I see its root. I just seem to have a different mind-set when it comes to things like this. Evidently it works as follows:

Some people see a movie-setting like Star Wars and say to themselves: Gee, I'd like to BE the heroes in the movie.

Some people see a movie-setting like Star Wars and says to themselves: Gee, I'd love to adventure in the same world as those heroes.

The former type of person is likely to feel constrained if they are not at least as powerful as the heroes were in the movie. Likewise, they don't want to have the spotlight stolen from their own characters by the people in the movies. I can understand this outlook, both as a player and a GM. Afterall, who wants to play 'second fiddle' to someone else, especially someone else who is only a hero because the 'script' says so. This type of person wants to carve their own path and (hopefully) become the main focus of the story.

The latter type of person probably enjoyed the characters in the movie more than the setting or even plot. They revel in the thought of actually interacting with those characters and being a part of the larger storyline. I can understand THIS outlook as well. I mean, who wouldn't want to hang out with Han Solo and Chewbacca for a while. They're cool. And besides, who says that just because there are other heroes out there you can't have your own adventures and, in your own way, become a major player in the events of the Galaxy.

If I had to pick, I'd say that I fall into the latter category. The reason Star Wars appeals to me isn't just the space ships or blasters or the Empire vs. the Rebellion— a lot of sci fi movies have those— its the people. Though Luke was my personal hero (the one I 'played' on the school yard), I never wanted to 'supplant' him in the game with my own character. I just wanted to be a part of the world that had Luke and Han and Leia in it. But then, maybe my view is a bit skewed, since I'm usually the GM, and not a player.

But quite honestly I just do not understand the argument some people put forth that if you follow the movies it somehow 'limits' what you can do as a player or even GM in the Star Wars setting. Maybe it does in the broadest terms- i.e. you 'know' that the Rebellion will win. But there is just so much room for 'other' heroes in the Star Wars that it frustrates me when people say this. I mean... is being the 'only' or 'main' heroes of a setting the most important thing? It obviously seems to be for some people. But then I've probably gone over this a jillion times in other posts. So I won't go into it much further.

Suffice it to say that, for me, without having the storyline of the movies and the characters who brought it to life (even if they are only in the background of your own game), it just doesn't feel like Star Wars. It just becomes some other Science Fiction/Space Fantasy setting with all the trappings you see in the movies. To me, it feels hollow. But if you have all this backstory and plot development IN ADDITION to an entirely original campaign that a group develops itself– If you have the stories and characters weave in and out– it makes the universe feel all that much larger and (ironically) more 'real'. Well, that's my story anyway. And I'm sticking to it.

Why do I still like Star Wars?

I greatly enjoy the 'Zero Punctuation' game reviews on The Escapist Web site. They're incredibly clever and amusing. But today, the review was also a bit thought provoking. In his review of "The Force Unleashed II", Yahtzee (the reviewer) panned the game. I'm not surprised. But he also brought up the fact that the "Bad" of the franchise (movies, games, books, etc.) now greatly outweighs the "Good". He lamented (before amusingly insulting us) that Star Wars fans must be having a pretty difficult time of it recently. And you know what? He's right.

I find myself really having to work hard to pull out any 'goodness' from the slew of crap that has been glutting the Star Wars 'marketplace'. If you'll look back through my posts about the expanded universe you'll see a lot of backpedaling on my part: "Such and such wasn't very good, but if you take this or that aspect of it, you'll see that there is something to 'salvage'". And that's kind of sad.

In his review, Yahtzee pointed out the "good" of the franchise being: Star Wars (Episode IV), The Empire Strikes Back, and Knights of the Old Republic. And you know? He's right. Those are probably the only well-known Star Wars 'products' that I can whole-heartedly endorse as being pure awesome. I personally would include the Han Solo Novels in this list- but those seem to be largely forgotten by everybody. Other than that? Well there is always an 'but...' or an 'if' or an 'except for...'.

I guess that the reason I became a Star Wars fan- and the reason I remain one- is that when /I/ was growing up- those formative years between the ages of 7 and 13- Star Wars was synonymous with high-quality entertainment. The special effects were ground-breaking, the stories were entertaining and (at the time at least) original. The action was mixed with snappy dialogue and the acting (even when cheesy), was at the very least charmingly passable (i.e. the actors looked like they gave a damn). So, like I've said before in many posts- all of these things just became 'part' of who I am. Star Wars came to mean very specific things in my mind- and those things stuck with me (and continue to stick with me) even as the franchise as a whole gets seemingly run into the ground.

The first real 'downturn' came with the ending to Return of the Jedi. While I do not hate the Ewoks, I remember even at the time thinking they were kind of a sell-out (moichendizing! where da real money from da movie is made!). In fact, I'd have to say that the Ewoks were my first 'allowance' in the Star Wars universe: I 'allowed' myself to enjoy the movie despite the fact that they were mildly annoying.

Following Return of the Jedi, there was a relatively long stretch of nothing at all going on with Star Wars. Then the Roleplaying Game came out in 1987– and for the most part, this game only reinforced my love of the movies. West End Games, in my opinion, did a great job maintaining- and even raising- the standards I had come to expect from the movies I grew up with. To me, the writers of this game seemed to have something very important- a respect for the source material. With very few exceptions, they introduced nothing that contradicted or otherwise made 'lame' the things we saw in the movies. They simply started filling in the blanks with plausible explanations of all the things we DIDN'T see. And even then, they couldn't begin to completely 'flesh out' the entire universe. As a Game Master I ALWAYS felt as though the Galaxy was mine to shape as I saw fit. What the game did was provide me with examples of how other people had done so. I took the ball and ran with it.

So once more, I found myself a very happy fan. And that persisted pretty much right up until Episode I came out. And then I honestly found myself in the position of walking out of the movie disappointed. I 'allowed' myself to like this and that aspect of it, but for the most part it just didn't deliver. And still, as a fan, I endured. Hoping for better. It did get better- a little better- in Episode's II and III, but nothing in the movies- or the slew of novels that accompanied them- seemed to measure up.

Just as Yahtzee had pointed out, the only 'bright spot' for me as a Fan was with the Knights of the Old Republic game. Once again, it captured that Star Wars that I remembered. It rekindled by affection for the universe as a whole- though it has been difficult going ever since then.

So, I guess that's why I still like Star Wars. Because I'm Luke. I can sense the good in it. Every once in a while, there will be a break in the clouds and something good will shine through. I will say, however, that without my own Star Wars game- without my ability to express and share my own interpretation of that Galaxy Far Far Away, I probably would have stopped being a Star Wars fan a long time ago.

My feelings

This image pretty much sums up my feelings on the Star Wars "Legacy" comics. While I can appreciate the artwork (and the Twi'leks) and a few interesting concepts (... 'Lawful' Dark Jedi?!) these stories really don't 'do it' for me. I must be getting old.

The Nagai, Revisited

A long time ago, I detailed the new 'Villain' species that I am currently using as the main antagonist in my New Republic Era Star Wars galaxy. I based the species upon the Nagai from the Star Wars marvel comics (a race of deadly warriors from another galaxy), but gave them a radically different background which I detailed here and here.

With the war against the Nagai coming to a head in my campaign—and with one of my player characters having (unexpectedly) come to a position of power within them, I felt the need to expand upon a few ideas I had about the race and their motivations. Though previously I described the species in broad strokes, I will now examine the different philosophies present among the Nagai and how that affects the way they function. My players read this blog (or at least have in the past) so everything here is going to be 'public' knowledge that they are going to find out for themselves IC. So without further ado, here we go.

THE CORE NAGAI
The bulk of the Nagai population (an estimated 50-percent of it), conforms to the generalities laid out in previous posts. To summarize, the average Nagai is very superior in attitude to other species. They are supremely confident in their own abilities (as well they should be, considering their are 'near perfect' physically- and quite intelligent and beautiful). They are also, on the whole, rather selfish, self-centered and hedonistic. They indulge in various personal pursuits—often artistic in nature. One such pursuit practiced by nearly all Nagai is melee combat. Almost all of them are masters with blades. More rarely, these personal pursuits take other forms—such as the presence of a few highly-skilled pilots or even a few reported master marksmen. One particular pursuit (that of science and technology) has actually led to a splinter group of the Nagai (the Technologists) that will be detailed below. On the whole, "Core" Nagai view themselves as superior to other species. They can appreciate "exceptional" members of other races and often keep such as 'pets' or slaves aboard their world-ships.

THE LEADERS
Another, smaller group of Nagai (roughly 20-percent of the population) are much more focused and driven than others. These Nagai are planners and organizers. They enjoy swaying others (particularly the "Core" nagai") to their causes and are generally more practical and pragmatic. It is from the ranks of this group that the great leaders of the Nagai have emerged. They otherwise embody the same supreme and self-centered attitudes of their race—and exemplify its bigotry towards other "lesser" species. It is this group that has pushed for and led the conquest of their home galaxy and the invasion of the Star Wars galaxy. Though ruthless, Leaders are not necessarily bloodthirsty. Like the Core Nagai, they see other races as useful tools and enjoyable toys. They would not hesitate to crush any who stood (or rose up) against, them, however. The Leaders have an intense rivalry with the Dark Nagai stemming from both feeling as though they should be in charge. Thus far it has been the better organization of the Leaders that has allowed them to remain in control over the more chaotic Dark Nagai.

THE DARK
The Dark Nagai represent the most depraved aspect of their species—delving into bloody practices and self-indulgences that members of most species (including their own) would find repulsive. Constituting about 20-percent of their race, the Dark Nagai are masochists and sadists who enjoy pitting conquered species against each other in gladiatorial combat. They also enjoy inflicting 'blood tribute' from conquered species—sacrificing beings in honor of their 'godhood'. The Dark have completely bought into their own superiority and think the Galaxy- the universe, should be their plaything, with none of the 'restrictions' that other groups (like the Leaders) would place upon them. Unfortunately for the Dark, their own selfish and fractious natures have kept them from attaining true power among the Nagai. Even so, some of the most fearsome warriors in their fleet come from this group, easily a match for ANY other Nagai.

THE TECHNOLOGISTS
Though all Nagai are extremely intelligent, most choose not to focus their vast intellects on technological or scientific areas. The Technologists are the exception to that rule. Though making up only 5-percent of the species as a whole, Technologists have achieved a high status within Nagai society. Nobles and Dark Nagai alike look to them for answers when problems arise. Though they do not have a complete grasp of the technology their species has stolen from their progenitors, they know enough to be able to operate and maintain—and in some cases even modify—what is required for their 'great task'. It was the early technologists who modified Ancient genetic techniques to create the "Alpha" and "Beta" subspecies to serve as their armies. It was technologists who figured out how to use the crystal 'spire' technology to pacify conquered worlds and even how to construct new crystalline starships. On the whole, Technologists are obsessed with their work, to the point of near-insanity. It is this aspect which has prevented them from seeking or achieving any direct political power within their society. Most of this group have openly aligned themselves with the Leaders, but a few are rumored to be working on dark and dreadful 'toys' for the Dark Nagai. Members of other species are seen by Technologists only as 'subjects' to be studied. In regards to scientific minds of other species, Technologists have a superior and egotistic attitude. They see little reason to study the teachings of 'lesser' beings.

THE FIFTH COLUMN
Constituting the final five-percent of the Nagai species, the fifth column represents those Nagai who have grown more and more sympathetic to the other species they encounter—to the point where they now wish to stop their supremacist "crusade" and learn to coexist. They typically pretend to be members of the other groups (though very few are found in the ranks of the Dark Nagai) and have been working behind the scenes to try and bring about change. Only recently, several of the group have actually struck out, gathering around the symbol of an old leader seemingly 'reincarnated'. It is entirely possible that this group, coupled with the unexpected difficulty of the Invasion may cause a schism or even civil war within the Nagai fleet. Exactly how this will all play out, however, is anyone's guess...

THE OUTCASTS
There are actually very few of these beings, and most of them exist outside of Nagai society proper. In general, they represent Nagai who have gone completely rogue and struck out on their own in the Galaxy. However, outcasts also include various half-breeds who have been sired by Nagai scouts who came to the Star Wars Galaxy in the thousands of years leading up to the current invasion. One such outcast (Nom Anor) had even developed Force powers (something that has thus far not been seen among the species). Horatio S. Flynn (the PC in my campaign) was recently discovered to be a hybrid descendant of a long-lost great leader of the Nagai, and thus could also be considered a member of this group.

Putting the FU in The Force Unleashed

SPOILER ALERT

Seriously, The Force Unleashed? Seriously?

I'll make this a quick one, because I'm sure my ranting about the crap that is 'The Force Unleashed' is boring everyone by now. But now that the game has been out for a little bit, I have taken a look at the 'storyline' of the game- both its summary on various wikis and the cut-scenes as shown on YouTube.

The verdict? It is stupid. Am I surprised? No.

So this time around, Starkiller (still a stupid name) defeats Vader. Oh. Wait. He did that in the first game. What's surprising is that he didn't defeat the Emperor again. Which automatically makes the ending of this game an anti-climax after the first one. But they did 'switch it up' a little. See, this time you not only DEFEAT Vader, you capture him and turn him over to the Rebellion to stand trial for his crimes.

Right.

So you not only defeat the main bad guy of the series (again), you capture him. Part of the value of a villain (in a dramatic sense) is their strength...their air of menace. When your main character routinely beats up on the villain, that villain ceases to be strong...ceases to be a menace...ceases to be a villain. In fact, they become somewhat comical. Its a 60's-style Batman thing. "Egads, that pesky Vader is on the loose again!" That's how this piece of crap ends. With the heroes flying off with a defeated Vader to take him to 'prison' to stand trial.

Of course, there is a set up for the third installment- with Boba Fett trailing after the heroes- evidently to rescue Vader. But so what. Again I have to say: What is there in the Galaxy that could possibly pose a threat to Starkiller at this point? I mean he can now hurl capital ships around seemingly at will and evidently survive planetary re-entry THROUGH a planetary defense shield.

That's right. During a particular space battle, he stands on the bridge of a ship as it heads down to ram a planet's shield. Along the way, he hurls pieces of ship wreckage out of the way- including practically whole Corvettes. The ship (somehow) survives the collision with the shields and a re-entry angle that is pretty much straight down. At this point, Starkiller smashes out the front window of the ship and leaps out. Though... moving at terminal velocity, I don't see how this is physically possible. But he's Starkiller, so... Right. He then free-falls next to the ship as its going down and...that's about the time I turned off the video in disgust. This isn't Star Wars. This is a superhero movie. A bad superhero movie. Only in this case, Starkiller apparently doesn't have anything akin to 'Kryptonite' (though Vader alludes to the fact that his love for Juno Eclipse is Starkiller's weakness- wow, how original Haven't seen that one since- oh, pretty much any Superman movie).

Sigh.

I guess a lot of people actually like this game. Hell, it will probably win another award for its great story.

Sigh.

The Charon

It is no secret to folks who know me (and/or who have read this blog), that I'm a fan of the movie Aliens- and subsequently that one of the reasons the Star Wars "Otherspace" adventures appeal to me so much is their 'Aliens-esque' nature. In these adventures, the characters are twice called upon to thwart the galaxy-destroying aims of an alien species known as the Charon. Why do I like them so much? Well, let me count the ways:

1) They have a cool backstory. The Charon homeworld was destroyed by a black hole. Those who escaped began to worship the destructive power of that 'void' and launched a crusade to 'help' all other species get in touch with the void (i.e. kill them). In short, they are an implacable foe. They don't want resources or power or anything. They can't be bargained with. They just want you dead.

2) They don't just kill you. They take your lifeless husk, stitch it together with the husks of other vanquished enemies- or even of their own, fallen bretheren, then reanimate it as a zombie. So as they kill their enemies, they swell their own ranks- and also face their enemies with the prospect of fighting people who they once knew.

3) Their ships are alive. Or once were. Though not much detail as provided, Charon ships used to be a 'race' of huge, spacefaring creatures. The charon killed them all and turned them into huge, 'undead' transports. The concept of a bunch of 'bugs' 'infesting' the rotting carcass of a huge beast is...unsettling. At least to me.

4) They are bugs. Or, more precisely an 'arachnoid' looking species. That is always creepy. They have the whole spider motif going- complete with being able to sling webs to capture their prey. Unlike spiders, however, the Charon seem to be a hive species rather than a solitary hunter. They have warrior and worker castes and leaders above those. Thus, in addition to spider creepiness you have the whole hive attitude going, where they don't care how many they lose, they just keep coming.

5) They are smart. The Charon are high-tech. They developed space travel and advanced weaponry to allow them to carry out their crusade against life. Apart from the previously mentioned ability to turn fallen foes into zombie-like 'constructs', they are quite capable of adapting alien technology to suit their needs and of using their 'wits' to overcome challenges. They aren't a mindless ravening species, they're cold and calculating.

6) They have a funky and relatively unexplored connection to the Dark Side of the Force, via strange black obelisks they keep on their starships. Evidently, these things are integral to the operation of their ships or even of their society. This leaves all kinds of room for interpretation by GMs- and opens the door for the possibility of Charon Force users.

7) They are victorious. As written, the Charon come from another 'dimension'- though this can be interpreted in various ways. Either literally or that they simply come from another part of the same universe- some remote galaxy perhaps. And in this home dimension, they have actually succeeded at their task of eliminating all life. This means that they are a viable threat to the Star Wars galaxy- an unknown force, likely numbering in the billions, that could conceivably destroy the Empire, the Rebellion, all of it. Admittedly, the numbers here are my own interpretation of what is presented in the adventures, but... they seem to make sense. It certainly makes for more drama that way.

Admittedly, the Charon aren't everyone's cup of tea, but for me they've been a great villainous species. I would hesitate to bring them over 'en masse' into the Star Wars Galaxy, however- as they would have a significant impact on the Galaxy that could alter the whole feel of the Sage. Still, they could be inserted into a New Republic Campaign as an alien race to replace the Vong in a galaxy-wide invasion. In my own campaign, they were a threat that had to be 'fended off' by a small group of players- one of those situations where the Galaxy doesn't realize how close it came to being overrun. Though, I did run an 'alternate future' adventure where the Charon were in the process of finishing their conquest of the 'known galaxy'...

In any case, I do have one problem with the Charon. The original artwork depicting them just makes them look... well. Silly. Goofy even. Certainly not terrifying. So it was that one of my earliest things was to give them a makeover. Thus you'll see the images above showing a 'before and after'. The original look and my revamped. You tell me if its an improvement. I think its okay.

Social Skills

Yes, I know, when speaking of Star Wars geeks or role playing games, Social skills don't immediately come to mind. But what I'm actually referring to are Social skills in the Star Wars D6 game system. These are a character's ability to Command, Con, Charm, Persuade, etc.. I know there are a lot of gamers who chafe at the idea of such skills. The main argument here is that by having skills like this you are actually detracting from the roleplay experience. Instead of the player coming up with a lie to get past the stormtroopers, you just roll Character's Con skill and see what happens. Many feel it should be up the player to figure out challenges- it shouldn't left to a skill roll.

First of all, I would like to say that I agree wholeheartedly. A skill roll should never be allowed to take the place of player ingenuity and thought. To do so reduces any game to an exercise in dice rolling. However, I still feel that such skills have merit. After all, in a role playing game we are not playing 'ourselves'. In most cases we're actually playing a character quite different from our real selves. They're Stronger, Faster, Smarter, more Charismatic, etc. Why then is it okay for us to play someone who is stronger or faster, but our character's mental and social abilities should set to our own? In my book that isn't okay. That's why game systems HAVE stats like Intelligence and Charisma and all the skills associated with them. I don't think many gamers can claim to be a 'supra-genius'. Not all of us are master con-artists or political speakers, either. But that shouldn't prevent you from playing the archetypes.

So what is the answer, then? How do you balance skill levels and role playing. Well, I'm proud to say that the Star Wars D6 rulebook actually speaks to just this thing. I'm paraphrasing here a bit, but essentially, the 'official' word on this was:

"It is often a good idea to use a combination of roleplaying and die rolls to figure out what happens. If a player comes up with a brilliant plan, con or persuasive argument and explains it IN CHARACTER, that should count for a lot more than a die roll. On the other hand, if a character has a high level of skill, but the player isn’t quite as eloquent in getting his ideas across, the GM may want to depend more upon die rolls to determine success or failure (as long as the player is making an honest effort).

GMs should reward players’ ingenuity and intelligent roleplaying with bonus modifiers. Conversely, if the players insist on doing something that isn’t too bright, the GM-run non-player characters should get a bonus modifier to reflect poor player character decisions."

There. That's how you do it. Skills are a framework on which you build, they should never replace actual player-generated ideas. I do feel they should have an impact, though. Only rarely do I just give an automatic success on a social skill roll- no matter how persuasive the argument. Why? Well for a couple reasons.

Even a great idea or argument can be ruined if it is poorly delivered. Say your character stammers or sweats or seems uncomfortable when presenting an argument. People could be put off by that, even if what you're saying makes sense. Don't believe me? Just look at the Nixon vs. Kennedy debate. Nixon made some good arguments, but he didn't LOOK good while saying them. Kennedy had more Charisma. Better social skills.

From a purely gamist perspective, Social skills are important as they are another place a character can spend experience points. If someone wants to be a great commander or learned scholar then they should have to put the points into it, just as a master marksman would have to with his combat skills. If Social and Intelligence based skills were simply 'covered' by how well a player plays, then the actual game stats themselves could just be used as 'dump' stats. A player would never need to develop them.

And this leads me to the flip side of the coin. If a player DOES take Charisma or Intelligence as a dump stat, then, with a social skill system, there IS a piper to pay when it comes to interactions with NPCs. No matter how good a con a player thinks of, they could still be sabotaged by their character's lack of social 'dexterity'. A character who chooses to have low social (or intelligence) skills should be willing to play a character who is none-too personable or bright.

So what am I saying? Well, to all those 'haters' out there, I say that Social Skills are a useful and logical extension of any skill system when you're playing a character who is NOT yourself (social/mental capacity-wise). However, in a solid game system, with a good GM, such skills should never take the place of role playing.