Best and Worst Star Wars Races

Since I am both a slave to trends and a late adopter of trends, I will now put forth my own 'best and worst' lists as I have seen done on several other blogs that I peruse. Here then are my most and least favorite alien races and some short reasons why I categorize them as I do:

MY FAVORITE STAR WARS RACES 

10. Humans

What can I say. Humans rock. They make up a large percentage of the galactic population and (in game terms at least) they don't have any bogus racial abilities. They're just adaptable. Racial prejudice you say? I won't deny it. 

9. Mantellian Savrip

You have to be a really big geek like I am to even know what this is. Remember in the holo-chess game (actually called dejarik—wow, am I a geek) Artoo and Chewie were playing? Remember the critter that picks the other one up and body-slams it, then flexes and lets out a tiny-little roar of victory? That's a Mantellian Savrip. Awwww, who's a fierce little Savrip!? You are! raaor!

8. Bothans

The race you love to hate. Even though I really dislike most of the artwork showing Bothans (I always pictured them more 'fox like' than 'dog like') the concept is still solid. They're a good 'villain' race, even if they are supposed to be on the good guy's side.

7. Hiromi

A little known species introduced in the Marvel Star Wars comics. Picture a race of cockroach-like guys who are incredibly inept, but who dream of galactic domination through incredibly complex behind the scene schemes. They provide some fun comic relief in the comics and I certainly think the Star Wars universe is big enough to include their brand of humor.

6. Zeltrons

Another Marvel comic invention. Picture a race of magenta-skinned near-humans with over-active libidos and a very liberal society. Now picture the hot females of this species. Yes, I was a teenager when these comics came out. Yes, that could explain my like of them.

5. Ithorians

Yeah, I know, the good old hammerheads never had a big part in any of the movies, but I have always loved the look of the race—one of the more unique alien species. Plus the character of Momaw Nadon (introduced in the RPG) was very cool.

4. Squib

Blue space squirrels who collect junk and base their entire culture around bargaining—the more complex (and non-sensical) the terms of the deal, the better. Yeah, I'm against 'cute and fuzzy' races in general, but the Squibs put an obnoxious and frenetic twist on the typical fuzzy that I can respect.

3. Tusken Raiders

As presented in the movies, there isn't a whole lot to love. But the culture that grew around them in my mind (and through various RPG sources) took in a more 'noble savage' feel than bloodthirsty brute. They were a nice touch to the 'Wild West' feel of Tatooine—he 'Indians' to the spacer 'cowboys' and moisture farming 'settlers'. I think the character of Bob the Tusken from my campaign really helped make me like this race.

2. Yuzzem

Introduced in the novel Splinter of the Minds Eye, the Yuzzem characters (Hin and Kee) were essentially stand-ins for Chewbacca—though they proved to be much more than just that. They were gleefully barbaric warriors, much moreso than Chewbacca, who only play-acted at being a 'brute'. They were fun and terrible all at the same time, and when they died at the end of the Novel, I distinctly remember feeling their loss. For the first time it made me really HATE Darth Vader.

1. Wookiees

Chewbacca. They're just cool. Live with it. Aaaarooo.

MY LEAST FAVORITE STAR WARS RACES

10. Defel

Popularized by Zahn in the Heir to the Empire trilogy. Way too 'powergamer' a race. They were tough, nigh-invisible, scary-looking, strong, yada yada yada. Every twink wants to play one of these.

9. Tof

Introduced in the Marvel comics, they were supposed to be the great intergalactic threat capable of conquering all of the Galaxy. Unfortunately, they were a bunch of fat green guys who dressed like the three musketeers and flew around in giant space-galleons. I kid you not. Wow. What a let down.

8. Lepi

Humanoid, green rabbit-men. Another Marvel comic invention. Ugh. What is it with them and green?

7. Cathar

I say Cathar, but I really mean almost all cat-like humanoid races. I like cats, but I think the people who are into these cat-humanoids REALLY like their cats...if you catch my drift. Plus, the Cathar in the Knights of the Old Republic game had an annoying accent. 

6. Chiss

Another twink race. Admiral Thrawn was a Chiss. Blue Skin. Red Eyes. Creepy, yes. But come on, the entire race can't be as cool or talented as that one admiral or they would have overrun the galaxy by now.

5. Ewok

Killer teddy bears. Even at 12 years old I was a bit skeptical of the Ewoks and their prowess versus the Empire. I really don't HATE them, but I don't like them much either. Played too heavily on the cute factor and not enough on the rabid little knee-biter aspect.

4. Kushiban

Even cuter than the Ewoks. Tiny, fluffy, force-sensitive bunnies! *barf*

3. Noghri

The ultimate twink race, so chock-full of bogus special abilities as to make them any game-master's bane. Plus, I still find it difficult to believe that in the 15 or so years the Noghri Death Commandos had been operating, not one of them had ever been seen before.

2. Ssi-Ruuk

I get the feeling that the popularity of 'Jurassic Park' had a lot to do with the creation of an entire race of Velociraptors. And that's about all they've got going for them.

1. Dathomiran Rancor

The Rancor as a monster? That I'm fine with. The Rancor as a semi-intelligent mount for amazon-force-witches? Wow. Twink. Go figure it is yet another horrible thing introduced in the 'Courtship of Princess Leia' novel.

(DIS)HONORABLE MENTIONS

Twi'lek

As a guy, I can appreciate the appeal of hot green-, blue-, red-, orange-, whatevercolored-skinned chicks. Like Captain Kirk, I think they're nice. The head tentacle thing? Well. It is actually kind of creepy, in a japanimation kind of way. Thus, I have mixed emotions on the Twi'lek.

Gungan

As much as the recent Clone Wars cartoons have caused me to hate Jar Jar Binks, I can't, in good conscience, condemn the entire race on the basis of one idiot. In fact, the Gungans in the movie were pretty brave and selfless, so meesa thinkin' you gotta give them credit for that.

RANT: Clone Heroes

I realize that everyone involved is just trying to make a buck, and that IS what capitalism is all about, but is it just me? or is there something wrong with seemingly wanting children to idolize clones? I mean, first of all, there are the cartoons. And then the toy lines, with their action figures for kids of all ages. And then there are the helmets and costumes. 

Yay kids! You too can be a nameless conformist who never questions what his government tells him to do! Yes, that's right! Be just like everyone else and do what you're told, even if that winds up making you the villain!

I'm not sure how it was for everyone else, but when I was growing up, my Star Wars heroes were Luke and Han. THOSE were the guys everyone wanted to be on the playground. I don't recall anyone chiming. "OOH! I want to be TK-421!

And before anyone goes there, no, I don't have any problem with soldiers or the military. In fact I have a few good friends who are or were in the military, as well as numerous family members. I have nothing but respect for those who serve this country. But its one thing to be a soldier and a hero. Its another to be a clone-trooper and a hero. 

Simply put: I don't think Clone troopers should be heroes. At least, not the conformist ones who wound up backing a totalitarian regime. Wow, its kind of come full circle. The original Star Wars movies were all about showing how bad dictatorships (and nazis) are.. and now we're encouraging our kids to be good little stormtroopers? Nope.. something just aint right.

Star Frontiers

Star Frontiers was a science fiction roleplaying game system produced by TSR in 1982. Being a big Star Wars fan, I jumped at the chance for a game about space-ships and laser guns. At the time, I had heard of other sci-fi systems (such as Traveller), but they weren't easily available in the middle of South Dakota. 

Star Frontiers wasn't quite what I was expecting from a sci-fi system. I was expecting more space-opera, but what I got was a bit more hard-science than that (though clearly not as 'hard' as Traveller). After I got over the initial shock of this, though, I grew to really enjoy the game and admire it for what it was. The setting was interesting—a small but expanding core of civilized systems threatened by a mysterious and implacable alien menace. The races were quite memorable as well—your typical humans were joined by the insectoid Vrusk, blob-like Dralasites, gliding-monkey-man Yazirians and worm like Sathar (the villains). I also enjoyed the skill-based rule system—a major departure from the classes of more traditional systems like D&D. As I mentioned in my gaming history the Star Frontiers universe was the setting for my first 'real' game, and as such, it will always hold a special place in my heart. The adventures of Jake Logan and the crew of the Gullwind were a blast.

Now, you may be asking what this has to do with Star Wars? Well, I'll tell you—with a little modification, the Star Frontiers setting and all its supporting information and adventure modules makes a great supplement to the Star Wars universe. I've used several Star Frontiers adventures in my various Star Wars campaigns and they've worked well. Its just another example of the inclusiveness of the setting.

The rest of this post will focus on how I have adapted (or would adapt) Star Frontiers to the Star Wars setting:

OVERALL

If you wanted to include the Frontier in its entirety, you could translate it easily as a remote sector in the outer-rim. Even during the time of the Empire, the place could still be run by a planetary federation—only one that ultimately plays homage to the Emperor. Being so isolated (and initially free of Rebel influences) the Empire would have no reason to station troops there, and would probably let the local 'Starfleet' maintain order. Likewise, the threat of the alien Sathar attacking could still be in place, with the Frontier sector being left to defend itself in the face of an Empire concerned with 'more important' battles. Still, in the end, it could be fun to bring the Rebellion and Empire into the sector, to throw the whole setting on its ear. The Federation would ultimately have to make a choice—to stand with the Rebellion or cow-tow to the Empire.

VOLTURNUS SAGA

This was a three-module campaign that saw the characters as explorers, crash-landing on a planet inhabited by various sentient species, dangerous beasts and a vicious gang of space-pirates. It is a truly epic adventure that culminates in the characters raising an army of natives in order to defend the planet versus an all-out Sathar attack. Conversion wise, all you have to do is make up stats for the alien critters and races and boom, you've got one heck of an exploration/survival adventure—in or out of the Frontier setting. The characters could be independent or corporate scouts, or working for the Rebellion in trying to find a new safe-world.

SUNDOWN ON STARMIST

In this adventure, the characters are hired by a freighter captain to explore and set up trade with a primitive native race (as well as to investigate the presence of high-tech artifacts found among this race). Unfortunately, the Sathar have set up a secret terrorist training-camp/genetic test center on the planet. This adventure would work well in a tramp-freighter campaign or again you could have the Rebel Alliance send the characters to investigate. If you really wanted to switch things up, the Sathar camp could be converted to a secret Imperial base.

MISSION TO ALCAZZAR

This was one of my favorite Star Frontiers adventures—both  because of its cool cover-art and its combat-oriented plot. The characters are sent to investigate why contact was lost with a remote mining facility. They arrive to find it has been destroyed by a rival mining company. The players then exact their revenge by launching an all out assault on the bad guy's base—perhaps enlisting the aid of a primitive local tribe along he way. Conversion wise, the characters could either be corporate mercenaries (as in the original adventure) or they could be Rebels doing a favor for a corporation sympathetic to their cause. 

BUGS IN THE SYSTEM

This is probably one of the more complicated modules to convert. Its premise has the characters having a layover in a remote system. The administrator of the local gas-mining operation hires them to investigate a disaster in one of their facilities. That investigation turns deadly as the characters discover a mysterious force that begins to kill the mining crew, one by one. This is one of those adventures that would work best as a 'random' insertion into a campaign, whenever the characters (rebel, independent or whatever) are stopping off in a remote system. Where the compications set in, however are in some of the details—namely the low-tech nature of the mining outpost (it rotates at the end of a tether to generate artificial gravity) and its computer systems (some plot points can revolve around the routing of the various computer systems, but by modern terms, let alone Star Wars terms, they are very crude). 

DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

No, it has nothing to do with Pink Floyd (thank god). This is actually one of the better Star Frontiers adventures, revolving around the death of Dr. Legrange, a 'human rights activist' (aka anti-alien bigot) and the turmoil it causes on his bi-racial home planet of Krataar. The characters begin as escorts to a news reporter, but are rapidly swept up in the investigation of the doctor's death. Before long, they discover the sinister secret behind it all and the race is on to prevent a disaster of world-ending proportions. This adventure works well in the New Republic era, where the players are Intel agents posing as reporters to investigate the activist. With some finagling, it could be modified to fit a Rebel team as well (perhaps they're trying to assist a rebel sympathetic cell on the planet). The adventure is especially ingenious by providing a good deal of information that the characters can unearth in their investigations. However, for less astute groups, you may have to 'lead' them a bit. And finally, the name 'Trojan Enterprises' (one of the companies involved in the mystery) just has to go, unless you like innuendo jokes.

WARRIORS OF THE WHITE LIGHT

This is actually a mini-campaign wherein the characters enlist in the planetary militia (Royal Marines) of the planet Clarion (aka White Light). It progresses through a series of 'routine' patrols: smuggling ships, droid-inhabited 'ghost-ships', pirate attacks and the like; it finally culminates with a showdown versus a traitor in the midst of the Marines and an all-out attack by the Sathar on Clarion itself. This is one of the more difficult adventures to integrate into a Star Wars campaign, since it involves joining a military other than the Rebellion or Republic. Still, it might work as the beginning to a campaign, the background story of one or a couple characters in their youth, before going on to a career as tramp freighters or rebels.

DRAMUNE RUN

Of all the Star Frontiers modules, this one comes the closest in feel to a Star Wars Adventure. Signing on as crew with an old tramp freighter captain, the characters find themselves fleeing from minions of the foul crime-lord known as 'The Malthar'. Seems this Jabba-esque Dralasite doesn't want the characters to talk to the authorities about the evidence suddenly in their possession—the shocking truth about the 'secret ingredient' in a new and popular illegal drug. The adventure moves from bar-room brawls, to zero-gee shootouts, to starship battles and ultimately to the very lair of the Malthar himself. This is a great adventure to use if you want to find an in-character way for a party to acquire their own starship. If they already have one, the plot can be easily modified—the old captain can book passage onboard their ship instead of hiring the party as crew for his own.

BEYOND THE FRONTIER SAGA

This is another series of three modules dealing with exploration of systems beyond the charted space of the Frontier (hence the title). In the first module, the characters are part of an exploration crew that suddenly finds themselves stranded when one of their crew-mates seemingly goes berserk. The rest of the module has them struggling through the wilderness to reach and re-take their ship from the mutineer. The second module picks up with a relief vessel arriving to assist the team—only to discover a crashed Sathar ship on the planet. Clues from this eventually lead to another starsystem where the party leads an attack on a Sathar spy-ship. The mystery only deepens in the final chapter when the Sathar trail finally leads to a secret Sathar shipyard and an enslaved race of humanoids forced to work for the hideous worms. All of this leads up to a final, desperate battle to save the entire system. Very little is necessary to translate this adventure. You could even switch out the Sathar for Imperials or pirates or even a corrupt corporation without too much trouble. The characters could be explorers or rebel agents or even mercs.

IN CLOSING

In any case, I think you can see from the ideas above that Star Frontiers can live on in the Star Wars setting. If you're looking for these adventures, you can still find a few on ebay now and then, but there are also a couple websites that have them in digital format. You can find them here and here.

Review: Battle for the Golden Sun

>>> SPOILERS FOLLOW <<<

This was one of the first modules to come out for the Star Wars D6 System. In fact, it might have been the first (I'm not sure, I know it was the second one I ever bought, right after Tatooine Manhunt). As I recall (though I can't find any evidence online) it even won some gaming awards for 'best adventure' that year. 

The plot of the adventure was essentially a rescue mission. The characters are sent to find a lost Alliance diplomat after his assistant returns from the last mission, suffering from severe mental trauma. Upon arriving (crashing) on the planet in question (the ocean world of Sedria), the party becomes involved in a civil war between native tribes. It isn't long before they realize that one tribe is in league with the Imperial Forces also exploring the planet—searching for the source of a strange power kept by the natives: the titular "Golden Sun". The action ranges from roleplaying with the natives to infiltrating the Imperial aquatic base to a final all out battle beneath the sea.

Overall, the adventure was enjoyable. It was a good mix of roleplay and action and in a very unique environment. It introduced a lot of really interesting stuff, too—from the very cool looking Imperial Sea-Troopers and their turtle-like AT-AT "Swimmer" to the Golden Sun itself, which turned out to be a colony/hive-mind of force-sensitive coral polyps. The story had a very heroic feel to it as well, complete with a Romeo and Juliet type romance between a native prince of the 'good' tribe and the warlord daughter of the 'bad' tribe. 

The climax of the story involves helping the Golden Sun escape from its confines in the native city, and it is at this point where the coral actually chooses a 'champion' among the character party (either a force sensitive or a person with a high perception). I thought that was a nice touch, and in fact in my campaign that is when one of the characters (Arianne) actually first became a Force user.

Despite all of this, I never warmed to this adventure as much as I did to a lot of others. I think that some of that may have been an unfair comparison between Golden Sun and its contemporary Tatooine Manhunt. Some of it may have been due to the aquatic setting (still not a particularly popular setting in most RPGs). But there were other, more specific criticisms as well. 

First of all, there was the cliche (often repeated in other adventures) of a crash landing on the planet. In many cases, such a thing is necessary in order to keep the players on a particular world long enough for them to be involved in the story there. But in this case, the party already had a mission to accomplish and didn't need the added incentive to stay. Overall, this is a nitpicky criticism, but when this same trick is repeated in every other adventure, you get sensitive to it.

Also, the middle section of the story is rather dependent upon the players being in a specific place in time to overhear the chief of the 'bad natives' conferring with the Imperial commander. This 'evidence' is to be used later as a tool to rally the natives to the cause of good, but I know I had to really railroad my characters to make sure they picked up on this connection. I also was never quite sure why the natives would believe this evidence once it was presented.

As mentioned before, the Romance between native prince and his lady-love was a nice touch. But I almost wish that there had been more of a way to include the characters in this—to tie them more directly into the plot. Since the natives were of a very non-humanoid persuasion (looking like giant seals with arms) it really wasn't prudent to have a character-native romance happen (unless you have some really kinky players), but at times, it felt as though the plot revolved a bit too much around the prince and not enough around the characters. I have since re-run this adventure in a completely different campaign, altering the natives to be an aquatic humanoid race and I enjoyed it a bit more. But then, I guess I have a prejudice towards humanoid races. What a bastard I am.

As you can see, these criticisms really don't amount to much of a negative, so I still recommend this adventure to any group. It just didn't hit me as one of my favorites.

Star Wars Military Ranks

Though they never really delved into the exact rank structures of the Republic, Imperial or Rebel militaries in any of the movies, the RPG sourcebooks presented a rather jumbled attempt at it that never really suited me. The idea that an Admiral and a General existed within the same heirarchy, and that the former actually outranked the latter just...irked me. I could explain it away for the Rebels by saying that they had a jumbled and mismatched military overall, probably incorporating ranks and organizations from dozens of different planetary militias and naval forces. But especially post RotJ, after the New Republic is formed, I think they'd be able to standardize a few things. Therefore, I made up my own ranking system that I applied in my campaign to both the Empire and New Republic. It is essentially a modified version of the U.S. Military rank structure (with various differences). It goes as follows:

Officer Ranks:

O1 2nd Lieutenant  (Army/Marines)

Ensign (Navy/Fighter Corps)

O2 1st Lieutenant  (Army/Marines)

Lieutenant, Junior Grade (Navy/Fighter Corps)

O3 Captain

Lieutenant

O4 Major

Lieutenant Commander

O5 Lieutenant Colonel 

Commander

O6 Colonel

Captain

O7 Brigadier General

Commodore

O8 Lieutenant General

Rear Admiral

O9 Major General

Vice Admiral

O10 General

Admiral

Enlisted Ranks

E1 Private (Army/Marines)

Spaceman (Navy/Fighter Corps.)

E2 Private, First Class (Army/Marines)

Spaceman, First Class (Navy/Fighter Corps)

E3 Lance Corporal

Petty Officer

E4 Corporal

Petty Officer, First Class

E5 Sergeant

Chief Petty Officer

E6 Senior Sergeant

Senior Chief 

E7 Gunnery Sergeant

Gunnery Chief 

E8 Master Sergeant

Master Chief

E9 Sergeant Major

Warrant Officer

E10 Command Sgt. Maj.

Chief Warrant Officer

And yes, I know it doesn't follow the U.S. Military strictly. A lot of it was chosen simply because I liked the way the rank sounded. So sue me.

My Top 10 Star Wars Adventure Modules

Please note that this list was compiled only from those adventures presented in module format, and doesn't include campaign settings or sourcebooks or compilations of adventures. Also note that a lot of my opinions on these were formed by actually running them in my campaign.

10. Starfall

An interesting twist on the typical adventure, here you start out captured and have to escape from an Imperial Star Destroyer (actually a Victory-Class Star Destroyer). The setting offers a lot of unique challenges and battle arenas, but I remember it most for introducing great NPCs: Wallex Blissex, the Rebel technical wizard, Lira Wessex, the haughty Imperial technical genius (and daughter of Wallex), Captain Kolaff, the battle-hardened and condescending Imperial commander, and T-3PO, the snooty, sarcastic and cynical protocol droid. Three of these characters wound up becoming recurring NPCs in my campaign. In fact, T-3PO was 'adopted' by Arianne Volar and continues to serve (grudgingly) as her assistant.

9. Strike Force Shantipole

An all out action-adventure romp. As mentioned previously in my full review, this module introduces a memorable original race (the Verpine) and a memorable bad guy (The Imperial Commander Bane Nothos). It also introduces the players personally to Commander Akbar, letting them rub elbows with one of the feature-characters of the saga.

8. Mission to Lianna

A rather low-key adventure, all things considered (or at least, it should be if done right). It revolves around a plot to assist a Rebel-sympathetic corporation in sabotaging an Imperial cloaking device experiment. There is lots of undercover and spy action stuff instead of your usual brand of blasterfights and speeder-chases. This adventure is especially memorable to me for a few reasons. First of all, my original Vermillion crew completely screwed the pooch on this mission—a truly epic failure that they have yet to equal. In fact, they screwed it so bad that we wound up writing it out of their history after merging the Vermillion timeline with that of the campaign I was running for Adrienne Olin (Adren). Adren not only accomplished the mission quite gracefully, she grew so close to the NPCs presented in it (the Santhe Family) that we later wrote it into her history that they were one half of her long-lost family.

7. Game Chambers of Questal

An interesting adventure featuring investigation, action and problem solving and including several memorable action set-pieces—from a crimelord's floating arena to the Game Chambers themselves—a devious maze filled with deadly traps and an assortment of unique hunters populating it. It also gives the players the chance to take out an Imperial Moff (Bandor) and his new fear-inducing superweapon. Again, this adventure is especially memorable for me because two of the players (Steve-the-other-one and Mark) had their characters go 'rogue' in the middle of the mission. Splitting up from the main party, they went on a tangental rampage that included speeder-jacking, jamming jedi-telepathy with loud music and impersonation of Imperial officers before finally catching up to the main party just in time for the Game chambers. Yeah, it meant that the session took twice as long as normal, but it was fun.

6. Riders of the Maelstrom

The players escape Imperial pursuit by ducking onto a cruise liner—only to discover that it is being used for a secret meeting between two Imperial Moffs. Throw in a pirate boarding action and the possible destruction of an Alliance safe world and you've got a heck of a plot. But there is more to it than this. The module includes a huge map of the liner itself (the Kuari Princess), as well as details about the various diversions to be found within. I think that maybe half of the time spent on this adventure was the characters just exploring the ship and indulging in all manner of activities—from holo-arcades and 'slaffing' to dancing and drinking and even a bit of shopping. It was a great way to work some character development into a campaign, turning the players loose in a non-combat, non-mission oriented space for a while.

5. Domain of Evil

A very dark adventure, where the characters are trapped in the bad dreams of a fallen and insane Jedi while being pursued by a team of ruthless bounty hunters through a dismal swamp. What's not to like? This is the adventure where Doyce's character Jared was 'killed' in the Dream and almost wound up killing himself for real in the process. If I had to do it all over again, though, I think I would personalize the force-vision-morality-tests a bit more than I did, but it was still a great idea, and a great change of pace in my campaign.

4. Black Ice

A truly expansive storyline that takes players through a number of very different settings and mission types, everything from undercover infiltration of an Imperial research facility (complete with a scientist bragging how he designed the Death Star's thermal exhaust ports) to a boarding action against an Imperial Starship (the Black Ice), to holding a rebel base against incredible odds to a final 'suicide mission' to destroy an Imperial Torpedo Sphere. What can I say, this adventure had all kinds of coolness in it.

3. Crisis On Cloud City

This adventure combines a lot of different elements that I really enjoy. First of all, it includes recurring NPCs (Wallex Blissex and Lira Wessex from Starfall). Second, it includes a pre-ESB Lando Calrissian for the players to interact with, it has a mystery investigation plot, rife with danger and finally it has an evil master-droid who may cause the death of everyone in the city unless the character's succeed in stopping it. A great adventure all around, and memorable to me in particular for the live-action Sabbacc game the module came with—as well as the now-legendary cheating of Harold Hugganut's player, Rick.

2. Otherspace

Aliens meets Star Wars. With recurring villains from other adventures (Bane Nothing, Zardra) and the very creepy Charon and their undead technology, this adventure really struck my fancy. Look here for my full review.

1. Tatooine Manhunt

The first, the best, the shaper of my conceptions of what a good Star Wars adventure should be. A romp through the back-yard of Episode-IV: The Cantina, The Dune Sea, Bounty-Hunters, Tusken Raiders, Lost Old-Republic Heroes. Yep. Its great, as I pointed out in my earlier review.

The Nagai, Part 2

The Nagai post turned out to be a lot longer than I had thought, so I'm continuing it in this one:

SOCIETY

Little is known about Nagai society. Even the last Ancient (recovered by the Republic) knew little about how his children had developed. The Nagai are capable of breeding, and they were 'matched' by the Ancients during the time that they lived in their utopian society. It is likely they have continued to breed since the overthrow of the ancients, but the total number of Nagai is believed to be relatively small. They were never raised in traditional family units, and it is unknown if anything of this sort has evolved over the years. All signs point to the Nagai operating as a collection of individuals, united only in their lust for power and blood—and under the control of a few exceptionally powerful personalities. Their predilection for and mastery of bladed weapons suggests they have firmly adopted a warrior philosophy—praising martial prowess, though there has been some evidence that they are highly hedonistic as well.

Reports also seem to suggest that Nagai can breed with other races. At least one 'half-breed' spy, now identified as a 'daughter' of Nom Anor, has been captured and it is unknown how many more of his progeny remain at large—or where their loyalties lie. Considering the Nagai's views on their own superiority, it is likely they would look down on such half-breeds.

TECHNOLOGY

The basis of Nagai technology—stolen from the Ancients—are various types of crystal. Depending on the type, they can function as circuitry, armor, generators, projectors, etc. Instead of constructing objects from these crystals, desired technology is actually 'grown' from them. All that is required seems to be raw materials and the correct 'programming' of a 'seed crystal'. From there, it slowly matures into the finished product. This can be anything from a hand-weapon to a massive starship.

The Nagai operate four major kinds of starships—starting with the gigantic, nearly moon-sized 'worldships' that form the core of their battlefleets and progressing down through Alpha-Class dreadnaughts (comparable in size to super star destroyers), Beta-Class cruisers (comparable in size to star destroyers) and Delta-Class frigates (comparable in size to most known Frigate designs). 

There are three major classes of small craft utilized as well. The 'Shard'-Class Fighter and 'Splinter' class heavy bomber as well as a multi-role interface shuttle (dubbed the 'Strider') that doubles on the ground as a combat walker and personnel transport.

All of the ships and vehicles mentioned above operate by means of a system of power crystals that function as engine, weapon-power and shields. In the early stages of the war against the Republic, the Nagai ship's unique power source and construction made them nearly invisible to standard sensors and fire-control systems. The power-emanations of these craft actually had a dampening effect on all known galactic shield technology—actually draining shield power from their enemies, leaving them even more vulnerable to attack. And to make matters even worse, these power cores could be used to interdict hyperspace travel. It is little wonder that Republic and Imperial vessels fared so poorly in the early stages of the war. Thankfully, with technical advice from the last of the Ancients, allied forces have been able to adapt both sensor and shield systems to function against the Nagai.

Capability-wise, Nagai capital ships are easily a match for two or more allied vessels of similar size in both durability and firepower. Where the Allied forces have the advantage is seemingly in the skill of their crews and pilots and in their superior coordination on a tactical level. The organization of the Nagai suggests that the 'individuality' of their commanders can sometimes lead to the breakdown of discipline and teamwork—especially in situations where they are reacting to attack rather than initiating it.

Despite the size of the Nagai fleet and army, there are actually very few Nagai—at least, by all reports. Most of the fighting in space and on the ground is done by several specially bred species—actually other genetic experiments of the Ancients, now perverted to the cause and service of the Nagai. These include the 'Alpha'-Class soldier—the commanders and elite warriors of the Nagai military. They are actually a conglomeration of numerous worm-like sub-organisms that combine into a hive mind and typically reside within a humanoid crystalline-armored 'shell'. Due to their unique physical composition, Alphas are highly resistant to damage. They have no vulnerable spots and are even capable of regeneration. Wounds do not seem to have any detrimental effect on them, though massive injury can cause the death of the colony. Alpha's possess average intelligence and have displayed some level of tactical ability when operating on their own.

On the ground, the Nagai rely upon hordes of 'Beta'-Class humanoids. These are reptilian creatures who are grown with crystal control circuits 'wired' into their brains. Under the command of an Alpha warrior, Betas can utilize complex ground tactics, including various forms of ranged weaponry (crystalline based, but about the equivalent of modern blaster technology). Typically, one Alpha will command a 'pack' of one hundred Betas. When not under direct control (or if their commander is taken out) a pack of Betas will revert to almost animalistic tendencies—abandoning tactics and ranged weaponry in favor of all-out, hand-to-hand assaults.

In space, fighter-pilots and ship crews consist of 'Beta-2'-Class humanoids, an apparently avian variant of the Beta reptilians. They seem to possess a greater intelligence than their ground counterparts, but are no less vicious or predatory in employing pack and swarm tactics to take down their enemies. It is believed that Beta-2's are controlled from Nagai capital ships, as very few are ever seen operating out of range of their mother-ships.

All of the genetic constructs above are bred in great numbers by the Nagai. Much like their crystalline technology, Alphas and Betas require only the 'raw materials' and some starting genetic seeds.  Entire new batches can be grown in months, if not weeks. Grisly discoveries on occupied worlds have shown that 'raw materials' often include the bodies of organic beings, throw into 'hatching pools'. 

Several forms of unique technology have been employed by the Nagai and their troops during the war thus far, these include the following:

Phase-shifting crystals. Essentially, these allow the user to teleport great distances (even from orbit to planetary surfaces) by opening a dimensional rift. The journey is painful, and ultimately harmful to those using it (scientists conjecture that more than a dozen 'shifts' would cause terminal damage in most life-forms). The Nagai made great use of these crystals in the early phases of the war, using them to teleport strike teams into secure locations—including a sneak attack against the Republic/Imperial/Corporate peace-treaty signing on Coruscant. Likewise, these crystals were used to break into the high-security Republic research facility holding the last of the Ancients. After the last round of attacks, however, the Republic believes it has discovered both hard and soft shielding techniques that can prevent such shifting.

Communication-crystals. The 'comlink' used by the Nagai, allowing instantaneous 'telepathic' communication within a range of several light-years. They have also been demonstrated to have a 'feedback' capability that can injure unauthorized users.

Shard-blades. The hand-weapons of the Nagai. Crystalline swords and knives of varying length and capability. In cutting power, they rival the lightsaber—employing a monofiliment edge that can cut through solid metal. They have been proven to be able to deflect blows from a lightsaber without sustaining damage in return.

Control-Crystals. Only recently discovered in recon missions to Nagai-occupied worlds, these skyscraper sized crystal towers are fired from orbit by larger Nagai vessels (Alpha Dreadnaughts or Worldships). They are generally deployed in highly urbanized areas, sinking into the midst of a city where they root themselves deeply. Control crystals generate a composite energy field that serves a shield generator and, over time, dampens the individual will of organic minds within its 1,000 km range. In the course of a week of constant exposure, most sentient beings are reduced to a docile and zombie-like state, easy to control and employ in basic labor (such as growing more crystalline or genetic technology). These towers have also demonstrated the ability to  fire an energy blast with an orbital range, thus making them quite able to defend themselves from bombardment. Republic theorists had long wondered how the Nagai were going to maintain control of the worlds they had captured without a huge garrison force. Unfortunately, these crystal towers provide control /without/ the employment of large numbers of troops.

FINAL NOTES:

As you can see from the above, my Nagai differ greatly from those presented in the comics. I freely stole various aspects from the Vong and other places to create what I thought would be a very big challenge for the Star Wars Galaxy. But thus far, despite the set-backs, the Republic (and my gaming group) have made headway against even these overwhelming odds. It makes me proud to see my players come up with novel ideas to overcome this foe. It also makes me happy as a GM to have created a race of beings that ARE bad ass enough that even epic level characters have to pause to consider. My shining moment came when one of the Jedi (Bob) sensed four Nagai approaching his position. That's it. Just four of them. His initial reaction was to say "oh shit". For a character who has taken down hundreds of stormtroopers (almost) single-handedly, to have this much respect for an enemy...well, it was gratifying. It was even more gratifying when Bob (who is often quite impulsive) remained in hiding and called in support... including AIR support. And yeah, that worked.