Re: Rules & Party Resources
Narrative Rules
Minions in Star Wars FFG are obstacles rather than genuine threats. They can slow you down and do some harm, but they are closer to props than characters. Thus, official new rule for dealing with minions in combat.
When you score advantages, threats, despair, or triumphs against them, you may dictate how they respond in a way that creates a benefit or neutralizes one of theirs. This doesn't have a lot of concrete impact, but it frees you up to add to the narrative.
EXAMPLE!
Lodo is manning the ship's gun turret and fires at the pursuing TIE fighters. His player rolls a triumph and a lot of presoak damage. He wants to inflict a critical, so his post reads as follows.
Lodo fired across the pursuing fighters' formation. He strikes one of the TIEs' port engine, sending it into a wide turn. Lodo switches to firing to the port side of the other fighter, causing the pilot to dodge right. The two TIEs collide, destroying one and damaging the other.
See? Same effects as ever, but now the player has created an interesting combat narrative.
EXAMPLE THE SECOND!
Lodo had created a chokepoint across a narrow bridge and was guarding it with a repeating blaster against the Stormtroopers on the other side. His player rolls a large amount of damage and two threats. His post looks like this:
Lodo sprayed fire at the bucketheads as they advanced. One was blasted and fell over the railings with a scream. The rest were invigorated rather than dismayed. Lodo shoots into the advancing Stormtroopers, but soon they are across the bridge. He draws his blade to meet them head-on.
Try to incorporate the general character of the minions in question in your writing. Some examples:
Stormtroopers are disciplined, dedicated, loyal, and unimaginative. They are heedless of danger, and easily tricked. Not exactly stupid, but they have had all creativity and initiative drilled out of them. They also have terrible peripheral vision.
Criminal gangsters and pirates are a different story entirely. They tend to be cruel, violent, individualistic glory-seekers. They have little interest in teamwork or tactics, and have fragile morale. Their gear is often scavenged, second-rate, or poorly repaired.
Warriors from low-technology groups vary a bit, but there are a few likely traits. They are brave, aggressive, and reckless. They are easily spooked by technology. Their fighting styles have elements of ceremony, with lots of battle cries and displays of courage.
Professional mercenaries are different from criminal gangsters or Imperial soldiers. They are disciplined and steadfast, but not reckless. They pay close attention to tactical situations like flanking, cover, and high ground. They will not readily retreat, but are slow to advance into danger. They tend to retreat or surrender when they believe they are losing a fight. They hate fighting against fanatics, including Rebels. It's a lot harder to predict what someone who is fighting for a cause rather than a paycheck will do.
