Cast and Crew Rehersal:

I am gratified that players are eager for their characters to get to know each and to be known.  So I am opening this thread for players to OPTIONALLY post here about their characters.

For now, I suggest:
Write just a paragraph or so about your character, what you think is important.
Don't worry about formal crew positions, just let others know what you are skilled at (or things you need help with).
Let me know what Connection to Other Players you are open to.  This is mandatory for some games but optional for mine.
Assume, for now, that, as a group, you have been fighting together for between a month to a year.  Any of you could have been fighting the Empire longer than that on your own.
In a sentence, your group is a combination of Rebel Agents and Rebel Sympathizers.  The closest real-world analogy would be similar to the French Resistance being aided by agents of the OSS or SOE during World War II.
The Rebel Alliance would like to secret the Jedi away on a remote world and let them train the next generation of Jedi.  But the Empire is so powerful that the Jedi have to be involved (they might fall to the Dark Side simply due to callous inaction) so the mobile academy is the best compromise yet.  Your characters are not necessarily members of the Rebel Alliance (even if you often work together), the Jedi believe that most Rebels (no matter how loyal) cannot resist the attention of a Sith Inquisitor for long.

You are not married to what you write here.  You can change it all later.  This is just to start crew bonding.

Let me start with a few NPCs...

DJ-3PO

DeeJay is a translator/protocol droid that served in a marketing and advocacy function.  She is polite, cooperative and utterly devoted to her crew.  She is unflaggingly optimistic.

She is owned by the Rebel Alliance but by the ship crew as a cover.  She has been modified and enhanced by the Rebels but, thanks to the same modifications, she couldn't tell you how except in an emergency.

One of her previous owners had a used landspeeder lot so DeeJay was designed with loudspeakers and flashing lights, a garish paint job and a few other loud modifications.  She does her best not to give in to her "Buy it Now, One Day Only!!!" impulses.

As far as Connections to Other Characters go, DeeJay is utterly friendly and devoted to her crew.  She feels particular empathy for those who cannot vocalize Basic as Humans do.  I would imagine she is fond of TwoOneBee as the only other droid on board...

Aalizaaryn  Hen'nin

Aalizaaryn ('Ali') is a Twi'lek who was sold into slavery along with her family after the Empire made such arrangements legal.  She has lost touch with her family and believes them dead.  Ali feels this makes her a pure instrument completely devoted to the destruction of the institution that destroyed her family and clan.

Ali has a modicum of Force ability but her main advantage is a quick wit which serves her well in interpersonal skills.  It is easy for Ali to have Connections to other Characters, she is quite approachable and cares about everyone.  She would have an affinity towards Shen as a fellow but familiar alien.  It is also good for a manager to be on good terms with a pilot.  She would also like the other aliens and the Jedi.

She does have one piece of special equipment, a 'gift' from a former owner.  It is a brief outfit made up of very tiny metal links that can to some degree deflect energy, it gives +1D of protection against blasters and lightsabers (only added when the damage roll is otherwise a mortally wounded or dead result) at no penalty to Dexterity.  The skimpy armor can be worn under clothing and is sized only for Ali or a similarly-sized female humanoid.  The slight ensemble brings back ambivalent memories for Ali and she wears it only when she might expect trouble.

(This is but one example of a piece of enhanced equipment each character is entitled to.  Feel free so suggest an imaginative item for your character if you wish.)

Zekk Vekarr

Zekk Vekarr meet Aalizaaryn Hen'nin over twelve years ago on Yelsain in the Minos Cluster. Twelve years is a long time to be on the run, and if it wasn't for Aalizaaryn 'Ali', Zekk would have been detained by the Imperials. He was having trouble 'smooth talking' his way out of a jam until Ali stepped in to help.

In Zekk, Ali saw someone that needed help to avoid Imperial entanglements. Afterward Zekk would reveal that he was an orphan. His uncle raised him and taught him all that he knows today. A bond was formed from the ashes the Empire left in its wake.

---

Zekk is a man with natural charm and reflexes. He has traveled with Aalizaaryn for the past twelve years, so anyone she meet would have also meet Zekk. He does withdraw for periods of time in the cargo hold. Ali knows that Zekk trains in the Force without prying eyes. Zekk would It is easy for other characters to have connections with him, especially those with sensitivity to the Force.

---

Additional Developments
-Zekk learned to understand Lekku from Ali. In addition, they spent some time together practicing their understanding of the Force, but we unable to teach each other their particular skills since both were new.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:29, Sun 20 Dec 2015.

21B

TwoOneBee is a Medical and Surgical Specialist Droid that joined the Rebel Alliance to help heal the Republic.  His basic story, is that his penultimate owners were a wealthy ITHORIAN family on the mid rim world of MYRRAS.  The droid was purchased to take care of their daughter, whose illness required daily medical attention and supervision.  Unfortunately the family was arrested for refusing to surrender their medical research to Imperial forces.  TwoOneBee reluctantly became the property of the Imperial forces.  Being a competent Medic is always In demand, so he was sent to an Imperial frigate.  He cleverly escaped a mind wipe by careful equivocation and the fact that droids are not known to be untruthful.  Eventually the Imperials obtained a prisoner, a badly injured Rebel who they wanted healed enough so they could be interrogated/tortured for information.  The Medical Droid realized this was against his basic programming of "doing no harm" so he instead helped the prisoner to escape in a life pod.  He has been a member of the Rebels ever since.

He is currently owned by Captain Ali who has given him the considerable latitude to do as he thinks best as the Captain seems to trust him completely.  TwoOneBee is quite honest and has never lied to anyone of the crew.  He is loyal, amiable, courteous, often verbose, curious, astute, and committed to the belief that all life is important, including non-organic life.  He is a very competent medic and very knowledgeable about alien cultures.

The rebels have helped him to override his pacifist programming to some degree, although he will not take another life he will defend himself or other members of the crew, if circumstances warrant it.  He still blames the Empire for taking him from his Ithorian family and secretly would like to find them, or find out what happened to them.  For some reason he is fascinated with the card game called Pazaak.

He values his association with Deejay quite highly.

TwoOneBee is open to connections with any member of the other characters.  He could have met, healed, been repaired or assisted almost anyone during his long term of activation.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:48, Sun 29 Nov 2015.

Nate is a quiet man, who doesn't show much by the way of emotion normally. He has an odd sense of humor, and a bad sense of timing with it. He is extremely anti Empire, due to the massacre of everyone in his home system by an Imperial "Pacification" force. He became a bounty hunter, which is how Nate met Celes a few years ago, and they decided to become partners. It wasn't long after that when he was approached by the Alliance. He doesn't know why Celes joined too, because he never asked, but since it keeps their partnership intact, he's glad she did. Nate is a likable guy, but withdrawn. Those who get close enough to him find that he is actually a caring man, but does his best to keep his distance emotionally.

Nate was forced to hide under the noses of the Imperial forces on his home world, and survive without support, essentially behind enemy lines until they left the system. This experience taught him that silence, and staying out of sight is the best way to stay alive, and following your gut is the best way to stay unseen. What he didn't learn was that his "gut" is his sensitivity to the Force. Nate is not trained at all in the use of the force, and is unaware that he can learn to use it, however; force users near him would be able to tell that he can learn.

Nate's 3 favorite tools of the trade are his heavy blaster pistol, a spool of Flex-5 Detonite tape (Rules of Engagement Rebel Alliance sourcebook pg 69), and darkness.

Nate would likely have connections with anyone who has a connection with Celes, unless that person hasn't been actively in contact with her within the last 3-5 years. I'm open to other connections.

Thuk is a Borduvian Shambler (heavy-G arboreal quadrimorphs), looking something like a starfish covered in dense grey fur, with four arms equilaterally distributed around a central body and head. It has a strong pack loyalty to all of the characters, with the Captain receiving the lion's share. Thuk is enormously strong and very tough, functions as muscle and walking forklift and despite his contempt for personal weapons is a good starship gunner.

Akiri

Akiri's notability to the Rebellion began with her defection along with certain other Imperial personnel who would not do a lot of talking about what they saw.  Though skilled, her most recent service to the Rebellion has been on lower level operations to prove her commitment and worth.  Though the Imperial Officer's uniform she has bears the name of Valiant, she does not answer to that name.

She is often quiet while off duty, preferring to quietly contemplate things near her bunk.  While she respects the entire crew, she is warmer than not to Zane as he facilitated her defection by offering transit.

Her grasp of the Force is rather tenuous, as she has had little formal training and she is not entirely aware of her gifts.

Orion Pax is running from something. He has an intense fire that burns in him like a candle that burns to quickly towards its own self destruction. He has a haunted look about him of a man that has seen too much death. Even so, he is still quick of wit with a certain aristocratic air about him.

His skillset suggests that he is just on of the many guns for hire that litter the galaxy with their presence. He is very quiet about his past. He claims that he has no one left that were his family or closest friends.

He is a recent member of the crew. Joining shortly after the destruction of the Death Star. Captain Aalizaaryn knows of his mysterious past saying that he is known to her since he was young child, but so far she has honored his past by saying no more.

He has been heard to say when asked about his past, "Let us not dwell in past, but talk about the future when the Empire is destroyed."

Folks, I am a little behind but I am glad to see you all making links to both my NPCs and your PCs.  This is something I love in games, the emergent game that is greater than the sum of us.

For now, let me say that I approve of all links I have seen so far, especially for my own NPCs.

I look forward to reading more... :-)

Shira is a teenage Ghostling girl. Born and raised on Datar, Shira was kidnapped from her homeworld by slavers to be an enslaved dancer. She was soon rescued by <a party member>. Once they were able to inform her family that she was all right, she stayed around, partially to help and partially for the chance to explore the galaxy.

Shira finds galactic society fascinating, and is very curious. Datar is well outside the galactic mainstream. Her inexperience with galactic society can make her naive sometimes. She is alert, graceful, good at talking and beautiful, but anything but a soldier (She isn't a pacifist, but is fragile and unsuited for battle. She gets a little embarrassed that she tends to dive for cover whenever a fight begins). She is force-sensitive, but unaware of it.

Shira is not ideologically committed to democracy (Datar is a monarchy) but is naturally in sympathy with the Rebellion.She is a free spirit with an instinctive sense of fair play. More to the point, she hates slavery, which the Empire tolerates and even encourages.

TwoOneBee sees a lot of Shira; ghostlings are fragile beings, and 21B often tends to her latest bumps and bruises.

(I also considered having Shira be a stowaway instead. Her character doesn't chance too much.)

Celes comes from colonial types. Meant to expand the Republic's reach further into the Outer Rim. The War didn't stop the plan, but it did mean they couldn't rely on outside help. Pirates raided supply ships. Then they raided towns. Celes's parents hid her, then died. She was taken in and raised by aliens. Peace returned to the Galaxy with the coming of the Empire.

When she was old enough, Celes joined the Imperial ranks. Wanted to make the Galaxy a better place, make sure the same thing that happened to her didn't happen again. Didn't work out that way. She left, and took to hunting bounties. That didn't work out serving justice either, thanks to monsters like Boba Fett and his kind ruining the profession. So now she's working to restore the Republic. While she's at it, she plans on restoring the Bounty Hunters' Guild to what it used to be. Maybe bring a little peace to some people who need it.

---

Celes could easily have made ties with any Empire-connected crewmembers during her time as an Imperial pilot, particularly Akiri. She met Nate when she took to hunting bounties. It's likely the pair of them went after the slavers to took Shira and ended up bringing her home, and then along with them. Whether it was because she's very persuasive or because she stowed away is an interesting question.

For some semblance of a timeline, Celes is in her late 20s now, and was in the Imperial military from ages 18-22ish, so she's been a bounty hunter for some five years. Associated with the Rebellion maybe six months or so.

Personality: A rebellious young man feels alive when he is living on the edge. A trickster, he loves to match his wits against whatever the universe has to offer. But for all his wild ways, deep down Vanz is seeking something to believe in, something that matters, something that makes sense of the universe the way computer code makes sense.

Background: Having grown up on Coruscant, Vanz has been under the oppressive thumb of the Empire his whole life. While life on Coruscant appears almost unchanged since the fall of the Republic, that is a lie. Anyone who opposes the emperor, even by resisting being a cog in his machine is in danger. Vanz learned early that to be free, he had to learn to live outside the system. Technically gifted, Vanz mastered the skills of a slicer at a young age and eventually made his way into the criminal underworld, and a chance to taste a bit of freedom.

Vanz has been recruited as a fledging Jedi. For the first time in a long time he has found some peace. He has always battled against the tyranny of the Empire, but now he sees a way to do it without becoming as bad as the evil he opposes.


Open to connections of all kinds.

Personality  At first sight, Zane appears to be a haunted man complete with the 1,000 yard stare. And for the first couple of years in the rim this may have been true, although after that it was mainly a facade to avoid getting hassled by drunkards.  Those that have contact with Zane before would really know that he's a bit loud, more than a bit reckless, and likes to joke around.  Although that could also be because a decent amount of the time he's also slightly inebriated.  Despite his profession and how he acts, you get the feeling that something doesn't quite add up.

Background
The Past: Not much is known about Zane's past.  Zane doesn't tend to bring it up for his own reasons.  There is at least one member in the group that knows about his past, and a couple of others that have bits of knowledge.  The Rebels leadership (at least those the characters deal with) are completely aware of his past.

The Last Decade: Zane has been floating around the Outer Rim.  A majority of the time was spent drinking his sorrows away in seedy bars and cantinas.  He spends the rest of his time working as a smuggler.  Running goods or other types of cargo as long as the price is right.  He generally uses other people's ships or even ships that are stolen to complete his work.  Zane also has a working relation with the Rebels and has done a large number of jobs for them over the years.  He's currently not interested in joining as he claims the pay is worse than what he currently makes.  He also has worked with the Imperials, but only as a front to smuggle those that wish to defect.

Connections <Open to more>
Akiri - Zane smuggled Akiri and a small group of defectors away from the Imperials.  He's had contact with her a few times during missions with the rebels afterwards.
Shen - Shen is currently Zane's favored mechanic.  He usually has the young Sullustan fix anything he's broken.  Zane also is highly amused by the fact that Shen doesn't seem to really get humor.
TwoOneBee - Needless to say, a good healthcare plan isn't usually something smugglers have.  This isn't one of those cases.  They also have have ongoing series of Pazaak games.

Ah, finally a little time to attend to this thread.  It is good to be able to do so.

In brief, I like all of what you have all proposed above.  I object to none of it, this post is just possible suggested refinements.  My NPCs Ali and DeeJay are still open to more connections.  And you can always offer some for your character.

Ali is great friends with Zekk, she may have taught him to read lekku (it takes magnified senses and extra time for a non-Twi'lek) and they could have trained in the Force together briefly before Ali reached the limit of her slight potential.

TwoOneBee and DeeJay would be natural friends, they are the only droids aboard and would feel a kinship.  Having been a slave, it would be very difficult for Ali to give TwoOneBee an order.  She might appear to do so if a convincing cover needs to be established but TwoOneBee would know it was merely acting.  It might be that Ali only gave one order to TwoOneBee (with his permission), essentially, 'don't obey any more orders'; making him technically free. Either way, Ali (and likely the rest of the crew) know not to argue with a competent medic.  TwoOneBee may know some replicants and have them as allies.

Ali would be very fond of Thuk as well and truly appreciates his unique Force-and-muscle skillset.  She would also teach him lekku-speak if he wishes.

Since Shira seems to be an out and proud member of the crew, I imagine that she could have started out as a stowaway but has been adopted by the crew.  This actually does make sense, young Force-users have to be protected but also trained.  If they are not protected by Jedi, they will be claimed by the Sith.  The very good Star Wars: Rebels is following similar arcs, with both Ezra being given shelter aboard the Ghost and the Sith actually trying to abduct Force-strong babies to make up the next generation of Sith.

What species of aliens was Celes raised by?  This answer is not critical but I can work the answer into the game maybe.

Vanz is from Courscant, fantastic!  I always thought a planet-sized city was one of the few unique elements of the prequels.  I will see what I can do about working some of Coruscant into the game.  It will be tough as that is the seat of Imperial power (but then, no one expected Luke to be raised in Darth' Vader's childhood home).

Zane is cool as is.  One neat hook is that, having worked with Imperials before, they may still trust him (and Akiri).  This could be a reason to pull an undercover infiltration mission (which, of course, will go wrong).

That's it for now.  I hope to add more later...

These are some pretty good characters. So far a recap of confirmed and suggested connections with Celes:

Nate Stryker - Business partner and fellow bounty hunter. Confirmed.

Shira - Rescued from slavers. Suggested.

Akiri - Former associate during time with the Empire. Suggested.

Could do with some more connections. Definitely open to some kind of connection with Ali. Maybe Celes and Nate were tracking Zane for some reason, but never caught him. I doubt there'd be any formal connection with Vanz, though Celes would both dislike him (for his undisciplined attitude) and respect him (for his skill and capability). Any ideas?

As for her upbringing, Celes was raised by trandoshans for over half her life. It was awkward, as one might imagine.

Akiri and Celes probably palled around in the Academy.  If nothing else 'the Academy' is always when things are light and the propaganda is easy to buy.

Akiri just didn't get out until later than Celes did, judging by that quick divergence away from the Imps in Celes's little entry there.

Celes could very well have been tracking Zane that's for sure. Her and Nate would definitely have a good reason to if they knew what happened... Then again I suppose bounty hunters don't actually need to or generally care to know what happened.  There are credits on the line and that's all that matters.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:02, Sun 20 Dec 2015.

I imagine Celes had a relatively brief stint with the Imperial Navy, maybe just going through the Academy and having a single tour of duty before deciding against re-enlisting. Which doesn't seem to be a thing most people do, or a choice most people get. Not sure. But she definitely didn't behave in a bridge-burny way, what with the reason she left in the first place. Didn't want to be branded a traitor or anything. Definitely time to get to know Akiri, and definitely left earlier. Their version of justice is pretty shady by her sense of ethics.

As for Zane, whether or not Celes could find out what he was really wanted for would depend on whether the sources were reliable. If it was really bad, she might still have a problem with him. If it was totally unjust, she might have been tracking him down specifically to help him escape that kind of heat (and cash in on it, girl's gotta eat).

And whether Nate knows Celes's motives depends on how he sees ethics and morality. She might put on a professional "kick ass and chew bubblegum" mask, or might full on let him know that she isn't into things like wanton murder of the innocent. Could go either way, depending on the personalities around her.

Nate is definitely all about real justice. His experience with Imperial "justice" killing everyone he knew demands no less. He is not very tolerant with people who simply throw around accusations, so he does a good deal of research on every target he takes, so that he doesn't end up sending an innocent up the river. Chances are that if Celes and he were looking at Zane as a potential target, he'd have discovered the truth, which means like Celes, if it's a bogus charge, he'd have been after helping Zane by making him "disappear" (disintegrations don't let you collect a bounty, but they do make people not look anymore).

All good thoughts, folks.  I like the growing connections.

Any connection with Ali would probably work with Celes (or with any other character).  Ali would automatically be impressed with anyone who rescued slaves.

In reply to Celes Varik (msg # 16):

That sounds like a good connection, although Zane suggested the same connection.

It looks like Nate has few connections.

Zane as a former "target".

Possibly Shira as a rescuee (I believe Zane said Akiri, though he also mentioned Shen, so it may have been a misread, Shira...regardless, Celes and Nate could have caught up to Zane while he was transporting you to safety, so it could still work with both).

And of course his partner, Celes.

The main thing that really holds Nate to the Alliance is simply loyalty, and that removing the Empire from power will assure justice in the galaxy...That and the fact that he can steal acquire plenty of demo on "supply runs".

To be fair, I wouldn't be surprised if everyone suggested that connection  (or thought about it).  Who doesn't want to rescue a slave to make them feel better about the bad things they do?

Or in the case of less morally gray people, make them feel better about... not giving money to charity? ...Maybe? I dunno... I suppose over hearing someone in the store saying they gave to charity can easily be one-upped by a " Oh yea, well I set a slave free.  What you got on that!?" And then they would drop a mic they inexplicably were carrying around for just such an occasion.

Who am I kidding, I don't know how "good" characters think or feel.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:53, Tue 22 Dec 2015.

Well, to be fair, I think any good person would rescue a slave just because it's the right thing to do, assuming they have the ability and opportunity.
I'm of the opinion that neutral/morally ambiguous people are just good people who can't reconcile their bad choices with considering themselves good, so they continue to make bad choices from time to time to justify not feeling like a good person. They would do the same as a good person, then to offset feeling like they have a shot at redemption would do the aforementioned mic drop.
Bad people on the other hand would carefully weigh whether rescuing the slave or leaving them to their fate would be of greater benefit to themselves.
That's just my .02 credits.

I suppose it might come down to just what you risked to rescue a slave.  I truly believe that the vast majority of sentiments in the Galaxy oppose slavery but aren't going to risk their lives to stop it.

Remember in the (sigh) prequels that Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan didn't just march into the Hutt's lair and say at saber-point, "Slavery is immoral and it ends now."  And remember young Anakin chiding his mother for both slaves not feeling sorry for the poor marooned princess (who is really an elected official if I understand that right).

I'm guessing that, as this is a game of heroes, when a character rescued slaves, it wasn't by signing petitions or wearing wristbands, it was by charging a hail of blaster fire and maybe Sith sabers.

Before my halo shines too brightly, let me say that I am appalled that there are still places on this Earth where women are 'legally' damn near property but I'm not going to wage a one-nerd war and risk my life to stop it.

One of my favorite quotes is; "A hero is someone who does the hard thing when no one else would blame them for doing the easy thing."

---

Exwhyzee (Pronounced XYZ) was born on the planet Kamino 36 years prior to the Battle of Yavin, originally designated Beta-0937 he proudly served in the Grand Army of the Republic and fought in the clone wars.

It was during this period of his life that things would drastically change for the clonetrooper.  Attached to Jedi Knight Vima-Da-Boda, is was during a mission that Order 66 was given and confirmed.  For a brief moment Beta-0937 started to comply, till his loyalty to the Jedi kicked in stronger than his loyalty to the Republic, Beta-0937 turned on his fellow troops, helping the Jedi escape. The two escaped the planet the Jedi severely wounded in the surprise attack, the two traveled together for three years before ending their journeys together on the 'Smugglers Moon' Nar Shaddaa.  Landing on the planet aboard a freighter Vima vanished into the Ecumenopolis leaving Exwhyzee with a message to make his own way in the world and thanking him for his friendship.

With a handful of credits, his clone trooper armor modified to be unrecognizable but still useful, Exwhyzee did what he knew best.  Becoming a gun for higher, first hired by a freighter captain working for a small mob boss, the boss turned on the captain and small crew leaving him and the captain jobless till they fell in with an up and coming boss. Reelo Baruk.

Reelo recognized the soldiers skill, and Exwhyzee was given his pick of jobs the crime boss needed to have done, generally leaving the Soldier to pick jobs that were less unsavory than most, generally dealing with security of shipments of weapons that were being sold to the nascent rebellion, or in dealing with other mob bosses that were trying to edge into Reelo's territory. It was during this time that at the age of 23, but physically 46 Exwhyzee managed with the help of a rogue Kaminoan have his genetic sequence altered to slow his aging down to a normal pace.

For several more years Exwhyzee was a trigger for Reelo earning his own reputation, with Exwhyzee saving up his credits till he could purchase a star fighter and astromech of his own.  Making sure it was a star fighter large enough to hold a hyperdrive so he could leave Nar Shaddaa when he wanted.  Naming it 'The Free Will' Exwhyzee did one final job for Reelo before leaving the planet for good.  Since then Exwhyzee has taken jobs when the need arises.

Born out of the Old Republic Exwhyzee dislikes the Empire, and Stormtroopers, he knows their tactics and protocols, and if they are in an area causing trouble, he will do what he can to unobtrusively help those that are liable targets for the Empire.  Loosly allied with the rebellion, he has been sought out numerous times to help in missions.

---

Anyone can feel free to inject themselves anywhere in this.. Exwhyzee is still a physically fit, albeit older man at this point.. in his 60's, he has the body of a man 20 years younger due to leading a physically fit life.  Personality wise Exwhyzee is a quite man, having lived a long life and seen much, he'll smile at a joke, but generally isn't one to quip or make light.

Grev Longtooth is a scout, more comfortable in the wilderness or unexplored worlds.  He seems to always be sharply in the present, with a cunning gleam in his green eyes.

I'm open to many connections.  I was thinkin that he and Celes could possibly have met when one of her hunts had taen her to a fringe world.  A sort-of twisted red-riding hood story, where it was the woodsman that was evil (her bounty) and the wolf (Grev) that was good, if uncomfortably predator seeming.  With her trademark red armor, Grev would often end-up calling her "Red".

Other connections welcome.

In reply to Grev Longtooth (msg # 28):

Hmm, if he often goes to little-traveled worlds, he might have actually gone to Datar at some point.

Depending on the time-frame, if Celes met Grev during a hunt, he would have met Nate too. I'm going to leave that up to Celes, since Nate is a silent-but-deadly partner.

I imagine Celes and Nate may have run across XYZ during his time with Reelo Baruk. If he was a trigger man, he may have been going after someone with a significant bounty on their head and crossed paths with the other two, their job to arrest and his job to kill. Up to you how that turned out.

As for Grev, I can definitely see Celes and Nate ending up on a fringe world and getting Grev's help to take down an evil survivalist type.

He spends a fair amount of time on little traveled to unexplored worlds.  Both for a living, and for pleassure.  Datar would be just one of many.  There could potential (with GM approval) even be an "unexplored" relocation planet.  Where the bounties that are against Celes ethics get a new start, hidden away on an unknown fringe world that Grev discovered.  Crtainly not an easy life, but off the Empires grid, and away from civilization they could start life again without their previous troubles.

Okay, Celes, Nate, Shira, let's work on those connections.  What's your thinking on them, for back-story?

I'm intrigued by this "secret safeworld" idea. Also I don't know if we ever decided for sure whether or not Celes and Nate helped Shira. Having thoughts.

So Celes ditches the Empire and goes into bounty hunting. It turns out to be awful too, but she figures she can clean up the profession by making choices. Starts off only going after truly awful bounties, but is forced to start going after less bad ones because of credits and circumstances. Runs into Grev on an isolated world, they have a Red Riding Hood adventure taking down an evil "woodsman". Celes gives Grev a lift offworld and he starts to see the wider Galaxy. Celes starts taking the less-bad bounties to Grev's old planet for a fresh start, while taking back "proof" that they're dead, racks up a reputation.

She runs into Nate and partners up, not quite telling him that she rescues people and takes them to a safeworld, also doesn't open up about her reputation being mostly a lie. Eventually they go after slavers, rescuing Shira in the process, and give her a lift back home to Datar, and maybe having some kind of mini-adventure there together. Celes and Nate leave the planet, Shira stows away, because of course she does. Grev continues his exploration of the wider Galaxy, and they run into each other again working for the Rebellion, because of course they do.

I don't really feel super cozy writing for other people, so that mostly focuses on Celes's perspective and what it's sounded like so far. Wanna squeeze in more Shira, more Nate, and more Grev perspectives. Also kinda wanna squeeze in more Zane. Also kinda wanna figure out if Nate would find out about Celes's safeworld, or if he'd be under the impression she's as cold and professional as she pretends.

Hmmm, heard my name mentioned, what are we talking about?

Deciding and then locking down character connections. There've been proposed connections with Celes, Nate, Shira, Akiri, Grev, and Zane. I was just wondering if we could web those together like Smallville or Fiasco characters. Pitched some ideas, but need more input from the rest of ya.

In reply to Celes Varik (msg # 34):

That should work for me! Shira could be a stowaway or stay out of gratitude.
I'm not sure there's many advetures to be had on Datar, since it's gentle enough for Ghostlings to survive there.

I have established Shira kept her slavegirl outfit (she collects outfits), for future use as a disguise and to remember her rescue.
Speaking of outfits, any particular places our group has been together?
This message was last edited by the player at 02:18, Mon 11 Jan 2016.

In reply to Celes Varik (msg # 34):

Okay.  Grev ended up on the unexplored world because the frieghter he was taking to another fringe world crash landed.  He set up a shelter some 30' up a tree related the the trees on Kashyyk, and started to explore the world around him.  Some few days later, he started coming across signs of another denisen.  He would come to know her as Grandmother Yaga (a former Jedi who had spent significant time with the Witches of Dathomere.  When the purge came she disappeared to this world, shifting during the exile between light and dark, mostly occuopying a grey area inbetween)  Few interactions they had, and mostly left each other alone.  Some few months later, another person came to the world.  He smelled of machine and flesh.  And Grev tracked him unobserved, seeing the half-cybernetic and unbalanced individual carrying a vibroax.  Grev carefully rationed his blaster rifle ammo, he planned hiis next courses of action.  It was then that a third visitor to this world appeared (Celes Varik).  After obsering her progress for awhile, he approached and spoke with her, proposing a deal.  Information & assistance in exchange for a trip off-world with a split in the material profits.

I imagine that Celes would have kept Nate in the dark about the safe-world for a while, but over the course of their teamwork, she'd have come to trust him, and know him enough to let him in on the secret. At that point, she'd know that it would only raise his opinion of her as a professional, and as a person. Nate doesn't keep many secrets from those he trusts, but he also doesn't speak much, so although he'd be much more free with his tongue around her, he wouldn't be opening up much around others.
With this scenario, I don't think that he and Grev would have had many conversations, and would only know each-other primarily by rep, and through Celes.
Given the circumstances of Shira's rescue/escape, Nate would have opened up to her more than most, but probably not as much as Celes, because of their partnership.

PS, I like the Baba Yaga refference.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:27, Tue 12 Jan 2016.

I could join in too. I think I would fit in well as a giant cat alien.

My character is a togorian ex-mercenary. His mercenary group betrayed him and his Jedi friend and pretty much sold her to the Empire. Now he is looking to get revenge and also rescue his Jedi friend.

That's the short version. I have a much longer version too if you are interested.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:47, Tue 12 Jan 2016.

thanks.  Seemed like it would add something interesting.  Waiting for Celes and Shira to respond.

Could well be that Nate and Grev only know each other by reputation.  Given that they both tend towards less public-eye pursuits, that's not much to go on.  *L*  I'm thinking Grev might be "new" to the crew, perhaps having come on after meeting Celes again at some place or other, and seeing an opportunity to pay-off his Debt by profits gained in opportunities generated.

In reply to Nate Stryker (msg # 39):

Sounds good! Shira can be a chatterbox sometimes, so she would be an interesting friend for the more taciturn Nate.

In reply to Grev Longtooth (msg # 41):

Sorry, I missed what I was supposed to respond to. What was it?

The Rebellion does have safe worlds, possibly one that has young Force-sensitive children if it helps.  Feel free develop any ideas if you wish. :-)

Heh. Another Jedi. They seem more common after the Purge than before. XD Other than that, it seems like a story we could definitely use.



Ooo. I was just thinking of having a way to cash in on innocent bounties by "killing" them and taking them someplace safe where they can live out their days in peace. Including that, or a place like it, as a potential Rebel base for training new Force-sensitive kids sounds like a really good idea.

If none of you are watching Star Wars: Rebels, let me heartily recommend it now.  It is written like the best of Disney (and maybe Pixar), something children can enjoy and adults can appreciate.

Very Minor Spoiler:  At one point in the second season, it turns out the Sith Inquisitors are looking for promising Force-sensitive children (in the show, the two prospects are toddlers for their species).  The Sith want to corrupt them and the Rebels want to take them to a safe world.

The very logical idea of Force-sensitive children being the most powerful weapons (true enough) and constantly fought over appeals to me.  It certainly raises some interesting questions:

1.  Are most Sith really just former abducted and brainwashed children.  Are they victims?  Can they ever be redeemed.

2.  Can a Force-sensitive child be allowed not to be a Jedi?  Or are they something like your average X-Men or Elsa from Frozen, absolutely dangerous without training?

In reply to That Old Fossil (msg # 46):

Well, the expanded universe had answers to those, but since the replaced it with some garbage new continuity, I can't say.

*Pouts Childishly*
This message was last edited by the player at 06:12, Sun 24 Jan 2016.

*poke pokes Shira* You are a silly bean child. :P

The expanded universe answers to those are still just as valid as they ever were, assuming we're using the expanded universe concepts for this game. I'm assuming we are, since that's literally everything we have to work with. Personally, I'm still astounded we have so many Force users in one place (the crew), plus we've found three more Force users elsewhere (the girl and the people on the herdship). For a time when they're supposed to be super rare, there's a higher concentration of them here than anywhere during the height of the Order. XD Must be the Force at work.

1) Most Jedi are abducted and brainwashed children. Most Sith appear to be disenfranchised youth or disillusioned Jedi, slowly turned to the Dark Side by promises of power or realizations of instant gratification. I think the Sith getting to train them from childhood is exceedingly rare overall (like the Sith themselves, I mean they're only allowed to have two at once). During the Empire era, there aren't supposed to be a /lot/ of Force users in the Empire. Most are either so weak they're worthless and killed, or they're defiant and arrogant and killed, or they're turned from teenage or mid-20sish, or they were turned directly from the Jedi Order. I can only think of one full on abducted child, and that's Galen Marek from the Force Unleashed.

2) Force-sensitive children, far as I was aware, are either in one of the Force-using traditions (if not the Jedi, than one of the culture-specific ones), or the Jedi sever their connection to the Force to keep them from accidentally killing everyone. Whether by losing control of their powers or gaining control of them, children strong in the Force are potentially incredibly dangerous without the teachings of the Jedi.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to point out that until Star Wars 2nd Edition came out and codified the idea of being "Force Sensitive", literally anyone could become a Jedi through training and dedication. Han could've joined Luke in his training with Old Ben, but chose not to. It wasn't until the RPG decided you had to be special that the rest of the continuity followed suit. ... And then the prequels said a bad word we don't repeat here because of the children.

The point is that Luke is supposed to be stupidly strong in the Force, but there was never even any indication of that until Old Ben decided to train him. He was 18 and nothing weird ever happened to him, and he's supposed to have the most Force potential in the Galaxy by that time. It is perfectly reasonable to just say that Force-sensitive kids pose absolutely no danger, and may never even realize how strong they are with the Force unless someone who can sense it tells them. That idea would fit right along with the films, while the concept that they could accidentally ruin everything would go along with the EU. It all depends on what you need.

Or in the case of the empire. Sith Inquisitors were to either turn a child that had any force aptitude or to eliminate them so they could never grow into a threat to Palpatine or the Empire.

Regarding the EU, I am not against it per se.  But the problems are the EU is too vast for a newcomer (such as myself), would sometimes contradict itself (why was a particular galaxy-shattering element only in one novel) and sometimes frankly terrible (The Sun Crusher, a starfighter that can destroy a sun and can't be stopped, makes a Death Star seem silly).

Yet, as mentioned, the EU is really all we have to use as mortar for the few solid bricks of the Star Wars movies.   But at the same time, I am somewhat disappointed in the revelations of the The Force Awakens.  It seems nothing has really changed, the new heavies are basically the Empire with another name and there is even a goofy new Death Star.  So we will have to pick and choose what works for us from the EU and discard (or just plain ignore) what doesn't.

As far as just how many Jedi are on your boat; early in the planning stages of the game, the players decided on a rouge Jedi concept.  So there had to be lots of Jedi.  And I didn't want to tell any player they couldn't be a Jedi.

Besides, the term Jedi is really a misnomer (I just hate both the length and imprecision of the 'official' WEG term 'Force-sensitive').  I have always thought a Jedi was that actual title given to someone with a true mastery of the Force, somewhere around 7D to start with.  Your characters might make 3D with a careful build, you are effectively aging padawans without a master.  This is not a criticism by any means, you are as cool as a starting character can be.

But from the Empire's POV, you all are not quite at the level of Jedi--Kill It! yet.  Instead, you are at the level of wildflowers, a free-range resource that can be harvested with just a little effort.  Think of Luke in Empire, Palpatine and Vader were not trying to kill him but turn him.  And that persisted until ROTJ, until Luke finally and undeniably resisted the call of the Dark Side.  And then the plan became 'cook Blondie with lightning (and why is my servant hanging back?)'.

In any case, your characters are quite rare.  The Galaxy has trillions, if not quadrillions of sentients.  Even if you guys are literally 'one in a trillion', there can still be a relatively high number of you.  And your small number is the best result of decades of searching by both y'all and the Rebellion.

As far as Jedi moppets go, I don't know what happens if they aren't trained, do they gain in power but not control, or does the 'call' to the Force just die?  It does seem that Jedi training is quite drastic, you basically leave your family for good.  It is not merely school but a kind of priesthood.  That is gonna cause resentment and other Dark Side fodder.

This raises a question to my mind, are the Jedi, as an order, flawed?  Was their downfall solely due to the sheer brilliance of the Sith.  Or did their tendency towards denial doom them?  That is to say, would the Jedi do better dealing with passions rather than suppressing them?

Basically, as I see it, Jedi were flawed.  They surpressed their emotions, and thus could not control them when they became too strongly emotional.  But more importantly, the Jedi were special forces, meant to maintain the Republic at nearly any cost.  Their only restriction was that they weren't supposed to kill.  Altering minds, remmoving limbs, intimidation, these were all used in the movies with no moral poblem from the Jedi.  They were in essence, the Power behind the Republic as much as the means of maintaining that power.  Palpatine simply out maneuverd them, exsposed their weakness, then capitolized on it.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:42, Mon 25 Jan 2016.

Far as I can tell, the D6 RPG assumes that you're at Knight level if you have 3D in the three basic Force skills. Every book alluded to the idea that there were more Force skills, but I never saw any in the sourcebooks. In the Tales of the Jedi sourcebook, there are some rules on making and playing full Jedi or Sith lords, and those templates start with 1D in Force skills that you can bump up to 3D. It seems weird to me.



I can dig that. Just seemed odd we'd gather so many in one place deliberately, and then still come across more accidentally. But in Ben's experience there's no such thing as luck.



Again, look at Luke. He kept his potential, but didn't go all Harry Potter and make stuff happen accidentally. And look at Anakin, the single most powerful Force user in history. He was almost a teenager and hadn't done anything more than learn how to chariot race at 700 kph without dying.





Grev's got some good points in there. My own thoughts are similar. Even just watching the films, it /felt/ clear to me (even though Lucas said I was way off base) that the Jedi were straight up wrong all the time. Everything they did seemed to be based on fear and a desire to maintain control and power. Windu kept talking about "the Code" like there was some established Jedi Code that we were expected to know, even though Lucas made it clear that no EU stuff was official unless it was directly referred to. So I'd like to read the official Jedi Code, but can't because there isn't one. Sounds like the Jedi were just reaching for something to justify bad decisions.

The things Grev is talking about are, for the most part, done by a guy everyone says the Council doesn't like because he breaks rules all the time. Sadly, we never once got to see a well-behaved Jedi actually doing anything. Everyone the shows follow are rebels. Qui-Gon was an example of a rule-breaker. Casual abuse of the Force was considered not okay, but he did it left and right. Removing limbs was actual Jedi philosophy, in that if someone could be kept alive at the loss of a limb, it was better than just murdering them. And only Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon did any intimidation, but again, troublemakers.

My line of thinking is that all their decisions we got to see in the films were just horrible: no, you can't train the single most powerful Force user in existence to use his power responsibly, send him back. No, you can't have a girlfriend and be happy, you need to feel pressured to either suppress your feelings (have you met teenagers?) or be secretive and untrusting. No, you must spy on this really shady guy in a high position of power for us, and no, we won't be giving you any recognition for being capable of handling the task. No, we won't be open to listening to your concerns about anything ever.

In Expanded Universe stuff that I've read, the Jedi were way more open in the days of the Old Republic than they were during the Rise of the Empire era. Marriage was allowed, you were expected to talk to people and could express your emotions, so long as you didn't let them rule you.

Ever read up on Vulcan philosophy in Star Trek? Same deal: by the time of the Star Trek shows, Vulcans have decided to just repress emotion entirely and claim not to feel it, but the original teachings were to /control/ emotions, feeling them and letting them be as much a guide as logic, while not letting either one take over completely. Use all available input, rather than shutting out half of it. The Jedi evidently took the same track, allowing emotion but eventually demonizing it and everything else as a "path to the Dark Side".

So yeah. They went stupid and paid the price.

I would argue that sending a Jedi to "negotiate" or on a "diplmatic" mission was much lik sending a mobster.  Yes, they were being "diplomatic", but the threat oftheir presence and powers was ever-present.  I would also argue that Neither Obi-wan, not Quigon were as disliked as appearances might have been.  They were specifically chosen for very important missions, with the knowledge of what they were capable of.  I believe their training was morre about loyalty and control (both of their powers, and of the Jedi Council controlling the individual Jedi), than about a specific quasi-religious doctrine.  Even slavery was tolerated, so long as the order of the Republic, with its condescention to the appearance of free will was maintained.  Anakins' mother could have been purchased by the Jedi and kept safe.  But they id not care what happened to her, only about aquiring another force-user to increase their ranks.

In reply to Grev Longtooth (msg # 53):

Or, y'know, like sending a cop. Which is what Jedi are, basically; supercops. It's also why slavery on Tattoine is not their problem; they are outside their jurisdiction.
Qui-gon and obi wan are selected by the Supreme chancellor, not by the Jedi council. And Qui-gon's maverick reputation is well earned. Just in Episode 1, we see him specifically tell the council that he's training Anakin, regardless of what they want.

I don't quite think that's comparable. Jedi are scholars and diplomats as well as warriors and superheroes. When you really really want to sent a skilled negotiator, you send a Jedi. They're... well.



That. :P

The Jedi /couldn't/ buy Shmi. That was the thing. They had no money that was good outside the Republic. Also slavery was a cultural norm on Tatooine, though illegal in Republic space, and the Jedi weren't there to instill the Republic's views on unaffiliated cultures. They can't just go and dictate their culture onto other people, since that would be wrong even if they felt it was the right thing to do. There are some analogies to real world politics and diplomacy, and how diplomats behave in other countries.

Thankfully by the time EU rolled around in a timeline, separate or not, the "code" is dead.  Extinct and 100% forgotten by all.  Allowing Luke Skywalker to do the only manly thing he ever did in his life. Which was get married to Mara Jade, the Emperor's super assassin, that was tasked with killing him.

Don't mind the jab at Skywalker, through out the movies and all of the books I've just found him to be insufferable.  Having spent literally all of his time in the novels (and one and a half movies) proving that he's got less soul and emotional range than a droid that's fresh off a memory wipe.

Now, now, don't be coy.  Let us know how you really feel about Luke. :-)

I will agree that Mara Jade was one of the best things to crawl from the EU.

Thank you all for your thoughts on the Jedi, all varied and valid perspectives.  I would say this for now (as I am a little rushed tonight); heroism is overcoming temptation, not simply not being tempted.  Luke had to risk being tempted by the Dark Side before he could be victorious.  So it looks like the Jedi are just nervous nannies. :-)

Indeed. Jedi don't want heroes, as Yoda made a point of during Empire. The Jedi want people to do their damn job. That job just happens to be mediating peace between people, and ending conflict quickly when it arises. They're police monks. That job just happens to spread stories of superhero ninja samurai monk knights.

What do you wanna bet the younglings in the temple sometimes read comics about Jedi? :P

Any suggestions about Sniv? Nate could accept the surrender, and put him in binders, for us to deal with later, or just ko/kill him and take off? From Nate's perspective, I'm torn, since the guy seems to be a decent (if cowardly guy - not alliance material), but he's also an imperial officer, and who knows how many atrocities have been committed because of his orders (again, may have been because he's too cowardly to refuse to give them).

Personally I think we should let him live (no surprise I'm sure) we are supposed to be the good guys after all.  I'd accept his surrender, it could be he wants out just like some of us once did.  Tie him up and if need be maroon him somewhere later.  He might be useful to get us out of here.  I don't think him promising no pursuit will help much.  Imperial types aren't known for keeping their word.  Most importantly, if he does escape well he's not that competent an officer honestly and he'd be more helpful to us if he lived to lead the Imperial forces lol.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:18, Thu 28 Jan 2016.

Well, no matter what we do, we'll be marked as will our ship by the empire.  Either for kidnapping, or for like 9 cases of murder instead of 8 (or however many Stormies we've taken out already).

Good thoughts on what to do with prisoners (and how it defines your party) in both this and the Cantina OOC thread.  To help mesh our thoughts, I have put a reply to both threads in that thread.