Given my current circumstances, I can't complain too loudly. Kids are still alive and well enough, though the things they've lost out on over the last 12 months they'll never get back. My work has been insanely busy. But unlike some in industries that have been more significantly impacted by COVID, I'm still employed, so no real complaints there. I search for the silver linings every day of the pandemic, and I've discovered quite a few. It's still been an overall negative, but little positives have softened the blow of the big negative.

My theory, though, is that dogs somehow manufactured this thing. My doggos have never been happier. They are now the most spoiled creatures on earth.

I agree about the dogs, but I think they may have been in collusion with the cats. My furry ones are very happy to have a lap to sleep on while I work from home.

Of all the negative things that happened with Covid, my silver lining is that my bosses have seen that I can work remotely without an issue. That being the case I am going to be relocating in May. I am leaving the Wet Coast and heading east to New Brunswick.

If you're right, it may signal the end times.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmzuRXLzqKk

Geez, I should find a way to get RPOL to notify me when folks post.

2020 was really good to me, 2021 is looking better (but trickier). Hopefully our luck as a family will keep up. (salutes Kal in keeping children safe)

Interesting that you folks are still around! I just started to get my 3 older children into WoD - Mage. Actually came on here to find out how to host their character sheets... I remember an online place where we used to keep some...

Mirax, what in heavens was the dream job??

----

Are you guys playing any games? Did you want me to start something up..? If so, what would it be?

I'm playing some Pathfinder 2e.
I'd love to have you run a game of almost anything!
Glad you and yours are doing well!

Good god, I was looking for a thumbs-up to like your post. Can you tell I haven't been on RPOL in a while?!

I just had a 17th level game die out about two weeks before it got started, so that's kind of a bummer. Had a monster tech specialist/hacker ready to go with her own HWK-290 and everything. RIP, lol.

Air Traffic Control, up in Canada.  They still seem to have it in their heads up in the head office that traffic will take years to return, when thr FAA is already recalling trainees and air traffic in North America is already back to 2019 levels.  Thats an average for North America, which includes a shut down Canada - so basically, the States is up by an appreciable percentage, and we will be the moment the gates open.

Blah.

Anyway, I'm down for a game!  Don't have any familiarity with anything other than Saga though.

Games for me have mostly been freeform as of late, mostly because I work full time now at a hospital. Put in a bid for permanent full time, so I'd have a pretty full schedule, but nothing too unreasonable.

That said, game wise, the one that stood out the most for me was a SAO game that was semi-freeform. The GM ran all the mechanics behind the scene, but it was way too much for one person and it died out.

I'd be down for anything. If it's going to need books, I may need hunt down pdf's or the like, depending on what's decided on.

Like the others, I would be happy to join just about anything. Glad to see most of the crew is still around and active!

Hey! I applied for that job *years* ago..! Loved the math under pressure aspect of it... LOL -- good luck, hopefully they'll get going again soon.

To Everyone:

I've been working on a Mando game concept, where the Clans are splintered between an Imperial-controlled Mandalore clan that wants to keep the power in the current Mandalore's hands, vs the other clans trying to get back to the old ways, where the Mandalore works for the clans, and not the clans for the Mandalore.

We could also pick-up where we left off in this game.

I'm an old EU Mando/Republic Commando chad. Please please please, lol

That being said, I just want to get some Saga time in, ya know? I can pick this game back up, or I'm totally down for a new game.

Definitely an EU/'Legends'/Classic Star Wars person myself.  If it's a choice between that and anything involving Disney's canon, I'll take the former everytime.  The Mandalorian was excellent... but it treads that line close, heh.

Alterverses and such are basically the EU at this point, so that'd get my vote.  Doesn't have to mean we continue this game, but it'd get my vote.

Also, while the Mando idea is neat, I've personally thought Mandalorians are best used in moderation, like one member of a player party or some NPC interactions now and then.  Focusing entirely on the Mandalorians forces you to pick which sort of Mando Lore you like, since even before Disney came to the party there were two schools - the Warrior Way, as shown in the EU post-NJO books with Boba becoming Mandalore... and the Clone Wars, weird Aristocratic society thing that Clone Wars turned them into.  Really wasn't my cup of tea to basically have the classic 'honorbound Mandos' turned into the evil Deathwatch and led by whoever holds the dumbest Star Wars artifact around.

But, I recognize there's folks that enjoy it, and honestly it's good stuff.  Just doesn't feel like Mandalorians to me.  I feel like it would've been better as their own thing, rather than making them Mandos to draw on the Fett cred.

....

Long rant over - honestly I'll go with whatever gets us a Star Wars game in the end.  I have characters that can work for either scenario, and I *do* love me some Mando stuff.  I also know you, Darkside, and I know you know what you're doing.  The Mando concept actually does sound good, and my rant isn't directed at that but well, just me being a bitter classic SW fan, haha.  The character I play in that one would definitely be down to kick some Imperial-appointed Mandalore's ass.

Mando:

I want to get back to the older Mando roots, vs "this is the way" we saw from the Mandalorian. While I enjoyed the Mandalorian, it came dangerously close at getting annoying. Luckily, they brought out the other Mandos, and had him soften his stance.

I was actually planning on redrawing the Mando closer to RotJ, with imperial remnants still exerting power over certain systems, with the Alliance having to dismantle things.

---

Game Vote:

What I'll do, I guess... is write an intro to the Mando scenario I was thinking of. Basing myself on the ancient (now extinct) race that gave us the Mando'a Creed, etc. I'm also a Poli Sci/History buff, and I like stories where people have to choose a camp (good or bad), and then re-evaluate.

And I'll also "recap" where we are in this game.

Then we'll put it to a vote..?

How's Level 10 for everyone?

So by going back to the older Mando roots, you mean more akin to the EU than what Bo Katan & Co want to restore - that being... king of a normalish aristocratic world?  Or whatever.

I could get behind it though.

Anyway, a vote works for me if you like.  I'm gonna have to seriously refresh myself with Saga but that shouldn't be *too* much trouble.  The books are in storage but I think I have PDFs somewhere...

Regarding level 10... at what level do the Prestige Classes kick in?  Is it like level 6 where you can first take levels in one I think?  Or 7?  Can't remember.

I haven't seen anything of the Mandalorian. Not a slice.

As for a game, I'm down, but I'd be flying blind on any actual lore-related stuff and the likes. I'm down to do what I can and to be involved, but it's a long shot for me to be able to really follow along with anything story-wise.

I do like the game premise though, what with re-evaluating choices and sides.

Well, if the timeline is ROTJ or just post ROTJ, then the Mandos can be classified in two categories: Bounty Hunters/Mercenaries, or farmers and former slaves.  My memory's not great but during the Empire, Mandalore was basically strip mined by the Empire, its people largely sold into slavery, while the Mando warriors that weren't there during the occupation made their own way, like Boba Fett and such (though most view him as a sort of 'fake' Mandalorian; dude didn't even have proper Beskar armor).

From the sounds of it, our GM's aiming more for Classic than New Disney, so I can hopefully help with any Lore stuff.

Dibs on the Blademaster though, if we go that route.  Otherwise, happy to continue with Mirax!

Heck no... it was a clan-elected Mandalore, the clans came together, and chose a Mandalore. This is old old old stuff... I don't exactly remember where I read that, but it was around the time Timothy Zahn wrote stuff.

Clans were family clans, so most folks would be around Grandpa as the clan head, respecting their elders, some would push Grandpa off a cliff, and force a vote for the clan leadership; but clan leaders chose a Mandalore  (when one was needed), there were periods that had no Mandalore at all.

Normally, one was chosen when the need was dire, and that someone managed to impress the clans to unify towards a common goal.



I don't remember exactly either, I'm as rusty as you folks! LOL



I provide the lore, there was very little written about the Mandos to begin with, and I won't be using Disney.

Mirax would be correct that at the time of RotJ, we'd have Mercs or farmers/slaves... and yes the planet Madalore was also raped for its resources by the Empire.

If we go Mando, I'm not expecting everyone to be Mando..

Mando is a state of mind and a way of life...

In reply to Eso Terra (msg # 33):

This is the big thing to take away from the EU stuff that I don't think the Disney stuff really takes advantage of or mentions.

It's a creed, not a people so to speak.

Ummm. Odd question: what would you folks think of a starfighter game?

I mean, I'd be down for it.  Tried to run one a while back, but didn't have the time nor the GMing chops, heh.

In reply to Tervax (msg # 35):

I also have this to say:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kTNbfHMlv4

I guess that depends on how rule-heavy you'd want to go. I can imagine various starfighter rules can require a lot of rolls and that doesn't seem ideal for RPOL. If more narrative/story-based, it could be a lot of fun. I thoroughly enjoyed the X-Wing books written by Stackpole back in the day.

This was the main problem I ran into.  There's a lot of rolls involved and, most importantly, it's all grid-based, so you have to do a lot of map shenanigans.  I'd love a Starfighter game, but space combat in Saga always felt best done more narratively, with rolls and skill checks spliced in rather than using the grid section, at least when doing it on RPOL.

Could definitely be made to work though.  As Kal says the X-Wing novels are awesome fun.

Yub-yub, Commander.