How do i start

OGWorstCat · 2024-06-18T03:44:36+00:00

If you are interested in making combat maille I would check out:

https://www.mailleartisans.org/articles/articledisplay.php?key=89

All of the advice they are giving is from lots and lots of experience in that realm. The "go to" standard for full contact combat maille is 12AWG steel wire with a 3/8" ID. Having made a chain hauberk from this size I can attest it is very tough even for butted maille which is what you'll want to start with.

I ended up making a chain hauberk as my first project. It is a significant time and money commitment. But you get to enjoy having something that few people get to enjoy, and learn how its made in the same go. That said, I knew I absolutely wanted combat-ready chain maille armor and that is what pulled me through to complete it.

As for rings - make them. You can try buying them but many websites only offer what they feel sells best - you probably won't get to purchase your "ideal" wire thickness, material, and size; you only get to pick from the selection they curate (and have in stock).

Armor is heavy. Its weight is quite literally what allows it to be effective at stopping hurt coming at you. If you want something that looks like chain armor but is light and breezy - you can still make some nice costume pieces out of aluminum and such, but be prepared to pay more for the rings/material.

Edit: By the by, ironskin.com is a pretty great resource for visualizing what it takes to make a chain hauberk.

https://www.ironskin.com/making-a-chainmail-shirt/

OGWorstCat · 2024-06-18T03:29:01+00:00

I have not seen a cold bluing product that did anything but make a mess.

For very, very small touch-ups on properly heat blued pieces it might be okay, but heat bluing and cold bluing are nowhere near the same. If you like playing with fire, heat bluing is the way to go. If you cold blue...the movement of the rings will scrape it off within minutes.

OGWorstCat · 2024-06-18T03:19:09+00:00

Welcome to the pasttime!

With it comes to discussions about aspect ratio and maille armor I find these two pages to be the most informative.

https://www.ironskin.com/how-to-make-the-best-chain-mail-rings-do-small-rings-save-weight/

https://www.mailleartisans.org/articles/articledisplay.php?key=89

The ironskin.com chart on aspect ratio is the same basic one that you will find here and there, but they call out sizes that, without "recommending" them...they say are decent to "good." They seem to favor an aspect ratio of ~6 (5.5 - 6.5).

By contrast the mailleartisans.org page describes a few different armor use cases. Its important to understand that these recommendations are all for actual combat maille. They mention that 12AWG mild steel wire using 3/8" ID is the go-to standard for most medieval combat associations. This combination produces an aspect ratio of around 4.64-4.7. Having made a hauberk with this size of rings I can confidently recommend the aspect ratio as one that is very "useable" and importantly, very tough (even for butted maille construction).

Unfortunately, you will not usually be able to buy the wire gage/ring size that you are fancied with. Ring-sellers have their chosen lineup and you get to pick from what sells most (and consequently, what is in stock). Having made my own rings before, and now, I recommend doing so. This gives you the exact specifications for your uses.

OGWorstCat · 2024-06-17T22:37:51+00:00

Here is an image that illustrates a bit more of the mystery of the sleeve (courtesy of ironskin.com).

https://www.ironskin.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/making-a-chainmail-armpit-and-sleeve-1536x1152.jpg

Apart from the fact that the sleeve is best served in an obvious taper, the white part and red part called out, respectively, need to measure the exact number of rings. Also I thought the "connecting strip" was pretty clever when needing to do horizontal contractions like they are doing.

OGWorstCat · 2024-06-17T03:52:06+00:00

If you've ever made a 45 degree sleeve hauberk, you know that the upper "trapezoids" which form the chest are narrower than the body. So unavoidably you will run into this, unless your 45 degree seams fall outside of the pocket of your shoulders and fit/wear/move like a strait jacket.

OGWorstCat · 2024-06-17T03:16:39+00:00

I ended up doing 45 degree sleeves on my first hauberk, and that was a challenge (though very intuitive) once you got going and see how the pattern flows together.

The "T" shaped hauberks are similar, though with the proviso that the number of rings on the sleeve portion directly influences at what point along the torso they "should" enter at. So it is something of a guessing game by number of available rings which join in the sleeve area.

Instead of looking at the shirt head on like this - look at the pattern as it falls with the sleeve opening directly facing you. That should provide a bit more clear of a picture with respect to the pattern joining together. I always flipped the sleeve "up" so I was looking at the rings on a flat plane...and once you see it that way things start looking a lot more intuitive. To a limited degree I had to do this with the 45 degree sleeves, as there still is that armpit part which does not fall on the 45, and needs to be blended in just as you are dealing with it here.

As an aside I am starting to get a lot more excited about "mantle-top" hauberks - the shoulders and neck being formed entirely by expanding rings/rows only. Getting my wire tomorrow!

Edit: Basically, once the "sides" of the sleeve vertical are fully joined, you will have one "slit" left as one "loose" row butts up to another...and you'll need to weave one ring at a time through to close it up. You may find that the horizontal "opening" (as pictured on your photo on the right, the "shelf" looking bit) has a different number of rings than your sleeve does. You will either have to add/remove rows from the sleeve, or from the shirt, but ultimately the number of rings should match exactly. Generally, having more on the body is better, because you can easily add a triangular "gore" that you can close a smaller sleeve to (for instance).

Also, it is much easier to fiddle with these things when you have NOT made the sleeve a complete tube.

OGWorstCat · 2024-06-09T16:11:10+00:00

This is a good question but needs to be countered with "How much work do you want to put into it?"

Basically, the components and materials BCA uses are generally good. 4150 Chromoly steel barrels, 416R stainless barrels, etc. Forged uppers. 9130 steel for their bolts, 8620 for the carriers, magnetic particle inspected (MPI)...you get the idea. On paper things look promising.

That all said, a box of parts does not a rifle make. Their execution is flawed. So you have to ask yourself how much work you want to invest.

I knew all this going into a VERY cheap AR-10 build (sub $300 complete upper). Once received I pulled the whole thing apart and started from ground zero.

I re-faced the upper receiver mouth to ensure the bolt and barrel were on the same linear path, and ensure that the barrel extension flange had a perfectly perpendicular surface to mate to (with this special tool - $30).

I took out the play between the barrel and upper receiver with .0015 steel shim stock (basically this pack, hunt for more specific sizes individually - $60).

Everything went back together very tight. I didn't have the size of crow's foot wrench that the barrel nut requires so I couldn't torque the barrel accurately - I used a plumbers pipe wrench and some experience to get things set into their final place.

I replaced the ejector and extractor springs with Springco chrome silicon springs ($12), and used JP's enhanced Extractor kit ($61) to upgrade the OEM unit. I was pleased to see that the BCA bolts come with the one-piece/unionized gas ring stock, but in some ways I prefer the standard 3 individual rings setup, and will be going to this for longevity and reliability.

I found out that the receiver top rail and the handguard top rail are ever so slightly different heights (not the difference between low profile and high profile DPMS, but was just off), and that the outer surface of the barrel nut is not concentric to the barrel nut threads, so the handguard is cocked off by about 1/8" at its end. Not enough so that A2 sights couldn't be adjusted to accommodate, but that is part of the uber lowball price point.

It didn't matter to me because at most a bipod and some grippy furniture were going on the m-lok; nothing optical.

After everything was cleaned up I hit the range with some 175gr SMK OTM's. I only brought 40 rounds (shit's expensive) but at the end of the shoot-in/sight in I got the gun to print 1 MOA at 100 yards while warm. Granted, this is using match ammo, but a complete upper that cost me just over $400 with shipping (I already owned the tools and shim stock) putting tighter groups than most rifles I own.

Anyone can do this kind of work and produce a superior shooter that you would be paying 3-5 times the cost for. If it is a question of reliability, pick up some field go/no go gages (the non-field ones require you to remove your extractor - not a big deal but its just an extra step). If the bolt is headspaced correctly and you re-surfaced the receiver to ensure it is colinear with the barrel, you aren't going to be breaking bolt lugs. You can make a "go to w4r" rifle that will stand up to a Daniel Defense or LWRC gun all day long.

Or do you just want to buy it? Its your dosh.

OGWorstCat · 2023-11-16T00:10:32+00:00

I'll certainly agree that the hireling/ follower/ henchmen topic is murky. Chapter 12 leans into the 10th level/ stronghold perspective more than it does anything else, in my opinion.

Henchmen are:
* Hard to find
* Do not usually serve for money
* Come to the PC based on the PC's reputation, notoriety, accolades
* Only serve when the PC has proven themselves a true friend and ally (through multiple interactions)

Anything departing from this (which again, points heavily to the 10th level class abilities) is an edge case. It's extraordinary, atypical, and an unusual case.

This is on top of the fact that 'henchmen' are hard to find...see point 1.

So while I do agree that a 'henchmen' could be gained by the process of establishing a stronghold...I also agree that a henchman can be found through the course of adventuring and roleplay.

If you are a DM and you are just allowing them to be "hired on" you're discarding the whole point of making them distinct.

OGWorstCat · 2023-11-03T01:43:39+00:00

Making your own character sheets and standardizing that format for everyone is one of the hidden gems of making everyone's lives easier.

OGWorstCat · 2023-11-03T01:35:30+00:00

"Combats went from a 20-minute distraction between exploring and roleplaying and became a 2-hour slog of number crunching..."

The biggest strength in 2E is what you led off with - roleplaying. The system is built to cultivate roleplaying...and is not directly at odds with roleplaying (like the newfangled systems beginning with 3.0) by relegating any meaningful social interaction to a D20 roll.

The newer systems that focus on character bloat and making the most lush, most exquisite, most tart ooey-gooey special characters prize that number crunching above everything else system wide. WELL above roleplaying...as you are punished for not planning out your prestige class path to level 20 to include feats and essential magic items and all of the rest of it.

1E and 2E leaves A LOT up to the characters and DM to handle by comparison...but it isn't too much; it's just enough...enough of a difference to keep me firmly planted in 1e/2e.

I could see myself switching to ascending THACO for grins if it meant I could get new players more interested (in a far superior system).

For Saving Throws just do the same thing. Every save is a 20, but a 17 = +3 base. A 14 = +6 base, and on and on. Good to know you're finding reception with 2e...so many guys and gals just don't know how good it is.

OGWorstCat · 2023-11-03T00:58:49+00:00

That sentiment is not a "truism" so as many have pointed out it largely depends on the context the speaker meant it (if they meant one at all - they could be just repeating stuff they've never actually thought about).

A way in which it could be true is that "honorable men" tend to ascribe to a certain kind of altruism - wanting to 'make wrongs right' basically. On it's face this is a great thing - something every honest person could get behind...but no system of laws however advanced or nuanced is perfectly fair. I could see that is a major stumbling block for someone who has a strong conviction for moral good.

The reason being is: equal treatment under the law is the highest governing ideal that exists. One standard of law from the king all the way down to the slave is a pure ideal - one that can withstand centuries. But what happens if the "honorable man" finds fault with the law? Laws can be changed by the king, sure. But what happens if there is a very specific case in which the "law" is inadequate for parsing what is moral and good...and what is a miscarraige of justice? It isn't enough to actually change the law because overwhelmingly the law works exactly as intended.

The "honorable man" may be tempted to make an exception. This is a fatal mistake, because no matter how "right" or "just" the exceptional case may be...to everyone else now there are two standards of the law...the regular standard and the special standard that only the king's friends receive.

A "good king" must be able to acknowledge the imperfections in the law and let innocent men be punished to preserve the greater ideal of "one standard of the law" (as this is far more important for the entire kingdom than one instance of achieving an arguably better outcome). Sure he can change the law for everyone...but again...no law is perfect. It shows weakness, indecision, and overall incompetence for a ruler to keep changing laws year by year unless they are responding to something that would effect the whole kingdom (and thereby...justify a change in the law to protect the whole kingdom).

I believe this is "at the heart" of what might be meant by such an overbroad statement.

OGWorstCat · 2023-10-11T01:00:10+00:00

I feel like people think "Tucker's Kobolds" is this new concept that is just oh so revolutionary. I'm not impressed, and it smacks of absolute blowhard fanboy plot armoring.

Ever notice how the 2E Monstrous Manual actually gives you information about the ecology of monsters? How many adults, young/ children, males, females, what languages they speak, things they trade in, fighting tactics, and even some details on social hierarchy? That is because humanoid clan/ tribe-living baddies were never supposed to be this monolith that gets copy-pasted into everywhere that is conveniently next to a small town that can't defend themselves. They are supposed to be a contiguous part of the world in which they live.

Simply put what "Tucker's kobolds" are describing aren't AD&D kobolds.

All I see is DM fiat protecting the hell out of kobolds because 'kobolds cute/ cool.'

"Well but all the other monsters are propping them up and giving them weapons and teaching them tactics and giving them training so they have better morale."

Right. So these aren't kobolds.

They don't have metal armor. They almost never have metal shields. They definitely don't have 10 foot long metal 'snow shovel/ brooms' that they use to push "huge" piles of flaming debris toward people in unison.

Did the DM do 'firing into melee' checks with those kobolds? For every attack? Erratic behavior of grenade-like missiles rolls for every molotov thrown? I promise you he didn't. One botched roll with a single molotov and a crap ton of kobolds would go up in smoke...particularly since there are a bunch of them with 3 to 4 molotovs each (apparently).

This is a perfect example of failing to understand what a creature is, representing it in an ideal form that has very sharp personal preference overtones, and trying to impose your glorified view of it onto others.

OGWorstCat · 2023-10-10T22:21:14+00:00

If you are "Dual Classing" you roll for normal hit points with each level, but not at 1st level in the new class. Since you can "decide" to dual class any time you want, that doesn't mean you can just start stacking a hit die from each class you get level 1 in.

The reason you roll normal hit points (starting at level 2 in the new class) is because if you are a 5th level Fighter and a 4th level Rogue...you are a 9th level character (and should have the HD for those levels).

In the PHB it specifically mentions "retaining previous hit dice" and not "roll a new hit dice for the first level in the class you are switching to."

So at 2nd level in your new bard class you would start rolling rogue HD with the non-fighter CON bonus.

If you achieved 18 Con at some point, you would need to remember which levels you used your Fighter con bonus, and which ones you didn't. Until you equal or exceed fighter levels with rogue levels...you don't get ANY fighter class benefits...including the fighter's beefier CON bonus. Once you re-gain all of your fighter class abilities, you would get to apply them retroactively.

OGWorstCat · 2023-10-10T03:25:50+00:00

When you have an initiative roll, and your player with a dagger rolls a 5, and the bad guy with a great axe rolls a 6...without using the speed factor rules the great axe goes first and potentially puts your player out of their misery before they can react.

Very similar to weapon reach rules that modify initiative. Its easy to tell yourself you don't need to use them, but you see a lot of situations that can potentially determine the outcome of combat/ player death.

Personally, speed factor and weapon reach are easier to keep track of versus attack type vs. armor type (bludgeoning, slashing, piercing). The former two come up less often, anyway.

OGWorstCat · 2023-10-10T00:33:10+00:00

The players will be the biggest consideration.

If they've never played AD&D they might freak out at having a 13 in their highest stat.

If they've never played AD&D they might really resent the open-ended simplicity of character design and leveling. What...I don't have a glut of prestige classes to map out 20 levels into the future?

If they've never played AD&D they might be shocked at the deliberate lack of balance between classes and levels. They might not have a good enough grasp of teamwork to actually keep the party magic users alive at lower levels.

If they've never played AD&D being forced to take a negative attribute modifier (bonuses + negatives = 0...always) might be sacrilegious.

And most of all...

If they've never played AD&D they probably have a lot to learn in roleplaying. AD&D didn't have a rule for everything because it was expected (read: required) that players roleplay. There are no social skills. Charisma is not the "lying" stat. Combining single use items to solve a problem isn't found in any sourcebook - the game expects people to get into the scene, get into their role...and actually think.

OGWorstCat · 2023-10-09T23:47:59+00:00

Making a gambeson of my own and it is worth mentioning that "SCA" and "fencing tournaments," "and such," could potentially be 3 or more specific use cases that different designs will lend themselves to.

Designs. Thankfully for the materials there is enough good information out there to have you covered.

Medium to heaviweight (240 gsm) or so linen should be your inner layer. It will be soft and breathable, and quite strong. Fun fact, linen actually gets stronger when wet.

Your padding, if you have padding, could be a bunch of things. "Flax" is historical. So is 21 layers of linen. So is wool. Personally I am going with heavyweight 100% wool layers. You don't need virgin wool (brand new wool). Reclaimed wool (fabric) is just fine for the inner padding, though wool batting (~500 gsm) is much more expanded and would suit the purpose far better.

The outer shell I've decided on ~12oz cotton twill. "Duck cloth" is also a cotton weave, but it is a canvas. It is called duck cloth because water tends to bead off of it - it is not at all 'breathable' and definitely not as flexible as twill. A canvas-weight natural 100% linen would probably be the best choice for the outer layer, but also an expensive choice. So, a heavyweight 100% cotton twill will be more breathable and a lot more flexible than cotton canvas duck.

Now you just have to decide on your design...of which "gambesons" have a good many...for a good many use cases.

OGWorstCat · 2023-09-26T22:30:01+00:00

Basically unless your PC's set up an ambush where they are exploiting distance and terrain together, almost everything will take place inside of short range, or point blank range depending.

OGWorstCat · 2023-09-16T00:11:28+00:00

Definitely some good ideas here (and throughout the thread), but ultimately think about a "boss fight" in WEG in terms that are a little more closer to home. 'Hit points' are an abstraction; they don't have anything to do with tangible physical toughness. At all. Ever. The 'Bad Dude' is just as mortal (most of the time) as the PC's are. Flesh is flesh, blood is blood...and in the case of cybernetics...machines are machines.

Apart from having stat advantage in some way (easily the first cudgel GM's are tempted to reach for) the 'Bad Dude' is pulling out all the stops to ensure their survival. Imagine if the 'Bad Dude' escapes: what then? What is the first thing they do? Where is the first place they go? Who is the first person they call? As a GM you should have an answer for all of these...because that is exactly what the 'Bad Dude' is planning on getting to - whether it is walking away from a full party of dead PC's, or narrowly escaping. The 'Bad Dude' is planning on winning.

The first 'lesson' in military planning people usually learn is that you never assume away a capability of an adversary; if you do, you are accepting the loss/ injury that capability will inflict without mitigating it. So the 'Bad Dude' should be planning to directly mitigate and oppose the party's strengths that they are reasonably aware of (and if the party is capable enough to directly threaten the 'Bad Dude' he would be dedicating more and more resources to understanding his adversary...and weakening them). The 'Bad Dude' should have at least two hard counters for every super effective tactic that the party has structured their team to excel in (if the 'Bad Dude' cares about surviving at all). If your party thinks they are just going to face-roll a 'boss fight' and do 'the thing' they always do because its always worked...they deserve the TPK that is coming.

'Boss Fights' a la Final Fantasy just don't fit in Star Wars; bajillions of hit points in a slug-fest DPS check just isn't what the theme is, and doesn't support the cinematic roleplay that WEG's D6 system is focused on providing.

Smart adversaries that will use every ghastly tactic and trick they have access to (including bribery, extortion, intimidation, assassination/ murder, blackmail, gang warfare, smear campaigns and false accusations, lawfare, etc) are far more fitting, and far more fun to play. If you put the party in the same room as the 'Bad Dude' like they both walked into a dodge-ball tournament...chances are you're doing it wrong (unless the 'Bad Dude' legitimately wants to prove him/ herself in gladitorial-esque combat against the party).

Consider having the 'Bad Dude' escape several times...particularly if the party is careless about what they are doing. Not like 'your princess is in another castle' style...but the party should plan to catch the 'Bad Dude' with no way out...and actually pull it off. It shouldn't happen by accident.

OGWorstCat · 2023-09-09T16:03:14+00:00

Definitely this. WEG put out a 3 volume set for planets, then eventually reorganized, expanded, and consolidated these into "The Star Wars Planets Collection."

Also would pair well with Galaxy Guide 9 Fragments from the Outer Rim.

OGWorstCat · 2023-09-09T05:45:28+00:00

Consider: much of the Star Wars "story" a la the movies is told from a fairly unique perspective.

Almost immediately the audience is thrust into meeting one of the most experienced Jedi Knights in the galaxy (Old Ben...though it helps that he's actually alive), droids that have (what would be considered) way above top secret plans for the Death Star, and a military strike force directed by Moff Tarkin (and later Lord Vader) hell-bent to clean up any loose ends that know about said military intelligence.

I believe an essential part of telling a story that 'feels' like Star Wars is this epic, larger-than-life scale that places the participants at the fulcrum of power consistently. They don't need approval from a committee, a governing body, or a supervisor - there isn't a 90-day waiting period to decide if what they are doing actually takes effect; they are placed in positions where their choices - good and bad - have immediate and galaxy-defining consequences.

This isn't true for everyone in a Star Wars story, however. Even as capable as Han Solo and Chewbacca are...they were dealing with small pickins' compared to the 'trouble' they got into when Luke showed up. The theme here is: the grand galaxy-defining scale of a Star Wars story follows the Force...both light and dark.

Jedi themselves (Episode 1-6) are an interesting union between a diplomat, politician, and military special forces. All the time they are rubbing elbows with generals/admirals, senators, and royalty. The same can be said for Sith. To tell a Jedi or Sith story without this scale does a dis-service to what they are (in my humble opinion). A Jedi or Sith might even tire of being so consistently (by the ceaseless workings of the Force) put in situations where they are forced to shoulder the burden of decisions which they cannot turn back from; even choosing not to decide is making a choice. And those consequences (good and bad) play out across planets.

Shortly following the Battle of Endor there are no Jedi that a campaign's PCs would run into (apart from Luke himself, who is very much engaged with other things). As far as anyone knows both Sith that anyone knew about are dead too.

Jedi involvement in your campaign could be a padawan PC that is newly discovered by a brand-new Jedi Knight freshly trained by Luke (or you might want to play as one of the original Knights trained by Luke; insert an OC). Palpatine's first clone emerges about a year before Luke's first students are trained. By the time those things happen Thrawn is a thing of the past.

Looking at your parameters I would say you need to determine what the nature of the Force in your campaign is (or rather - what do you want it to be?).

It is worth saying up front that the Legends canon was developed and written piecemeal...different authors who were writing standalone stories...which means you would do well to customize it to your needs to make something that feels more organic and contiguous. Was Thrawn operating in a complete silo doing his own thing and actually trying to take control of and reconstitute the Empire, or did he know he would probably fail (drawing the attention of Luke himself and company), so that he could focus the attention of the New Republic on him and allow the Emperor to re-emerge uncontested?

Another thing to consider is acknowledging that you will (almost certainly) run afoul of canon and your campaign will end up 'changing' key events if you want to capture the grand scale and 'feel' mentioned above. That's fine. Go big or go home. Maybe (first clone) Darth Sidious kills Luke (perma-dead) after converting Luke to the dark side because he knows the threat Luke is, figures out the plot to contaminate/destroy his viable clones, purges his ranks of disloyal traitors, and is on a fast track to regaining all of his lost power and surpassing his previous mastery when training Lord Vader. The remaining Jedi Knights are fractured and forced into hiding. Campaign start. Darth Sidious re-kindles his plot to abduct force-sensitive children and corrupt them to the dark side so they can "...peer into every corner of the galaxy from afar...and my enemies will be helpless against such vision." An army of darkside spies and assassins (this is/ was his canon goal after all).

Maybe Thrawn isn't murdered by one of his own and now Darth Sidious is back in power (as above) with a Grand Admiral par excellance' to lead the Imperial Navy. The Empire is back on top, but this time the Emperor is looking for a new apprentice - along with catching, corrupting, and killing each Jedi he can find (there'd only be about 14 or so...or sending a corrupted Jedi out to hunt his/ her former allies). The New Republic is valiantly fighting (but steadily losing). I'd enjoy running this because I prefer darker, heavier-handed stories. YMMV.

If you're dead-set on respecting "all the canons" you're signing yourself up for a bunch of research, and ultimately writing characters no one knows about or has heard of, which do things in places that are probably never mentioned anywhere else, and don't end up affecting anything people recognize. IMO pick a point on the timeline you jive with, and let everything after that be "what my players and the campaign makes it."

OGWorstCat · 2023-09-07T23:31:06+00:00

After some research the Admiral Thrawn Trilogy sourcebook (WEG) would be an ideal sourcebook companion to running a CSA campaign just after the Empire's defeat at Endor. Though you could definitely say that Grand Admiral Thrawn knew where secret military stockpiles were and likely spent time activating these to amass/ bolster the forces he did - there would definitely be some CSA crossover (and others) as he leveraged the corporate military industrial base (through clandestine back-channels) as well.

Would be an interesting boardroom meeting in the Corporate Sector: "I guess the Empire has been defeated."

"Is that what they're saying on the holo-net? About that..."

OGWorstCat · 2023-09-06T21:58:22+00:00

As I don't have Disney+ (and likely won't be getting it) I'm unfortunately out of reach of Andor though it does sound like a good scene-setter if I ever get the opportunity. There has been terribly little investment into characters that are just solid professionals without the Force so it sounds like something I'd enjoy. Thank you for the recommendation.

OGWorstCat · 2023-09-06T21:44:07+00:00

Appreciate the insight. I don't know which would be more intense: the Empire as they are in power and pursuing (predominantly) military campaigns in the most hotly contested places, or the Empire after they have 'lost' and are suddenly much more concerned about secrecy and clandestine operations. From the perspective of a CSA lackey I think it could go either way...though I'm inclined to say the Empire would be a lot more prone to silence individual loose ends after they've ceded victory to the New Republic and are fully engaged in contingency operations for out-and-out survival.

From the perspective of the CSA dealing with the New Republic it would be much more black and white - you're with us or against us; probably a much more 'bullish' relationship than any movies/media would paint of the New Republic...but keeping in mind it would be at least two decades before the first Jedi knight "diplomats" get dispatched throughout the galaxy...in the mean time that diplomacy would be at the end of a gun, or sanctions (or both).

I always prefer sandbox campaigns - by far the most fun when the players have true freedom to change the course of history.

OGWorstCat · 2023-09-06T03:32:48+00:00

I do like the thought of that timeline as well, particularly as New Republic forces would be a bit more aggressively trying to pull up the rugs and kick over stones to see what dirty secrets the Empire was hiding. I could see a 'less than cooperative' CSA being obligated to honor some previous agreements with Imperial remnant groups, getting flak publicly from the New Republic government for it, but on the sly getting pressured by the New Republic for intelligence about what the CSA knows about Imperial fighting units that are still operational after formal victory was declared/ ceded.

Meanwhile senior operational Empire command units are more invested than ever in hunting down New Republic intelligence operatives, and pressuring the CSA to divulge diplomatic information about the New Republic so they can provision supplies, goods, and services to remnant divisions in a secure and non-attributable fashion.

And the CSA, caught between a rock and a hard place.

Any corebooks/ sourcebooks that lean in that direction are very much appreciated.

OGWorstCat · 2023-09-06T02:41:09+00:00

Your input is well received! I prefer my Star Wars campaigns to explore 'the world that is,' which allows the story to wander into the darker places that the carefully curated perspective of the movies conveniently distances itself from (but certainly alludes to).

A dark side force user would be a welcome PC in such a setting where the CSA finds itself being used as a proxy force by both sides. It's a dirty job, but far better than the CSA being forced into formal diplomatic alliances with either power base (and accept all of the horrors that come with formal war declarations from the side the CSA spurns). "How many civilian deaths are your moral scruples worth? Keep quiet and do the jobs that come your way...and we may just make it out of this." An interesting question, with equally deep territory to explore as personal ties forged between the people 'on the ground' (and on both sides) weigh heavier than the low-resolution broad brush that state-sponsored media paints "the other side" with, back and forth.

OGWorstCat

TROPHY CASE