Star Wars Stand Alone - Staff Sought
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Few questions. You've addressed some of these in part, but since you have more info now (and since your wiki is now easy to find via google!) - I think I'll go for it.
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This is one little backwater planet. The Empire has an imperial garrison on freaking /tattooine/. What hope/use is there for PC opinion on anything? You are going to be hard pressed in this regards, I think. Everyone will both hate the empire to an extent, and wish they'd go away to an extent; but be powerless to do anything about it one way or another. Kinda like living on Cloud City, really, from an ic perspective. Moreover, since they arn't imperials or rebels (which is a cool idea by itself), and can't join up with either due to OOC Fiat, they'll gravitate towards neutrality; which makes logical sense, as icly speaking, there is little benefit to one backwater planet from either group. However, it means that, at best, you've cut out your own metaplot.
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I like the idea of 'no rebellion or empire players'; but how do you avoid (even with issue #1 solved) all the pcs essentially being the same? You essentially have a game where the only faction is the 'indie' faction. Indie factions don't really conflict with one another. I don't actually really see even any possibility for conflict with your playerbase arising organically, even independently of issue #1. At most you might get occasional skirmishes between cops and the criminal types.
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So, since this is a single planet (and again, I'm not trying to sound hostile, these are honest questions) - like, outside of 'grifters in the cantina'; I'm guessing all non-natives to the planet will be PCs, not npcs? Like, if your inspiration is say, tattooine (or some other human-majority generic world), and you have one spaceport, you'll have aliens in the spaceport, but not anywhere else, really. And if you get a playerbase of all aliens, it will start to strain believably. On the other hand, if you /discourage/ aliens, you cut out a lot of star wars.
How do you avoid being stuck in a corner here?
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@secretfire Hi! First off, we're doing our story dev in google docs. So, if you found our wiki (which honestly takes a little trying, as we've not shared it!), you're looking at some pretty slim information.
Moving past that... It seems to me you have some very specific experiences you're drawing from. I do not have the same ones, so I'm really not sure how to address most of this. PCs will be on a planet that's backwater, but still bustling. The main will have some 150,000 residents, and will consist of a blend of species. I don't know where you're getting anything about "no aliens". We're all aliens here - the natives species is totally different! PCs will be interacting with the GMs and the story, which will range from fending off threats to illegal speeder bike races to trying to survive brutal conditions outside the city.
You are correct that everyone being in the same "faction" will limit conflict. That's the idea. This is a collaborative game. But I just don't see a lack of other PCs fighting one another as limiting. And even then, PCs may find themselves at odds, as their idea for the planet goes in different directions.
And now, for all PCs being the same, I really have no answer to that. Characters will be whatever characters wish to be. Pilots, smugglers, soldiers, doctors. They'll pursue alliances, help the Empire spread it's propaganda, rob Imperial convoys, do battle with the native species, fall in love, buy nice hats...
In conclusion, I'm just not sure what it is you have in your head. If the big concern is "how will this game be interesting if players are not fighting each other", the answer is ultimately storytelling. I hope that helps!
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@skew Fair answer.
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For anyone keeping track, we should be ready to release the wiki this weekend. Just waiting for @AlexRaymond to return from some RL.
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I'm picturing a lot of Solo and less all the other SW movies. It sounds lot of planetary government politics and capitalism with a good bit of opportunity by subcontracting Imperial and/or Rebellion jobs. Sometimes you know who you're working for. Sometimes you don't. Everyone has an agenda. You don't always know the full extent of it. Lawmen and criminals are not the same as good and evil.
The number of potential stories seem pretty limitless. I'm just a little confused/doubtful on the idea that being in the same faction will limit conflict. In other games most of the players are focused on being Imperial or Rebel. Or Sith or Jedi. Fighting the other side. That's the focus. That's where staff focus is and Indys generally left to fend for themselves. Other orgs have their own built in controls and restraints for limiting conflict in their own org. "Independent" isn't really an "org" though. Most of the "Indys" aren't organized. There's no constraints on internal conflict, if you can even call it internal. Pirate Indy's rob trader Indy's. Police Indy's arrest criminal Indy's. There's a lot of ways and reasons for Indy's to go at each other, especially once people start taking sides.
Its all setting up to be a great big ball of fun for everyone, so long as everyone understands the expectations involved. I'm sure the theme will outline where the staff wants the conflict directed, though. It is up to the players to work with the staff towards keeping the focus where it is supposed to be.
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i will have to peek in and check things out!
