Story Ideas

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Trip
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Story Ideas

#1

Post by Trip » Mon Aug 21, 2017 8:39 pm

Some of my story ideas may be adapted from old Star Wars RPG Saga games. Let me know if you have played any in the past so I don't rehash something you already completed.

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DeepSpacer
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SAGA

#2

Post by DeepSpacer » Tue Aug 22, 2017 12:37 am

Me and my IRL players never went through printed materials. It's 100% homemade campaigns. Shado runs the Isk one out of AofR, but I don't peek at that one in my book. I want it to be a surprise.

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Re: Story Ideas

#3

Post by ShadoWarrior » Tue Aug 22, 2017 1:01 am

Just as a suggestion, it's a lot easier to adapt a WEG adventure to FFG than it is to adapt d20 Saga. WEG is a skills-based gaming system, as is FFG, while d20 is level-based. In fact, when I adapted Far Orbit Project to FFG I went back to my original WEG materials rather than use the WEG-to-d20 conversion that I did. Going straight from WEG to FFG is more straightforward and incurs fewer problems in conversion than the double conversion of WEG>Saga>FFG.

WEG also has many more adventures than does d20 Saga. Last, and most important of all, advancement in d20 is almost exclusively based on killing things (technically, it's supposed to be "overcoming challenges", but the writers are typically lazy and almost all challenges involve combat). The WEG adventures are more like the FFG ones where there's a mix of problem-solving and combat, and like with FFG XP is typically awarded at the conclusion of a mission, and for the achievement of goals and/or side quests. In d20 you get XP for defeating opponents and rarely for anything else, and the adventures are structured around that concept. Couple that with the fact that in D&D the objective is to try to power-game your way to greater and greater level, and the XP to gain the next 'level' is an every-increasing amount and you can see how the game lends itself to munchkinism and mechanically is difficult to reconcile with FFG's system.

Having played all 3 game systems over the past 30 years (this is the 30th anniversary of WEG's SWRPG), I have some perspective on this.

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Re: Story Ideas

#4

Post by Trip » Tue Aug 22, 2017 1:13 am

I was going for high level story seeds. Not necessarily scene for scene adaptations. But it's good to know which ones are better for adapting. I actually thought d20 and Weg was the same thing. LOL

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Re: Story Ideas

#5

Post by ShadoWarrior » Tue Aug 22, 2017 1:16 am

Saga is d20. WEG is d6. Vastly different gaming systems.

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Re: Story Ideas

#6

Post by Trip » Tue Aug 22, 2017 1:19 am

ShadoWarrior wrote:
Tue Aug 22, 2017 1:16 am
Saga is d20. WEG is d6. Vastly different gaming systems.
Good to know.

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Re: Story Ideas

#7

Post by ShadoWarrior » Tue Aug 22, 2017 1:29 am

BTW, it's called "d20 Saga Edition" to distinguish it from WotC's earlier, even more unbalanced and munchkin-magnet, d20 SWRPG. Saga is an evolution of WotC's first pass at making a d20-based SWRPG. It fixed quite a few problems with the game, but brought some new problems of its own. Overall it's still better than their first version. But compared to FFG they both suck. d20's suck factor is also a big part of why so many people still play WEG's version 30 years later. I'm not one of them. WEG's system had so many balance issues that it's easier for me to fix FFG's than to try to fix WEG's. I said the exact same thing about d20 versus WEG, but later lived to regret saying that, given how much effort I ended up sinking into trying to fix Saga. FFG has almost as many things that need fixing as does WEG, but the narrative dice system is what keeps me with FFG.

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Re: Story Ideas

#8

Post by Trip » Tue Aug 22, 2017 1:52 am

The only experience (and I mean ONLY) with role playing games is watching Mazes and Monsters and Stranger Things and reading old Saga and WEG stories and actually playing FFG.

I am such a newbie. But I hope I have shown that I am a fast learning. LOL

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Re: Story Ideas

#9

Post by DeepSpacer » Tue Aug 22, 2017 2:11 am

Trip wrote:
Tue Aug 22, 2017 1:52 am
The only experience (and I mean ONLY) with role playing games is watching Mazes and Monsters and Stranger Things and reading old Saga and WEG stories and actually playing FFG.
Ah! How refreshing. Anything d20 system is where you have a 'target number' to succeed in a task or attack. You get +1 or -1 for this or that bonus or penalty. You roll a 20-sided die to get a number between 1-20 and add/subtract the bonuses/penalties. If you beat the target number, you succeed. Miss it, you fail. Strictly pass/fail.

FFG SW is 'narrative' as a gamer might say. You have to explain what the dice result is. The dice are SO different. With Triumphs, Despairs, Threats, and Advantages, you can actually fail to get a success but do something great or succeed the roll and do something horrible at the same time. MUCH more exciting! Tons of possibilities.

What's funny is that some of my friends like to do a d20 game from time to time and I find myself trying to narrate away a failed roll into something positive. It's obvious that I like FFG much better.

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Re: Story Ideas

#10

Post by ShadoWarrior » Tue Aug 22, 2017 2:36 am

d20 is popular because WotC (and TSR before it) have spent a great deal of money pushing the products on LGS (local gaming stores) and on the Internet. But for each and every genre in which there is a d20 game there is at least one (and often quite a few) skills-based (ie., non-d20) games/game systems that are far superior in pretty much every way. Better written (easier to understand and to learn), more consistent rules, better for storytelling, more flexible, less prone to abuse, et cetera. Just look at White Wolf's World of Darkness games (and their underlying mechanics/system). Twilight 2000 and the newer Twilight 2013 are so much better than d20 Modern. Shadowrun is the gold standard for the cyberpunk genre, and has been skills-based from the very start, 28 years ago. Like fantasy? Try White Wolf's Exalted. Or HarnMaster. Space (other than Star Wars)? For Trek there are the LUG (Last Unicorn Games) and follow-on Decipher versions. (Both are out of print, but still available.) Two of the best-designed and best written gaming systems ever made. Want super-bloody, super-gritty SF space gaming? Try Battlelords of the Twenty-Third Century. Ignore the corny name. It's an awesome game system.

Most people get introduced to RPG play through something d20, usually D&D. Because most people don't know any better, or are too lazy to see if there is anything better. There is. Or they're unwilling to try something new, to get out of their comfort zone. So they inflict a crappy game system on their friends and on the next generation of gamers. Best thing to happen to Star Wars was WotC deciding to sever ties to Lucas/Disney. It allowed for FFG to get the license, and produce a game system that while having some deep flaws, and bone-headed dev rulings, is still way better than d20.

[/rant]

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Re: Story Ideas

#11

Post by Trip » Tue Aug 22, 2017 2:46 am

I am addicted to the FFG system. It's like crack for me. I have made like 20 different PCs because I have so much fun making the characters even though I may never play them. And I have found that GMing lets me have an outlet for my creative writing side. I also love this community here. The personalities of the players are pretty funny. (The balance between Rider and Shado is perfect and when they get going it's pretty hilarious.)

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Re: Story Ideas

#12

Post by ShadoWarrior » Tue Aug 22, 2017 2:56 am

Thanks! I think...

Rider likes to needle me whenever he can. I think he does it mostly because nobody else dares to, and he feels that someone has to. I've known DoctorWho quite a bit longer than Rider, but Doc doesn't banter with me.

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Re: Story Ideas

#13

Post by swrider » Tue Aug 22, 2017 9:16 pm

Shado was too used to getting his way both as the board admin and as the only really active GM on the site for a while. So when he joined my games I had to needle him a bit. Too many players were "afraid" of upsetting him. Doc is just too busy to banter or else I could see him doing it also.

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Peppard

#14

Post by DeepSpacer » Tue Aug 22, 2017 9:57 pm

"Peppard" is too good of a Star Wars name to pass up. Or, perhaps, sub out the letter 'p' for other consonants. I also have to choose between AofR: Commander Career vs EotE Hired Gun. All of the AofR specs are like NPC's. Loads of useless talents unless you are commanding squads of NPC's. Coercion and Cool are the talents Commander gets over Hired Gun. Tactician and Squadron Leader seem to appeal the most, but neither really appeals to the A-Team character. The A-team was all mercenaries, I believe, as they were on the run.

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Re: Story Ideas

#15

Post by DeepSpacer » Tue Aug 22, 2017 10:04 pm

Looks like Rider will have the best Cunning skill as a Smuggler. We'll need that.

I guess one question is whether to have Peppard be some sort of alien race? probably just Human, though. The two non-career ranks in skills will be very useful.

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Re: Story Ideas

#16

Post by swrider » Tue Aug 22, 2017 10:14 pm

I am only planning on a cunning of 3 as my characters primary role is that of pilot I also wont have any cunning skills with the exception of perception. Just putting that out there.

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Re: cun

#17

Post by DeepSpacer » Tue Aug 22, 2017 10:19 pm

No one says we have to have someone with a great cunning or loads of cunning skills. IMO, better to have good characters than the 'proper' assortment of each PC being superb at exactly one skill each. We'll just be average in that area. Nothing wrong with average.

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Re: cun

#18

Post by Trip » Tue Aug 22, 2017 10:23 pm

DeepSpacer wrote:
Tue Aug 22, 2017 10:19 pm
No one says we have to have someone with a great cunning or loads of cunning skills. IMO, better to have good characters than the 'proper' assortment of each PC being superb at exactly one skill each. We'll just be average in that area. Nothing wrong with average.
I agree. Just make the PCs how you want and everything else should fall into place.

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Re: Story Ideas

#19

Post by swrider » Tue Aug 22, 2017 10:32 pm

Sounds like we all have a similar mindset on the issue. I've never likes power gaming and seeking only for the optimum build. Though if it fits the character it does have a place.

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