Star Wars d6 Solo - Part 1

No, not that Solo. Just solo. Will there be a Wookiee? I dunno, maybe eventually. But I’ve wanted to play this game for a long time and finally I have created my own opportunity. For various reasons in the past, I collected a lot of SWRPG material in hardcover so now I can use it as intended!

Setting up setting

Again following Geek Gamers’ advice: let’s start with setting. We already have the broad setting, but that’s too much to envision a story. I want this to take place during the Original Trilogy era, sometime shortly after the Battle of Yavin. Maybe the grimy underworld of Tatooine? Or perhaps in Cloud City on Bespin, maneuvering against the Empire? Or infiltrating an Imperial facility someplace?

Hmm, I suppose that depends on the story we’re going to tell. Non-Force-centered, dealing with either the Rebel Alliance or the criminal underworld. I don’t know if I want lots of gadgets and vehicles - maybe? Urban adventure for sure. We also need to figure out if it’ll take place in a setting that feels “mostly day” (like Tatooine) or “mostly night” (like Coruscant).

Should we spin off from The Book of Boba Fett, like the patrons of Sanctuary? Would that leave any room for Alliance shenanigans? If we’re back in Jabba’s era, then maybe. Antagonists would potentially include bounty hunters, Jawas, spice runners or smugglers, and fugitives.

So this feels like crime on Tatooine. Choose a large city already well-understood from my time playing Star Wars Galaxies. Geek Gamers advises gathering four kinds of resources:

• Generative: This mostly means random tables. Both Chartopia and Perchance have lots of random generators for Star Wars, and we can use some supplemental material for Edge of the Empire from Peter Thompson as long as it stays online as well.
• Suggestive: In addition to all my SWRPG sourcebooks, we have existing Star Wars maps, my LEGO sets, the various movies and series, etc. There might be more suggestive material for Star Wars than anything else I could play!
• Restrictive: For now, I plan to start with the oracles from Scarlet Heroes and see how far that takes me.
• Rubric: We’ve already stated we’re using the Star Wars RPG. I will be using the first edition (1987) because it’s simple and I like it, but if we need more crunch I also have the second edition (not to mention other fan-created material in the form of RE-UP and other OpenD6 derivatives). Truthfully, if I just wrote up a few factions I could use Scum & Villainy, but not for now.

Starting situation

Purely focusing on Tatooine petty criminals might be too close to Blades in the Dark, so we need to keep some other stuff in the mix. I also want to avoid a game that feels too much like Traveller or Mothership.

So we’ll start off with the Rebel Alliance. Consider Intel or SpecOps. I could also do something with starfighters, but that might be a bit mechanically complex for starting off. Also, one of the wargames or miniatures games might be better.

What about a cell network, like in the Rebel Alliance Sourcebook? Start off as an underground cell member and work up the chain?

I’ve always liked this situation I’ve imagined where a prisoner gets freed as the Alliance rescues one of their own. Maybe they get invited to come long? We’ll see if that happens. At least it’s a starting situation. And it’s easy enough to start on Tatooine, whether or not we stay there.

So as not to follow Rogue One too closely, we’ll use a small detainment facility rather than a prisoner transport. The Rebels conduct a quick assault in Mos Eisley or Mos Espa to exfiltrate one of their own.

That’s enough to go create a character.

Character Creation

I want to create a “slicer” (the Star Wars version of a hacker, more or less). In this system, that means Computer Programming as a skill. Good supporting skills for the story I want to explore include Streetwise and Sneak.

• Name: Zato Windskimmer
• Description: Male, early thirties. Lanky and skinny. Sunken eyes, hair frequently dyed. R2 tattoo on his left forearm. ((Think Pete Davidson.))
• Dexterity: 2D+1
  • Blaster: 3D+1
  • Dodge: 3D+1
• Knowledge: 4D
  • Streetwise: 5D
• Mechanical: 2D+2
• Perception: 3D
  • Hide/Sneak: 5D
• Strength: 2D
• Technical: 4D
  • Computer Programming: 6D
• Force Points: 1
• Background: Petty criminal who steals credits from computer and datapads
• Personality: A little cocky. Likes to spend credits on partying. Always knows who will pay for info, but doesn’t negotiate as well as he thinks he does. Recently realizing he’s not in his twenties anymore.
• A Quote: “Credits come as easy as they go!”

Breakout

Somehow, I’ve ended up on Tatooine. Worse, this jail cell in Mos Eisley smells like womp rat dung. They probably won’t keep me long: the law out this way (such as it is) has more interest in credits than actual justice. If I can just get a loan from Lady Valarian…

Some of the other folks in here are making it worse for themselves (and me). There’s a drunken Human who hasn’t stopped shouting since they brought her in hours ago, and there’s this Weequay who has been in fits of crying. Poor bastard. The only other quiet one in here is a Devaronian, and he looks more comfortable than he probably should. From what I heard, he’s being held on some kind of Imperial warrant.

And that means stormtroopers. Ever since that big lockdown six months ago, a lot more of these bucketheads have been around. Mostly they just drive around in the desert causing trouble.

I’m just about to curl up for a nap when the sounds of shouting and blasters erupt somewhere behind me. Mos Eisley is rough - wait, this is inside the station! A sizzling sound warns me to get down, and I take cover behind the bunk in time for the security door to go flying down the hall. My door slides open and two figures run through the smoke to get to the Devaronian’s cell. He seems wounded somehow and out of it.

A uniformed officer creeps around behind them, blaster pistol at the ready. Before he realizes I’m there, or I can even think through the implications of what I’m doing, I leap onto his back.

Brawling (2D) vs Easy (10) => 9, I fail to bring him down but now we’re wrestling for the weapon.

The intruders see this and shoot at the guard. If they miss, they might hit me! 4D vs Moderate (15) => 17, he’s down and I grab his blaster.

As the smoke clears, I see a firebird patch on their sleeves. Rebels! Acting on impulse again, I ask them to take me along. The heat’s going to be on me now. Bargain (3D) vs Bargain (2D) => 6 vs 7, they decline. “No way, kid, we don’t even know you. Better get running.”

What’s their general inclination towards me? Oracle: NPC Stranger, +1 from fighting the guard => 11 Full Agreement. “Listen, pal, we’re grateful for the help, but it’s too risky and we don’t have room. If you run into the Alliance again, tell ’em you know Lageid in SpecOps.”

I try to follow them out without getting hit myself. Dodge (3D+1) => 11, I'll take 1 hit. Blaster Pistol damage (4D) vs Strength (2D) => 11 vs 9, wound and -1D.

The two SpecOps commandos plus the Devaronian are running to their transport. Looks like a Sorosuub XP-291… which fits 4. Definitely doesn’t include me, as they have their getaway driver in there already. Somebody’s shooting at them; do they take a hit? Blaster (3D) vs Dodge (3D) => 9 vs 10, nothing more than minor scratches.

But now I’m going to be left behind, wanted for the jailbreak and shootout, plus maybe the Imperials will come asking questions.

Do the SpecOps folks take off into the desert (odds) or spaceport (evens)? 1D => 2, spaceport. Tracking them down later will be a challenge. Guess I’ll be on the run for a bit!

Wrap-up

I really enjoyed this. It’s the first time I’ve actually played around with this system, and it took me a bit to get the hang of it. A few times I just made the equivalent of a Fortune Roll from Forged in the Dark, but it got me through and now I have a better understanding of how combat is supposed to work in the system. Plus I have several story threads to follow!