[Star Wars D6] Mooncloud Fugitive

[rafial]

It seems like activity in Actual Play has been low recently, so I thought I'd chip in with a write up of our current game.  It's called "Mooncloud Refugee" and we have two players (myself and Alan) and a GM (Johnzo).  It's being run using the old Star Wars D6 rules.

We just completed our second of what will probably be around six sessions.  Our group plays short campaigns so we have the opportunity to try out more things.

The game is set just post "New Hope".  The PCs are:

Zell Zoran (Alan), a former Alderaanian bureaucrat who was a failed Jedi.  Since the destruction of his homeworld, he's found that his anger at the Empire has helped him tap into the Force in ways that were once beyond him.  He's also turned his glib tongue and his contacts to the service of the rebellion.

Parminder Joss (me), pilot of the "Endless Road" a Sienar Lone Scout-A.  Parminder operates in the Rim territories opening new worlds for settlement, and has avoided the downfall of the Republic by the expedient of not being around much.  On his current trip back to civilization, he took a job ferrying around some shady individuals (Zell Zoran & Emissary Kotal) who he assumed were smugglers in order to raise some cash to buy supplies.  Only it seems he's gotten in over his head.

Emissary Kotal is an NPC who was the "initial plot motivator".  Zell Zoran was instructed to ferry him to a deep space rendezvous, and Parminder was the pilot and ship that was available for the job.

Our story so far: the deep space rendezvous turned out to be with a droid manned hypersled.  Unfortunately an Imperial patrol craft also showed up, and while Zell initially bluffed them off by pretending to be an Imperial secret service agent, they wised up, and the droid we were supposed to retrieve (containing a message from Princess Leia) got pretty shot up in the process.  Zell used the force to learn some secrets about the Imperial patrol craft commander, and confused and intimidated him long enough for us to escape.

We did learn however that we were to proceed to the Kreel Foundry, which is one of the largest shipbuilding complexes in the Empire, based in the titular "Mooncloud" a huge ball of dust, rock and moonlets surrounding a gas giant.  Apparently once there, we were to meet up with a person named Varnoss, one of the chief designers of the original Death Star, who wished to defect to the rebellion.

At Kreel, we located what we thought was Varnoss, and attempted to make contact, only get caught between an exploding power droid and some Alderaanian terrorists, which wound up with Varnoss dead, and Parminder in a tank of bacta.  Only Zell didn't tell anybody that it was he who killed Varnoss, and that the Varnoss he killed may have just been a clone with a droid brain.

The Alderaanian terrorists then attempted to recruit our aid to break some of their number out of a prison barge, and while Zell wanted to go along with it, Parminder refused to cooperate.  He wasn't getting paid enough to do something that stupid.  We got the message droid repaired, but the rest of the message didn't add much to what we already knew.

Word came from a mysterious source that Varnoss was alive, and on another habitat in the cloud.  Following up on that lead, we found some dead terrorists, and a gas mine tender fleeing into the depths of the gas giant with one life form on board.  We followed the tender to a droid manned gas refinery deep in the gas giant's atmosphere, and snuck aboard, where we tangled with some battle droids.  We shot some, and hid from others, and then opened a hatch to find ourselves face to face with the patrol craft commander (can't remember his name) from the original rendezvous, holding a thermal detonator.  That was our cliffhanger for the evening.

Comments on system:  Star Wars D6 is pretty standard in its mechanisms, with task oriented resolution designed for a fairly slam bang cinematic feel.  It has two metagame mechanics added on, character points and force points, that provide players the opportunity to boost their odds of success when it really matters, although it is always a gamble, because you still have to roll the dice.  I think it does a pretty good job of fitting in with the feel of the Star Wars universe.  I've owned the material for a long time, but never got to play it, while Johnzo is very experienced with the system, and Alan is new to it.

The dice mechanic is pools of six sided dice rolled and added to beat a difficultly number.  A twist is that one die is always designated as "wild" and if that die rolls a 6, it explodes, but if it rolls a 1, that is an opportunity for a "complication".  In the first session it seem like neither Alan or I could roll anything /but/ a one on the wild die, but even so I didn't find it detracting from my enjoyment.  Johnzo did a good job of using the complications to fuel more opportunities to do stuff, rather than shutting down what we were trying to do.

Player interaction:  It's been interesting playing in a small group.  I really feel the pressure to be "on" all the time, sometime even a little more than I would like.  I think a third player might be good for group dynamics, but Johnzo has been doing a good job of keeping things moving along, and using Emissary Kotal as a "GM PC" to spice things up.  We did get into one little bit of intra-player friction when the terrorists tried to recruit us, and Zell wanted to go along, but Parminder didn't.  I felt a little guilty about resisting, since I was justifying it with "my guy" logic, but I just couldn't see Parminder going in for that sort of stuff.  Fortunately Johnzo tossed us another direction to go in, and things went very well after that.  We talked about it afterwards, and Johnzo assured us of his commitment to "no required path" GMing, but also admitted it made things hairy from time to time on his side of the screen.

For me much of the enjoyment of the game so far has been an exercise in exploring color (pastiche if you will) as Johnzo has done a great job of inserting places, persons and events that touch on the Star Wars feel, and as players we've also worked to contribute them.  Another point of of enjoyment has been characters "showing off their schtick".  In my case, I decided as a scout that Parminder was really into sensor tech, so I decided that he'd tricked the Endless Road out with all sorts of upgraded sensor gear, and I've been using that to good effect.  Meanwhile Alan seems to be having fun portraying Zell as a Force adept teetering on the edge of the Dark Side.

Unfortunately we'll miss our next two weeks of play due to Turkey Day and GenCon SoCal, but I'm looking forward to seeing what happens with our mysterious patrol craft commander when we resume.

[Ron Edwards]

Hello,

This is the old Star Wars, right? From way back when, before d6 was exanded or modified to a generic system?

I ask because your play-experience sounds like a picture-perfect example of the positive impact that original game had on many, many role-players.

Have you had any experience yet with splitting dice pools against multiple attackers? That was a pretty revelatory mechanic when it appeared.

I'd like to know the year-of-publication, edition, and authorship for the game text you guys are using.

Best,
Ron

[Alan]

Ron,

The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, Second Edition Revised and Expanded, West End Games, 1996

I've just double-checked the rules: there's no rule for splitting dice pools.  Multiple actions only incure a penalty to all actions made during the round.  I remember that this rule was the same in the 1st edition (which I once owned).  I don't think this game ever involved splitting dice pools.

[Kaare Berg]

Oooh, sweet memory.

Sounds like the second or the revised edition (can't belive I sold my first edition).

My group spent a lot of time in those hallowed spacelanes and our experience was that the system had some brokeness over it. Particulary when the players started reaching 6 or seven more dice. Facing 4d stormtroopers and such.

There were however a tad too much of this brokeness and we eventually grew bored. D20 was truly a new hope, but quickly became a phantom menace to us.

Although  we in the spilt die pool system in gunslinging situations:
using x dice to draw, and the remaining to hit.
If memory serves me: later version multiple actions cost -1d pr action and this is what led to the brokeness mentioned above.

Great post brings me back and makes me wish I knew what I now (post forgism) do.

waiting eagerly for next instalment

K

[Alan]

Hi K,

Perhaps I misremember the lack of pool splitting in the 1st ed rules.

I do recall that the 1st ed. had different initiative rules (which everybody I takled to at the time hated.)  I recall they were rather like Sorcerer: everyone declares, then everyone rolls and actions are executed in order of highest roll to lowest.

About dice levels: we're playing starting characters.  Most of our skills are 3 to 4 dice with one or two 5s or 6s.  If things change when most skills are around 6 dice, we probably won't find out in our short arc of play.

Dice Bonus Mechanics in 2nd ed.
Spend a Force point to double all pools for one round.  Get the point back at the end of the session if the action was heroic.  Get back two if heroic and dramatically appropriate.  IF the action was evil, get a Dark Side point instead, and roll d6 >= total DSP or fall to the Dark Side.  DSP are also earned just for violating the Jedi code and other dispicable actions.

Spend a Character Point (skill advancement point) perminantly to get an extra exploding die in a roll.

These resources allow players great influence over task resolutions that matter to them - I think the game could be drifted to support narrativist play pretty well for this reason.  


Zel Zoran and The Rules of the Dark Side:

I played Zel.   When we decided to play this game, I found the Jedi most attractive because it offered the best mechanical support for narrativist premise ( see the Provisional Glossary).  Before we started character design, I decided I wanted to play a Jedi that went over to the Dark Side and had to struggle back.  I ran this past Johnzo, the GM and he agreed.  (The basic game rules say that I would just lose the character when he goes to the Dark Side, but an optional suggestion exists for the player retaining the character.)  Right now, I don't know if I can kick Zel into the Dark Side soon enough to play this out in projected six sessions or not.  I'm working hard at it.

One thing we've discovered about the rules: the Dark Side _is_ seductive; a jedi gets bonus die on his force control skills for each Dark Side point.  So I went from 2 dice Force powers to 4 dice in one session.  Yikes.  But I understand that, once on the Dark Side, this bonus goes away.  Phooey.

I don't think either Wil or I have realized just how powerful the Force Points are.  I missed an opportunity in our most recent session where I could easily have spent a point and earned two in return.  I must also remember to spend FP when Zel does evil, so I improve his chances of turning.


Zel's Story

In the first session, I had my eye out for opportunities for Zel to get caught up in some act of evil.  Johnzo provided a great opportunity in the form of Varnoss, the potential defector we were supposed to contact.  Varnoss was the prime architect of the Death Star which destroyed Alderaan, and Zel's wife and children with it.

So Zel felt ambiguous: on the one hand, he's loyal to the Rebel Alliance, on the other, he seethes with suppressed vengeance.  He started out honestly trying to extract Varnoss, and when mysterious hit men showed up to kill Varnoss, Zel actually earned a FP heroically dragging the wounded man out of the line of fire.  But the moment it became clear that Varnoss was going to die from wounds and/or the approaching thugs, I decided that Zel he couldn't let them kill the architect of the Death Star - he had to do it himself.

Later, Johnzo very graciously ruled that only my heroic rescue was caught on security cameras, so the local police let him go.  This has provided Zel with a dark secret which he has had to lie about in our second session.  Ah, the slippery slope!


PC Disagreements and Creative Agenda

This last session, the characters disagreed on whether to help the Alderaanian terrorists or not.  Wil says he felts guilty because his character didn't bow to Zel's brow beating.  I felt guilty for performing dialogue that persuaded and shamed Parminder.  However, I don't think that we as players ever felt any heat.  For me, a solid awareness that I was not just  acting but also authoring gave me some distance.  It also helped that I was pretty sure the other players understood that too.

When the acted persasion didn't produce the result I wanted, I asked Wil player to player.  He said he just couldn't see Parminder going along.  I agreed that was okay with me.  In retrospect, I guess I was hoping Wil might go to Author stance and create a plan for Parminder's conversion through future play.

I think this may be an example of conflict of Creative Agenda: it appears that Wil decided to stay within an ideal for his character, while I was hoping he'd put that priority second.  On the flip side, I think the mission we were arguing over appealed to me as another way to get Zel further down the Dark road and address my chosen Premise.  Only my fear of separating the PCs (and hogging the spotlight) trumped that.

In any case, I enjoyed being able to echo Princess Leia's badgering of Han Solo in New Hope.  

Anyway, Johnzo followed this indecisive player decision with a new hook that led us chasing after a potential second Varnoss, and I enjoyed what ensued. - particularly when, Atoon, the ship captain Zel had embarrassed in the previous episode showed up with vengeance on his mind and an active thermal detonator in hand.   Well done!

[Kaare Berg]

Hi Alan,

One thing we've discovered about the rules: the Dark Side _is_ seductive; a jedi gets bonus die on his force control skills for each Dark Side point. So I went from 2 dice Force powers to 4 dice in one session. Yikes. But I understand that, once on the Dark Side, this bonus goes away

This was the idea all force users in our previous games ended up struggeling with, which now sort of paralells to the main point in many of the games so prominent on this site, DitV, Sorceror and others come to  mind. The basic question begin "how far will you go".

The WEG Star Wars supported this mechanically which is why it lived so long in my group. This is one of the things I tried to gel out over at the HQ forum.

Where the WEG failed us was for higher power games (after all Han Solo had something like 13D in several skills. At the level you describe the WEG system works well, but at the other level it breaks down. There would be no need for Han Solo at 13 or so dice in Blaster and Dodge to run from the ten or so stormtroopers he bumps into at the end of the chase scene in a New Hope. Even with with all of them firering at him he could calmly pick them off one at the time and dodge the rest.

This is why we dropped it. Our long term campaigns began to reach the seven - eight dice stage and we sort of felt the need to be at this level for our games to have the intensity we were looking for action wise. (young and foolish we were back then, aaaah the nostalgia).

Which is why we have a hq chargen session this coming sunday.

oh and

Perhaps I misremember the lack of pool splitting in the 1st ed rules

Can't tell, I sold mine too,  the quick draw rules where picked from a different source book, Han Solo and the Corporate Sector I think.

K

[rafial]

I'd like to know the year-of-publication, edition, and authorship for the game text you guys are using.

I own the Second Edition (Darth Vader cover) which I'm using for reference, and Johnzo has the Second Edition Revised (Millenium Falcon cover) which is our official reference.

Here's the full details on my edition: Design - Bill Smith; Additional Design - Stephen Crane, Greg, Farshtey, Greg Gorden, Bill Slavicsek, Ed Stark; Original Design - Greg Costikyan, Greg Gorden, Bill Slavicsek, published October 1992

we're playing starting characters. Most of our skills are 3 to 4 dice with one or two 5s or 6s.

Not strictly true.  Alan, you got some bonus dice for your force skills, and I got some bonus dice for my regular skills.  Looking at the character point to die conversion rate, I'd say our characters were at starting level + 4 or 5 sessions worth of experience.  I think it was a good decision to make, I feel like Parminder is competent but focused, if I'd had to cut his starting skills down any more I feel like he'd be in weeny territory.

When the acted persasion didn't produce the result I wanted, I asked Wil player to player. He said he just couldn't see Parminder going along. I agreed that was okay with me. In retrospect, I guess I was hoping Wil might go to Author stance and create a plan for Parminder's conversion through future play.

Believe it or not, I am working in that direction.  I think it was just too much and too soon for my vision of Parminder's story.  I want a reason why Parminder eventually commits to the rebellion, and three shifty eyed Aldaraanians waving blasters around didn't exactly provide the material for me to work with there ;)

Only my fear of separating the PCs (and hogging the spotlight) trumped that.

Why are we worried about "splitting the party".  We're a bunch of pervy types who play disconnected story arcs all the time.  Is there anything about SWD6 that prevents that?  I don't think so.

Wil says he felt guilty because his character didn't bow to Zel's brow beating. I felt guilty for performing dialogue that persuaded and shamed Parminder. However, I don't think that we as players ever felt any heat.

Well, I actually enjoyed the sharp exchange between the characters, I was just worried because I didn't have a good read at the start if it was "Alan is playing Zell who is upset" or "Alan is upset".   Thankfully we've got a group culture that doesn't frown on dropping to "player to player" level to check on what the actual feelings and issues are, which is what we did.

And as an aside on the brokenness that was mentioned, I don't fear it, because frankly I don't see playing the same campaign long enough for it to become an issue.  The game certainly seems solid for the power level that we are at.

[rafial]

deleted double post

[rafial]

I ask because your play-experience sounds like a picture-perfect example of the positive impact that original game had on many, many role-players.

In relation to that, I'll mention that while I never got to actually play SWD6 until very recently, I bought the first edition when it originally came out, and its frank, explicit, and copious advice on how to run a game was a major influence on my running of other rule sets at the time.

[johnzo]

Many responses:

We got the message droid repaired, but the rest of the message didn't add much to what we already knew.

This was a misstep on my part.  Early in a game, I compulsively complicate, with the idea being that I can use those complications to do interesting stuff later on.  This one, I didn't do anything interesting with.  Bad GM.

and then opened a hatch to find ourselves face to face with the patrol craft commander (can't remember his name) from the original rendezvous, holding a thermal detonator. That was our cliffhanger for the evening.

My other early game strategy is to compulsively characterize, with the idea being that I can use that bed of character-coals to do some mean cookin' later on.  When Alan said that he used his Force powers to figure out something awful about the patrol boat lieutenant, I filed that for later, and it worked pretty good.

I ask because your play-experience sounds like a picture-perfect example of the positive impact that original game had on many, many role-players.

Ron, Star Wars d6 was THE paradigm-busting game for me.  Prior to that game, it was all GURPS for me n' my gang, because we were kids with no money, and only having one game system was an economic necessity.  My first SWd6 game (and my simultaneous playtest of GURPS Vehicles, the most uselessly fussy game supplement I've ever played) totally booted me from the fiddly points-based world in which authenticity and "realism" were paramount to a colour-heavy when-in-doubt-roll-and-shout kind of approach.  It's interesting to hear you say that that's a more generalized experience than I expected.  Have you written any more on the impact of SWd6?  I'd be interested in reading it.

Have you had any experience yet with splitting dice pools against multiple attackers? That was a pretty revelatory mechanic when it appeared.

To the best of my knowledge, no SWd6 basic game had a die-splitting mechanic.  It might have appeared as an optional rule somewhere; I dunno.

I'd like to know the year-of-publication, edition, and authorship for the game text you guys are using.

2nd Revised, as Alan and Wil have noted, but the SWd6 game didn't change *that* much between 1st ed and 2nd revised.  2R is a little more definitive and crunchier about things--for example, it replaces the "GM calls situation when two objects of different scale (like a Death Star and a walker) interact" with a comprehensive scaling system, but that extra detail doesn't impact the spirit of the game, in my experience.  So I'm interested to know why the edition is relevant to you.

These resources allow players great influence over task resolutions that matter to them - I think the game could be drifted to support narrativist play pretty well for this reason.

There's a sim / narr clash in the use of the character points; they can be used to influence the task resolution bits of the game in the way Alan mentions, but they can also be used to permanently enhance character skills.  My experience with mechanics like this is that gamist-type players, knowing that permanent improvement is far better from a game-effectiveness standpoint, will absolutely refuse to burn CP's during game play.

Right now, I don't know if I can kick Zel into the Dark Side soon enough to play this out in projected six sessions or not. I'm working hard at it.

I have to work at this too.  ah, how does Zel feel about lava?

[greedo1379]

I absolutely loved SWD6.  It was (and still is) one of my favorite systems of all time.