TROS Star Wars

[Michael Tree]

I've had an urge to run a mostly-Jedi star wars campaign for a while now, and I'm coming to believe that TROS may just be the best system for it, because of its detailed dueling rules and high potential lethality.  In order to run a game, a few rules changes and additions would need to be made.  Here's what I've been thinking:

Priorities: Social status has little or no effect in the Star Wars universe, so this priority category is removed.  

- The Force:  Each character's strength in the Force is measured by a new attribute, the Force.  Instead of the magic/race priority of character creation, there is the Force priority, as follows.
A - Very Strong.  Character can put up to 7 attribute points in the Force attribute during character creation, with an absolute cap of 10 later.
B - Strong.  Character can put up to 5 points in the Force attribute during character creation, with an absolute cap of 7 later.  
C - Weak.  Character can put up to 3 points in the Force, with an absolute cap of 5 later.
E - No ability in the Force.

This force attribute is added into the calculations for the Reflex attribute.  ie. Reflex = (Agility + Wit + Force) /2  This is to reflect the innate precognitive reflexes that Jedi have, mentioned in Ep.I

- Force Powers:  IMO the most straightforward approach would to make various force powers skills, and jedi trainining into a number of different skill packages.  This way a character's ability in the force is ultimately based on how strong they are in the Force, limited by their training.
These could be used in combat (telekinetically pushing robots, leaping around, etc) by using CP dice, to a maximum of Force attribute dice per round.

- Lightsabers:  Making up stats should be pretty straightforward, with some additional maneuvers for throwing lightsabers, deflecting and reflecting blaster bolts, and so on.  Lightsaber would have decent defaults to Two Lightsabers, Dual Lightsaber (Darth Maul's weapon), mundane swords, and martial arts.

- Starships:  One aspect of combat that I've never seen an RPG model in an exciting or complex way is dogfighting.  In virtually every RPG, it comes down to just a contest of die rolls, even more so than combat.  It seems to me that TROS's excellent dueling rules could be used as a baseline for some very dynamic and strategic dogfighting rules.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

[Shadeling]

So you won't have any of the aliens?

Add a little narrative to the dogfighting, but yeah the combat rules might work well.

[Michael Tree]

Aliens.  Right.  I knew I forgot something.  So I'd keep a Race priority too, with costs based on how powerful the race's special abilities are.  However, there are so many species of aliens in Star Wars that it would probably be best to just make them up as they become neccessary.

[Brian Leybourne]

Using TROS to model Star Wars has come up at least twice before.. have a search through the forum and you'll undoubtably find some previous discussions.

One thing I would change about your system is that I would probably keep it a tad closer to how TROS does sorcery - race priority of (whatever) gives you the ability to buy force powers (like like Priority B gives you gifted blood). You then spend proficiency points to buy force powers. Maybe each power has a rating from 1-3 like the vagaries do (you have force push 1-3, force pull 1-3, that kind of thing).

Otherwise, looks good.

Brian.

[Shadeling]

Using TROS to model Star Wars has come up at least twice before.. have a search through the forum and you'll undoubtably find some previous discussions.

One thing I would change about your system is that I would probably keep it a tad closer to how TROS does sorcery - race priority of (whatever) gives you the ability to buy force powers (like like Priority B gives you gifted blood). You then spend proficiency points to buy force powers. Maybe each power has a rating from 1-3 like the vagaries do (you have force push 1-3, force pull 1-3, that kind of thing).

Otherwise, looks good.

Brian.

IMHO, you should keep Force and Weapon Prof separate in Star Wars...Jedi are master warriors-trained keepers of peace...they are not deficient in their fighting abilities just because they learned force powers-in fact force powers make them even more formidable...but even without relying on force, they are just as skilled as some of the galaxy's best warriors.

[Jake Norwood]

I'd just like to chime in and say that I want someone to actually go through with it so that I can play, too.

Jake

[Michael Tree]

If my local game store was able to get a copy, I would likely start on it.  I ordered a copy, but their distributor is out of stock.  *grumble grumble*

I really like the idea of using the combat rules (ie. a Piloting Pool, 2 phases in a round, different stats for each type of vehicle, and maneuvers) for dogfights and other space combat, but I'm hardly an expert on dogfighting.  Does anyone have suggestions for maneuvers?

[RN3G8 4E]

Oooo, I would luv to work with you on this one.

Not necessarily Star Wars but at least in a sci-fi setting.

I think that the combat mechanics might need to be reworked to give fighting with guns the same thrill as sword combat though.

I think dogfighting could have some good combat mechanics too.

Gotta keep it simple though. Some oversiomplification in this case would not be a bad thing.

[RN3G8 4E]

Hmm, actually this could work. Just as in ROS, only a few hits can kill, only a few bullets or blaster bolts can kill as well. If you haven't put the guy down after a few shots, smartest thing to do is run to cover, run closer and take some more, or run away.

Skill packets for piloting or drivers, for mechanics, for weaponsmiths, for soldiers, mercenaries, etc.

Man, I've got to play ROS though so I know how it feels in practice, not in theory.

[Michael Tree]

Spicing up ranged combat would definitely be a good idea.  Blasters are all point and click, so no preparation time would be needed.

All sorts of skill packets would be useful: the ones you mentioned, diplomat, crewman, bounty hunter, scoundrel (Han would have pilot and scoundrel packets), fringer (Luke would have pilot and fringer packets at the beginning of Star Wars, and would slowly improve his force skills as time went on), Jedi Knight, investigator (Obi Wan would start with Jedi and investigator packets, and by Star Wars he would have picked up the fringer packet too).

I would definitely want to slow down the progression of skill improvement though.  In the movies skills are very static, while in TROS skills improve at a fairly rapid rate.

[Shadeling]

Spicing up ranged combat would definitely be a good idea.  Blasters are all point and click, so no preparation time would be needed.

All sorts of skill packets would be useful: the ones you mentioned, diplomat, crewman, bounty hunter, scoundrel (Han would have pilot and scoundrel packets), fringer (Luke would have pilot and fringer packets at the beginning of Star Wars, and would slowly improve his force skills as time went on), Jedi Knight, investigator (Obi Wan would start with Jedi and investigator packets, and by Star Wars he would have picked up the fringer packet too).

I would definitely want to slow down the progression of skill improvement though.  In the movies skills are very static, while in TROS skills improve at a fairly rapid rate.

You still have the missle pool's refresh time-you do need to aim your shot.

[RN3G8 4E]

Ok, so I was looking up the missile combat info, p. 82 in the revised edit. and my first question is- what is UP with the scantily clad archer chick flying through the air ON FIRE? LOL I dunno but I ended up studying that picture for longer than I care to say.

Perhaps a gun would have a shorter preparation time, because they are much easier to fire than arrows? But I think the aiming and the way the pool refreshes and is used would be about the same.

[Michael Tree]

I agree, largely because it reflects what happens in the movies.  (In case you couldn't tell, I care far more about genre conventions than some arbitrary standard of 'reality'.)  In the movies, the characters don't fire continuous barrages of blaster shots, John Woo style.  They fire one shot, wait a few seconds (perhaps ducking behind cover), then fire another shot.

[Brian Leybourne]

Ok, so I was looking up the missile combat info, p. 82 in the revised edit. and my first question is- what is UP with the scantily clad archer chick flying through the air ON FIRE? LOL I dunno but I ended up studying that picture for longer than I care to say.

That would be (one asumes) a Valkyrie. Check your Norse mythology.

Brian.

[Michael Tree]

I've been thinking about what to do with the Dark Side of the Force, and I've come to the conclusion that it's best included as another SA.  

To reflect its temptation and quick power, it can be taken as an SA over and above the five SAs that all characters have by anyone strong in the Force.  It can be used in any situation where the character gives in to rage, anger, etc., but only when another SA is also applicable.  A character can only harness powerful fear and hate when things they deeply care about are involved.

However, the dark side has a price.  In any scene where a character uses the dark side, they don't get additional points for any of their other SAs, just for the dark side.  In addition, a character can only spend his SA points on aggressive abilities, and can never spend more than half of their dark side SA points at any one time.  (In other words, it gives quick power, but hampers growth in the long run)