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Rules, for those without the rulebooks...

The basis of the rules comes from PIG's Coyote Trail RPG - a Western/cowboy RPG available in hardcopy form here in the Paizo store (also, PDFs available on the usual gaming PDF sites, with the basic Coyote Trail/Colonial Record PDF bundle for less than US$9... dang cheap for what you get). Colonial Record would be considered an expansion to the Coyote Trail ruleset, part of the "genre Diversion" products from PIGames.

There are no zombies, no elves, no strange hybrids between Fantasy/Zombies and Westerns/Colonial Era. If you're looking for "Zombies ate my Redcoats" Revolutionary War era games, or "Cowboys & Werewolfs", there's other rules for that.

So... characters, which is where you all come in. What does the ruleset allow for?

At first, you all will need to choose Roles (i.e. "classes") & Backgrounds (i.e. "races" in DnD). Then there's 5 stats, a variety of skills, plus "Gimmicks" (perks & disadvantages).

In Colonial Record, the list of Roles would be...

• Frontiersman (from trappers & coureurs des bois, to adventurer/explorers in the mold of Lewis & Clark)
  
• Instigator (rabble rousers & firebrands, a blend of Enlightenment philosopher & patriot & anarchist. Depending on the Background, one might be more philosopher than anarchist, but these guys are kind of the face of the Independence movement, like the Boston Tea Party guys)
  
• Militiamen (people who have their own livelihood but also choose to serve in the militia as part of a greater cause. More unconventional but also less trained than your typical Redcoat or other professional soldier)
  
• Officer (gentlemen & professional soldiers, and certainly amongst the Colonial aristocracy)
  
• Politician (not sure they'd fit in this game, but meh)
  
• Soldier (professional soldiers in the Continental Army, mostly converted militiamen. Maybe more appropriate to use this role for Redcoats, but meh)
  
• Warrior (Natives/Indians who fight. Probably not the best choice for this game, but if you have a great idea, great! I will work with you.)
  

List of acceptable Backgrounds...

• Tradesman (any "common" worker... from farmer to brewer to lawyer to carpenter)
  
• Merchant (traders of goods obviously :)
  
• Clergyman (obvious)
  
• Smith (metalworkers, obviously :)
  
• Laborer (menial workers)
  
• Slave (an important but unlovely part of our American history. However, both slaves & freedmen played important parts in our American history, and a freedman would make for an interesting character, I think)
  

Being part of the elite/aristocracy requires the selection of certain Gimmicks, but it's there. Anything you'd like to define should be define-able by the rule set.

In any case, this should be enough to inspire some ideas. Just take your rough ideas of what you'd like to play & we should be able to find a way to define that character. A poor militiaman with a small farm to himself... part of the tobacco planter aristocracy, maybe even with a seat in the Virginia assembly... a freedman sharecropper... whatever.

Come with an interesting idea. That's all I ask.

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Final note... it has nearly been two decades since I have studied American history in a classroom.

I would say that this is a "historic" type of game, minus any real history :D

There's nothing realistic about this game in terms of our real history... this is my disclaimer because I know my limitations here. Historic realism is what I'd aspire to if I had truly great historical knowledge. I never was a great historian. I wasn't even a good student of American history... at least in my estimation.

Also, I've been to upstate New York a couple of times, and I don't think I've ever been to Virginia. I am from the Midwest, and I live on the Left Coast... I happen to love the Western genre, and I also have traveled around the world enough to have a real love for my country.

As for this game... it is what it is, it will be what it will be. If you're not interested in playing Revolutionary "patriots", then look elsewhere. I'd certainly welcome you in other games, but at most I'd look for one philosophical contrarian in this one.

The darn thing ate my post! GRRR... I had a ton written up, and it ate it :(

Okay, I will have to do it bit by bit so that the forum doesn't freak out & eat another post.

The ship did come from Troophon. The ship is carrying medical supplies & synthene (minus the tax documents for synthene, so if the ship was boarded, the crew would be in trouble).

Phloeron is a "super earth" - a big world with higher gravity. Humans are the dominant species. There is a lot of mining on this planet, with many corporate interests involved. The inhabitants are shorter and stockier than average human folks.

Each character will have their own info & motivations on the planet, mainly to kick-start the game and explain why everyone is there. I want your characters to have reasons to be who they are, not just being empty vessels without a motivation.

If I get too heavy-handed with motivation, let me know. I'm trying to set the initial scene, and then you can all run with it (or run in the opposite direction if you like).

The handful of fighters scattered like sand thrown into the wind. Even if they were the local tin badges of the planetary governor, those old hands at the snub fighters knew that they were beat.

It wasn't the sight of the unlovely Citadel-class cruiser that spooked them so. The snub fighters were drawn to the cruiser, like moths to flame, until someone else showed up to blot out the nearby star.

The massive Imperial Dreadnought Sun Hammer just dropped out of hyperspace, nearly on top of them. Exactly the type of daring cavalry charge that Captain Ruuchs was known for, before the incident with the Admiral's wife that had condemned him to this distant sector of space.

"Deploy the fighters, then launch assault shuttle Mymonidus," commanded the Captain. He added, in a wistful tone, "Our first catch of the week."

High above the planet Phloeron in the far-off Juiblexian sector, Sun Hammer was far away from the galaxy's core, where the Imperial presence was overwhelming. Here, the Captain often found himself assigned to convoy escort duty, and only rarely given orders for detached service. Captain Ruuchs knew that this was an uncommon chance at prize money for himself and his crew if his instincts were correct.

One of his subordinates called out, "They say they are a merchant vessel, two days out of Troophon. Carrying medical supplies. Claim to have the proper tax documentation for a consignment of Synthene."

Given the onerous taxes on the Synthene trade due to the Imperial monopoly, their story was most likely a bogus one. It would be all over soon enough, and the smuggling vessel would be his.

Through the large viewport, Captain Ruuchs watched the flight of TIE Fighters escort a Stormtrooper-laden assault shuttle inexorably towards the much smaller Citadel-class cruiser.

An ensign handed the Captain a data pad with all the pertinent information about the vessel, owned by a certain Laris D'Vagne. The snub fighters that the cruiser carried were legitimate, but the ship's cargo was most likely contraband for one reason or another.

Something else caught the Captain's eye, however. A solitary mark next to the ship's name, almost imperceptible to those who did not know its meaning. Though there was nothing definite when it came to those that bore the mark, it hinted at something that Captain Ruuchs did not dare take lightly.

No, seizing the cruiser would not result in anything pleasant. Not for him.

Turning back to the scene unfolding in space before him, the Captain said plainly to his officers, "It appears as if their story checks out. Recall the assault shuttle, have the fighters stand down. You may let the cruiser continue to the planet..."

Ignoring the disappointed looks around him, Captain Ruuchs added, "Have them prepare my shuttle, and assemble a team of Stormtroopers. I will be descending to the surface."

OOC: More situational information to be found in the Discussion thread.

Any interest in a "Scum and Villainy" game, set in the Rebellion era?

We'll need an enterprising captain, a starship (most likely with a dubious history), and a suitably sketchy crew.

For the back end of this, I have: SW Saga Edition rulebook, Scum and Villainy, Starships of the Galaxy, plus assorted other books (the d20 Rebellion Era Sourcebook (SW d20 1st e), a bunch of d20 SW:RSE books, d6 Star Wars 1e rules, d6 Star Wars Imperial & Rebel Alliance Sourcebooks).

I also have an extremely simplistic quant model behind the market economy for the sector of space we'll play in. If you want to haul cargo & play the (black) market, then hopefully this game will meet your expectations. For characters with suitable Knowledge, you can request charts & simple Excel data for goods you might be pushing around space. (It's not fancy stuff by any means, but some people like charts.)

If you really want to serve the Rebel Alliance, provisions will be made to accommodate you. The Empire will mostly be a thorn in your side, with various blockades & taxes/fees & import/export restrictions to get around. The Hutts will serve as a third faction within the Sector, and the captain may begin the game with a price on his head (in exchange for more "stuff" for the starship).

Time frame? Roughly after Yavin, but the specific details regarding the original movies aren't intended to be affected by anything in this game. The Sector will be rim-ward/fringe space... the new Moff has recently re-imposed Imperial order (which has had a positive effect on the market), but several systems are in dispute, and the most rim-ward worlds are largely run by the Hutts.

Further details regarding character creation will follow. I'm mostly interested in hearing ideas and concepts for characters, and what you'd like out of this sort of thing.