I am running an edge of the empire game and need some ideas. I am looking to create one to two session adventures with an overarching plot running behind them. One theme in particular I'm working with is a bounty hunter that keeps hounding them. I was wondering if anyone could suggest some simple frameworks or hooks for adventures within the star wars universe. The game takes place shortly after the destruction of Alderan.
Thanks a lot in advance.
System-wise, I know almost nothing about EoE. Star Wars-wise, however, I've pumped a lot of words on the topic out around the forums. Some of them were even good ones.
Starting here on this thread, we get off of the "why/why-not d20" question and on to a lot of really good advice and discussion on how best to run a Star Wars game. There's a lot of good stuff there from people like Fig and Freehold DM and others (hopefully my contributions on the thread will be of worth to you as well).
Pay attention to my mention of setting up a "beat chart." It's been the most helpful thing I've ever done for my games, hands down.
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I am running an edge of the empire game and need some ideas. I am looking to create one to two session adventures with an overarching plot running behind them. One theme in particular I'm working with is a bounty hunter that keeps hounding them. I was wondering if anyone could suggest some simple frameworks or hooks for adventures within the star wars universe. The game takes place shortly after the destruction of Alderan.
Thanks a lot in advance.
Have the players already created characters? If so their Obligations and Motivations should offer some good ideas.
For example, in my game the Colonist/Politico's background is that he was framed for a crime and his Motivation is to prove his innocence. His Obligation is that he has a bounty on his head. So one of the adventures involved breaking into the offices of one of his political rivals to try and find some documents to help him prove his innocence.
For EotE it is best to let your player's character's backgrounds drive the story. It will keep them interested because that is how they work down their Obligation, and gain new ones muahahaha.
I'd consider for the first wave of adventures having some sort of home base for the characters - be that a starport like Mos Eisley or a space station or a capital ship. While you need to have space travel it helps to have a place to use for recurring characters, such as employers. I agree to tie the story into the particular obligations/motivations of your PCs.
Is the bounty hunter after one PC or after the group? Who hired the bounty hunter - a crime lord, someone who they wronged, someone they owe a debt to, the Empire, etc.?
Do the characters have their own starship or do they work for someone who does which they use or travel on as part of the crew?
Remember first, your players need space ships, even if they aren't going to fight. Planetary movement is extremely important in the SW Universe
Second, player Obligations and Motivations are a great starting point for your story, but one suggestion I have is to make them all interconnected. This way your players not only are trying to accomplish something but they will help each other out. If the bounty hunter is after one player, have him sent by the rival of another player's family Obligation, the family that has the needed medical supplies for a third player, all the while tied up in the politics of a Moff who has a grudge against a fourth player. This setup gives you all the antagonists for a campaign without requiring you to be shoe-horned into a specific story since you can do whatever you want for all of the details.
When creating a story for a game, I like to solicit player input. I don't just say "hey guys, what kind of game do you want?", but rather ask targeted questions that require more than one word answers. Examples you could tailor:
Why did you stop working for Big Crime Boss?
What crime are accused of?
Which of your family members snitched on you to the Empire and why?
Why does Senator Meany want you silenced permanently?
Why did you promise PC 2's mom you'd always look out for him?
When did PC 3 save your life?
Why do you refuse to fly the ship without PC 1 on board?
The questions imply a lot of information about the PC, but at the same time they can be very open ended and give the player a lot of room to give an answer that feels right to them. I don't ask every question to every player, but having 2-3 questions per player can provide you with a lot of detail to work with. This removes the initial creative burden off your shoulders as the DM*, now you just have to fill in the spaces between the answers. Plus you get a little bit of instant buy in from the players, because the story is based on the things they invented. Their characters arrive at the first session with goals and the group has bonds between them.
*This is the big reason I do things like this. I'm a lazy DM... not lazy, but rather I like to focus my efforts more effectively, so I find that reducing that creative burden makes my job immensely easier.