Star Wars: the Rats and the Mynocks (interest check)

Attention: as of 29 July 2012, the active-duty roster is full. You are still free to submit characters, but they will be placed on a waitlist. Character attrition and probable party-slips means that you'll probably have a chance to get them active—just not at the start.

This RP will take place in the Star Wars canon, 27 ABY (New Jedi Order era).

It has been two weeks since Coruscant's fall to the Yuuzhan Vong. The initial wave of bombardment and fighting is over, and the invaders are settling in to stay—they intend, for good. But they are not the only ones: in the vertical miles of twisted metal, across an expanse of dead skyscrapers, the billions still trapped on this new, hostile world struggle to survive.

And that is where you come in.

Your character could be just about anyone that has a reason for being on Coruscant—considering the planet's population, that is a very wide selection. Survivors of the disastrous defense, one of the billions of toilers just making a living, a merchant just passing through and now trapped, droids, humans, aliens, whatever-have-you: all are available, within reasonable constraints.

Characters

• Name.
• Physical descript: include species and related, if relevant.
• Personality.
• Short-term backstory: how you got here.
• Possessions and perks: any special details. Keep in mind these are limited; if you happen to have extensive combat training, you can't also have a hideout in the underworld for a base of operations, or a network of contacts throughout the city.

Additional Details

This game is open for OCs only; you cannot take any canon characters (though you may occasionally run across one; don't bet on it, since Coruscant is a big world). I intend to run this game within Star Wars canon as much as possible. The kickoff date will be before or during the Second Battle of Borleias, or within the timeframe of Enemy Lines I: Rebel Dream. The game will run for about two in-game years, from 27 ABY (Fall of Coruscant) to 29 ABY (recapture).

Since the industrial base of the 'verse is mostly inaccessible for your characters, I will accept limited deviations from SW canon tech, so long as it fits within the technology established. These will be necessary to get yourselves up to a tech level where you can arm and sustain an insurgency, or just to survive. No starships and fighters for you. You will be staying on-planet for the majority if not the entirety of the game.

Speaking of insurgencies and the like, players who have had me as a GM before will be familiar with this, but: expect competent opponents. The opposition is well-trained and well-motivated, and they will use proper tactics and heavy weapons, close air support, artillery, and the like. I will warn you now: charging in guns blazing will only end in tears. I reward the sneaky-bastard method of gameplay, and acting as if you were an FPS protagonist will get you killed. (If you try to fight a Yuuzhan Vong warrior hand-to-hand, I will laugh. And then I will kill your character.) You are running an insurgency, not trying to go toe-to-toe.

And no, you may not play a Jedi or other trained Force-sensitive. Before you opt to choose untrained Force sensitivity as your perk, ask yourself if you really want Voxyn hunter-killer groups after your arse 24/7, and keep in mind that it means you'll be lacking serious combat skills.

And, finally, I encourage you to be familiar with the relevant segments of the Star Wars canon; the Star Wars Wikia will be a godsend.

Expect this RP to run at a rate of approximately one GM post per day, on average, perhaps faster or slower depending on player responses. This is so I don't burn out, and so you won't have to worry about missing too many key developments.

This game is now active.

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Current Active Roster

• Galvin Vekarr, played by Flanker 66. Vehicle driver and Obligatory Smuggler Character.
• Thirteen, played by Reven Vrake. IG-100 droid (that's an assassin droid to all you meatbags)
• Makar Konshi, played by desdendelle. Special Force soldier with a Clone Wars kick.
• Arlong, played by Slendid Suit. Mon Cal mechanic.
• Fish'ti'ree, played by wikkit. Chiss barkeeper (bad grammar optional), nuttier than a fruitcake. Owner of a lot of antipersonnel mines.
• Lucky/Ace, played by nman. Cyborg Phase Zero Dark Trooper survivor. Also nuttier than a fruitcake. Owner of a nifty jump pack.
• Maja Kalranoos, played by hotelkilo. Arkanian former PDF officer, less nutty, but keep her away from throwable objects. Resident mad bomber.
• Zora Kolkeen, played by Gaunt 88. Zabrak workaholic CSF detective with a local network of contacts (how she'll get along with the smuggler remains to be seen).

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Discussion Thread linked. Game Thread linked.

edited 2nd Aug '12 1:51:03 AM by SabresEdge

Charlie Stross's cheerful, optimistic predictions for 2017, part one of three.

Sorta interest. Haven't done anything SW-related in ages.

The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground

I'd be interested. I don't know much about the EU, but I do have some basic knowledge that I can use Wookiepedia to build on.

Gimme yer lunch money, dweeb.

Also expressing tentative interest. I have a fairly good grasp of the EU, just not any of the YV stuff.

Would be interested but never read much EU.

"Yup. That tasted purple."

I'm in the same position as Gaunt. At any rate, this should make a nice change of pace from the other RPs on the site.

Locking you up on radar since '09

Putting in some interest.

I have a passing knowledge of the EU. Never read the books, but I had a long enough Star-Wars kick in my youth to know a bit.

Excellent. Glad to see the interest expressed, although more familiarity with the EU would be nice. This is what you'll want to know:

• Basic history/fluff in the EU up until the NJO era. Short version, the war drags on until about 19 ABYnote
  After the Battle of Yavin, EU-speak for Episode IV
  , when the New Republic (the Good Guys) signs a peace treaty with the Imperial Remnant (what's left of the Bad Guys). Things run along with only the occasional minor crisis here and there until the Tyranids Zerg Yuuzhan Vong invade in 25 ABY, and two years later they capture Coruscant.
• Your opponent. Without going into all the deep background and fluff, the YZV are...well, they're weird, but kinda interesting. They've got a biotech kick going on; all their technology is living and organic. They're also religious fanatics, seeing everything non-biotech as abominations to be purged in service to their gods, ia ia phtagn and all that. However, their society is not without certain flaws that you may be able to exploit—caste system and all that. Their tech also has certain shortcomings. (Word of advice, don't go hand-to-hand. Good warriors in their army are able to stand up against a Jedi in close quarters, and indeed their infantry tactics focus on getting up close and personal.)
• General SW technology. I don't expect you to list off stat blocks and numbers, nor to explain the physics of the hyperdrive, or anything like that. But, the basics: droids, repulsor propulsion, all that. The reason you'll want at least one person on your team who can jury-rig the tech is that Coruscant is, right now, very much a scavenger world. You've got the remains of an incredibly high technology level to work with, and probably no shortage of raw resources, assuming you can exploit them.

The nice thing about playing as this kind of character is that you're not expected to know all the deep history behind everything (although it certainly can't hurt). Don't feel overwhelmed by the mountains of EU material; most of it is irrelevant to the immediate surroundings.

Still interested? Feel free to start thinking up characters, then. I've deliberately left the template vague to give you maximum latitude (it'd be odd to ask for hair color if you're playing as a droid, for instance).

Charlie Stross's cheerful, optimistic predictions for 2017, part one of three.

...Hmmm, interesting...

Seriously considering playing a Droid of some kind, cause we all know that the Vong just love droids

I would like to reserve the right to play the party techie.
Mechanics are fun.

Gimme yer lunch money, dweeb.

I found a nice character I can base mine on in a Star Wars: The Old Republic novel.

edited 26th Jul '12 10:20:53 AM by desdendelle

The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground

Certainly. It'll still need my approval, of course, but given the sheer number of characters in the EU feel free to steal traits from them.

Charlie Stross's cheerful, optimistic predictions for 2017, part one of three.

Thanks, Sabre. I should say now that I have read some of the NJO stuff involving the YVH, I just haven't retained it very well.

Anyway, here's my stab at a character - he'll probably fill the role of driver if we manage to run across any vehicles we can get working. Since that may not be possible, though, just consider him the obligatory smuggler character.

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• Name Galvin Vekarr
• Physical descript: A wiry but tough example of the human race, Galvin has brown eyes that are complemented by his unkempt hair, which is a lighter shade of the same colour. He's roughly average height wise, and the beginnings of a five o' clock shadow can be seen. His clothing is typical of a spacer - comfortable and hard wearing boots, a pair of tan cargo pants, and a grey coloured shirt hidden beneath a somewhat thick jacket. He also wears a holster.
• Personality: Cagey would certainly be one way to describe Galvin. Self-interested is another. Overall, he likes to imagine himself as the next Han Solo, but chances are that won't be the case any time soon. He has no love for law enforcement (or the New Republic in general for that matter), and as a result the quickest way to make him suspicious of you is to even just hint at involvement with them. Despite this, he is a pragmatic man and can prove a stalwart, dependable ally if you're willing to dig past his less admirable aspects.
• Short-term backstory: As might be surmised, Galvin was a smuggler delivering a package to his latest client on Coruscant when the Yuuzhan Vong hit, resulting in the destruction of his ship and his ticket to freedom as a result. He spent most of the following days scrounging around, laying low and trying to eke out a living without getting killed by Coruscant's latest occupiers. Despite loudly protesting that he's only looking for a way off-planet, he has found himself strangely resistant to leaving at the first opportunity.
• Possessions and perks:
  • Modified "Renegade" heavy blaster pistol: In Galvin's line of work, it's only a matter of time until some hotshot decides to take you on or the police attempt to arrest you. As a result, he invested in the most potent (and practical) weapon he could get. Galvin has lavished attention on the blaster, seeing it as his pride and joy, and now it has been improved in almost all parameters. Unfortunately, he has never had an opportunity to actually use it, and so his skills with it are somewhat rusty.
  • MultiNode Communications Link: This handy little device has been part of Galvin's repertoire almost since day one, its' compact and discreet nature proving invaluable. Unfortunately, its' range is more limited than more powerful comlinks, and this can be hampered still further by inclement weather.
  • Companion2000 Datapad: It never hurts to have an easy method of storing notes, and Galvin's datapad has prevented many embarrassing slip-ups due to forgetfulness or worse.
  • Vehicle operation: Mr Vekarr often likes to boast that if it moves, he can operate it, and even if it is an exaggeration the man is no slouch. Having a touch of mechanical sympathy certainly helps, too.
  • Stealth: Unsurprisingly, Galvin knows a thing or two about slipping past security and border posts undetected, although how useful this knowledge will be when faced with an unfamiliar foe may be in question. He can also be relied upon to conceal something upon his person with little trouble.

edited 26th Jul '12 11:10:17 AM by Flanker66

Locking you up on radar since '09

Excellent. Approved! Just don't try sniping with that hand cannon.

Charlie Stross's cheerful, optimistic predictions for 2017, part one of three.

Well, hopefully it won't come to that, eh?

Locking you up on radar since '09

Considering the max range of most of Star Wars blaster rifles is around 300 meters, they're not true sniper weapons.

I think I'll be doing the sniping. Crazy, Cloud Cuckoo Lander sniping.

It's a good thing I'm having this set in a postapocalyptic world. This way you could say "that crater was there when I got here!"

Charlie Stross's cheerful, optimistic predictions for 2017, part one of three.

Are we going to Hand Wave language issues like in the films, or are we gonna do it realistically?

Most species in Star Wars speak basic so it should work.

Anyways, here's my droid. A blast from the past you might say!

• Name: Thirteen (13)
• Physical Description: Thirteen is an IG-100 Self-Motivating Heuristically Programmed Combat Droid. A hold over from the Clone Wars of long ago, Thirteen is starting to show his age in that his armor is dented and scratched, but his photoceptors glow just as red as when they came out the factory decades ago.
• Personality: Thirteen is a tall, mostly silent killer. Like some droids he does show some emotion, mostly snark from time to time. As he's been around quite a while and not had a mind-wipe in decades he's developed a personality instead of being just a robot.
• Short-term Backstory: Produced near the end of the Clone Wars, Magna was a typical IG-100 Magna Guard built for the Confederacy of Independent Systems. With the end of the Clone Wars Thirteen was initially deactivated along with the rest of the Droid Army, apparently destined for the scrap heap. He was saved only because the IG-100 was highly prized in the galactic underworld for their combat ability (and their infamous history as General Grievous' personal guard). Thirteen was purchased for assassination missions on Courscant, his new owner intending to use him to take out his fellow low life thugs and advance up the social hierarchy. To accomplish this his close combat ability was not affected (as he still had the training that Grievous had installed in all his Magna Guards) but his speech systems were improved by the installation of a newer voice unit, which still had a gravely tone but allowed greater expressions. A more advanced processing unit was also installed, meant to let the Combat Droid keep up in a newer age. His owner went to considerable expense to make sure Thirteen was still combat effective (mostly to make sure he would have a very effective bodyguard). Thirteen survived his owner, who died during the Vong invasion. Now a free droid, Thirteen for the first time is finding his own way. And racking up a body count while doing it.
• Possessions and perks: Thirteen is a IG-100 Magna Guard, one of the most effective combat platforms the Separatists ever built. Magna Guards are noted for their exceptional agility, preferring to close to melee range to remove opponents. Like all Separatist Combat Droids, Thirteen has magnetic feet for walking in Zero-G and his claws allow him to climb up most surfaces. Plated in Duranium Armor like all IG-100s, he is very resistant to blaster weapons but the new Vong Weapons are more dangerous. For combat Thirteen was still equipped with the Electrostaff all Magna Guards carried, the long polearm being useful in crowded urban combat. Thirteen also has programming for the use of most blasters and missile weapons but he is not presently equipped with any of them. His owner also decided to follow Grievous in having Thirteen dress in clothing, but instead of the tan robes the General favored, Thirteen wears a much dark grey cloak with a triangular hood.

Hm... well, part of me feels that the party should be able to understand the "regular" languages of the galaxy (it'd be kind of absurd - and unfair - to force Sabre's Edge to transcribe characters' dialogue in Shyriiwook or Mando'a, for example), whereas the Yuuzhan Vong should be mostly unintelligible (we are dealing with a new enemy that most citizens of the galaxy probably haven't spoken to in their native language, after all).

I think, though, it'd be simpler to have all languages translated into English, hand waving it depending on the characters' background (or have it so that although we, the RPers, can understand it, to the characters - if it makes sense - it's just a bunch of gibberish). It'd make things much easier for our poor GM.

I'm really pumped up for this, as if it isn't obvious.

Locking you up on radar since '09

I haven't time to type up a full character sheet, but I'm thinking of making a New Republic trooper lady with repeating blaster (probably a T-21, it's about the best characterised on the wiki.)

edited 26th Jul '12 1:51:10 PM by Gaunt88

For the most part you'll be communicating with each other in Basic (that one, not that one), and like hell am I going to transcribe any of the other languages.

Although, as is my wont, I may occasionally post snippets of background documents, including from the opposing force, which will be translated into readability.

Oh, and assassin droid approved. Play nice with the meatbags others.

EDIT: anyway, yes, combat utility is a good thing. But, be aware that you won't have any sort of logistics train behind you except what you establish or find. No factories churning out munitions equals dry blaster cells, so do keep that in mind.

edited 26th Jul '12 1:51:58 PM by SabresEdge

Charlie Stross's cheerful, optimistic predictions for 2017, part one of three.

@Gaunt:

Sounds cool. Galvin's really going to love her (although I'm not sure he'll be overly enamoured with having an ageing war machine-cum-assassin hanging around either).

edited 26th Jul '12 1:55:55 PM by Flanker66

Locking you up on radar since '09

This should be interesting. You say we'll die if we get into close combat and I'm playing a character that starts with only a melee weapon XD

Anyways, thanks for approving. Considering the sheer size of the city we should be able to find quite a bit of stuff in the underground.