Darths & Droids

Love this deadpan exchange in 1718. The GM has got so used to it he doesn't even both with exasperated sighs any more.

GM: In the ceiling is an iris door, the aperture blades pulsing open and closed rhythmically.
Bria: I check the suspiciously pulsating door for traps.
GM: You find one very large trap, made of razor sharp iris blades pulsing open and closed.

(Also, do we have a trope for things like "walking obliviously through the deathtrap while looking for a way to turn off the deathtrap"? It feels like something out of a Bugs Bunny cartoon.)

Edited by johnnye on Oct 19th 2018 at 6:43:06 PM

Episode 1720: High Jinx. How did this part actually play out, I wonder?

What, in the film? They are all on the same page: Jyn needs to transmit the plans via the antenna since physical extraction is impossible; the fighters are covering for her. The rebels in space are trying to disable the shield so that the transmission can get through.

Edited by Fighteer on Oct 21st 2018 at 10:39:10 AM

The element that either isn't being used or hasn't been made clear is that the shield blocks large transmissions as well as ships, and while they have enough "bandwidth" to talk to the fleet, they need to take down the shield to transmit the data file with the plans.

Ohhhhhhhh... now it makes sense.

I've seen the film and even I don't remember how most of the screenshots played out in the original. I didn't find it an especially memorable story, which doesn't help.

Edited by johnnye on Oct 21st 2018 at 5:56:33 PM

I think the "Burj Scarifa" pun deserves some appreciation.

Episode 1721: The Ultimate Weapon

It's true: the location of that secondary control panel only makes sense if the designers of the building knew that a climactic scene would be shot there.

Bailing Out

Episode 1723: One Ship, Two Ship, Sped Ship, Through Ship

… sooo, in this version Bria could transmit the plans at any time, and Jim has just dithered long enough that the NPCs finally got the shield down just by coincidence?

Keybounce is munching popcorn. That is the correct reaction to this scene.

Yeah, but consider Travelling at the Speed of Plot — if she'd got to the control panel sooner, she'd still have been Just in Time.

I'm intrigued to see the DM's notes for this one — seems like if it hadn't been for the players' nonsense, they'd have got the plans in about half an hour. Were they supposed to begin the plot of A New Hope as well, and that became a new campaign after this party was TPK'd?

Wouldn’t surprise me a bit. Just need an excuse for the party to go to Tatooine and meet up with Ben at some point.

Well remember A New Hope and Rogue One are the same campaign in this comic. Episode IV started In Medias Res.

I always felt that second star destroyer was too much. Still, nice Spaceballs nod here.

At this stage, both the Star Destroyers are moored in place, acting as stationary gun platforms. And in space, there is no anchoring.

Amusingly, they seem to be stationary over the planet's surface, so they should be plummeting at quite a substantial velocity.* Unless, of course, the shield gate is itself orbiting the planet, but then it wouldn't remain above the place where all the plot is happening.

Star Wars and physics have a casual, sarcastic, and occasionally antagonistic relationship.

^* We do know that they have antigrav tech, so maybe the ships are all held up by that and aren't bothering to maintain orbital velocity. This would also explain why they fall once they lose power. Except that the Star Destroyer that is disabled by ion cannon fire doesn't fall until pushed, so so much for that.

Edited by Fighteer on Oct 29th 2018 at 9:58:19 AM

They used to date, now the just make snarky comments about each other.

Do remember they have gravity generators

When those are disabled via ion cannon fire, everyone aboard should start floating in zero-G. Further, if the ship is holding itself up in space against the planet's gravity without enough tangential velocity to stay in orbit, it should begin falling.

Edited by Fighteer on Oct 29th 2018 at 4:54:54 AM

I choose to believe the gravity generators are powered by a separate system to the weapons and engines. Same reason they still have breathable air and emergency lights.

Episode 1724: I Do My Little Burn on the Catwalk

That's a little less "Jim turns his brain off" and a little more "Jim is playing an idiot for shits and giggles." Seriously, "Here I am, please don't shoot me! [waves arms and jumps up and down]" But they're right, makes even less sense in the film.