Saturday, April 26, 2014

The Age of Rebellion Beginner Game is Out!

I'll post a review of the game once I've had a chance to read it more thoroughly. Suffice it to say for now, however, that these are the game's contents:

  • An introductory two-page booklet with examples of play.
  • The starter adventure, thirty-two pages long, which sees the heroes raiding a place that could be a new base of operations for the Alliance.
  • A forty-eight page rulebook.
  • Folios for four characters. (Two more are available online via the link below.)
  • A double-sided poster map with the facility on one side and specific locations on the other.
  • Cardstock tokens for the characters in the scenario.
  • A set of dice--three skill, three difficulty, two boost, two setback, a proficiency, a challenge and a Force die.
As mentioned above, there are two more character folios, along with a bonus scenario PDF, available via the website.


-Nate

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Drawing a Blank

A reader, Jeralee, asked a good question earlier, so I thought I'd share information about how I draw my maps. I use a free program called Paintbrush; it's the closest thing that I've found to the Paint program on my old desktop PC. My style is based on that from the old Dungeon magazine. For me one of the trickier elements is drawing the initial grid, so I thought I'd share mine here.

-Nate


Sunday, April 13, 2014

Update and Observation

Ladies and gentlebeings, this post marks the one-year anniversary of Tales from the Edge of the Empire. Thanks for having a look over the past twelve months.

Also, I've added another house rule to the page for them; this one has to do with making skill checks when you don't immediately know whether or not the effort is successful.

http://talesfromtheedgeoftheempire.blogspot.com/2013/12/house-rules.html

Finally, I'd also like to mention a project on which I'm collaborating with my friend Brent, a campaign based out of Tierfon Rebel Outpost.

Tierfon Campaign

-Nate

Saturday, April 5, 2014

The Hero Worshipper

There's an old saying: “Those who can, do; those who can't, teach.” That's not at all accurate. In this case, one of the PCs makes a strong impression on a young Human from Xyquine II names Soren Tavik. This sub-adult has left his homeworld looking for adventure, as is frequently the case among his people, and finds it when he happens to be present during a display of prowess by one of the PCs. He is awe-stricken by that character, and begins following him/her/it around in the hope of learning all that he can.

Soren Tavik (Rival—sort of)
Brawn 2 Cunning 2 Presence 2
Agility 2 Intellect 2 Willpower 2

Soak: 2
Wound Threshold: 12
Strain Threshold: 12
M/R Defense: 0 / 0

Skills: Astrogation 1, Computers 1, Cool 1, Core Worlds 1, Gunnery 1, Lore 1, Mechanics 1, Outer Rim 1, Perception 1, Piloting—Planetary 1, Piloting—Space 2, Ranged—Light 1, Vigilance 1

Talents: Let's Ride, Skilled Jockey

Abilities: One free rank in each of two skills

Equipment: Jumpsuit, blaster pistol, comlink, 500 credits

Soren Tavik is a dissatisfied youth searching to find an outlet for his frustrations. He finds life on his homeworld, Xyquine II, to be prosaic, and knows that the Empire is taking advantage of its power. Even so, he lacks a sense of direction in life. That is why he has taken to traveling around the Corellian Sector, seeking inspiration. He is an impressionable young fellow, and one ready to throw himself into a course of life if only he can find it.


Using the Hero Worshipper in an Edge of the Empire Campaign
This impressionable sub-adult can become involved in a campaign in many different ways; a few of the possibilities are detailed here.
  • Once Soren becomes awe-stricken by one of the PCs, he tries to follow that character around to all places and gain from his/her wisdom. This kind of fawning could be a chance to tell stories of exciting achievements, or it might become tedious; the latter is especially the case if the PCs run into trouble and the character in question has to watch out for Soren.
  • If the PCs are agents of the Rebel Alliance, they could recruit Soren as an operative.
  • There's always the chance that the PC in question tries to let down Soren, and thus perhaps to send him back to an ordinary life on his home planet.



Friday, April 4, 2014

The Aerie

This post makes me happy, because it moves from the grittier, more mercenary, fringe-oriented nature of Edge of the Empire toward the Rebellion-centered type of Star Wars RPG I grew up playing. It presents a Rebel outpost on Corellia.

-Nate


The Aerie
The Rebel Alliance is always in search of new places to build a base of operations, especially since being forced to flee its facility on Yavin IV. One such location is this one, nestled amidst the Nomad Mountains of northern Corellia. Known as the Aerie, it is a crude facility but a functional one. Here the agents of the Alliance deliver much-needed cargo, plan their resistance efforts, and embark on important missions.



The Grand Tour
The Aerie consists of a large cavern hollowed out of a mountain peak. Surrounding it are a number of plateaus that serve as landing pads, ones where Rebel ships are covered with camouflaged and sensor-baffling tarps. Given the northern latitude of the area, there is generally a dusting of snow on the ground. From the landing pads, tunnels lead into the main cavern. Refer to the appropriate map for the following area descriptions.



A. Main Chamber
This chamber, partially natural and partially hollowed out by Rebel builders, has a ceiling ten meters high; it is roughly fifty meters wide and seventy long. Four tunnels lead out of it to different entry points, including caves for parking speeder bikes or airspeeders, along with Eleem's great ibbot (see below).

B. Barracks
There are four of these prefabricated buildings in the Aerie. One is used exclusively by the Selonian guards, while two of the others hold the rest of the base's personnel. The fourth is generally kept open for large groups of visitors.

C. Infirmary
Doctor Quay-Din Freel has set up shop here. There are three medical beds that can be moved around, along with a computer workstation. The doctor's pride an joy, however, is a bacta tank in one corner of the room.

D. Warehouse
This large building is filled with shelving units that hold all manner of supplies—reserve equipment and foodstuffs for the Aerie itself, along with cargo and other goods that are being held here before shipment to other centers of Rebel activity.

E. Comm Center
In addition to housing the generator that provides power for the Aerie, this small structure boasts the communications hub for the base. The system is linked to sensor arrays concealed on the outside of the mountain.

F. Mess Hall
Meals are, of course, prepared and served here; it also serves as a place to hang out for personnel who have downtime. To that end, one can usually find games such as trin sticks or sabacc being played, the occasional arm wrestling match, and that sort of thing.

G. Workshop
Fing Tooso is in charge of this location. One side of the building is given over to shelving that holds all manner of spare parts, while the other is dominated by a work bench. There are always two or three projects, in various states of disassembly and repair, to be found here.


Personnel
Detailed here are a few of the characters to be found in the Aerie. Given that agents of the Alliance are always coming and going from this location, there are always a variety of others on a short-term basis.

Commander Keero Fent (Nemesis)
Brawn 3 Cunning 2 Presence 4
Agility 3 Intellect 2 Willpower 3

Soak: 4
Wound Threshold: 15
Strain Threshold: 13
M/R Defense: 1 / 1

Skills: Athletics 2, Brawl 2, Coercion 1, Computers 1, Cool 2, Coordination 1, Discipline 2, Gunnery 1, Leadership 3, Mechanics 1, Medicine 1, Melee 2, Negotiation 1, Perception 2, Piloting—Planetary 1, Ranged—Heavy 2, Ranged—Light 2, Resilience 1, Stealth 1, Survival 2, Vigilance 2

Talents: Command, Confidence, Field Commander, Improved Field Commander, Second Wind

Abilities: One free rank in Ranged—Heavy or Stealth.

Equipment: Armored clothing, blaster pistol, blaster rifle, comlink

Keero Fent is a very serious being. The Dresselian takes his job as commander of the Aerie to heart, ensuring that the beings who operate from it do their jobs smoothly and by the numbers. Some might accuse him of being too stiff, but his no-nonsense approach makes for an efficiently run base. He has been involved in fighting the Empire ever since it invaded his homeworld years ago. His lighter side comes out when he has a chance to train new recruits, and on rare occasions when he joins the rest of the staff for downtime in the mess.


Lieutenant Fing Tooso, Chadra-Fan Mechanic (Rival)
Brawn 1 Cunning 2 Presence 2
Agility 3 Intellect 3 Willpower 2

Soak: 2
Wound Threshold: 13
Strain Threshold: 13
M/R Defense: 0 / 0

Skills: Astrogation 1, Computers 2, Education 2, Gunnery 1, Mechanics 3, Medicine 1, Negotiation 1, Perception 2, Piloting—Planetary 1, Piloting—Space 1, Ranged—Heavy 1, Ranged—Light 1, Skulduggery 1, Stealth 1, Vigilance 1

Talents: Bad Motivator, Enduring, Fine Tuning, Gearhead, Grit, Solid Repairs, Toughened

Abilities: One free rank in Mechanics; Night Vision: Chadra-Fan may remove a setback die imposed by concealment due to darkness.

Equipment: Coveralls, toolkit, light blaster pistol, comlink, datapad

Fing Tooso is a consummate tinkerer. She loves nothing more than breaking down a new device, diagnosing what is wrong with it (or how it could be improved), and then reassembling it. To that end she loves working for the Alliance, since agents are constantly bringing her damaged equipment or vehicles. Working with limited supplies only makes it more fun.


Captain Quay-Din Freel, Cerean Doctor (Type)
Brawn 2 Cunning 2 Presence 2
Agility 3 Intellect 4 Willpower 2

Soak: 2
Wound Threshold: 12
Strain Threshold: 13
M/R Defense: 0 / 0

Skills: Athletics 1, Brawl 1, Computers 2, Cool 3, Coordination 1, Core Worlds 1, Discipline 2, Education 3, Medicine 3, Outer Rim 1, Perception 2, Ranged—Light 1, Resilience 1, Survival 1, Vigilance 1, Xenology 2

Talents: Bacta Specialist, Grit, Natural Doctor, Resolve, Stim Application, Surgeon

Abilities: Free rank in Perception or Vigilance; Binary Mind: Cereans receive a boost die to any Cool or Vigilance checks when rolling to determine initiative at the start of combat.

Equipment: Clothing, datapad, comlink, blaster pistol, medpac, two stimpacks

Quay-Din Freel is the Aerie's doctor, and a very good one at that. She could be working in any hospital throughout the Core Worlds, and would be living a much more comfortable life than she does here. She has seen the callous ways of the Empire, however, and has vowed to use her skills for helping others throw off the yoke of oppression. Although she is generally one who prefers to listen rather than speak, she can take action swiftly when the situation demands it.


Corporal Eleem, Drall Wingrider (Rival)
Brawn 2 Cunning 3 Presence 2
Agility 2 Intellect 3 Willpower 2

Soak: 2
Wound Threshold: 10
Strain Threshold: 14
M/R Defense: 0 / 0

Skills: Athletics 1, Cool 1, Coordination 1, Discipline 1, Lore 2, Medicine 1, Melee 2, Perception 2, Piloting—Planetary 1, Ranged—Heavy 1, Ranged—Light 2, Resilience 1, Stealth 1, Survival 2, Vigilance 2

Talents: Let's Ride, Rapid Recovery

Abilities: Free rank in Education; add a boost died to checks when providing skilled assistance.

Equipment: H-7 “Equalizer” blaster pistol, utility belt, SKZ sporting blaster, comlink

Eleem is a Drall Wingrider, and one who was raised under the influence of an uncle, Emiss, who told him stories of the Jedi Knights and how they served the beings of the galaxy before the Clone Wars. That is why Eleem has joined up with the Rebellion, hoping to emulate his long-vanquished heroes. He uses his training as a Wingrider to serve as a courier and scout for the Aerie, soaring through the skies on his great ibbot mount. (Refer to page 28 of the Suns of Fortune sourcebook to find more information about great ibbots and Wingriders.)


Sergeant Siodu Krell, Selonian Security Guards (Rival)
Brawn 3 Cunning 1 Presence 1
Agility 3 Intellect 2 Willpower 3

Soak: 3
Wound Threshold: 14
Strain Threshold: 13
M/R Defense: 0 / 0

Skills: Athletics 2, Brawl 2, Cool 2, Coordination 1, Discipline 2, Melee 3, Perception 1, Ranged—Light 1, Resilience 2, Stealth 1, Survival 1, Vigilance 2

Talents: Frenzied Attack, Heroic Fortitude, Knockdown, Lethal Blows, Toughened

Abilities: Free rank in Coordination; remove all setback dice added to checks due to near darkness; may use tail as a Brawl weapon.

Equipment: Utility belt, Selonian glaive, blaster pistol, comlink

Siodu Krell is a black-furred Selonian and the head of security for the Aerie. Indeed, she sees her Rebel allies as being an extension of her den, since they are fighting to keep the Empire from spreading its influence throughout the Corellian system. Her sense of honor is deep and compelling, a quality that Keero Fent greatly appreciates in a subordinate.


Selonian Security Guards (Minions)
Brawn 2 Cunning 1 Presence 1
Agility 3 Intellect 2 Willpower 3

Soak: 2
Wound Threshold: 13
Strain Threshold: 13
M/R Defense: 0 / 0

Skills: (Group only) Brawl, Perception, Ranged—Light, Vigilance

Talents: None

Abilities: Free rank in Coordination; remove all setback dice added to checks due to near darkness; may use tail as a Brawl weapon.

Equipment: Utility belt, Selonian glaive, blaster pistol, comlink

These Selonians serve Lieutenant Krell with utter loyalty.



Using the Aerie in an Edge of the Empire Campaign
The Aerie and the Rebels who operate from it can become involved in a campaign in many different ways; a few of the possibilities are detailed here.

  •   PCs who wish to serve the Rebel Alliance could, after being vetted, find themselves stationed here, either during downtime between missions or as part of the regular staff.
  • The Aerie always needs skilled pilots for delivering cargoes into hotzones, and discreet operatives for undercover assignments.
  • If it were ever discovered, of course, the Aerie could find itself suffering a concerted Imperial attack.   

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Imperial Inquisitor Neza Yerg

Here's a link for an updated version of my compiled index, now including material from Jewel of Yavin, along with an NPC connected to some of my previous posts.

-Nate

Compiled Index



Imperial Inquisitor Neza Yerg

Many are the servants of Emperor Palpatine. Some, like Darth Vader, stand beside him for all to see, while others, such as Mara Jade, operate in secret. More numerous are those who, while not as individually powerful, work together to pursue the security and stability of the New Order. The Quarren agent known as Neza Yerg is a good example of this; he travels from planet to planet investigating rumors of Force-sensitive beings and their activities, capturing them when possible and eliminating them when necessary.



Neza Yerg, Agent of the Inquisition (Nemesis)
Brawn 3 Cunning 4 Presence 2
Agility 3 Intellect 2 Willpower 3

Soak: 4
Wound Threshold: 14
Strain Threshold: 13
M/R Defense: 1 / 1

Skills: Athletics 2, Brawl 2, Coercion 1, Computers 2, Cool 2, Coordination 1, Core Worlds 2, Deception 3, Discipline 2, Education 2, Leadership 1, Lore 3, Mechanics 1, Medicine 2, Melee 3, Negotiation 1, Outer Rim 2, Perception 3, Piloting—Planetary 1, Piloting—Space 1, Ranged—Light 3, Resilience 3, Skulduggery 2, Stealth 2, Streetwise 1, Survival 2, Underworld 1, Vigilance 2, Xenology 1

Talents: Quick Draw, Quick Strike x2, Rapid Reaction, Side Step x2; Control Upgrade, Magnitude Upgrade, Range Upgrade, Sense Basic Power

Abilities: One free rank in Deception or Negotiation; Amphibious: Quarren may breathe underwater without penalty and never suffer movement penalties for traveling through water

Equipment: Armored clothing, heavy blaster pistol, vibrosword, comlink, datapad

If Neza Yerg had been born in a different time, he might have come to the notice of the Jedi Order and begun training as a padawan. Instead, he grew up among the Separatist members of his species, making him an enemy of the Old Republic. In the aftermath of the Clone Wars, Yerg was apprehended by agents of Palpatine's New Order and subjected to intense indoctrination. That was when the Imperials realized he was Force-sensitive, leading to a major change in direction for his life. They convinced him that it was the Jedi who caused the war, and then trained him to help find any beings who might wish to rebuild the Order. For this reason he is zealous in pursuing his cause.
Like many Quarren, Neza Yerg has grey skin and a tentacled face. He wears midnight blue armored clothing, including a billowing cape, and carries a heavy blaster pistol on his hip. He travels aboard a Lambda-class shuttle, and is accompanied by a naval officer, Captain Oswald, along with two squads of Naval troopers. Refer to page 403 of the core rulebook to find stats for those characters, and


Using Neza Yerg in an Edge of the Empire Campaign
The nerf ranch and the beings who inhabit it can become involved in a campaign in many different ways; a few of the possibilities are detailed here.
  • If any of the PCs are Force-sensitive, their activities could attract the attention of this Inquisitor.
  • Those characters who are present on Corellia might run into Neza Yerg as he investigates tales of Obah the Neti Jedi and her death, along with the legacy that she has left behind.
  • The PCs could also have a run-in with him if they have business with Mina Trevill, Emiss the Drall, or other Rebel sympathizers onplanet.