More Recommended Reading

Last month I wrote a post which recommended the Han Solo Trilogy as good background information for players and GM's running an Edge of the Empire campaign. In this post I'm going to recommend two more trilogies and a standalone novel, with the prior being quite old and the latter very new.

Kenobi

The novel Kenobi, by John Jackson Miller, was published back in August. It tells a story of Obi-Wan shortly after he settles on Tatooine to watch over Luke Skywalker. I'd been looking forward to this book for a while because I think this is an intriguing time period in the Star Wars galaxy and because I enjoyed the author's work on the Knights of the Old Republic comic series. In spite of my high expectations, I was not disappointed. This story focuses not on Obi-Wan as much as it does on the inhabitants of a remote outpost on Tatooine, presenting interesting new characters and involving them in engaging conflicts. I think it provides good inspiration for an Edge of the Empire campaign because it tells a story on the fringe of the galaxy and keeps it compelling. For my part, I'm tempted to run a campaign on the desert planet just such a ragtag, realistic and fun community of beings.

The Lando Calrissian Adventures

Next is the Lando Calrissian trilogy by L. Neil Smith. I have to admit that Lando is my favorite character, and I was fortunate that friends of mine shared these books with me when I was in junior high school. These are the novels that introduced sabacc. What is more, they present the larger-than-life adventures of an itinerant gambler and his droid sidekick. Now, I know that the style of the books is not for everybody. In some ways, they feel more like episodes of Star Trek than Star Wars spinoffs. After all, Lando encounters three different lost civilizations, and he wins and loses multiple unimaginably large fortunes. Even so, I think they provide an interesting description of day-to-day life in the Galaxy Far Far Away. What is more, they show a GM just how to introduce, develop and eventually resolve and ungoing conflict with a worthy nemesis.

The Han Solo Adventures

Finally I come to the books that, in my opinion, best encompass the feel of an Edge of the Empire campaign. These are the novels of the Han Solo Adventures by Brian Daley. In these three books the author strikes the perfect balance of scope and scale. While the exploits of Han Solo and Chewbacca the Wookiee aren't ones that affect the galaxy as a whole, they are exciting and relevant. Nothing overshadows the importance of the events in the original movie trilogy, but there are enough chases, combats and character interaction to keep any group of players happy.

-Nate

Compassion and Younglings

Some years ago there was a publication called The Star Wars Adventure Journal. It presented a combination of short stories, adventures and game articles all dealing with the galaxy far, far away. In hope of being able to submit to it, I wrote the following short story--a Star Wars tale with the serial numbers filed off of it--for my college's literary anthology. Shortly thereafter the SWAJ changed its submission guidelines so that it only accepted pitches from more established authors, quashing those hopes. Even so, I've decided to trot out the story for this blog, and to combine it with character stats for the Kid using the Edge of the Empire rules.

-Nate

Compassion

Army Trooper Wega had always hated sweeps.

The officers had another name for them, of course--fortification patrols was the term they used--but Wega and his fellow troopers had always used the less officious designation. It really didn't matter what they were called; he still hated them.

Surveying the wreckage that remained of the city of Malor, his beliefs were reaffirmed. It was one thing to have to enter a battle zone during combat, when all of one's senses were focused on merely surviving the encoutner. Now, however, after the fighting had ended and the adrenaline of combat had worn off, it was a different matter entirely. His eyes were unhindered as they took in the burned and broken buildings and torn landscape, his nose quite free to recognize the scents of smoke and death.

It all served to remind him what a grim and bloody business this war was, and that was a fact of which he did not like to be reminded.

The first signs of the uprising had come almost seven hours before, during the end of the night. At first, forces from the local garrison had managed to regain control, but the rebels had fought back sith what seemed like suicidal enthusiasm. For six hours the battle had endured; remnants of it were still being fought in the foothills surrounding the city. Reinforcements had been called upon from garrisons in other cities in the region, with neighter side showing any willingness to resign. Casualties on both sides had been high, but the army had been victorious by sheer attrition.

Wega himself had been awake to witness the revolt in its entirety, as he had just been comin off of barracks guard duty when it had begun. The fatigue he currently felt made everything seem almost surreal, like some sort of ill-conceived dream, but this was not in his imagination. Wega's fatigue had nothing to do with sleep.

Now, as the fires of the conflict were slowly being replaced by those of sunrise, Malor lay in ruin. Wega's sweep was centered in one of the more affluent residential areas of town, one where the damage was particularly heavy. Scarcely a building here had not been touched by the hand of destruction. From where he stood he could not see one which hadn't been hit directly or succumbed to the fires which had come later. The houses stood in the early dawn like a wicked altar to some vengeful deity. Here and there a scattering of bodies--some crushed, some burned, some barely recognizable--were visible among the wreckage. Wega's mind registered these images even as it desired desperately to shut them out from itself.

He continued his sweep.

The street down which he was walking was especially bad; apparently there had been several pockets of resistance in this area which had vought with particular vigor. Windows in most of the homes had been blasted out to provide access for the strike teams, with the gaping holes resulting giving glimpses of darkened interiors seemingly devoid of life itself. Wega wondered abouth those residents who had not been part of the uprising, and how they could possibly stand to live amid the destruction. He knew that he himself could not, and he had had the best military training that the government could buy. But command had insisted that the area be patrolled to ensure that no elements remained, and thus he was here.

He chose the first building on his right, advancing slowly across its once elegantly maintained lawn. This one was much like the rest, having lost the majority of the face of its lower story in the battle. Once it must have been a beautiful home, a place of security and contentment, but now it conveyed only a sense of danger and foreboding. Despite the best efforts of the sun gradually rising behind him, the majority of it remained cloaked in shadows. Drawing the hand light from his belt, he tunred its beam on the gaping hole. From this fantage point he could detect no movement; wth his pistol ready in hand he stepped over the broken wall and into the house.

The floor in this room was still stable, remarkable considering the damage the rest of the structure had sustained. e was in some sort of living room, although that tilte no longer seemed very appropriate. Broken pieces of duracrete from the demolished front wall were strewn about the floor; a thick layer of dust covered everything. Aside from this and the broken remains of some furniture, the room was quite empty, but a dorrway led deeper into the ruined building. Wega moved quickly across the floor and passed through it.

He found himself in a hallway. A pair of doorways stood along either side, and a set of stairs led up from the opposite end. He peered through the first doorway on his right, revealing the remains of a dining room. This, too, was empty, a grenade having leveled its contents. Another door to his left led out of the room; he could guess where it would take him. Glancing through, his suspicions were confirmed. It was the kitchen, or at least what was left of it. A doorway on the left side of this room took him back into the hallway.

The first doorway along the other side led into a lavatory; this had by some trick of fortune been untouched by the battle that had raged inside the building.It almost seemed strange to see something that had not been ravaged.

That left only one door for Wega to check, but it was this one that he desired least of all to investigate. Logically it would have led down to the basement, and that was where the heaviest fighting would have taken place. That, of all places, was where the rebels living here would have made their last stand.

From the top of the stairs he could see virtually nothing. His hand light did little to penetrate the darkness below him; it was as if its illumination bas being thrown back at him derisively. WEga took a deep breath, then let it out very slowly.

He headed down.

The basement was a scene of blatant death. The walls were pitted from countless rounds of fire; off to his right it was apparent where explosives had been utilized. Coming to the bottom of the stairs he was forced to step over the body of one of his fallen comrades. The man had died a horrible and violent death, his lifeless face orzen in a rictus of agony even while his hands still held up the rifel that hadn't protected him.

But if that sight was terrible, it did not and could not prepare Wega for what he saw next. Four bodies lay against the far wall, an entire family having sacrificed themselves for their idealism. Two were male and two female, two of them adults and two adolescents. From the look of it the children had gone down first, and the parents had died standing over them. They had all known that capture was no option for those who betrayed the government; death had been their only solace. An entire family, all of their hopes and potential accomplishments, gone in a moment of violence.

Wega was forced to look away.

Still, standard operating procedure held that he search all bodies and confiscate any weapons, to keep them from falling into the hands of other rebels. The very thought of it sickened him, but he forced himself to do it. Taking the backpack from his shoulders which he carried for just that purpose, he moved over to the corpses. The father and son each clutched a heavy pistol and the mother had a smaller weapon; no pistol could be found on the daughter. With a considerable act of willpower he patted down the bodies, but found nothing more. Gathering the weapons, he dropped them into the backpack and then hefted it once again.

As he was turning back toward the stairs he caught a motion out of the corner of his eye.

It was a young boy, huddling behind a pair of storage creates underneath the stairs. He sat with his back against one wall, his knees drawn up to his chin and his arms wrapped around them. He must hae been a member of the family, somehow spared from death. The expression on his face stunned Wega. It was as if he were lost to the world, cut off from the events transpiring around him. His eyes seemed glazed and unfocused; there were not tears. Wega had no wonder wabout what could have caused such trauma for the child, having seen the rest of his family lying dead in their home.

A wash of pity swept over Wega. His training, his orders insisted that the child be brought into protective custody, to be saved from the influences of political deviants, but Wega could not accept it. There was nothing left for the child in this house, but there would be even less at the hands of the government. He would be recognized as what he was, the sone of therebels and therefore the enemy. They would work what little information he might possess out of him and then abandon him into the system.

No, Army Trooper Wega could not deliver the child to such a cruel fate. Turning away from the boy, he stopped over the body of his fallen comrade to removed the weapons he had carried so that they might not fall into rebellious hands, then began to ascend the stairs.

It was as his foot touched the first stair that the shot struck him.

Wega fell to his knees, his hands moving reflexively to the wound in his back. The agony was intense; whether due to skill or hapenstance, he'd been hit with a well-placed shot. Already he felt his legs going numb. With difficulty he drew his pistol and turned on the child. He struggled to focus, despite the darkness descending over his vision.

The boy had risen, was not standing with a pistol held in both hands. It was almost too large for him, obviously not having been intended for a child's use. In that moment it all became clear to Wega: the daughter's missing weapon, even though she had been involved in the battle...

But what struck him the most were those eyes, still devoid of recognition or emotion.

The flash at the weapon's muzzle was the last thing Wega ever saw.

The Kid

Brawn 1 Cunning 2 Presence 1

Agility 2 Intellect 1 Willpower 2

Soak: 1

Wound Threshold: 11

Strain Threshold: 11

M/R Defense: 0 / 0

Skills: Perception 1, Ranged--Light 1, Resilience 1, Stealth 1, Survival 2, Vigilance 1

Talents: None

Abilities: One free rank in two different non-career skills

Equipment: Clothing, blaster pistol, other scavenged stuff

The kid is a product of life on the streets, where he has lived since his family was killed at the hands of the Empire. Although he sometimes bands together with other scavengers, he is just as likely to strike off on his own. Needless to say, he hates Imperials with a passion and, given the opportunity, would act on that hatred.

Optional Rules for Younglings

GM's wanting to use younglings in an adventure or campaign can do so with the following modifications.

• Younglings have the same base attributes as other members of their species, except that they suffer -1 reductions to Brawn, Intellect and Presence.
• They do not have a career or specialization, and therefor possess no talents.
• Younglings start with one third of their species' normal XP, rounded down.

Riot and Ruin

The galaxy is caught in a civil war. Although this fact might not be as apparent on the fringes of the galaxy and in the early stages of the Rebellion, it is undeniable. This is especially the case on those worlds that have seen heavy action between the opposing sides. Devaron is a good example of this, following the bombing of Montellian Serat. Other possible incidents include the First Battle of Jabiim and the Battle of Mos Espa. On planets such as it, cities that were once beautiful places have now been reduced (at least in part) to rubble.

Although this devastation is tragic, it also provides numerous opportunities for adventure. What is more, it also lets a GM use old maps as new and challenging settings for the PCs' exploits. Take, for example, an ordinary house, albeit one that has been involved in vicious fighting.

1. Living Room

Little remains of this room because it took a direct hit from a portable concussion missile launcher. After all, Rebels had holed up inside the house, and the Imperials weren't interested in trading potshots with them for a prolonged period. Now the outside walls have gaping holes in them, with little more than lines of rubble remaining. Part of this room's ceiling has collapsed, too, leaving the floor strewn with debris. This room counts as difficult terrain; the building's inhabitants don't generally use this it.

2. Kitchen

Although it once was the place where family meals were prepared and shared, this area now is where the current inhabitants have piled up the wreckage from other parts of the structure. This provides a glaring contrast, as chunks of pourstone, bent pieces of durasteel and other such things fill what was once a warm and inviting space.

3. Refresher

The facilities in this room no longer function, and the current inhabitants leave it be.

4. Stairway

An open doorway provides access to this area from the living room, with stairs leading to the upper level. Additionally, a door that survived the fighting opens onto the stairs that lead down to the basement.

5. Refresher

Like the one on the lower level, this area no longer functions. It has a hole cut in the roof, however, so that a makeshift rain barrel collects water when the weather permits.

6. Bedroom

There is a gaping hole in the floor of this room; as a result, the inhabitants don't use it. except as a lookout position because it has a few of the street. Even then, they take care to stay close to the walls, since the floor is liable to collapse.

7. Closets

The closet for the smaller bedroom (Area 6) stands empty, since that room is little used. The other one, however, contains the transmitter for what amounts to a long-range comlink that has been pieced together from scavenged parts. The inhabitants use it to keep in touch with other resistance groups throughout the city.

8. Master Bedroom

This room functions as a mustering area and command center. Inhabitants who are on duty hang out here, monitoring the comm system and ready for action. For this reason, the table from the kitchen area has been hauled up here, providing a place to play sabacc or share food and drink.

9. Utility Room

A piecemeal water heater has been patched together here from various components; it is patched into the local power grid. Connected to it is a food fixer that they suppy with whatever consumables they can scrounge or steal.

10. Quarters

Four sets of bunks, assembled from a hodgepodge of materials, fill this room. It is here, of course, that the inhabitants who are not on duty rest and recuperate.

11. Storage

The walls of this room are lined with shelves, which in turn are heaped with scavenged foodstuffs, tech components, medical supplies, weapons and the like. It is a motley assortment, but the inhabitants make due with what they have. The exact contents of the room are left at the discretion of the GM.

Hazards

Ruins can contain all kinds of physcial dangers. For one thing, large stretches of rubble count as difficult or even impassable terrain. There's always the chance that a floor might collapse, causing falling damage. Recognizing this hazard likely requires a Perception check to avoid. Similarly, damaged electrical cables present the possibility of electric shock--especially if the local inhabitants rig them as a defense mechanism. These also require Perception checks to notice, and can be given a rating for doing damage just like acid or fire. In the same way, the locals could rig tripwires connected to grenades and similar nasty surprises to protect against intruders.

Using Ruins in an Edge of the Empire Campaign

Detailed here are some of the ways in which ruins can be used in adventures on the galactic fringe.

• For one thing, these locations can present the opportunity for lucrative scavenging. The GM is free to populate them with any number of hazards, as detailed above, wild creatures, eccentric NPCs and, of course, valuables.
• Should such ruins house refugees leading desperate lives, the PCs might be called on to provide aid in the form of material goods or services. This could include delivering foodstuffs and fresh water, medical assistance, technical skill, or the like.
• Of course, should the refugees in question be Rebels, and the PCs are found to be aiding them, they could bring the wrath of the Empire upon themselves. In such a case the heroes might need to help evacuate allies from the location, or even stage a bold and innovative defense of the place.
  
  
  
  

Recommended Reading--The Han Solo Trilogy

The Star Wars galaxy is a big place with a lot of stories. There was a time when I could set myself to reading all of the novels in a matter of months, but that was before the explosion of publishing during the mid-Nineties. In this post, I'd like to look at some recommendations for those Star Wars books that are particularly relevant for an Edge of the Empire campaign. It's only fitting, for a number of reasons, that I start with the Han Solo Trilogy. For one thing, these three novels present the background story of Han Solo, the most famous smuggler and scoundrel in the galaxy. It also seems fitting, though, because Ann C. Crispin, the author of this trilogy, lost a lengthy battle to cancer just two days ago.

The Han Solo Trilogy

A. C. Crispin

Thinking of those who haven't read the books, I don't want to give away too much of the plot. Suffice it to say that the books start with a young Han Solo being raised aboard a ship of scallywags, where he is taught how to lie, cheat and steal. Eventually he pursues a career in the Imperial Navy, but things go awry. What follows then is a burgeoning career working for the Hutts, and some entanglements with the up-and-coming Rebel Alliance. The story then sets the stage for the iconic scene from A New Hope when Luke Skywalker and Ben Kenobi walk into the cantina looking for passage to Alderaan.

For the GM and players in an Edge of the Empire campaign, the novels present lots of valuable details. The notion of a shipload of scoundrels a la the Trader's Luck is an interesting one, rife with plenty of possibilities for various schemes. There are many scenes on Nar Shadaa, the Smuggler's Moon, too, showing what life is like in that wretched hive of scum and villainy. These stories also present some interesting ways in which the Rebel Alliance can be worked into a campaign on the fringe, providing a chance for more heroic-minded characters to do some good. Finally, Han Solo's interactions with and participation in the machinations of the Hutts gives useful insight into how those nemeses can be incorporated into numerous plotlines.

The Family

The previous post detailed a wealthy estate that could be used in many different ways during an Edge of the Empire campaign; this one presents a family that just might live in such a residence.

Darmin Folet

Brawn 2 Cunning 2 Presence 3

Agility 2 Intellect 3 Willpower 1

Soak: 2

Wound Threshold: 12

Strain Threshold: 11

M/R Defense: 0 / 0

Skills: Charm 2, Computers 1, Cool 1, Core Worlds 1, Deception 2, Education 1, Leadership 1, Negotiation 2, Outer Rim 1, Perception 1, Ranged--Light 1, Streetwise 1, Vigilance 1

Talents: Convincing Demeanor, Smooth Talker, Wheel and Deal

Abilities: Free ranks in each of two different skills

Equipment: Clothing, comlink, datapad

Darvin--or Dar, as he prefers to be called by close associates--is the patriarch of the Folet clan. He is an astute businessman and a devoted family man, always one to talk about the benefits of pulling onself up by the bootstraps as well as looking out for one's own. What most beings don't know is that he has accepted payoffs from the Slarr the Hutt, and now works as something of a vassal to that crimelord.

It all started when some of the freighters hauling goods for Folet's company were attacked by pirates. It turned out that these shipments didn't have the proper insurance, and he suffered total losses for them. These failures left Folet short on cash and holding considrable debt. In order to make his payments, he accepted a large sum of credits from Slarr. Now, in exchange for that money, he lets the Hutt's goons use his company's shipping runs as a cover for smuggling spice, weapons and the like. What the Human doesn't know is that it was Slarr who sent the pirates after the vessels in the first place, hoping thereby to acquire a legitimate business front with little effort.

Darvin Folet is a handsome Human male with striking blue eyes and blonde hair that is slowly giving way to white. He dresses in expensive but not ostentatious clothing.

Corun Folet

Brawn 2 Cunning 2 Presence 3

Agility 2 Intellect 2 Willpower 2

Soak: 2

Wound Threshold: 12

Strain Threshold: 12

M/R Defense: 0 / 0

Skills: Athletics 1, Charm 2, Computers 1, Coordination 1, Core Worlds 1, Education 1, Leadership 2, Lore 1, Medicine 1, Negotiation 2, Outer Rim 1, Perception 1, Ranged--Light 1, Resilience 1, Streetwise 1, Survival 1, Vigilance 1, Xenology 1

Talents: Dodge, Inspiring Rhetoric, Kill with Kindness

Abilities: Free ranks in each of two different skills

Equipment: Clothing, comlink, datapad

Many beings in Corun's situation would be content to sit back and enjoy a life of relative luxury. After all, though her husband's wealth may not compare to some in the Core Worlds, she has no need to work in order to support herself. Even so, Corun has taken it upon herself to make the lives of the galaxy's downtrodden better. To that end, this Human devotes a remendous amount of time to charity work, efforts to provide food and shelter to those in the galaxy who need it.

The reason for this charitable zeal is the cause of much speculation. Some say that it is because Corun is just trying to keep busy, or that she is trying to use some of her husband's wealth to do good in the galaxy. Others suggest that theirs is a loveless marriage, however, and that this is a means for her to feel some sense of purpose and value in her life.

Corun is a beautiful Human woman with a dark complexion, raven-colored hair and brown eyes.

Ny Folet

Brawn 2 Cunning 2 Presence 2

Agility 3 Intellect 2 Willpower 2

Soak: 3

Wound Threshold: 12

Strain Threshold: 12

M/R Defense: 0 / 0

Skills: Athletics 1, Brawl 1, Computers 1, Cool 1, Coordination 1, Education 1, Gunnery 1, Mechanics 1, Melee 1, Outer Rim 1, Perception 1, Piloting--Planetary 2, Ranged--Light 1, Streetwise 1, Vigilance 1

Talents: Full Throttle, Let's Ride, Skilled Jockey

Abilities: Free ranks in each of two different skills

Equipment: Heavy clothing, blaster pistol, comlink, swoop bike

Ny Folet enjoys fast living, fast women and fast swoops--and not necessarily in that order. He is very much the spoiled rich son of his father, with few cares in life except for being entertained and proving that his swoop is the fastest. To that end he is something of a bully, always trying to goad others into racing against him. Ny is not a good loser, either, always coming up with some excuse why he loses, or gloating if he wins. He is generally accompanied by a small posse of similarly wealthy brats, which so far has helped keep him out of any real trouble. What his parents fear--and is indeed the case--is that Ny has become addicted to thrills, and will continue to push himself in taking crazier and crazier risks until something bad happens because of it.

Ny is a handsome young man who takes after his father, with a mop of sandy blonde hair and a wry smile. Unless forced to attend a formal engagement, he wears the heavy riding gear of a swoop jockey.

Deyasa Folet

Brawn 2 Cunning 3 Presence 3

Agility 3 Intellect 2 Willpower 2

Soak: 2

Wound Threshold: 12

Strain Threshold: 12

M/R Defense: 0 / 0

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

Talents: Know Somebody (2), Nobody's Fool, Wheel and Deal (2)

Abilities: Free ranks in each of two different skills

Equipment: Clothing, comlink, datapad, light blaster pistol

In may ways, Deyasa is like a combination of her older brother and her parents. She possesses Darvin's business sense, Corun's compassion and Ny's sense of adventure. The important difference is that she has also become involved with the Alliance to restore the Republic. To that end, she is slowly building her connections in hopes of doing something to undermine the Empire. While she doesn't know just how she will accomplish this, she is certainly zealous in her determination to do so.

Deyasa seems like a younger version of her mother, with lustrous dark hair pulled back in a pony tail and eyes and skin the color of coffeine with cream in it.

Using the Folet Family in an Edge of the Empire Campaign

Detailed here are some of the ways in which these beings could become involved in adventures on the galactic fringe.

• If Corun ever became aware of Darvin's connection to Slarr the Hutt--and thus his involvement with shipping guns and drugs, and thereby adding to the galaxy's misery--she would be very disappointed and angry. Just what she would do, of course, is open to speculation.
• Alternately, a business rival of his could hire the PCs to find proof of the smuggling in order to disrupt Folet's business.
• The PCs could be hired by Darvin to run what they think is a legal cargo, only to discover the truth when Imperial entanglements arise.
• Corun could recruit the PCs to help deliver a valuable cargo--foodstuffs, medicine, or even livestock--to a planet where it is needed. Of course, other less charitable beings could also take an interest in these goods.
• A PC who is a skilled swoop pilot could be challenged to a race by Ny.
• When she learns that her father is helping to smuggle weapons for the Hutts, Deyasa decides to steal a shipment so that she can give it to the Rebels.
• For that or some other business, Deyasa could use Li's Cantina to recruit some capable beings who don't ask too many questions about their jobs.
• Alternately, if the PCs are connected to the Rebel Alliance, Deyasa could run away from home to join them.

Wealthy Estate

Although the chances are good in an Edge of the Empire campaign that the PCs operate on the fringe of the galaxy and live from payday to payday, it's also likely that, sooner or later, they'll have need to visit the home of someone who leads a much more comfortable existence. When that happens, this location is just the place.

The Grand Tour

Refer to the appropriate map for the following area descriptions.

1. Front Gate

Although decorative in apperance, this gate is made of thick and sturdy durasteel. Bypassing it requires gaining access to the security booth on the other side, or an Easy Mechanics check followed by an Average Computers effort to hotwire it. A small camera is built into the outside wall, along with a microphone for communicating with the guard who is on duty at all times. Should the PCs want to blast their way through the gate, treat it like a vehicle that has a Hull Trauma Threshold of 3. In this way, attacks against it must cause at least ten points of damage to remove one point of HTT.

2. Security Booth

One guard is kept on duty here at all times; in addition to the pistol worn on his hip, he also has a riot gun in the booth. There is also a monitor that displays the image from the camera outside of the front gate. A second guard makes a patrol of the grounds every twenty minutes or so, stopping back here between rounds.

3. Repulsorgarage

Two vehicles, a luxury landspeeder and a repulsor-truck, are generally kept here--except, of course, when they are taken out on business. This building is not generally locked, but can be if trouble should arise.

4. Entry

This area is open to the level above and is lit by skylights overhead. A staircase leads to the upper level, allowing the inhabitants to make grand entrances when welcoming guests. Like the repulsorgarage, the front door is only locked in times of trouble.

5. Den

The centerpiece of this room is the holoprojector and comm suite built into one corner. The table also has a built-in dejarik board for those who fancy such games.

6. Wine Closet

This room, with controlled temperature and humidity, contains bottles of wine, ale, Corellian whiskey and other such potent potables.

7. Humidor

The walls of this room are lined with shelves; they are loaded with boxes of cigars from around the galaxy. It is also sealed for temperature and humidity.

8. Pantry

This room contains an impressive variety of foodstuffs, all suited to the inhabitants' expensive tastes.

9. Kitchen

All of the usual features can be found here, including a top-of-the-line autochef.

10. Dining Room

This table in this room is a solid piece of greel-wood; there is room for eight to sit at it.

11. Laundry Room

Facilities are provided here for washing the inhabitants' clothing along with linens and other such things.

12. Utility Room

The water heater and emergency generator are located here. There is also a recharging station for the droids who operate in the household.

13. Guards’ Bedrooms

In theory these goons are referred to as footmen, but everyone knows their true purpose.

14. Guest Rooms

There very comfortably appointed rooms are reserved for those quests who come to visit; each includes a bed, wardrobe, table and chairs.

15. Guest Refresher

There are no surprises here.

16. Storage Closet

This is filled with extra linens, supplies for the refresher and the like.

17. Deck

This area has an excellent view of the grounds. It could also provide a more secretive means of entering the house, if the PCs are inclined to do so.

18. Master Refresher

The large, fancy bathtub is the crowning feature of this bathroom, the one that is obviously reserved for the masters of the house themselves.

19. Master Bedroom

This room is furnished in the same manner as the guest rooms, except that everything is larger and more oppulent.

20. Office

A desk dominates the middle of this room; it has a computer station atop it, and is surrounded by overstuffed chairs. There is also a minibar against one wall, and a safe sits in the corner. Cracking the safe requires a Hard Skulduggery check. The difficulty of accessing the computer is left up to the GM, however, based on the information it contains and thus the extent to which it would be protected.

21. Garden

The house's yard is filled with beautiful flowers, shrubs and trees from around the galaxy, including a rich carpet of Dantooine grass, and other plants brought in from Felucia, Ithor and elsewhere.

Using the Wealthy Estate in an Edge of the Empire Campaign

Detailed here are some of the ways in which this fine home could become involved in adventures on the galactic fringe.

• PC's who participated in the adventure Hunter and Hunted could discover that Talem and Loren Goll live in just such a home as this.
• Alternately, they could be summoned to a place such as this by a potential employer in a display of wealth and influence.
• The PCs might be hired to infiltrate the estate in order to recover a valuable item or information.
• As a twist, they might be called on to help liberate a spouse or lover who is being kept like a prisoner in a gilded cage.
• On the other hand, the PCs could be recruited to protect an estate when the wealthy owner has run afoul of a dangerous enemy.

The Flophouse

Not all beings can afford a starship of their own, and many of those who travel about the galaxy lack a permanent place of residence. Because of these two factors, there's a strong market in spaceports for cheap, short-term housing. That's where the flophouse becomes important. This cheap, prefabricated structure provides a secure location for beings to store some of their belongings and rest through the night--provided, of course, that nobody else disturbs them.

Although the features of these locations can vary, what follows is a typical such establishment. It is run by Slarr the Hutt as a legitimate business front, with the added benefit of making a tidy profit. The building has a main entrance, one that is always left unlocked, along with an emergency exit out the back. Immediately inside the entrance is the office, which consists of space enough for two employees and their desks. They are protected by thick transparisteel windows with slots for passing money and key cards back and forth. Two employees are present at all times. Should a being be interested in such things, they generally have about 200 credits in cash in the office at any given time. Of course, these beings are also armed with blaster pistols that they can fire through the aforementioned slots in the case of trouble. Generally they set weapons to stun and then summon the authorities if it becomes necessary.

The rooms themselves are simple but functional. Each boasts a relatively comfortable bed, along with a cabinet for storing clothing or personal items and a desk. There is also a small refresher unit in each room. Beings who seek facilities for preparing meals had best check out a higher-quality establishment; most of the regulars pop over to a local cantina for food and drink. The rooms cost twenty credits per night.

Should it become necessary, one must make an Easy Skulduggery check in order to bypass either the front entrance, emergency exit or the door to a particular room. This difficulty increases to Hard for the door to the office. What is more, although the flophouse employees generally operate under a strict "Don't ask, don't tell" policy, they are not immune to the influence of cold hard credits. In this way, should a being need information about an occupant of the flophouse, a suitable bribe could do the trick. Of course, they are also armed with blaster pistols in the event of trouble, and the cover of the fortified windows adds a setback die to any attacks made against them.

Flophouse Employees (Zeebo and Quiril, for example)

Brawn 2 Cunning 2 Presence 2

Agility 2 Intellect 2 Willpower 2

Soak: 3

Wound Threshold: 12

Strain Threshold: 12

M/R Defense: 0 / 0

Skills: Brawl 1, Computers 1, Mechanics 1, Negotiation 1, Perception 1, Ranged--Light 1, Streetwise 1

Talents: None

Abilities: One rank in each of two skills

Equipment: Heavy clothing, blaster pistol, datapad, comlink

These nondescript, bored employees do little more than hand out key cards for room and collect money in return for them. Given the "Don't ask, don't tell" nature of the establishment, they generally don't need to do much else outside of the occasional repair and cleaning out rooms when guests are done with them.

Using the Flophouse in an Edge of the Empire Campaign

Detailed here are some of the ways in which this establishment could become involved in adventures on the galactic fringe.

• If the PCs are tracking an enemy, the trail could lead here.
• The PCs might just be staying at the flophouse, keeping to themselves, when violence erupts between two other groups of occupants.
• When an influential being becomes involved in bad business, the chance to do some spying and blackmail arises. The PCs could be hired to provide evidence of such misdeeds, or to eliminate existing evidence.
• Of course, if the PCs themselves are involved in illicit activities, they could be the targets of such spying.