A new game (Star Wars: Edge of the Empire) and a new story

Recently I bought Star Wars: Edge of the Empire - a properly nerdy pen and paper role playing game - and sat down with some friends and played through the beginner adventure included with the box. It was a hell of a lot of fun, but I thought it would be cool to write up what happened in our version of the adventure. I thought it might make an interesting running series, not to mention content for the blog.

Anyone who has played the Beginner Game will recognise the characters and the events that occur - they would have gone through the same adventure - however, what I think will make this interesting is the different choices that my friends made (they're a strange lot), and eventually when we break free of the opening adventure, it will be a chronicle of how events unfolded in one Edge of the Empire universe. Comments on the writing and story telling are welcomed. I've had to take a fair bit of poetic licence with the dialogue, but what unfolds is all in there unadulterated.

We're due to play again on Monday, so stick around if you're interested! Another chapter will be up later today!

Cast

Stuart Bell - Game Master (Guides the narrative, controls characters the players interact with etc)

Ryan Jackson - Oskara (Twi'lek - Former bounty hunter for Teemo the Hutt. Recently teamed up with Teemo's favourite gladiator, Lowhhrick, and pilot, Pash to flee Teemo's service after discovering his plans to seize a spice mine on her home planet which would put her sister in grave danger)

Ryan Davey - Lowhhrick (Wookie - Offered to help Oskara escape Teemo's servitude, under the condition that she take him with her)

Sam Broadbent - Pash (Human - Smuggler, conman, rogue... scoundrel. And an excellent pilot. Until recently, he had been flying cargos for Teemo in and out of Mos Shuuta - that is, until his last mission where the ship he had been flying (owned by Teemo) had been damaged beyond repair. He didn't stick around to see how Teemo reacted to this news)

                                                                                                                                                                   

Kudos to Kevin Lambert who made an opening sequence for this very adventure. Watch the below to get yourself in the right mindset, and to set the scene:

Chapter I - On the run from a gang of Gamorreans

     Oskara, Pash and Lowhhrick ran down a short flight of stairs into the cantina's shadowy common room. The cool air was a blessed relief from the scorching Tatooine heat. The Devaronian bartender paused in his chores to stare at the motley crew, his devilish features intimidating in the dim light. On a stage in the corner, a Twi'lek woman danced along to recorded music. Private booths lined the walls and chairs and tables scattered the cantina floor. Oskara's eyes darted around the room, looking for exits and places to hide. Storage closet, doorway behind the dancer, thick struts around the roof. Without a moment to lose, Oskara ran to the Twi'lek dancer.

     "Quick! You must help me," she spoke hurriedly in Twi'lekian, "there are Gamorrean thugs right behind us. I need to hide, please let me behind the stage". The dancer stopped in her routine, and suddenly looked afraid.
     "Come! You must hurry!" she speaks in a low whisper, as she ushers Oskara into the backstage dressing room. The dancer closed the door behind Oskara and returned to the stage, picking up her routine where she left off.

     As Oskara made her way to the dancer, Lowhhrick moved toward one of the booths, hoping to blend in with the cantina crowd. On his way, he attempted to take a drink from a nearby patron, to make it look as though he had been there all along. Unfortunately, the glass fumbled in his big, hairy Wookie hands, smashing it on the floor. The patron got up from his chair and began to shout at Lowhhrick.

     As the Wookie moved into the cantina, Pash decided to hideout behind the bar. Running quickly towards it, he put a hand on the bar to vault over it. Without noticing, he put his hand in a puddle from a spilt drink that had yet to be cleaned up by the Devaronian bartender. As he was mid-way through the vault, Pash's hand slipped out from underneath him, smashing a bunch of empty glasses and leaving him lying in a prone position atop the bar.

     At that moment, the three Gamorrean thugs burst into the cantina. They were pale-green, pig-featured beasts, and they were carrying heavy wooden cudgels. Pash drew his blaster pistol and let a shot fly, hitting one of the Gamorreans directly in the neck, killing him instantly. The patrons of the bar scattered; some hiding under the tables in the booths, others making for the door. The bartender took cover, crouching behind the bar, The remaining two thugs split up and quickly covered the distance to Lowhhrick and Pash. The one facing Lowhhrick dealt him a swift blow with his cudgel, while the one who ran to Pash swung the cudgel high and aimed for a crushing hit. Pash just managed to roll off the bar as the cudgel struck where his head would have been.

     Angered by the cudgel blow, Lowhhrick roared as he picked up the Gamorrean by his throat. Holding him high above the ground, Lowhhrick shook and choked the Gamorrean until he no longer moved. At that moment, Oskara ducked out from behind the stage, drew her blaster rifle, aimed and delivered a burst of laser fire to the thug standing over Pash, who had been ready to crack his skull open like a melon. The thug dropped to his knees, and then toppled over.

     There was silence in the cantina. Slow and unamused applause began to break it. The noise of conversation started back up, and patrons turned back to what they were doing; watching the Twi'lek dance or drowning their sorrows with a variety of beverages. The Devronian bartender stood up from behind the bar and peered over at Pash. He laughed a bitter, brittle laugh.

     "You look like folks who need to get off this planet in a hurry." he spoke. He wasn't concerned for their health and wellbeing - cantina brawls are a regular occurance in Mos Shuuta, the second-most wretched hive of scum and villainy in the galaxy - but more with the air of someone who doesn't want more trouble to befall his cantina. Lowhhrick and Oskara had moved to the bar, and helped to put Pash back on his feet.

     "Well there's good news and there's bad news," the bartender continued, "and then there's some more bad news. The good news is that there's a freighter docked in Landing Bay Aurek right now. The bad news is that it's captain, a Trandoshan-"

     Lowhhrick bared his teeth and growled at the mention of this. Trandoshans were the reason Lowhhrick had ended up working for Teemo the Hutt. On his home planet of Kashyyyk, Trandoshan raiding parties often hunt Wookiees for sport. One such raid had killed his sister and nephew. Lowhhrick had vowed to hunt down those responsible, but was captured and forced to fight for the amusement of others. Having made a name for himself in the ring, his contract had been acquired by Teemo.

     "-Trex is his name," the Devronian went on, eyeing the Wookie cautiously, "he's an associate of the Hutt's and he's not just going to welcome you on board. The other bad news is that the reason it's still in the landing bay is 'cause it's got a broken hypermatter reactor igniter. It won't be going anywhere until it gets a new one installed. Vorn over at the junk shop probably has one-". The bartender swept his arm up, pointing towards the door.

     "Now get out of my cantina! Haven't you caused enough trouble here?". Pash flipped the Devronian a credit chip.
     "Sorry about the mess." he added nonchalantly.