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Having to hurry this out sooner than I thought, because in one of those sudden turns of speed we sometimes get, one of the Episode III threads has almost finished.

So, it is time to begin the summing up, and the start of the process into the nest Episode. Should the OT pilot be successful (and assuming any more actually gets written), this is also the point were I shall inform you whether it is an OT or PT game being played next.

Obviously enough, what with everything else around here, it;s an OT game next.

I also periodically upodate you guys on the planned RPing schedule.... umm... which doesn't look great right now but there's still time.

And then there's the new Episode preview. Now, it must be said, there's already been a LOT of preview done for that, but there is still enough to make it feasible.

Ok, here goes...

Endgame

Some Light Sided players are probably wondering how the end of the Episode can possibly be coming up. On Spiridos, for example, there are many plot threads that have been barely addressed, and the Renegades still have way more many questions than answers.

The answer is pretty simple- this 'year' (four years after TPM) is a double-episoder, just as two years after was. It's not QUITE the same as the Episode I/II transition, but more on that later*- just to re-assure people, don't panic because you haven't sorted anything.

On Charaeus, the Endgame has already begun, because trashing the Ziggura tis all there is to it (Combat mission, combat objective. Yup, my plots twist but it's hard to make a combat mission anything else.) But the nature of the enemy for the Jedi is their mystery.

Xeth's Renegades blunder wearily (and warily) around the ice on Rekiarius, only Xeth's hardcore enthusiasm to nail those Techno bastards keeping them a. sitll there and b. warm. They've nearly found something- and soon Xeth will know where his struggle really lies.

On Cassilis, the Jedi are torn between the soul of the planet and their intense curiousity about what, exactly, it contains. Events are overtaking the Jedi- something terrible is happening, and in their endgame the Jedi must face the truth of what they have foreseen.

On Newhaven, the Dark Siders are still in their eternal struggle to find group cohesion in their days without a leader. Tailed by the Bureau, unhappy with each oither, and with Galder increasingly becoming a psychotic liability, their endgame is simply the seziure of the shoeld generator that (many decades ago, it seems) they came out here to get. How much more complex can a straightforward task become? We'll soon see! Espeically when they try to take out the transmitter, to cover their tracks.

Finally, on Spiridos, the revelations have already been dark and terrible. A drug smuggling operation has been only the gateway to psychotic pacifist priests, dead people happily walking around, terrible diseases, assassination plots on one of the strongest forces in countering poverty in the galaxy, and mass murder at the centre of a hospital, on the most defenceless people you could ever find- for the most nefarious of purposes. Surely not even the Republic is that corrupt? Should they theart their opponent's attempts to stop them, the Jedi can make their arrest, and their endgame involves, as is not hard to predict, the fact that the criminals are not going to go quietly. But as Sienar has told Gallagher, as the Jedi fight one war, there is also another, a battle for the hearts and souls of the peoples of the Republic, and that's more personal than the Jedi know.

Whilst with none of the sustained, slow-build gut wrenching of the end of the Dark Side episode II, I am hopeful that the Episode III endgame period will be one of the most memorable times of the entire game.

Schedule

The schedule remains unchanged from my last update. I have the OT game, then the next Rnegeade/Jedi episode is fine, but I only have 2/3rds of thew Dark Side one- I hope to have all of it by the time we play.

Then I have nothing, unless more gets played here. And since I lat said this, we have played absolutely no Star Wars at all.

Ah well- the plots I have will last as six months at least, I reckon, so we are not in disaster zone yet, but just be aware that there is a potential clock. Mind you, I do have other games I can focus on for a while instead. I wish I could say I would switch to Matrix for a while instead, as I know the demand is there, but I can promise nothing. All I can promise is that I will always be running some Role-playing on-line somewhere, for the forseeable future.

My ideal plan would be to go OT/PT/OT/PT etc. for a while, but we shall see.

That doesn't sound good.

Preview

Upcoming is Episode I of the Original Trilogy campaign. This is the pilot- the feasibility of the whole campaign will be judged upon it.

Being the first episode, it is a time for you to set your characterisation. The Episode has been written 'character neutral'- no personalised plots, which would obviously be impossible. Your template will very much decide your plot.

-

Lanzar- for those that know it, a planet spoken of with fear.

Lanzar is one of the most dangerous worlds in the Galaxy- not by its background environment, which is mostly trees and lakes, but by its wildlife, which seems to be stuck in the equivalent of most world's prehistoric periods. No-one knows exactly what happened to evolution on Lanzar, but with the great and vicious dinosaurs that roam its surface, it obviously wasn't being guided by anything friendly.

Now, there are several worlds like that in the Galaxy, but what makes Lanzar truly unique is the species that became dominant upon it- the Osokan.

Descended from some porcine-like being, the Osokan is unique on Lanzar in that they developed true sentience and a sense of civilisation. They started to use tools, and build settlements, and then as time went by they became true innovators of technology, and built cities and guns and eventually spaceships. Lanzar became a world of the Republic, along with the many countless other worlds.

The Ooskan was the product of evolution on one of the toughest worlds there was. Although squat, they are extremely strong. The only thing more impressive than their strength is their tenacity- Osokan hides are thick, and they have a regenerative constitution that is a wonder of the Galaxy. Small wounds heal in minutes, large wounds in hours, and near-eviscerations have been known to only take an Osokan out for months. Short of beheading or vaporisation, the amount of trauma needed to get an Osokan to actually die on the spot is almost beyond reason.

But their world has remained the same- mostly wild, and full of dinosaurs. This might look like environmentalism, but it is beyond sense- many Osokans still die as children from the result of attacks from their most common foe, the Lanzar Raptor- and being killed by wildlife is still the most common cause of death on Lanzar, which makes it at least VERY rare in a Galactic spacefaring world- although their near total immunity to disease contributes to that also.

The fact is, the Osokans LIKE their world that way. A vicious world has produced a vicious people- they revel in challenge and adversity; without it they become lesser beings. They invite death constantly, it is built into the very fibre of their beings. Their moral development is, at best, questionable; their political development very basic, in relative terms.

Chief among the Osokans were the Hunters- those who made a career out of actually going into the wilds and hunting the Dinosaurs. They are the chief caste among the Osokan people, the most respected. Osokan technology is rough and ready, but for their Hunters, they have their crowning achievement- the Neurowhip, a weapon of sophistication to match a Lightsabre, a melee weapon that can incapacitate the mightiest of foes, even a dinosaur. The kill they leave to their ritual hunting knives.

The Osokan hunting lodges are the first citizens of Lanzar; the Masters of those Lodges are the great leaders of the world, and the Guildmaster of them all is the closest Lanzar has to President or Prime Minister- though he rules more like a King.

It is not just pig hunters that Lanzar has to offer. Wily Osokans soon realised that there was a mystique behind their activities, and the various pelts and skins and heads of Osokan wildlife enjoyed a collecting craze once among wealth noblemen- to have a Raptor head in your home, as killed by a Hunter, was quite the conversation piece. The craze died down, but Lanzar still enjoys a thriving trade resulting from its hunts,. Furthermore, with much of the world still wild, there are many medicines that can be harvested within- though, of course, only an Osokan is going to be brave enough to go into the wilds and pick flowers!

Hence, Lanzar became, if not a major trading centre, at least a place that was counted as a good place to do business. Lanzar itself was near the major trade lanes, and many strangers would come there to buy and sell.

But the nature of the Osokan in general was contrary to the nature of the Republic, and the problem they presented grew. Their Hunting Instinct is buried at the core of their being, and they soon went looking for prey on other worlds- and rather often, that included sentient beings. The Osokan habit of dividing all into Hunter and Hunted- rather than Sentient being and animal- lead to what cna only really be describes as Government sponsored murder. The neurowhip was a cruel and terrible weapon, and the Osokans refused to restrict its use.

Eventually it was too much. The Osokans were told to stop their Galactic hunting activities and account for the crimes they had committed. They would not submit. Only one Galactic force had the power to force the issue- the Jedi.

A Jedi team 200 strong went to Lanzar (several centuries before the times of the films), and in a two year campaign, long and hard, finally subdued the Osokan race. The neurowhip was outlawed, and the Guilds abolished. The Osokans were told to never threaten the Galaxy again.

And so, there is the set-up for the new Campaign! It has some continuity with the old for the benefit of the older players, but by no means actually needs any familiarity with the old to play.

The background of the Osokan 'unpleasantness' is the setting in which the Imperial and Rebel teams will first meet- this will be the first of many planned meetings as the different sides start to duel in the military and political arenas. Imperials have to deal with the thorny issue of the Senate, under the ever growing pressure of the Emperor, and various factions jockying for his favour. Then there are the Osokans themselves to worry about- vicious people as they are- and as for the sudden apperance of Rebel terrorists...

The Rebels, at least, have a straightforward issue- how to save Lanzar from that damn Imperial fleet! NOT easy. And the Senate may not like the Imperial forces, but nor are they about to throw their lives on the line for some irrelevant (and illegal) bunch of Rebels. As for the Osokans themselves- who can deal with a people like that? At least the Rebels don't have someone like the Emperor breathing down their back- but then, they have another mission to worry about...

-

It's a good proving ground of a game, with plenty of scope for talk, investigation, and a good old fashioned war! It is a prety straightforward story- don't go expecting anything like the Golden Serpent story, those things take ages to set up. This is a simple pilot. The mood and theme of an Original Trilogy game is real fun of it. Be sure, Zombie Kuylen isn't going to turn up halfway through.

Still, as the Rebel's secret mission suggests, there might be a little bit more to it! All the same, I am more concerned about people getting used to the idea, than throwing vicious plots at them. Besides- this is player vesus player, the first such thing we have seen in over a year here. If you want viciousness... do it to each other!

Well, folks, there you go!

Well this is good. We get to try to stop a whole invasion force.

hehe too bad there is no Tie-Squadron commander yet

Awesome. I suppose that the S&V folks just fall in with their respective teams as part of the elite groups.

Yup.

Thing is, how do the S&V fall in with the Empire if Palps made the group? Are they Empire familiars?

Same way Vader uses Boba Fett. Sometimes the Emperor uses specialist personnel.

I'm like Boba Fett

Except for, you're a chick.

Boba Fette?

Just to make sure everyone is clear- it is important the Rebels understand that if the Imperials launch a full-scale invasion, you won't stop them. You'll quickly find out that whilst they are lethal in person, the Osokans are not designed to fight armies, and their cities won't stand against the war machines of the Empire- and the Rebels hardly have the resources to fight to win either.

This will be a continuous theme of the game throughout the whole campaign- firstly, because the supremacy of Imperial resources is an important factor, and secondly because we all know the Alliance doesn't win a military victory over the Empire until just before A New Hope.

You have to find other ways to win your victories. Don't forget, te REAL pressure is actually on the Imperials, because the view always is "Well, you guys have ALL the resource advantages, why is this even difficult for you?" So don't feel too bad, Rebel guys.

Sounds like one aspect will be sabotage and mayhem, sonething I hope BB and I get to do. Another would probably be political stalling, since the Imps can't realy invade with the senate in the way. Stupid question: Will we be waiting until ALL of the current threads are completely finished before starting the OT game?

Yup.

Well, looks like an awesome campaign.

Ush, does my character know more about Emperor`s true motives? If so, I assume I would get a PM about it, which I am unlikely to share with anyone directly. It is enough I know the truth.

Second question, why Empire has no need for Osokans? They could always be used to hunt Rebels. My character thinks full military invasion is a very blunt move, unless it is kind of training for military.

On the other hand, won`t Osokans make a perfect labor force if enslaved? Better than Wookies I assume.

Anyway, really looking forward to this, I assume Imperial characters will be separated in most cases?

Probably because they know all about the hunting of the Dark Jedi, and also are some of the few species able to kill a force-user (i.e. the Emperor).

Hey, Ush, me and Fire were talking, and he concluded 'Dark Thrael' is General Griveous. I looked up, and I saw that it might be very possible. He was the one who killed the jedi in the luxury liner, doing his spinning hands monuever making the 'laser' strikes look like straight weapons in the same angle.

Good guess, but now it looks as if it floats. Of flies.

His sabres would have had to have been twenty foot long, and even spinning they still would not have been straight.

Gallador- not as much as you might want, Furthermore- aside from the fact that the control programme has failed- the Osokans were tolerated for one reason only- force users needed hunting. Without the need to hunt them any more, the Osokans are a dangerous liability- a force that could become a threat.

I disagreed with that theory, due to the fact that we concluded that it had to have been a highly-focused short-ranged laser that made those marks, not a lightsaber.

And right now...the Thrael seems to be flying...

EDIT OUT

Ush, I am reading through the Cassilis game, and I am vary impressed, it seems much more interesting than the current Dark Side Episode. I hope I will have some political action in OT game, though dealing with Osokans should be slightly diffrent than dealing with Cassilians.

By the way, I think that Empire is popular in Tasker`s Crown, Melkor`s place of origin? I haven`t bought any Merits concerning it(maybe his Senator Contact is from Tasker`s Crown), I just assume that Melkor has distanced himself from his Boyar family, he hates his eldest brother and joined Imperial Academy instead the one on Charnal, and not even the miltary branch.

Oh, I have just finished reading the Revelations thread and found more info about Tasker`s Crown! It seems that my character would be perceived as a kind of renegade by other Boyar, am I right?

Basically... yes.

You didn`t answer if they(Boyar) are loyal to the Empire? They are military types, and don`t like democracy.

I couldn't possibly comment on the situation in Tasker's Crown during the time of the OT game.

I assume saying too much would disturb the PT game? Should I make a character of diffrent origin then or just assume he left his past behind?

Oh, the character is fine!

Ush, what is the use of Willpower stat, it doesn`t affect skills?

Mental resistance.

Is mental resistance even useful in OT game, with no Jedi that can use Mind Tricks? I don`t remember Willpower even being relevant in PT game. Maybe it can defend against Lying used by NPC?

It is almost never relevant to PT Jedi because they have the Force instead, which is why Jedi willpowers are fixed high (else people would just keave them low and have disproportionate dots elsewhere).

No, it has no effect on lying at all. But all stats have a use.

Think interrogation. I think Galder's willpower was in question at the Citadel.

Willpower was in continual use in that story, actually.

The visions?

And the general reaaction to the drug.

And trying to disable Emotions. That was fun. I could have had so much more fun with that if I didn't have to keep trying to escape....

Oh, Xeth discovered where the struggle lies...

Cool new sig there, BB. You make that? Man, I have got to pirate .... I mean buy a copy of Photoshop. I like mine less and less.

Sure did!

Well Xeth, next episode we might meet in the battlefield. If you survive that is...

Well, they survived, but they are currently in a bad situation. Sounds like the Union is planning something nasty...

yo Ush when is the OT gonna start?

When everyone is done!

thank you

I feel so left behind due to the lack of electricity for the last week...

Blackouts or just general loss of electricity?

Well, he was hit by a hurricane.

How are you, Aliies? Seems we've snared you in our lifeless RPG world.

oh yeah, i've been a DnD fan since primary School (Grade school for the Americans) an now online SCI-FI RP...

Too much all at once, but i love it!!!!

As us Aussies say, ima True Blue Rp Trooper!!!!

Sweeeet.

Welcome to our insane little RP group

Oh by the way, KingDubya, i didna see much on da box' but did you get a chance to evacuate? or were you in a less direct path of the Hurricane?

oh, is there any1 who can help me build a custom sig, i cant get ma hands on adobe an i suck at it anyway...

Originally posted by Aliies
oh, is there any1 who can help me build a custom sig, i cant get ma hands on adobe an i suck at it anyway...

PM me the details and I'll make you one, I usually don't do sigs for other people but I will anyway

mine's a bitofa tall order, a char from a fanfic story im writing...

how well can u draw anime???

I can do pretty much anything in Photoshop, no worries. Just send me a PM.

wait, i g2g, but i'll go and scan my drawing of Aliies so i can send it 2 u

Originally posted by Aliies
Oh by the way, KingDubya, i didna see much on da box' but did you get a chance to evacuate? or were you in a less direct path of the Hurricane?
I live in south Florida on the East coast. I got hit directly (even entered the eye), but it wasn't that bad when it hit us.

good thing for you