Understand, all the planning for this campaign began in 2007. While Social Media existed, not all my players were avid users. One didn’t even have internet access at home. So when I decided to begin teasing about the campaign my best bet were text messages. This was not even MMS, no smart phones in the group. This was only text, and short messages at that…
These messages began simply as a distraction, a way to get all the ideas about the Star Wars game out of my head and give the players an idea of the campaign. I sent the first few while waiting in line at the bank. The response was immediate and I realized these messages could serve another purpose. Through them I could send teasers about the happenings in the galaxy and possible plotlines. Likewise the players took an active role and began interacting with the storyline, one quickly integrating e-mail for longer responses.
Here I have collected and edited all postings sent via text message or e-mail and ordered them into a semi-logical sequence. They give a glimpse at what had been happening in the Galaxy before the game started, hinted at things to come, and even introduce some characters they met during the game. A very special thanks to Sammy, Piwie and José, they are not currently playing with us regularly, I hope to have them at my games again in the future.
So without further ado, this week’s installment:
Teaser 1
HoloNet NEWS FLASH!
HoloNet News reports the alleged disappearance of another two freighters in a major hyperspace route. RepSec Director Wilhuff Tarkin blames Hutt supported pirates.
STAR WARS is coming
“The Gathering Storm, failed to see we did.” Yoda
Roberto the GM
Teaser 2
Salvage Vessel Icar report
(From a my player Sammy, via text message)
Captain Tulevik reporting – After a cursory search the salvage vessel Icar reports to headquarters that it has not been able to find any salvage at the designated coordinates.
(Reply to the player, via text message)
Captain Tulevik – Further instructions forthcoming from Republic Security Command. Do not engage regional authority vessels.
Roberto the GM
Teaser 3
Independent freighter Void Manta communication…
(From another player, José, via text message)
Message from Void Manta – This is Capt. Braco of the independent freighter Void Manta do you require assistance.
(Reply to said player, via text message)
RepSec
To: Captain Braco / From: RepSec Command
Void Manta, do not, repeat do not assist the Icar. Regional authority vessels are on their way. Republic peace keeping forces cannot guarantee your safety.
Roberto the GM
Teaser 4
The Icar’s run
(From Sammy, the first player to reply, via e-mail)
Hearing RepSec’s message, Captain Tulevik searched for and set his navigational computer to the next set of coordinates. Flashing the ancient code with his search light letting the Void Manta know that no assistance was required as of yet.
Making the jump to hyperspace he disabled his identification transponder and ejected the cylinder that would carry the false signal into realspace; that, he hoped, would give him some time to examine the coordinates he had paid to obtain. His contacts were shady but when was a profitable mission otherwise engaged?
He knew that his rouse would not work for long and that for his own safety and that of his vessel he would soon have to report his coordinates again but for now salvage and his next payment was all he was after, safety was his price for luxury.
********
As the streaks of hyperspace coalesced into the starry fields of real space the hum of the hyperdrive died away and all was silent. A cursory scan of the area revealed no wreckage, no salvage.
Suddenly a screeching and static filled the ship, and all the controls went dark. Captain Tulevik and his crew tried to make the ship respond, but to no avail, just as a shadow crossed the viewport casting a long ominous shadow over the crew…
Roberto the GM
Teaser 5
HoloNet NEWS FLASH!
Ships carrying Force Petitioner Missionaries stowaways were detained and turned back to the Outer Rim by ships of the Leoco Actum Jedi Order under the command of Commodore Thrawn. Master Mace Windu leader of the Leoco Actum commended his commander and dismissed regional authorities’ accusations simply saying, “This is our duty to fight the darkness, the Senate is the place to discuss such matters!”
STAR WARS is coming!
Roberto the GM
Teaser 6
(From a third player, Piwie, via e-mail)
Ecrof Swiftwind Holocron Gatekeeper
“The force teaches many things, one is that the universe is the Force and the Force is universe, it includes all life in it. When one changes it modifies the other as with any living thing.” Quote from the teachings of The Book of Light
That’s why the politics of the universe have the tendency to change both the universe and the Force… Ecrof Swiftwind Holocron Gatekeeper
Teaser 7
Star Wars Campaign: HoloNet NEWS FLASH!
HoloNet NEWS FLASH!
Riots broke out in Morishim in the Outer Rim after local populace refused to accept the result of negotiations with the Corporate Alliance. Jedi of the Sar’Akar Sodality, responsible for the negotiations, refused the request of local leaders to quell the uprising citing their tenets.
“Against those they are sworn to protect, the Sar’Akar must not act” Yoda alleged leader of Sar’Akar.
STAR WARS IS COMING!
Roberto the GM
Teaser 8
HoloNet NEWS FLASH!
Trade Federation Ships have entered the Corellian Sector as the result of a mutual defense agreement. Various senators have protested the action; Senator Thain Organa of Alderaan said it violates the Paltari Accord banning capital ships from Core Worlds regional fleets
Teaser 9
The Acturis’ Predicament
<Transmission> Acturis power down and prepare to be boarded. You are not authorized to be in this system. This is the Trade Federation ship Majestrox part of the Corellian Defense Detachment. <End of transmission>
(An undetermined amount of time later…)
This is the transport Acturis to any one receiving this message. We have lost our hyperdrive and our communications systems are down. We need help, we have passengers…
********
(From Jose via text message)
This is Captain Braco of the Void Manta, we will assist do not fire.
********
Captain Braco this is the Acturis we can barely read you. We have no weapons, we are unarmed. Beware the Void Manta is not alone out there. (Sudden loud, garbled static over the com)
********
(From José via text message)
Acturis we are broadcasting this via the HoloNet, ANYONE can read us, this is a request from our passenger, Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn…
********
“Captain Braco the Acturis is badly damaged” says the crewmember working the sensors, “fighters approaching… No life signatures. No pilots? What do we do Captain?”
********
(From Jose via text message)
Captain Braco replies, “Ion guns emps fire at will, the Manta’s ETA is 2 minutes hold on!”
********
“Captain Braco we are connection to the Acturis. Their life support is failing.” The Void Manta shakes under fire, “Two droid fighters hit us sir!”
The Acturis’ passengers begin to make their way to the Manta, but it will take time to transport them all.
“Captain the fighters are doubling back, our Jedi guest asks permission to deploy his personal fighter.”
********
(From Jose via text message)
Captain Braco smiles, “The customer is always right, launch!”
Teaser 10
The Acturis’ Predicament 2
The Jedi star fighter roars as it blasts off the Void Manta’s cargo hold. “Qui-Gon Jinn is off Captain, another wing of droid fighters coming! We are still coupled with the Acturis and there are still passengers and crew onboard. We cannot take evasive action against those fighters…”
********
(From Jose via text message)
In a clear calm voice Captain Braco replies: “Gunner fire at will, communications find the droid broadcast frequency and jam it, but if you can slice in it… Have fun!”
********
“Captain, communication reports that the droid control ship is using a variable frequency broadcast, no hope of slicing it. If we do a full spectrum jam we will be blind as well…”
What will YOU do?
STAR WARS is here!
Roberto the GM
Teaser 11
The Icar’s First Mate wakes up disoriented…
(Sent to Sammy via text message)
The Icar’s First Mate wakes up disoriented. He looks around to get his bearings, I’m in the corridor to the small bridge. Only emergency lights are on, how odd, he thinks. The Ship seems powered down, life support as well. He notices a strange smell lingering in the stale air. His body is stiff as and he does not remember what occurred.
The Icar’s First Mate forces the doors to the cockpit. No signs of a fight. The ship systems respond and he brings life support online…
What will you do?
STAR WARS is here!
Teaser 12
HoloNet NEWS FLASH!
Hutt convoy attacked…
Force Petitioners raided a Hutt Slave convoy in the Outer Rim in defiance of regional accords with the Hutts.
********
The young Rodian ate hurriedly unaccustomed to such bounty. He flinched when the man in the gray robes patted his back. “At ease boy, you are no longer a slave.” Smiling down the Force Petitioner gave him some water. “You have been freed by the glory and the will of the Force!”
STAR WARS is here!
Roberto the GM
Teaser 13
The Icar’s Gambit (a continuation of the Acturis’ Predicament)
The Icar’s First Mate wakes up disoriented…
(From Sammy via e-mail)
Wondering why he ever took up with the smuggler. New to the crew and hired for his expertise in languages, and insight with races of all kinds, he struggles to lift himself of the hard deck.
Taking a deep breath he forces air out through all four throats to clear his mind and body. Too late he thinks about the repercussions of the blast on the humans as he vents forcefully. He brings his wide Ithorian body to his feet and wonders about better days amongst the forest gardens of his family’s home.
Grumbling about the size of the human cockpit he climbs in and checks the equipment that suddenly seems to have blazed back to life. He scans the navigational computer for a system with a culture or society that will help repair and harbor the captain’s ship and sets the computer for auto-navigation and hyperdrive enactment. Hoping that the captain has kept his charts up to date he flips the switch and waits for the ship to jump remembering to log his current coordinates as to be able to tell the captain about his last position.
(From Roberto)
As the stars disappear and the sudden jolt of the hyperdrive subsides, the Ithorian first mate confirms his suspicions; he is the only crewmember on the ship. As he walks through the ship it seems as if the crew had simply vanished in the middle of their regular duties.
His last memories are confirmed by the ship’s log, a jump in an attempt to salvage some ship. The Ithorian goes over the sensor readings, the ship went dead soon after leaving hyperspace. Still there is some background, just before the ship went dead, noise he believes is really some type of communication. Working on it, filtering it for hours, he listens intently but cannot recognize it as any language he has even encountered.
Lost in thought, only the ships warning as it comes of hyperspace breaks his concentration; he swivels the small seat as to better see the control and is suddenly caught in an unexpected crossfire…
Two ships coupled, one obviously rescuing the other from the looks of the damaged vessel, one lone fighter protecting them from droid fighters on the attack. The chatter over the com is incessant and the First Mate can barely sift through it.
The Icar trembles as various hit graze its hull and two droid fighters buzz by followed by a very distinct fighter. The com explodes again, “Pilot of unknown ship, this is Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn, we are under attack, the Void Manta is in a rescue mission we need your help.”
What will you do?
STAR WARS is here…
Roberto the GM
Teaser 14
The Icar’s Gambit (a continuation of the Acturis’ Predicament) part 2
(From Sammy via e-mail)
Caught unawares by the sudden drop from Hyperspace, but not surprised by the ongoing battle the First Mate, BriarRose, moves practiced but clumsy hands over controls designed for humans, taking evasive maneuvers he strives to stay away from combat.
In a practiced tone of calm command he remembers to enunciate his basic knowing that he is probably talking to humans, he flicks the com center controls. Now finally his tour with the ambassador and his long months of training finally come to bare.
“Void Mata… instruct the damaged ship you are aiding to evacuate with pods if able to and set to my coordinates… I will retrieve survivors. This is a salvage ship our armament and weapons are minimal.”
Next Week: The final post in the series! Let’s talk rules…
As a reminder, Star Wars, all associated characters and images are copyright of Lucasfilm and I use them here only as a fan creating an RPG campaign.
