Making it Star Wars
Making it Star Wars
Roleplaying adventures are stories, which the gamemaster and the players tell together. So when you're trying to come up with an idea for an adventure, think about the kinds of stories that make sense for Star Wars. You can incorporate many genres into a Star Wars adventure, from mystery to techno-thriller. Some work better than others in a Star Wars format, but the success of your efforts will largely depend on the interests of your playing group.
The most important concept to grasp when trying to give your adventures a truly authentic Star Wars feel is this: more than anything else, Star Wars is space opera.
Space opera, as a sub-genre of science fiction, has some specific conventions which you might want to keep in mind when developing adventures:
Action
Space opera moves. Sure, there are quiet moments, but sooner or later (usually sooner), a threat manifests itself, and the characters spring back into action. The plot never stands still for long.
Action includes combat, starship combat, chases, interesting character action, or any other kind of dramatic conflict—the point is that the conflict unfolds quickly, and the characters spend their time reacting to things, rather than diligently plotting every move.
Morality Plays
Space opera often pits good against evil. The conflict may be a personal one, such as that between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, or it may be larger in scope, such as when the Rebel Alliance attacks the Empire's Death Star battle station. In morality plays, good eventually triumphs over evil—if it doesn't happen right away, then it certainly will in the long run.
Not everyone in Star Wars is pure good or pure evil, of course. Some of the most interesting protagonists, such as Han Solo and Lando Calrissian, have rougher, less-than-perfect elements that make them more complex, three-dimensional characters. Overall, however, telling right from wrong seems much easier in the Star Wars universe than in our world, and if an action is "right," taking action against evil is always justified!
Epic Storytelling
Space opera is about larger-than-life stories—giant armies and space armadas clashing, huge empires, super-weapons which threaten worlds, and dashing heroes and fearsome villains. Desperate heroes faced with overwhelming odds are a hallmark of space opera.
Star Wars is no exception. Though your characters will not be likely to play a huge part in the grand epic unfolding before them (on the other hand, they might!), their conflicts will seldom be small, mundane challenges. Even adventures which start small soon balloon into bigger affairs: if the characters save a small village from destruction, they can be sure that they'll soon be called upon to save the whole planet; they may start out putting a few local criminals back into line, but wind up taking on criminal syndicates worth millions of credits.
Two More Tools for the Star Wars Feel
There are two other points you ought to consider to help your adventure capture the atmosphere of the Star Wars universe. Either can become a crutch if overused, but both are effective tools if used in moderation:
Props
Dress your sets and scenes with Star Wars staples drawn from the movies—TIE fighters, R2 units, Clone Troopers, Jedi, Wookiees, and other easily recognizable Star Wars icons. The presence of such props keeps the adventure firmly grounded in the Star Wars universe.
The "Wow Button"
Remember the first time you saw Star Wars, as your seat rumbled from the deep music and that Imperial Star Destroyer lumbered into view? "Wow!"
Remember the first time you saw Darth Vader, clad in his powerful battle armor? "Wow!"
Remember the first time you watched Jar Jar Binks fill the screen with his heroic presence? "Wo-" err… well, you get the idea.
Push that wow button when you can. Set up scenes which will really impress the players. Don't stage your final climactic battle in an unremarkable alley if you can set it in the giant clockworks of an ancient alien aqueduct.
Take care, of course, that you don't abuse the wow factor. Too many trés-cool scenes piled up one on top of the other will dull the senses. As in the movies, save them for your key scenes and best moments.
Source: REUP:197