Shadows of Mindor

Just finished reading "Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor", by Matthew Stover (2008). I'd say it was quite enjoyable, overall. The novel is set at the very beginning of the New Republic era, about a year after Endor. High points included well written dialog and believable depictions of fan favorite characters like Luke, Han, Leia, Chewie, Lando, and Wedge, among others. He got the tone and feel just right in those regards. Good marks for an epic story that is big and worthwhile, but does not outshine the Original Trilogy in scope, danger, or galactic importance. I really appreciated the constant barrage of in-universe references, idioms, similes, etc (think "...could pull the ears off a gundark." or "...bullseye womp rats...")

There is a (perhaps?) tongue in cheek strain throughout the book of referencing holodramas produced, in-universe, about the main character(s). Even the main bad guy apparently has been bitten by the acting/directing/producing bug. A bit strange on some level; but not too distracting.

The storyline delves into a variant philosophy of the dark side that seems pretty well developed and interesting. The book brings a bit more Science (with a capital "S") to the space opera sci fi that is Star Wars. I mostly enjoyed that aspect; the frequent science references were almost enough to drown out the Star Wars flavor. For instance, it is not often that SW fiction talks about hard radiation and its potential effects on space travelers, etc.

The action is epic and continuous. Many bothans died to bring us this adventure (so to speak). The characters get thoroughly roughed up along the way... the poor Falcon alone takes about thirty times more abuse than one could justifiably assume a ship could absorb and still be space-worthy, not to mention multiple capital ships exploding, and worse. But I will not spoil the story any further.

Well worth the read if you'd like to spend some more time with the old gang.

Great Pictures, part 2

I just finished reading "Tales from the New Republic", a collection of EU short stories published in December 1999 (after The Phantom Menace came out). This is the cover art for that nice book. The more I think about it, the more I am disturbed by the rumors and snippets of "fact" I've heard concerning The Force Awakens.

One such gripe: the entire first two trilogies are essentially about an ultra powerful Sith lord who comes to rule an empire via direct personal intervention: threats, political maneuvering, sabotage, etc. Those opposed to his tactics, once they learn the full extent of the Sith lord's evil, openly rebel. That is the grand backstory: the personal level story is one of a father and son, caught up in this Sith lord's web--a story of failure then redemption, a story of the son not falling down the same dark hole as his father. And saving the galaxy in the process. In this narrative package, neatly tied with a bow, I can't believe that 30 years after the spider in the center of the web is killed that the web itself hasn't decayed completely. I like the EU idea of Imperial Remnants, Moffs and Admirals trying to keep it going here or there, etc. I do not like the idea of essentially the same conflict lingering on. The Force Awakens is almost the same distance away from the Emperor's death (~34 ABY), timeline-wise, as the first overt moves in the Sith lord's original plan (~32 BBY). The Empire was the Emperor, and vice-versa. I would envision a rapid deterioration of Imperial forces after Endor, followed by a slow grinding out of the last points of conflict. Maybe 10-15 years. Perhaps as many as 20, to pacify far-flung, out-of-the-way places. Certainly not the implied* idea of 30 years later the conflict is not resolved. 

*Disclaimer: I do have to admit that I have no idea where the names "First Order" and "Resistance" come from, and what the history from Endor to The Force Awakens entails. It is entirely possible that somewhere in the details I will become a fan of the idea. I am merely stating that, in the Space Opera genre like Star Wars, when the main bad guy is killed, the rest is just mopping up and detail work. The Empire died above the forest moon of Endor. (Almost) end of story.

J. J. Abrams

I am not saying that I won't like The Force Awakens (I dearly hope I love it), but I am bracing for impact, just in case. I don't think his Star Trek movies were in the true spirit of Star Trek, for instance. One talisman I have picked up, just in case, is the funny (and hopefully not needed) appellation Jar Jar Abrams. Let's just hope we don't need to use it.

Fan of EU (mostly)

I guess it's nostalgia, but I would rather have the shared Zahn/Stackpole/others EU (the good stuff, carefully done, with certain wild ideas/concepts edited out--I'm looking at you Suncrusher and Yuuzhan Vong) than a re-boot of all that material. Mara Jade, Talon Karrde, Rogue Squadron, Corran Horn and others are too precious to toss onto the scrap heap. 

X-Wing Miniatures Game

Another reason this picture is so cool, in my mind, is that I recently obtained the CR90 for the X-Wing Miniatures Game. Thus, this picture is of a fleet I could field, if I were to get one more Y-wing (my fleet is larger, of course!).

I have not yet flown the Epic ships in combat. I hope to remedy that problem soon.

Great Pictures, part 1

This is an incredibly wonderful picture. My favorite Star Wars ship, docked on some exotic world. Various doorways beckon, leading deeper into the well-used installation. The YT-1300's boarding ramp itself invites us to run aboard (perhaps under a hail of Imperial blaster fire), drop into the pilot's seat and gun it for orbit.

Is this a mining colony? Is that a bounty hunter near the mandibles? Is that Chewie coming out of the bay to the right? One could write an entire adventure from the juicy tidbits presented in this image, and perhaps flavor an entire campaign with ideas extrapolated from details.

Simply wonderful!

Force and Destiny (P)Review

After having a chance to browse the new book, I wrote up a summary of what one can expect from it.

-Nate

Force and Destiny (P)Review

Presented here is an overview of what one can expect from the new Force and Destiny core rulebook.

Pages 1-2: Inside title pages

Page 3: Opening crawl

Page 4: Credits

Page 5: Table of contents

Introduction (pages 6-13)

This chapter provides some introductory fiction, an example of play, an overview of the game's style and focus.

Chapter 1 (pages 14-39): Playing the Game

This is pretty familiar fare, consistent with material from the previous two core rulebooks.

Chapter 2 (pages 40-109): Character Creation

While the layout of this chapter is standard, it presents numerous new possibilities for players.

• Morality, of course, is the new mechanic akin to Obligation and Duty.
• The species for this game are Cerean, Human, Kel Dor, Mirialan, Nautolan, Togruta, Twi'lek and Zabrak.
• There are six new careers, each with its own specializations—Consular (Healer, Niman Disciple and Sage); Guardian (Peacekeeper, Protector and Soresu Defender); Mystic (Advisor, Makashi Duelist and Seer); Seeker (Ataru Striker, Hunter and Pathfinder); Sentinel (Artisan, Shadow and Shien Expert); Warrior (Aggressor, Shii-Cho Knight and Starfighter Ace).
• New motivations specific to Force-users
• Suggestions for group resources, including a starship, along with a Jedi holocron or mentor

Chapter 3 (pages 110-133): Skills

This is pretty familiar stuff, too.

Chapter 4 (pages 134-153): Talents

This chapter breaks down the talents for the new careers and specializations. There seems to be a lot of new material, given the Force-centered nature of those character options.

Chapter 5 (pages 154-201): Gear and Equipment

While much of this is similar to what one can find in the other core rulebooks, there are some notable exceptions.

• For one thing, there's new material involving different kinds of lightsabers, various cortosis items, types of robes, etc.
• There's information about holocrons and ancient talismans, too.
• Lightsaber modifications are added to the list of those for other weapons, including different types of crystals.

Chapter 6 (pages 202-227): Conflict and Combat

This is pretty familiar stuff.

Chapter 7 (pages 228-271): Starships and Vehicles

The mechanics in this chapter are much the same as those in previous core rulebooks, but the different types of vehicles detailed provide some variety.

• Airspeeders: Civilian model, Talon 1 cloud car
• Landspeeders: Passenger model, A-A3 light speeder truck, 85-XS Odyssey heavy speeder bike
• Wheeled and tracked vehicles: Gallis-Tech 48 roller, groundcar
• Walkers: AT-HCT
• Starfighters: Y-Wing, Delta-6, Delta-7, Delta-12, Lambda shuttle, Pathfinder scout ship, X-Wing, TIE/LN
• Freighters and transports: G9 Rigger, HWK-290, HT-2200, Simiyiar light freighter, ZH-25 Questor
• Capital ships: ADZ-class destroyer, CR90 corvette, IR-3F light frigate, Victory-class star destroyer

Chapter 8 (pages 272-305): The Force

This chapter provides, not surprisingly, a lot of new material.

• There's a lengthy overview of using the Force in play.
• Eleven new Force power trees: Battle Meditation, Bind, Enhance, Foresee, Heal/Harm, Influence, Misdirect, Move, Protect/Unleash, Seek and Sense.

Chapter 9 (pages 306-339): The Game Master

The material in this chapter resembles that from other core rulebooks, except that it is tailored to adventures and campaigns involving Force-users.

Chapter 10 (pages 340-375): The Galaxy

This chapter provides an overview of the Star Wars galaxy, as expected, along with new planetary profiles: Cerea, Coruscant, Dagobah, Dorin, Ilum, Moraband (Korriban), Ossus, Weik.

Chapter 11 (pages 376-397): The Jedi and the Sith

There's a comprehensive account of these two organizations' histories, along with overviews of other Force-using sects and their lost artifacts.

Chapter 12 (pages 398-421): Adversaries

The NPCs detailed in this section include some interesting new ones, including the Imperial assassin, the IG-100 Magnaguard, different types of Force-users, and new creatures: acklay, jackobeast, jubba bird, kaaten, kouhun, maalraa, tusk cat, vornskr and ysalamir. There's also a section specific to the Inquisitorius.

Chapter 13 (pages 422-440): Lessons from the Past scenario

I didn't read this one, because I intend to play it at some point.

Pages 441-444: Index

Pages 445-8: Character sheet, ship sheet and base of operations sheet

All in all, this book provides lots of new material for using the Force in Star Wars adventures. Most notably, I think it would be invaluable for running adventures and campaigns set in time periods other than the Rebellion Era. 

Strongholds

I guess I will have to buy this one when it comes out, as one of the four Rebel bases described herein is our own Tierfon!

Well, not our Tierfon. WEG's Tierfon. Or, more precisely, LFL/Disney's Tierfon.

You can read more about this book here:
https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/products/star-wars-age-of-rebellion/products/strongholds-resistance/

New Arrivals, part 1

The Calm Seas glided into the clearing, flared to cut speed, then gently set down.

“Rapid turn around!” the pilot shouted into the comm system while flipping a series of switches.

The whine of the repulsors cut out. With a hiss and a groan the full weight of the old transport craft settled onto its landing gear. The rear loading ramp was already descending to the gravel below as Trooper Recruit Gortanna Mar unbuckled his flight restraints.

A welcome gust of fresh air swept through the cabin. Long spaceflights and tight quarters left something to be desired, as far as he was concerned.

Give me a posting on the ground any day.

Mar had to squeeze past the tied down crates and cargo pallets to join the other new arrivals making their way to the side exit stairs. Three of his fellow passengers were from Starfighter Command: two Tech Recruits and a brand new Flight Cadet. One was from Fleet, a Sub-Lieutenant by the looks of it. Another Trooper Recruit was from Ordnance and Supply. Mar was the sole representative from Sumitra Sector Command.

Mar got to the opening and paused for a moment atop the exit stairs.

Tierfon. A secret fighter base. My new home.

The battered GR-75 transport was sitting in a clearing ringed by pine trees. The sky was blue with just a few light, wispy clouds. A pair of high contrails revealed the X-wing escort that had followed them to the surface. The starfighters were headed up, back out into the inky blackness of space.

Mar took a deep breath. Moderate temp, no humidity to speak of, and nothing but wilderness as far as the eye could see. A smile crossed his face as he took in the view. Down below, a cluster of people awaited the new arrivals, and binary load lifters were already busy with the cargo. Off to one side of the improvised landing field sat more pallets and crates, along with a small handful of mixed personnel, waiting to board once the transport was emptied.

Never a dull day in the Alliance.

“Excuse me, sir, I should like to disembark,” the mechanical tones of a protocol droid interrupted.

“Oh, yeah. Sure,” Mar mumbled, hoisting his travel bag and heading down the stairs.

Near the base of the stairs a serious looking Rodian female approached, bio-scanner in hand.

“Trooper Recruit Gortanna Mar?” she asked, sweeping the scanner up and down in front of him.

Mar nodded but stood still and quiet, knowing the drill. With an affirmative chirp from the device, her demeanor changed. She stowed the scanner, half smiled and extended her hand.

“Geela Ral, Sector Command. I’m First Trooper for Fire Team Blue 2. You’re with me.” The Rodian turned toward a trail leading away from the clearing. She was halfway into the trees before glancing back, “Oh. And welcome to Tierfon.”

“Thanks,” Mar replied, hustling to catch up. The landing field was ringed by partially concealed emplacements and bunkers. All of the weapons were aimed in the general direction of the newly arrived Rebel transport.

Ral noticed his attention. “Base security is our top priority,” she said.

“Makes sense,” Mar nodded. The Calm Seas had been met in space by an armed escort and a scanner-equipped freighter. The starfighters hadn’t been there to protect the supply ship. Quite the opposite, in fact. The freighter compared the transport’s unique subspace engine signatures to the database and cross-checked the recorded manifest versus detected cargo. Then there were the coded communications transmissions and passcodes. All were routine. Many layers of security provided for a defense in depth, right down to the mandatory bio-scans for all newly arriving sentients. A similar scan confirmed the identities of all new droids.

Two heavy speeder trucks, loaded down with new supplies, eased past the line of personnel moving up the dusty trail. They were headed up slope now, and Mar could see an observation tower peeking out above the trees ahead.

Ral gestured to a pair of armed troopers out in the trees, 10 meters off the trail. They nodded, gestured back, and moved out of sight. “First, we’ll get you to the quartermaster. Then show you to your bunk. Then get you something to eat.”
“Sounds wonderful,” Mar replied. He hadn’t noticed how hungry he was before she’d mentioned food.

Desperate Allies (P)Review

Fellow gamers, I picked up my copy of Desperate Allies today. While I need some time to read it thoroughly, I thought I'd post a summary of what's in it.

-Nate


Page(s): Contents

1: Opening crawl

2: Inside title page/credits

3: Table of contents

4: Fiction

5-9: Overview of Diplomats and their role in the Rebellion

10-41: "Voices of Revolution"--Expanded Diplomat backgrounds and duties; three new species (the Caamasi, Gossam and Neimoidian); three new specializations (the Advocate, Analyst and Propagandist); new Diplomat motivations; two signature ability trees (Diplomatic Solution and Unmatched Insight)

42-65: "Tools of Intrigue"--Seven ranged weapons; five melee and brawl weapons; twelve types of armor; twenty other equipment items, including some cool stuff for espionage; seven types of droids, including the familiar LOM-series and TC-series; two landspeeders; two airspeeders; five starships; and four starship modifications

66-96: "Diplomatic Missions"--Suggestions for missions that focus on Diplomats, social encounters; two short political mission scenarios; expanded rules for Rebel bases; two short Diplomat scenarios; suggestions for Diplomat rewards