Gamer Forge Listener Email: Untangling The Knot Of Truth In Your Game

Gamer Forge Listener Email:

Name: Jason the Drifter

Comments: So I have a question that is a little complicated. Now I realize most of the Gamer Forge questions have been D&D or Pathfinder related and my question is based in the Star Wars Saga Edition rules.

So here is my question. The game that I am play has had some fun and exciting moments where we have some amazing moments happen when we have failed or succeeded in the game so we have really enjoyed our game. So now I am sure your asking yourselves so what is the reason you’re emailing us then? Well that is the really difficult part because this game has been so great several of us have kind of lost track of what we set out to do.

And that is my question how do we get back on track? So let me explain what’s happened here. So we are playing in the Old Republic about 150 years before the start of the Mandolorian Wars and before the KOTOR settings. Now we have a mixed group of Jedi and various other individuals with specialized skills. The two Jedi in the group were commissioned with a task that required special skills. So they sought out the other members in our group. So we got our ship we plotted our course took flight and jumped into hyperspace and BAM! Our Astromech droid was sabotaged as it has purposely plugged in a bad hyperspace route. Thus we came out of hyperspace roughly which damaged our ship and left us in Hutt space with a damaged ship and two Jedi that aren’t really favored here. So we limp to the nearest planet, once there our ship is “Misplaced”, two of our companions were put in jail, and series of other unfortunate events. Now this was lots of fun roleplaying and getting its way out these situations.

What has got our goat is that our GM is so crafty in his story telling that we are constantly getting roped into something. Several of us want to get back to our original quest. Get off the hutt planet and go complete our mission for the Jedi.

Gamer Forge Response:

When it comes to untangling the knot of truth in your game, DCR says:

1. Perseverance. Just go with it. Remember that you can walk away from this game at any time. In the words of Captain Planet, "The power is yours."  By playing, you are consenting that everything is just peachy. If you're having fun getting into all sorts of mischief, then it can't be all that bad. Or is it? You're asking yourself, "When does the actual story begin?" That brings us to...
2. Part of the "Master Plan". Maybe this totally is part of the story. It's all in the set-up for the big picture. This one may be worth sticking around for. If all this hijinks ties back to the overall storyline a year down the road, your GM deserves a medal. Remember, one of the themes of Star Wars is "There is no coincidence". Adventurers coming together is significant, regardless of how disparate those characters may be. The GM should either recognize this and work it into the theme, or already took this into account and this further strengthens our statement about medals. Have a little faith in your GM. But not without...
3. Whenever you're presented with either option "A" or option "B", always take option "C". If and when you feel shoehorned into fulfilling a role or plot, that means your GM is getting lazy. Make him/her work for their position as storyteller. Throw a few curve balls to get the creative juices flowing. Instead of running around to save the universe, pop a squat and tell campfire stories. When the GM sends you to the cantina for information, walk back outside and try stealing a speeder. (note: Dungeon Crawlers Radio does not condone nor engage in the stealing, or destruction of, unattended speeders or starships) The world(s) you are visiting and exploring move and live whether or not you are there. Make your GM make that world come alive.

*Based on the details we were given, DCR says that it's probably best to ride this out. No shortage of action and an underlying theme. Plenty of characters with a diversity of personalities. Best of all, nobody is getting frustrated with a lack of options. Final word of advice: Go kick ass, players!

---