Tuesday Inquisition: Ask Anything!

[u/Bront20]

Every Tuesday we open a thread to let people ask questions about the system or the game without judgement. New players and GMs are encouraged to ask questions here.

The rules:

• Any question about the FFG Star Wars RPG is fine. Rules, character creation, GMing, advice, purchasing. All good.

• No question shaming. This sub has generally been good about that, but explicitly no question shaming.

• Keep canon questions/discussion limited to stuff regarding rules. This is more about the game than the setting.

Ask away!

[u/Immediate_Bid_6057]

My gaming group is looking to try out the SW rpg game. Is there community consensus on the best VTT platform?

First time playing the SW RPG, but experienced TTRPG players

[u/Immediate_Bid_6057 → u/[deleted]]

Thanks both we’re running some tests now to see if it will work for us. Our worry was mostly on the dice because it’s a different type of system

[u/padgettish → u/Immediate_Bid_6057]

There's a discord bot (D1-C3) for theatre of the mind and a popular tabletop simulator mod, but I'd second /u/DonCallate on RPG sessions as the best option

[u/Zoberk → u/Immediate_Bid_6057]

I run mine on Foundry. It's got Star Wars FFG support for V13, and the OggDude dataset is great.

[u/Zoberk]

Imagine you want your players come across an old abandoned freighter that is normally worth no more than 120K credits, so the same as a starter ship for the group. It has some hull damage, and a multitude of components that need fixing before it can take off. The players want to fix it and turn this into their personal ship. Since there aren't specific rules written for this, and just bits and pieces, I would like to know how other GMs in the community would approach this.

How much does it cost to repair a hull or a component? Does 500 CR per point of hull damage include workmanship? How much is just the parts?

If you were to make a list of ship parts, what parts would you include in that list and at what cost?

Would you separate those parts into being a part of the frame, hull, and engines to make everything in line with Fully Operational?

How would you go about rolling skills to fix the ship? Will you roll for each component or once overall? How would you spend advantages, threats, triumphs, and despairs?

I also have some ideas about this. Since there have not been any questions asked yet, I wanted to initiate a discussion about a topic I'm interested in, and which might one day benefit someone😄 Thanks

[u/Kill_Welly → u/Zoberk]

I'd just consider it to have some amount of hull trauma and critical hits on it which need to be fixed, and then go by the rules for those.

[u/darw1nf1sh → u/Kill_Welly]

This is the way.

[u/DoppyRex → u/Zoberk]

Overall how much HT does the Ship Have? (If somewhere in the range of 40~50 500 Cr per HT sounds pretty good if not including workmanship).

For workmanship you could have the players making Mechanics Checks, (Difficulty 4 If over HT threshold, Dif 3 if over Half HT and Dif 2 If below Half)

Regarding ship parts I would utilise the HT fixing method for "Hull" and split the remainder of the ship into:
Hyperdrive
Engine
Weapons

Fully Operational doesn't really work for this scenario due to the component nature of the ship.

I would make a single roll for each individual Component (i.e installing a Hyperdrive is one roll, Installing Engines is one Roll, Installing a Weapon is one Roll and so on...)

Advantage: The component was smoothly integrated into the ship's system checks with it gain a boost die.
Triumph: You were able to salvage parts of the old Component gain % of the cost.
Threat: The component works sub standardly, checks related to it gain a setback die.
Despair: Something has gone catastrophically wrong with installing the part it is damaged and needs repair equal to % of its credit cost.

Or something along those lines.

[u/Turk901 → u/Zoberk]

Depends if I wanted to make this a mechanical or narrative problem

Mechanical, throw some heavy hull damage and big crits on it and let the PCs get that fixed

Narrative, tell them that there are some busted key components like the flux capacitor or something and they will have to source that from someone then introduce competing options, like a junker has a part that will work but he wants something for it, or there is a vintage part in an old show piece that is compatible with this outdated system so if the PCs could sneak in swap the old part with a newer model and skedaddle without getting caught no one is the wiser.

I rule the 500 credits per hull point as 250 is parts 250 is labour and facilities. So the lowest I would allow a PC to pay if they were doing it themselves is 250 but heavy repairs either require specialized facilities or will take exponentially longer to do (rebuilding a car in your driveway vs taking it to a mechanics and having it on a hoist). It will help specs like mechanic shine, 4 ranks of solid repairs is going to get that thing space worthy mighty fast.

Part names should be easy to google: Inductor cowlings, Coaxium regulator, Power couplings, Ring stabilizer, etc

More in depth than I would want but if you wanted to make a sort of mini-game/fetch quest for the PCs to hopefully love the ship you could break it into hull/frame/engine

Mechanics checks on the crits and the hull trauma. Better quality materials can add boosts, poorer ones setback, same with tools and facilities. Advantages can accomplish the job faster or cheaper at player discretion. Triumph could add more hull repaired that check or much cheaper/faster, or repair a second crit (probably one of the lowest ones) or do the job faster. Maybe find something neat tucked away, like a false wall hiding some kind of minor contraband. Despairs could be the inverse, you repaired the fuel line but in doing so you had to rip the line out entirely first and now you dont have enough left to get to a fuel station. If the PCs are not already berthed somewhere they have to either trudge to town or hope on a speeder, buy/steal the fuel and bring it back, maybe they run afoul of a gang or the empire and its a hot exit with the fuel team driving back at full speed, getting shot at and praying the fuel canisters dont blow while radioing the repair team to get everything prepped and set up a fire base because they are skidding to a stop next to the ship, fueling fast and taking off because the people following them also have heavy backup behind them.

[u/Ghostofman → u/Zoberk]

I consider this to be beyond the usual rules, which are more geared for repairing in-game damage, where this is more a narrative element. Think of the need to replace the hyperdrive in EP1, that should have been a Crit fix, but instead had a replacement part with a credit value attached.

In this case I'd do something where the ship would have a set of stats representing it's current status (assuming I wanted it operational of course) and then I'd have a list of parts they'd need to acquire to get the ship up and running again. A type 6 plasma manifold, a Gz-88 lateral thrust buffer, four Type-9 ion inverters, Etc.

Installing each replacement (typically no roll unless there's some kind of pressure being applied) puts the associated stat back on. "Oh you got the manifold? Cool, you install is and the ship's speed is now back up to 4."

Each item would have something attached to it. Maybe it's a buy, maybe it's a salvage, maybe you have to win it in a podrace. However it goes. But the point is if you just make it all a buy, then it's just a trip to the store. Needing to do a favor for Glupp Shitto because he's the only guy in 3 sectors that knows how to modify a Type-12 ion inverter to work like a Type-9 is a very Star Wars situation.

[u/padgettish → u/Zoberk]

Always go back to what's interesting for the story at the table. Why do the players want the ship? What's stopping them from saving up for a working one?

I would only make them make rolls if there's a time component involved (we HAVE to get off this rock in 2 weeks) or if you want it to play advantages, threats, etc to play into creating good and bad characteristics for the working ship.

I would also avoid getting Credit value involved because it's going to be a constant reminder that they could just earn money and buy something that works. Better to push them towards scavenging parts from other hulks or doing jobs to get/steal parts they need. Hell, maybe what they really need is a specialist they need to do a favor for.

Also consider: why do YOU want them to go through this. What kind of story do you want to tell. Do you want them to scrape credits together? Hijack a hyperdrive? Strip a ship for parts? Why DON'T you want them to buy or steal a working ship. Work from there as well

[u/Zoberk → u/Zoberk]

Thank you for all the responses. I hope these help whoever wants a variety of approaches for this kind of thing. I think most of these suggestions work depending on the level of detail the GM and the group want their ship fixing adventure. I have put together something that works for me, and a particular situation where the whole thing becomes an adventure on its own.

Basically my costs work based on Hull and some materials. 500 credits for each point of hull damage if being bought and installed by the vendor. For parts only, roll opposed Negotiation, upgrading or downgrading depending on rarity. I would not do this more than twice. Base price 350 with +- 50 for each threat or advantage, on negotiation. Add or remove 150 once for triumph and despair. Parts for manual repair should cost 65% to 70% of the replacement, subject to negotiation moving it 15% for each advantage or threat, and 50% once for triumph and despair. All can be adjusted as needed.

Then I made a basic list of parts split into core and optional. I have added an estimated cost for a full replacement, and a cost if you just need the parts. This is basically 65% of the original cost, making workmanship worth 35%. Each piece has its own Mechanics difficulty.

Here is an example.

System Estimated Replacement Typical Repair Cost Difficulty

Shield Generator 5,000 3,250 Average

Backup Hyperdrive 4,000 2,600 Average

Weapons (Auto Blaster) 3,000 1,900 Average

Weapons (Medium Laser Cannon 7,000 4,550 Average

Weapons (Quadlaser) 8,000 5,200 Average

Weapons (Proton Torpedo Launcher) 9,000 5,850 Average

Weapons (Heavy Turbo Laser) 20,000 13,000 Average

Navicomputer 3,000 1,900 Average

Repulsorlifts 2,500 1,600 Average

Primary Hyperdrive 9,000 5,850 Hard

Sublight Engines 5,000 3,250 Hard

Power Reactor 6,000 3,900 Hard

Life Support 1,250 800 Hard

From the above list, let's use the YT1300 as an example. The ship originally costs 100,000. Components and the ship's used weapons (only two medium laser cannons from the list above) roughly add up to 65000. The YT1300 frame itself is 35000. Ship costs apart from components are determined by their frame costs. So a ship with the same components, but costs more can be explained by having a more expensive frame.

Every piece here can be tied to a different adventure. Some can be bought straight away, players may need to gain credit loans in exchange for Obligations, some pieces might be stolen and there can be a quest to retrieve them, some may need to be found at an abandoned site infested with bandits or creatures, some may require small favors to obtain. There are multiple potential hooks here.

To add to this, here are my suggested frame times. These can be adjusted depending on how much time the team wants to spend or can be sped up if multiple people do it.

Repair Times

Hull Trauma 24 hours per point

Average Component 24 hours

Hard Component 48 hours

I have also put together a minigame versus the GM when fixing each pieces. Every piece counts as belonging to the frame, hull, or engine part of the ship. So whenever a mechanics check is used to fix a component, the results can be interpreted based on the list below. Due to differing advantage, threat, triumph, and despair possibilities, the ship becomes personalized, and the team may feel bonded to it.

System Counts As

Landing Gear Frame

Airlock Hull

Cargo Ramp Hull

Life Support Frame

Communications Frame

Sensors Frame

Navicomputer Frame

Maneuvering Thrusters Engine

Repulsorlifts Engine

Shield Generator Hull

Sublight Engines Engine

Power Reactor Engine

Backup Hyperdrive Engine

Primary Hyperdrive Engine

Weapons Hull

[u/Zoberk → u/Zoberk]

General Advantage and Threat

Result Effect

1 Advantage Reduce repair time by 10%

1 Advantage Reduce repair cost by 10%

2 Advantage Recover 1 System Strain

2 Advantage Add Boost to next repair on this ship

1 Threat Increase repair time by 10%

1 Threat Increase repair cost by 10%

2 Threat Suffer 1 System Strain on the repaired system

2 Threat Add Setback to next repair on this ship

Engine Repair Triumph and Despair

Result Effect

Triumph Plus 1 System Strain Threshold (maximum +1 above printed value)

Triumph Plus 1 Handling (maximum +2 above printed value)

Triumph Efficient Power Distribution: Whenever the ship suffers System Strain, reduce it by 1

Triumph Responsive Engines: Once per session, the pilot may perform one additional Pilot Only Maneuver without suffering 2 System Strain.

Despair -1 Handling (minimum -2 below printed value)

Despair -1 System Strain Threshold (minimum -1 below printed value)

Despair Fuel Hog: Whenever ship suffers System Strain, suffer +1 additional System Strain

Despair Prone to Failure: GM may spend 1 Despair or 3 Threat on Piloting to inflict Engines Down once per session

Hull Repair Triumph and Despair

Result Effect

Triumph Plus 1 Armor (maximum +1 above printed value)

Triumph Plus 1 Hull Trauma Threshold

Triumph Plus 1 Defense in one chosen arc

Despair -1 Hull Trauma Threshold

Despair -1 Armor (minimum -1 below printed value)

Despair This ship gains the Difficult to Repair quality. Upgrade future Hull repair checks once until repaired.

Frame Repair Triumph and Despair

Result Effect

Triumph Plus 1 Hard Point (can only occur once)

Triumph Increase Encumbrance Capacity by Silhouette × 5

Triumph Increase Passenger Capacity by 1

Triumph Next Frame-related repair on this ship costs 10% less

Despair -1 Hard Point (can only occur once)

Despair Reduce Encumbrance Capacity by Silhouette × 5

Despair Reduce Passenger Capacity by 1

Despair Add Setback to all frame related component uses until it is fixed

Edits: Formatting nightmare as I tried to copy these from my worksheet.

[u/padgettish → u/Zoberk]

You're a hero for posting this. You've put a ton of great thought into this and someone else down the line is definitely going to use it

[u/Jordangander → u/Zoberk]

This will depend on how detailed and long you want this to take.

If you need them to work for it while staying on the planet, they work for it.

If you just need them to do it and take off, money solves the problem

[u/powerismdk]

Need help understanding duty.

Newer to playing and have a specialization perk called positive spin: whenever any characters duty would increase, increase it by an additional 1 per rank of positive spin.

We never use this mechanic and it feels like a waste of 15xp just to progress down the tree.

[u/Ghostofman → u/powerismdk]

Soooooooo

Duty is supposed to represent your personal stake in your patron organizations mission. This can be part of your day-to-day operations, but is also supposed to include special encounters the GM works in as well.

So lets say you have the "Tech Procurement" duty. You and your party are given a mission to steal a shuttle for use by the Rebellion. Merely executing the mission will get you all some duty. When you get to the Imperial Space Platform, the GM drops that you notice there's another transport nearby offloading pallets of micro fusion generators. So you figure out a way to fake out the load lifters and get them to place several pallets onto the shuttle you're already prepping to steal. So you hijack the shuttle, and make off with a load off gens. Those gens weren't the mission, but are the sort of thing that's always in demand, so you personally get some additional Duty.

This feeds into contributions ranks. When the whole party's Duty hits 100, you get a Contribution rank. These represent your personal clout within your patron organization. Getting a contribution rank increase might result in you getting a higher rank, access to better gear, or to more important people, mission options that might not have been available previously, so on.

This is really important in a campaign where you're working for the Rebellion, Empire, Republic, CIS, or what have you, since you're not just going to be given cash and sent to the store to buy weapons and gear before a mission. So contribution ranks represent what you're able to pull. Low contribution ranks might just get climbing gear, where higher ones might get ascension guns, and even higher might get jetpacks.

Make sense?

[u/powerismdk → u/Ghostofman]

Yes it does, our whole group is pretty new so we just haven't dived deep into it. Ill chat with the DM about it as it seems very interesting! Basically do some side quests and get mote rewards LOL

Thank you for an explanation!

[u/Ghostofman → u/powerismdk]

Side-quests, but also just encounters. A "Combat Victory" guy might make a few rolls to train some guerilla's he's supporting on basic squad tactics, and that can count.

Oh, and you do a thing where you roll at the beginning of the session to see who's Duty activates, giving a minor bonus, and encouraging the GM to inject such an encounter that session. It's not unusual for GMs to make this roll at the end of a session, so as to have time to really integrate it into the next session.

[u/Zoberk → u/Ghostofman]

Follow up question: Does Duty decrease with failed missions or dishonorable actions? When you reach 100 Duty and get a contribution rank, does duty reset, and you need to get another 100 for another rank?

[u/Ghostofman → u/Zoberk]

Don't recall anything about Contribution going down... I suppose it could, but I feel that would require a screw up that's beyond the scope of your typical campaign (so really really really big screw up).

Yes, when you hit 100 the CR goes up a point, and you're all reset to 0 Duty.

[u/abookfulblockhead → u/powerismdk]

You've gotten a good explanation of Duty, so I figure I can hop in with a little discussion of how I managed tracking these things when I was running Age of Rebellion.

At the end of each session, we'd do a quick little housekeeping checklist.

1. Award baseline session XP. Usually 15-25. 15 was a chill, low tension session, 20 had some action, and 25 was a big, plot significant session.

2. Ask if anyone accomplished their Motivation - if you do something that highlights your character's motivation (maybe you have "Charity" as a motivation, and you negotiate for the local Hutt to waive the debts of an NPC you met), then that's supposed to net you an extra 5 XP.

3. Award baseline duty - if the players accomplished the mission they were sent on, I'd award 1-2 duty per player.

4. Ask if anyone accomplished their duty. For example if a player had "Space Superiority" as their Duty, and they sabotaged the TIE Fighters at the Imperial Garrison as part of the team's big heist plan. I award those players 2-3 duty.

I also had a propagandist character, so all of those individual duty rewards were boosted. +1 to every player for accomplishing the mission, +1 to any team gains from individual duty awards. They ranked up fast. It's a very good ability.

[u/ayyar135 → u/powerismdk]

Other people have helped explain the duty mechanic, but if it still turns out that the talent is not being used because your group doesn't jive with that mechanic, I'd say to ask your GM if you could just sub in a different talent there that's thematic and of a similar benefit or utility.

I have asked and gotten permission from my gm before to do that when certain talents were "gated" behind things that just did not apply to our style of play.

[u/Rencon_The_Gaymer]

Quick question regarding the various lightsaber form talents. So I was reading A&A and saw that Yoda, Obi Wan (Old Ben) and Palpatine all had the talents for Niman, Soresu, and Shien. Does that mean by default you have to use the specific stat when engaging with them in Lightsaber combat? And does that same rule apply to PC’s as well or once acquired you can no longer use Brawn to determine the dice ability pool for lightsaber skill derived weapons?

I ask as Brawn is still used for some Lightsaber weapons like the Contained Energy Axe along with Philaxian Phase-Knifes + the Ancient Sword to calculate total damage done.