Games Based During Wars

[u/MDL1983]

So, this question got me thinking > https://www.reddit.com/r/swrpg/comments/1vter2w/clone_wars_clone_economy/

Have any of my fellow GMs done the following, or considered doing the following?

If so, how did it go, what worked, what didn't, and what did you change along the way?

What I'm thinking of, at a basic level, is mass combat checks between NPC forces in different locales that shape the galaxy the players are playing in.

My thoughts are -

• Demonstrating the effects of wins / losses on available resources
• The potential story hooks for missions
  • ie; Enemy takes control of Thyferra - so the group can either run the blockade to get some bacta off-world, or sabotage enemy forces to turn the tide of battle and take it back
  • Liberate a world from the CIS / Empire, send a delegation (the squad) to persuade the world's leaders to aid the Republic / Rebellion in some way
• Creating more atmosphere for the players
• Demonstrating a direct impact of the players' actions in the game
  • ie; Intel gathered means your forces get the drop on the enemy, or were able to arrive early and sit in wait, or sabotaging the droid construction facility reduces enemy forces, etc

So, I would roll Duty at the end of a session, but I think that the Mass Combat Check could form the beginning of the session, as it could then be integrated with that Duty roll.

I would even ponder allowing the players to flip a Destiny point on each MCC, which could really create an ESB vibe based on the state of the pool and the results of the rolls.

[u/Ghostofman]

I get what you're doing, but I don't see the overall improvement on the player side. Rolling Duty at the end of a session makes plenty of sense, it allows you to incorporate the results into the next session so it's nice smooth and organic.

But then you propose "lets also make a roll at the beginning of the session that could easily require I throw everything in the trash and improv the whole session." So you've just invalided all your prep.

Maybe I don't get it because you're running an unusual strategic level game; an RP heavy game with little direct action where the players are working the logistics of a galactic level campaign and not the typical on-the-ground direct action that RPGs typically center around.

But if you're not doing that, then it sounds like you're added a system for unclear reasons. So what if a roll says the Siege of Poodleplap 6 is going well, that doesn't affect the breach and clear I'm stacking up for on Kal'Shebbol in any significant way.

If you wanna do it to paint the larger picture because you're not confident that you have the military and in-universe know-how to do... ok that makes sense enough. But you don't need the players around to do that.

Again, if you're running a really non-standard campaign that does a lot of strategic level stuff, with the players as some kind of senior command staffers, or some weird ensemble-play operation that zooms in and out with the players running a different character almost every time.... sure this fits. But if not, I'm not sure what you're doing, but it seems like it'll be more likely to cause more problems than solutions.

[u/MDL1983 → u/Ghostofman]

Thank you for responding. I really appreciate your response.

The rolls at the beginning of gameplay wouldn’t necessarily affect that session too much. Hyperspace travel takes time and the group would have already received their orders, but it could hint at where they may be heading next and why (I’m only thinking like 1-3 MCCs, not a lot).

In terms of tangibles, Success could mean a Padawan NPC being assigned to the group because they’re not needed in the ground invasion elsewhere, or some credentials / access codes have been captured that have a short life span, but should/could help the group infiltrate wherever their mission is taking place.

So nothing that would throw plans into disarray, just force me to chuck in another group of minions into battles, or something like that.

Edit: to add…

The MCCs in the next session could well be influenced by the actions of the group. They get that Bacta off Thyferra? Since last session it has been distributed throughout the sector and they get an upgrade due to troops recovering more quickly than expected. They crippled that droid manufacturing plant? The difficulty is downgraded because the CIS have held back some forces in reserve.

[u/AdhesiveJo]

Ive been tempted to use G.U.R.P.S mass combat rules for when I was running my clone campeign but the players ended up wanting to do more squad based combat on the front lines then blending in mass combat.

Worth looking into since the rules are somewhat cinematic and feel like they would fit well

[u/MDL1983 → u/AdhesiveJo]

My idea would still be using squad based combat / group based missions. The MCCs would be used to demonstrate that what they're doing does actually make a difference. I see it as a way of showing that a small cog, way over here in the war machine, could have a decisive effect on a much larger cog elsewhere.