Adventures in the Aftermath: Running Games in the Pre-Force Awakens Era

Warning: this article is sort of spoiler-y. If you want to avoid Force Awakens spoilers or haven’t read some of the latest novels – this is your warning. 

Force Friday is over.

Star Wars: Aftermath; along with the young adult original series books featuring Luke, Han, and Leia; and the first installment in  Star Wars: Shattered Empire, the Marvel comics series, are out for consumption. They’ve all been scoured over, picked clean, and strip-mined of any clues that could give an indication of this new era in Star Wars. (The young adult books with art by Phil Noto were excellent by the way.)

Aside from a few action figure sound bytes and vague allusions in the books, the explanation of “What comes after?” still hangs in the air. The political maneuverings of a fragmented Empire that is forced to evolve into the First Order remains a broken line from Jedi to Awakens. The Rebel Alliance, even with such a resounding against-the-odds victory, still seems to be in the same state years after the destruction of the second Death Star.

Honestly, the lack of information makes sense. So much of the new films plot hinges on that in-between time that revealing some without revealing everything is probably impossible, especially with the internet’s level of scrutiny. Those hoping to follow Luke and the gang right up to the events of the the film are probably going to have to wait until the film comes out.

But that does nothing for us who want to game in this new universe NOW.

Like, right now.

Like, whoa.

Nothing would celebrate my excitement as much as designing and playing in a campaign or adventure set in this new era. My dream Force Friday would have been a surprise sourcebook from FFG that would explain the history of the new era, stat out some of the species we’ve seen in the trailer, update with new vehicles, new planets, stat out bad guys (Whatever type Captain Phasma is, please) and explanations of the Resistance and First Order hierarchies.

And, of course, a short history of the Knights of Ren and their possible predecessor from the Aftermath series, the Acolytes of the Beyond.

But it didn’t come out and if it ever does, it’s in the far-flung unannounced future.

But we, my dear ladies and gentlemen, are gamers. If you’re reading this, you have some spark of creativity and imagination in you that allows our existence in a galaxy far, far away to become real. This lack of information, of canonical information at least, cannot stop us from stoking our excitement further.

This is my pseudo-sort-of-not-really GM guide to crafting your own Force Awakens adventures. I don’t pretend that this is anything but fun speculation. It isn’t a true resource in any way, but a spring board from which your imagination can jump from.

Sure, whatever you come up with probably won’t be canon, but throwing in a Knight of Ren or fighting off an Imperial splinter group on Jakku is exciting and if you’re running this game then you want to home in on your players’ excitement and sense of wonder.

Just make it fun. Worry about canon later.

Setting

From what we can gather, the time between Jedi and Awakens is not only turbulent, but lawless in a way the galaxy hasn’t seen before.  Due to a constantly shifting political landscape, vast swaths of starscape are no longer controlled by a central power, but warring factions who all vie for supremacy. The New Republic exists in some form, but the First Order is a threat that has encroached on, if not engulfed, the galaxy, stopping them from becoming the dominant political force.

The Jedi have not returned for unknown reasons, depriving the galaxy of its natural peacekeeping force. In its place, a new sect of dark side Force users called the Knights of Ren has arisen and joined with the First Order, following in the footsteps of their deceased Lord Vader, and taking on the patented black for themselves.

Peace in the galaxy seems a distant memory.

Factions

New Republic – With the release of Star Wars: Aftermath, the New Republic is officially canon again as the evolved form of the Rebel Alliance post-Battle of Endor. How long they endure and whether they are a presence in the galaxy by the time of Force Awakens has yet to be seen.

Many have speculated that the Rebel Alliance eventually becomes The Resistance, the organization in which Poe Dameron is an X-Wing pilot and, apparently, Princess Leia is the head. It’s logical to assume the Rebellion becomes The Resistance, no matter how much a lateral move this may seem, but what if, like in World War II, “The Resistance” is the name given to a freedom fighting force on an occupied First Order planet, or within a First Order system, and the New Republic does exist, safe-guarding worlds across the galaxy that have yet to fall to the First Order?

Your players could take part in New Republic peace missions, attempting to bring new planets in the welcoming arms of the Republic. Or maybe you’re a band of resistance fighters taking on one of the Imperial splinter groups.

As your players progress they could start noticing the weird insignias on the new stormtrooper uniforms.  Your pilots could get attacked by black TIE fighters and in the wreckage they find the pilots’ bodies – bloodstriped helmets intact.

The First Order – The First Order appears to be the black phoenix that rises from the ashes of an Imperial Civil War. It may or may not be the only Imperial Remnant left in the galaxy, but it seems certainly the strongest.

If you wanted to include the First Order, you could play as Imperial soldiers at the faction’s inception. You’re fighting against Rebel scum and  Imperial traitors, seemingly unaware of the control you’ve lost around the galaxy. You can run hit-and-fade missions against Mon Cal shipyards, or go TIE against TIE in an attempt to destroy an opposing warlord’s Star Destroyer. You may be on Jakku in an attempt to recover some lost data from a crashed Star Destroyer before the Rebels can. Your team is almost wiped out by Rebel commandos before a robed figure in black with a cross guard lightsaber strides into view to cut them all down in front of your eyes.  Or perhaps it’s time to exact some vengeance on the foot soldiers who contributed to your downfall in the first place – Ewoks.

Imperial Warlords – In the now-Legends, many stories about the direct post-Jedi era revolved around Imperial Admirals and Moff’s vying for the Emperor’s Throne. This would be the simplest way to play in the Force Awakens era without tramping too hard on the soon-to-be canon, with your group of PCs battling your very own Imperial concoction. This is great for you creative types who want to homebrew your own organization for your PC’s to play in. Miss characters like Ysanne Isard and Grand Admiral Thrawn? Now is the time to take the fight to them, or if you’re the Imperial type, serve them in their quest to rule the galaxy.

Knights of Ren – Recently revealed, the Knights of Ren are a new, dark side Force-using order in the galaxy. Besides that Kylo Ren is one of them, next to nothing is known about this latest cult of the Force.

In Star Wars: Aftermath, what could be their first incarnation comes in the form of a group called the Acolytes of the Beyond. This group is shown buying Darth Vader’s lightsaber with intent to destroy it so it can “be returned to its master in death.” This scene rings familiar when coupled with the rumor that Kylo Ren is obsessed with Vader and his driving motivation in the new film is securing his hero’s first lightsaber.

Ultimately, the term Knights implies “more than one” and more than one means there’s MORE THAN ONE. Not just Kylo Ren, but others that your party could meet and defeat in their adventures. 

From what we’ve seen and heard so far about the Knights of Ren, their knowledge of the Force seems rudimentary. Many secrets of the dark side died with Palpatine and Vader, so what the Knights have gathered are from so many fragments of history. Maybe your Knight is less powerful in certain aspects of the Force, but incredibly powerful in others to emphasize gaps in training. 

Could your party of do-gooders hear of Force users deep inside Imperial space that wield a primitive version of the lightsaber?

Perhaps a cloaked figure needs your party to locate a Kyber crystal for him. Upon this request, the figure produces a lightsaber hilt, cobbled together from spare parts, which may look primitive compared to the lightsabers of the extinct Jedi.

The choice is yours, of course. You know the galaxy as well as I do, but however you do it, know that there is nothing stopping you from turning this era into your new favorite playground. I hope this has inspired some of you to make your own Force Awakens campaigns if you aren’t already running them, and let us know here at d20 what kind of campaigns you do run. Until then, enjoy the awakening.