My first and favorite SWRPG book was West End Games’ Platt’s Starport Guide – A book full of gritty, fleshed-out destinations, background characters, and plot hooks in the Star Wars galaxy. In this series of articles, I will be continuing that book’s legacy, updated mechanically and visually to FFG’s Edge of the Empire RPG.
Last time, we took an overarching look at the history of the planet Boledge, and its notorious starport. In this installment, we will be delving into the key locations and personalities of Boledge Downport.
View/Download Full Boledge Downport PDF
Points of Interest
The entire inner surface of the massive caldera is crowded with businesses, hotels, and docking bays. Most of the tourism industry is concentrated on the upper levels of the caldera, while the lower levels contain the majority of the original starport and docking facilities.
Boledge Shipping and Freight
Faar bought out this failing company to serve as a front for the distribution of his illegal doonium mining operation. He has thus far played it safe and smart – hiring only fellow disgruntled Guild members that are incredibly loyal to him. Faar utilizes smugglers to transport his ore, hidden amongst a cheap cover cargo, to deaddrop distribution centers throughout the Inner Rim and Expansion Region. These sites are run by local fixers, who hire a second round of pilots to distribute the goods to buyers. The company consists of a half-dozen large warehouses and a small office building in the starport’s lower levels.
Etro Faar
Duros male; Illegal Mine Operator & Local Crime Boss
The rise of the Empire was a boon to the Mining Guild’s upper echelons and investors; the average worker lived in conditions only slightly above indentured servitude. Etro was a longtime member of the guild, but when he started advocating for his employees, his contract was quickly terminated. He bounced from job to petty job, as the guild had permanently blacklisted him until he wound up on Boledge. After hearing about the geologic activity from locals, he immediately borrowed credits from a local loanshark to survey and set up a small mining operation.
His suspicions proved to be more profitable than his wildest dreams; the world’s volcanism was the perfect catalyst for producing doonium ore. Etro is gruff and intimidating but treats his employees well. He has kept his discovery secret and his operation from attracting the Guild’s attention. He views his operation and his workers as his life and won’t hesitate to kill to protect them. See attached PDF for complete stats.
The Grand Arch Casino
Boledge’s crown jewel gets its name from the natural arch of basalt into which it’s facade is carved. Though an excellent casino and club, the real draw of the place is its galaxy-class restaurant. The proprietor, a middle-aged Duros named Ulara L’ampar has spared no expense in cultivating culinary talent from across the galaxy.
The restaurant has become a popular venue for wealthy businesspeople, politicians, celebrities, and high-ranking Imperials to meet and discuss important business in the establishment’s private dining rooms. The main dining area is first-come, first-serve to ensure that the restaurant never becomes too exclusive. This policy has proven to be part of the restaurant’s draws, as tourists of all social levels are treated to an excellent meal and the thrill of spotting a favorite Holonet star.
Many influential members of the galactic underworld also make use of this establishment to broker deals. All parties appreciate Ulara’s discretion and her guarantee of privacy. They are all aware that she could sell their secrets for a tidy profit, and that fact has garnered her favors with many of the galaxy’s most powerful individuals.
Ulara L’ampar
Duros female; Casino Owner
The L’ampar family has been part of Boledge Downport since the first colony ships landed over 200 years ago. Ulara received an excellent education in the Core and spent her early years traveling the galaxy. When she inherited the casino, Boledge was on the verge of economic crisis as the trade routes shifted and the starport’s commercial traffic tapered off.
Ulara was one of the innovators that turned the Downport’s luck around by cultivating a retreat-like level of luxury to bring in tourists. She had always had a passion for haute cuisine, and she used the connections she had made in her youth to start cultivating a clientele. She is a savvy businesswoman and is an influential member of the council that runs the starport. Though she keeps her hands reasonably clean, she is well connected through both official and unofficial channels, galaxy-wide. See attached PDF for complete stats.
Imperial Customs Office
Boledge is ostensibly under Imperial jurisdiction and used to turn a tidy profit on goods traveling through Downport. These days, traffic is primarily tourists, and the customs office has become a dumping ground for dead career officers. Every ship that enters the starport receives a visit from Lieutenant Brom Hadley or one of his customs officers.
Enforcement is extremely lax, and nearly all the officers will accept bribes to skip an inspection. Etro himself keeps the local customs officers on his payroll under the pretense that he runs a petty smuggling ring. Smugglers working for him never receive a visit unless they are causing trouble or being terribly indiscreet in their activities.
Lieutenant Brom Hadley
Human male; Customs officer
Brom Hadley enlisted for Imperial service at a young age to escape a life of factory work on Fondor. However, his lack of connections and poor performance record saw him deployed to increasingly far-flung and minor offices.
Once embittered by his fate, he now capitalizes on his position by pulling in a hefty amount of graft each cycle. He lives in luxury far beyond his salary and can be found at expensive restaurants and casinos nearly every evening. Hadley is a bombastic fellow, prone to over-indulgence in alcohol and spice. If he is actually forced to do his job, he becomes curt and abrasive. Use the Corrupt Bureaucrat template (EotE-CR, 408) for Lt. Hadley. His team of 12 customs officers can be represented by the Imperial Naval Trooper template (EotE-CR, 403).
Sholl Brothers’ Repair Yard
The Sholl Brothers’ Repair Yard (commonly just called “Sholl’s”) is a fenced-in landing field with a few pre-fabricated storage sheds and workshops. The yard itself can handle a CR-90 Corvette or up to three light freighters. Despite the name, only Var Sholl seems to run the business. The cantankerous old Mon Cal generally has a few part-time techs working under him as well as a stable of maintenance and repair droids. Var is a competent mechanic, and his yard’s work is solid, but don’t expect anything fancy from him. Use the Mon Calamari Mechanic stat block (EotE-CR, 398) for Var Sholl. He always keeps a pair of well maintained K4 security droids (EotE-CR, 412) on sight to guard the facility.
Dockside Restoratives
This ancient looking bar can be found on the lower levels, amongst the docking bays, watercraft piers, and the pervasive sulfurous smell of the volcanic lake. Dockside was established during the earliest days of the colony to serve the starport’s itinerant spacers. The cantina is less of a dive than the other taprooms found on the lower levels, making it popular with many of the higher-class smugglers and traders passing through.
The large stone building is rarely at full capacity these days, which suits most spacers just fine – there is no shortage of quiet, secluded booths for making deals. The proprietor, Dol Yolanda, can still be found working the bar most nights and is an excellent source of local information and transactions. He has an affable nature and an uncanny memory for faces and names. Dol keeps the bar clean and lively, and a pair of Talz bouncers keep the peace. Use the Comm Operator stat block (EotE-CR, 397) for Dol and the Gamorrean Thug (EotE-CR, 397) for the Talz bouncers.
Boledge Gourmet Seafoods Co.
A pair of large warehouses located right on the waterline is the home of Boledge Gourmet Seafoods. Meeru, a crotchety old Selkath created the commercial fishing operation after learning how to process Boledge’s otherwise toxic seafood. These local delicacies have been popularized by the chefs of The Grand Arch Casino and are now in demand throughout the Galaxy. Meeru often hires smugglers and traders passing through the system to ship his luxury foodstuffs and offers decent pay for prompt delivery. Use the Arms Dealer stat block for Meeru and the Aqualish Thug for his fisherman crews (EotE-CR, 391).
In Part 3, I will provide a modular encounter featuring the setting and characters of Boledge Downport. Additionally, there will be a downloadable PDF, formatted in the style of FFG’s planetary entries in Dawn of Rebellion.
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