The Rancor Pit Forum Index
Welcome to The Rancor Pit forums!

The Rancor Pit Forum Index
FAQ   ::   Search   ::   Memberlist   ::   Usergroups   ::   Register   ::   Profile   ::   Log in to check your private messages   ::   Log in

What would you do?
Post new topic   Reply to topic    The Rancor Pit Forum Index -> Gamemasters -> What would you do? Goto page 1, 2  Next
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Bradywan
Cadet
Cadet


Joined: 02 Sep 2014
Posts: 8

PostPosted: Wed Dec 30, 2015 4:00 am    Post subject: What would you do? Reply with quote

I haven't GM'd Star Wars since the 90's (lol). I'm putting together a group of Star Wars fans to play a game. They are all roleplaying newbies, but have Star Wars knowledge.

Right out of the chute, one asks if I'm allowing droids, so I say yes. They want to be an HK driod. So I ask, do you mean HK-47 from KotoR? They say yes. So I point out that KotoR is thousands of years from when we are playing (between Ep 3-4)

They point out that according to wookiepedia, there are HK droids right through the rebellion era. So should I allow it? I'm afraid that they just wanna shoot stuff and say "meat bag" alot.

Allow a newbie player to play an HK? Or encourage something else?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
shootingwomprats
Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral


Joined: 11 Sep 2013
Posts: 2690
Location: Online

PostPosted: Wed Dec 30, 2015 4:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think you are a 100% correct about the intent of your players. The bottom line is you can say no to any idea. You don't have to have a reason. You can say, "no droids". Also keep in mind that droids are tools, they are not 2nd class citizens and they are the brunt of much prejudice towards them. Much of this directly as a result of the Clone Wars. There are also stringent laws about droids at the time 19 BBY and forward. Specifically droids cannot have weapons and cannot be independent. You can throw that in for your players if you like.
_________________
Don Diestler
Host, Shooting Womp Rats
The D6 Podcast
http://d6holocron.com/shootingwomprats
@swd6podcast, Twitter
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
garhkal
Sovereign Protector
Sovereign Protector


Joined: 17 Jul 2005
Posts: 14152
Location: Reynoldsburg, Columbus, Ohio.

PostPosted: Wed Dec 30, 2015 11:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Say that due to the time frame, most HK and other combat droids are highly curtailed, even more so than aliens, so his 'character' would suffer a lot when going to imperial planets. And cause of his HK status, he would be the primary target by other enemies.
_________________
Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
cheshire
Arbiter-General (Moderator)


Joined: 04 Jan 2004
Posts: 4848

PostPosted: Wed Dec 30, 2015 11:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

A lot of newbie roleplayers are some combination of themselves and their favorite characters of the genre. Whether they see some emulation of Malcom Reynolds, HK-47, or William Riker, they're going to draw on something while they get their grounding.

Why not just sit down and have a conversation about making this particular HK droid their own character, rather than an impersonation of the one in the video game? This is, of course, assuming that he wants to play AN HK droid, and not THE HK-47. HK-47 would be a non-playable NPC who would be overpowered for a beginning character. That, and it's usually bad form to try to take a known character and make them a PC.
_________________
__________________________________
Before we take any of this too seriously, just remember that in the middle episode a little rubber puppet moves a spaceship with his mind.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
garhkal
Sovereign Protector
Sovereign Protector


Joined: 17 Jul 2005
Posts: 14152
Location: Reynoldsburg, Columbus, Ohio.

PostPosted: Thu Dec 31, 2015 1:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

For those of us not familar with the cartoons/games, who/what is HK-47?
_________________
Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Zarn
Force Spirit


Joined: 17 Jun 2014
Posts: 698

PostPosted: Thu Dec 31, 2015 6:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

HK-47 is an assassin droid with style - and some particular quirks, masquerading as a protocol droid. It tends to prefix every sentence it says with a general declaration of what kind of sentence it is - such as "Question: Why do your eyes leak when percussed in the genitalia, meatbag".

It also vastly prefers to just kill all sentients rather than waste computation cycles trying to figure out what the motivation for the sentient's actions is.

Samples from KOTOR:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vg1gTas7OAA

Sample from SWTOR:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M64K8LEx-RU

Personally, I think HK-47's approach to existence is best encapsulated by its definition of "love":

"Definition: 'Love' is making a shot to the knees of a target 120 kilometers away using an Aratech sniper rifle with a tri-light scope... Love is knowing your target, putting them in your targeting reticule, and together, achieving a singular purpose against statistically long odds."
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
gahlblah
Cadet
Cadet


Joined: 26 Dec 2015
Posts: 11

PostPosted: Thu Dec 31, 2015 8:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You can say no to anything you want, even if it is a common thing in the movies, the games, etc. You're the GM and it's your game. Not saying to be a total @$$ but you can allow or disallow anything you want.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
cheshire
Arbiter-General (Moderator)


Joined: 04 Jan 2004
Posts: 4848

PostPosted: Thu Dec 31, 2015 9:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Zarn wrote:
HK-47 is an assassin droid with style - and some particular quirks, masquerading as a protocol droid. It tends to prefix every sentence it says with a general declaration of what kind of sentence it is - such as "Question: Why do your eyes leak when percussed in the genitalia, meatbag".

It also vastly prefers to just kill all sentients rather than waste computation cycles trying to figure out what the motivation for the sentient's actions is.

*snip*

Personally, I think HK-47's approach to existence is best encapsulated by its definition of "love":

"Definition: 'Love' is making a shot to the knees of a target 120 kilometers away using an Aratech sniper rifle with a tri-light scope... Love is knowing your target, putting them in your targeting reticule, and together, achieving a singular purpose against statistically long odds."


That's the great thing about him, he was fantastic comic relief. As much has he talked about the wholesale slaughter of semi-sentient meatbags, it was mostly that... talk. He never came off the rails to kill everything that moved. He was always diligent in following the desires of his master. Granted, there was quite a bit of combat in the game.

If the player wanted to play a droid -- stripped down in its programming to fit within the Rebellion Era's laws -- and would play it in a way that would be constructive to the group, then I don't see a problem with it. He'd have to play hide-and-seek with his origins, given that murder-bot assassination droids were a bit no-no in that era.

Though if he wanted to play an HK that came off the rails and had more action than talk, then I would definitely encourage the player to look at different options.
_________________
__________________________________
Before we take any of this too seriously, just remember that in the middle episode a little rubber puppet moves a spaceship with his mind.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Whill
Dark Lord of the Jedi (Owner/Admin)


Joined: 14 Apr 2008
Posts: 10397
Location: Columbus, Ohio, USA, Earth, The Solar System, The Milky Way Galaxy

PostPosted: Thu Dec 31, 2015 6:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Being a 4th degree droid is painting a target on your back. And they are so restricted so its not like they can just wander around the galaxy freely adventuring. In my game PCs can't play 4th Degree droids, period. It's simple, fair, and for the the players' own good. Now a droid of another class not expected to have hidden combat abilities, that's something else.
_________________
*
Site Map
Forum Guidelines
Registration/Log-In Help
The Rancor Pit Library
Star Wars D6 Damage
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
Director of Engineering


Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 16272
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.

PostPosted: Thu Dec 31, 2015 6:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Whill wrote:
Being a 4th degree droid is painting a target on your back. And they are so restricted so its not like they can just wander around the galaxy freely adventuring. In my game PCs can't play 4th Degree droids, period. It's simple, fair, and for the the players' own good. Now a droid of another class not expected to have hidden combat abilities, that's something else.

A GM I played under once allowed a droid character in the party to be fitted with an external stun-field. Basically, anyone who tried to touch him when it was active took 5D Stun damage. The result was usually the attacker dropping to the ground spasming while the droid said, "Oh! I'm terribly sorry about that." The droid was programmed not to attack anyone, but neither could anyone else lay hands on it violently without getting zapped.
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Whill
Dark Lord of the Jedi (Owner/Admin)


Joined: 14 Apr 2008
Posts: 10397
Location: Columbus, Ohio, USA, Earth, The Solar System, The Milky Way Galaxy

PostPosted: Fri Jan 01, 2016 2:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

crmcneill wrote:
A GM I played under once allowed a droid character in the party to be fitted with an external stun-field. Basically, anyone who tried to touch him when it was active took 5D Stun damage. The result was usually the attacker dropping to the ground spasming while the droid said, "Oh! I'm terribly sorry about that." The droid was programmed not to attack anyone, but neither could anyone else lay hands on it violently without getting zapped.

That's a great idea. I love it!
_________________
*
Site Map
Forum Guidelines
Registration/Log-In Help
The Rancor Pit Library
Star Wars D6 Damage
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
garhkal
Sovereign Protector
Sovereign Protector


Joined: 17 Jul 2005
Posts: 14152
Location: Reynoldsburg, Columbus, Ohio.

PostPosted: Fri Jan 01, 2016 4:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

?? How much power did that require?
_________________
Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
Director of Engineering


Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 16272
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.

PostPosted: Fri Jan 01, 2016 4:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

garhkal wrote:
?? How much power did that require?

5x10^13 Starwarses
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
Director of Engineering


Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 16272
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.

PostPosted: Fri Jan 01, 2016 6:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Whill wrote:
That's a great idea. I love it!

Yeah, it was fun. The droid technically couldn't attack anyone, but the guy playing him had a real knack for "creative clumsiness", stumbling into the path of attacking NPCs with predictable results and playing up the "I'm programmed for etiquette and protocol, not violence!" card.
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
garhkal
Sovereign Protector
Sovereign Protector


Joined: 17 Jul 2005
Posts: 14152
Location: Reynoldsburg, Columbus, Ohio.

PostPosted: Sat Jan 02, 2016 12:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Maybe, but if a simple scan of him was done, wouldn't that stun field being always on have been detected, and thus him considered 'more than an etiquette' droid?
_________________
Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    The Rancor Pit Forum Index -> Gamemasters All times are GMT - 4 Hours
Goto page 1, 2  Next
Page 1 of 2

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group


v2.0