SWA: AJ | Game Master's Corner

[SWSF Hale]

Hey everybody!

Our last attempted gaming endeavor ("Flashpoint") lasted sometime between Nov/Dec 2017 and ended Jan/Feb 2018. Despite a promised return to traditional simming, and featuring a buffed AE/GR-edition rules set, the game was DOA as many of us simply lacked the will, or had the time, to write posts and actually game. We seem to go back and forth on this forum with respect to the kind of game we want to play versus the kind of game we need to play, so I am not going to pull any punches this time around with SWA. Seven years ago (gosh, has it been that long?) we had a lot of fun with GCW Chapter I, mainly because it was an exciting time period (After Hoth) and because we had about a half dozen committed players. Unfortunately, after the website went down and the admin ball got picked up by Hoppus, we lost a few key members who haven't been back since. Not that a few members is everything, but it seems like that was just enough to prevent all future games from generating enough momentum to keep the game going. Admittedly, if you want to get your Star Wars gaming itch scratched, Fantasy Flight Games is killing it right now between Armada and Rebellion. But the SWSF has been more than just a host for games. Our specialty is in the telling of stories alongside the blowing things up. This is something Fantasy Flight Games could never do.

So here's what I'm going to do... SWA will launch July 1st come hell or high water. Between now and then, I will be posting rules and specs as I build them, so that by launch, everyone will be on the same page. SWA is going to be a wild departure from AE or GR, but I hope in this departure it can be a game we can actually play for once.

Thank you and stay tuned!

[SWSF Hale]

Made some preliminary updates to the Warbook. It should be enough to give you all a gist of how the game is going to flow.

[SWSF Eidolon]

  that logo is giving of a strong miami vice vibe 

[SWSF Hale]

Definitely going for the Neon 80s look. =)

[SWSF Hale]

So basically here is how the game is going to work:

1. Players start with a Legendary Unit and Strategic Command (STRATCOM) Base, which provides them a total of 200 GC income every Saturday, plus 100 Command Points.
2. Players will get 1000 GC upfront to buy as many units as they want and fill up their CP allowance (or not).
3. You can expand at a modest rate via Operation Centers (the more you build the more you earn), but the most efficient way to become more powerful is to destroy another player's STRATCOM Base, which will immediately get you another Legendary Unit.

Expand. Kill. Repeat.

[SWSF Hale]

Warbook updates for today.

1. Deleted the previous Space and Ground grids that were in the Warbook.
  a. Officially going with 4x4 HEX GRID for space! This will make space combat more intuitive, compared to a specialized grid with unique shapes.
  b. We'll be using a classic 5x5 SQUARE GRID for ground, plus a couple special grid spaces to simplify the flow of ground battles.

2. Dropping the "Galaxy Map" altogether and those like it we've been using for the past few games.
  a. We're going totally DIY galaxy! You'll be picking your systems out one at a time.
  b. Hyperspace is being managed via Action Points, so there's no need for routing and travel time.

[SWSF Eidolon]

ing a classic 5x5 SQUARE GRID for ground, plus a couple special grid spaces to simplify the flow of ground battles.
2. Dropping the "Galaxy Map" altogether and those like it we've been using for the past few games.
  a. We're going totally DIY galaxy! You'll be picking your systems out one at a time.
  b. Hyperspace is being managed via Action Points, so there's no need for routing and travel time.

  Sounds cool, so the only OPEN systems for regulation activity are those players 'Activate' so to speak?

  Otherwise, the canvas of the entire SW Canon EU Gal is there in the background to harvest/pluck from?

[SWSF Hale]

Exactly. Blank canvas. There is really only one guideline: don't make up a planet out of whole cloth - try to be inclusive and respective of what has already been established in the EU/Canon.

[SWSF Eidolon]

  Sounds sweet!  Almost inadvertently helps Campaign the game a bit with how I imagine new systems are plucked out/added.  Will coral activity to player populated systems etc.

  Hoping I still get to count Nar Shaddaa / Nal Hutta as one planet for my start up point?

[SWSF Hale]

Yeah that's fine. Planet/Moon combo.

I thought traditionally Nar Shaddaa has been the "real" destination anyway given that Nal Hutta is stinking wasteland?

Unless of course you're Darth Maul.

[SWSF Eidolon]

 Ya Hutta proper is supposed to be fairly heavily restricted and polluted anyways.

[SWSF Eidolon]

  Getting PSYCHED.  Looking forward to this opening skirmish battle with freebies!!  We should have some reward dynamic for virtually all involved.. no one is allowed to leave skirmish for X# days due to some local space anomaly planet screwing with hyperdrives and long range communications.  So it's like an isolated little slap boxing match.  Gauge 1st-4th/however many ppl by surviving CP or killed CP or both CP?  Reward for 1st-X is a little bonus start up GC?  Surviving ships up in air since freebies?  Would they carry over without the GC cost but at the CP cost?


  One concern, the note in Action Days, Income & Unit Production.  The need to fill a ship to 100% SUP (homie) unit capacity before deploying it for use.  I like the Survival bare bores start up scheme, but wonder if this requisite for bringing a ship to fully ready for use status could be a setback.  I don't dislike the concept itself at all to have to stock a ship, with something, but think the 100 could become a very hindering mechanism at some point here and there.  Maybe consider 50-75%? Consider a newly built ISD, a player ought to be able to deploy it with half the total SUP it can carry to get it out there in use.

[SWSF Hale]

The load out rule is there it curtail spamming Heavy and Large CAPs. Now the other option is this: exploit a loophole. Because you have to get a CAP with a 100% loadout, simply take what you want to battle while dumping the rest (all the INF and GAVs for instance) at your home system to use for another time. There is no rule that prevents this (i.e. once you buy a unit, how you use it is completely up to you).

[SWSF Eidolon]

  Ah, I see your angle here then.  Forcing a relative balance of recruitment of unit types in total.

[SWSF Hale]

The AFTER JAKKU (AJ) WARBOOK is complete and is currently in BETA until June 30th (it will convert to 1.0 edition on launch day).

If you have any questions or concerns about any of the rules, or anything that needs to be made more clearer, please let me know ASAP.

If anybody needs any help whatsoever in getting setup, I am more than willing to run some numbers for you. For example:


#  UNIT                      GC   CP
1  Lucrehulk Battleship     280    7
12 Droid Fighters           156   12
12 Droid Shuttles           144   12
14 Roger Battle Droids      154   14
14 Droidekas                252   14
------------------------------------
65 TOTAL                    986   59

#  UNIT                      GC   CP
1  Dreadnaught               97    5
2  CloakShapes               36    4
1  Combat Utility Transport  21    2
4  Paramilitary              64    4
2  Recon Troopers            36    2
------------------------------------
10 TOTAL                    254   17

#  UNIT                      GC   CP
1  MC-80 Cruiser            168   10
4  X-Wings                  108    8
4  Y-Wings                  108    8
4  B-Wings                  128    8
6  Fleet Troopers            84    6
6  Recon Troopers           108    6
------------------------------------
25 TOTAL                    704   46

#  UNIT                      GC   CP
1  GR-75 Transport           60    3
4  Republic Vanguard        104    8
2  T-47 Airspeeders          56    4
------------------------------------
7  TOTAL                    220   15