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Hello gamers! Here is another question about starting games.

I am soon starting two different star wars games. I will be GMing both.

I had some questions about this. One group is more serious, making logical decisions and okay role playing. The other.....is more wild. Most have NEVER played before, and think it is smart to just walk right up to the Emporer, say they are a Jedi, try to steal something, and think its unfair when they die, or get in trouble for what they did.

How to I help the second group?

Also, what should I do for stories? Should I run ONE campaign story line for both groups? Or do different games. If so, what type of game would be best for each?

Thanks for any help!

I'd be tempted to run an alternate universe type of campaign for the second group. Perhaps even run it in a Legacy era.

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One option may be something similar to what I'm currently doing with the two "Dawn of the Jedi" games I'm currently running: set the two of them in the same era and let the actions of one group affect the actions of the other. If one group's really wild, this could lead to some fun plotlines for your other group!

I would definitely suggest using an era without a whole lot of established canon (like early KotOR, Dawn of the Jedi, or Legacy) for these games, though, since that gives you a lot of extra flexibility and you can plausibly make the actions of one party affect the world as a whole more. I also think large-scale consequences are the best way of controlling a wild group since there are a lot of consequences that are really bad but not quite character death. So let's say they walk up to the Emperor and tell him they're Jedi: instead of killing them, the Emperor throws them in a holding cell where they must watch helplessly as he destroys one of the PC's home planets. Or maybe he injects them full of sith poison so that they're more likely to turn to the dark side. Or maybe he leaves them for dead, requiring that they all become total replacement cyborgs with a hefty debt to the guy who cyborg-ified them. There are lots of options here, and the more flexible you are with the canon of your era, the easier it is to come up with that consequence that makes your PCs take the game more seriously without actually killing them.

First, point out to them that "the galaxy is a dangerous place." Sometimes, heroes die. It's their actions and heroism that determine their impact and lasting legacy beyond their death. And if they do something monumentally stupid or foolhardy, there's a good chance that they'll die. Just spell it out plainly and tell them that if they want to survive, they'll have to proceed with a modicum of awareness, carefulness, and intelligence. Not that they should be walking on eggshells, but rather than they should realize that there are consequences to their actions. Most of all, encourage them to play their characters as actual individuals, not as game chits to be thrown away when they are bored or when it seems to be a strategic thing to do.
Second, consider what angelicdoctor and zanebane said about running an Alt-U campaign for your group. It seems that they might be more comfortable in an alterable universe.
Third, don't give them many opportunities to meet the Emperor! Some groups really like to fly in the face of a campaign and don't understand that this über-villain is meant to be handled with respect and fear until later on. I know that when I started playing, I was super trigger-happy. My GM reigned me in a bit, and I was thankful for it. But if your players wanna try and kill the Emperor whenever they encounter him, then don't have them encounter him until they have a chance at beating him!

You also might consider using Minions (like from D&D 4e, with GM Chris' alterations) especially for this group. Let them have their fun mowing down the troopers so that they have a bunch of fun, but if they're deadset on marching on Imperial Center to take out Vader or the Emperor, then this will allow them to go out with a blaze of glory.


Well, you could definitely recycle encounters and set pieces, and I'd encourage that; but I wouldn't try to railroad both groups down the same set of proverbial tracks (that is, story line). I like zanebane's idea of each group's actions affecting the other group's experiences. I would actually love to be able to do something like that.

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