Casting The Campaign

 I'm very pleased with the modest response I've gotten from interested players online. Posting my flyer to the WEG D6 Star Wars discussion group on Facebook has drawn some interested players, as has my posting to the Rancor Pit forums. In preparation for the game, I'm posting my notes here on templates available for starting (and replacement) characters in the game. I'll also be adding this to the first part of my house rule postings to codify it. Below is a breakdown of character templates book-by-book, including books released by the good folks in the various D6 SWRPG communities.

Droid Characters: If a player wants to play a character based on a droid in any of the books (other than the Protocol Droid template in the 2nd edition R&E rulebook), they need to discuss it with the GM.

Star Wars RPG 2e R&E/2e R&E GM Screen - As this is a Rebellion era campaign, all templates from these books are open for players. There are two exceptions to this, however. The Rookie New Republic Pilot will just be a Rookie Rebel Pilot with the appropriate background and gear changes (the character's sibling died at Scarif or Yavin and the New Republic uniform is swapped out for a Rebel uniform). The New Republic Bureaucrat template is not allowed.

Classic Heroes - The templates in this book require GM approval before being allowed, especially the Clone Wars Veteran template; I need to work out how to stat up clone troopers more consistently based on the material presented.

The Dark Times - As with Classic Heroes, the templates in this book require GM approval, especially the Renegade Clone template.

Death in the Undercity - The Quarren Miner and Quarren Deep-Hunter are off the table.

Galaxy Guide 6: Tramp Freighters - No problems with the Tramp Freighter Captain template.

Galaxy Guide 8: Scouts - The only templates I'll allow as starting characters are the Scout Droid and the Ex-Imperial Scout. The Prospector template is probably best used as a mid- or late-campaign cast replacement. The Corporate Scout is off the table.

Galaxy Guide 10: Bounty Hunters - All three templates in this book are off the table.

Galaxy Guide 14: The Dark Side - All templates in this book are off the table.

Heroes & Rogues - All Imperial templates are off the table except for the Space Rescue Corps Officer and Wealthy Physician. These require some changes to their background to fit in with the group. Independent templates need GM approval for use. All of the Rebel templates are allowed, but the New Republic templates are off the table.

Lords of the Expanse/Player's Guide to Tapani - The COMPNOR Military Liaison, ISB Agent, JAN Operative, and Mining Guild Recruiter are off the table. The Corporate Slicer, Freeworlds Artist, Freeworlds Trader, Herglic Archaeologist, and HoloVid Gossip Columnist might work as mid- or late-campaign cast replacements, but that remains to be seen.

Pirates and Privateers - The Veteran Spacer template would work well as a tramp freighter crewmember. The other three templates (Privateer Captain, Alliance Observer, and Boarder) would probably be best as cast replacements later in the campaign if necessary.

Platt's Smugglers Guide - Most of the templates in this book are allowed. The spaceport-related templates (Sludir Crate-Buster, Pack Tracker, and Comm Slicker) are not really a good fit, however.

Rules of Engagement: The Rebel SpecForce Handbook - Most of the templates in the back of the book are fine. SpecForce Infiltrators, Pathfinders, and Heavy Weapon Specialists might be hard to justify as part of an MSU's personnel, but stranger things have happened (Max Klinger actually became a good company clerk, made sergeant, and stopped wearing dresses by the end of MASH, after all).

Star Wars Adventure Journal - There are some articles which have variations of templates in other books (such as the Outlaw Tech and privateer templates), as well as new templates (the swoop gang templates come to mind). Some templates, like the Naive Youth and Merc Combat Medic, are actually used for NPCs. If you want to use any of those templates, let me know so we can discuss it..

Tales of the Jedi Companion - The templates in this sourcebook are allowed, but will need some tweaking to bring them up to Rebellion-era standards.

Most - if not all - of the templates can be found here as well as some variants and new templates. Please ask me about the new templates (like the Jedi Consular and Guardian templates, for example) if you want to run one of them. Also, per the guidelines given in the first edition rulebook, if you want to change something about a template - swap some dice codes around, change Force powers (the TotJ Jedi templates have powers listed on them), etc., let me know and we'll work it out.