The Group Template and You: Star Wars

I know I say it all the time, but I’ve got a new series I’d like to start, and maybe see this one through to completion.

I’ve previously talked about the group template. The template helps all the players to form a cohesive group, so that it makes sense for the group to be together. Without it, sometimes groups can feel… disjointed.

So I’d like to start a series where we look at various RPGs and see what types of group templates could be applied, to make your group as cohesive as possible.

Art by my favorite artist on the Star Wars Artist's Guild, Travis Moore. Check out his gallery at SWAGOnline.net for more fantastic artwork.

In Star Wars, you really do need a group template to get you going. It’s a big galaxy, and if you have an Ewok and Jawa in the same group, for reasons none of you can explain, you need to figure out why, and that’s a lot more work than simply figuring out a group template.

These templates help you avoid ending up with first sessions that begin in a cantina.

Here’s some ideas I’ve had for a group templates. I’m mainly focusing on the Rebellion and Rise of the Empire era, as those are the ones I know best. If you can think of any more, leave a comment, and we’ll assemble a large group of templates that others can use in their games.

Smuggler Crew

This group is one of the most common in Star Wars. In this case, you’ll need a pilot, co-pilot,  gunner, engineer, and perhaps medical personnel, as you tend to get shot up a bit. Take a look at Firefly for the types of people you’d see aboard this ship. You can add in some muscle for dealing with trouble down on-planet, and perhaps a droid or two. Without a template, you often won’t end up with an engineer or gunner, relying on the Noble in the group to man the guns.

The Rebel Cell

This group was mentioned in the Rebellion Era Sourcebook. A Rebel cell can be a very interesting and diverse group, featuring a lot of personalities all working together for a greater purpose. That doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be any kind of organization. You should have a leader of the group, who receives information from the higher echelons of the Rebellion, as well as an intelligence officer, a medical officer, recruiter, security officer, and other roles you could fit into this.

The Jedi

Having a group of Jedi can actually be one of the easiest templates. There’s a lot of variety of Jedi you can make in the Star Wars RPG, and they naturally have a reason to work together. Simply begin the game on an out-of-the-way planet where they’re fighting the Separatists (or whoever the enemy of the Jedi happen to be in the era you’re playing), and go. You could look at having someone be the headstrong Jedi, the thinker, the loner, the one who is unsure of their abilities, etc.

Military Regiment

This could be any era, and can work really well if you know your military terminology. Whether it’s the Clone Wars, the Jedi and Sith wars, the Empire vs. Rebels, or any other number of wars. You would need a commander, an NCO, communications, etc. Plan out the rank and structure, and try using the rules for rank in the Galaxy at Wars supplement.

Entertainment Group

I’ve seen this one work pretty well, actually. You play a group focusing around a particular type of entertainment. There’s three that really work: A band, singer, or a sports team. For the band concept, each person is a member of the band, traveling the galaxy in search of fame and fortune. Same with a singer, but you have one player who is the famous pop-singer, and everyone else plays members of his or her entourage: the manager, the driver, etc. Naturally, to make it exciting, they’d end up in all kinds of adventures along the way to stardom. With a sports team, use one of the many sports featured in Star Wars, such as podracing, shockboxing, or lightball.

Are there any others you can think of? Let me know!

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