The Puppet Master
Open to All
Open to All
Each month the Officer Team will be selecting three players or groups of players to be the target of an encounter. We will then invite players who are interested in hosting such an encounter to submit a ticket to the officer inbox with an outline of their idea.
The Officer Team will then select one submission for each target and the player who proposed it must execute that encounter within one month of approval to receive their reward.
We want to avoid players running things for someone they always run things for, or who they have strong ties, because we want to make things feel fresh and unique. Friends can DM for friends any time. That said, if no one else volunteers an idea, we'll go with whoever has a nice concept.
The goal with this initiative is to make it rewarding to run something unexpected for another player, rather than for players to run things for themselves, which can often feel formulaic. If the initiative takes off, it might be possible for us to expand it so that this becomes another way for players to grow their characters powerbase, rather than running things just for themself.
(Please use General Character Questions for submissions)
Encounters
We wish to be clear that an encounter does not have to be an event, it could be something smaller in scale and still be accepted. The important thing is that it will provide something personalised for that character that will inject something unexpected into their story. Some examples of appropriate encounters are as follows:
The Martial Challenge
A Sith Lord arrives unannounced to challenge a martial Sith of Perfidious. Before the assembled powerbase, the duel will continue until one submits or falls unconscious. Victory may bring reward, while defeat will carry a price.
The Sniper Hunt
A Special Operations Group operative must lead a mission to planet Puppety, where a sniper has been methodically eliminating Imperials. The trail of bodies leaves a path to their hidden nest, but the assassin may yet have the upper hand.
The Supplicant Heir
A young man presents himself, claiming distant blood ties to a player character. He begs for financial support to elevate himself from poverty. The character may roll for wealth to grant aid, or cast him aside to face destitution.
The Duel of Philosophy
A wandering Sith challenges a member of the powerbase not with blade or Force, but with words. Before the powerbase they must lock wills in debate, proving strength of mind rather than martial supremacy.
The Crash Landing
The player characters shuttle crashes in the wilderness. Badly injured, they must escape to freedom. But something or someone is hunting them....
Each encounter must provide at least a couple of hours of entertainment, though it could last longer and involve a pre-amble. For example the Supplicant Heir in the example above could send a few messages ahead of time to the player character to build the narrative, of the Martial Challenge could begin with some updates or comm messages making the targetted character know they should expect a challenge.
We'll specifically be looking for the ideas that sound the most engaging, a simple hack and slash mission that feels uninspired will not be accepted.
Targeting and Targeted
When writing for the targetted players, we'd obviously like to avoid treading on any story threads they feel are very personal.
For example, it would not be appropriate to turn up at the base as a former lover referenced in their backstory if they don't give permission for you to do this as it may impact their existing narrative. It would be fine to turn up as someone who claims to be their former lover though, causing a scene for them and allowing those present to react to the drama.
The way to avoid this is to only tread on personal storylines if you are confident it will be welcome, or to ask a player if they might be open to you exploring a specific angle in their background or existing storyline. If you don't want to reveal exactly what your plan is, you could ask them to comment on a few ideas, hiding your true intentions amongst others.
If you are selected to run something for a player, you will need to reach out to them to arrange dates and times for it to happen, especially if the player is not someone who tends to be around daily.
Equally, if you are the targetted player and you'd like people to avoid any specific storylines or encourage particular themes you could post a response in the thread below saying "I'm open to exploring X, Y and Z. I would prefer not to have anything targetting 1, 2, and 3 as these are very important to my internal plot."
RewardsAs reward for running an event for someone else, you may choose from one of the following rewards. You will receive this reward when you complete the event. You should state in the ticket which reward you are choosing, once the event has been completed.
Name | Description | Effect | Rules |
|---|---|---|---|
Unexpected Income | Your character receives an unexpected windfall of cash and can now invest it into an asset. Perhaps a family member died, perhaps they got lucky in a gamble. Whatever the case, they received some cash. | +40 to a Wealth roll | Must be applied to your next Wealth roll. Can stack with other bonuses. |
Good Word | People are talking about your character, and they are saying good things. Maybe tongues are wagging in the Dominion, or perhaps someone is talking about them back on Kaas. Either way, they receive a temporary boost to their reputation. | +40 to an Influence roll. | Must be applied to your next Influence roll. Can stack with other bonuses. |
Imperial Support | A rich or influential benefactor within the Empire has decided to offer your character some support. Inspired by a story of your characters struggles and efforts, they've decided to send them some support. | Free Purchase | Can be used for a Wealth or Influence purchase up to a maximum of rank 6. Note you cannot purchase an influence reward you do not have the minimum influence for. |
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Thanks.