Heroes on Both Sides-A Star Wars Election/Diplomacy/Strategy Game (Interest/Rules/Discussion Thread)

[Left Wing]

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

Welcome to Heroes on Both Sides, a Star Wars Election, Diplomacy and Strategy game! The events of this game will revolve around the events leading up to and of the Clone Wars in the Star Wars universe. This game will incorporate elements from several different types of the games played on this board, to reflect the multi-faceted nature of the politics of the Star Wars galaxy. Elections, scheming, treason, espionage, warfare... it's all on the table here. I can promise the mechanics will not be overly complicated, and should be accessible to anyone willing to put the time in to play.

Rules/Suggestions:

1. Because this game is based on the Star Wars universe and events, I will recommend that players have seen at least the first six films. I also recommend the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, as many of the game’s events will be based around the events of that series (It’s also some of the best Star Wars content ever made…. So ). That being said, these are not required to understand the game and any experienced player should be able to get the gist of it pretty quickly. I would be more than happy to answer any lore-related questions or provide resources to people who feel unsure their own knowledge is sufficient. Additionally, for those who have seen the films and/or series, staying in-character will be very important, so you must not use your hindsight of how these events play out to cloud your decisions. I’m going to reserve the right to veto any actions I feel are completely implausible without hindsight.

2. This game will operate on a turn system. At the beginning of each turn, a recap of the events since the end of last turn will be posted, as well as a write-up for each specific player as to what their goals and options are for that turn. The events will sometimes be based on the player’s actions in previous turns, but will also consist of bringing new plotlines into the mix. Players are allowed to act more than once on a turn if an action by another player necessitates their input (e.g; the Chancellor calling a special session of the senate or a request for a ceasefire), but will not be allowed if they are designed to shift strategy at the last second (e.g; ordering a surprise invasion the day before the end of the turn)

3. In addition to the indicated guidelines at the start of each turn, certain players will receive secret information from the GM. Sometimes this will necessitate secret action, completed over PMs, all of which will eventually factor back into the main public storyline. Players are free to communicate with each in character over PM, and are in fact required to do it in certain instances, but obviously no metagaming, powergaming etc.

4. Combat and warfare is a part of life in this galaxy, and will certainly factor into this game heavily. Combat and warfare in this game will be handled through dice rolls, of which probability will be decided by a number of factors. Generally, combat will not be based around specific numbers and minutia, as long as players give a general idea of their strategy and scale of engagements.

5. Some characters and factions will have more importance and relevance to the plot than others, indicated by the tier list, however every character will always have something to do on their turn. Also, if you’re worried about lack of familiarity with a certain character/faction I’ve included links to their Wookieepedia pages at the bottom and will also expand on them more when the game starts.

5. This game will adhere to the current Star Wars Canon. In some places, headcanon may need to be inserted to suit the format of the game, but material from the Legends continuity will not be included.

6. Have fun!


Playable Characters/Factions Tier 1:
Senator Mee Deechi of the Core Faction: Devout Centrist
Senator Padme Amidala of the Rim Faction: NewYorkExpress
Grandmaster Yoda of the Jedi Council: Orwell
Viceroy Nute Gunray of the Trade Federation: Spiral
Count Dooku of the Confederacy of Independent Systems: Enduro
Chancellor Sheev Palpatine of the Republic: KaiserDave
Speaker Bec Lawise Separatist Senate: Carolyn

Playable Characters/Factions Tier 2:
San Hill of the Banking Clan
Jabba of the Hutt Clan: PSOL
Lom Pyke of the Pyke Syndicate: Gorguf
Duchess Satine Kryze of Mandalore: GoTFan
Bounty Hunter’s Guild (Collective Leadership)

Anyway I’m gauging interest in this kind of game. I’ve put a lot of effort into preparing potential turns and scenarios and I think a really interesting aspect of this could be how different players actions affect the timeline and possibly give us a very different history than that of the saga we know. I also welcome any suggestions people have for this game, I’m not an experienced GM so any help is more than appreciated. I think we can probably get this going as long as we can fill most of the Tier 1 characters/factions. I don't know if we'll get the numbers necessary or not, but if we don't and you're still interested in this concept, I would probably workshop this for another forum. Thanks for reading !

https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Core_Faction
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Rim_Faction
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Jedi_High_Council
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Trade_Federation
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Confederacy_of_Independent_Systems
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Galactic_Republic
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/InterGalactic_Banking_Clan
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Hutt_Clan
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Pyke_Syndicate
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/New_Mandalorians


(P.S, The Clone Wars is a long series, and it’s perfectly understandable to not want to watch the whole thing. But if you do want to see a couple episodes that will help give you context for the game, I’ve listed some below)

Season 2, Episode 12: The Mandalore Plot
Season 2, Episode 15: Senate Murders
Season 3, Episode 10: Heroes on Both Sides
Season 3, Episode 11: Pursuit of Peace
Season 6, Episode 5: An Old Friend
Season 6, Episode 6: The Rise of Clovis
Season 6, Episode 7: Crisis at the Heart

[Left Wing]

Call Jabba

He's all yours.

[Left Wing]

Torn between Dooku and Yoda, but I may go with Dooku so I don't have to struggle with Yoda's speech in character.

If you're sure you want Dooku, you got him.

[Left Wing]

Given this is the Clone Wars...is Anakin Skywalker available?

I'd love to prevent Darth Vader from happening if I can.

The way the game functions, each character will serve as a leader of a faction with political/military influence of some sorts. As Anakin is just a Jedi Padawan at the moment, he isn't available. But alternatively, you could register as Yoda and control the Jedi Council, which would give you control over Jedi operations, including Anakin Skywalker.

[Left Wing]

Grandmaster Yoda, I am. Lead the Jedi in this time of danger I will.

Approved, you are.

[Left Wing]

Question that both KaiserDave and I both want answered (since we are interested in playing as Palpatine). At this point in the Clone Wars, is Order 66 a thing?

The game will start at the formation of the Separatist Alliance, two years before the onset of The Clone Wars. At this point, the vast majority of the Clone army is still not ready for combat and their existence is still unknown to the Jedi. However the inhibitor chips which allowed Order 66 were implanted at birth and can be activated at any time.

[Left Wing]

Question that both KaiserDave and I both want answered (since we are interested in playing as Palpatine). At this point in the Clone Wars, is Order 66 a thing?

The game will start at the formation of the Separatist Alliance, two years before the onset of The Clone Wars. At this point, the vast majority of the Clone army is still not ready for combat and their existence is still unknown to the Jedi. However the inhibitor chips which allowed Order 66 were implanted at birth and can be activated at any time.

Thank you for the info.

As stated before, I would like to play as Palpatine. If KaiserDave would prefer to have him, I'd be interested in Padme Amidala. I know she's not listed, but she's a very important Senator, in addition to being secretly married to Anakin Skywalker...

I would also note that Padme is a member of the Core Faction in the Galactic Senate, and would be an option to choose for faction leader during the game.

[Left Wing]

Very well. My preference is still Palpatine though, but I'd be open to Core Faction (Padme) too.

I will take the Core Faction leader

So my thinking is since NYE seems more interested in the character of Padme than the Core Faction specifically, we can perhaps place Padme in the Rim Faction. Her faction has never been explicitly stated in Canon or in Legends, and while I did have some writing plans for Padme within the Core Faction, she can easily be replaced by Mon Mothma. This would also open up new potential political conflicts within the Rim Faction to be resolved in gameplay.

So in this scenario DC would take the Core Faction, NYE would get the Rim Faction with Padme and Dave would get Palpatine. This sound good to everyone?

[Left Wing]

I'll take the Rim Faction.

Also, I am extremely pleased to find people who agree with that The Clone Wars has some of the best storylines in the entire Star Wars universe.

Unfortunately NYE has already claimed the Rim Faction, is there another character/faction you would be interested in? I'd be very happy to have another fellow TCW fan onboard.

[Left Wing]

I'll take the Pykes.

Granted, welcome

[Left Wing]

I'll take the Rim Faction.

Also, I am extremely pleased to find people who agree with that The Clone Wars has some of the best storylines in the entire Star Wars universe.

Unfortunately NYE has already claimed the Rim Faction, is there another character/faction you would be interested in? I'd be very happy to have another fellow TCW fan onboard.

I'll take Kryze then, i guess

Alright, granted. Welcome aboard

[Left Wing]

Consider me interested in either San Hill or the Bounty Hunter's Guild!

Great, let me know if you decide on one in particular. Glad to have you playing.

[Left Wing]

Separatist Senate please.

Granted

[Left Wing]

We still have a few unfilled roles, but I think we can probably get started soon if everyone is good with that.

[Left Wing]

First Turn is up. Don't worry, you'll all have plenty of time to complete your turns, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

[Left Wing]

I don't want to send anythung quite yet until my question is answered. Are we suppose to include FalterinArc on all game related messages?

I don't want to send anythung quite yet until my question is answered. Are we suppose to include FalterinArc on all game related messages?

That's normal game rules so Yes, I'd assume so.

Yes, Orwell is correct. Just include me on all PMs so I can stay aware of the situation. Sorry for the somewhat late response.

Should it be possible, I'll try my hand with a late entry as the Trade Federation.

Certainly. I’ll add the write-up I had for the Trade Federation to the main post a little later.

Looks fun. Shoot me a PM if someone drops out or if you have another cool role.

Games like this someone always drops out early though so I'd advise keeping me as reserve

Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind if we lose somebody. You could take one of the tier 2 characters, but it’s probably better to make sure we have a backup for the major characters/factions.

Do you have a discord server to gather the players?

https://discord.gg/nTuwCJaU

We do now.

[Left Wing]

Do we send our moves via PM or do we put them in the game thread? It's been a while since I've played one of these.

Public announcements and actions should be done through the gameplay thread, private negotiations and orders can be done over PM.

[Left Wing]

Should I post as my preferred faction leader now or wait until after the election is held?

You should post now as regardless of the outcome in the Chancery election, they’ll serve as your faction leader for the future.

[Left Wing]

Quick question; how will the summit be played?

Before the end of the turn, I’ll make a post announcing the beginning of the Summit and the Senate Vote on suspending the Chancery election. From there, both sides can announce their demands and the senate factions can announce their vote on the suspension. After this is complete, we’ll be at the end of the turn and I’ll give an end of turn news update.

I understand many players are still involved in active negotiations so I’ll give some more time for that to get all figured out before proceeding, but make sure to get it all in soon.

[Left Wing]

I’ll close the turn tomorrow if nobody has any more orders or actions left.

[Left Wing]

I'm going to be posting a midturn soon so if anyone has any last moves they want to get in before then, get them in soon. I may automate some actions if I don't get responses.

[Left Wing]

Apologies for not being active in the last few days, I’ve been busy and traveling, but I really don’t want this game to die. I will probably begin the next turn soon if that’s alright with everyone.

[Left Wing]

New turn up. Let's get this going again! (And if it doesn't, it's alright, I'm extremely happy with what we've accomplished already and it would be entirely my fault)

[Left Wing]

Dropping out, but it’s been fun and I do appreciate the work done by FIA.

Noted. I also really appreciate the effort you put into your orders, even if I did have difficulty occasionally keeping track of it all.

[Left Wing]

There hasn't been any more developments in this game for awhile; should we do a final turn before this thing becomes defunct? I could be wrong, but it does seem like interest is fading with all the newer games started on the board.

I’m sorry to say that this is pretty definitively dead. I haven’t heard from really any of the major players besides you since I posted the last turn and I don’t think the interest is really there anymore. It’s unfortunate, but I’m also quite proud of what we accomplished, I may try something similar in the future because this really was a lot of fun when it was up and running.