- Initial Set-up: In the forum and also in the reddit sub it is often mentioned that the point buy for DoD is suggested to be at 28 points. Where can I actually read this recommendation in form of an official Campaing Setting dcoument?. I don't see it in the Campain Intro file or the first Episode: "Traitor's Gambit". Was there another document or other statement by the designers?
I am not aware of another document or statement, but I could be wrong.
- First to strike: Am I seeing it right, that there are no suggestions as to the destiniy fulfillment steps like int he other modules? Do you have suggestions which types of Destinies fullfill a step at which points of this Episode?
I don't see any Destiny Fulfilled steps, either.
Rescue could work during the Collateral Damage encounter while saving the Nazren children, or destroying the AT-ST during the Battle of Martyr's Plaza could activate Destruction. Perhaps if one of the heroes spends a great deal of time offering to train the Nazren in the arts of war and how to combat the Imperials, Education or Champion destinies might provide a bonus.
- The Core of Corruption: On page 5 left column last paragraph: In the answer regarding the question about the contact a Tero Reskan is mentioned about whom Admiral Varth hints he might be somebody the PCs have worked with before. I don't remember reading about him. Am I wrong? Was he maybe in another adventure which is outside of the DoD campaign but suggested as an inbetween adventure? Which one would that be and where do I get it?
I believe Tero is simply a NPC for this portion of the campaign, although perhaps he was supposed to make an appearance earlier, or it could be a way to involve an NPC that you, the GM, has introduced randomly somewhere in the game and now they can help the heroes once more.
- Regarding the timesetting of DoD and the impact on Jedi. Since it plays "in the months" after Revenge of the Sith and thus shortly after Order 66 Jedi are on the run on the one hand and on the other hand the memory of them is still quite fresh. So a Lightsaber - even deactivated - may be an easily recognized device, at least for soldiers and customs agents.
Also the use of the force may not just be wierd or be "explained away" by victims and witnesses but they will know exactly what that was.
How would you handle that? Will the average citizen report a "Jedi-like" behavior to the nearest authorities?
Should the force Using PCs live in constant fear of being discovered and have to hide their abilities? I feel that this would change the usefulness of the Character Concept altogether but also the theme of the setting. It will feel quite dystopian and gritty and while I like this in general I think it is not how Star Wars should be. In my mind Star Wars is a fairy tale in space not a Cyberpunk dystopian parable with society critique.
Also I think it could frustrate the players, that they can't play their hero in a heroic way. How can one balance that with the suspension of disbelief necessary to accept that the empire won't send all their available regiments of Stormtroopers to a location where the use of lightsabers or the force is reported, let alone activating the inquisitorius.
Several of my heroes in my run-through of Dawn of Defiance were Jedi, and each in their own way learned the difficulties of Jedi in the Dark times. One insisted on using his lightsaber, so consequently Imperial troops called for backup to deal with the extra threat level and later encounters got tougher because they tightened security in key areas to deal with the Jedi threat. Another decided to be low-key and never use his Force powers except when he was alone, with the trusted group, or could otherwise create plausible deniability. He sometimes complained about never getting to do awesome stuff like the other Jedi, but at the same time, no one ever suspected him of being a Jedi (so when the stormtroopers showed up pointing blasters, the lightsaber Jedi was the first one to get shot at). It's all about how you want to work with or against the players to create the right atmosphere for your game. If you want to replicate the Dark Times feel, Jedi need to be subtle and tread carefully if they want to live.
The Force Unleashed Campaign Guide has a section on how to handle Jedi in a Dark Times game. To be brief, it suggests that a character who uses the Force in a public place (and you could add a lightsaber to this as well) suffers unfavorable circumstances to Stealth (-2) until that character escapes the public eye. This penalty represents both the public's general awareness of the Force and their reaction to visible Force use. This penalty isn't so severe that it can't be worked around, but it can be inconvenient at times.
I would also suggest something else: the Gather Information skill indicates that when attempting to learn secret information, if you fail the check by 5 or more, someone comes looking for you to investigate, arrest, or silence you. Use this same concept with Stealth checks: have the heroes make rolls to keep low profiles, and if one of the Jedi botch it, roll with it. You don't need to have a combat encounter if you don't want to, but build the world and work with the idea that someone, somehow, saw the Jedi doing something he ought not to have (like doing telekinetic practice or sparring with a ligthsaber). Have stormtroopers show up to interrogate civilians or put up wanted posters about potential Jedi trouble. Maybe a 'concerned' citizen shows up and politely asks the Jedi to move along so the locals can avoid Imperial retribution. Or perhaps a chase commences when the full-on finger pointing of, "Holy crap! It's a Jedi sorcerer! Get the soldiers before he kills us all with his mind powers!" finally goes down.