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You can tell a lot about a society from its trains. Are they clean and new looking? Old and covered in grafitti? Do they contain lots of seating, or just a few token spots for pregnant women and the elderly plus a bunch of hand-holds? Do they glide to a precise stop next to orderly lines of patient queuers, or is it a pushing competition between the people getting off and those getting on? Do they run on time? Are the connections engineered to work well, or is it somehow always half an hour to wait? Is transport free, or a token cost, or is it an expensive necessity run by profit-mongers?
Answer some of these questions and you can start to build up a picture of the society. So try working the other way. If you want to give players an impression of what sort of society they are visiting, figure out and tell them what the public transport is like.
[Reminder: Our guest commentators have not seen Rogue One. Part of the fun is seeing how their untainted impressions re-interpret the movie through the lens of our comic.]
Okay, I thought the uniforms they were talking about were those big white things with helmets. This makes it very clear that at least one of those two is clearly identifiable, and that NPC guard should realize that that's not the same person who just went into the ship a minute ago.
Not really sure what else to say. This comic is suspiciously unremarkable.
— Keybounce
Here's a fun exercise: how else is public transportation like infiltrating an enemy base?
- Timing is everything; it helps to know the schedules.
- Having a map or knowing the layout will make everything a lot easier.
- You always need some sort of pass to get in. Fast-talking might work, but you could get caught later.
- Hmm... and always have an escape plan in case things go sideways? I guess the applicability of that one depends heavily on which public transit you're using.
— aurilee
Transcript
Cassian: We're going in to report on the ship.
Tobix Chasser: Anything interesting?
Bria: It's suspiciously unremarkable! We've ordered the crew to stay put while we check something out.
Tobix Chasser: Okay, I'll keep an eye on it.
Bria: No need for that! They're very compliant.
GM: You enter the bunker and find a small train car.
Bria: Cool. Does this go to the Burj Scarifa?
Train PA System: This train is departing for Scarif Tower. First stop, Scarif Tower. Change at Scarif Tower for Scarif Tower Line 1, Scarif Tower Line 3, Scarif Tower Line 4, and Scarif Tower Line 5.
K-2SO: Yep, I think that's our train.
Bria: Right, I've done this before. Don't make eye contact, don't start any conversations—
Cassian: Nice infiltration techniques, Bria.
Bria: —and don't put your feet on the seats.