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Roleplaying is really just one big game of constantly upstaging everyone else. If someone does something brave, do something more brave! If someone does something dramatic, do something more dramatic! If someone does something clever, do something more clever! If someone does something swashbuckling, do something more swashbuckling! If someone does something crazy, do something more crazy!
If you follow this principle, you pretty much can't go wrong. At least as far as having fun - no guarantees on your character's survival.
Commentary by Keybounce (who has not seen the movie)
The crazy speech Phasma returns for this. One reference is to Gandalf and the dwarves. I'm not sure what "So you have chosen... death" is from, unless it's that Indiana Jones movie about choosing badly. (3rd? 4th?).
Sally, of course, lets us know. It's not just a PvP game. It's villain vs villain, with the good guys in the middle.
And, that's the end of the second session.
Commentary by memnarch (who has not seen the movie)
Phasma is full of literary references. We've had Shelley, Kipling, and now Tolkien. There's lots of material for use in gaming just sitting out there waiting to be told again. It's incredibly difficult to come up with something completely new and even then, there are challenges in getting people to experience something unknown. So grabbing bits and pieces of everything that sticks out for a concept, then smushing it all together while character crafting can be an easy way of bringing a little bit more life to the result.
Hmm, an expendable squad? That's a for sure way to not get the results you want as a PC, or at least, have nothing more than a small amount of influence. Okay, it wouldn't make sense for Hux to land and investigate the scene, but Kylo's flown down to the planet before and could probably face down a space-balrog and win. But in a face off between PCs and NPCs, the PCs are likely going to win and might even start working together better than before. And with this specific GM, letting the players survive any NPC fights when it's feasible to do so would let the campaign continue after all.
Transcript
Chief Petty Officer Unamo: General. They’ve been hit.
General Hux: Destroyed?
Chief Petty Officer Unamo: Disabled. They’re projected to crash in the Goazon badlands.
General Hux: Damn. Send a squad to the wreckage.
General Phasma: Tatooine... You fear to go into those sands. The Hutts delved too greedily and too deep.
General Hux: Fortunately we don’t need to find them. Just make it look like we tried.
General Phasma: You know what they awoke in the Pit of Carkoon... Shadow and lightning.
General Hux: Yes... well. We’ll consider that squad expendable, shall we?
General Phasma: So you have chosen... death.
Kylo Ren: Hey, if anyone gets to upstage the other villains in this adventure, it’s going to be me.
GM: I think this is a good place to stop for tonight.
Kylo Ren: Ooh, a cliffhanger!
GM: If anyone gets to upstage everyone, it’s me.