Thanks for the reminder. I have a couple of posts out there I would be sad to lose. I've saved them locally just to remind myself how to run this game when we can start again post-covid.

Having had to guide some curmudgeons on this aspect a few times, at first it took a lot of hand holding and pointing out examples, and eventually most of them got it. I found at first it was helpful to be more explicit when laying the groundwork in the description of the scene, and at least mentioning potential moving parts (but not in an obvious way). Throwing in suggestive hints from Perception or Vigilance checks can also provide fodder for ideas (I mean vague things like "that switch looks pretty corroded"; I don't mean specifics like "for 3A you can shoot the switch and the doors will open"...that's for the player to ask). Every scene is different, so as part of the GM prep I try to include a few notes on what the narrative axes can be used for, both for and against (borrowing from the Compiled Resources @Bellona mentioned is super helpful).

Of course, but I never liked Cortosis either. No point in either of them, because good stories aren't built around "tech", they are built around characters.

So...Beskar. The more I ponder the season (and let it cool for a rewatch), the less I like it. It's just too much. He's basically superman and there's no kryptonite. I mean, when a dark trooper is punching your head *through the hull* and your skull isn't jello, that's going too far. And now that lightsabers don't work, man...how did the Jedi ever win? Not only does it make no sense in canon, it paints storytelling into a corner. Where's the danger, the risk? What is wrong with people that they can't leave power structures alone? I just think of my son when he was 4, trying to grasp the scale of the world, always wanting things to be bigger-stronger-faster...except these toddlers are middle-aged.

Oh ... great... I can only hope Favreau and Filoni can hold their own on character vs spectacle.

I enjoyed the first half of the finale, but was honestly kind of bored by the second half. First half action and dialogue was great, and Katee killed it all the way. And of course who doesn't like the dynamic of 4 badass chicks laying waste? Moff was predictable, but Giancarlo sold it well. The dark troopers were completely underwhelming. Shot after shot of them marching and thumping but nobody ramped up the tension. They should have at least broken something that needed fixing, or had some consequence other than making the heroes a little more nervous each shot. The troopers move too slow, fire too little, and I can't say I liked that the first one was "toying" with Mando...it's a droid, and only a few droids like R2 have a motive beyond their core programming. Then the Jedi shows up. Honestly, when you're used to Ahsoka's speed, or even the Jedi in E1, watching him just stroll through and destroy them all feels a bit ... yawn-worthy. Nobody was really in danger. It's possible they were making a point about Luke's mastery, but given the rest of the second-half action it's more likely they weren't. I'm mixed about the reveal. I agree with many I thought the face replacement was pretty rough, I'd say it conveyed the fortitude but not the compassion, and Hamill was always able to do both. But for me I could care less about Luke's story at this point. Perhaps E8 (...I haven't even seen E9!) kind of destroyed it for me. Maybe that will change. And then the ending was too long, like Lord of the Rings long. I liked the face reveal, Pedro emotes really well. R2 was pointless and gratuitous. Maybe it was the lack of movement throughout the second half that bugged me. They could have walked down to Luke's ship, Mando tearing on the way. They forgot about the little metal ball (or they are saving it for some future thing). If that little metal ball is never mentioned again, that was a totally wasted opportunity. But overall what a great season! I'm looking forward to more. I will say though, I'm not sure the wider audience is going to care about the "restoration of Mandalore" or whatever. Baby Yoda drew in a lot of people because of cuteness and parent/child emotion, something similar will be needed for the future to keep people watching beyond the core fans. I hope they pull it off.

It shouldn't be that complicated, as the article notes, the law is more friendly to the corporation than the creator. "There are plenty of things that are perfectly legal, but which are completely immoral." Paying these royalties is not going to affect Disney's bottom line one iota, it would be a rounding error on their profits.

I've always assumed it was true for all heavy blaster pistols, unless overridden by the specific blaster info.

If the therapy comes with a catapult, I'm in...

It's functionally identical. Same dice odds, skill progression, character baselines, etc. It's just a bit more customizable, and dispenses with some of the straight-jackets like spec trees (though there's nothing stopping a player from following a basic spec progression if they like).

I never made the players pay for a new spec. Sometimes I even gave them for free at the beginning of a campaign if in Session Zero I got them all on board with a particular theme or concept. The extra point costs are ludicrous, and kind of deflating for the player unless you are pouring out the XP. Besides, the only purpose for the XP cost is to help GMs against players who would otherwise bounce around and, for example, pick up all the cheap Grit or Toughness. It's a brute-force method of control, but thankfully there's a better way to control it if your players are even mildly reasonable. I just asked that the spec either builds on the current character concept, or fits and makes sense with what is happening in the campaign. I also would have limited a player wanting to dive straight to Dedication or Force Rating, or any other super potent Talent, but that was never an issue. I've since dispensed with specs altogether and use something like the Genesys model. It's really liberating and the players like it better because they don't have to grind through the useless stuff (at least half of every spec is pointless fluff). The specs are still a nice template, like, "if you want to be a sniper, here are some good options", but otherwise they are really just a way to sell more books, so there's no need to constrain your game to what is essentially a marketing ploy...a really good one, and necessary, but still.

I thought it was well-directed. The script definitely had it's dumb moments, but that's not necessarily on the director. The Pitch Meeting does a nice job of tearing the script apart, the stupid "infiltration" of the fancy party was probably the worst. Although I admit to guffawing out loud when the two evilz were toying with their prisoners ... "wait, that's not going to save them", "yeah, but they don't know that!" Bwaaahahahahaha! In any case, WW (and Gal Godot) were far better than B****y Resting Face - The Movie...um, I mean "Captain Marvel".

Another stellar episode. Bill Burr either really nails his character, or they just asked him to play himself as far as timing and delivery. He's got more emotional range than I expected though, nice to know. If he's in more episodes, I certainly won't complain. For the rest, I really like the tone, a trust-building/team-building episode. And it seems that gritty reality is getting through the Foundling cult bubble, because he put his helmet back on...

I had no idea this was in the works. 12 episodes about Cassian Andor. While I thought Rogue One was a flawed movie, I did like the premise, and the potential of the characters in it. I also enjoyed the darker and grittier tone...I kind of like my Stars Wars with a hint of Bladerunner, Firefly, and film noir mixed in. So I'm looking forward to this:

I enjoyed the episodes in Season 7, but they aren't my favourite group of characters. But this looks frickin' awesome! I love the crossover to the Empire, that should make for some fun, and hopefully interesting and dynamic character growth. Check it out: