on 1/23/01 12:58 AM, Doug Meerschaert at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> Martin L. Shoemaker wrote:
>
>> Thanks. So my Wookiee engineer can't be a hero. (And apparently, neither can
>> Chewbacca. So THAT'S why Leia didn't give him a medal at the end of Episode
>> IV...)
>
> Chewbacca's a scout (or was that scoundral?); he's no more an engineer
> than Han is.
>
>> I get it: conform to the stereotypes, or don't play the game. But whatever
>> you do, don't fix the game!
>
> Nope. Star Wars is about archtypes--oops, I can't use a neutral word
> for them. "Stereotypes."
>
> (To head off the flame war, let me expedite it: Star Wars should have
> rules for everything, not just what it was intended for. We should keep
> fixing it until we have rules for the sexuality of jedi, and we can roll
> for exactly how the folds in a dasihing vampire's cloak compare to those
> of a powerful Jedi's. Anyone who insists that a game should contain
> only those rules that are relevant to the game, and even have rules that
> encourage its intended style of play, is a Nazi just like Hilter.)
>
Wow! Doug, you really take this subject to heart. Is it wrong then to
try to come up with rules that reflect an individual gaming groups style of
play? Heck, I'm all for expressing one's opinion, but once you have, is it
worth condemning others for not agreeing with it?
From my point of view, if you disagree with their attempts to make the
game more technical you have a right to state that. However, if they are
still interested and you have nothing to add which will help them in their
goal, why bother continuing to post? Boredom? Or are you just really
trying to express your disagreement in a way no one will misunderstand?
Now for my on topic post. Technical know-how is very much a part of the
Star Wars universe. It goes on in the background of all the movies, and
figures heavily in the books as well. Chewbacca attempting to fix 3P0 is
just one of many examples. However, we also don't see most of the heroes
buliding things like guns. Droids and ship/vehicle repairs are the most
common thing we see. Building the better (bigger?) gun or the faster
computer seems almost non-existent on the personal level. The universe of
Star Wars seems predicated on the fact that technology is so advanced, that
big labs and a lot of manpower are required to do anything really special.
Now if you want to get some repair droid parts, combine it with some
datapads and scanners, then you could probably build some type of ship
diagnostic tool that may fit your characters circumstances. However, this
tool would probably still be inferior to docking at a nice fully equipped
spaceport. But as an adventurers tool, for emergency situations, it could
be invaluable. Something like this should only take a few weeks to build,
being as you are not making it from scratch, that should be reflected in the
rules. If it isn't, then there may be a problem.
These are the types of technical things I see going on in the Star Wars
universe. Putting pieces together that you find lying around to make
something functional, but not necessarily pretty or sturdy. A blaster on
the end of a vibroaxe, a bayonet on the end of a blaster rifle, a serving
tray for attaching to an astromech droid, a vidcam assembly attached to the
bottom of a ship, and a chair for a golden god are the types of things I
picture being built by inividuals in the Star Wars universe.
Steve Reigle
