Figrin D'an
May 26th, 2005, 09:36:51 PM
I started this discussion at the GJO board, but I wanted to post it here as well, for all to read.
First of all, I wish to state that, despite the very decentralized structuring of RP for Jedi characters that is going to come about, the GJO board will still be the home for all Jedi RPers to ask questions, organize stories and solve issues that arrise. In that respect, we will remain very much the same. Anyone who will be playing a Jedi character, be they current members of GJO or not, is encouraged to use the revamped board for whatever Jedi-related RP needs that might arrise.
This said, I feel its going to be important to establish some grounds rules for character backgrounds and such, for the sake of continuity. Now, before anyone rushes to judgement and gets upset because potential plans you may have made don't match up with these ideas, please hear me out, and remember these are only my suggestions.
Many of us are intending to play characters that were either Jedi or Jedi-in-training during the time of ROTS and the Jedi Purge. This will provide some fascinating storyline opportunities, but it could also present some consistency issues, ones that I would preferably like to solve before everything gets rolling in earnest. These include:
- Ranks... everyone is being given the opportunity to retain their existing character ranks in the new timeline if they wish. However, please try to keep it realistic. For example, don't claim your character was a member of the Jedi Council before/during the Purge. Additionally, please keep in mind ages relative to your ranks. If you wish for your character to have achieved the rank of Jedi Master, so be it. However, do a little math before you figure out your character's age. There is approximately a 23-24 year gap between the events of ROTS and the end of ROTJ. If wish to have your character be 40 years old in the current timeline, then your character would have been about 17 at the time of the Purge. Being a Jedi Master, or even a Jedi Knight, of the Old Republic is simply not realistic in this instance. For some perspective, the youngest Jedi to every achieve the rank of Master was Yoda, at approximately age 29 (according to EU sources). The younger your character is to be in the new timeline, the less experience you will need to build into their personal history.
- Contact with other Jedi... again, there is freedom built into this, but keep it realistic. For example, don't claim that your character lived and trained with Obi-Wan Kenobi on Tattooine for 10 years while Luke was growing up. Not gonna fly. Saying something more akin to "had intermittent contact with Obi-Wan Kenobi" would be more acceptable. Please try to avoid mucking up the existing history, up until the agreed upon Battle of Endor changes, as much as possible. Remember, everyone has to share this history, and the more the canon story is complicated by direct tie-ins, the more messy and confused things become.
- Training... it's assumed that Jedi characters will either train by themselves in their exile, or perhaps have master/apprentice pairings. Remember, there are no large organized Jedi groups, at least at first. The Empire is still in power, and the Jedi are still "all but extinct." Beyond Luke, Yoda, and Obi-Wan, no other Jedi are even known to exist in the modern era, at least as far as the major factions are concerned. There may be rumors, perhaps some unsubstaniated accounts of Jedi activities, but nothing concrete. The key here is "exile." This implies being low-key, at least in the initial stages of the new story arc.
- Abilities... even if you plan on being a Jedi Master in the new timeline, please keep in mind that years of hiding from the Empire and the Sith is not the most conducive atmosphere to maintaining ones abilities. Training in solitude is different from training at an Academy dedicated to the Jedi arts. Be realistic about how much your character could have developed in the years since the Purge, and remember that even for an experienced Jedi, one can't simply shake off the dust after all that time and suddenly be one of the most powerful Force users in the galaxy overnight.
I know a lot of this may seem obvious, or perhaps restrictive, but I'm simply asking that Jedi characters be realistic considering the new timeline. It'll be a tough time to be a Light Side Force-user, even with Vader and Palpatine dead. Play it out that way, and our new storyarcs will begin much more smoothly.
Please feel free to add ideas/concerns for discussion.
First of all, I wish to state that, despite the very decentralized structuring of RP for Jedi characters that is going to come about, the GJO board will still be the home for all Jedi RPers to ask questions, organize stories and solve issues that arrise. In that respect, we will remain very much the same. Anyone who will be playing a Jedi character, be they current members of GJO or not, is encouraged to use the revamped board for whatever Jedi-related RP needs that might arrise.
This said, I feel its going to be important to establish some grounds rules for character backgrounds and such, for the sake of continuity. Now, before anyone rushes to judgement and gets upset because potential plans you may have made don't match up with these ideas, please hear me out, and remember these are only my suggestions.
Many of us are intending to play characters that were either Jedi or Jedi-in-training during the time of ROTS and the Jedi Purge. This will provide some fascinating storyline opportunities, but it could also present some consistency issues, ones that I would preferably like to solve before everything gets rolling in earnest. These include:
- Ranks... everyone is being given the opportunity to retain their existing character ranks in the new timeline if they wish. However, please try to keep it realistic. For example, don't claim your character was a member of the Jedi Council before/during the Purge. Additionally, please keep in mind ages relative to your ranks. If you wish for your character to have achieved the rank of Jedi Master, so be it. However, do a little math before you figure out your character's age. There is approximately a 23-24 year gap between the events of ROTS and the end of ROTJ. If wish to have your character be 40 years old in the current timeline, then your character would have been about 17 at the time of the Purge. Being a Jedi Master, or even a Jedi Knight, of the Old Republic is simply not realistic in this instance. For some perspective, the youngest Jedi to every achieve the rank of Master was Yoda, at approximately age 29 (according to EU sources). The younger your character is to be in the new timeline, the less experience you will need to build into their personal history.
- Contact with other Jedi... again, there is freedom built into this, but keep it realistic. For example, don't claim that your character lived and trained with Obi-Wan Kenobi on Tattooine for 10 years while Luke was growing up. Not gonna fly. Saying something more akin to "had intermittent contact with Obi-Wan Kenobi" would be more acceptable. Please try to avoid mucking up the existing history, up until the agreed upon Battle of Endor changes, as much as possible. Remember, everyone has to share this history, and the more the canon story is complicated by direct tie-ins, the more messy and confused things become.
- Training... it's assumed that Jedi characters will either train by themselves in their exile, or perhaps have master/apprentice pairings. Remember, there are no large organized Jedi groups, at least at first. The Empire is still in power, and the Jedi are still "all but extinct." Beyond Luke, Yoda, and Obi-Wan, no other Jedi are even known to exist in the modern era, at least as far as the major factions are concerned. There may be rumors, perhaps some unsubstaniated accounts of Jedi activities, but nothing concrete. The key here is "exile." This implies being low-key, at least in the initial stages of the new story arc.
- Abilities... even if you plan on being a Jedi Master in the new timeline, please keep in mind that years of hiding from the Empire and the Sith is not the most conducive atmosphere to maintaining ones abilities. Training in solitude is different from training at an Academy dedicated to the Jedi arts. Be realistic about how much your character could have developed in the years since the Purge, and remember that even for an experienced Jedi, one can't simply shake off the dust after all that time and suddenly be one of the most powerful Force users in the galaxy overnight.
I know a lot of this may seem obvious, or perhaps restrictive, but I'm simply asking that Jedi characters be realistic considering the new timeline. It'll be a tough time to be a Light Side Force-user, even with Vader and Palpatine dead. Play it out that way, and our new storyarcs will begin much more smoothly.
Please feel free to add ideas/concerns for discussion.