Nar Shaddaa is the home to some of the galaxy's most notorious criminals, outlaw gangs, and to top it off, it is controlled mostly by ruthless and territorial Hutts. If you've got a bounty on your head, Nar Shaddaa is the one place to go to disappear. The streets are full of life, dazzling colours, and endless party, gambling, and racing events – there is so much happening on Nar Shaddaa, its bustling subsistence with engulf you. Although, amongst all the hostility and busyness on the planet, the Hutts still know how to draw people into their cantinas. Just over one day ago, the Yocola Tonka Cantina, located in the lower level of the Promenade on Nar Shaddaa, officially opened its doors for the first time to patrons in its Grand Opening event. 

The cantina was filled with individuals of all shapes, sizes, colours, and personalities, including my own. I was granted exclusive reporter access to the event where I was privileged enough to experience the Yocola Tonka's vibrancy in entertainment, beverages, as well as its staff. Live singers accompanied by a band were on stage, the music filled the room from wall to wall, and the bar was overworked as if its stocks would be disappearing from the face of the galaxy the following day. Twi'lek dancers swayed about on podiums, and everybody seemed to of had a jolly good time. Despite Nar Shaddaa's usual clientèle, the cantina was trouble free – at least for my short stay. 

Part of my exclusive reporter access granted me an audience with one of the Directors of the Yocola Tonka. Vaanthe, also head of security, took a moment to talk to me about the cantina. "Yocola Tonka means 'drink up' in Huttese," she explained. "We are a business run within the cantina here, under the ownership of a Hutt, as many things on this planet are. We are a social venue, with our staff, to provide entertainment and so forth within the walls."

If you're stopping by Nar Shaddaa, head on down to the Yocola Tonka. With security as tight as it was to ensure everyone's limbs remained intact, you probably won't find a more secure place for entertainment. Be sure to view some of the images taken of the event below. 

In judging another player, using simple terms to describe or even stereotype them has taken root over the years because it is easy. I can just call someone a heavy RPer instead of explaining everything they do and hope the person I'm speaking with has the same vague understanding of the term that I do. Heavy and light RP don't have clear definitions though which has caused problems in the past. Heavy often becomes a synonym for "good" roleplay, with light taking on a negative connotation. I would certainly be offended if someone called me a light RPer.

So this week to help the community as we always try to do, we will take a look in depth at the terms and what you think they mean. Are they even good for the community or do they just hurt and divide us? Perhaps even just through clearing up the meaning we can remove some of the negatives that heavy and light RP have. These answers and more await, so read on and see what your fellow roleplayers have to say!

BioWare opened the flood gates for wanting testers of The Old Republic over the weekend, with almost everyone who has registered for game testing, plus those who have acquired testing keys from numerous fan sites, rushing into the game to see what it has to offer. The NDA has been lifted and testers are free to discuss whichever aspect of the game they wish to. For Sa Chi, the author of the weekly column titled All The Galaxy's A Stage over at Ask A Jedi, roleplaying potential was his focus in his latest discussion. 

The Old Republic consists of many large and open worlds for roleplayers to explore, bustling with life, character, and places for roleplayers to segregate to to get their RP on. Such places include the Jedi Temple on Tython, the many upper level sections of Coruscant for members of the Republic, as well as the shady cantinas on Nar Shaddaa. Sa Chi takes us through his experience in TOR, explaining some of the potential RP spots and features, and he shares some of the upsides and downsides that roleplayers may face in particular parts of the game. Here is a snippet of what he has to say:

Our lives are driven by drama. Whether or not you admit to it, majority of people find themselves bored if they don't get their daily dose of marital affairs, family drama, in-fighting at work, or the odd debate with the partner where both parties claim themselves the victor out of sheer stubbornness. The beauty of drama is, you can always look back and have a laugh. You can laugh about the loud and very obvious verbal argument had by the couple in the office who have been trying to keep their affairs a secret. You can laugh about your sibling tearing your ears off over spilt milk. You can even laugh about how swollen your friend's eye was after he'd had a little too few at the local bar where he decided to pick a fight with the steroid-munching security guard. These are the days of our lives. These are our stories. 

In The Old Republic, our roleplaying endeavours will not be short of drama. Every session online in BioWare's virtual reality will see you witness a cantina brawl, someone getting stabbed, others getting hot and steamy on the sands of Tatooine, as well as Smugglers debating as to who shot their assailant first. Without drama in games, much like the dramas we witness in real life, our experiences in roleplay would be a little dull. You can only stand around and exchange small talk for only so long before someone gets bored and decides to ignite their lightsaber... if you know what I mean. 

In today's Force Reflection, tell us what the most dramatic aspect of roleplay is to you. Is it the heated arguments had between two parties in a cantina that excite you most? Is the the emote duels that we often see? Or perhaps you're one that prefers a straight out battle, lightsaber upon lightsaber. Drama has many forms, so pop your thoughts on this topic in the comments section. May the drama and mayhem begin!

How much is too much? Are there exceptions? These are the questions we'll be looking at in depth in this week's edition. You told me what the ups and downs of these characters are in your own words, and now I'm going to put it all together in an attempt to find an answer in all of it. Would Star Wars still be as exciting if Luke Skywalker was just a farm boy with a blaster, or if he was a Jedi Grandmaster from birth? Probably not. Does that give us the right to make our own powerful characters? Well, you're just going to have to read on to find out.

The world would be a dull place if its wasn't for entertainers. Actors, musicians and dancers bring life to cinema screens, our televisions, and stereo systems. Pole dancers and strippers provide a non-orthodox form of entertainment in clubs and on stages, whilst others sell themselves for a night of pleasure for a range of fees, depending on the service. 

Games also brighten up our days, with one game in particular bringing much joy to Star Wars fans around the globe. The Old Republic is going to be epic, there is no doubt about it. It has often been compared to Star Wars: Galaxies, though the two games differ greatly, both in timeline and game mechanics. However, one feature that SWG can boast with over TOR is the Entertainer profession. Players were able to take control of a character, specialising as either a dancer or musician, allowing them to bring life to the many cantinas across the different planets. In The Old Republic, the eight available classes are combat orientated, with no specialisation in an entertainer-like skill tree being available. 

In today's Force Reflection, we'd like to know your thoughts on the matter of entertainers in TOR. Do you think that cantinas are going to be dull compared to those from SWG? Will the lack of an entertainer class be a hindrance or blessing in disguise? Let us know in the comments section. 

In BioWare's Knights of the Old Republic, a new card game was introduced into the Star Wars universe that provided minutes, if not hours, of endless fun. The card game was slightly revamped in the sequel to KOTOR, with a major improvement in speed, allowing games to be played at a much faster pace. The game is called pazaak, and it requires two players to reach the number twenty without going over. Side cards can be used to assist in achieving this goal. The player with the closest score to twenty wins the round, and the player that wins three rounds takes away whatever wager was set at the beginning of the game.

With The Old Republic around the corner, there is no doubt that players will want to relive the fun of pazaak in Nar Shaddaa's clubs and casinos. Whether BioWare has plans to implement a system allowing players to play pazaak against one another is unknown. However, there is one guild that has a system in place, one of which I personally had the opportunity to test run. If you haven't heard of the Velvet Pearl, its about time you familiarise yourself with them, as they will be maintaining a strong presence on Nar Shaddaa, offering players entertainment, jolly good times, and a pazaak system which will allow players to bag their opponent's credits. I spent about two hours with Zahira, testing the system over on the Velvet Pearl's in-character chat room. In this this feature article, I'll be sharing my experiences with you, as well as providing some additional information as to what you can expect from the Velvet Pearl's system of pazaak. 

There are many styles of roleplaying in modern day games. We each have our own preferences and styles, and when we find like-minded individuals, the quality of our roleplaying experiences skyrocket. It comes down to knowing your character, the character of the person you're roleplaying with, and how smoothly you can exchange words and actions. This, however, all depends on the style of the roleplayer. In Sa Chi's latest edition of All The Galaxy's A Stage, he discusses two main styles of roleplaying -- freeform RP, and structured RP. 

For those who have experienced roleplay in Star Wars: Galaxies, many RP expeditions kicked off in the many cantinas across the game's worlds. Players would meet, have a bit of a yarn and a drink, and occasionally, conversations evolved into something a little more dramatic. This is the beauty of freeform RP, where there are no set rules, and you simply go with the flow. On the other hand, structured RP does have it's rules and follows a linear story created by a narrator or game master. For more details on these styles of roleplay, head on over the Sa Chi's latest edition on freeform and structured RP.