Mai Cash posted Apr 20, 12
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BioWare, Character Creation, Characters, EA, Force Reflection, role-play, RP, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR, Author: Mai Cash, LucasArts, Roleplay
In our day-to-day lives, we take inspiration from any number of things; from what we may see in complete strangers, to the actions taken by someone we see as a personal hero. This inspiration can fuel us to take on any task, no matter how great or small. Or it can allow us to tackle something creative, such as character creation in Star Wars: The Old Republic.When we embark on our role play journey in The Old Republic, we take on the task of creating something outside the realm of the game’s pre-prescribed game narrative. Whether we choose to borrow from this narrative is our prerogative as roleplayers, but the character we’ve created remains experiencing the galaxy and its adventures as we see fit to guide them.
However, before they can become the hero (or regular Joes) they are meant to become, our character must experience its origin story, or—in layman’s terms—they have to come from somewhere. To get to brass tacks, the character comes from us, and our own lives as people. No matter how much we may intend to divorce ourselves from the characters we create and play, we bring our own experiences to the roleplay table most heavily when we create characters.
Whether you are a creative maestro who is able to conjure up your intended character from scratch, or you need a bit of help from things you've read, done, seen, or heard, this Force Reflection is for you. What inspired you to create the character, or characters, you play?
Mai Cash posted Apr 13, 12
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Annakin Skywalker, BioWare, Dagobah, Dark Side Cave, Darth Vader, EA, Electronic Arts, Han Solo, Jabba the Hutt, Luke Skywalker, Padme Amidala, role-play, RP, Star Wars, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR, Yoda, Author: Mai Cash, Force Reflection, LucasArts, Star Wars The Old Republic
"That place … is strong with the dark side of the Force. In you must go.”"What’s in there?”"Only what you take with you.”- Yoda & Luke Skywalker on Dagobah, outside the Dark Side CaveAs people, we are very dissimilar to the characters we may look up to in our favorite forms of entertainment. However, we may not notice one particular dissimilarity in our comparisons. While, as people, we may be motivated by love, family, money, friends, or occupation (among other things), the characters we love (and love to hate) often have a great driving force behind their decision making.That driving force is fear.Motivation by fear can be found in several examples across entertainment mediums, and characters who are motivated by fear may be found as more compelling. Motivated by such, characters allow themselves some fun tools to play with, such as instant internal conflict and room for personal growth.In the Star Wars films, Luke Skywalker enters into the Dark Side Cave on Dagobah to face that which he most fears. What does he see? A vision of himself in the trappings of Darth Vader’s armor. Similarly, Annakin Skywalker falls in love with Padmé Amidala and does everything he can not to lose her, only in order to completely lose himself in the process. To throw aside the family ties for a moment, Han Solo—scoundrel for hire—sees an opening to escape Jabba the Hutt, and wrestles with being tied to a cause, falling in love, or otherwise losing what he sees as his freedom as a free-roaming Spacer.
Today's Force Reflection wonders, what does your character fear? Does this fear motivate them as a character and drive their personal story?
Mai Cash posted Apr 6, 12
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BioWare, Characters, Combat, EA, Force Reflection, LucasArts, role-play, Roleplay, RP, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR, Author: Mai Cash
"You can’t win, Darth. If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.” — Obi-Wan Kenobi And Obi-Wan Kenobi was right. In Star Wars, as in all entertainment, it’s almost a shame that a character’s last words are sometimes their most memorable. Then again, they wouldn’t carry quite the same weight, or longevity. As roleplayers, we often do not create characters with the intent of losing them to a dramatic death scene, but sometimes those tense combat scenes are extremely entertaining to RP. Besides, who hasn’t thought about their favorite character’s final witticism to their arch nemesis, delivered at the end of their saber, carbine, or assault cannon? Thinking, maybe, that this one last comment, this one last clever remark, will be the one that turns the tide of battle.I have news for you, we aren’t playing Monkey Island.
Conversely, your character may not be the daring dashing hero type who will die in battle. Perhaps, instead, they will pass away comfortably in their home. What will their final wishes be to their family and loved ones, should they be fortunate enough to make it that far?
For those of you who’ve given thought to the macabre event of a character’s final moments, this Force Reflection is for you. What would be your character’s last words?
Mai Cash posted Apr 1, 12
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Armor Sets, Author: Mai Cash, BioWare, Community Q&A, Crafting, Daniel Erickson, EA, Game Update 1.2, Humans, Legacy System, LucasArts, Operations, PVP, Q&A, role-play, Roleplay, RP, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR, Community, Electronic Arts, Legacy, Star Wars
Questions surrounding the Legacy system are one focus of this week’s Community Q&A. BioWare Developers spent an especially long time answering several questions. So many, in fact, that the Community Q&A will be split between two sessions. The future Game Update 1.2’s big news surrounds not only the Legacy system, but also changes coming to armor sets, crafting, and reverse engineering.In terms of Legacy unlocks for your Level 50 characters, each character a player unlocks at Level 50 will earn themselves a specific ability they can use in a "Heroic Moment." According to Daniel Erickson, if you have a Level 50 Jedi Guardian and a Level 50 Scoundrel, "Your Guardian unlock Legacy Force Sweep and your Scoundrel would unlock Legacy Dirty Kick.” These abilities would be available to all other characters on your chosen server. Additionally, those who have chosen to play Human as a race will not be hampered in their Legacy benefits. Those players will receive a Presence bonus to "all and future characters.”There has been some outcry regarding the appearance of the armor set rewards one receives in Operations and PvP combat, some saying that it does not fit within the Star Wars aesthetic. The BioWare Developers have heard these complaints and are not ignoring them; the changes to the armor will not be seen in the immediate future. Daniel Erickson says about the comments,"Creating armor is a part of our game with long lead times so it will take a set or two before players see a strong shift in direction, but we’re already working on stuff we love and we think our players will too.” Item crafting also receives a rather large overhaul, with reverse engineering becoming more powerful as well as all crafting items becoming Bind on Equip to encourage a better in-game economic market. Additionally, all Operations materials will also become Bind on Equip in Game Update 1.2 as well. This is all part of the idea to encourage the desirability of crafters and their items (beyond the already crafter-only available Augment slots), as well as to help increase the health of server economies.To read more about crafting, changes to PVP Armor, and more, check out the full Community Q&A, and read the Game Update 1.2 Patch Notes on the Official SW:TOR website.
Tazi posted Mar 31, 12
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Author: Tazi, EA, Electronic Arts, LucasArts, role-play, Roleplay, RP, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR, BioWare, Coleman Trebor, Force Sensitive, George Lucas, Jango Fett, Jedi Master, Palpatine, The Force, Yoda
This persuasive essay would do well to add more Mind Trick, Mr Fett
In the Star Wars universe, few are as powerful as the Force users. Jedi and Sith possess talents and abilities that make them terrible opponents to face. But they are not the only people that populate the galaxy. Strong and fearsome warriors that have no connection to the force are also doing battle in this massive galaxy. But are they on the same level? Can an experienced and skilled non-force user have any chance of defeating a force-user?
This question has posed a healthy level of debate about which is or isn’t as powerful as the other. The debate is healthy for roleplaying because it shows that people care about their characters (and others), are considering how their characters interact with others in the Star Wars universe, and finally, that a definitive answer isn’t necessarily the best thing for roleplaying. I would propose that for any story, it is uncertainty of outcome that drives it, and it is best to have an inconclusive answer. In roleplaying, when one player is an absolute, it leads everyone to that terrible (yet thankfully, usually unrealised) fear of god moding.
Mai Cash posted Mar 30, 12
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Author: Mai Cash, EA, Electronic Arts, Force Reflection, Jedi, LucasArts, role-play, Roleplay, RP, Sith, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR, BioWare
Some heroes are born, not made. Others have to be formed into the heroes they are meant to become. While some may find themselves striding into a prescribed role comfortably without hassle, others may stumble into it unwittingly through the experiences they've had.
Royalty (even elected royalty) and politicians, such as Queen Amidala and Senator Palpatine, may find themselves suited to their positions; whereas wayward Jedi such as Luke Skywalker must learn and become who they are throughout their experiences. Yet even still, those easily suited for a role such as a Jedi trained as a youngling may find their experiences taking them on a more divergent path than they'd intended, such as the paths of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda.
Even in our own lives, we are often not herded out into the world with a clear idea of our destination, and those of us who still have a journey to make want to ensure exactly who and what we will become. Although our backgrounds may define who we are as people, when we journey out into the brave new world, it is by our actions that define who we are as a person. Similarly, our characters make the same journey. However, our characters sometimes do not come with a premeditated history. Although sometimes they might, our roleplay experiences can change elements of those characters’ historical accounts through interactions with other players’ characters. Or is that not the case for you? Are your characters’ histories set in stone? Are you able to understand from where they came and in which direction they are pointed the moment they step on the screen?
In today's Force Reflection, we ask whether your character steps onto the planet with a fully formed background and history, as well as a destination in mind. Or do you allow your experiences through roleplay guide both your character's development and history?
GigasFist posted Mar 14, 12
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RP, Scene, Time constraints, Time Warp, Author: GigasFist, BioWare, EA, Electronic Arts, Force Reflection, LucasArts, role-play, Roleplay, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR
As much as we wish otherwise; real life takes precedence over roleplay. Sometimes there are just not enough hours in the day to finish a scene or continue in the RP. Occasionally, this can lead to a strange purgatory-like state. Some call it a time warp, others call it 'retconn' and a multitude of other names.
Let me give an example. You are knee-deep in an intense scene, your character is in the biggest fight for their life. Then, dinner is ready. Your comrades are all logging soon to do their own thing. The next day you are asked for RP, separate from the unfinished event. Do you wait to finish your prior scene, or push on? On one and, that important scene you have yet to finish can really put a leash on your current RP. But sometimes people do play with space and time, leaving their character in the past, but RPing 'currently'.
That may be an extreme example, but these things can and do happen often. So I am looking for your opinion. Do you ever put yourself in that time warp? Do you finish the scene later? Or are you like this player and do everything you can to avoid this purgatory of RP?
KallaBeccani posted Mar 10, 12
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Empire, Republic, RP, RP-PvP, Author: KallaBeccani , BioWare, EA, Electronic Arts, Galactic Republic, Jung Ma, LucasArts, Nar Shaddaa, PvP , role-play, Roleplay, Sith, Sith Empire, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR
Picture this: you walk up upon fifty or more spectators and competitors swarming the Promenade for one of the biggest events of the week. There is betting going on and people milling about, the conversations get going, then all of the sudden a flare gun goes off and all your attention is drawn away to the lone person in the middle of the arena. This is it the moment of truth; the crowd grows quiet as the first words are spoken.
What started out as the Republic and Empire having separate nights to show off their skills has spawned into a spectacular event of the best of the best. Sponsored by the Jung Ma Jumping Beans host, Akrili has brought the standard of fight nights to an all new high in our universe. The double elimination matches pit one against another to show just who will come out on top and prove to you they have the skills to hold all others off.
GigasFist posted Feb 25, 12
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Community Q&A, Customization, LFG, RP, Ships, Speeders, Author: GigasFist, BioWare, Chat Bubbles, Damion Schubert, EA, Electronic Arts, Game Update 1.2, LucasArts, role-play, Roleplay, RP, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, Starships, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR
BioWare again taunts and teases us with arbitrary release dates and comments on how much they want to add components 'in the future'—though the much wished for 'meditate' emote may be in the works with the Legacy system. Damion Schubert (the Principal Lead Systems Designer) said that in Game Update 1.2, there are several emotes planned to be unlocked through the Legacy system, but it is unknown whether the meditate emote will be among them. So far the only confirmed emote is a new dance that also makes your companion "boogie down." Yay? Players have also been very excited with the possibility of extra minigames like Pazaak and Swoop Races from Knights of the Old Republic. It is said, however, that it is "not on our immediate horizon". Looks like you will have to do with the roll function for now and just pretend to be a Swoop Racer. Customization is a roleplayers best tool, and what we ride we want to be just as unique as our character. Players want different ships and different looks, interior and exterior. Damion Schubert put to rest any ideas that they would be coming soon. "Unfortunately, the nature of our ships as central story areas for all of
our class content, and all of the associated triggers and cinematics
that must therefore be done on the ships, means that giving players new
ship models, particularly interiors, is very, very hard for us." But BioWare apparently will take us there in the future, so keep your eyes open and your creativity brewing. Less on the RP side, apparently a LFG (looking for group) function is in the works. They are looking for ways to more effectively find a group. But no details were given, saying more would be released as that release date drew near. If you are anything like me, you hate those few planets where you have to tromp through some annoying Orbital Station to ride another ship to the planet. Well god news! Small tweaks in the traveling system will be released in GU (Game Update) 1.2. No word of chat bubbles, so keep sending your angry rants to BioWare my friends! The full Q&A can be read here.
Bill Tetley posted Jan 13, 12
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Codex Entry, Coruscant, EA, Electronic Arts, IC Report, LucasArts, Migrant Merchants' Guild, RHS Report, role-play, Roleplay, RP, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR, Author: Bill Tetley, Knights of The Old Republic
 It was a night like any other. Kar'ar Sok, an industrial deep-miner salesman, traveled through the Old Galactic Market to the apartment of a long-time friend in hopes of finding him to share stories, a drink, and generally good time. Most stories of old war buddies start the same, but they rarely end in a mugging and spending several weeks in a medical clinic on the Senate level.
CSF police reports initially held that Kar'ar was beaten by a gang of thugs, but upon further inspection from an RHS reporter held that it was no random beating and mugging, but a message being sent to anyone who randomly wanders into the district of one of the most powerful criminal consortium in the galaxy: The Migrant Merchants' Guild.
In the files of all official stations on the planet the MMG is a trade consortium that supports the rights of refugees and non-humans, as well as financially donates to the city-world's reconstruction efforts. It is no secret that the MMG came to power during the food riots, heralding non-humans poor and sick to follow their rules after the security forces pulled out of over packed sectors with high immigrant inflow.
The armed guards that helped control the Guild's resources were responsible for various crimes that no one was officially charged with. Men were beaten for trying to gain more food for their families, women and children all but being treated as objects for forced labor or darker, more carnal desires.
Adding the bribery of Senate officials and the extortion of civilian merchants into their fold, the MMG now fully controls the old Galactic Market as their own sector, the shiny neon billboards and smiling armed Weequay bruisers acting as guards one moment and shaking down shops the next. What little Republic patrols that venture into MMG territory now come fully armed and expecting trouble, the downtrodden people of the Market all but having given up on their personal freedoms that – even at the heart of the Galactic Republic – seem almost impossible to enforce.
Billian "Bill" Tetley, RHN Reporter
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