A Splendid Little War

[Halajiin Rabeak]

I apologize for coming off as dismissive. That was not my intent, it's just part of my shtick and I need to get over that. What I meant is that I worry that while this may inject new life into the boards, it will also spread out a new mass of characters which may lose their vibrancy quickly, to their authors, causing more unfinished threads and further stagnation if there is not a clear focus. Look at how many characters and threads we each have which has basically petered out because we distract ourselves to the next new thing instead of finishing out a story. Sometimes it's because life gets busy, sometimes we just lose interest, but it happens.

I support those of you who who want to make this work, and I wish you the best with it, and hope it can bring life back into the board. But as it has pointed out, we do need a proper scope for it, to help us all keep it from getting out of hand, and another spread of activity before we overwhelm ourselves and burn out. That's my worry, and why I am choosing to hang back, sticking to established realms and settings for now, at least until things can cement themselves in place. I am not against a new expansion, but I do want us to be cautious not to over-extend ourselves while doing it, leading to a possibly larger problem. I also announced my intention to hold back so that people would not count on my characters being involved in situations where I can't promise I have the time, drive, or interest to be part of the story, at the level of quality you deserve from me. I'll try and play along where I can, so if you really do need me, let me know and I'll try and make it work. I just won't be spearheading anything at this time. That's all I meant.

[Captain Untouchable]

I don't think "All Factions" quite covers it. It is possible for something to create stories for all factions, without creating opportunities for all players. I think we are trying to create a hook that can be activated by anyone, anywhere, any time - which is something that's evident over the course of the thread. Lets not derail things by nitpicking Charley's word choices.

I apologize for coming off as dismissive. That was not my intent, it's just part of my shtick and I need to get over that. What I meant is that I worry that while this may inject new life into the boards, it will also spread out a new mass of characters which may lose their vibrancy quickly, to their authors, causing more unfinished threads and further stagnation if there is not a clear focus. Look at how many characters and threads we each have which has basically petered out because we distract ourselves to the next new thing instead of finishing out a story. Sometimes it's because life gets busy, sometimes we just lose interest, but it happens.

I can definitely empathise with this concern. That said, whether or not people's attention drifts away from threads or characters is really down to us as individuals. If you're concerned about a particular thread or arc falling by the wayside, I would encourage you to talk to the writers involved, and make sure they understand that you are still keen to write them: that way, any momentum that is gained by this new activity can be pumped into those threads as well. We should definitely be conscious that we aren't abandoning valuable stories, but I don't think we should shy away from progress because of that - those threads have stalled out for now, and they're going to stay that way until we get the ball rolling again. This is one possible way of doing that, though if there are others those are certainly worth exploring as well.

[Park Kraken]

Y'all do what you want. I don't see myself getting involved in this. I don't really follow how a large war will bring us together instead of creating a lot of different events going on with a bunch of new focuses, half of which will likely go unresolved (we're bad at finishing threads), so I'll stick to the sidelines and simply be reactionary to elements which might happen to cross my current storyline path, and otherwise proceed as normal.

Not that I'm actually posting, these days... =P

We're all just throwing out ideas at this point bud, it may seem a bit big at first glance through the thread but we're just tossing around ideas at this time.

I didn't even think about the origins of the First Order, that's a good point to bring up. That's something that could even involve Kraken since he's retired from the Empire but still wants to crush the Rebels/New Republic.

Something to consider here is where/how do we start?

Having the Vagaari involved, or adapting the threat Charley mentioned definitely has a lot of potential for providing context (in a prequel novel/comic sort of way), but in terms if the core plot hook - whatever it ends up being - we probably need something really specific and simple, that we can post about as an OOC mission statement, or title crawl, or whatever. I think one of our struggles in the past has been coming up with a great idea, but then relying on an intro thread to define what actually happened. With the Cold War, Corellia, and things like that, everyone was able to jump in immediately.

The main reason that the Ssi-Ruuk activity in Vanguards was successfully covered up (aside from the fact that the Empire was still in power, and they're really good at hiding atrocities) was because it happened on a bunch of backwaters in the ass end of nowhere. Perhaps what we need as a starting point is some sort of incident on a world that is a little harder to ignore? Maybe one of the Rebel worlds that's still in Imperial space (Ithor, Chandrila, Duros, Devaron, etc) for a bit of added "the Empire didn't do enough to protect them because they're racist" spice? Or, maybe a world that is neither Alliance or Imperial, to frighten neutral worlds into wanting/needing protection - which might help with these Chiss/Yevetha/etc ideas?

Yanking out my atlas, Endor is downwind of Bakura and is full of easy lifeforms for entechment. Would the New Republic feel compelled to save the Ewoks?

[Untaaura Verratoa]

That’s about as far from alliance space as you can get

[Park Kraken]

Where is our Factional Galaxy Map? I thought we have one pinned to the OOC section but I'm not having any luck finding it, even with the search function.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

It's in Introductions and Adverts

https://theholo.net/forum/showthread...RP-Quick-Guide

[Park Kraken]

Ah Thank You. Hmm, perhaps the Ssi-Ruu launch their new invasion from a new angle and come in from Terminus? That would give them two potential invasion corridors to work from, one moving into Imperial space and the other Republic space.

[Captain Untouchable]

Looking over the map and what-not, a few possibilities that could be interesting -

Tatooine
Everyone has heard of it. It's part of a neutral sector pretty close to the edge of the galaxy, but it's next door to the Alliance so it's sure to worry them. The planet is populated, but sparsely: if the Ssi-Ruuk hit a particular population center, and/or the Tuskens and Jawas, it isn't necessarily going to decimate the whole planet, so it shouldn't be too disruptive for anything that people have actively going on. It's also a nice thematic fit with the KOTOR lore about Tatooine, it's inhabitants being taken as slaves by the Infinite Empire, etc. On the downside, there's a comfortable buffer of Alliance space between Tatooine and the Empire: that may make the situation feel less all-affecting, or it may work out nicely as an impetus for the Empire to take a more methodical "getting prepared" approach - pursuing relations with the Chiss, etc. Something like a Ssi-Ruuk entechment raid on Mos Eisley could be our basic headline.

Terminus
A very populated planet, that's a melting pot of different cultures. It's considered to be the "edge" of the galaxy, and it's at the meeting point between two major space lanes running through the Empire and the Alliance. It's close to Cloud City, it's at the Bakura side of the Empire, and it's definitely the kind of thing that is going to send big ominous shockwaves. Being in Imperial space (and being a populous world) might make the Ssi-Ruuk attack more worrying (breaking through Imperial defenses is more impressive than breaking through Alliance ones), and maybe plays into the Empire feeling that they need to seek out allies and new technologies, and into the Knights, Corellia and Cloud City, etc taking this threat seriously. On the flipside, having the Alliance worrying about a threat that struck the Gordian Reach last time (their territory) and may come for them again in only a matter of time... that could play nicely with the fact that we have more political/senator characters over on the Alliance side of things, and could be good synergy with Tion Cluster, Hutt, Cizerack, Circle, etc type plans.

K'til
Story-wise, K'til is an independent power, and was the neutral territory where the Treaty between the Alliance and Empire was negotiated. It's right in the heart of the galaxy, so if we want to cultivate a sense that the Ssi-Ruuk are a threat that could manifest anywhere, that might have more impact than a world out on the fringes. Because it's neutral territory (and a pretty minor/undeveloped world in the grand scheme of things) neither side is obligated to protect it, which makes it pretty vulnerable, but thematically it's quite a blow to everyone's ego to have a political "safe space" attacked in that way. I guess it depends on how much intent and malevolance our attackers have: if they want to strike a blow that is going to send maximum ripples, this is probably the best bang for their buck - easy to attack, optimal fallout. But, if they're just snatching people from assorted locations, it might be more cunning than is appropriate. Or maybe that's the point, and there's some deeper mystery behind it?


Not an exhaustive list by any means, but they were the first ones that leapt out.

[Untaaura Verratoa]

I like Terminus personally. It’s not a place that has a lot of real import to many stories but it has an enormous population, which can lead to an enormous body count. Definitely something that would get everyone’s attention I think.

[Droo]

After mulling things over for the best part of the day, I feel I'm finally in a position to share a thought or two on this matter. Sounds a bit weighty, that, doesn't it? I've probably been overthinking things, but I've also been fighting at the nagging frustration I've been experiencing in trying to discover a middle ground between the things that I'm looking for in a story and the things people have already discussed.

When it comes to creating characters and writing stories on these forums, I tend to think on the smaller scale because that is where I'm most comfortable. Big schemes are not only a bit daunting to me, but, as a matter of personal preference, I don't find them particularly interesting. So when the idea of us working on a new narrative to affect change, generate stories, and drive character development turns into the discussion of factions (many of which I'm unfamiliar with), systems, borders, fleets, and so on, I find myself both apprehensive, for fear of us making it too big and getting nowhere with it, and rather disengaged, too. I'll concede that my lack of enthusiasm stems from a point of personal preference for what I like, and I appreciate that no one way of doing things is better than any other, so, while I do struggle to find my own hook, as it were, I am very pleased at the degree of engagement we've had in the discussion so far and the level of detail people are going into here.

What I'm looking for is something that will change up the status quo in each of the little story-telling corners of the galaxy; change that will impact on a character level and push us all in new directions. A new threat represented by the Ssi-Ruuk will do that. My concern is that too much focus will go into the Ssi-Ruuk, or the conflict itself, away from all of the pieces of the puzzle that we already have in place, and rather than enriching the fictional environments we already have, we end up sewing our creative seeds in new fields instead. Hence my apprehension at the mention of third parties and extra factors and threats and so on. I've tried to peel away the layers and figure things out on a level that makes sense to me.

So, if it's a cold war, what kind of changes might we see? An escalation of tensions between the Empire and the Alliance, first of all, alongside dramatic and tenuous collaborations between Imperial and Alliance forces in the unusual circumstances. I know: so far, so obvious, right? In terms of the change that each character can see in their daily lives, I like the idea that both the Empire and the Alliance may be forced out of their comfort zones to accommodate each other, perhaps changing the way citizens are governed, infrastructures are run, military is used, etc. And those kinds of things happen during wartime, anyway, I guess.

Regarding the Chiss, however, a scenario I had in mind was their allegiances being uncertain, and up-for-grabs, so to speak. This is something that has already been touched in this thread, I believe. What would both sides be willing to do to curry favour with this potential new ally? Having the Chiss on your side might just tip the scales of power at last. What kind of concessions would both sides be willing to allow, what sacrifices would they make, how dirty would they be willing to get their own hands to win? How does this impact the way the military is used? Does it spark civil unrest? Protests? Violence? Terrorism? Do desperate times call for desperate measures?

And on that note, we have a massive catalyst in the Starkiller missiles. If this is a cold war, perhaps we could have our own Cuban Missile Crisis. How would that look? Do the Ssi-Ruuk manage to get their hands on a missile? Is it a race against time before they are able to slave the missile to their computer systems and use it towards their own ends? Was the missile being transported in an underhanded kind of way (ie. the US in Turkey, or the Soviets in Cuba) and, if the truth got out, what would that do to Alliance and Imperial relations?

I don't know what the Ssi-Ruuk conflict might look like, but is there scope for our own Vietnam War? Do the Alliance and the Empire get into bed with each other to engage in some gross war of attrition with this unconventional alien force? How do the people feel about that? What is the cost financially, strategically, ethically, etc? Would the Alliance agree to a show of extreme force to subdue the enemy, even if it meant sacrificing civillian life? I'm thinking of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, of course, and I'm well aware I'm now mixing up my wars.

Apologies for the stream of consciousness brand of thought I've gone on, here. I'm still struggling to wrap my head around it, and I'll never pretend to fully grasp the finer details of politics, borders, factions, and so on, but I'm trying to think of it in a way that will allow me to make something of it with my characters. I suppose I'm thinking of the ramifications of such a conflict down on the street level, and how it effects the way people think and act, what they talk about at water coolers, how it influences prejudices, crime, security, law enforcement, and what they might be able to do about it. I'll contribute more as I think of more, and hopefully, manage to make my thoughts more intelligible. I appreciate what I've said here may be way off the mark, but that's where I am right now, and I'm trying to figure a way in.

[Tear]

I echo Mitch's sentiments on this. For those who were curious this discussion sparked from a conversation in Slack:

tear [12:27 PM]
I've become rather disillusioned whenever I try to write on the boards. I think Swfans has evolved in a great way and that character development and interaction being the corner stone of the story telling is the mature evolution of RP writing. For me personally though, character interaction and story telling come as results to major events and changes to the universe. There's not a whole lot of that going on. So for me the living space feels static and dry.

sanisprent [1:25 PM]
You’re limiting yourself. You can definitely find the right pivot that you need to tell a story, even in a Cold War setting.

droog [1:41 PM]
i think he has a point though, up to a point, at least
change does drive character development, and we could perhaps benefit from a bit more of a driving narrative collectively. something we could all feel we have a stake in.
perhaps we might want to consider a joint effort that drives us ahead, or to the side, or whatever direction you want to go in. it doesn't have to be something that tips the scales dramatically, but an event which affects significant enough change, driving character development, all the while being something we can say we achieved together
i'm not for one second suggesting a big thread
they almost always stutter to a halt
but a collection of threads perhaps? focused around a - to coin a star wars term - a single episode of the story, that everyone can play a part in (well, whatever character someone wishes to submit to it)
i'm not suggesting this as an alternative to the challenge already planned, but merely something for us to consider, and potentially work towards together

tear [1:46 PM]
I would like to subscribe to Droo's brochure.
I like the idea of episodic content that drives a narrative arc toward ...something. It presses my buttons in the gooiest of fashions.

What I really liked about Droo's comments was the idea of a collective narrative. The notion that we, as a community, can come up with an overall arc with an episodic start and finish. A story where everyone can involve themselves and be a part of a grand star wars story.

My original comments on our galaxy being static and dry, wasn't strictly aimed at the Cold War. I was also talking about the way we handle writing here as a whole. I suppose some of this could be due to the setting of the Cold War, but it doesn't feel like we're rocking the boat in terms of pressing the boundaries of our shared universe.

I'm hoping that whatever story we come up with here will have some epic, long lasting effects on our environment.

---

I agree with a lot of Droo's comments.

A new threat represented by the Ssi-Ruuk will do that. My concern is that too much focus will go into the Ssi-Ruuk, or the conflict itself, away from all of the pieces of the puzzle that we already have in place, and rather than enriching the fictional environments we already have, we end up sewing our creative seeds in new fields instead.

I understand the Ssi-Ruuk have been established and as Jace put it, represent a simple starting point that can be easily accessed by all parties. He's not wrong.

However, in my opinion, there are a lot of great options where people have written interesting villains/groups that could be the catalyst we are seeking. These options already have ties to many of our characters so there would be less spread and more enriching of existing content. We discussed this a bit in Slack and there was apprehension.

Some points brought up were:

Writer availability becoming a choke point. Vs. NPC factions can be, obviously NPC'd.

This is easily solved as anyone putting forth an option to be considered should be open to having their faction NPC'd in threads and used to further the overall story line.

Writer ownership of established faction.

Again, anyone interested in offering up their group to take part should be fine with sharing it with the community (If you don't want to share, don't offer it up, easy). We're all friends here.

Faction history and Character lore Vs. Simple NPC background.

I think this one may be the only actual rough terrain but as Emilie stated in slack,

that's...kinda the nature of the beast. People know the intimate details of what's happening with folks they tend to write with. I can't say I know every little detail about a lot of the characters out there...but I don't feel like I couldn't find out with a simple asking and taking interest, either?

I think most of the groups I've seen suggested so far have already been well documented on the boards, but if you don't know something, as Emilie stated above, just ask? Or, if we decide upon a group in this thread we can always pound out missing details here.

I'll hold off on sharing my options for a bit to give more people time to weigh in and share what they would like to see.

[Stela'shlit'nuruodo]

I dig this idea of working with Siener on the Claw Craft thing. And await whatever you guys decide on he Ruuk. My mind cranked on ideas today for how to get the Chiss in a position to interact with the story. The Chiss do not like people and think we are better than everyone, so some reason would be needed for the Chiss to even approach Siener in the first place. As far as the Chiss being a faction I do not think it would come to that. If there was any action on the Part of the Chiss it would be very limited and involve maybe a House Phalanx or CEDF patrol group so nothing major. Lash would try to stay as far away as possible but would not just watch as it happened either. Something like a Ruuk attack On Terminus would prompt the Chiss to at least monitor things. 500 billion people on the planet make for alot of slave drone fighters, and that is bad business for everyone.

[Charley]

I’ll be upfront and say that do not like the idea of a pre-existing faction being the destabilizing agent in all this. Assurances that it can be NPC-farmed are nice, but it’s a tough row to hoe to have to call and repeat every single time you want to reference something that isn’t already hashed out in the universe. It’s nice to trust other storytellers, but there’s a risk for some terminal incongruenies if there is any confusion. Honestly, I think a small group like Tear’s group or the Sons of Coruscant or some other group would be much better utilized by turning the chaos of an NPC event to their advantage.

That being said, I’ll at least entertain the possibility. Tear, can you give the thread a synopsis of your group? History, composition, territory, assets. Nothing over precise or hinging on data crunching. It would be good to have a conceptual look at what we might use if we go that way.

[Captain Untouchable]

I'm starting to get worried that we are seriously over-complicating this.

The appeal of the Ssi-Ruuk to me is that they are simple. Their motives are simple, their actions are relatively simple, and there's not (or doesn't have to be) any complicated twists, schemes, or puzzles. They want slaves, they attack a planet, and boom: that's it. We can explain that quickly and easily in a couple of paragraphs of a stickied thread, and then we are left to take the narrative in absolutely any direction. If Droo wants to use it as a hook for a character driven Gunner story, if Tear wants to use it as a catalyst for his machinations, if Senators want to backroom deal, if corporate types want to R&D, if Titan Squadron wants a fight, if the Jedi or Knights want to walk through the ashes of Terminus... anything goes. It is a spark, it's easy/accessible for all, and we can continue to do our own thing in our own way, but working from the same page.

Using a player faction is more complicated. We're dealing with intellectual property that one (or some) of us have created for starters, but it is also much harder to explain. Even if the creators are happy for their content to be NPC'd, you need much more understanding of the various elements in the Tear/Geoff/Vince conglomerate to understand what's going on, and how they work. I wouldn't feel comfortable using the Sons of Coruscant as NPCs, because their style and motivations are very specific to Geoff's imagination, and out of respect I wouldn't want to risk ballsing that up, and I think that's how most people feel - just look at how few of us have Cizerack for example, despite Charley telling us for years that he eagerly welcomed people creating characters, lore, and all sorts. Given the way our community is wired, I don't think a player led faction is the right fit for a catalyst, if we want a casual and care free free-for-all participation vibe.

Starting with a single news headline "Ssi-Ruuk Attack On Terminus" sort of situation seems like the keep it simple stupid option here. We don't need to plan out a complicated reshaping of our political landscape (though if that happens organically, great!), we just need a nudge.

And on that note, we have a massive catalyst in the Starkiller missiles. If this is a cold war, perhaps we could have our own Cuban Missile Crisis. How would that look? Do the Ssi-Ruuk manage to get their hands on a missile? Is it a race against time before they are able to slave the missile to their computer systems and use it towards their own ends? Was the missile being transported in an underhanded kind of way (ie. the US in Turkey, or the Soviets in Cuba) and, if the truth got out, what would that do to Alliance and Imperial relations?

A Cuban Missile Crisis story is a great idea, and I am all for seeing it done. However, the reach is very small. It is definitely the sort of thing that would make people worry, but once the situation is resolved, it is resolved. Unless you're one of the people directly involved, it's going to be like Agents of SHIELD or a Netflix show referencing the latest Avengers movie but not actually doing anything with it.

Definitely a great story to explore, but perhaps not an initial trigger sort of scenario.

[Maggewetok]

One of the things that I've enjoyed about this site is the diversity in characters and factions. Amazing that it only seemed to take one or two posts to breathe life back into it after being so quiet for so long. One of the things that I've noticed over the years of writing on two sites is everyone has their own ideas and usually cooperate with someone else's. Writers - in my opinion - are usually intuitive, analytical and sympathetic. I love the Star Wars galaxy and have since seeing the first movie hit theaters. Roleplaying sessions have offered up an amazing amount of muse food over the years and nearly all of my characters have come from those campaigns.

Another thing I've noticed is many seem to be eager to get involved in epic storylines, but lose interest soon enough in getting involved in them. "Ten percent of the people do ninety percent of the work." The world's culture has become so fast and distracting that most find it hard to focus on one thing for very long and when those things that once held their attention aren't moving as fast, they move on to something else. The other site that many of us came from was the same way. An idea was posed by a very respected writer, many would offer ideas and post maybe once, then the thread faded after two weeks. I understand that this post may ruffle some feathers, and that's not the intention - far from it, so I apologize for that.

I've written many threads on my own because they move at my own pace, even though having another's thoughts on the flow of the narrative would be preferable. Many times another injects a scene or moment that you weren't thinking about and it offers up more life to the story. A twist that makes things more interesting.

I definitely understand that people have lives outside of this site and things that come up that keep us away for a while and I've come to understand that this site is very laid back, and open to nearly everything. One of the things that's kept me here for so long now. I've enjoyed reading many of the other threads that many of you have written. There's no lack of deep storylines and that excites me. I guess my main point is everyone has their own areas where they feel most comfortable and are entitled to their opinions and the fact that we're all individuals also means collaborating requires compromise.

As an aside, I'd be happy to help out wherever I can in this idea.

[Tear]

I’ll be upfront and say that do not like the idea of a pre-existing faction being the destabilizing agent in all this. Assurances that it can be NPC-farmed are nice, but it’s a tough row to hoe to have to call and repeat every single time you want to reference something that isn’t already hashed out in the universe. It’s nice to trust other storytellers, but there’s a risk for some terminal incongruenies if there is any confusion. Honestly, I think a small group like Tear’s group or the Sons of Coruscant or some other group would be much better utilized by turning the chaos of an NPC event to their advantage.

That being said, I’ll at least entertain the possibility. Tear, can you give the thread a synopsis of your group? History, composition, territory, assets. Nothing over precise or hinging on data crunching. It would be good to have a conceptual look at what we might use if we go that way.

I'll hold off for a moment in doing that just yet. Geoff and Vince are equal partners and I wouldn't want to throw our hat into the ring if its not what they're looking to do. I'll see where they stand. I know Geoff had offered up some of his groups but Vince is busy getting buff, he probably hasn't even seen this thread.

[Zereth Lancer]

As much as I would like the Tear/Geoff/Vince alliance to get some action, I don't think that they are enough on their own to create a big event that will draw in a lot of people and/or create enough change that the galaxy as a whole is different for it. They could do a lot of damage, believe you me, but it would be against a singular target or a close proximity group, like a star system or collection of planets.

I don't know what the full range of Tear and Vince's forces are, but what I can say for the Sons of Coruscant is that they have a small fleet worth of ships composed of Star Destroyers and, for lack of a better term, Scum ships like Gozantis and miscellaneous smaller support craft. The Sons strength is not in their navy but in their ground forces. Once they get boots on the ground they are a formidable force, but that really only allows them to entrench themselves in a few worlds with little hope of ever escaping since their navy will never survive against a full Imperial and/or Alliance battle group.

Not a very compelling story on their own. Obviously if combined with Tear and/or Vel Aath's forces they would be more rounded out but they would still struggle against numerous fleets called in on them. That would leave subterfuge and guerrilla strike and fades, which is not something that's going to bring in a lot of writers with the exception of those who are victims of these strikes and those who respond to them.

I think it is important to bare in mind that this Ssi-ruuk idea is just one concept they've brainstormed and nobody should feel penned in with it. If you have other ideas, completely divergent ideas, than pitch those and we can discuss all of them.

Only thing I can thing of off the top of my head is a Marvel's Secret War/XCOM scenario. Secret agents/aliens/something that has been planted through the entire galaxy. They could be shapeshifters or wearing disguises like XCOM thin men. Unassuming people who are actually the enemy, waiting to strike. This would cause mass paranoia. Who's real, who's a spy? Maybe they're clones of people that they've replaced, perhaps even unknowingly, until activated. Maybe they're droids (Fallout Synths). There would be witch hunts, people dragged out into the streets because they might be "one of them". And of course, horrifying attacks on the populace that can crop up at a moments notice.

This is a very unrefined idea, and I don't have any particular canon or OC force to be responsible for this sort of thing. It would have taken years to get so many undercover agents in place. personally I like the idea of some kind of gross horror that rips out of the fleshbag of a human disguise (XCOM2 Faceless) or the unwitting clone/synth/sleeper that thinks they are a real person until suddenly they are not.

[Untaaura Verratoa]

Well Clawdites are a thing and they’ve been used for this purpose at least three times in canon. I don’t see the Ssi-Ruuk putting clawdites to use, not their style. Wouldn’t put it past the Chiss though.

In any case that’s more of a topping and less the whole pizza. With Tear shelving the faction option at present, are we at consensus that we can work with either a Ssi-Ruuk, Chiss, or some combination of each as a galactic destabilizer? If we can, we can build a simple start to the crisis.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

I like the thought of the Ssi-Ruuk, but in a sort of 'upping the ante' kind of way. We've had them invade once already, so what if - for this second go-round (should we decide on that) - they've banded together with another race for a little bit of help. Maybe they've formed an alliance with the Chistori, and in doing so created a sort of Saurian Coalition Empire of sorts? Would allow a bit of variation in fates that's not just entechment; maybe the threat of planetary stripmining and population enslavement, where vast swathes of people are conquered and put to work building the Saurian engines of war. It may be that entechment is this galactic third reich's version of the gas chambers?

It could be that the use of the Clawdites is more of a gestapo role-filling?

I know this is heavy on the WW2 notes, but I think it might be a neat thing to have a sort of Axis and Allies angle to this.

[Captain Untouchable]

I really like the #TeamDino idea. Having more than just entechment as a goal is a really good shout - it adds some flexibility without too much extra complexity - and sticking with lizard-like races is a neat touch. Almost an "all aliens are inferior, but you're less inferior" sort of vibe.

I really like the idea of doing things with the Clawdites too, though it is more of an intrigue / destabilising government's sort of vibe, which may not be on brand with the resource stealing and people snatching that the Ruuk and Chistori have going for them.

Perhaps the Clawdites would jive well with the Hutts? We've talked about how our crisis could open the door for people to exploit the situation - Imperial/Chiss stuff, and all that jazz. The Hutts don't have their own spy agency to do that sort of thing, but perhaps they can employ some sort of Clawdite assassin's guild to infiltrate for them. A pizza topping rather than the whole pie, like Charley said, but there's definitely some intriguing possibilities.