When playing the Star Wars RPG, whether that’s Force and Destiny, Edge of the Empire, or Age of Rebellion, GMs are inevitably going to think about bringing in characters from canon to their campaign. While this can make for some really cool moments among players, it comes with many pitfalls that GMs will want to avoid. Placing Darth Vader in the middle of a campaign can have serious consequences, both for the players and the GM. Before doing this, there are a few things that the GM should consider about these characters and the role they hold in the campaign.
Ultimately, Star Wars RPG is a tabletop experience and the goal should be to have fun with friends. Since there are no hard coded rules, game masters can really do whatever they want with their campaigns. Before taking that leap though, game masters should determine what kind of campaign it is that they are running. This isn’t to say that GMs shouldn’t include characters from canon in their story, just that they ought to be very careful while doing it. The first thing GMs need to determine is if they are willing to alter the canon of Star Wars.
The rulebooks assume that the GM and players are staying within the bounds of the established Star Wars canon, meaning certain major events that happened in the movies and accompanying material are all still happening in the same way. Instead, the players are telling their own story that’s somewhat adjacent to this. Perhaps they are a squadron of rebel pilots that get sent out to take on the Death Star. In this case, the players shouldn’t be the ones to fire the bomb that destroys it since Luke does that, but they might instead play a pivotal role in protecting him.
On the other hand, it is completely within the GM’s right to run a game set in the Star Wars universe but in which events turn out very differently. When playing by these rules, players don’t have to be as careful about using characters from canon, but they instead must be constantly thinking about how certain events would change what happened in the show. If the GM presents Count Dooku as an enemy and the players actually manage to take him down, that would have drastic effects on the outcome of the prequel trilogy.
Another supporting factor that proves the game makers didn’t intend for canon characters to be too prominent in most games is that they are completely lacking stat blocks. In one official adventure, Darth Vader does make an appearance, but it is implied that if he manages to catch the PCs then they all die. The problem with giving canon characters stats is that this also makes them killable, and that can really mess with things down the line. Even assuming the game master gives Darth Vader ridiculous stats that they assume their players will never be able to beat, players can surprise even the most experienced GM.
If these characters need to make an appearance in some form or another, it is best to keep their stats ambiguous. If players try to attack Darth Vader, they will probably die, and the GM should make that very clear. There’s no need for a 100% accurate stat block, as it should be implied that Vader is leagues above the players in terms of skill and power. On the other hand, for those players in an alternate universe, these characters could be used as a sort of final boss. In that case, the best thing to do is overstat them. There would be nothing worse than the PCs one shotting Darth Vader, as that takes all the drama out of the encounter.
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