A long time ago...

In a galaxy far, far away...

Tonight, I got to play Star Wars with my friends. It was amazing. I haven't had this much fun in a gaming session in a while; I was surprised by some of the things I found myself enjoying and wanting to do in the game, but I'll get to that in a little while.

First and foremost, the game was enjoyable because it was a chance to just sit and hang out with my friends. Gaming is a marvelous activity because it is so social. It brings us together, as I've said, and it has been a while since I've had the chance to sit down and spend an evening with some of these folks, namely Mike and Jordan, so that was particularly nice. They're good guys, all of them. And the kind of atmosphere that a role-playing session creates is a little more intimate than an evening of wargaming I feel, because it brings you together to tell a story, and you have to connect with the others in order to participate on the same level. Also it's a quieter environment, limited to only a few people, so there's a narrower focus for interaction, which means you get both quality and quantity time.

I talk more about Star Wars after the jump


Secondly, I think Star Wars has a way of bringing people together in a world we know and love. The images that accompany words like X-Wing, Jedi, Lightsaber, Death Star, or even Darth Vader are something ingrained in our consciousness. This made it easier for everyone to tune into the world of the game, and to get more in tune with their characters. Getting to see my friends take on their characters was fascinating, and it was partly due to their interaction that I was so surprised by the game.

Going into tonight, I had it in my head that my character was a little headstrong and a daring man of action. But as the game played out, I found that this wasn't the case. I found that my character had a voice, nay, a life of his own. Perhaps he thought himself a bold figure, but found that he was quite afraid of what had been going on. He was reluctant to be a hero, which is something I'd never have thought I'd enjoy playing, but it feels right somehow. I had fun. I'm not really sure how to pull off playing the reluctant hero like this, but it's exciting, it's uncharted territory, so to speak. I think one of the most memorable moments of this was feeling a bit of hero worship towards one of the other characters during the course of play. It was cool! It was everything I like about acting and gaming all at once! But I digress, back to the game.

Cast o' Characters:

Me: Jenros Vel, Human Scout and Reluctant Adventurer
Frank: E. B. MacPhail, Human Noble and Notorious Space Privateer
John: Via El Camina, Zeltron Scoundrel and Master Computer Hacker
Jordan: Raawrarn (I think), Wookie Soldier and Martial Artist
Pat: Mac Doshtaun, Mon Calamari Soldier and Sniper
Mike: Everyone Else (Because he's the GM)

We started off our careers as space adventurers on the eighth moon of Istvan, a gas giant. Istvan-8 was the home of a prominent (I thought so anyway) flight school, though in the wake of the destruction of the Death Star at the Battle of Yavin, the academy had come under Imperial scrutiny, with students disappearing into the night. Our group might have suffered the same fate, if not for the aid of a Sullustan instructor named Qui-Gal. We found notes from him informing us that we would be arrested by the Empire, and if we wished to avoid such a fate, to meet at a hangar at midnight.

Doing so, our party became embroiled in battle against the forces of the Empire. A troop of stormtroopers came to arrest us, prisoners in tow, and the situation quickly turned life-threatening. As the storm troopers spread out, I found myself getting a feel for how my character felt. He ran for the gun of a nearby ship, and after failing to impress the stormtroopers, I imagined him feeling in over his head, sort of realizing just how deep in it he was now. That was when I got even more engaged. The fact that I wasn't able to hit things didn't bother me, it made sense. I was failing to succeed in combat, but I didn't care, it felt the way I thought it should, if that makes sense. And from that point, Jenros had a life of his own, whether in desperately spraying blaster fire at storm troopers, or admiring the heroics of the other party members, it was fantastic.

As I said, I haven't had that much fun in a while.

I can't wait to play again, though sadly, we'll have to.