The H.U.M.A.N Touch

Hello again people,

A rather late AAR but after a couple of cancellations we cracked on with Star Wars EoTE last Wednesday. Moving on from last time out we broke one of our cardinal rules and went ahead with just 3 of 5 players.

We'd previously discussed the option of using NPCs to fill the void as and when necessary. The current employment as one of HI-HI's alternative action teams allows another team member, with the required skillset, to provide assistance as and when required. The downside is the loss of the Human skills of thought, logic, inspiration and pure dumb luck.
Having missed two consecutive sessions we though it was worth giving a go!

With 7-UP-0 still inside Ronsons Heay Chemicals all on his lonesome I required independent planing as they'd worked out that open comms might not be the best idea! 7s decided to try his, relatively untrained, arm at a touch of hacking. Easing his way in to the HR systems he ascertained the staff numbers and shifts, split between production and security, before moving on to the supply database. Finding a number of sub-folders including Medical, Detention and Armoury the dice went against him and he was caught red-handed. His explanation of ordering paper towels for the Armoury did not cut much ice....

Meanwhile the guy outside played the waiting and watching game for a while, until Ronson's recently heightened security relented, before Agenai went back for 7's......just as the paper towel story was unravelling ;)

So, plenty of Perception and Charm rolls later Agenai is stood in Ronson's maintenance bay, with a number of heavily armed types and no blaster, as one of their tech's runs through 7's short term memory and hardware to establich if he's a super-slicer planted in their midst. No worries there then!
What they DO find is a mysterious sealed bio-ware unit with NO OBVIOUS FUNCTION deep in 7's ermm.......bowels?
As a bonus Agenai's keen Perception skills established the pattern of the personal security codes of Ronson's security keypads, clocking several individual codes, though unfortunately clocked himself in the process.

Retiring to the local cantina the boys took stock as they looked to work out their next move. This proved difficult for all involved. As a GM I'll give a certain amount, remind, jog, throw the odd bone but I won't cheat the "reality" of the
adventure.

With an NPC within the group there's the temptation to abuse that position. I also feel that said NPC can easily be viewed by the players as a mouthpiece of the GM, thus making any utterance overtly prophetic.

Anyway, big words aside the experiment seemed somewhat inconclusive. I don't think it's a definite no-no but a very definite skill to use. A full turn-out is far more preferable.

Hopefully next time out!