Who Should Be the Big Bad in the New Star Wars Trilogy?

Clearly, it should be the scheming Amidala.

She was the "phantom menace" from the first film, a Sith lord so subtle that she could pretend to be two people, out of a very small group of people, without either Qui Gon Jinn or Obi Wan Kenobi catching on. A Sith Lord able to take control of her world at a very young age. A Sith Lord who possesses the genius necessary to take back that world from an army of droids, using only a few grappling guns and some Gungans.

Amidala, not Palpatine, decimated the Gungans by convincing them to get slaughtered for the Naboo. 

Amidala, not Palpatine, first recognized that Anakin was special and started grooming him for her purposes. 

Amidala, not Palpatine, had the most influence on the older Anakin...and literally seduced him from his Jedi vows. 

When Palpatine sends assassins to kill Amidala, he is attempting to dispose of a rival. 

When Luke and Leia are born, Amidala fakes her own death using her Sith wiles....which is why Leia remembers her on Aldaraan. Amidala seems to die again when Leia is young, but does not...

Amidala is why.

In The Phantom Menace, they kept saying that there was always a bigger fish, and to be careful not to assume. In a sense, then, the prequel trilogy is actually a contest between Amidala and Palpatine, which Palpatine wins. His win causes Amidala to fake her death, and go into hiding. Yet she still hangs around Leia because, as we know, there are always two - a master and an apprentice. Moreover, Obi Wan and Yoda eventually focus on Luke because they have figured out what Amidala is, prompting her second apparent death when Leia is still young, and causing Obi Wan to dismiss her as a potential hope.

Suddenly, a lot of apparent mistakes make sense.

Vault 0

My brother's business venture: Vault 0.

Costuming and accessories for gamers and fans.

Toronto Crawl Classics

I have started a new blog as a home for my open Dungeon Crawl Classics game that will be starting next January. This will contain rules, characters, maps....anything that players in the game should be aware of. You can find it here.

If you are in the Toronto area and feel like playing, there will be neither cost nor commitment required. Those who show up are the party that night. Either they get to a rest stop by the end of the night's gaming, or they get to roll on some tables I will be devising to determine what happens between the curtain of one gaming session and when their characters are seen next. Basically, unless otherwise arranged, one adventurous outing = one session.



What will this game entail?

• A sandbox setting (the ruins of Toronto, which effectively contains villages, dungeons, a megadungeon or two, and wilderness areas).

• Several funnel adventures to allow PCs to be readied for the game.

• A large, known, complex for the ease of play. If you have nothing better to do, you can always attempt to raid the Dark Paths. Simply exploring Ruined Toronto is hazardous...but rewarding.

• Points of familiarity for those familiar with the Greater Toronto Area.

• Hiring Board...You can take a job, go exploring, or set your own agenda.

Who can play?

Anyone who wants to. 

Players may have multiple active PCs. On any given game night (outside the funnel), each player may choose one of his or her active PCs, if that PC is available (i.e., the PC is not off on another quest, recuperating, a prisoner, etc).

Disruptive players can be banned, but let's hope that never happens. In character Player vs. Player action is fine; out of character PVP is not. 

What do you need?

Dice.

Stuff to write on.

Any DCC material you might have will come in handy, but it isn't really needed. No published materials will be used without serious modifications, so you can own every DCC adventure available if you like. It makes no difference to me.

Toronto Crawl Classics is obviously influenced by the wonderful work of the DCC community....in particular, Crawling Under a Broken Moon and Crawljammer. Buy all the issues if you want. Read them. They may help you. They may not. At least they will be entertaining.

When will this start?

I am shooting for January 2016, although the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.

What can I do to help?

I am trying to find a public venue, preferably not too far from the Annex, to run public games in. Any help here would be great!