Using Star Wars Miniatures in a Roleplaying game
A little over five years ago, a friend and I wandered into a small comic book shop in Southern New Jersey, looking to waste a bit of time before heading to work. Both of us had been lifelong fans of Star Wars, and the rack of large, hardcover Star Wars books quickly caught our attention. We both laughed when we found out that it was a new "Role Playing Game", and, half-jokingly, asked the guy at the counter what we'd need to play. Two books and a bag of many-sided dice later we were on our way back to our respective jobs. Several days passed and we recruited a friend of ours who was familiar with "Dungeons and Dragons" to show us the ropes of Roleplaying. We created some simple characters and began our first adventure, trudging through the deserts of Tatooine. The game went smoothly... for about ten minutes. Then a fight broke out, and we quickly grew confused about where we were, and who was there, and which guys were the good guys. With little imagination and no experience, "Role Playing" quickly turned into absoulte chaos. When we regrouped a week later, the GM had prepared several maps to help us in visualizing the area, and we used Star Wars Legos to represent our figures. Sometime later we moved on to the little pewter figures from Star Wars Monopoly. Eventually, deciding that we needed more variety, we created character tokens out of old POGs. Though the game continued as normal, there was always a little something missing.
Several years have passed, and a new era is here in Star Wars Roleplaying. I personally, have gone from a second rate player to a second rate GM, and as such I would like to share some of the things that I have learned since taking on the role of GM, as well as a few tips on succesfully using miniatures to spice up your RPG sessions.
Keep it Simple. Not every encounter needs to use miniatures. In fact, many times miniatures will distract from the actual roleplaying and overuse of them will quickly turn your group into roll-players. Keep the minis and dice away until they are needed.
Think Ahead of Time. Nothing kills a dramatic moment more than a GM burrowing into his bag of toys to find a Dark Side Acolyte. Before your session starts, you should be prepared with the figures you will likely need for the session. If you want to keep them secret, keep them behind the GM screen or in a little paper sack, but make sure they will be easy to find when they are needed.
Artistic License. Miniatures should be representative of the characters that exist in the story that you are creating. However, as a GM your job is to tell a story. If you need to use an Ewok to represent Kabe in a cantina scene, go ahead and do so. Do not let your collection of Miniatures limit your ability to create.
Be Creative. As of today there are precisely 240 different models of miniatures, as well as several Promotional figures with alternate paint schemes. While that may seem like a lot, you may find that you are still missing the right piece to represent your villain. Sure, there are three Darth Vaders, but where can I find an Imperial Inquisitor. Mara Jade's wonderful, but didn't the Empire have other assassins. Don't be afraid to mix and match body parts from your existing collection of miniatures. Making custom figures can be fun and very rewarding. Also, feel free to use figures from other lines of miniatures. With a little creativity, the possibilities are endless.
Have Fun. If you try something new, and it just doesn't seem to work, don't be afraid to take a step back and try something else. Remember, it's your game. If you're not enjoying it, then your players probably won't enjoy it.
