Using Non-Star Wars stuff in a Star Wars setting

[RoloGutwein]

What are your guys' thoughts on using stuff from a non-Star Wars setting in your Star Wars game. Have you done it? What have you used? Has it gone over well with the players or flopped?

For an example of things I used:

In my Star Wars campaign, I ran a series of adventures on a planet called Eliad (introduced in Galaxy Guide 6). This was home for a number of noble families who had 'voluntarily' exiled themselves to this remote place in order to avoid becoming an enemy of the Emperor. It was maintained as a kind of 'prison' for families that displeased the Emperor, but who were (for whatever reason) not marked for outright execution.

Being a huge fan of the Battletech game, I stole the names and basic concepts for some of these noble houses from that setting and applied them to the noble houses on Eliad. Only one of my players recognized the names that I had used and he snickered a little when I first did, but after that, folks just seemed to accept it- and that player in particular even seemed to have a bit more 'buy off' on the adventures. He had an immediate feel for the houses (as did I). Yes, they were 'stolen' ideas, but they instantly provided me with a lot more depth for my NPCs than I probably could have created by myself (at least in the short timespan I had to flesh out the adventure). So overall, I'd say this worked- though it kind-of threw me for a loop when my player recognized the source.

I have done other things like this in various games, stealing names and general characteristics, but I always feel a little trepidation in doing so, as if I am 'cheating' in some manner. Anyone else feel like that? Or am I being too 'sensitive'.

I have also considered including various 'objects' from other settings and including them in the Star Wars universe. Ships, for instance. I have been flip-flopping on whether or not I should include stuff that I LOVE the look of (like the starfighters from the 1980's Buck Rogers show or Battlestar Galactica). If you were a player, would you 'mind' if such things from an outside source were used in your campaign?

Likewise if characters (or even just their archetypes) were stolen from a comic book and placed in the Star Wars galaxy, would that 'work' for you? Would you think it is cheesy? Would you love it? What?

I'm just very curious, please let me know what you think! Thanks.

[Grimace]

As a GM about the only thing that I've included from an outside source is the xenomorph from Aliens. It wasn't a whole race of them, though there is an allusion to there being a race, and they're not as animalistic and xenophobic as in the movies as the one in my game. I had it as an assassin type character for a group working not-directly against the PCs, but not exactly with them either. I kept the alien mostly obscured...it liked being in dark areas to avoid being picked out as a potential threat, since it LOOKS very intimidating. I gave it a different name (don't remember what I called it) and it didn't have all of the traits of the Alien xenomorph, but it has the look and some of the abilities of it.

Though I'm rarely a player, my personal belief, and how I work it in my games, is if you're going to include it, be coy when including the stuff. So sure, use the fighters from Buck Rogers or Battlestar Galactica. They had some awesome ideas and looks. It would be a shame to not use them in space games. Just don't have the fighter come from a larger ship called a Battlestar and don't have that Battlestar be named Galactica. That's a bit over the top. So your idea of using Battletech and some of the house names is fair, but I would have changed the house names. Go with the idea, but don't copy direct in all aspect. Copy how they act. Copy the layout and some of the weapons. Just don't port over Battletech completely unless your players don't have a problem with that. Porting everything over tends to dilute the "Star War-ness" of the game.

[Rerun941]

A lot of it depends on your players and knowing them well.

If you run a slightly less serious Star Wars game (as I do), you may find that you can insert other material wholesale. Your players may groan a bit, but then smile and go along. The portrait one of my players used for his smuggler character was a publicity shot of Starbuck from the original BSG.

If you run a more "serious" game, then you'll definitely need to get out your metal file and remove the serial numbers (or more) from the concepts you borrow. Depending on how familiar your group is with the material you're borrowing, they may not even notice. I have two groups I GM, and one is an older crowd who would probably recognize the Battletech house names in a heartbeat. My group with the younger folks probably wouldn't even notice. ("Battletech? What's that?")

[barrataria]

I don't think you should ever be ashamed or guilty about borrowing/copying characters, equipment, and so on to flesh out your world. I think with respect to SW in particular it depends on your players. I agree that care should be taken to obscure things a bit, but so long as the players' immersion in the galaxy far away is not broken, steal whatever you want. At some point (perhaps when the players serve on the USS Enterprise as it rockets towards Persephone and a fateful showdown with Ming the Merciless) you're probably playing d6 Space, but that's just fine as long as your players are on board and you enjoy what you're creating.

[RoloGutwein]

Yeah. 'Diluting' the Star Wars feel is my primary concern with porting in things from other sources. I mean, the reason I play Star Wars and not d6 Space is for the setting. In the example I listed, I honestly didn't think any of my players was at all familiar with Battletech. Had I known (and in retrospect), I likely would have changed the names to 'protect the innocent'. Unfortunately for me, most of my friends from my gaming group know most of the same stuff I do- so incorporating stuff from outside sources without it being recognized is 'iffy' at best... though I did have fun introducing a group of Moonshiners in my Serenity game with the last name "Duke". No, they didn't have a General Lee.

Even so, I can't help but WANT to include all kinds of things. Villains from comic books come to mind here. Dr. Doom would make a GREAT Sith. A Mystique-esque shapeshifting spy? A cyborg with 4 tentacular 'arms'? The list goes on and on. I've just never had the nerve to incorporate any of these ideas. Guess I should just outright ask my gaming group how they'd feel about it...

[Whill]

I do that all the time! I have many inspirations on my games, but I don't port any non-Star Wars material as is if it is an important or significant aspect of my game. I always change the names of these things, although occasionally it may somewhat reference the source(s) of influence. And Star Wars is my favorite setting, which is why I always heavily "Star-Warsify" these influences. My current campaign is significantly inspired by Dune and Lord of the Rings (well, more than Star Wars is already). Other huge inspirations are Indiana Jones and Firefly/Serenity. I have a main villain which is the Voldemort/Sauron/Darth Sidious of the campaign, but I have mixed those with a previous PC and a healthy amount of originality for good measure. I do not attempt to deny any of major inspirations and I am up front about them with the players so they know have an idea of what they are getting into.

The only time I may refer to something closer to the source if it minor and insignificant reference. Like a minor NPC's name or a ship name. Those are usually included as little inside jokes for the players. They are often characters or ships that get destroyed or otherwise no longer appear beyond the adventure the first appeared in. And sometimes for fun I assign a character name to a character that is the complete opposite in some ways of the reference as the joke. Like a big bad mean serious Imperial bounty hunter, with yellow skin and spikey head named Bart Simpson.

[barrataria]

A Mystique-esque shapeshifting spy? A cyborg with 4 tentacular 'arms'? The list goes on and on. I've just never had the nerve to incorporate any of these ideas.

You mean like Zam Wessel, or General Grievous? If it's OK for George, why shouldn't it be OK for you? :)