Beyond the Empire: How Independent Tabletop RPGs Capture the Spirit of Star Wars Rebellion (Without Disney)
The relationship between a dedicated fan base and a massive, long-running franchise like Star Wars is often complex, a blend of deep affection and passionate critique. As one observer notes in an article from the gaming site Aftermath, "As every Star Wars fan knows, being a Star Wars fan means you hate Star Wars as much as you love it." This sentiment, born from decades of evolving canon, shifting creative directions, and the sheer weight of expectation, fuels a vibrant ecosystem of fan works, discussions, and alternative interpretations. For some, this complex relationship finds its most potent expression not in consuming official media, but in creating something new – something that grapples directly with the parts of the universe they love, and perhaps, the parts they find problematic.
Enter Going Rogue and Galactic, two tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs) that explicitly position themselves as being "inspired" by the Star Wars universe, yet deliberately exist outside its official canon. These games, which recently saw a successful crowdfunding campaign for a printed edition, are described as "war among the stars" RPGs. They invite players into a setting where a resistance movement, known as The Liberation, wages a desperate war against an oppressive regime called The Mandate. Players take on the roles of individuals caught up in this conflict – "rebels, soldiers, spies, and criminals, or perhaps someone who simply picked up and blaster and said 'enough is enough.'"
Inspired by Rebellion: Rogue One, Andor, and the Desire for Authentic Struggle
The inspiration for these games is not drawn from the Skywalker saga's grand, often mystical narratives, but specifically from the grittier, more grounded stories of rebellion depicted in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and the Disney+ series Andor. These two properties resonated deeply with many fans for their focus on the sacrifices, moral compromises, and everyday struggles inherent in fighting an authoritarian power. They moved away from chosen-one narratives and Jedi heroics to explore the lives of ordinary people, spies, soldiers, and political organizers who build a rebellion from the ground up, often paying the ultimate price.
The designer of Going Rogue, as quoted in the Aftermath article, openly discusses how the game was a way to process their own feelings about the official Star Wars canon. "You can re-skin Going Rogue to be all the original stuff [from Star Wars]. I prefer, at this point, to play it not in canon Star Wars," Levine stated. This preference highlights a common desire among fans to engage with the *themes* and *aesthetics* of a beloved universe without being beholden to its established lore, particularly when that lore includes elements they find disagreeable or poorly handled. Levine specifically calls out aspects of the Jedi order in canon, stating, "I think it sucks that the Jedi are child kidnapping, sexless acetics!" This kind of direct critique is often difficult to express or explore within the confines of official storytelling, but a fan-inspired TTRPG provides a perfect sandbox for such exploration and 'fixing'.
The connection to Rogue One is particularly strong for Going Rogue. Levine admits, "I love Rogue One and I hate Rogue One." This paradoxical feeling encapsulates the fan experience – appreciating the film's strengths (its portrayal of sacrifice, its connection to the original trilogy) while perhaps critiquing its weaknesses (character development, pacing, adherence to certain tropes). Going Rogue, by remixing the core ideas of Rogue One, allows players to step into that narrative space and potentially craft a story that aligns more closely with their own ideal version of that struggle.
Reclaiming the Narrative: Politics, Ownership, and Fan Agency
Beyond simply offering a space to 'fix' canon issues, these games represent a more profound act of fan agency: reclaiming the narrative from corporate ownership. The article explicitly links Going Rogue to the political themes present in Andor, a series widely praised for its nuanced and often radical portrayal of resistance against fascism. An opinion piece in The New York Times, for instance, explored the show's "leftist, radical" underpinnings, highlighting its focus on collective action, the slow burn of political awakening, and the moral complexities of revolutionary struggle. Going Rogue and Galactic tap into this same vein, providing a framework for players to explore these themes through interactive storytelling.
The designer's motivation goes deeper than just thematic exploration; it's also about challenging the notion of corporate control over beloved stories. As Levine puts it, "Something I like about tabletop role playing and adaptational tabletop role playing is it says, 'Actually, fuck them. They don't get to own this thing.'" This is a powerful statement about the nature of modern fandom in the age of massive media conglomerates. When a property like Star Wars is owned by a company as ubiquitous as Disney, fans can feel a disconnect between the stories they love and the corporate machine producing them. Independent TTRPGs offer a way to engage with the *spirit* of the original work, the core ideas and feelings it evokes, without directly supporting or being constrained by the corporate entity that holds the official license.
Levine acknowledges the inherent connection: "We can't fully divest from the connection to Star Wars. Obviously, we are downstream of it in certain ways." The games are *inspired* by Star Wars; they wouldn't exist without it. However, they represent an attempt to create a space where the *experience* of the story, the emotional and thematic core, can be explored and owned by the players and creators, rather than being dictated by corporate interests. "But we are also trying to say, fuck [Disney's] ownership of this thing that you love," Levine concludes, articulating a desire for fan sovereignty over the cultural impact and meaning of the franchise.
The Mechanics of Sacrifice: Guaranteeing Meaning in a Dangerous Galaxy
One of the most intriguing aspects of Going Rogue, highlighted by the Aftermath article, is a specific mechanic designed to address the often-brutal realities depicted in its source material. Both Rogue One and Andor are notable for their willingness to show the high cost of rebellion, including the deaths of central characters. Going Rogue leans into this, with a mechanic baked into the game where a character is "more or less guaranteed to go out in a blaze of glory for the cause."
This isn't simply a mechanism for character death; it's a narrative tool designed to ensure that sacrifice has tangible, meaningful impact within the game world. The designer explains, "I wanted to design the game in a way that, as your character realized that they were willing to voluntarily sacrifice their life for this, you were narratively guaranteed by the mechanics that that sacrifice was worth it. You get to see, after they die, how it transforms the galaxy."
In many traditional RPGs, character death can feel random or anticlimactic, a sudden end to a story arc. By contrast, Going Rogue elevates sacrifice to a core narrative beat, ensuring that a character's ultimate act of devotion to The Liberation has a guaranteed, positive effect on the ongoing struggle against The Mandate. This mechanic directly mirrors the thematic core of Rogue One, where the deaths of Jyn Erso, Cassian Andor, and the rest of the team were directly responsible for the Rebellion obtaining the Death Star plans, a sacrifice that fundamentally changed the course of the galactic civil war.
This design choice serves a deeper purpose than just mimicking the source material's plot points. It's intended to create an emotional resonance for the players. "I wanted you to get that feeling because you don't get that certainty in real life," the designer notes. Real-world political struggles and acts of sacrifice rarely offer such clear, guaranteed outcomes. People fight, suffer, and die for causes with no assurance that their efforts will ultimately succeed or that their sacrifice will be remembered or impactful. By providing this narrative certainty within the game, Going Rogue allows players to experience a cathartic version of this struggle, where the ultimate commitment to a cause is validated by the game's mechanics.
The designer clarifies that the goal isn't to proselytize or convince players to adopt a specific political ideology, such as socialism, which is sometimes associated with critiques of large corporations and themes of collective action. Instead, the game aims to be an "emotional tool that serves as a mirror for the players' own feelings about what it means to devote your life to a political cause." It provides a safe, interactive space to explore complex emotions and ideas surrounding commitment, sacrifice, and the fight against oppression, allowing players to project their own understanding and feelings onto the game's narrative framework.
The Broader Landscape: Independent TTRPGs and Fan Expression
Going Rogue and Galactic are part of a larger trend in the tabletop roleplaying space: the rise of independent games that draw inspiration from popular culture but exist outside official licensing. This 'forged in the dark' or 'powered by the apocalypse' movement, among others, has empowered designers to create games that focus on specific genres, themes, or even specific narratives from existing media, without needing permission or adhering to corporate guidelines. These games often prioritize narrative, player agency, and thematic depth over strict simulation or adherence to established canon.
This independent scene thrives on creativity and a direct connection between designers and players, often facilitated by platforms like Kickstarter, as seen with the successful campaign for the printed edition of these games. It allows for niche interests and specific thematic explorations that might not be commercially viable or creatively permissible within the constraints of a major license holder.
For Star Wars fans, this offers alternatives to official RPGs, which, while providing authentic settings and characters, are inherently tied to the established canon and the business objectives of the license holder. Independent games like Going Rogue provide a different kind of authenticity – an authenticity of *feeling* and *theme*, allowing players to engage with the core ideas of rebellion, hope, and sacrifice that drew them to Star Wars in the first place, but on their own terms.
The existence and success of games like these underscore the power of fan creativity and the desire for meaningful engagement with beloved stories. They are not merely imitations but interpretations and expansions, using the framework of a familiar universe to tell new stories and explore complex ideas. By focusing on the themes of Rogue One and Andor – the ground-level struggle, the moral ambiguity, the profound cost of resistance – Going Rogue and Galactic offer a potent experience for fans who resonate with these aspects of the Star Wars saga, providing a space for rebellion and glory that feels earned and deeply personal, all without the direct involvement of the corporate empire.
Exploring the Themes: Sacrifice, Hope, and the Cost of Freedom
Let's delve deeper into the themes that make Rogue One and Andor, and by extension, these inspired TTRPGs, so compelling. The concept of sacrifice is paramount. Unlike the main saga where heroes often survive insurmountable odds, these stories emphasize that victory comes at a terrible cost. The crew of Rogue One knowingly embark on a suicide mission. Cassian Andor's journey is one of constant risk, loss, and moral compromise. This realism, while perhaps bleak, resonates with audiences who understand that real-world struggles for freedom and justice are rarely clean or without devastating losses.
Going Rogue's mechanic of guaranteed impactful sacrifice directly engages with this. It acknowledges the tragedy of losing a character but immediately validates that loss by showing its positive effect on the larger cause. This creates a unique narrative loop: players become attached to their characters, guide them through perilous missions, and when the time comes for that inevitable, meaningful sacrifice, they experience the emotional weight of the loss alongside the satisfaction of seeing their character's life contribute significantly to the fight. This is a powerful narrative tool that encourages players to think about the value of a life dedicated to a cause greater than oneself.
Hope is another crucial theme, but presented differently than in the main saga. It's not a mystical force or the destiny of a chosen one. In Rogue One, hope is embodied in a data tape, the plans for a weapon of terror, and the desperate gamble to deliver it. In Andor, hope is a slow-burning fire, igniting in small pockets of resistance, spreading through shared grievances and acts of defiance. It's fragile, hard-won, and constantly threatened. Going Rogue and Galactic, by focusing on the ground-level war, likely capture this kind of hope – the hope found in small victories, in acts of solidarity, in simply surviving another day to continue the fight.
The political dimension, particularly prominent in Andor and highlighted by the New York Times opinion piece, is also central. These are not just stories about good versus evil; they are stories about fascism, occupation, surveillance states, and the difficult, often messy process of political awakening and organization. The Mandate in the games serves as a stand-in for the Empire/First Order, allowing players to explore the dynamics of living under and fighting against such a regime. The Liberation embodies the diverse, sometimes fractured nature of a resistance movement, bringing together different people with different motivations under a common banner of opposition.
TTRPGs are uniquely suited to exploring these complex themes. Unlike passive media, they require players to make choices, embody characters, and grapple with scenarios directly. What does it mean for *your* character, the one you've invested time and emotion in, to face torture? To betray someone for the greater good? To make the ultimate sacrifice? By putting players in these shoes, Going Rogue and Galactic turn abstract political and thematic concepts into personal, interactive experiences.
The Role of TTRPGs in Fandom and Creativity
The existence and popularity of fan-inspired TTRPGs like these speak volumes about the role of tabletop games in modern fandom. TTRPGs are inherently collaborative storytelling engines. They empower players and game masters to become co-authors of a narrative. This contrasts with more passive forms of media consumption and even with video games, which, while interactive, often guide players along a predetermined path.
In a TTRPG, the story emerges from the interactions between the players, the game master, and the rules framework. This makes them ideal for exploring 'what if' scenarios, delving into underserved corners of a universe, or, as in the case of Going Rogue, remixing and reinterpreting core elements to better suit the players' desires and perspectives.
For fans who feel that a large franchise has lost its way, become too commercialized, or failed to explore certain themes adequately, creating or playing an independent TTRPG is an act of creative reclamation. It's a way of saying, "Okay, the official story is doing this, but *my* story, *our* story at this table, is going to do *that*." This is particularly relevant when dealing with a property owned by a massive corporation like Disney, where creative decisions can sometimes feel driven by marketability or a desire to maintain a specific brand image, potentially sidelining darker, more politically charged, or morally ambiguous narratives.
The designer's explicit statement about challenging Disney's ownership resonates with a segment of fandom that feels alienated by the corporate machine behind the magic. While many fans are happy to consume official content, others yearn for a more direct, less mediated connection to the stories and characters they love. Independent TTRPGs provide this by fostering a community around shared creative endeavor rather than shared consumption of licensed products.
The successful crowdfunding campaign for Going Rogue and Galactic demonstrates that there is a significant audience for this kind of independent, thematically focused, fan-inspired game. People are willing to support creators who are passionate about exploring specific aspects of a universe, even if those explorations exist outside the official, licensed product line. This success is a testament to the power of community, shared interest, and the enduring appeal of the core themes of rebellion and hope that lie at the heart of the Star Wars saga, regardless of who officially owns the rights.
Conclusion: A Galaxy of Stories Beyond Canon
Going Rogue and Galactic are more than just games; they are cultural artifacts that reflect the dynamic relationship between fans, creators, and massive media franchises. They are born from a deep love for the Star Wars universe, specifically the compelling, ground-level narratives of Rogue One and Andor, but also from a critical perspective on the official canon and its corporate stewardship.
By providing a framework for players to embody rebels fighting an oppressive Mandate, exploring themes of sacrifice, political commitment, and the messy reality of war, these TTRPGs offer a powerful emotional tool. The mechanic of guaranteed impactful sacrifice is a particularly innovative way to engage with the core tragedy and triumph of stories like Rogue One, providing players with a cathartic experience of seeing their character's ultimate devotion make a real difference.
In a world where beloved stories are increasingly owned and controlled by a few large corporations, independent creations like Going Rogue and Galactic serve as vital spaces for fan agency, creative expression, and thematic exploration. They allow fans to reclaim a piece of the galaxy, to tell their own stories of rebellion and glory, and to engage with the universe they love on their own terms, proving that the spirit of Star Wars, and the desire to fight for a cause, can thrive even far, far away from the official canon and the corporate empire.