Beyond the Empire: Exploring Rebellion and Sacrifice in Star Wars-Inspired Tabletop RPGs
The galaxy far, far away holds an undeniable grip on the collective imagination. For decades, Star Wars has been a cultural touchstone, weaving tales of heroes, villains, epic space battles, and the eternal struggle between light and dark. Yet, as with any long-running, massively popular franchise, the relationship between fans and the stewards of the story can be complex, often oscillating between deep affection and passionate critique. As one commentator aptly put it, being a Star Wars fan often means you love it just as much as you hate it. This dynamic is particularly evident in the era of expansive canon and corporate ownership, leading some fans to seek alternative ways to engage with the universe they cherish.
Enter the world of tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs). For many, TTRPGs offer a unique avenue for creative expression and narrative exploration, allowing players and game masters to collectively tell stories within familiar or entirely new settings. It's a space where agency reigns supreme, and the narrative can bend and shift based on player choices, dice rolls, and collaborative storytelling. It's perhaps no surprise, then, that the Star Wars universe has long been a fertile ground for TTRPG adaptations, both official and fan-made.
While official Star Wars TTRPGs have existed for decades, offering structured ways to play within the established canon, a different kind of game has emerged, born from a desire to explore specific themes and narratives, sometimes even challenging or remixing the source material itself. Two such games, Going Rogue and Galactic, have recently garnered attention, successfully funding a printed edition through crowdfunding. Described as 'war among the stars' role-playing games, they invite players to step into the boots of members of The Liberation, dedicating their lives to the fight against The Mandate. These are not Jedi or Sith, but the everyday heroes and anti-heroes of rebellion: 'rebels, soldiers, spies, and criminals, or perhaps someone who simply picked up a blaster and said 'enough is enough.''
Inspired by Rebellion: Rogue One and Andor
The inspiration for these games is explicitly drawn from two of the most critically acclaimed recent entries in the Star Wars saga: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and the Disney+ series Andor. These stories stand apart from the main Skywalker saga by focusing on the ground-level reality of the Galactic Civil War. They portray the Rebellion not as a clean-cut fight between clear-cut heroes and villains, but as a messy, morally grey struggle fought by ordinary people making extraordinary sacrifices. They delve into the logistics, the espionage, the political maneuvering, and the sheer human cost of fighting an oppressive regime.
Rogue One, in particular, resonated deeply with many fans for its portrayal of a desperate mission undertaken by a crew of flawed individuals, culminating in a bittersweet victory achieved through ultimate sacrifice. Andor took this even further, presenting a gritty, espionage-thriller perspective on the nascent Rebellion, exploring themes of occupation, resistance, and the radicalization of individuals pushed to their limits. These narratives offer a stark contrast to the more fantastical, Force-centric stories often told in the core saga, providing a rich, complex backdrop for roleplaying.
The creators of Going Rogue and Galactic saw in these stories a powerful foundation for a different kind of Star Wars-inspired game, one that emphasizes the themes of sacrifice, political struggle, and the harsh realities of war. As detailed in an article discussing the games, the designer, going by Levine, found particular inspiration in the narrative structure and emotional weight of Rogue One and Andor. This inspiration wasn't just about recreating the setting; it was about capturing the *feeling* and the *stakes* of those stories.
Addressing Canon and Reclaiming Narrative
One of the most fascinating aspects highlighted by the designer is the motivation to create a game that allows players to engage with these themes without being strictly bound by official Star Wars canon, and specifically, without having to directly support or 'interface with an evil entertainment empire,' referring to Disney. This sentiment reflects a growing trend among fans of large franchises who feel a disconnect from the corporate entities that own and manage the intellectual property they love. For some, fan works, including TTRPGs, become a way to reclaim a sense of ownership over the stories and characters that have shaped their lives.
Levine explicitly stated a preference for playing the game outside of strict canon, even suggesting that players could 're-skin' the game to fit the original Star Wars universe if they wished. However, the core design is built around a setting that is *inspired* by Star Wars but distinct enough to stand on its own – The Liberation versus The Mandate. This allows the game to explore familiar archetypes and conflicts without being beholden to established lore or future corporate decisions.
Furthermore, the designer was candid about using the game as a way to work through their own criticisms of certain aspects of Star Wars canon. The article quotes Levine expressing frustration with elements like the portrayal of the Jedi as 'child kidnapping, sexless ascetics.' This points to a deeper motivation behind fan creation: the desire to 'fix' or reinterpret elements of the source material that feel problematic or unsatisfying. TTRPGs, with their inherent flexibility and collaborative nature, are an ideal medium for this kind of narrative remixing. Players aren't just passive consumers; they are active participants who can shape the story to better align with their own interpretations and values.
The act of creating and playing a game like Going Rogue is, in itself, a statement. As Levine put 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.'' While acknowledging that the game is 'downstream' of Star Wars, the creation of an independent game allows fans to assert a form of creative autonomy. It's a way of saying, 'We love the core ideas and themes, but we will explore them on our own terms, free from corporate constraints and canonical baggage.'
The Power of Sacrifice: A Unique Mechanic
Beyond the thematic inspiration and the desire for narrative independence, Going Rogue incorporates a mechanic that directly reflects the core themes of *Rogue One* and *Andor*: the guaranteed impact of character sacrifice. The article notes that this mechanic was a specific point of intrigue, baked into the game to ensure that when a character chooses to make the ultimate sacrifice for The Liberation, their death is narratively meaningful and impactful.
In many TTRPGs, character death can feel random or anticlimactic, sometimes derailing the story or leaving players feeling that their character's journey ended without purpose. Going Rogue intentionally subverts this. The designer wanted to create a system where, as a character becomes willing to sacrifice their life for the cause, the mechanics guarantee that this sacrifice will be 'worth it.' Players get to see, narratively, how their character's death transforms the galaxy or significantly advances The Liberation's goals.
This mechanic serves a powerful emotional and narrative purpose. In real life, the impact of sacrifices, particularly in political or military struggles, is often uncertain and may not be immediately apparent, if ever. By guaranteeing the narrative payoff of a character's sacrifice, the game provides a sense of closure and validation that is often missing from reality. It allows players to explore the emotional weight of dedicating one's life to a cause and facing the potential for death, while also providing a cathartic assurance that such dedication is not in vain within the game's narrative framework.
The designer clarified that the goal wasn't to proselytize or convince players to adopt a specific political ideology, but rather to create an 'emotional tool' that serves as a mirror for players' own feelings about commitment to a cause. This mechanic encourages players to think deeply about what their characters are fighting for and what they are willing to give up. It shifts the focus from mere survival or personal gain to the collective struggle and the impact one individual can have on the larger conflict, even in death.
This focus on guaranteed narrative impact through sacrifice is a compelling example of how TTRPG mechanics can be designed not just to simulate actions or resolve conflicts, but to evoke specific emotions and explore complex philosophical or political ideas. It's a form of game design that prioritizes narrative and thematic resonance over strict simulationism.
The Broader Landscape of Fan Works and TTRPGs
The existence and success of games like Going Rogue and Galactic speak to several larger trends in both fan culture and the TTRPG hobby. Firstly, they highlight the enduring power of beloved fictional universes to inspire creativity, even when fans have reservations about official directions or corporate control. Fan fiction, fan art, fan films, and fan games are all ways for communities to continue engaging with and evolving stories that are meaningful to them.
Secondly, they underscore the versatility and growing sophistication of tabletop roleplaying games as a medium. TTRPGs are no longer solely the domain of dungeon crawls and epic fantasy quests. They are increasingly being used to explore a vast range of genres, themes, and narrative structures, including gritty political thrillers and stories centered on sacrifice and resistance, as discussed in the Aftermath article.
The rise of narrative-focused TTRPGs, often using lightweight or innovative rule systems, makes it easier for designers to create games that prioritize specific emotional experiences or thematic explorations, rather than getting bogged down in complex simulations. Games like Powered by the Apocalypse, Forged in the Dark, and others have paved the way for systems that are tightly integrated with the genre and themes they aim to portray, making them ideal for adapting or being inspired by specific media like *Rogue One* and *Andor*.
Furthermore, the crowdfunding success of Going Rogue and Galactic demonstrates a market for fan-inspired content that exists outside of official licensing. Fans are willing to support creators who offer fresh perspectives and innovative gameplay experiences rooted in the universes they love, even if those games aren't officially sanctioned. This creates a parallel ecosystem of creativity that can sometimes influence or even challenge the official narrative.
The relationship between fan works and intellectual property holders is often fraught with legal and ethical complexities. While large corporations like Disney are protective of their IPs, fan works often exist in a grey area, tolerated or even quietly encouraged as long as they don't directly compete or infringe too overtly. Games like Going Rogue, by creating a distinct setting while clearly stating their inspiration, navigate this space by offering an experience that is *like* Star Wars but isn't *literally* Star Wars, allowing them to explore similar themes without directly using copyrighted names or concepts beyond acknowledging the inspiration.
This approach allows the game to serve as a 're-skin' platform, as mentioned by the designer, enabling players who *do* want to play in the official Star Wars universe to easily adapt the rules, while also providing a compelling standalone setting for those who prefer distance from the official canon. It's a clever way to appeal to a broad range of fans with varying levels of engagement with the official IP.
The Future of Fan-Inspired Gaming
The success of Going Rogue and Galactic points towards a vibrant future for fan-inspired tabletop gaming. As TTRPGs continue to grow in popularity and accessibility, more fans are likely to take the tools of game design into their own hands to explore the stories they want to tell within or inspired by their favorite universes. This trend is not limited to Star Wars; it can be seen across various fandoms, from science fiction and fantasy to anime and video games.
These fan-created games often fill niches that official products might overlook. They can delve into specific characters, time periods, or themes that are only briefly touched upon in the source material. They can experiment with mechanics that wouldn't fit a mass-market licensed product. And crucially, they can provide a space for fans to collectively process, critique, and celebrate the stories they love on their own terms.
The focus on themes like rebellion, sacrifice, and political struggle in Going Rogue and Galactic is particularly relevant in today's world. Stories that explore resistance against oppressive systems resonate deeply with many people. By providing a framework for players to embody characters engaged in such struggles, these games offer a safe space to explore complex moral questions, the nature of commitment, and the potential for individual action to contribute to larger change.
The mechanic of guaranteed sacrifice impact is a powerful example of how game design can be used to create specific emotional arcs and reinforce thematic messages. It turns a potentially negative game outcome (character death) into a moment of narrative triumph and significance, aligning the mechanics directly with the game's core themes inspired by stories like Rogue One and Andor. This kind of design thinking is pushing the boundaries of what TTRPGs can achieve as a storytelling medium.
In conclusion, Going Rogue and Galactic represent more than just new games; they are artifacts of fan culture, expressions of creative autonomy, and examples of how tabletop roleplaying can be a powerful tool for exploring complex narratives and emotions. They allow fans to step beyond the confines of official canon and corporate ownership to find their own stories of rebellion and glory among the stars, proving that the spirit of the galaxy far, far away thrives not just in blockbuster films and streaming series, but also around a table, fueled by dice, character sheets, and shared imagination, as highlighted in the Aftermath article detailing the games' inspirations and design philosophy.
The success of their crowdfunding campaign signals a strong desire within the community for games that offer this kind of depth and thematic focus, independent of the official IP holders. It's a testament to the creativity and passion of fans who are not content to merely consume, but who wish to participate in the ongoing evolution of the stories they hold dear. Whether players choose to 're-skin' the games to fit the classic Star Wars universe or embrace the distinct setting of The Liberation versus The Mandate, they are engaging in a form of play that is deeply personal, politically resonant, and narratively rewarding, echoing the sentiments shared in the article that first brought these games to light.
These games serve as a reminder that the heart of a fictional universe often resides not just with its creators or owners, but with the community of fans who keep its stories alive, reinterpret its themes, and build upon its foundations in new and unexpected ways. By focusing on the ground-level struggle and the profound impact of individual sacrifice, Going Rogue and Galactic offer a compelling and emotionally resonant experience that stands proudly alongside their inspirations, providing a space for rebellion and glory that is truly the players' own, as explored in the Aftermath article discussing the games' design and purpose.