\documentclass{game}
\usepackage{sheets}
\renewcommand\sheetname{Charles Leiserson, Ariel Segall, and Brian Sniffen}
\begin{document}
\name{Plot Summary}

On Friday and Saturday of this last weekend, we supervised two runs of
a role-playing game set in the Star Wars universe.  We'd spent the
previous three weeks writing about fifty thousand words of text and
several hundred lines of \TeX\ and Perl code.

What follows here is a brief summary of what was going on within the
imaginary entertainment environment of the game.

\section{Metaphysics}
As far as we can tell, in order to become a Master of the Force, you
have to start out as a zealot of either the Light or the Dark, fall to
the other side, then come most of the way back.  Hence Yoda, Obi-wan,
Anakin, and so on know what it is to be kind, merciful, cruel, and
sadistic.

\section{Ancient History}
For untold millennia, the two sides of the Force have been locked in a
cosmic game of chess.  But what if it weren't a game of chess?  What
if it was just a very complicated form of solitaire, played by a small
green man with pointy ears?  The root behind the Galaxy's current
problems is Grand Jedi Master Yoda.

Yoda had been involved with the initial creation of the Jedi Order as
a way of uniting various spiritual groups and promoting self-restraint
in the use of the Force.  In the last century or so, he'd seen it move
from an order of cloistered monks to a group of political advisors and
civil servants.  By the time of \emph{Phantom Menace}, the Jedi were
ruling the Republic in all but name.  Yoda was not pleased.

So he threw on a dark cloak, started calling himself ``Darth
Sidious,'' and resurrected the Sith Order.  Along the way, he
brainwashed that poor fool Palpatine into helping with his plans.
Yoda set Palpatine and the Sith to wiping out the old Jedi, and the
Jedi to wiping out the Sith and unsettling Palpatine's reign.

His eventual goal was the extermination of the zealots both Jedi and
Sith, the removal of ``the Force'' from the popular vocabulary, and
the return of control of the Galaxy to mundanes.  Along the way, he
hoped to create as many Jedi masters as possible.  In his perfect
plan, the son of Anakin Skywalker would become a Jedi Master just as
the last of the old order passed away, leaving one Gray Force User who
wanted nothing to do with politics, and a Galaxy run by and for
mundanes.

\section{Recent History}
Yesterday, Tatooine was the domain of the Hutt crime-lords.  This
morning, half a dozen Republic Star Destroyers dropped into orbit and
began landing troops.  They didn't get very many down on the planet
before a giant sand-storm came up, but intend to continue drops as soon
as it abates.

First Citizen Palpatine promulgated some new laws this morning, which
combine to say, ``All space travel is to be handled by the Navy.  All
government is to be handled by the Army.  All non-humans are to carry
papers at all times.  Sedition is illegal.  Any violation or intended
violation of these laws will be dealt with by summary execution.''

\section{Characters and Groups}
\begin{description}
\item[Sith] The Sith were in game primarily seeking fleeing
Jedi. Their goal was to kill any Jedi they might find and satisfy
their superiors.
\begin{description}
\item[Darth Aughti] A loyal and rather arrogant Sith.
\item[Darth Ean] An ex-Jedi turned to the Dark Side.
\item[Darth Vil (Vil-nabo)] A Jedi Knight in disguise as a Sith, in hopes of
being left alone.
\end{description}
\item[Jedi] The Jedi were fleeing the Sith and the Republic, with a
price on their heads, in heavy disguise. They wanted to preserve the
Jedi Order in the face of major losses, and survive.
\begin{description}
\item[Mark Lancaster (Ob-talan Sharai)] Jedi Master, fleeing with his apprentice.
\item[Jill Lancaster (Lan-tara Dept)] Apprentice of above.
\item[Fran Charl (Obi-wan Kenobi)] Jedi Master, trying to find someone
willing to take in baby Luke before he returned to the Rebellion.
\end{description}
\item[Stormtroopers] The Republic troops were on Tatooine to subdue
the planet and bring it under Republic law. They were also keeping an
eye out for any traitors, criminals, or Jedi they might find.
\begin{description}
\item[Lt. Jon ``Lefty'' Hergremmer] The commander of this
expedition. Wanted to negotiate with the local crime families and
avoid a war.
\item[Sgt. Hans Pumper] Soldier. Wanted to pick fights.
\item[Cpl. Frans Pumper] Soldier. Wanted to pick fights. Hated aliens.
\end{description}
\item[Royalty] The royalty had no uniting plot elements, but were all
here because of rumors of Republic-based unrest near their home planets.
\begin{description}
\item[Len Philip Gothreimer, Duke of Ferastor-Ghasek] Here to either
side with the Republic or start a war with them, depending on which
would preserve more of his power.
\item[Zack Allen] The Duke's bodyguard and an arms dealer.
\item[Claire Marshall (Antara Electra Margarethe Winchester, Phylarch
of Cronaut)] A princess sent to Altair by her parents for protection
and stranded on Tatooine. Wanted an adventure.
\item[Sarah Marshall (Padme Oristan)] The Princess' bodyguard and
nurse. Trying to find passage back off planet and keep the Phylarch out
of trouble.
\end{description}
\item[Wookies] The entire population of the Wookie homeworld, Kashyyyk, had been
enslaved by Palpatine's personal troops a few years pregame. The
wookies in-game were trying to raise money and find weapons to help
the wookie rebellion.
\begin{description}
\item[``Argy'' Aurghurrk] A blackmailed informant to the Republic and
would-be freedom fighter.  Argy is the property of Jabba the Hutt,
rented out to the bar.
\item[``Naky'' Nakr-nakr] An older freedom fighter and
engineer. Currently the prisoner of Boba Fett.
\item[``Roan'' Akkkroan] Naky's assistant. Young revolutionary and
engineer. Currently the prisoner of Boba Fett.
\end{description}
\item[Scum] These people are the justification for Obi-wan's opinion:``Mos Eisley Spaceport. You will never find a more wretched
hive of scum and villainy.  We must be cautious.''
\begin{description}
\item[Owen Lars] AWOL Republic pilot, trying to sell his ship and
settle down on a farm somewhere.
\item[Frank Grimaldi (Cptn. Francis Grimaldi)] Disloyal Republic spy, trying to
aid the Rebellion-to-be.
\item[Momawaw Ra Nadon] Representative of the small local Clan Ra---,
led by Rabana the Hutt. Here to make sure that none of Clan Ja---'s
negotiations happen without Clan Ra---'s input.
\item[Jervlo Ja Sidd] Representative of the local Clan Ja---, led by
Jabba the Hutt. Here to negotiate with Boba Fett and the Republic.
\item[Boba Fett] The Galaxy's most famous bounty hunter, and a great
admirer of the Dread Pirate Roberts.  She was here
escorting the two wookies to the planet that was paying for them,
hunting Jedi, trying to pay off the Hutts, looking for cash, and
building up the name of Boba Fett.
\item[Hank Wasperman (Roger Gondorf)] A smuggler with a bounty on his
head, a broken ship, and a crate of mail that needed to be across the
galaxy by yesterday.
\item[Charley Woher] Charley is the bartender.  He doesn't say much,
but he runs a clean place.  Don't mess with his wookie.
\end{description}
\end{description}

\section{Postgame}
The two runs went rather differently, but a few elements came out the
same way: the Good Guy Mob found a way off planet on Gondorf's ship,
with Grimaldi acting as travel agent and getting them an engineer.

Boba Fett managed to collect his wookies, Owen managed to keep his
ship out of Republic hands, and the Sith managed to get slaughtered
for excessive public violence and turning their backs on game.

\section{Shameless Plug}
Sometime when we're done with term, Ricky, Ariel and I intend to run
\emph{Wretched Hive: Rise of the Sith}.  It'll be a much higher-action
lower-disguise game, set during the Sith invasion of the Jedi temple
on Coruscant.
\end{document}