| This Homebrew Content has not been reviewed in a meaningful manner. If you wish to review this content yourself, then see Untested for more details. |
This book is dedicated to the memory of Brian Daley (1947-1996) author of Han Solo at Stars' End, Han Solo's Revenge, Han Solo and the Lost Legacy, and the Star Wars Radio Dramas.
Introduction[]
In 2010, the immense scale and scope of the Star Wars "Expanded Universe" (or "EU") is as rich and diverse as any in popular fiction. Today, a Star Wars fan can spend years tracking a chronicling that universe and never really reach the end before something else is added. However, back in 1979 the entire Star Wars canon consisted of Episode IV: A New Hope and its novelization, Splinter of the Mind's Eye by Alan Dean Foster, and Han Solo at Star's End by Brian Daley. The latter of those three works represented the first Star Wars prequel, the first Star Wars story outside of the main narrative following Luke Skywalker, and the first Star Wars story set outside of the grasp of the evil Galactic Empire as the principal antagonist. In this light, most of the work that constitutes "EU" can, in some small way, can trace its genetic ancestry back to Han Solo at Star's End. I remember my junior school library had hardcover copies of the three Han Solo novels written Brian Daley that were rarely on the shelves and were severely "well-worn" when available.
It is also important to note that the Han Solo trilogy did not end up rotting on the pile of forgotten Star Wars EU (we're looking at you, Holiday Special, and especially you, Trioculus). The strength of the stories and characters presented in Han Solo at Star's End and Han Solo's Revenge provided the first source material outside Stars Wars films chosen by West End Games for their first sourcebook that was not directly connected to the original film trilogy back in 1993. This book was a landmark in Star Wars roleplaying. After fighting legions of Stormtroopers and AT-STs, gamemasters could now throw ESPO troopers, speeders, walkers, and fighters at unsuspecting players characters and suddenly there was a whole new source of gameplay adrenaline.
This brings us at the book at hand. The simple idea was to bring the Han Solo and the Corporate Sector Sourcebook up to date for the Saga Edition of the Star Wars roleplaying game. This book is not meant to replace the original West End Games edition. I encourage any fan to find and purchase a copy if the opportunity presents itself. After 31 years, there is something about this chapter in Star Wars history that fans and role players seem to keep coming back to. I, for one, cannot describe exactly what that is. Besides the original trilogy characters, how many 30-plus-year-old characters are out there that fans are writing stat blocks for? Personally, I enjoyed the original West End Corporate Sector Sourcebook so much, I consider my contribution as the principal editor of this work as a labor of love (and I was a "Johnny-come-lately" to this project). Developed for over a year, this book represents the combined talents and inspiration of dedicated fans on the Wizards of the Coast and, Order 66 Podcast bulletin boards. This book could not have been possible without the dedicated and detailed work of the hundreds of Wookieepedia writers who all Star Wars fans owe a debt of gratitude to. More importantly, this work would have been completed without the steadfast determination and patience of Rob "RobShanti" Petrone. I hope you find this book interesting and useful to your game.
Best wishes,
-Dan "Luke Lowbrow" Pomeroy, Editor and Contributor
I am at once thrilled over the completion of this fan-made sourcebook and saddened that an accumulation of "real world" issues kept my co-prime-mover in this project, Doug "Jindy" Bragg, from managing to participate in the final stages of it. Doug and I came up with the idea to put a Saga Edition sourcebook together for the Brian Daley trilogy of Han Solo Adventures in early May of 2008, on the Wizards of the Coast forums. In June of the following year, while working on compiling our abundant material into a Word document, Doug's world, as he put it, "became incredibly busy" and he was forced to divert his attention and efforts elsewhere. That's when I put out the carillon call on the Wizards and d20radio forums, and Dan "Luke Lowbrow" Pomeroy came to the rescue of the project, taking over as principal editor and completing the sourcebook with Herculean efforts. The final product has turned out far better than I ever imagined it would. I wish to heartily thank Dan, and everyone else who contributed, for all the tremendous work. My excitement at the final product is matched only by my relief that Doug has returned to the gaming community just in time to see this .pdf, the fruit of our combined efforts. Most of all, I hope you, the gamer nation and fans of the Star Wars Saga Edition Roleplaying Game, enjoy this sourcebook as much as I enjoyed participating in its creation.
Fondly,
-Rob "RobShanti" Petrone, Producer and Contributor
Species[]
Main Article: Species
In a galaxy of countless worlds, the diversity of lifeforms is one of the great gifts of nature. Countless intelligent Species populate the galaxy, traveling from planet to planet, taking vital roles in the fabric of galactic civilization. The Corporate Sector is one of those areas where countless Species freely intermingle. While the Sector itself is nearly devoid of native intelligent life, countless representatives of other Species have come to the Sector seeking a better life.
While The Galactic Empire has a clear preference for Humans, in The Corporate Sector, all beings are treated equally. While the Sector's ruling bodies are dominated by Humans, all intelligent Species have equal privileges in the eyes of the Authority. It is this equality, lacking in so much of the Empire, which draws many enterprising aliens to the Sector. Here, they know that ability and talent will take them further than anywhere else, and this opportunity has given birth to hope for many who otherwise would have none.
This is not to make the Sector out to be an alien paradise. The Corporate Sector doesn't exist in a vacuum and many of its staffers and enforcers come from the Empire; many endorse its values. Still, when intolerance occurs, it is most often out of apathy or ignorance, not by state decrees of hatred. It is an area where tolerance is not preached, but not forbidden either. While this condition is far from ideal, it is a start, if nothing else.
Equipment and Droids[]
Main Article: Equipment and Droids
In a place as consumer-oriented as The Corporate Sector, you find a lot of things you don't find most other places. There's a tool for everything. To maintain its competitive edge, the Authority spends an enormous number of credits on research and development. They're not content to produce a useful knick-knack- they have to worry about things like "marketing" and "consumer appeal."
The Authority does a lot of field testing. It takes years for the finished product to hit the market. That's why you see a lot of new things in the Sector- some things will never be released to the larger galactic economy. Of course, new stuff isn't everywhere- the Authority shaves costs anytime it can get away with using older, second-rate goods- but this area of space is where you're most likely to find yourself facing the business end of a new prototype blaster.
Vehicles and Starships[]
Main Article: Vehicles and Starships
As in the Empire, there are countless types of Vehicles and Starships in The Corporate Sector. The Corporate Sector features a combination of private and public transportation. Private transportation is very common even in the densely populated urban centers. While this causes traffic jams, the mindless obsession with buying goods helps keep the Sector's economy solvent. In the Sector, not owning transportation is a social stigma- a mark of poverty. The Corporate Sector has more privately owned speeders than a dozen other sectors combined and speeder manufacturers play a big role in the economic life of the Sector.
The Corporate Sector does have public transportation, but citizens are actively discouraged from using it. The Sector does this by making sure that public shuttles and transports are overcrowded, poorly maintained, and dirty. These forms of transportation are too degrading for the average citizen of an all too self-conscious society.
The Corporate Sector Authority[]
Main Article: The Corporate Sector Authority
Affiliation Page: The Corporate Sector Authority
Part and parcel of the Corporate Sector Charter was a specific agreement on the part of the Empire to surrender direct military control over the entire Corporate Sector to the Authority. The Authority itself would act in the name of the Emperor to settle disputes and to maintain security. When this clause of the Charter was first brought before the Emperor's advisors, the reaction was derisive to say the least. To ask the Emperor to surrender control he had just wrested for himself and give it over to a private company was laughable.
None of them knew the Emperor was already aware of the proposal and had, in fact, had his Vizier suggest it to the corporate interests. Imagine the shock when Palpatine agreed to those conditions. Palpatine realized what an opportunity it would be to have a whole region providing unbridled revenue with no costs to maintain order.
The Authority's continuing reluctance to allow Imperial forces to conduct raids or investigations in their territory isn't out of any high-minded notions of liberty; quite the contrary, as unfortunate renegades from the law have learned. In The Corporate Sector, any connection between economic opportunity and personal freedom is trickly accidental. It is, instead, a matter of control over the wealth of the whole region.
The Trianii Rangers[]
Main Article: The Trianii Rangers
Affiliation Page: The Trianii Rangers
The Trianii Rangers have inadvertently become a major thorn in the side of The Corporate Sector Authority. Much of their female-dominated society is organized around their religious ways; dance, art, music, literature, even industry and commerce, revolve around their beliefs. In the past, the Trianii collectively agreed upon a specific moral code of conduct and beliefs, building a religious coalition that has lasted for thousands of years.
The Trianii Rangers controlled their space in peace; then, The Corporate Sector Authority expanded into their region. By most reckoning, with tens of thousands of systems to be exploited, the Authority need never have come into conflict with the Trianii. Such thinking ignores greed, the principle upon which the Authority was founded.
The Authority has always appreciated the wisdom of letting others do the hard work, then swooping down to stealth the profits. They tried to force the Trianii out of their settlements, but the colonists fought back. Eventually, The Trianii Rangers were also to intercede; their efforts have slowed the predations of the Authority, but the conflicts have continued.
The Fringe[]
Main Article: The Fringe
Affiliation Page: The Fringe
You find all kinds in The Corporate Sector. Wealthy debutantes bored with The Core, farmhands from the frontier, ambitious programmers and researchers- they all come, sometimes looking to make a quick credit, sometimes looking for a change in scenery. Whatever the reason, the Authority's immigration offices are usually swamped with applications; but that never has any effect on free spacers. The Espos try to keep the Authority closed up tight, sort of like The Deep Core.
No matter how you look at it, most of the people in The Corporate Sector are caught somewhere in-between the businessmen and the criminals. They struggle to make a living and hope that no one ever looks at them crossways. They came on false promises and are stuck there through poverty and a bad system. Still, most of them are normal folks and they try to be decent; some of them even succeed.
The Corporate Sector[]
Main Article: The Corporate Sector
It's said they don't care about your loyalty there; only your credits. So many sign up, wait the appropriate months, endure the customary security checks, and pay the considerable fees to get those sought-after work permits, and The Corporate Sector beckons.
What they don't mention in the holobrochures are the catches in the contract or the hidden processing fees. It's easy to make a few credits in The Corporate Sector, but getting out from under The Corporate Sector Authority to spend them is considerably more difficult.
Some wind up as indentured servants, always just a few payments short of cutting free. Others just end up as bantha food. Not everyone ends up that way, obviously, but like an invisible tramill: you never see how it runs you more than you run it. Still, lots of folks continue to go to the Sector. It just takes a certain kind of person to make it big there; someone with the right talents and an aptitude for bending the rules...
Credits and Disclaimer[]
Producer
- Rob "RobShanti" Petrone
Editor and Contributor
- Dan "Luke Lowbrow" Pomeroy
Fan Contributors
- Doug "Jindy" Bragg
- Rob "RobShanti" Petrone
- "DarthNizzy"
- "Bluv"
- Brian "Stayker" Wilson
- JC "Isirga Eth" Alvarez
- "The_Narrator"
- Jay "johnnyputrid" Main
- Matt "ORC_Tao" Lee
- Anthony "Graybacca" Saracino
- "IndianaJones34"
- Stephen "Darth_Scorpion" Milner
- Wookieepedia Authors
Artwork
- David "Stirzy" Stirzaker
- Kyle 'Drig' Kirkman
- "Drone"
Han Solo and the Corporate Sector Sourcebook by
- Michael Allen Horne
- Bill Smith
- Tim Eldred
- Allen Nunis
- Mike Vilardi
Special Thanks
- Lucasfilm
- Wizards of the Coast
- Rodney Thompson
- "GM Dave" and "GM Chris" of the Order 66 Podcast
Disclaimer
The Saga Edition Corporate Sector Sourcebook has been compiled by Rob "RobShanti" Petrone and Doug "Jindy" Bragg from the work of the dedicated fans at the Wizards.com and d20radio.com bulletin boards, and from all corners of the internet, including, but not limited to, Matt Lee's wonderful www.saga-edition.com and the Star Wars Role Playing Game Network at http://holonet.swrpgnetwork.com/. The contents of the document are the sole possession and property of the contributors unless otherwise noted. Distribution, reproduction, or display of this compilation is forbidden - permission granted upon request and contingent on the author's approval. Reproduction with the intent of sale, or actual sale is, according to United States Copyright Law, an infringement on George Lucas et al., being a challenge to the commercial viability of Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game by Wizards of the Coast. The files contained within this document are not for sale, and are designed and presented for the private use of parties using Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game. Use of material releases author of any and all liability concerning any challenge to LucasFilm, Ltd., and their copyrights where concerned, as a result of any action of a viewer/user of the material. Any files owned by the contributors found on other locations on the internet or in print without permission/knowledge of the contributors is considered (by law) copyright infringement, and those responsible will be pursued as per the maximum extent of the laws of the United States of America, and/or International Copyright laws, including (but not restricted to) the Berne Convention, the Universal Copyright Conventions, and the Uruguay Round Agreement (WTO). Where not covered in the following, should a copyright contest occur, the Author will FULLY YIELD to the letter of the law with no contest to STAR WARS ® and © 2000 Lucasfilm, Ltd., title, character, and place names protected by all applicable trademark laws, all rights reserved, used without authorization, and will be removed promptly upon request with no contest on the part of the contributors. The material contained herein is unofficial, and is not intended for sale. It in no way can be deemed a contest of the rights and ownership of Lucasfilm Ltd., or licensees thereof, including Wizards of the Coast. Any logos, titles, graphics and other iconography associated with Star Wars used are for identification purposes only, and are copyright ultimately by Lucasfilm, Ltd. or the owner of the logo in question. All other graphics and logos specific to the document are the exclusive property of the contributors and Artists unless mentioned otherwise. Where not covered above, all material written by the contributors is presented under the auspices of the Fair Use sections of the United States Copyright Law, as the only thing non-original to the author and the collective contributors is the very concept of the Star Wars "universe"; thus, this additional creative work does not pose any threat or challenge to the commercial viability of Lucasfilms, Ltd., or licensees thereof, including Wizards of the Coast. In accordance with Fair Use, the contributors claim sole copyright, thus removing all material contained on the internet from "public domain."