The Dawn of Defiance campaign is more than just a string of adventures. It is a complete story arc that takes in the saga, depth, and emotion of the Star Wars films and translates their core concepts into a unique roleplaying game campaign. Over the course of the campaign, the heroes will liberate worlds from the grip of the Empire, delve into the ancient secrets of the now-extinct Jedi, and feel the bitter taste of betrayal at the hands of a trusted ally.
Of course, each adventure will be far more involved and detailed than the simple descriptions below indicate. Within the adventures, GMs will need to read them carefully to pick up on the little details of the campaign. However, this outline should give GMs an idea of the major characters in the campaign and keep them from getting into situations that disrupt continuity.
Campaign Standards
Main Article: Campaign Standards
The Dawn of Defiance campaign opens some months after the rise of the Empire, with the Clone Wars a very recent and vivid memory for most beings in the galaxy. The Empire has begun tightening its grip on star systems throughout the galaxy, and Darth Vader stands at the newly declared Emperor's right hand, crushing any opposition and hunting down the last remnants of The Jedi Order. In these short months since the fall of the Republic, many have joined the Empire willingly, including The Core Worlds whose Human nobles stand to benefit a great deal from its tyranny. Similarly, many others have begun rebelling against Imperial oppression, finding themselves driven out of their homes (Or worse) and forced to live in a galaxy that tolerates no opposition to the Empire. Throughout the Dawn of Defiance campaign, the heroes must deal with the reality that the Empire is a monolithic threat without any kind of organized opposition, and dealing with agents of the Empire can be dangerous.
Part 1: The Traitor's Gambit
Main Article: The Traitor's Gambit
After a chance encounter on a space station with a desperate agent of Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan, the heroes negotiate with a local crime lord and obtain valuable cargo intended for the Senator. Once they deliver the cargo, the heroes learn that it is actually a man frozen in carbonite who carries secret information for the Senator. Based on this information, the heroes are hired (As friends of Bail Organa, enemies of the Empire, or freelance entrepreneurs) to fly to the planet Felucia and discover the fate of a turncoat Imperial Admiral. If the Admiral still lives, they are to bring him back to Alderaan.
Part 2: A Wretched Hive
Main Article: A Wretched Hive
At a briefing aboard The Resurgence, Admiral Varth explains that part of his responsibility in a secret Imperial scheme known as the Sarlacc Project was to arrange the covert exchange of resources through a Hutt Crime Lord on the planet Cato Neimoidia. Captain Verana orders the heroes to travel aboard Captain Okeefe's transport to Cato Neimoidia, make contact with Darga, the Hutt gangster, and discover what he's trading with the Empire.
Part 3: The Queen of Air and Darkness
Main Article: The Queen of Air and Darkness
By the time the heroes arrive on Bespin, Darga is firmly secluded on Cloud City, and his luxury yacht is hidden. When the heroes begin their search for him, most of the usual avenues turn up nothing- the Hutt has paid his associates handsomely to keep him hidden, and none would jeopardize their health and wealth to reveal his location to anyone.
The heroes' only lead comes when they learn that Cloud City will be holding a major sabacc tournament in a matter of days, and that it is rumored that an Imperial officer will be arriving to participate. Rumor has it that this officer is in the pocket of Darga the Hutt, and that his participation in the tournament is merely a cover-up for a clandestine meeting between them. If the heroes can infiltrate the card game, they might have a chance to question the Imperial officer or Darga's agent about the Hutt's whereabouts- but first they must get into the game, which is by invitation only. The tournament takes place and, if the heroes do well, they find themselves face-to-face with Darga's agent.
Part 4: Echoes of the Jedi
Main Article: Echoes of the Jedi
Echoes of the Jedi opens with the heroes being sent to the planet Almas, in the Cularin System, to retrieve an ancient Holocron from the ruins of the Jedi Academy that once stood there. En route they are attacked by pirates, and eventually they make their way down to the surface of the planet. Delving deep into the ruined academy, they fight off evil Dark Side creatures, zealous followers of an ancient Sith lord, monstrous beasts, and the crumbling ruins of the academy itself. Finally they encounter Inquisitor Draco, who has fallen strongly under the sway of an evil Sith Lord Holocron Gatekeeper. After doing battle with Draco, the heroes should recover the Holocron and escape the collapsing academy, returning with the artifact to The Resurgence.
Part 5: The First to Strike
Main Article: The First to Strike
After weeks of meditation and study, Master Denia once more calls the heroes together with news. The meditation techniques she learned from the holocron have proven to be helpful, and she believes that she has located the home planet of the slaves the heroes rescued in The Queen of Air and Darkness. After consulting The Force, she believes that the alien slaves were in fact Nazren, a Species from Nizon, an obscure planet in the Maldrood Sector.
A special request by Senator Organa to the University of Aldera revealed only that the planet Nizon is a barren world in the Centares System. It lies near Centares, an industrial world occupied by the Empire from which Imperial forces have been withdrawing for some months now. Captain Verana has managed to locate Nizon in his Navicomputer and is willing to share the coordinates with the heroes if they agree to investigate the world.
Part 6: The Core of Corruption
Main Article: The Core of Corruption
The Core of Corruption takes the heroes straight into the heart of the Empire and the Sarlacc Project. During the course of this adventure, the heroes pursue the Sarlacc Project to the Imperial capital world of Coruscant, now known as Imperial Center. While searching for the source of the project, the heroes learn the realities of life at the center of the Empire, while pursuing leads under the glare of Imperial security, the likes of which they have not encountered before. Ultimately, the heroes manage to locate the source of the Sarlacc Project, though it may not be exactly what they expect.
Part 7: A Reckoning of Wraiths
Main Article: A Reckoning of Wraiths
In A Reckoning of Wraiths, the heroes are in hiding on Coruscant, wanted by the Empire for their recent actions against The Inquisitorius. When the heroes are sent to find a Sarlacc Project designer who survived the destruction of the Imeici Spire, they learn- the hard way- that the Empire does not like to be crossed.
Part 8: The Gem of Alderaan
Main Article: The Gem of Alderaan
After months of searching, Bail Organa finally learns that the Empire has taken Jedi Master Denia to the planet Prakith in The Deep Core, a fortress world that serves as the base of operations for The Inquisitorius. It is virtually impossible to travel to Prakith without Imperial security clearance, and the background check necessary to obtain clearance would reveal that the heroes have death marks on their heads.
However, Senator Organa has discovered that Lady Alya Aldrete- an Alderaanian heiress known for her decadent behavior- has access to security clearances, using them so smugglers in her employ can ferry forbidden goods to and from the heavily secured Deep Core worlds. To have a chance to speak with her, the heroes must attend the maiden voyage of The Gem of Alderaan, a luxury repulsortrain that is a part of her family's collection of resorts, casinos, and passenger liners.
Part 9: Sword of the Empire
Main Article: Sword of the Empire
Sword of the Empire takes place only a few days to a few weeks after the conclusion of the previous adventure, The Gem of Alderaan, but the heroes will have found the interval to be a productive one. While they realize that time is of the essence in the search for Master Denia, the resources of Lady Alya Aldrete make it possible for them to prepare for what lies ahead. This is an ideal time for heroes to resupply and possibly choose a different vessel suitable for the operation. Events will move quickly from here, so it is worth communicating to players that they should use this time wisely.
Lady Alya's support to the heroes is genuine, but they should expect limits in what she's able to provide. Much of her aid should be in the way of giving them access to the items they need rather than in providing the items as outright gifts. Heroes might have an easier time finding what they've been looking for thanks to her connections, but they'll still have to pay for what they receive.
Part 10: Jaws of the Sarlacc
Main Article: Jaws of the Sarlacc
The entire Dawn of Defiance campaign has led up to this point. Having finally uncovered the truth about the Sarlacc Project and traveled to The Deep Core in pursuit of their ally, Jedi Master Denia, the heroes are poised to shut down the Empire's plans. Lady Alya Aldrete, an ally they made during a recent visit to Alderaan, has provided them with aid thus far. Now, she is ready to help them make their final push to stop the Empire from completing the construction of their first Super Star Destroyer.
Sadly, during their trip to Prakith in the ninth adventure, Sword of the Empire, the heroes suffered the loss of one of their staunchest allies, Master Denia. They are now truly their own masters, and others are looking to them as leaders of the fledgling rebellion. Lady Aldrete has summoned the heroes to rendezvous with her, and she will help fill them in on the plan to finally put an end to the Empire's Sarlacc Project.