Of course we always had to be judicious since we were bordering Angmar and there was always the threat of the Witch-King paying too much attention to us, but that’s what kept it LotR and not just a generic fantasy world.

I think the issue with Star Wars is the Jedi, since they are so iconic for the Star Wars universe but really only comprise about 1/10^10 of the galaxy’s population (a guess), it’s harder to “Move the Action Elsewhere”

Personally, I don’t want to play Star Wars (especially since the prequels), but I’d gladly play in a very similar setting. Yes, the GM can be creative, and remodel that “galaxy far, far away”. But having remodeled both settings and houses, this GM finds that better results come from starting with a blank slate.

I have commented on this MANY times on my own blog, did a series of articles in it and still people don’t get it.

Now, I understand the difficulties of literary settings and they ways people have for compensating, but people STILL want to play Star Wars! They want to have those events and characters that they know and still be the heroes of their own story.

This is where GM’s have to be creative, you need to take the game to a blank area where things affecting the players have not already been decided for you. I often say this, but it’s a BIG galaxy and we have about 5000 years or more to play with.

Just start with a homebrew planet and/or alien species and your away.

So what if it’s someone else’s house? You can still experiment with the furniture until you find a way to suit it. You can paint the walls and do things without taking away the structure of the house. Just because a system based on something else puts up a fence, it does not mean you have to stop being creative.

I agree that the major advantage of literary worlds is easy buy-in… and that buying into the wrong thing is a common flaw. One of these days, I will have to read Traveller.

@umbral.fury – If you’re looking for a cool setting without a book or movie background, look into Diaspora. It’s a FATE based modern game.

Not every approach works for every gamer. I’d go nuts in the group you describe, but if it works for you, don’t let my opinions stand in your way.

@umbral.fury – Slipstream immediately came to mind, as did Gamma World and Star Frontiers. But one of those is intentionally pulpy, and two are really old…

Thinking about it, the various editions of Traveller probably cover enough time and space that you can almost certainly find an area you like and go from there.

Sci-fi may actually be one of those genres where “Dawn of Worlds” group-based setting creation works best. Everyone picks an element or two, and stir it up.

Literary settings do have the tremendous advantage of “plug and play”. Most of the players have seen the movie/show/book, and are familiar enough with the setting that a bunch of background material isn’t necessary. Which definitely explains their attraction and popularity…

Star Wars Saga works well for the example. One group would be fine with running the original movie as the campaign with new characters. Another would hate it and run an alternative world. While a third would rather be the rebels (or empire) bumping shoulders with the main characters from the movies.

I think that it is best to talk with the group during the campaign planning to see which method they would prefer. Drifting ideas is good, but if one player really wants to try to hit on Leia, having the false Star Wars universe won’t cut it.

Removing cast changes setting- pick something where the cast is important to run into. Star Wars is good. Star Trek is not, being that guy who gets killed on deck 46 is not many people idea of fun.

Gaming is not Storytelling- make the game storytelling. Balance is good, but having fun is better. Let someone who is most able to keep their character’s power in check (least “I Smash” guy) be the Jedi/Tolkien elf/Captain of the ship. I know this works for the game I’m playing in soon. Only a few of the characters get any real magic weapons- and they get fully powered Weapons of Legacy. It’s ok, our story and fun will not be centered on who killed the most, or biggest hit.

The Story’s been told- so what? or Make a new one. Star Wars has tons of worlds to explore and you can even set the game in a different time period to ignore the plot of the movies. Set it after the destruction of the second death star- you are part of an elite team who hunt down the remaining empire commanders… You get the idea.

Never as Cool as Original- by being different it will be different and shouldn’t be judged in comparison. Besides, movies and books have no mechanics and no dice. Vader saving Luke from the Emperor- could have just been a really good persuasion role, maybe a roll of 2 gets him killed.

Not everyone is on the same page- this happens even with homebrew settings or just a rule book. Some people will remember all the details others will not. Besides you can always say that I am not following cannon and be done with it.

It’s someone else’s house- if you live anywhere for any length of time you will adjust it to fit your style better. Carpets and chairs rearranged, fridge organized differently, new drapes and towels. If you are not comfortable doing that then perhaps this house is not correct for you. Good news- we have a whole block for you to try out until you feel comfortable. Plus there is that empty house across the street that you can decorate as you wish.

I honestly think that a combination of Scott and your method works best. Steal the setting and whatever other elements are most important and kill of whichever NPC causes problems. Run the Star Wars movies with Luke getting killed in the raid on his homestead. Now Obi-wan must find another who can aid him- Behold! A group of pirates/smugglers/rebels/whoever which can aid him!

Settings a very useful because they let the GM worry about other stuff and they are generally balanced. There is no worry about what happens when the party leaves and goes to the other nation, which you weren’t ever planning on fleshing out. In a setting you simply turn the page and all is made well.