- Joined
- Jul 1, 2013
- Messages
- 655
- Reaction score
- 269
The concept then is simple enough; to provide a basis for law enforcement characters who aren't necessarily bound by too specific of a jurisdiction and are involved in exciting plots relating to serious, important cases such as high-profile murder, serial killings, slaving trafficking rings, terrorism and the like. As the Republic itself is more of a background thing this time around, it stands as an excellent opportunity to take advantage of one of it's many 'branches' as a faction, particularly when the upcoming timeline's setting is less about grand, all-consuming war, but rather the aftermath of one. There's opportunities to explore that and what effect that has on the galaxy... and where there's suffering, there will inevitably be an upswing of crime as desperate or opportunistic sorts take advantage of the chaos.
Back in what is now Legends existed the Sector Rangers; a Republic-wide police force (later kept by the Empire) with jurisdiction that extended beyond local planetary boundaries akin to EUROPOL. Further to this existed Special Enforcement Officers, who were essentially Rangers with authority beyond their home sector. Considering they were penned for ye olde West End Games RPG it stands to reason that they scream 'Player Character' in every way, which of course makes 'em perfect inspiration for roleplaying. In canon, there exists the Judical Department, a somewhat vague, barely defined organisation that appears to fulfil a somewhat similar role, even if the details are very much lacking. They also existed in Legends alongside of the Sector Rangers, but how much of this was down to contradictions- well, who knows, but the Rangers were a branch of the Department if nothing else.
It's reasonable to assume that, given their far-reaching powers, the default PC for this organisation would be an SEO or whatever equivalent is drummed up for it. Of course, there's nothing to prevent somebody from whipping up a character who is tied to a specific sector and perhaps that could even be a jumping off point for them getting involved with the rest of the 'Ranger community' and advancing up to the position of SEO.
PC vs NPC
Considering they're very much a department of the Republic, the Rangers would - in terms of site 'mechanics' - function as an NPC Organisation with all of the benefits and restrictions this brings. I had considered establishing this as an independent faction, one that was more of a loose coalition of planetary lawmen and vigilantes, but then I realised I'd basically be remaking the Waste Rangers and didn't fancy stepping on any toes there.
There's also something to be said for the way being a professional, answering to a government and balancing regulations against a Ranger's decent amount of independence can make for pretty interesting writing. There's only so many times you can
"I fought the law..."
In the initial quote, there's a reference to Rangers being the opposite of smugglers. This is somewhat apt considering this site hardly lacks for criminal characters who are very rarely opposed by anybody but their fellow cons looking to one up each other. Sure, there's been plenty of bounty hunter characters drummed up but more often than not these fall back into lines in their backstory when they're either inactive or absorbed into a faction. By organising law enforcement characters into a group such as this, giving them a defined purpose and some independence, as well as fellow Rangers to write with, there's plenty of potential to establish that, yes, the law does exist - at least in Republic space - and aren't just great swathes of mindless, incompetent NPCs. Somebody has to oppose the Cartel's shadier-than-normal activities when toes get dipped into their jurisdiction, right?
And no, I'm not just referring to PvP. Anybody who knew me last timeline should know I - personally - find competitive PvP about as captivating as prying teeth out with rusty pliers. If that's your jive then that's great, but there is real writing potential to be had with the indirect (and direct) confrontations groups and individuals can get involved in... cops and robbers, if you will. Of course considering the Rangers go up against sorts who are a few tiers higher than petty thieves or con artists, both side ought to be giving the other a run for their money. Neither side wants to be the poor sap serving as a glorified punching bag for the other guy's power fantasy anyway, eh?
Activity & Shenanigans
As a non-Force sensitive, non-Mandalorian group, there's the inevitable problem of activity to consider. Now, with NPC factions functioning more as sandboxes this time around it's debatable how much of this is really relevant to a degree; if every active Ranger RP suffers cardiac arrest at once, there's nothing to really prevent a new guy coming along and whipping up his own Ranger six months down the line. With that being said - much like with my reference to bounty hunters - a good deal of the appeal in a group like the Rangers is actually having a support network of other people to facilitate that kind of law enforcement roleplay with, so it stands to reason there is as much need to keep a 'memberbase', interest and activity as high as at any other time. That and, y'know, sub-forums are always nice.
Roleplayers need a hook. It's all well and good to say "there's your sandbox, here's your shovel, go play". In practice, that never really works out. Whilst there's always going to be a degree of leg work the individual has to perform to get their cake, we can at least facilitate some of that.
On Your Case
Cases are essentially a package, akin to the Missions found in Packs from prior timelines… okay, that’s exactly what they are. Each of them contains the sort of information that a Ranger would likely receive; names, locations, background and the like. Unlike Missions however, there’s no real incentive to rush through these, get to the crook’s hideout by the second reply and have the whole thing wrapped up in under one page. The advantage to not being bound by grid or asset grinding is that cases can take as long as we want, or can split off into a dozen other hooks, follow-ups or even fail. Hell, they could even involve another member's own character should that individual be so inclined.
If there's a negative, it's that people have a habit of letting ‘optional’ content like that gather dust until a newbie comes along asking if they’re still on it. At the end of the day though, you make a Ranger because you’re interested in the roleplay that comes with law enforcement, not because you fancy taking over planets in the name of whatever Saturday morning cartoon villain is the big threat that timeline. Then again, with the Hutt Cartel trying their luck and those renegade Jedi with a fetish for red running around, who’s to say what the Rangers might get mixed up in, hm? The nice thing about having a timeline without Sith Empire #7626241 bumrushing the Republic is the potential to get mixed up in these types of stories without feeling like you’re losing out on some galaxy shaking near-apocalypse.
Closing Remarks
What I've written here is a somewhat bare presentation of the concept. It's hardly a concrete pitch, but I didn't fancy getting too in-depth with the specifics unless there was an interest in something like this. Comment, criticise and make a note of your interest, I'll be listening.
Last edited:
