Jurcen Drift - A Star Wars Sector (ABY-1)

[Nihilistic_Impact]

Hello folks, I've been toying with creating my own Star Wars sector to play around in for a while now and have often considered opening it up to others to assist. The time for that is now as I've created this thread in the hopes of garnering a little interest, a few ideas and a lot of creativity. So with that declared I should probably set some guidelines.

Star Wars, in the current era Star Wars is owned by Disney and there is a lot of spilled digital ink as to the quality of the output under their management. Personally I think the only sequel film that tried to do something new was The Last Jedi, even if it was a very flawed delivery. The first couple seasons of the Mandalorian are entertaining television and Andor is a fucking master piece and is ultimately why I'm doing this. Old EU was an uneven mess and while you had good and entertaining works such as the X-Wing books and the Thrawn trilogy you also had Darksaber and the Crystal Star. Honestly I'm glad I stopped reading Star Wars towards the end of the New Jedi Order series so I didn't have to see Jacen fall to the dark side or Dalaa fail her way up to the highest seat of power.

Why I felt the need to bring this all up? Because I don't give a fuck about canon. I am a buzzard picking away at either timelines for what is interesting and fun. The only canon I'm applying here is the original trilogy (A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi), Andor and Rogue One. To a lesser extent the prequel trilogy in broad strokes. I'm using a small sector of space so moments in the wider galaxy can be mystified and propagandized.

Why ABY-1, or one year After the Battle of Yavin? Because the rebellion era is my favorite, the Rebel Alliance has had their first taste of victory of the Empire; but they were still forced to hide away on Hoth. They are not in a position of strength. They are losing tell they win. The rest of the galaxy can see that forces are acting and opportunities are there for those that act as the old status quo has been swept away.

So what is Jurcen Drift? Jurcen Drift is a sector of space, a small one, just off the Perlemian Hyperroute and coreward of the Hapes Cluster. Initial human habitation happened as a result of the Jedi purge of pirates from the Hapes Cluster. In the current era it is managed by Concordant Sol Junfa(CSJ) a loose collective of warlords who act as the representatives of the Empire. Prior to the rise of the Empire the systems within had joined the Separatist Movement during the Clone Wars but had been swiftly subjugated and became lawless. Disaffected military forces turned to piracy and banditry and the new Empire found this a worthwhile partnership as Commission for the Preservation of the New Order(COMPNOR) partnered with them.

So what comprises the Jurcen Drift? An as yet undetermined number of systems, the very reason for this thread to exist is to expand further; but a few details are known. The Jurcen Drift exists as a strange collection of stars orbiting at the edges of the Transitory Mists, held together by the gravitic pull of Asena, a black hole. Anchoring the cluster this black hole gives shape to the movements within. In a stationary orbit just beyond the event horizon is a relic of prehuman colonization, the Asena Redoubt. Due to its location no warlord actively claims it and it has become a home to refugees and cults to the Force.

The brightest star in the cluster would belong to Jurcen, which gives the sector its name, a supergiant blue star. Orbiting it is a world of the same name and official capital. The world Jurcen is less known for its rule of law but for its violent solar storms that forests of ferrous crystals.

Gellin is an industrial wasteland of a world, scarred and scoured for all its material wealth its population must struggle to survive within what has effectively become a global weapons test site. Local warlords under direction from COMPNOR have partnered up with Sienar Fleet Systems to test a multitude of ship and ship's weapon designs.

Bellator, a Star Dreadnaught because the Empire needs a threatening dagger to pose above any world or ship.

Worlds, I need more worlds, a multitude of them. And locations on them or between them. I am inspired by Star Wars books like the Han Solo Adventures and the Lando Calrissian Adventures, tales of adventure at the edges of the empire. But also by the Corellian Trilogy and its Center Point Station is a direct influence on the Asena Redoubt. Real world history also influences me, Star Wars is always most interesting when it pulls a little from our world and reflects it back at us.

So what factions are at play within the Jurcen Drift? For sure we have COMPNOR, the Imperial Navy, Imperial Security Bureau(ISB) and the Warlords. To properly depict a fascist regime there must be many competing factions within the larger structure. This also has the benefit of creating friction which makes story ideas easier to develop. But we can not ignore the parapolitical, while there is an established private public relationship with Sienar and the warlords there also needs to be organized criminal elements. Black Sun and Crimson Dawn should be represented; but like the Empire they are outsiders, there must be a local criminal element that also acted as a parallel legal structure. Thankfully I have already come up with the name for this organization, Dark Ocean.

Who populates these systems? I've only come up with a few thus far. ISB agent Evol'a Vate. Imperial Admiral Carrera Dada. Also have a Moff Gozih Primo but I'm not entirely sold on the name.
What established characters should pop up, between old EU and new canon what names could cross these stars with their strides?

Aliens, what is Star Wars without a Cantina Scene. There must be aliens and Star Wars has so many. Jurcen Drift needs a population that precedes the human colonization. It needs waves of settlement, enclaves and expats. A diversity of people and creatures. For sure the Fosh exist within because I really enjoyed the book Traitor.

What of the Force? While the range of opinions on the Jedi are varied I think you can not do Star Wars without touching on the Force. I've already established the idea of force cults within Jurcen Drift; but what do they believe? How many are there? Do we have pretenders to the dark side like the Prophets of the Dark Side? Are there Inquisitors hunting force sensitives? Is there a Jedi hiding in those hills?

I've always enjoyed the collaborative experience of Role Play, and so I invite folks to join me. I might not take all of your ideas, but I welcome them as possible stepping stones to develop this setting.

 

[SoleAccord]

This is a lot to tackle all at once.

I'd suggest starting at building up the capital world and going from there. Rather than needing multiple worlds, build up the ones you have right now, and worry about the rest of the sector after you've gotten your footing. I'm not comfortable making decisions for you, because this is your idea. So, let's ask some questions and get them solved.

Why would anyone come to a world buffeted by frequent and violent solar storms? Despite the weather, are there some decent tourist attractions that bring a wealth of credit via tourism? Do they have amazing shipwrights here that make the trip worthwhile? Do they produce incredible works of art, perfumes, designer clothing, etc. Is there a mineral mined here that makes its refinement important to the Empire, or the criminal underworld in some capacity? Are the people happy under Imperial rule? What was the government like before its occupation by Warlords? What's the culture, is it largely a melting pot, or is there a dominant species with a dominant religion? Just how welcome is the average visitor? Do they take Credits, or another form of currency similar to Tatooine, thus reducing the purchasing power of Credits?

What's the total estimated population of this capital world? What sort of creatures call it home? How many cities and settlements are spread across it? How is the agriculture of a world with violent solar storms -- do they have a means of producing enough food to sustain their population, or do they require imported foodstuffs to feed their people? Are they a largely peaceful people similar to Alderaan?

I'd make this world one worth going to for some reason or another before picking established characters to go to it.

Also, you can absolutely do something Star Wars and not touch on the Force. But it sounds like you want to. You have an opportunity to build a world completely shy of Jedi or Sith influence, but if you seek to include that, give this place a reason to have hosted Force sensitive people, or those who worship the Force in some capacity. I'm still stuck on your violent storm decisions, because if this place is so rough, why would Force sensitives of any alignment settle down in this place? Inquisitor's would only come if there's a Jedi fugitive believed to be hiding there. If you want a survivor of Order 66 there, there's another potential character you can create to justify their presence.

 

[Nihilistic_Impact]

This is a lot to tackle all at once.

I'd suggest starting at building up the capital world and going from there. Rather than needing multiple worlds, build up the ones you have right now, and worry about the rest of the sector after you've gotten your footing. I'm not comfortable making decisions for you, because this is your idea. So, let's ask some questions and get them solved.

Hmm, feel like I must have failed in some aspect to communicate my intent as to the purpose of this; but I'll work my way through this. Yes, I too will be expanding on details but part of the intention for this thread is to open up a very loose presentation of an idea to other people to stretch their creative muscle as to places, people and things they would enjoy if they were to play in the Star Wars setting.

There are good questions, some more interesting than others. So let's break them down some.

Why would anyone come to a world buffeted by frequent and violent solar storms? Despite the weather, are there some decent tourist attractions that bring a wealth of credit via tourism? Do they have amazing shipwrights here that make the trip worthwhile? Do they produce incredible works of art, perfumes, designer clothing, etc. Is there a mineral mined here that makes its refinement important to the Empire, or the criminal underworld in some capacity?

To be honest the violent solar storms is the product of a random table. I hadn't yet consider its full implications as I was first and foremost interested in what would be an interesting location, a gameable location. So lets nail some details.

Jurcen being the brightest star in the cluster was initially the easiest target for fleeing pirates to navigate towards. The world itself was not considered a candidate for habitation; but did become a hub for travel in and out of the cluster due to navigation and so developed a small outer system space station to service ships. Eventually this operation grew and there was limited tourism due to the light display which could be counted upon with enough regularity for viewings to be scheduled. Ultimately facilities expanded to the primary world with its dry temperate climate and vast planes that gave way to a patch work of ferrous crystal forests. Exploration and experimentation discovered that these could be harvested for industrial usage; but wide scale harvesting has yet to be adopted, due to its greater than 1 G gravity. Settlement on the surface is limited to a starport and houses roughly 70,000 souls. Its capital status being more a traditional neutral meeting ground than a place folks stick around.

Are the people happy under Imperial rule? What was the government like before its occupation by Warlords? What's the culture, is it largely a melting pot, or is there a dominant species with a dominant religion? Just how welcome is the average visitor? Do they take Credits, or another form of currency similar to Tatooine, thus reducing the purchasing power of Credits?

The Empires presence on Jurcen is limited with nothing official; but they have their watchdogs to observe and report up the line. Just as the warlords have their own networks. Jurcen has always been a company town sort of planet. Either you're a local that grew up here for several generations or you're a tech that got positioned here and hope to find your way out. Not too many folks wander in intentionally. Its a mostly human settled world, it is not a melting pot, I do not have a religion for it.

It uses Imperial Credits, the whole of the sector uses Imperial Credits; but most folks are only allowed company script.

What's the total estimated population of this capital world? What sort of creatures call it home? How many cities and settlements are spread across it? How is the agriculture of a world with violent solar storms -- do they have a means of producing enough food to sustain their population, or do they require imported foodstuffs to feed their people? Are they a largely peaceful people similar to Alderaan?

As said roughly 70,000 people call Jurcen home located within a settlement around the starport. Agricultural goods are either produced locally in hydroponics or shipped in. It is a company town and a dead end town.

I'd make this world one worth going to for some reason or another before picking established characters to go to it.

This is the line that really makes me wonder if my intent was poorly understood. Asking about established characters was more of a wishcrafting, if you were to do something in the Star Wars setting what named characters would you be excited to show up? Who is a cool cameo, what role would they play in this imperial colonial backwater?

Also, you can absolutely do something Star Wars and not touch on the Force. But it sounds like you want to. You have an opportunity to build a world completely shy of Jedi or Sith influence, but if you seek to include that, give this place a reason to have hosted Force sensitive people, or those who worship the Force in some capacity. I'm still stuck on your violent storm decisions, because if this place is so rough, why would Force sensitives of any alignment settle down in this place? Inquisitor's would only come if there's a Jedi fugitive believed to be hiding there. If you want a survivor of Order 66 there, there's another potential character you can create to justify their presence.

While you can tell a story within Star Wars without the force I don't think you can create a location within it without some touch of it. I am not coming at this project as a writer where I only want one story. This is a sandbox for many ideas to comfortably sit within. I also see a failure to understand as you fixate on one world when I was opening this up for you to go, "Wouldn't it be cool if this too existed?" And I don't care about the Jedi vs Sith, I care about perception of the Force by different factions within. Could there be a cult of force users hiding in the deep ferrous crystal forests of Jercen? Sure, why not? Could be a fun adventure hook.

Most of the details I created within the post came from rolling a couple die against some tables in the old West End Games Star Wars D6 book Galaxy Guide 8 - Scouts. Cultural details were mainly pulled from historical examples of mining towns. There are stories which can be told within these locations; but this thread is to be expansive and open to public creation as well. If anyone else wants to take my ideas and use them for themselves I would be delighted.

I hope I have cleared some confusion while be productive in developing a small little corner.

 

[Sync]

So what comprises the Jurcen Drift? An as yet undetermined number of systems, the very reason for this thread to exist is to expand further; but a few details are known. The Jurcen Drift exists as a strange collection of stars orbiting at the edges of the Transitory Mists, held together by the gravitic pull of Asena, a black hole. Anchoring the cluster this black hole gives shape to the movements within. In a stationary orbit just beyond the event horizon is a relic of prehuman colonization, the Asena Redoubt. Due to its location no warlord actively claims it and it has become a home to refugees and cults to the Force.

I'm not a huge Star Wars fan from a story-telling perspective, but I do enjoy some world building and star system building...and this part got my attention (highlighting is mine).

Having a black hole at the center of the cluster really adds a whole 'nother dimension to the region. The first thing you'd need to determine is just how big a Black Hole is it? In order for stars (and any accompanying orbiting planets) to maintain something resembling a stable orbit around the black hole, the mass will be a large consideration. Larger black holes will put out correspondingly-large radiation fields that will be intrinsically harmful to (at least human) life...nevermind the havoc the black hole's gravity will play with interstellar navigation in the region. And that's before you allow for the effects of Time Dilation as you get closer to the black hole while travelling.

I'd suggest that Asena be no larger than 5-10 stellar masses in size (and probably on the smaller end of the scale). IMO, too much larger and your cluster, by simple virtue of needing to avoid the black hole's effects, will become difficult to navigate.

Of course, this is not really a problem if there won't be too much travel between star systems in the Drift.

Once you've figure out the size of your black hole, you then need to determine how many stars are orbiting it. Too many and the Drift starts to risk becoming a shooting gallery of chaos from all of the debris that might be flung out of one system and captured by another.

My initial thinking here would be a 6-7 stellar mass black hole (that is, 6-7 times more massive than our own Sun), with maybe 8-10 stars in orbit. How many of those have habitable planets? That's the next trick.

 

[Nihilistic_Impact]

As the Hapes Cluster is listed as only having several hundred stars and this is a smaller neighbor I was only think a couple dozen at most. It being a weird balancing act of a stellar mobile is intentional to imply a degree of artificiality. Count wise this would put it more in line with a smaller open cluster. And absolutely miniscule compared to a globular cluster.