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For context, I am the GM of a Star Wars Saga Edition game. We haven't had our first session yet, but we will soon.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

An exiled Gungan (PC "Aaron") decided to leave Naboo with a merchant group. Their next stop was Dantooine, due to their contract with the Jedi outpost there. When they arrived on Dantooine to deliver supplies, a Gen'dai Jedi (PC "Barabra") was preparing to take a leave of absence from the Order. She says her goodbyes. Once she walks to the ship she was provided, she notices that an unauthorized Rodian (PC "Charlie") is inside!

At this point, I can't predict what Barabra and Charlie will do, but someone will likely catch wind of the fact that Charlie broke into the ship. When they do, the Jedi will attempt to decide what punishment they should give him. While they do that, a Twi'lek farmer will rush in on a speeder, begging for someone to help him fight off the men who are attacking his family and burning down his field. The Jedi rule that Charlie is free, so long as he helps to save the farmer's family. A group (likely all the PCs and some NPCs) takes the ship to the farm and attempts to stop the attackers and save the family.

A fight breaks out between the attackers (who were hired by the Black Sun) and the group. During the attack, the players might catch a glimpse of the attackers' ship, but Aaron (and possibly Barbara) have not idea what the Black Sun symbol on the side is. The attackers are battle-hardened (but not too hard to kill) NPCs that I feel wouldn't reveal their employer, except under extreme circumstances. Because of that, I don't want to have them spit out their employers' name at the drop of a hat. If Aaron, Barbara, and Charlie talk to the farmer, they could discover that he knows the Black Sun attacked him, since he is a former member.

If the players don't talk to the farmer after the attack, and no one recognizes the symbol, how do I communicate that the Black Sun has attacked the man? The only other solution I have so far is to have the NPC that joins the group during the attack recognize the symbol for the party. I don't want to do that, since I feel that it disempowers the players.

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Missing important information should not make main plot hooks impossible to follow. Ether have small side hooks ready in case a major point is missed, (But have evidence of the major plot point progressing to seem like its still alive) until something major happens that re-introduces the hook.

In your situation evidence could be in the form of badges, dog tags, or patches the Black sun have on their person, being left behind.

Express that the armor they were wearing seems more protective. A player may try to wear it. The armor may have their symbol and can be a conversation point, or they may be mistaken as part of their faction. Leading a natural way back onto the plot.

You can even leave more subtle clues, (Overheard conversations, rumor of people looking for a lost crew.) and grow them to be less covert. (Black sun members looking for the people who killed their crew, inadvertent meeting in a shady bar ect.) There are lots of ways you can bring that information to the party in a natural way! Just because they don't recognize the symbol, doesn't mean its not important and they cant ask someone about it later!

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  • \$\begingroup\$ I like the idea of the more subtle clues, even if they do identify the marking. I'm not sure I like the idea of the PCs getting better armor right at the beginning, but the dog tags seem like a good alternative. \$\endgroup\$
    – dave20
    Commented Mar 23, 2018 at 21:14
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    \$\begingroup\$ It doesnt have to be better enough to make a huge difference. Even if its not as protective, does it look like it could be worth something to a merchant? The merchant may then refuse to buy it because he doesn't want trouble. Leading to the party getting inquisitive about the origins of the armor. \$\endgroup\$
    – Erudaki
    Commented Mar 23, 2018 at 21:55
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    \$\begingroup\$ In the first session of a campaign I was running I had a similar plot point where the PCs found a given insignia on an attacker's outfit. I had an NPC with the Party that could tell what the insignia depicted, even if the PCs couldn't. They rolled poorly for their checks to identify it, so the NPC filled in the answer, which got him some pats on the back from Party members. Even though the PCs didn't figure it out themselves, the Players appreciated the NPC for helping. He became an NPC ally specifically because they liked his utility. And being in-character, the PCs better appreciate help! \$\endgroup\$
    – smiley trashbag
    Commented Mar 23, 2018 at 22:27

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