Exploring the Galaxy: The AR-37 Paragon-class Transport

(Those familiar with the GSA will probably recognize the contents of this article.  I'm simply re-posting it here as I thought it was too good write-up to remain lost to the ether).

There are a multitude of planets to be found in the Star Wars galaxy as presented by Fantasy Flight Games and their awesome Star Wars Roleplaying Game, and the means of reaching them can be just as numerous.   With this ship first making its debut as part of the Mass Transit IV poster map by the supremely talented mapmaker extraordinaire Christopher West, this particular ship can serve as either a regular transport craft for a crew of spacers on the Edge of the Empire, or for a team of Alliance operatives fighting against the Empire in an Age of Rebellion.

AR-37 Paragon-class Transport
Silhouette: 4
Speed: 3
Handling: -2
Hull Trauma Threshold: 20
Strain Threshold: 15
Armor: 3
Defense (Fore/Aft): 2/1
Hull Type/Class: Transport/AR-37
Manufacturer: Kuat Systems Engineering
Hyperdrive: Primary: Class 2; Backup: Class 16
Navicomputer: Yes
Sensor Range: Short
Ship's Complement: One pilot, one co-pilot, one engineer
Passenger Capacity: 8
Encumbrance Capacity: 200 (with cargo module attached)
Consumables: 3 months
Cost/Rarity: 110,000/6
Customization Hardpoints: 5
Weapons: Dorsal Turret Mounted Laser Cannon (Fire Arc: All; Damage 6; Critical 3; Range [Close]), Starboard Twin Ion Cannon (Fire Arc: Forward or Starboard; Damage 5; Critical 4; Range [Close]; Linked 1, Ion)

History: Developed by Kuat Systems Engineering shortly after the release of the Wayfarer-class medium transport, the AR-37 Paragon-class light transport was intended to capitalize on the expected success of the Wayfarer series and its modular cargo container system.  Unfortunately many of the problems that plagued the early release of the Wayfayer-class also impacted the Paragon-class, not the least of which was that the intended market of the small-time independent trader balked at the idea of having to purchase multiple container modules, of which only the bulk cargo container was available upon the ship's release to the market.

Despite these drawbacks, the AR-37 Paragon-class has gained a reputation as a surprisingly sturdy and reliable ship that is just as friendly to the modification-happy independent trader market as the venerable YT-series of Corellian transports.  The ship is also surprisingly roomy due to its twin-deck design, an aspect that carries over to the cargo container that comes stock with the ship, giving crews an unexpected degree of luxury not commonly found on a light transport.

Design Notes: As with the first time these stats (now modified from their original appearance), a definite vote of thanks to the inestimable Sterling Hershey, as his Sage Edition/D6 write-ups of both the Nova Eclipse and default AR-37 Paragon-class transport done as part of his Star Wars Wednesdays blog helped inform this particular stat block.

The floor plans for this ship can be found as part of the Mass Transit IV map set, and a simple search using your search engine of choice should turn up several places form which to purchase them.  And speaking of buying Christopher West's excellent maps, Mr. West is currently running a Kickstarter for a new set of maps, titled "Poster Maps of the Forsaken Lands III, IV, and More!"  You can check it out here (and I highly suggest you do):

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mapmaker/poster-maps-of-the-forsaken-lands-iii-iv-and-more 

A mere $35 gets you downloadable PDF versions of all his previous maps as well as maps from this particularly Kickstarter, which is one hell of a deal given the sheer number of maps that Christopher West has created over the years.  And a $50 pledge gets you access to the Omnibus, which not only includes the maps but all sorts of add-on tiles from his prior Kickstarters.  The project has already funded, so if you pledge you're going to get at least the Forsaken Lands III map, and Mr. West has never failed to fulfill a Kickstarter pledge, so whatever reward level you pledge at, you're going to get the goods.  And if this bad boy reaches the $8000 mark, that means Forsaken Lands IV gets printed.  There's only 12 days left as of this post before this Kickstarter ends, so if you've not pledged already and you like having high quality maps for your RPG sessions, then hurry up and get your pledge in.

Savage Worlds Kickstarter - East Texas University

Wow, two posts in one day?  What gives?

Well, I've been kinda remiss in mentioning a Kickstarter that I backed several days ago.  Those who know me know that I've been a long-time of Deadlands, back from the Classic version through Hell on Earth up to Deadlands Reloaded and Deadlands Noir.

The fine folks at Pinnacle are at it again, this time with a Kickstarter for East Texas University, a horror-themed setting for Savage Worlds.  I'll let them do the explaining...

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/545820095/east-texas-university-savage-worlds

Now what's interesting about this Kickstarter is that the backer rewards are driven not by dollars pledged, but by the number of folks who've pledged.  The product has long since funded (having reached nearly five times the goal as of this post), and it certainly looks to be a fun setting to use either for one-shot adventures, an extended campaign, or perhaps even as a resource for a Deadlands adventure in a more modern setting.  And since it's all Savage Worlds, it wouldn't take much work on the GM's part to incorporate elements from Deadlands (particularly DL:Noir) into an ETU game to give an extra helping of weird.

$20 gets you a PDF of the core rulebook plus the digital rewards (currently unlocked are the soundtrack and a collection of ready-to-play archetypes), and an extra $15 on top of that also nets you the Plot Point Campaign book, giving the GM a ready-made series of adventures that should keep your group going for a good long while if their prior Plot Point Campaigns are anything to go by.

Me?  I'm pledged at the Masters level.  One of the things I regretted with the Deadlands: Noir Kickstarter was that I wasn't able to pledge enough to get physical copies of the books, a mistake that I'm not making this time around.  I will admit that the dice and maps are also tempting, but we'll see how things go in terms of my personal finances (GenCon is on the horizon after all).

So if you enjoy horror-themed games, check this one out.  It looks to be a real killer.