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"What Others Abandon, We Protect"
Since the times of the Old Republic, not long after hyperspace travel was invented and spread commerce throughout the galaxy, the Sector Rangers have protected the spaceways from pirates and other violent criminals. Established millennia ago along with the Jedi Knights, the Sector Rangers remain an independent force (even during the reign of Emperor Palpatine) for justice and peace in the dangerous vacuum of space. Introduction: This document details the missions, operations, and structure of the Sector Rangers - an independent police force first introduced in West End Games' Star Wars Roleplaying Game supplements Pirates and Privateers and Galaxy Guide 11: Criminal Organizations. As such, it is meant to augment the material WEG has provided, not supplant it. This unofficial sourcebook is intended to provide gamemasters and players alike with information vital to running a Sector Rangers campaign, as well as creating a common body of reference material on the Sector Rangers, a group which can appear in any campaign - from tramp freighters to straight-up Empire vs. Rebellion! The document is currently divided into five parts. The first section explains the missions and duties of the Sector Rangers. Second, the basic organization of each Sector Ranger Brigade is reviewed, with typical ship deployments described. Next, the operations of the Rangers are explored, including the typical weapons and armor used for various missions. Also, the Sector Rangers lifestyle is explored, with emphasis on how their bases are organized (or rather, disorganized) and what the typical tour of duty in the Sector Rangers is like. Finally, a section on gamemastering a group of Sector Rangers has been included, listing possible adventure hooks and tips for how Sector Rangers should fit into your Star Wars universe. I have placed all relevant statistics at the end of the sourcebook for two reasons: 1) When playing, I like to have all my stats in one place so I don't have to keep flipping pages, searching the whole book for a particular item (are you listening, WOTC?); and 2) The point of the sourcebook is in discussing the organization and behavior of Sector Ranger brigades, which are notorious for their eclectic personnel and equipment. There are no real "typical" stats for personnel and equipment, only basic patterns of staffing and ship assignments. Future additions to this document will cover the history of the Sector Rangers, a full-blown map of a typical Sector Ranger base, and various other goodies. If you would like to contribute to this effort, please email me at ckfrain@hotmail.com. Part I: Between Commerce and Chaos - The Missions of the Sector Rangers
Stopping and Pursuing Pirates
This historic mission is first and foremost for the Rangers. Simply put, they are charged with investigating acts of piracy and taking steps to both prevent future pirate attacks and bring pirates to justice. Priority is often placed on defending large passenger liners and precious cargo shipments that are often - due to their potential values in the form of ransoms and stolen merchandise - the targets of pirate attacks. However, when push comes to shove, a Sector Ranger is dedicated to protect any civilian ship from pirates, whether they are carrying important ambassadors or smuggled contraband. While the Sector Rangers are a dedicated counter-pirate force, their policy is somewhat less committed towards stopping privateers. Since privateers often are affiliated with the Rebellion (in the classic Star Wars era), Rangers will often "persuade" privateers to break off their attacks while informing Imperial Intelligence and the Imperial Navy of their presence. Also, since privateers are much less likely to take innocent lives in their raids, the Sector Rangers view them as a secondary threat to the truly sadistic and greedy independent pirates harassing the galaxy.
Sector Patrol
Sector Rangers also provide a valuable service by making sure all legitimate hyperspace astrogation buoys function properly, as well as verifying the status of hyperspace lanes. Many a cargo ship has been attacked by pirates simply because it had to stop its planned hyperspace route in order to avoid a cleverly-placed asteroid. The Sector Rangers hope to put an end to this practice. The Empire has made it clear that in no way are Sector Rangers responsible for counter-smuggling missions, the jealously-guarded turf of the Imperial Customs Office. In fact, Sector Rangers have been known to assist smugglers in distress with the tacit approval of the Empire.
Disrupting Criminal Organizations
Due to their limited amount of staff and equipment, Sector Rangers will often avoid taking on large, well-established (and well-armed) criminal organizations, simply for matters of survival. Mostly they tend to concentrate their efforts on criminal organizations whose threats are of a interstellar nature, where local police cannot intervene effectively. These areas include ship-jacking rings, dangerous narcotics transportation, and extortion/murder/etc. of people on one planet by criminals from another planet. As mentioned above, if smuggling is discovered the Rangers will often turn the operation over to Imperial Customs or the Imperial Office of Criminal Investigations (IOCI). If Rebel Alliance personnel are present in the criminal organization, the case is turned over to Imperial Intelligence. Sector Rangers, however, have been known to forget to inform the Empire of these developments in a timely fashion.
Preventing Acts of Terrorism and Bringing Terrorists to Justice
Part II: Decentralized Efficiency - Sector Ranger Organization
A Typical Sector Ranger Brigade
Each sector's Ranger brigade is then divided into four sections, according to the four missions outlined above. These are commonly referred to in shorthand as OrgCrim, Ter, Pirate, and Patrol. Each Section is commanded by a Lieutenant, who receives orders from the Director. Many lieutenants stay at the Sector Ranger base, where they can coordinate their efforts with the other lieutenants as well as pay attention to developments in the sector. Section Lieutenants also lack any staff assistants, so they must perform all these functions by themselves, contributing to their somewhat immobile nature. Due to this problem, qualified underlings are often temporarily promoted to Section Lieutenant in order to put the current Lieutenants back into the field. Each Section is then divided into several (usually between two and eight) Task Forces. Task Forces are the building blocks of a Sector Ranger Brigade, and usually contain between two and six Field Agents. These Task Forces are always named after Greek letters (alpha, beta, gamma, etc.), and it is not unusual for a Sector force to "retire" a letter designation due to acts of heroism and/or tragedy. Each Task Force is organized around a particular case being pursued, and Field Agents are often reassigned to other Task Forces soon after these cases/missions are finished. This is seen as important in keeping morale high by spreading different talents while also preventing complacency from setting in among successful task forces. Some Sector brigades, however, have experienced the exact opposite results from this policy and have thus adopted a more stable Task Force personnel policy. Each Task force is run by a Sergeant, who is usually more of a peer than a superior to the Field Agents assigned to him. Sergeants will almost always accompany Field Agents on their missions unless otherwise needed. Field Agents are commonly promoted to the Sergeant level after several successful missions in order to give them a taste of responsibility and initiative, while it is no disgrace to be bumped back down to Field Agent after a while in order to give someone else a try. Regarding promotions, it is always the Lieutenant and Director positions that indicate a successful career. The "typical" Sector Brigade will contain roughly seventy personnel, with two squadrons of starfighters assigned to Sector Patrol and one heavy squadron assigned to counter-piracy duty. In addition, each Sector Brigade will retain specially modified freighters for prisoner transfer duty, as well as an assemblage of gunboats and assault shuttles that are flexibly assigned by the Director to wherever they are needed most. Finally, most Sector Brigades will keep a small capital ship as its flagship. These are used on high-profile missions where heavy combat is expected.
Sector Ranger Command
Special Enforcement Officers
SEOs are often given their own ship - usually a heavily modified light freighter - to use during their career, and may "deputize" non-Sector Ranger personnel to crew the ship. SEOs are responsible for ship maintenance through the use of their own operations budget. When necessary to their mission, a Special Enforcement Officer may also request assistance from a Sector Ranger Brigade in capturing fleeing criminals. This is a rare occurrence, however, due to how proud most SEOs are. Part III: "Use Lethal Force Only When Compelled To Do So" - Sector Rangers Tactics and Weapons
Counter-Piracy Tactics
When confronted with a pirate fleet, the Sector Rangers will first disable any craft suspected of being used for boarding purposes, before they can reach the cargo/passenger vessel. Sector Ranger ships are usually equipped with heavy ion cannons to accomplish this tactic. The Rangers concede that this is a dangerous tactic when the pirates have fighter cover, but argue that the fighters pirates can afford are usually substandard "uglies" thrown together haphazardly. Where fighter cover is expected, the Sector Rangers will bring their own starfighters to engage both the pirates' fighters and their boarding craft. Once they disable the large pirate vessels and neutralize any starfighter attacks, the Sector Rangers will then try to hail the pirate ship and ask for their immediate surrender. Regardless of the answer they receive, the Sector Rangers will then board the main pirate vessel(s), using special hull cutting lasers if necessary. The mission of the boarding party is simple but sometimes difficult to execute: capture as many suspects as possible without risking friendly casualties. Boarding parties are dressed in the heaviest armor available, which usually includes blast vests and lower torso/leg armor, helmets, and breath masks. The lead boarder is equipped with a deck-clearing stunner (one of the only "standard" items issued from sector to sector), which is employed early and often. Other members of the party are equipped with heavy blaster pistols set on "stun," as well as stun batons for any possible hand-to-hand fighting. Due to the danger of punching holes in a ships hull, and considering their primary mission of bringing pirates to justice alive, Sector Rangers will hardly ever set their blasters to normal, non-stun damage. Only when pirates are using some sort of anti-stun implants will Sector Rangers switch their blasters to the lethal setting, and even then they will try to aim for the limbs of their targets in order to disable them. During the boarding action, one or several Sector Ranger "paddy wagon" craft (modified light freighters) will be called in to transfer captured outlaws to the nearest planet. (As a matter of policy, the Sector Rangers prefer not to bring prisoners to their base, for fear of security breaches, rescue attempts, or reprisal raids.) Once the pirate crew is dragged away, a decision is made whether to scuttle their ship (if it is too damaged to leave the area in short order) or to fly it back to Sector HQ. If the ship is known to be stolen, and in working order, attempts will be made to contact the rightful owner and return it. After the pirate crew is detained, Sector Rangers may interrogate them regarding their organization or any possible future operations. Again, the Sector Rangers are not allowed to question the pirates about possible Rebel connections, which is the province of the IOCI and Imperial Intelligence. Sector Rangers will then turn the prosecution over to the appropriate authorities, and are available to testify in court if necessary.
Patrol Tactics
It is during these patrols that Sector Rangers engage in public relations activities at the local spaceport, speaking and listening to concerned parties about the hazards of space travel. This serves as an informal intelligence gathering activity regarding commerce and potential outlaws. This practice also gains many friends within the legitimate spacer community - a potentially valuable asset in times of emergency. As a rule of thumb, anything can happen on a patrol. Everything from a pirate attack, a major Rebel/Imperial space battle, to a disabled ship that only needs to be towed to the nearest starport may occur. The catchphrase of Sector Rangers on patrol is "keep your photoreceptors operating in an optimal fashion."
Infiltrating Criminal and Terrorist Rings
There are no real rules or procedures to these missions. A task force assigned to a criminal or terrorist case will often collect as much information on the group through openly-available channels (public records, interviews, etc.). It is only after these channels are exhausted without sufficient results that the decision to infiltrate an organization is made. Good use is made of informants, who are often granted some level of immunity and protection for their information. These infiltrations are often done by individual field agents, with the rest of his team based nearby in case of trouble. Posing as a fellow criminal/terrorist, or someone the organization would associate with (smugglers, gun-runners, mercenaries, etc.), the infiltrator will then observe the criminals while avoiding committing any crimes himself (often a difficult task). It is then up to the infiltrator, while communicating with the rest of his team when possible, to decide when to spring the trap and try to capture the criminals/terrorists. When this decision is made, it is not uncommon for another task force to cooperate in the capture operation - assuming they have adequate notice. Sector Rangers will often leave large, well-armed terrorist organizations alone, referring them to the IOCI or other Imperial authorities. They will also refer any Rebel or smuggling activities to the Empire as well. This keeps the Sector Rangers from experiencing "mission creep" by maintaining their focus on counter-piracy. Part IV: Never a Dull Moment - The Life and Times of the Sector Rangers Patrols
Sector Rangers do try to keep busy during these long and tedious patrols. Target practice is often part of the routine ("bet you can't hit that asteroid! Yeah, that little one."), as well as practicing complex flight maneuvers. Rangers on patrol are also fond of gathering information by putting on civilian clothes ("civvies") and frequenting spacers' hangouts. They are always willing to buy drinks for gentlebeings who have any information regarding pirates or terrorists, and always consult multiple channels of information to check for veracity.
Base Life
Many Sector Rangers share their bases with the Imperial Navy. This has led to a lot of tension between the two services. The Navy sees the Sector Rangers as one of the last remanents of the inefficient Old Republic, and cannot understand why the Emperor hasn't just dissolved them, much as he dissolved the Jedi and the Senate. This intolerance is exacerbated by the presence of many non-humans in the Sector Rangers, who are treated with utmost suspicion and derision if they wander through an Imperial facility. Many Imperials have accused the Sector Rangers of aiding the Rebellion, by tipping them off to Imperial activity and not pursuing Alliance privateers. The Rangers are no big fans of the Imperial Navy, either, who they see as a brutal and mindless war machine at the whim of a crazy old man. Sector Rangers, despite their devotion to law and order, are almost never zealots of the New Order, and are actually quite fond - just not openly - of the Old Republic (and by extension, the Rebellion). Due to personnel shortages, Sector Ranger bases are usually protected by security droids. These droids guard the entrance(s) to the base, as well as patrol the hallways (especially near the brig). These droids are often treated like members of the Ranger force, and develop meaningful personalities and relationships with the Rangers. Each base has office space for each section, as well as a separate office for the Director of Operations. These areas are often cramped and messy, and most Rangers tend to spend as little time as possible at their cubicles, where they keep their files and other records. The living space afforded to active-duty Rangers is not much of an improvement. They are usually given small one or two-person dormitory rooms, with enough room for their bunk, closet, and a desk. The most senior Rangers get rooms with a view - a meaningful luxury during long months on active duty.
Tour of Duty
Each standard year spent in the Rangers is split into a 4-month/1--month/4-month/1-month/1-month/1-month active/leave cycle. This keeps Ranger morale high, as well as allowing them to rest in between difficult assignments. Often the one month active duty at the end of the cycle is spent acquiring further weapons or starship training, while keeping old skills up to par. While on leave, Rangers are encouraged to stay in their sector in case of emergency, where they can be recalled at a moment's notice (much to the chagrin of the vacationing Ranger). Public Relations Sector Rangers and the Empire: Pay attention to the possible conflicts between the Empire, particularly the Navy, and the Sector Rangers. The Navy does not like anyone claiming jurisdiction over its territory, and will seek to defend their priority in such matters. Many Imperials are also completely distrustful of the Sector Rangers, due to their legacy as part of the Old Republic. Whenever possible, have Imperials try to derail Sector Ranger operations. It may be possible that the Rangers have a sympathetic ear with a particular Moff, however, if tensions between the Moff and the Navy are strong enough. Sector Rangers and Planetary Governments: Although they provide a valuable and necessary service, many planetary system governments do not appreciate the role of the Sector Rangers. Again, this is due primarily to jurisdiction issues. Since Sector Rangers have the authority to assert themselves over the heads of local police, these local police agencies often feel powerless once the Sector Rangers step in. Thus, the local try to jealously guard their jurisdictions. As a result, the Sector Rangers will often conduct covert, parallel investigations in order to avoid the whole issue. Sector Rangers and the Spacer Community: Legitimate spacers, and even some illegitimate ones like smugglers, do appreciate the traditional role the Sector Rangers play in keeping the space lanes safe. Many of them will be absolutely friendly to the Rangers, and will readily provide them with information and possibly a ship if needed. This holds especially true for any spacer that has been rescued by the Sector Rangers in the past. As a rule, most spacers reserve their contempt for the Imperial Navy and Customs Service. Sector Rangers and Bounty Hunters: Although they try to keep their distance, it is not uncommon for the Sector Rangers and bounty hunters to share the same target - especially if that target is a high-profile interstellar criminal. Usually, bounty hunters will not interfere with the Rangers' investigation, and if nothing else the hunters will prefer to benefit from their hard work by secretly tailing the Sector Rangers until they get close to the target. Only in rare instances have Sector Rangers and bounty hunters come into direct conflict with each other. It is rumored that in those cases, the bounty hunters were only being used by unscrupulous Imperials to interfere with the Sector Rangers. Sector Ranger Bases: Despite their high profile, Sector Ranger Brigades prefer to keep the location of their bases a secret from the general public. The reason is obvious - these bases would become prime targets for those whom the Rangers bring to justice. Even if it is known in which starport a Sector Ranger base is located, the base itself will only be accessible by hidden means, such as through secret doors with high security locks located in the back of gift shops or some other "front" operation. Only on extremely rare occasions will outsiders be allowed into a Sector Ranger base.
Part V: Stats and Equipment Character Templates NOTE to Gamemasters: These templates are only a guide to what different specialized Sector Ranger NPCs may look like in terms of skills and attributes, and are only my best guess at that. Do not compel your PCs to adopt these templates if they come up with better ideas. Keep in mind that PCs get more starting attribute dice as well. Stats for "typical" Sector Rangers and SEOs can be found in Galaxy Guide 11: Criminal Organizations and Pirates and Privateers by WEG. Also, these templates are not mission-specific, but rather cover functional areas, which are needed for almost all missions, in which the Ranger will have more or less expertise.
Type: Sector Ranger - Starship Specialist
Capsule: The starship specialist is typically the ex-fighter jock with a knack for precise gunnery in disabling targets. It is the starship specialist who often sits at the controls of patrol craft and light freighters during Ranger patrols, and who fly the fighters that provide cover for large operations. They are also better than average astrogators - a necessary skill when the precise timing of hyperspace jumps is crucial. The Sector Rangers are adamant these pilots receive investigative and law enforcement training just like any other Ranger, although their enthusiasm for this part of the job varies from pilot to pilot.
Type: Sector Ranger - Investigative Specialist
Capsule: Since they are a small force, the Sector Rangers must rely on superior investigative abilities in order to catch a criminal at the right place and the right time. The investigative specialist is the super-sleuth who collects evidence against suspects while determining their strengths and weaknesses in order to facilitate capture. This character is more likely to rely on his wits than on his blaster, and will never pass up an opportunity to get some shred of information from a witness. Investigative specialists are also notoriously good interrogators.
Type: Sector Ranger - Combat Specialist
Capsule: The Sector Rangers rely on combat specialists in order to take down criminal organizations, particularly pirate bands. These characters usually form the front line of any boarding party, and are given the heaviest amounts of legal firepower and armor. During the Classic Star Wars timeframe, most non-human Rangers were combat specialists. Type: Sector Ranger - Medical/Biological Specialist DEXTERITY 3D Blaster 5D+1, dodge 4D+2, melee combat 5D, melee parry 4D+2 KNOWLEDGE 3D Alien species 4D, cultures 4D+1, languages 4D, planetary systems 4D+1, law enforcement 7D, streetwise 4D+2, survival 5D MECHANICAL 2D Astrogation 3D, sensors 3D+1, space transports 3D, starfighter piloting 3D PERCEPTION 4D Bargain 5D, command 5D, hide 5D, investigation 7D, sneak 5D STRENGTH 2D Brawling 3D, stamina 4D+2 TECHNICAL 4D Armor repair 4D+1, blaster repair 4D+2, computer programming/repair 4D+1, first aid 7D, (A) medicine 2D+2 Force Points: 1 Character Points: 5 Move: 10 Equipment: (varies with mission), field surgery kit (contains equivalent of 10 medpacs), blaster pistol (4D+1), blast helmet (+1 head energy, +1D physical), bioscanner, comlink, survival kit. Capsule: Inevitably, Rangers will be hit in combat. The medical specialist is responsible for treating fallen Rangers, as well as examining corpses and other biological evidence left behind by criminals. It's not a glamorous job, and it doesn't receive the high profile respect that the hot-shot pilots receive, but many a Ranger owes his life to the quick work of a Medic under fire. NOTE: Some of the more unimportant or under-funded Ranger Brigades may not even have medical personnel, relying instead on droids.
Type: Sector Ranger - Technical Specialist
< Capsule: Sector Ranger technicians fulfill two main duties: to fix anything that breaks, and to come up with new ways to monitor the whereabouts of suspects. As such, Ranger technicians are second only to those in Imperial Intelligence in creating all sorts of audio and visual "bugs" (small microphones or cameras that are undetectable to normal vision), and are expert computer slicers as well.
Type: Sector Ranger - Brigade Director of Operations
Capsule: The head honcho, the big cheese. The Brigade Director of Operations (BrigDirOp) is responsible for the planning and execution of Sector Ranger activities, and is involved in the all-important budget battles with the main office within the IOCI. Many BrigDirOps are well-connected with local law enforcement agencies, the Imperial Navy, and business/political leaders by the time they earn the position. The biggest obstacles they face are often not from without (pirates, terrorists, etc.), but from within (bureaucrats within the IOCI, visiting Special Enforcement Officers). Sector Ranger Starships
Skipray Blastboat - Sector Ranger Version
Modified Freighter - Sector Ranger YT-1930
WARNING - POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW Sector Ranger Adventure Hooks
Protection/Escort: Sector Ranger PCs must escort a VIP (for example: a prominent politician, athlete, or entertainer) to a big event (convention, tournament, or concert) in the Sector. While the obvious source of danger would be pirates or kidnappers, the real trouble comes from a being or organization (for example: loan sharks, gamblers, or jilted lovers, etc.) that the VIP angered at some point in the past.
This Time, It's Personal: A pirate or criminal group that had promised to inform the Sector Rangers of the whereabouts and activities of their competitors have used the opportunity to ambush and kill an entire Sector Ranger Task Force. The Director of Operations decides to make the villains his number one priority, and mobilizes the entire Brigade to take them down.
"Alien" Encounter: A Sector Ranger patrol gets a distress call from a scavenging/salvage operation (for example, one run by Squibs or Ugors) while in a remote corner of the sector. When the Sector Rangers arrive, they will find a huge, ancient colony ship sitting lifeless in space, while scavenger ship has disappeared. After entering the ship, the PCs will find to their horror that the scavengers have awakened a terrible alien species (for example: Charon) that killed the original crew and passengers thousands of years ago and then went into hibernation. Some of the scavengers are still alive and are trying to evade the aliens. When they meet up with the PCs, they will be told that one of the scavengers panicked and took their ship back to a nearby system. Now, the PCs must track down that ship to make sure that the alien species was not aboard.
Cyberterrorism: A master slicer has threatened to destroy the financial records of several major corporations in the Sector unless he receives several billion credits from them. The corporations turn to the Sector Rangers to track down and capture the slicer before his deadline passes.
Blade Runner: Due to a software virus, several protocol droids across the Sector have become homicidal and killed their masters. Now it is up to the Sector Ranger PCs to track down which droids have the virus and to stop them before they kill again. It will also be necessary to track down the entity that is responsible for spreading the virus.
Transition: The PCs are framed by the Empire (either by someone in the Navy or a Moff), and are charged with helping the Rebellion. The PCs must now figure out whether they want to fight to clear their names, or whether to flee and assume new identities and occupations.
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