Non Combat Encounters

[Robot Ron]

Any good ideas for some non combat encounters? Those ones are definitely the hardest to game master. I'm thinking that I need some NPC interaction type stuff, but I'm kind of stumped.
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[Rathe Ehtar]

You could use some diplomacy encounters or bargaining situations, you know, bribing the customs official to let you land.
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"I don't know about angels, but it's fear that gives men wings." -Max Payne

"I don't buy that cluck like a dog, bark like a chicken stuff." -Col. Jack O'Neill

[Loc Taal]

You could create a slicer character. He could hack into some top secret computer system. Maybe it's a stand-alone system with no access to the outside world. So the characters have to come up with some sort of distraction to get him inside so he can actually sit down at the computer and hack it. I'm thinking something like Mission Impossible when Tom Cruise comes down on that rope into the computer room...
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"Mind what you have learned. Save you it can." --Yoda

The original RANCOR PIT archive

[Ray]

I had to sneak two Ewok's into an Imperial Military Installation one time, no combat there...

Or wouldn't have been if not for the stupid false bottom falling off the janitor's cart...

Spying, if done right, involves no combat at all. Only if you fail do you start acting like James Bond.

[roguesquad]

An easy one, that is bound to happen. Sooner or later, any space campaign will have space combat. Perhaps make sure some of the damage requires them to head off to space dock to look for parts. The part(s) needed, could involve dealing with a con artist mechanic( which means repeat business, or if they figure it out, another trip back to deal with him for making the problem) Perhaps the part needed, means a special deal where the characters need to deal in trade, and not credits (maybe they have no credits). And the adventure goes back and forth on some planet trying to trade part A, for Part B, which is traded for part C which the characters are in need of.
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Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. Psalm 145:3

[Vartax]

puzzles and mystries.

[Esoomian]

Characters can generally make combat out of any situation if they are that type of character but a good mission for a non-combat situation is a salvage mission.

You know twisted wreckage of a super star destroyer floating all alone in space... what could have destroyed it? Is there something on board to be salvaged? Is the structure stable enough for us to explore? Has this been reported.

No combat is neccessary but there can be a lot done with either trying to restore limited power to the ship to open the locked blast doors or trying to blast through them without collapsing the ships superstructure.

Done well the game can have a very paranoid feel... how can such a prise be unnoticed... are other people trying to salvage this ship right now?

[Djas Puhr]

Bounty hunter campaigns can actually offer a lot of non-combat situations, if done right. A good bounty hunter should be able to capture his mark without ever firing a shot. There is a lot of investigation to do, by both legal and illegal means. They can search public records, hack into computer systems, search dwellings and vehicles, question witnesses, etc. Sometimes there may be tension between the bounty hunters and the local law enforcement that has to be dealt with. Once the bounty hunters locate their man, there is still a lot of planning to do to capture them. You can always go in guns blazing, but sometimes it's more fun (and challenging) to come up with a plan to capture them without having to get into a blaster fight. It depends if the mark knows the bounty hunters are on to him or not. If he does, you may have to act fast to nab him before he makes a run for it. If not, you can take your time and plan a safer method of apprehending him.
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"He's no good to me dead." --Boba Fett

[Urhart the Fallen Angel]

Oh yeah, I once did a rbel move where I told some impirials that they should meet us for some info about rebels told them not to bring armour cause theyd look suspicious. Also told some actual troops to come and that there were some rebels there... just sat back and wtched them kill each other. In the end we had to kill three of them, but we didn't shoot them!
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[Ragnar]

You can always create a situation where combat would be impossible so that the characters would have to do, my personal favorite, and con there way through the situation...like they need to sneak into an extremely well gaurded building and they con and disguise there way in...

[Ray]

Cargo Negotiation. Always a good idea... Particularily if the group has a Freighter (Which most do.).

Learn the culture of Trade, and the different ways people do it...

In some places, insults, jibes, and comments about family history are the norm... In others, it is all serious and reflectionary... In yet others, joking and joshing are methods of decreasing price due to entertainment value... In others, there's no such thing as a deal, it's that price, take it or get the heck out!!!

This makes it difficult if the group *REALLY* needs the items in question, and aren't given enough resources to pay for them...

Example: The PCs are on an excursion to go out and get materials for the Rebel Alliance... Cold Weather Gear, for instance. They're given a limited number of credits (Cash and trade goods, mostly precious metals melted into small bars), and that's it. They have to go out, on their own, and find a few ten thousand units in various sizes (Including one for a particularily nasty Barabel who also demands a "Tail Warmer".).

Where do they go? Who do they trade with? Will they be able to do it within, or better yet, under budget... How do they do that??? Take into consideration time available, hyperspace conditions, ect., and you have a tough prospect just to get a bunch of red flannel undies.

Not very combative, but highly entertaining... Unless you have a Jedi that just goes, "And you'll give us the same deal you gave your Brother..." and waves his hand around...

'Course... Toydarians are immune to that

[zarkempt]

trade runs are always nice, they can be legt or shady at you will. have the char sell stuff.
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set force pikes to the other setting

[Esoomian]

[Hellstorm]

Hostage negotiation 8)
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[Ray]

"First Contact" encounters. You deal with a species that noone else in the Galaxy has encountered, but has learned Basic from the numerous Hypercom Transmission (Like learning an Earth Language from the Radio/TV Signals from Earth).

Be particularily great if they regenerate, and their form of introduction is punching the toughest guy in the face repeatedly.

Be really interesting if the group has a Wookiee.