Quest Line · Original Adventure · Star Wars: Edge of the Empire
One-shot
The player characters attend an exclusive high-stakes sabacc tournament aboard the Dusty Credit, a converted bulk freighter, hoping to win big credits. When a desperate gambler cheats the wrong Hutt crime lord, the situation explodes into a deadly hostage crisis with the freighter locked down and enforcers searching compartment by compartment. The PCs must survive the night, expose the cheater, and negotiate their way out before the Hutt's patience runs out.
Players should create characters with reasons to attend an underground gambling event—smugglers, bounty hunters, con artists, or desperate spacers all fit well. Characters should have at least one gambling-related skill (Skullduggery, Deception, or Cool). This adventure involves confined spaces, potential violence, and themes of betrayal and debt. The tone balances tension with opportunities for clever negotiation and social maneuvering.
Choose the hook that best fits your group:
Hook 1: The Invitation — A mysterious benefactor gifts each PC an embossed invitation to an exclusive sabacc tournament aboard the Dusty Credit, promising a 50,000-credit prize pool. The invitation is legitimate, but the benefactor's identity remains unknown.
Hook 2: Working Passage — The PCs are hired as security, dealers, or servers for the tournament. They're promised 2,000 credits each for the night's work, but they witness the cheating firsthand and become trapped when the lockdown begins.
Hook 3: The Tail — One PC is tracking someone who'll be at the tournament (a debtor, informant, or target). The others are their crew. They gain entry through forged invitations or bribes, only to find themselves trapped when chaos erupts.
The Dusty Credit hangs in orbit above a gas giant's orange-striped face. Once a grain hauler, the freighter's cargo hold has been converted into a surprisingly elegant gambling hall. Red velvet curtains partition the space. Repulsor-lifted tables float at comfortable heights. A small bar dispenses expensive liquor. Twenty guests mingle—various species in fine clothing, trying to look wealthier than they are.
At the main table sits Gorba the Hutt, a massive crime lord draped in golden chains. His Gamorrean guards flank him, snorting occasionally. The tournament organizer, Vex Starros, a smooth-talking human in a purple suit, welcomes everyone and explains the rules: buy-in is 5,000 credits, winner takes all, and house rules apply—no violence, no recording devices, and all disputes settled by the house.
The tournament proceeds normally for the first hour. Players can participate in the sabacc game using Skullduggery or Cool checks (Average difficulty, 2 purple dice) to win hands. Successful checks with Advantage allow them to notice Rinna Quell, a nervous Mirialan woman, subtly manipulating cards with a concealed sleeve device. A Perception check (Hard difficulty, 3 purple dice) reveals the cheating clearly enough to prove it.
The tension breaks when Gorba realizes he's losing consistently to Rinna. If no PC exposes the cheating, Gorba's bodyguard Kragg notices it instead. Either way, Gorba roars in fury, and Rinna panics—drawing a hold-out blaster and shooting Vex Starros dead. Alarms blare. Blast doors slam shut, sealing all exits. Kragg announces that no one leaves until the cheater pays with their life.
The Dusty Credit is now a prison. Gorba's enforcers—three Gamorrean guards and Kragg (a tough Houk bruiser)—methodically search the freighter's compartments. The remaining guests scatter into hiding throughout the ship: the crew quarters, engine room, cargo bays, and environmental systems. Rinna has disappeared, and Gorba has given the guests two hours to produce her or he'll kill everyone.
Kragg the Enforcer: Brawn 4, Soak 6, Wound Threshold 16, armed with a vibro-axe (Damage 9, Crit 2, Vicious 3). He's loyal but not stupid, willing to listen to reason if presented with solid evidence.
The PCs must decide their approach:
Option A: Find Rinna — Searching the ship requires Perception checks (Average to Hard difficulty) in various locations. Following power fluctuations from her sleeve device leads to the environmental control room. Rinna is hiding in a ventilation junction, terrified. She reveals she was blackmailed into cheating by Tomar Vask, Vex's assistant, who promised to clear her family's debt to a different crime syndicate. Tomar has the real winnings hidden and planned to frame Rinna all along.
Option B: Investigate Vex's Death — Examining Vex's body with a Medicine check (Average difficulty, 2 purple dice) reveals he was already poisoned before being shot—the blaster wound was unnecessary. A Computers or Perception check (Hard difficulty) in Vex's cabin uncovers financial records showing he embezzled money from Gorba's organization and planned to disappear after the tournament.
Option C: Negotiate with Gorba — Approaching the Hutt directly requires Negotiation or Coercion checks (Hard difficulty, 3 purple dice). Gorba is furious but pragmatic. He wants his money back and someone to punish. Evidence of a larger conspiracy might redirect his anger—or might make him decide to eliminate all witnesses.
The Twist: Tomar Vask, a weaselly human, is actively working to ensure Rinna takes the fall. He's armed with a blaster pistol (Damage 6) and will attempt to kill Rinna or any PC who gets too close to the truth. He's hidden the stolen credits (150,000 total) in a concealed compartment in the ship's galley.
The climax occurs when the PCs must resolve the crisis before Gorba's patience expires. The outcome depends on their choices:
Ending 1: Justice Served — If the PCs gather evidence of Tomar's conspiracy and present it to Gorba (with a successful Negotiation check, Hard difficulty), the Hutt's anger shifts. Tomar is fed to Gorba's pet nexu while Rinna is spared but indentured to work off her participation. Gorba rewards the PCs with 10,000 credits and safe passage, respecting their investigative skills.
Ending 2: Everyone Runs — If the PCs help Rinna escape (requiring Skullduggery or Mechanics checks to override the blast doors and Piloting checks to steal a shuttle), they must flee with Gorba's wrath following them. Rinna is grateful and shares information about a hidden cache worth investigating in a future adventure. However, the PCs now have a Hutt's bounty on their heads—5,000 credits each.
Ending 3: Bloodbath — If negotiations fail or violence erupts, the PCs must fight their way out against Kragg and the Gamorrean guards. The freighter's bridge can be accessed with Computers checks (Hard difficulty) to unlock escape pods or the hangar. This ending is costly—expect several PCs to take critical wounds—but successful escape is possible. Tomar dies in the chaos, and the stolen credits are never recovered.
Gorba the Hutt — Obese crime lord with a surprisingly sharp mind. Wants respect and his money back more than random violence.
Kragg — Houk enforcer, seven feet of muscle and loyalty. Respects strength and cleverness equally.
Rinna Quell — Mirialan gambler drowning in family debt. Desperate, scared, but not a killer at heart.
Tomar Vask — Vex's assistant, actually the mastermind. Greedy and cowardly, willing to kill to cover his tracks.
Vex Starros (deceased) — Tournament organizer who embezzled from Gorba. His death kicks off the crisis.
Experience: Award 10 XP for surviving, plus 5 XP for resolving the crisis peacefully or uncovering the full conspiracy.
Credits: 5,000-10,000 credits depending on the ending and negotiation success. Finding Tomar's hidden stash yields 150,000 credits split among the party.
Equipment: Rinna's cheating device (a modified sabacc sleeve rig, adds 1 boost die to Skullduggery checks during card games).
Reputation: Favor with Gorba's organization (if they helped him) or a bounty on their heads (if they fled). Either creates future adventure hooks.
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