A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...
It's pretty incredible to me that it's taken this many entries to get to my first Star Wars character. Considering my love for the franchise, the number of times I've run it, and the number of times it's been mentioned on this blog, you'd think the first few weeks would be teeming with Star Wars PCs and/or NPCs.
Well, it certainly could have been. I definitely have enough Star Wars characters to make that happen. The thing is, I'm trying to cover characters that I haven't talked about enough when compared to how great they are. Another personal criteria is to show a wide array of games and genres. Considering how long I've been at this and how many games I've run and (to a lesser extent) played, the intention was to avoid making this merely a collection of Star Trek, Star Wars, and Superhero characters..
That said, you can't keep a good Mandalorian down...
Character: Fleeto Woff
AKA: Fleet (nickname)
Player: Non-Player Character
System: Star Wars, The Role Playing Game (Star Wars D6). All Editions
Campaign: First appeared in 'The Smiling Bantha Gang' campaign and then went on to feature in many subsequent Star Wars campaigns.
Gamemaster: Adam Dickstein
Circa: Created in 1978 but not used in a game until 1990. I think. Possibly used in 1982 but I am not certain.
Origins: The legend goes that after watching the infamous 'Star Wars Holiday Special', my best friend Joe and I were absolutely in love with Boba Fett - as were most of our friends - but we could not remember his name. He threw out ideas and each seemed sillier than the last. One in particular came close, 'Baba Fetts', but Joe thought it sounded like a breakfast cereal. Eventually I thought I had it, Fleeto Woff! Joe said it sounded right and everyone else I mentioned it to agreed that this must be it.
Obviously we would later learn this was wrong thanks to the Mail-Away Kenner Action Figure promotion, not to mention The Empire Strike Back. For a while, saying Fleeto Woff made us all chuckle. How could we have been so far off?
When it came time to run a Star Wars RPG campaign and I needed a cool bounty hunter, I pulled out none other than Fleeto Woff, Mandalorian Mercenary! He has since appeared in almost every long form Star Wars campaign I've ever run.
Now with added and adjusted elements from The Clone Wars, Rebels, and The Mandalorian!
Backstory: Virtually nothing is known about Fleeto Woff's early life, although reasonable speculation can be made. He is believed to be in his early-to-mid 30s during the time of the Galactic Civil War and was likely born on Mandalore prior to the siege of that world near the end of the Clone Wars. Woff is the name of a very small Mandalorian clan largely wiped out during the aforementioned 'Siege of Mandalore'. It is believed Fleeto is the last of his line.
Based on his extensive knowledge of the Outer Rim Territories and his numerous patrons in that region, Woff probably spent most of his adult life there and maybe some of his youth. Curiously, his family sigil - seen detailed on the 'forehead' of his helmet - depicts the eyes of the Crag-Bats of Pumot, an Outer Rim world that once served as a Mandalorian outpost. Fun Fact: Woff's short cape and parts of his outfit are made of Crag-Bat leather.
Overview: Bodyguard, bounty hunter, hitman, and mercenary, Fleeto Woff is - at least at first glance - the typical scum and villainy hired blaster you'd expect to see working the Outer Rim in the service of gangsters like Hooker Spicelot and Chuuphga 'Two-by-Four'. What sets him apart is his demeanor and attitude, which often catches people by surprise.
Generally polite and business-like, he differs from the usual 'Mandalorian-of-few-words' like Boba Fett and Din Djarin by being more than willing to talk to targets, allies, and employers alike. I wouldn't describe him as a chatterbox, just that he is a cordial and amiable man doing a job that he takes pride in. A blue collar Joe making his way through the galaxy.
One interesting aspect of the character is he won't work for the Empire or take Imperial contracts or commissions. He will work with Imperial Forces if he has to but does not like it and has been known to be clear and vocal on the subject. On more than one occasion, when Imperials were after the same target he was, Woff was known to blast Stormtroopers trying to take his quarry.
Fleeto Woff has survived well into the post-Return of the Jedi era and has been seen as late as ten years after the destruction of the second Death Star at the Battle of Endor. He never likes to lose or give up but will call it quits if the fight is definitely lost. Woff doesn't fight to the death if he doesn't have to; an aspect that has enabled him to survive a lot longer than others in his line of work.
The Highlights:
Fleeto Woff once chased Smuggler and Rebel En Fochs and his modified droid MAN-2 into the bowls of an Imperial Interdictor Class Star Destroyer. During the battle, damage to a coolant system flooded a large, open chamber with thick gas. Using distractions, stealth, and MAN-2's sensors, the pair were able to elude Woff in the coolant's chemical fog and eventually got the drop on him. He was so impressed by their teamwork he gave up, dropped his weapon, and asked that he be allowed to leave in peace. In exchange he'd tell his boss that Fochs was killed in the destruction of the Interdictor. "But the ship isn't in danger of...", Fochs began, when Woff pointed to the rocket on his back.
"There was an explosion. I hear their coolant system failed", said Woff shaking his head.
One of my favorite moments with Woff was when his ship, a Skipray Blastboat (the exact name of which escapes me but it was the -Something- Payload), was in pursuit of a PC light freighter and a squadron of Imperial TIE Fighters showed up alongside him. They thanked him for detaining the fugitives and told him to move aside and leave it to them. One of the TIEs fired warning shots at the PC vessel and Woff blew it to space dust. He then fired at the rest of the TIEs in an attempt to make them back off. They were so stunned they veered into each other or off course, enabling both the PC ship and Woff to get away.
Like other Mandalorians, Fleeto Woff's armor has a few hidden tricks and gimmicks but his major secret weaon is the rocket on his Jetpack. It isn't just explosive - It can do loaded with a host of different warheads including tear gas, quick hardening foam, an anti-droid EMP, and a concussive bomb that does less damage but throws victims several meters from the blast center.
Legacy: I can't think of any full on, long term Star Wars campaigns I've run where Fleeto Woff didn't show up at one point or another. I don't see him retiring any time soon. Even if he did, maybe he'd settle down, raise a family, and train a youngling. There will always be a Fleeto Woff.
Game Info: Here's a character sheet for Fleeto using the Star Wars D6 2nd Edition version of the system. Woff has had numerous writes-ups over the years and this is simply how I see him right now. Remember, this is an NPC and not a Player Character, so his skills are elevated to reflect his years of experience and status as a serious threat to the PCs.
Next up, DA GAMMA MAN! *KAKA-THOOM*
AD
Barking Alien
Sweet!
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