“I am a member of the Imperial Senate on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan.”

–Princess Leia Organa, Star Wars: A New Hope

The tumult of civil war reaches to every system in the galaxy, as the Empire’s navies hunt the ragtag forces of the Rebel Alliance. If the Rebellion is to survive another day, it must somehow persuade new systems to lend their support and join the fight to restore peace and justice to the galaxy.

As a Rebel Diplomat in Star Wars®: Age of Rebellion™, your mission is to sway the hearts and minds of the undecided. You expose the atrocities the Empire has committed against its own citizens. You analyze and navigate political intrigues, demonstrating unshakable sangfroid in every situation. You rekindle the fire of hope and give purpose to the war that wracks the galaxy.

Desperate Allies is a career supplement for Age of Rebellion, offering new species, specializations, items, and signature abilities to Diplomats everywhere. In this book, you’ll find everything you need to flesh out the Rebellion’s Diplomats, from new abilities and fancy clothes to advice for GMs on running a politically-driven campaign in a galaxy at war. Today, developer Max Brooke explores the three new specializations introduced in this book.

Developer Max Brooke on New Character Options in Desperate Allies

From the opening scene of Star Wars: A New Hope, Diplomats have played a significant role in the Rebellion, spreading hope in a galaxy choking on fear of the Empire. The three Diplomat specializations introduced in the Age of Rebellion Core Rulebook offer a solid foundation for any character focused on social skills in Age of Rebellion. An eloquent Agitator can whip any crowd into a frenzy at Imperial injustices, an Ambassador can stay his course despite the threats, and a good Quartermaster keeps everything working and everybody fed for one more day.

In addition to new Motivations, Duties, items, ships, and story hooks for existing Diplomats, Desperate Allies features three new varieties of Diplomat with new specializations: the Advocate, the Analyst, and the Propagandist. The Advocate excels as a political advisor and orchestrator, playing the game of intrigue better than anyone and carefully maneuvering chosen figureheads into positions where their political clout can win battles for the Rebel Alliance. The Analyst is extremely skilled at processing data, interpreting information, and leveraging this knowledge to create brilliant solutions and plans to win hearts, minds, and even battles. The Propagandist is the master of the information flow, keeping the right people in the know and staying on top of galactic news while denying accurate information to the enemy through false leads, misinformation, and outright lies. The Alliance to Restore the Republic has great need of the skill sets that these three specializations represent and even seasoned Diplomats can benefit by delving into these areas to augment their existing abilities.

Diplomatic Intentions

The new specializations included in Desperate Allies don’t just give Diplomat characters new angles for growth. They can also help characters from other careers branch into social and political arenas. For example, in addition to pairing extremely well with the Agitator, the Advocate specialization is great for any character with high Willpower, especially those who don’t mind getting their hands dirty to get results. Soldiers and Spies might find the Advocate to be an excellent fit for a foray into politics. They can let other characters handle the grand speeches and state dinners while they subtly do what has to be done. A quiet word here and a piece of blackmail there might accomplish great goals one day, but until that day, no one knows any better.

With a wealth of Knowledge skills, the Analyst specialization can enhance the already significant range of abilities available to a Quartermaster. Of course, learning a few tricks as an Analyst can also be highly beneficial for Engineers and Commanders. An Analyst’s powerful Knowledge skills can help an Engineer invent novel solutions to unique challenges, whether he’s working in the field or in a secret Rebellion base. At the same time, the talents available to an Analyst can tip any engagement in a Commander’s favor, granting bonuses to other characters when they contribute to the Commander’s carefully formed plan.

The Propagandist specialization, with its natural focus on the dissemination and control of news, obviously pairs well with the Ambassador, helping you bring light to Imperial atrocities and inspire galactic citizens to resist the Empire. You can also explore more unorthodox uses of the Propagandist specialization, however. An Ace could benefit from taking the Propagandist specialization, matching his peerless piloting skills with the ability to make sure everyone from Coruscant to the Outer Rim knows it. It might seem like self-aggrandizement to some (probably because it is), but the Rebellion needs heroes now more than ever. Stories of daring starship duels and miraculous feats of piloting that save the day inspire others to rise up against tyranny—and if somebody needs to be the heroic figure in the eyes of the downtrodden, why not the Ace?

The Galactic Civil War rages on, and every member of the Rebel Alliance fights in his own way. Dramatic military victories only happen because of logistics, intelligence, and alliances, all provided by loyal Diplomats serving the cause. These champions of the Alliance to Restore the Republic choose words as their weapons of choice, and Desperate Allies provides you with options to hone and test these weapons in the most devious battlefield of all: politics.

Inspire Hope Across the Galaxy

Thanks, Max!

Some Rebels fight their battles with blaster rifles or starships. You prefer to rely on a weapon for a more civilized age: your words. Enter the intrigues of the Star Wars galaxy, and pre-order your copy of Desperate Allies at your local retailer today!