Got questions?

Well, hopefully we can provide some of the answers. Since we changed the format and added so much new content, we thought it would be a good idea to add a FAQ to the site to answer some questions you may have.

Included are questions folks from the community have e-mailed us about in the past. So! If you have any questions regarding the Raptor Squad site that you don't see the answer for here, please feel free to e-mail us and we'll do our best to add them to the FAQ.

Thanks!



Technical Questions

1)I can't find the "x" section that used to be on your page. Where did it go?

2)I've come across some broken links/dead pics...whats the deal?

3)The site was down for so long! Why?

4)What exactly are the seperate sections?

5) Why dont you support/provide stats for the D20 version of the SWRPG?

6) I try to download your fiction but can't! What's wrong?

7) I've noticed your site is coded in HTML. Why not use some other programming language that's easier to maintain?

8) What programs do you use to create/color the images found on your site?

9) I've noticed you spell some things differently on your site, such as, instead of "Trianii" you spell it "Trianni". Why?

Campaign Questions

1)How long has your campaign been running?

2)How many players are in your group?

3)Do you game online?

4)I live near you guys. Do you have any openings for new players?

5)I'm new to your site and there seems to be a lot of material. Where should I start reading?

Character Questions

1)Khara, Xander, etc.. have been featured on the site since it was put up, but have yet to show up in any fiction/gamelogs...why?

2) I'm looking at some of the stats of your characters, and they seem awfully high. Are you running some sort of munchkin campaign?

3) I've read some of your fiction and noticed certain characters aren't listed in your RS Files page. Where are they?

4) In some of your fiction/images/etc, there seems to be differences in some alien species traits than what is published in "official" sources (such as, Ubese in your campaign have hair on their bodies, while in the D20 Ultimate Alien Anthology it clearly states they are a hairless species) What gives?

5)I’ve noticed that some of the more recent additions to your site lacks stats, and instead consists only of an image and background/description. What gives?

6) In some of the character biographies, you used to list different reasons for things happening, and then the reasons are changed or facts are revised. Why?

Technical Answers

1)More than likely it's still on the site, just moved. For example, the Rogues Gallery and Force sections were consolidated into the Fragments section, while the Lightsaber Gallery was combined with the Force Section. Just do some rooting around and you should find what you were looking for.

2)Damn sorry about that. While we make every effort to eliminate dead links and such, it's bound to happen at some point. Be cool about it and e-mail us the dead link and we'll be sure to fix it. Thanks!

3)Lots of reasons. We initially planned a August 2003 roll out, but real life, a wedding and some major burn out all contributed to the delay. We hope after checking out the site, you will think the wait was worth it.

4)Here ya go:

RS Files: Info on the various personalities from our campaign.
Timeline: The Raptor Squad Adventures timeline in relation to other galactic events.
The Force: All things related to the Force. Jedi, Sith, etc.
Planets/Locations: Name sys it all. Anyplace that shows up in our campaign of interest can be found here.
Fragments: Need to see it to appreciate it. All manner of stuff, some of it fun, some informative, all worth seeing.
Gamelogs: Raptor Squad fiction. Our Game in a cohesive linear storyline.
Raptor Squad Sourcebook: Stats for all of the characters appearing in our game.
Downloads: The Gamelog fiction available in .doc & PDF formats.
Communications: Links, e-mails, etc.

5)Several reasons. First, OUR game is D6. Meaning that the tons and tons of homemade stats and info we have been using for five years is all in D6 and would take darn near forever to convert. Second, if you are an avid D20 gamer, more than likely whipping up your own stats for characters and items found on our site will be in your best interest. From my experience on the net', you have two kinds of conversions- those done well and those done badly.
Since no one on our staff plays D20 or is familiar with the D20 system, we would rather not provide D20 stats than provide something inaccurate that you will need to fix anyway.
In addition, as of Summer 2007 WOTC is producing yet another Star Wars Roleplaying game, complete with, according to the publicity “new character abilities and options, a streamlined skill system, a revised combat system, new feats and Force powers, and guidelines on how to use Star Wars Miniatures and battle maps in play”
So, in summary, an entirely new rules system.
This being the case, it seems silly that as new games are produced along with new rules and stats, SWRPG community sites would rush to convert everything on their site to accommodate the new rules. While we applaud sites that have the resources and experience to tackle this, we don’t. We would rather focus our energy on enhancing the existing features of the Raptor Squad site and adding new material such as fiction, artwork and original write-ups.

6)All of the PDF & .Doc files have been downloaded successfully on both Mac and PC's. Check to see if you have the latest version of Word. Some older versions may experience problems.

7)I've only learned HTML. While I've had some interest in learning other coding languages time has pretty much prohibited me from it. The bottom line is I can either take all of that time learning something new or funnel it into new features and artwork. So far the artwork/features are winning out.

8)My arsenal includes: Photoshop 6, Bryce 4,5& 6, Photoshop Elements, Adobe Illustrator, Poser 7 and Painter X.

9) Laziness. Actually, it also falls to the fact that our sourcebooks were always in different spots during writings and things like that. So when "Neftali" gets turned into "Netfali" and no one mentions it or notices, it just continues and grows until the misspelling is used instead of the "correct" spelling. In the end, if it bothers you too much you should really just relax and enjoy the site. Life's too short to obsess over such silliness.

Campaign Answers

1)Our game actually began in early 1999. There were a few games before that, but March of 1999 saw the introduction of the character Vic Palisades, who actually created and brough together the Raptor Squad team you see today. In essence, this site and the stories told here are a chronicle of his adventures.

2) The number has varied between 6-9 over the years. As of mid-2007 our gaming group has ceased meeting on a regular basis.

3)Nope, we used to run an actual table top game.

4)Unfortunately, we are no longer running any regular gaming groups.

5)Well, that depends on what you want out of the site. If you are interested in our campaign and the great story, then I would suggest browsing the personalities in the “Raptor Squad Files” section first, to give you an idea of the main characters & NPC’s. Then I would suggest moving on to the Game Fiction where you can read the exciting tales of our heroes.
If you are simply interested in stats or items to bring into your game, you may want to focus your attention on the “Fragments” and “Sourcebook” sections.

Character Answers

1)It's all my fault. Actually, when the site first went up, they were part of the group that currently made up RS. At the time, I (foolishly) thought I would be getting the Gamelogs caught up and within a few months they would be included.
However, when I started to "fictionalize" the Gamelogs, it just pushed their introductions farther back. Don't worry though, with some luck they will be showing up in the fiction very soon.

2)I wish! No, actually, all of the stats you see were gained legitimately over a LOT of time. Since our game ran for about five years, some of the characters who have been around a while have been able to raise their stats to exceptional, munchkin-like levels.

3)While we make every effort to bring characters online as soon as they show up in the game fiction, we do lag behind occasionally.For more information check out the Fragments section. Near the bottom is a section called "Dramatis Personae" that should clear up any other questions.

4)Here’s the deal. When we began gaming waaaaayyyyyyy back in 1999, we didn’t have the benefit of a lot of the “official” and “comprehensive” guides and sourcebooks that flooded the market in the wake of the Prequels.
Because of this, we had to rely on WEG stats and information, and, when that was lacking, were forced to fill in the gaps and fix the inconsistencies ourselves. The WEG information on Ubese never mentioned them being hairless, so, when Koort Ter’chon was created and given hair, we thought nothing of it. Now, while more information has been created and expanded upon, it is, in our opinion, simply pointless and too late to go back and revise such minor details just to “keep up” with what has been published.
What you will find here is OUR interpretation of species, locations, planets and such based on our research, the information available to us at the time and, most importantly, what “works” for our game and the fiction. It’s great that an army of writers and artists have made comfortable lives for themselves (and a pocketful of cash for old GL) by exploring and fleshing out the “Galaxy far, far away” but that doesn’t mean we here at Raptor Squad acknowledge or adhere to whatever they came up with. For example, you will see NO mention of the Yuuzhan Vong or anything related to the New Jedi Order. We don’t like it, it doesn’t interest the writers of our fiction or our site artists, thus, it doesn’t exist in OUR Star Wars galaxy.
In short, if this kind of thing bothers you to no end, we suggest taking a deep breath and remember that this is high fantasy space opera and has absolutely no bearing in the real world. You’ll feel better and I guarantee you will enjoy the site much more.

5)We are all about ideas here at Raptorsquad.net. The truth is that we already host tons of stats for NPC’s, weapons, etc. And to be honest, with there being so many versions out now of the SWRPG (with more revisions/additions/etc to come I’m sure) it’s more than likely that the folks who visit our site would modify or create their own stats for the entries found here anyway.
That isn’t to say that we’ve halted providing stats altogether. In the event where our staff finds the time to write them up, we’ll then add them to the various entries. On that note, if there are any industrious community members out there who would like to provide stats (D6, D20, SAGA) for anything on our site feel free to e-mail them to me and I’ll be sure they get put up on the site and you get due credit.

6) As Yoda once said, "Always in motion is the future". As of the site's inception, there were different reasons for things happening and then some things happened when there was no reason at all (or not a good one at least). As the fiction detailing the adventures of Raptor Squad is written, it is my job to weave a cohesive story that not only makes sense but ties in to the "big picture" and proves to be entertaining as well. This being the case, in the course of writing the fiction, some previous "facts" have ben changed or altered as well as events that directly contradict what was established almost ten years ago....better known as "retconning" to the fandom out there. When this occurs I will alter the previous entries to reflect the most recent information. Ultimately, I feel this makes for a more complete and enjoyable story.