RSS
Goals and objectives can change in the heat of battle. As a GM, this is one way you can spice up an encounter: by throwing in an alternative objective.
Maybe the heroes were simply trying to get past some goblins and find treasure. But add in a prisoner, and suddenly the objective changes to rescue. Pin them on a cliff top and the objective becomes avoid falling over the edge. Have the goblins start setting fire to the village and the objective changes to saving the village.
Commentary by memnarch (who has not seen the movie)
That was straightforward. Also interesting that there wasn't more of a welcoming committee; that little trinket did something to make things easier for the main characters.
And Jim's got it all backwards! Side quests are meant to be done before the main objective! What if you can't come back to that location? Or the environment changes so previous things are unattainable? Chewie should be rescued first before the ship gets blown up. Though knowing Jim and how things have worked out for him so far, it's even odds that the ship gets partially blown up just before Chewie gets rescued, then the rest of the ship blows up while everyone escapes.
Transcript
[SFX]: hsssooohw... {the shuttle lands in the Steadfast docking bay}
{two troopers approach the shuttle to investigate}
[SFX]: Pow! Pow!
{Rey, Finn, and Poe emerge and blast a bunch of troopers}
[SFX]: Pow! Pow! Pow!
[SFX]: Pow! Pow! Pow!
Poe: Frontal assault achieved! Now let’s blow the ship up!
Finn: What about rescuing Chewie?
Poe: Side quest! We’ll get to it after the main objective.
C-3PO: That plan didn’t survive two seconds of contact with the enemy.
BB-8: New record!