What follows are my most relevant tips for running a fun and memorable game set in the Star Wars universe.
Use what's out there.
Recently there has been much debate over what is still considered 'canon.' Disney has chosen to ignore most of the previously established continuity in favor of their own creations. This however, has no bearing on what you do in your own tabletop campaign.You aren't limited or constrained by the standards of mainstream continuity. The entire vast library of Star Wars related fiction and merchandise is yours to mine for ideas. You can pick and choose the best material from the old and new expanded universes to create your ideal setting. Whether it is an old module from West End Games, a recent Marvel comic book, or an apocryphal video game by Lucasarts, there is a lot to pull from if you need inspiration.
Part of the appeal of using an established franchise as the setting for your campaign is that some of your players will already have a baseline familiarity with the universe. It can be a lot of fun when your players recognize a familiar ship or alien species. On the other hand, you don't want to alienate players who are brand new to the setting. Mix your original ideas and creations together with elements from the movies and expanded universe so they blend together seamlessly. Encourage players who are seasoned fans of the series to share and explain things they might recognize from the established canon. Let the continuity be shared between all the players rather than becoming an inside joke between those more versed in the lore.
Make the galaxy your own.
The Star Wars galaxy is a place of fiction that is constantly being expanded upon by a great number of writers and storytellers. This is your opportunity to count yourself among that number. You are free to design your own species, planets, technologies, whatever you might need to tell a good story. One of the more useful aspects of the setting is the fact that it is vast. There are new creatures and planets appearing all the time. So if you want to introduce a new and unique addition to the galaxy, there is nothing stopping you. As long as it fits within the continuity you have established and doesn't contradict anything else in your setting it's all fair game!
The only constraint I suggest imposing is to treat the movies themselves as the one incontrovertible source of lore and information. Most people who play the game will be familiar with at least the movies, so it's best not to stray to far from that source material. Don't go changing Chewbacca's homeworld or the way the Jedi mind trick works unless you're looking for a whole mess of trouble.
There are a lot of different styles and genres mixing together to create the Star Wars that we know and love. It's part science fiction, part fantasy, part western... but this intermingling of themes and ideas is what gives it such an iconic style. The parts make up the whole, and distinguish it from other sci-fi series like Star Trek or Firefly.
Your first task is to identify which aspects of the Star Wars setting you want to explore in the most detail. Between exploring new worlds, fighting the Galactic Empire, protecting mystical artifacts of The Force, there is a lot of ground to cover here. The term "Star Wars" isn't quite specific enough to define what kind of game you are going to run, because there are so many kinds of stories to be told in that universe. Fantasy Flight Games makes this distinction a bit easier by dividing their RPG material into three separate games:
Edge of the Empire is all about renegades roving across the fringe of civilization. (I call it Pirates of the Caribbean in Space)
Age of Rebellion is a traditional good guys vs. bad guys war campaign.
Force and Destiny is all about space magic and Arthurian fantasy in the cosmos.
These are all cross compatible. You can combine aspects from each of these games and genres in order to create your ideal campaign, but don't overdo it. Choose which of these themes to focus on the most. This is done to avoid a cluttered, confusing game.
The best way to make this decision is with the cooperation of your gaming group. Find out from your players what kind of campaign they would like to be in. Learn what parts of the Star Wars setting appeal to them the most. Then you can decide what kind of exploits are best for your adventuring party to delve into.
The movie Guardians of the Galaxy is a very good example of what a Star Wars campaign might be like. Specifically, it would fit into the Edge of the Empire category... a band of colorful creatures set off on an adventure across the wild and criminal reaches of the cosmos. They each have their own unique abilities and motives for adventuring, but they run across shared adventures and threats at every turn.
Don't make it about the movies.
There's going to be the temptation to cross over with parts of the movies or explore some of the storylines like the Death Star or so forth. Besides the occasional cameo by a canon character, I recommend against this. In series like Star Wars, the main characters of the cinematic universe will easily overshadow your players' characters. Characters like Luke Skywalker are so significant in the grand scope of the galaxy's history that they make the team's adventures seem less impressive by comparison.
Star Wars is a setting to be used to tell an infinite number of tales and adventures. These adventures can have high stakes for your heroes as well as the future of the galaxy. But don't leave your players trying to follow the footsteps of cinematic heroes. Let them carve out their own legacy, and let the campaign be more about exploring the setting than simply trying to relive the original series.
May The Force be with you!
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