Star Wars_ Edge of the Empire Rule Book

IMPERIAL

MILITARY

The true might of the Empire is embodied in the tens
of trillions of uniformed personnel serving in the Impe-
rial Military. With the adoption of the Tarkin Doctrine,
which promotes the fear of overwhelming military
might as the ultimate deterrent to any who would defy
the Emperor's will, the Empire pours countless credits
and resources into the upkeep and improvement of
one of the greatest military forces ever assembled.

THE NAVY

The foundational backbone of the entire military struc-
ture is the Imperial Navy, commanding the systems
and sectors of the Empire with exceptional mobility
and massive firepower. Under the command of expe-
rienced and highly trained senior officers, each ship of
the Navy is part of a well-oiled machine that responds
to dictates from the Emperor, Imperial High Command,
Grand Moffs, and Moffs—in that order. Planetary gov-
ernors can do little more than politely request (or beg)
for Naval assistance at any time of crisis.

Unless tasked with searching for a particular target

that their commanders have deemed of significant im-

portance or threat, the typical Naval officer will rarely

bother involving his ship and his crew with local dis-

putes, itinerant traders that might be smugglers, or any-

thing else that the average individual living on the fringes

is likely involved in. Only if important Imperial assets or

installations are somehow involved will an incident po-

tentially call down the might of local Naval vessels.

THEARMY

Growing even more rapidly than the Navy as the Emperor

rose to power, the Imperial Army went from a pathetic

organization of peacekeepers and facility guards to a

mighty, multifaceted force capable of enacting Palpatine's

will on countless worlds. Through careful planning and lo-

gistical genius, the Emperor was able to rapidly expand

the Army in terms of personnel, training, and resources,

all for the purpose of bringing his New Order to a hard

and emphatic reality.

In the days

following the

Battle of Yavin, an

already dramatically over-

hauled Army found itself becoming

more and more integrated with the Navy. This

creates a combined arms functionality that works surpris-

ingly well for both organizations. Through tradition and ne-

cessity, the Navy enjoys the superior position overall, yet

the Imperial Army greatly benefits from the Navy's much

improved logistics and combat support role.

Ultimately, this means that the military can rapidly

enact ground operations nearly anywhere in the galaxy,

since all fleets now have significant Army assets as-

signed to them. At the same time, these ground opera-

tions enjoy the immediate firepower and logistical sup-

port of the Navy, ensuring a high degree of success and

the ability to sustain operations over a lengthy period.

The loss of the Death Star did little to decrease mo-

rale or give pause to the Army. If anything, the Army

is more ready than ever to prove that no weapon

of mass destruction can take the place of a highly

trained and motivated ground force willing to take a

planet in the name of the Emperor.

STORMTROOPERS

A completely separate military branch, the Imperial

Stormtrooper Corps answers directly to the Emperor,

via Stormtrooper Command. Evolved from the original

Clone Troopers that served the Old Republic in its wan-

ing days, the Stormtrooper Corps is the ultimate shock

troop force. Faceless and clad in gleaming white armor,

the arrival of a contingent of stormtroopers is often

enough to bring any conflict to an immediate halt.

One of the most important advantages of stor-

mtroopers is their capacity to be deployed rapidly

into any situation, usually for the purpose of bru-

tally eliminating enemy elements and pacifying the

LAW AND SOCIETY

OF THE EMPIRE