Propagandist

Of the 8 Career Skills, choose 4 to get a free rank. Of the 4 Specialization Skills, choose 2 to get a free rank.

Diplomat Career Skills: Charm, Deception, Knowledge (Core Worlds), Knowledge (Lore) Knowledge (Outer Rim), Knowledge (Xenology), Leadership and Negotiation

Propagandist Specialization Skills: Charm, Deception, Knowledge (Warfare), and Perception

The Propagandist sways opinion as a master of spin, turning over every proverbial stone to find rumors, then adding a healthy dose of half-truths. Propagandists also possess the unique ability to boost the Duty that their allies earn by controlling how word of their deeds of heroism spreads across the Rebel Alliance. This makes a Propagandist a significant asset to any unit, whether it works on the front, in back rooms where crucial negotiations are conducted, or deep behind enemy lines.

Truth is often a matter of perspective, and Propagandists serve the Rebel Alliance by skewing this perspective in favor of their cause. To the Propagandist, truth is just as much worth pursuing as it is worth manipulating. Whether simply leaking the right facts to shift public opinion or creating outright fabrications to demoralize the enemy, a Propagandist understands the power of perception.

Propagandists leverage Perception to uncover the truth and use Charm or Deception to spin it to benefit the Rebel Alliance. Some Propagandists focus more on either weaving compelling rhetoric or telling believable lies, while others prefer to gain ranks in Charm and Deception equally, giving them maximum flexibility.

Propagandists play an important role in the Galactic Civil War. Even as the battles rage on and above many oppressed worlds, the Rebel Alliance wages an equally important struggle for the support of the galactic citizenry. While the Empire’s evil is obvious to most, few possess the courage to stand against such a brutal enemy. Propagandists must sway these people, distributing persuasive information as far and wide as possible, inspiring heroism in everyday citizens.

Ideally, a Propagandist reveals truths that the Empire would conceal: galactic atrocities, corruption, and the terrible cost of its policies. However, few Propagandists deal strictly in truth as such, more likely distributing misinformation to enrage the oppressed. Criticizing the ethics of such tactics is difficult when they serve the cause so effectively. Propagandists might argue that small lies expose much greater truths that the Empire tries to conceal. For some, news is as much a business as a political pursuit, while for others, propaganda is of paramount importance.

In a group of Player Characters, a Propagandist can act as a master of information collection, interviewing civilians and even military personnel for rumors and secrets. Perhaps even more importantly, by planting information in the right ears, a skilled Propagandist can demoralize enemies, manipulating them into believing untruths. For this, a Propagandist is well served bv a high Cunning and a high Presence.

Potential Backgrounds

  • Imperial Outcast: The Empire goes to great lengths to cast itself as the last bastion of safety in a dangerous galaxy via puppet organizations such as FloloNet News. Propagandists who have left such posts are especially valuable to the Rebellion, as they know the Empire’s tactics to control the media—and thus how to subvert them.
  • Minority Voice: Propagandists who cover specific topics closely often become personally engaged in them, and this is especially true for those working with the oppressed. A Propagandist who has recorded the trials and suffering of a minority usually becomes involved in helping that group in some way. Frequently, that means joining the Rebel Alliance to help expose the evil of the Empire.
  • Industrialist: Even in these benighted times, advertisement is a booming industry. Propagandists who come from corporate interests might have designed HoloNet advertisements or even billboards. While the Rebel Alliance does not typically display itself so openly, an eye for presentation can go a long way to selling a message.
  • Dissident Artist: Critics serve an important role in the arts, challenging artists to elevate their work Propagandists from the arts might have been academics or cultural critics. Such individuals often apply their studies to political ideologies as well, and because of the Empire’s totalitarian and repressive regime, no few of these critics have thrown in with the Rebel Alliance in the hopes of creating a freer, more tolerant galaxy.