“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” STAR WARS roleplaying was infinitely better. It was more streamlined, easier to enter, and, frankly, less expensive.
Since Fantasy Flight Games (FFG) took over the STAR WARS gaming license it has never felt complete. Release-after-release hobbyists were provided the opportunity to purchase a piece of the STAR WARS universe, but never anything in total. And usually, it was a 1/3 of it at a time. As opposed to previous publisher’s approach, no single product encompassed everything that represents the universe Lucas created.
Edge of the Empire, the first book (for $60), provided players access to a fun rogue’s gallery of character archetypes if playing on the fringe is your thing, but it lacked any real military presence or true Jedi builds. Yes, a player and GM could cobble together a Force-user or a Soldier, but neither felt fully formed. No matter what, those PCs were Outer Rim and/or stripped down versions of what the player’s vision of them is. It wasn’t until a year (and another $60 later) that FFG released Age of Rebellion and players could actually participate in military experiences, something integral to the “wars” part of STAR WARS! But again, little to nothing about The Force and the Jedi, the aspect about STAR WARS that sets it apart from other science fiction properties. Finally, another year passes, and loyal fans (not one here) were provided another opportunity to part with another $60 to purchase Force and Destiny, the “all about Jedi and The Force” volume, but with little to nothing mentioned of the other character types and it changed Force rules established in previous volumes! For you money conscious folks, that’s $180 (without tax) to have a “complete” STAR WARS roleplaying experience, to have access to everything that is STAR WARS.
But wait! There’s more!
Three Starter Sets, GM screens, and endless “splat” books later we are nearing (or over, in fact) $500 just to play the game! And while the Starter Sets are optional, and a GM could be okay with one GM Screen, without the splat books are players really getting the STAR WARS experience? And at $30 apiece doesn’t this a bit pricey? Uncle George would be proud!
Meanwhile, Wizards of the Coast (“WotC”) gave away free products for Dungeons & Dragons 5E including beta tests, basic rules, character creation rules, encounters, and a free DM guide at the same time as FFG was asking players to pay for beta test. Three times.
On top of the money issue, let’s talk about the content of the tent-pole “game” releases (i.e., Edge of the Empire, Age of Rebellion, and Force and Destiny). While each book’s defined theme and tone is wonderful, there is only about 30% difference in the content between the books. I read through Edge of the Empire after its release and thought “okay, but there is a lot of content to digest, and I’m not sure I get it all.” Halfway through my reading of Age of Rebellion it felt like déjà vu, as if I was reading the same book again and had the same questions. Frustrated, I flipped through Force and Destiny prior to purchasing it and happy I did, showing my displeasure in the book by placing it back on the shelf at the game shop. Why not focus the effort into a single book, with less classes but a more complete RPG experience?
But, let’s say for the sake of the argument, “money isn’t an issue.” And “you want to make characters and play STAR WARS,” to which I reply “Good luck and May the Force be with you!” There are ubiquitous mathematical equations throughout character creation and so many seemingly interchangeable terms (e.g., I’m still not sure what the difference between a “Class Skill” and a “Career Skill” is. In fact, what is the difference between “Class” and “Career”? And what is the purpose of a “Career”?), that the multi-layered effect is frustrating to create the character in your head. Questions like “If every roll is ‘skill based’ why would I want to take a Talent and not just advance my Skills? What’s the point of the Talents, then? So, it costs how much to advance a Skill I don’t have? Or I’m not trained in? Or whatever it is?” Ugh!
And the dice? The narrative dice? Resolving a roll shouldn’t take 2 minutes. They seem like a good idea, but their practical use slows the experience down to a snail crawl, causing confusion and delay in the session. I’m still not clear what rolling a “blank” means. If it’s a “Fail” why not label it as a “Fail”? There is no difference from what I am seeing.
I spent a week building my first PC in this system whereas it took previous versions (“WEG” and “WotC”) maybe an hour to do the same thing. Maybe. By the end I was extremely frustrated to discover I had done the math incorrectly and had to re-work the equations to figure out my mistake. Simply put, this system takes a theme and universe I love and adore and then complicates it to the point of nausea. Once I think I did get this PC right, I’m proven incorrect. I’ve played RPGs for years and yet with this system it feels like I need to be scholar or have a degree in “FFG STAR WARS” just to make a PC let alone play it.
Let’s take a moment to discuss previous versions of STAR WARS RPGs. WEG was elegant and simple, providing players the opportunity to go from character creation and into playing within 10 minutes. Yes, it left some to be desired at places, but it was fast and loose, like a STAR WARS film. WotC certainly adapted the franchise to their d20 system, but they did it well. It was more complicated than WEG’s, but it guided players through the arcs of their characters, starting with character creations. Rules were easy to understand and Skills, Feats, and Talents were easy to realize their use and importance. It felt like STAR WARS, epic and exciting. Not one mathematical equation after another.
Lastly, in regards to the previous versions, their “Core Rules Books” gave the players and GMs everything they need to play STAR WARS, or at least 80-90% of what STAR WARS is to everyone. Not a third here, a third in a year, and a third in another year. Yes, additional books were released, but they weren’t necessary to play STAR WARS. If your campaign wasn’t set in the Clone Wars, then you don’t need the Clone Wars supplement, but battle droids were in NPC stat blocks in WotC’s Core Rule book. Supplemental materials were meant to add layers to the gaming experience, not a necessary evil to play a complete STAR WARS experience.
And those books averaged $25 apiece, without repeating content.
What it boils down to, really, is this writer is simply not a huge fan of the system. I know many are, but I’m just not one of them. I wish I were, and I’ll play it if offered, but I just don’t love it.
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Very refreshing! I think you broke it down well. At the same time I love the game, I also hate it for the same reasons you mentioned. A friend of my made a Savage Worlds version and that game system worked ever so eloquently. Thanks for sharing Brev!
Brev, your grievance is legitimate
but I stand by what I’ve played, every bit of it
You poke at the Star Wars nerds
It’s what you do
I can’t apologize because it’s true.
😉