Strongholds of Resistance, for Fantasy Flight Games’ Age of Rebellion line, has been out for about 2 years now, but I only recently picked it up. (The trials of being a gamer on a budget…) There is a lot of content in this location book–modular encounters, 8 full planet gazeteer entries, 3 new species, and 4 bases, plus equipment and vehicles. However, it is a nice-to-have, not a must-have, sourcebook.
But that doesn’t mean I don’t love it. I do. For one thing, it’s written by a great team–Hershey, Astleford, Brooks, Kappel, and Marker. But, aside from equipment and species (Chapter 3), the content is most useful for GMs. Some of the planet/base information could be used by players to flesh out backstories, however. Still, players not planning on GMing in the near future may want to buy career books first.
The species presented–Polis Massan, Quarren, and Verpine–looked good. I was tempted to stop reading and make a Verpine pilot trainee, like a minor character in Dark Horse Comics’ Rebellion Vol. 3: Small Victories. (I may still do that.) Polis Massan might be a good species for an Archaeologist or Scholar character, as well as the Alliance medic suggested in Strongholds. If you have both Quarren and Mon Cal PCs in your game, a sidebar (p. 101) might help them approach roleplaying interactions without causing too much inter-party drama. It is aimed at AoR campaigns, but players in other games may also find it useful.
The full planetary entries (examples: Chandrila, Mon Cal, Thyferra) are full. They range from 4 to 10 pages each and each one has a gazeteer entry, plus sections on history/politics, people, points of interest, and creatures/NPCs. Yes there are adventure hooks. In addition there are short (several paragraphs) entries on 10 other worlds, from Hoth to Sanctuary.
In addition to planets, Strongholds has 4 bases and a capital ship “base” to use in your games. Three of the bases–Hoth, Tierfon, and Polis Massa–are from the canon universe but Defiant Base is original. All 4 include maps and a keyed description, with additional areas not seen on the map. I was surprised the Polis Massa map didn’t include the Rebel Base proper, just the known areas the Polis Massans live and research in. (This base’s areas are covered in the map key.) Defiant Base is presented in a unique fashion, with 3 different versions as the base expands and gets more resources. I really liked that; it shows you how you might grow your PCs’ base as they advance in the campaign.
The final chapter is Modular Encounters, set on several of the bases/planets in the books. In my opinion, these aren’t so much set pieces as full but short modules, with enough material for the better part of a session. Yay! Probably a full session for gaming groups that run less than 4-5 hours/session. At least one is based on a hook hinted at in the planet’s entry. The writers suggest them for, among other things, “off” sessions, like missing players or GMs running short on prep time. These scenarios are written for AoR and don’t really lend themselves to EotE or F&D.
Strongholds is a solid book in the AoR line, and offers species, planets, and gear for the other lines. If you’re an AoR GM, you need this book. If you just play, you should still get it down the road. Not just for the species or gear but because you will enjoy reading the fluff.
Linda Whitson
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