Like the Edge of the Empire Game Master Kit, the Age of Rebellion Game Masters Kit consists of a GM Screen and an adventure module. I will be reviewing the module, “Dead in the Water,” separately.
The screen, like all Fantasy Flight products I’ve seen, is well-made. Instead of the light cardboard used for other games’ screens, this looks to be the same construction and thickness as the covers of the hardcover rulebooks, a definite plus. The artwork–Luke, Vader, Stormtrooper and Death Star–is very good. I use my copy a lot, plus it gets tossed into my tote and has had other game materials piled on top of it. However there’s only a little wear on the corners.
The tables on the 4 sections of the chart are identical to those on the Edge screen, except for the Ranged and Melee Weapons chart, which differ between the Edge and Age core books. Personally I could have done without the weapons charts. Most character sheets, official and not, include places for weapon/gear stats and most players and GMs write it down. I would rather have the Skill List table. Just about every session in my group someone asks, “Hey what’s the characteristic for this skill?”
If you make your rolls out in the open, just like your players–something FFG SW encourages–or most of your games are via the internet you maybe wondering, “Will I get any use out of the screen or should I only buy it if I want the module?” My answer is that you can still get plenty of use out of the screen. Except for conventions, I run (and play!) Star Wars via Skype. I use my screen every session. Rather than flipping back and forth through the combat chapters, I just consult the screen. It has Combat check difficulties, vehicle/character critical results, and spending narrative results. The screen also includes a chart with those narrative dice symbols, including what they do and which ones cancel each other.
Another use for the screen in a tabletop game is as a reference for a player new to the system, who may not even have their own books yet. It sometimes takes a while to learn the standard ways you can spend Advantages, Threats, Triumphs and Despairs–not to mention learning those symbols in the first place. But the two “Spending…in Combat” charts are included, along with the “Symbols and Dice” chart. You could let your novice use the screen as a reference during the session. In fact, if you have the Edge screen as well, you could use one and let players use the other, since the most useful charts are the same.
Even if you aren’t interested in running the module itself you might be interested in looking over some included mechanics. The optional “Fighting in Squads and Squadrons” section might be useful if your group likes opportunities to lead small units but you don’t want to lengthen encounters too much or deprive PCs or key NPCs of individual actions. There is also a simple Time Tracker for situations where time is important.
“Fighting in Squads and Squadrons” introduces the Formations mechanics, 12 “formations” that the “Leader” (a PC, Rival or Nemesis) can order their minion group to take. Six are for Squads (infantry) and six for Squadrons (snubfighters). Most of these add Boost or Setback to specific checks, but a few have other effects. For example, Mission Specialist allows the Leader to substitute Leadership for any of several other skills a limited number of times per session. The fluff for each of the Formations has suitable military flavor to fit what it represents, a nice touch. The section also includes new options for spending Advantage, Triumph, Threat and Despair in combats using these rules. Another advantage for both players and GM is that a character leading one of these units has the option of redirecting hits to the minions or their vehicles. I have played in a snubfighter-focused game where the GM has opted to use Formations and it doesn’t seem to slow things down.
This is largely, I think, due to one good design call. Minions in a Squad/Squadron don’t get a separate NPC slot; they are part of the controlling character’s slot, specifically, the Maneuver spent to make the Leadership check for ordering the Formation. This is also what allows you and the players to take individual actions while leading. The exceptions are the two substitution Formations. Only the Leadership check to order that Formation is a Maneuver; the substituting Leadership check the character makes as a result is still an Action. Overall, it is a solid mechanic to use for encounters involving larger numbers of minions. I would hold off on introducing it, however, if you are new to GMing this system or many of your players are novices. Simple as they are, Formations might add enough additional choices to overwhelm the inexperienced.
The second new option is an Event Timer, intended to underscore when an adventure has a strict timetable, due to circumstances that are out of the PCs’ control, at least for part of the adventure. (Think the Endor part of Return of the Jedi. The PCs have to have that shield generator down but it MUST be down by the time the Alliance Fleet jumps into the system, in order for the Fleet to have time to get close enough to attack the Death Star II.)
At first glance the Timer is just numbers to tick off, mentally or on scrap paper. In the included module, each completed encounter (or encounters run simultaneously) advances the Timer once and there are more encounters than the Timer has ticks. (Encounters are still intended to be run in whatever order the PCs get to them.) The most important things on the Timer are when the GM events happen–if the PCs don’t interfere by then. If the Event Timer says “6: MacGuffin launches” the PCs need to succeed at either “Lockdown Docking Bay” or “MacGuffin’ s Captain” encounter before the GM advances the Timer to 7 or the MacGuffin isn’t available to them. What if the whole Event Timer runs out? Something very, very bad happens. The party will probably be able to complete their primary mission, but Very, Very Bad Event WILL happen and should have repercussions later in the campaign–unless you are using an Event Timer in a one-shot. Come to think of it, that isn’t a bad use for it. Friends who run con games often complain that it is hard to keep players focused so that they can complete the scenario in the allotted 4-5 hours. Con scenarios are also usually heavier on action encounters, rather than role-playing – the kinds of scenarios that this tool is intended for.
If you are interested in learning more about the included module, I will go over “Dead in the Water” thoroughly in a later article.
Linda Whitson
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