Dawn of Rebellion is the first of FFG’s new Era Sourcebooks and dramatically breaks the mold of their various Star Wars RPG offerings to date. I will provide a review of the contents and their value to a gaming group, but there is too much in this book for me to go through each item and stat block individually. Below I will touch on the highlights of each section and attempt to avoid the “wall of text” that a review of a book with this much content could turn into.
First Impressions/TLDR:
Dawn of Rebellion is a densely packed book with a lot to offer both GMs (numerous modular encounters, adversaries, faction information, and even a guide to how to structure your story like a television season) and PCs (Six new universal specializations, four new species, and tons of new equipment).
The Bantha in the Room (Canon character stats):
I figure I will address this right out of the gate; FFG has deviated from their previous policy on not providing stat blocks for canon characters. I will say that I was a firm supporter of this policy and think that it was wise for them to stay away from that territory. It opens a whole can of worms where PCs begin to measure themselves against those iconic characters (and there is the old adage “if it has stats, I can kill it”). The fact is that some people are going to be thrilled by this feature and some are going to hate it. To be fair, there is a disclaimer at the beginning of the book that can be paraphrased as “these stats are subjective and the GM should add to or modify them to their heart’s content.”
Though I was initially turned off by this policy change, I came around after reading through the book. Primarily because many of these NPCs have a unique special ability or two (which have presumably been playtested) that can be repurposed and reskinned into my own creations. Up until now, the special abilities in each book had essentially been variations on a few established mechanics. These are truly new creations and will certainly give me a lot of new options and surprises to throw at my PCs. Additionally, there is a lot of individual gear in these stat blocks that do not get full write-ups in the equipment section (like Lasat bo-rifles, energy slingshots, and various blaster models).
Introduction:
The book starts with a very nice foreword by Dave Filioni himself and quickly gets into the nitty-gritty of life during The Dark Times. The book dedicates about four pages to the themes of the era and even provides case studies of life under Imperial Rule from different species and social castes. Besides being some well-written fiction, these are a great way to get a sense of the tone you should be shooting for in a game set during this time.
Section I – Worlds in Revolt
The first section deals with the hotspots of rebellion we see in the films, books, and TV series of this time. Alderaan, Atolon, Dathomir, the Death Star, Jedha, and Lothal all get several pages of detailed coverage, including: full gazetteers, stats for notable characters/creatures, and a modular encounter. The modular encounters are tied to their respective locations, but could all easily be adapted or reskinned if those specific locations don’t work for you. Some staple creatures are provided and the Death Star section features most of the new troop types seen in recent media. There are also vehicle stats for the Death Star, which are as ridiculous as you might expect and are a total waste of a page of content, in my opinion (basically a page of insane stats that can be summed up with “it’s a plot device”). Several other locations get short-form coverage, including Anaxes, Garel, Malachor, Ring of Kafrene, Seelos, and Shantipole.
Section 2 – Organizations
This section provides very detailed descriptions of most Imperial organizations, from the government and intelligence agencies to the military and Inquisitorius. Lots of specific NPC stats are provided, highlights include Thrawn, Darth Vader, and the three Inquisitors from Rebels. I found this section to be very useful and informative and I imagine it would be doubly so for someone who is new to Star Wars lore.
The section on the Rebellion is much less robust regarding organizational information and is instead packed with stats for characters from the Rebels television series. However, there is some useful information on the formation and elements of the early Rebellion as well as the structure of Rebel cells.
The independent organizations are the Broken Horn Crime Syndicate, the Free Ryloth Movement, and the Protectors of Concord Dawn. There is some background information on each and stats for their respective leaders. There is also a short section with stats for independent operators like Lando and Hondo at the end.
Section 3 – Player Options
Four new species are provided: the Drabatans, Gigorans, Iakaru, and Tognaths from Rogue One. These are presented in the same template as all previous rules supplements, but they do provide good information on relatively little-known species. Interestingly, no stats for the Lasat are provided.
The six new universal specializations are definitely one of the big draws of the book for most players, each representing one of the archetypes presented by characters from Rebels and Rogue One (in fact, their art is used as the example in each case). Each tree is worthy of its own article, so I will just provide the name and corresponding character who represents the archetype for each, as well as a brief summary
- Force Adherent (Chirrut Îmwe): A disciplined warrior-monk dedicated to understanding of the Force, even if they cannot tap into it directly.
- Imperial Academy Cadet (Wedge Antilles): A well-rounded officer candidate that balances knowledge, piloting, and leadership skills.
- Padawan Survivor (Kanan Jarrus): A survivor of the old Jedi Order, who retains some of its lore and teachings due to their ability to survive through stealth and deception.
- Pirate (Hondo): A nefarious individual who makes their way in the galaxy by alternately threatening or lying to anyone within earshot.
- Retired Clone Trooper (Rex): A tough-as-nails combat vet who gets the job done without flashy tricks or gimmicks. [Restricted to human males, by RAW]
- Ship Captain (Hera): An independent leader who brings their crew together like family.
These surprisingly specific specializations remind me of Pathfinder’s Prestige Classes, focusing on providing depth to a character and providing built-in narrative elements. They may not be the most potent specs out there, but can really open some interesting doors and bridge the gaps between the mechanics and narrative of the game. The Retired Clone Trooper is unique in that it actually has a species and gender prerequisite, though I would personally open it up to any “combat veteran” type character in my game.
The equipment section features nearly every new weapon, droid, and ship from Rebels and Rogue One. Personal highlights include: the Imperial light cruiser, Hammerhead corvette, U-wing, as well as KX enforcer droid (the same model as K-2So).
Section IV- GM support
This section devotes quite a few pages on how to structure your campaign like a television season; it focuses on pacing and designing story arcs that tie in with individual character arcs to create a balanced narrative where everyone gets their time in the spotlight. This section is fairly expansive, features lots of examples, and is a valuable resource for both beginning and veteran GMs.
There is also a section on how to develop antagonists for your PCs that grow with them and are tailored to the party. It describes how to tie them into your PCs’ story arcs as well as pace their own story development. Lastly, there are a few pages on how to design Rebel cells and incorporate them into your game. There is also a few paragraphs on how to reward your PCs for advancing their cell’s goals.
If you have any questions about what I have outlined here, feel free to leave a comment below and I will answer as best I can. Please do not ask me to write out or disclose content that is subject to copyright law.
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