I love Star Wars. I had watched the Original Trilogy as a kid in the early 90s, before the Prequels were even hinted at. I was always clamoring to get my hands on Star Wars toys, video games, clothes, books, etc. So imagine my eyes when I first popped into my FLGS and discovered something called the “Star Wars Introductory Adventure Game” from WEG. This was the beginner box for WEG’s Star Wars RPG. I was about 9 at the time, and wasn’t really familiar with the idea of a tabletop RPG. But what I immediately understood was that this game would allow me to create my own Star Wars character and go on adventures across the galaxy. Let’s just say it wasn’t a tough sell for me. The next year or so I attempted to introduce the game to my family and friends, without much success. I even tried to get into D&D and still failed to get a group together to actually play. To be fair, I barely understood what I was supposed to be doing as a GM/DM, so I’m sure that didn’t help any. But either way, I was a bit discouraged and gave up my attempts at roleplaying for a while.
After a long hiatus, I finally picked up WotC’s Saga Edition in college. I was hooked again. I bought all the books and organized a few different campaigns with various groups of friends; all of those games fell through after a month or two, but hey – at least I was actively roleplaying. My favorite thing about SWSE was that they had resources for you to play in pretty much every major Star Wars era in the EU. We could rebel against the Galactic Empire, fight in the Clone Wars, or even go over 100 years into the future and play in the Legacy era. The fact that the game used the d20 system was another benefit, as most role-players are already familiar with the system because of D&D. However, only a year or two after having picked up the system, WotC announced that it would be losing the Star Wars tabletop license and discontinuing the RPG line. I tried to pick up all the books that I could before they went off the shelves. I continued trying to organize more campaigns for the next couple of years, but the fact that it was no longer being supported took away some of the wind beneath my wings.
Flash forward to the Fall of 2012. I happened to be a grad student in Orlando at the time, and was fortunate enough to attend Celebration VI, which was being held in the city. As I wandered the Merchandise Hall, I came upon an interested sight: a gaming company, Fantasy Flight Games, had apparently acquired the Star Wars tabletop license, and was releasing a beta version of their planned RPG. I was excited – I’d be able to roleplay in the Star Wars universe again! So I went to check it out. I quickly learned that this beta was for a game called Edge of the Empire, and would only focus on Smugglers a ne’er-do-wells in the Star Wars universe (I’m sure I was unknowingly receiving the pitch from Sam Stewart at the time, but it’s so far removed from my memory that I can’t be sure). To this day, I’m ashamed to admit that my initial reaction was to turn my nose up at the game. A Star Wars RPG only about Smugglers and the Galactic Rim? And what was up with those funny dice? This wasn’t roleplaying. Where were my numbers, damnit? Disappointed, I left the FFG booth with little hope for the future of Star Wars roleplaying.
In the next couple weeks there would be an announcement that Disney was acquiring Lucasfilm, and that a new trilogy of Star Wars movie would be made. My world was turned upside-down. Everything was moving so fast within the Star Wars fandom. My thoughts about the new roleplaying were all but forgotten in the whirlwind of news about the future of the franchise. But not for long. A few months later, in the beginning of 2013, I had been listening to an episode of the Force Cast where they gave a review of the game and excitedly explained how it worked and how much fun they had. Based on their description, I was surprised to find myself intrigued by their perspective on the game that I had poo-pooed a few months earlier. So I decided to do some more digging on the game. And that, my friends, is how I discovered the Order 66 Podcast and d20 Radio.
After listening to the first few episodes of the relaunched O66 with their coverage of all things FFG Star Wars, and listening to interviews and explanations of the game, I knew I had to try it myself. I bought the beginner box and read through the rules. I still found the dice a bit weird, but I was a convert for the idea of a narrative roleplaying system. Failure with advantage? You miss the enemy but manage to blast out the lights. Success with Despair? You manage to escape the Hutt, but now you’ve got a bounty on your heads. What an incredible concept. I ran the adventure with some friends and we all had a blast. I had now full bought-in to the game. I got the core book as soon as it came out, and became a frequent stalker of the d20 Radio forums, asking questions and becoming further entrenched in the system. The game had totally revolutionized my enthusiasm for tabletop roleplaying, and I was a new member of a tight-knit gaming community to boot.
It may sound like an exaggeration, but I’m entirely sincere when I say that my life was changed by the FFG Star Wars game and the GamerNation. I’ve made so many incredible friends and had fantastic games both online and in-person with other members of the community. The two GamerNation cons I’ve attended have been without a doubt the two best cons I’ve ever attended (and I’ve intended quite a few). Now I’m even writing articles for the network, which is a blast. And none of it would have happened if I hadn’t learned to stop worrying and love FFG Star Wars. If you’ve been skeptical and haven’t tried it yet, I encourage you to take the dive. It might change your life, too!
J.T. Dimino
Latest posts by J.T. Dimino (see all)
- The PC Factory: Aedan the Druid (Old School Essentials) - January 26, 2021
