Star Wars: Age of Rebellion Core Rulebook
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Kettlebriar
Original Old School Gamer
5 out of 5 rating for Star Wars: Age of Rebellion Core Rulebook
This is the second corebook for the new Star Wars RPG. The first is called Edge of the Empire. It focuses on playing seedy scoundrel-type characters such as smugglers on the fringe of space (which i love). Age of Rebellion is a stand alone product but also expands on the game. It focuses on playing characters that are part of the Rebel Alliance fighting the evil Empire. The quality of the book and its production values are fantastic just like most of the Fantasy Flight Games products usually are. If you plan on playing Age of Rebellion the game does utilize a special unique set of rpg dice, though you can use standard rpg dice and their conversion chart. I am awaiting their third corebook, Force and Destiny which will focus more on playing Force-using characters. The only negative I would mention is the price of there corebooks. Of course i wish they were cheaper, who doesn't? But it is a massive over 400+ page product, so i'm not going to knock off a star...
This is the second corebook for the new Star Wars RPG. The first is called Edge of the Empire. It focuses on playing seedy scoundrel-type characters such as smugglers on the fringe of space (which i love). Age of Rebellion is a stand alone product but also expands on the game. It focuses on playing characters that are part of the Rebel Alliance fighting the evil Empire. The quality of the book and its production values are fantastic just like most of the Fantasy Flight Games products usually are. If you plan on playing Age of Rebellion the game does utilize a special unique set of rpg dice, though you can use standard rpg dice and their conversion chart. I am awaiting their third corebook, Force and Destiny which will focus more on playing Force-using characters. The only negative I would mention is the price of there corebooks. Of course i wish they were cheaper, who doesn't? But it is a massive over 400+ page product, so i'm not going to knock off a star...
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Grainger
Explorer
5 out of 5 rating for Star Wars: Age of Rebellion Core Rulebook
Age of Rebellion's rulebook, like Edge of the Empire's, is utterly gorgeous, and packed full of inspirational art with that Original Trilogy feel. In this branch of the game system, the player characters make up a rebel cell or fleet. The game system is heavily narrative-based, with players' attempts to do something (shoot an enemy, hack a computer, persuade a guard, etc.) often resulting in "yes but" or "no but" outcomes triggered by the dice results. So you hacked the computer, but you set off an alarm. You failed to persuade the guard, but he let slip that the person you're looking for is no longer inside the facility. Characters are class based, and players spend points to build their character. Overall, it's an exciting, streamlined take on the Star Wars universe, reflecting the swingy, up-and-down nature of the movies' narratives (they escape the cell block, but they end up in the trash compactor; Luke throws the bone into the Rancor's mouth, buying him time, but the bone scaps, etc.).
Age of Rebellion's rulebook, like Edge of the Empire's, is utterly gorgeous, and packed full of inspirational art with that Original Trilogy feel. In this branch of the game system, the player characters make up a rebel cell or fleet. The game system is heavily narrative-based, with players' attempts to do something (shoot an enemy, hack a computer, persuade a guard, etc.) often resulting in "yes but" or "no but" outcomes triggered by the dice results. So you hacked the computer, but you set off an alarm. You failed to persuade the guard, but he let slip that the person you're looking for is no longer inside the facility. Characters are class based, and players spend points to build their character. Overall, it's an exciting, streamlined take on the Star Wars universe, reflecting the swingy, up-and-down nature of the movies' narratives (they escape the cell block, but they end up in the trash compactor; Luke throws the bone into the Rancor's mouth, buying him time, but the bone scaps, etc.).
The_Warlock
Explorer
4 out of 5 rating for Star Wars: Age of Rebellion Core Rulebook
I'd give it a 5, except it's benefit is it's drawback - it is a stand alone RPG using the same system as Edge of the Empire, which means that if you already possess that, you are laying down significant cash for a huge repeat of material. If you don't have EotE, and you want to jump straight into Rebel vs Empire play though, it's all you need. On the up side, certain sections are better organized that EotE, as FFG learned from layout and organization mistakes. It is otherwise a solid system for Star Wars, or most any Space Opera, sort of gaming.
I'd give it a 5, except it's benefit is it's drawback - it is a stand alone RPG using the same system as Edge of the Empire, which means that if you already possess that, you are laying down significant cash for a huge repeat of material. If you don't have EotE, and you want to jump straight into Rebel vs Empire play though, it's all you need. On the up side, certain sections are better organized that EotE, as FFG learned from layout and organization mistakes. It is otherwise a solid system for Star Wars, or most any Space Opera, sort of gaming.
bjmorga
First Post
4 out of 5 rating for Star Wars: Age of Rebellion Core Rulebook
Like Edge of the Empire, Age of Rebellion offers up a great Star Wars experience for players. The major issue with Age of Rebellion is that it offers too little new material for those who already own Edge of the Empire. There are large swaths of Age of Rebellion that are the same as Edge of the Empire. Whole chapters are represented verbatim. A few classes remain the same, skill trees are too similar or just downright reused, and equipment is largely unchanged. My unscientific estimate of previously released material found in this book is around 70%. For gamers approaching the Star Wars RPG from Fantasy Flight Games, Age of Rebellion offers much. The system itself is great. It has provided my group a great amount of fun. For the gamers already with the Star Wars RPG program, it is a little frustrating to shell out money for what amounts to a change in scenery. Avoid paying the high MSRP if you already have Edge of the Empire to take away the sting of paying for what you already own.
Like Edge of the Empire, Age of Rebellion offers up a great Star Wars experience for players. The major issue with Age of Rebellion is that it offers too little new material for those who already own Edge of the Empire. There are large swaths of Age of Rebellion that are the same as Edge of the Empire. Whole chapters are represented verbatim. A few classes remain the same, skill trees are too similar or just downright reused, and equipment is largely unchanged. My unscientific estimate of previously released material found in this book is around 70%. For gamers approaching the Star Wars RPG from Fantasy Flight Games, Age of Rebellion offers much. The system itself is great. It has provided my group a great amount of fun. For the gamers already with the Star Wars RPG program, it is a little frustrating to shell out money for what amounts to a change in scenery. Avoid paying the high MSRP if you already have Edge of the Empire to take away the sting of paying for what you already own.
Zaran
Adventurer
2 out of 5 rating for Star Wars: Age of Rebellion Core Rulebook
Out of the three core books planned for Star Wars this one has been the biggest disappoint (even when the third is still in beta design). There was just too many repeats from EotE for me to feel that this was a good purchase. Plus the new content in this book seems poorly designed when compared to the Edge of the Empire book. It was said that Fantasy Flight wanted each Core book to be a stand alone RPG but then they made them too similar to each other. I'm fine with the rules being repeated but this book should have had something that makes it useful to those of us (and I'm betting it's really 90% of us) that will buy all three books. Because it's not Star Wars without smugglers, Jedi, and of course wars.This book really gave me the feeling that it was already made before they put out the Beta. As none of our requests seemed to be put in until later products. For a genre that was supposed to be about the Galactic Civil War there were no rules on mass combat (Later put in an adventure). The capital ship combat was a late addition and it still doesn't explain very well how to use them. Also this would have been a good place to have conversion rules for using the X-Wing miniatures game in the RPG but that didn't happen either. There was a whole specialization added that was a Band-Aid because one couldn't start off being non-military and take a military type spec and actually get military type skills. I was just really disappointed with this book and it being so sub-par to EotE has made my group just give up on the whole system for about 6 months now. All in all, I feel like I bought this book and only got the stats of an X-Wing because everything else I enjoy about the game came from EotE.
Out of the three core books planned for Star Wars this one has been the biggest disappoint (even when the third is still in beta design). There was just too many repeats from EotE for me to feel that this was a good purchase. Plus the new content in this book seems poorly designed when compared to the Edge of the Empire book. It was said that Fantasy Flight wanted each Core book to be a stand alone RPG but then they made them too similar to each other. I'm fine with the rules being repeated but this book should have had something that makes it useful to those of us (and I'm betting it's really 90% of us) that will buy all three books. Because it's not Star Wars without smugglers, Jedi, and of course wars.This book really gave me the feeling that it was already made before they put out the Beta. As none of our requests seemed to be put in until later products. For a genre that was supposed to be about the Galactic Civil War there were no rules on mass combat (Later put in an adventure). The capital ship combat was a late addition and it still doesn't explain very well how to use them. Also this would have been a good place to have conversion rules for using the X-Wing miniatures game in the RPG but that didn't happen either. There was a whole specialization added that was a Band-Aid because one couldn't start off being non-military and take a military type spec and actually get military type skills. I was just really disappointed with this book and it being so sub-par to EotE has made my group just give up on the whole system for about 6 months now. All in all, I feel like I bought this book and only got the stats of an X-Wing because everything else I enjoy about the game came from EotE.
Adam Östergren
First Post
4 out of 5 rating for Star Wars: Age of Rebellion Core Rulebook
Good companion to the X-wing game. Would give a 5 out of 5 if it wasn't for the novelty dice. (I have cats and spec dice tends to become cat-toys under the couch)
Good companion to the X-wing game. Would give a 5 out of 5 if it wasn't for the novelty dice. (I have cats and spec dice tends to become cat-toys under the couch)
Age of the Empire
It is the same as the Edge of the Empire core book, but here you play the Rebellion faction, hence you get some more background about the Rebellion and the Empire. Otherwise, few new things are included, mainly: new careers, species, star ships and some new rules for space ship combat with capital ships.
I would have preferred a single core rulebook with the system and then separate sourcebooks for the different type of games, i.e. Rebellion, Force users, Empire, Fringers, etc.
It is the same as the Edge of the Empire core book, but here you play the Rebellion faction, hence you get some more background about the Rebellion and the Empire. Otherwise, few new things are included, mainly: new careers, species, star ships and some new rules for space ship combat with capital ships.
I would have preferred a single core rulebook with the system and then separate sourcebooks for the different type of games, i.e. Rebellion, Force users, Empire, Fringers, etc.
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Chimpy
First Post
4 out of 5 rating for Star Wars: Age of Rebellion Core Rulebook
Like Edge of the Empire the production quality of AoR is superb. It makes a very inspiring read. I like the "flat" character progression system where characters don't get powerful quickly but improve their skills and abilities. It means that new characters joining an existing group aren't so far behind they can't keep up.The negatives I have about AoR are pretty much the same as EotE. After I while I find the dice mechanic gets a little tedious and loses its novelty, and vehicle combat can be confusing.
Like Edge of the Empire the production quality of AoR is superb. It makes a very inspiring read. I like the "flat" character progression system where characters don't get powerful quickly but improve their skills and abilities. It means that new characters joining an existing group aren't so far behind they can't keep up.The negatives I have about AoR are pretty much the same as EotE. After I while I find the dice mechanic gets a little tedious and loses its novelty, and vehicle combat can be confusing.
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