Star Wars Edge of Empire

Hi Guys

Im a current D&D player and have never been a DM. I have taken up the challenge to DM Star Wars Edge of the Empire.

I have the core rule book and about to start reading though slowly. Just here really looking for any tips you guys might have?

Thanks

Encourage the players to utilize the Destiny Pool. It's a resource, not a Nova thing. i.e. the game is a lot better when the tokens are flipped often during a session rather than everyone saving up until "The Big Encounter" to try to use them.

Don't let things get too bogged down trying to figure out with a few extra points of Threat or Advantage. Strain & bonus to your next action are your friends here (unless your players really grok it quickly and make tons of awesome suggestions; but that can sometimes take practice).

If you give any suggestions to the players during character creation, warn them not to delve too deeply into the talent trees at first. They can eat up points they should be putting into attributes/skills at the beginning. It's an easy trap to fall into and you can gimp your characters that way. Also, depending on the type of adventure, they'll want to have a decent spread of skills (slicing, piloting, interpersonal skills, skullduggery, etc.). Notice combat isn't on that list. Combat can be important, but if you have a group of combat monsters, they're going to fail hard when it comes to non-combat challenges. ESPECIALLY if you're running FFG's adventures. We played through both Beyond the Rim (TPK) and The Jewel of Yavin and it became obvious to us very quickly that it's ridiculously easy to gimp your party by treating it like D&D. The non combat skills are very important.

Don't be afraid to throw in blue and black dies to the dice pool for environment factors. That crowded plaza has a lot of by-standers that can get in the way of a clear shot (that might even be worth throwing in an extra purple die). If they're in the spaceport, maybe a stray blaster shot nicked a coolant line and clouds of toxic coolant are flooding the area, reducing visibility.

It's an extremely flexible system and combat can go very quickly once your players get the hang of the dice (it took us about 1 session).

Thanks for all your suggestions and tips JediSoth, hopefully i can utilise these in out game. As this is the first time i would have been DM and the first time the players would have played, do you think its wise to use the starter campaign with the pregen characters?.

GainVanquish said:

Thanks for all your suggestions and tips JediSoth, hopefully i can utilise these in out game. As this is the first time i would have been DM and the first time the players would have played, do you think its wise to use the starter campaign with the pregen characters?.

Click to expand...

The Starter Set does an excellent job at explaining how the dice work and slowly adding complexity as you progress toward the end of the adventure. The first time my group played EotE, we used our own characters with that adventure (and found it a little easy, as the pre-gens are a little weaker). We then went on to Beyond the Rim with those characters (and found out how poorly we actually tuned our group). The pre-gens would be good for getting the feel of things.

Yes I would advise the starter set, as it guides you through the system and how to play and GM a role playing game. It can be a bit patronising but it's probably best to start basic.

A few general tips:

• Never tell the players what their character is doing or going to do (at least, without checking). That is the players prerogative and one thing the GM doesn't have control over.
• Always try to say "yes" to the player's ideas. If what they are doing takes them away from your planned course, try to steer them back on track with in-game hints, or directions from an NPC.
• Try to give some time to each player at the table and give each player a chance to take part.
• Try to describe as much as possible. Embellish liberally. Imagine you're telling an exciting story.
• Prepare as much as possible and know the content of your adventure.
• If you're not sure of a rule or procedure, ask the players. If they don't know, make your best guess and carry on, and look up the rule later.
• Take your time, relax and enjoy it. Don't feel the need to rush things. If you make a mistake, just carry on as best you can.

My best advice is... "Have 2 sets of dice"
2 sets allows most all rolls without rerolling dice (other than for talent effects).

Second, let the target spend threat; let the actor spend advantage. Making a list of "common advantage and threat results" and share it around the table freely.

Also, roll the Obligation/Duty/Morality at the end of the prior session, rather than at start of session, unless you're really comfortable improvising.



The game rules are particularly prone to being mistaken for a rules-heavy game; it's not. Understand the base principles of the task mechanic, and treat it as rules light. The lists of results in the combat systems are a guideline, a starting point. If something pops to mind as a better option than a particular threat, advantage, despair or triumph, put it forward.

Oh, and remember: despair is not autofail, triumph is not autosuccess. They are WAY too common (tho at first they may not seem to be) to be treated that way. They are major side effects/bonuses. Turn a hit to a crit, or run out of ammo. Or pull a ST V scottyesque Head Bonk.

My best advice is... "Have 2 sets of dice"
2 sets allows most all rolls without rerolling dice (other than for talent effects).

Second, let the target spend threat; let the actor spend advantage. Making a list of "common advantage and threat results" and share it around the table freely.

Also, roll the Obligation/Duty/Morality at the end of the prior session, rather than at start of session, unless you're really comfortable improvising.



The game rules are particularly prone to being mistaken for a rules-heavy game; it's not. Understand the base principles of the task mechanic, and treat it as rules light. The lists of results in the combat systems are a guideline, a starting point. If something pops to mind as a better option than a particular threat, advantage, despair or triumph, put it forward.

Oh, and remember: despair is not autofail, triumph is not autosuccess. They are WAY too common (tho at first they may not seem to be) to be treated that way. They are major side effects/bonuses. Turn a hit to a crit, or run out of ammo. Or pull a ST V scottyesque Head Bonk.