Does Saga Edition make anyone else jones for Star Wars in general?

[iwatt]

The problem with Star Wars as a setting is that the super-important, universe-shaking events have nothing to do with your player characters.

Before they made Dark Forces, I would have agreed with you. But that game showed me how you could have a really cool campaign while the movie cast is off doing there thing. It is a galaxy after all, no reason why stuff should only take place on Tatooine and Coruscant after all.

 

[Klaus]

Back in the days of d6 Star Wars, I ran two campaigns. One followed the Original Trilogy very closely (for instance, the PCs were on Tattooine when the Millenium Falcon took off in a hurry, and were at Yavin right before the Death Star arrived). The other campaign focused on a cadre of Rebels in a distant quadrant on the other side of the galaxy. When the Empire fell, the local Moff became the highest Imperial authority there, and the big players were busy with their own problems, so the Rebel cell there had its hands full trying to scrounge up equipment and intel and bring down a Moff that lacked a Death Star, but had firepower to make up for it.

 

[Randolpho]

Back in the days of d6 Star Wars, I ran two campaigns. One followed the Original Trilogy very closely (for instance, the PCs were on Tattooine when the Millenium Falcon took off in a hurry, and were at Yavin right before the Death Star arrived). The other campaign focused on a cadre of Rebels in a distant quadrant on the other side of the galaxy. When the Empire fell, the local Moff became the highest Imperial authority there, and the big players were busy with their own problems, so the Rebel cell there had its hands full trying to scrounge up equipment and intel and bring down a Moff that lacked a Death Star, but had firepower to make up for it.

That second one sounds like a really fun campaign.

In fact... I may steal it.

 

[Klaus]

That second one sounds like a really fun campaign.

In fact... I may steal it.

It was very fun, and partly inspired by a West End book about Rekeene's Roughnecks or somesuch. One of the PCs was a new alien race I made up, a 7'-tall humanoid reptile from a world with a feudal society that had echoes of Middle Ages (swords, fortresses, etc). Another PC, a fledgling Jedi, had to salvage a droid's arm to replace his own (he was the Tech dude), and built a golden lightsaber for himself.

 

[Decado]

I have not seen the new Saga edition or played Star Wars D20. i did run, for a few years, a D6 Star Wars campaign that I was one of my favorites. I did not have a problem with Canon, as my game was located in the Elrood Sector and the players were part of the small rebel alliance force there. The closest they came to meeting a character from the movies was when they were in a local cantina that had the Bith band from A New Hope performing. I do not think my players made the connection.

I have over the years since that campaign ended thought about starting another one. I had planned to place it after Timothy Zhan's Thrawn trilogy and ignore all other EV except what was written by Zhan. However since the release of the prequels my players, and mine, enthusiasim for Star Wars has greatly diminshed and they do not seem interested in playing.

Decado

 

[Allensh]

So I've read the Star Wars Saga Edition book cover to cover now (which is pretty much unheard of for me, usually I just skim the parts of a book that I need to know or find interesting) and it's really, really got my jonesing for some SW. I watched the entire prequel trilogy today (sadly I only have the original trilogy on VHS, and no VCR currently hooked up)...

I don't really consider myself a big Star Wars geek... I mean, I like it, but I haven't actually seen any of the movies since they were in theaters (the special editions that came out in 1997, in the case of the original trilogy) and I've never read any of the books or anything... Only other stuff Star Wars stuff I've partook of were video games. But now I can't stop thinking about it. I'm even debating picking up Star Wars minis, which is an additiction I absolutely cannot afford!

This happen to anyone else?

yes! I've dug out some of my old Star Wars paperbacks and I have been recording the movies off of HBO using my DVD recorder; I have 1,2,3 and 5, will have 6 after tonight and 4 after Thursday Not as cool as the special DVD set they released but it will tide me over until I can get that.

Allen

 

[Allensh]

Yes, although I haven't bought the Saga edition and don't plan to. It just looks like trading current complications for different ones. I'm thinking about how I could modify SW minis rules to be used as a lite RPG. I have a complete set of Rebel Storm with many extras, and I would just love to use them for/with a simple RPG. Maybe Savage Worlds. But yeah, I'm jonesin' to play Star Wars, and I've watched five of the movies again recently.

There are some very good conversions of Star Wars for Savage Worlds on the Savage Heroes.com site.

I love Savage Worlds, but I think Star Wars Saga Edition works just fine.

Allen

 

[Allensh]

BINGO!

The problem with Star Wars as a setting is that the super-important, universe-shaking events have nothing to do with your player characters. Unless you are willing to make major changes to canonical events, the closest you can come to bringing your PCs into the action in the movies is allow them to meet and possibly aid the characters from the movies.

Players in RPGs expect to be a major factor in the campaign world, and this is hard to do in a setting in which the majority of events are published/filmed/etc.

There are, of course, ways to run a Star Wars game that doesn't touch canon, and that's to run a non-Rebel, non-Empire game (if you're playing during the Rebellion era), such as a group of bounty hunters or smugglers. Or during the Prequel era, Jedi on the fringes of the Republic, or as above, bounty hunters or smugglers. But honestly, if you're not going to use Star Wars canon and events of the movies (and to a lesser extent, the official novels), why run a Star Wars game at all?

because if you run something like Traveller or Blue Planet, you have to explain everything; but if you run in the Star Wars universe, everyone largely knows what you are talking about. Even if you change the time period.

I'm running in the era between Episodes 3 and 4, just at the formation of the Rebel Alliance. Apart from books that none of my players have read, this is an interesting time, and the characters know that while Luke and Leia and those folks get to end the story...in my game, they get to be the ones to start it!

Allen

 

[Gundark]

Well yes...not only to play star wars, but to see a new d20 modern and 4th edition D&D..

There I said it....

 

[scourger]

There are some very good conversions of Star Wars for Savage Worlds on the Savage Heroes.com site.

I love Savage Worlds, but I think Star Wars Saga Edition works just fine.

Allen

Yeah, those Savage Worlds conversions probably have ruined me from d20 or Saga now. I have pondered making the minis game into an RPG, but I would have to figure out some simple advancements for the PCs.