Input for starting a Star Wars Saga Edition game?

[Quickleaf]

[MENTION=51930]fireinthedust[/MENTION]
I do have a great pdf full of SWSE NPCs and monsters, formatted like 4e monsters. I believe this is the download link: Whoops! Browser Settings Incompatible

I can't answer your other questions because I don't have enough experience yet. But from the few sessions I've run, multi-classing hardly penalizes you at all - pretty much all of my players multi-classed - it was more a matter of deciding which talents they wanted and then taking levels in that class.

EDIT: I added the 4-part image file of the airspeeder shaft to the post on the previous page where I posted the adventure PDF. They go with the "Underworld Airspeeder Raid" encounter.

 

[fireinthedust]

[MENTION=20323]Quickleaf[/MENTION]: Thanks! I like the pdf, and the way you write out the action-by-action tactics, as well as the "this is what this attack does" blocks (in the 4e style), is very helpful. Too bad the actual game didn't do this! I really appreciate the use of illustrations, many of which are bang-on.

How is the campaign going?


I think the UtF issues make sense. I did have a game on these boards a while back, and the jedi exploded every last battle droid easily... they weren't mean about it, but as a GM I hate seeing people blow through challenges on me. That said, banning them makes it a game of d20 Future, imho. Having an all-Jedi group likewise seems boring to me. A good ensemble is important.

What if you added a -5 penalty to every UtF check use per round, not just per deflection or block?

I see the appeal of the Cha-attack for force-users. I'll have to try the game out in RL, though.

 

[Quickleaf]

[MENTION=51930]fireinthedust[/MENTION]
Thanks! I've been gaming deprived since April/May, hence trying to start up a SWSE game through Meetup.com, but even then I got 3 interested players and 1 of them left ao we decided to hold off until the group filled out. However this particular group choose to play no jedi and went for a "scum and villainy" vibe instead as smugglers and bounty hunters. I posted a playtest report on the d20radio forum, I'll dig up a link for you. We only got thru the first encounter, with a bit of recon in the docking bay, and an impressed airspeeder chase *into* Coruscant's Underworld where they're now wanted criminals.

 

[fireinthedust]

Hey, that's okay too.

And a good chase scene can be fun. I hope you don't mind stealing from other systems for that: Pathfinder has a great chase mechanic that I think could really help with speeders and with ship chases. You could use, let's say cue cards, and line them along the table. Each card is a skill check needed to get past an obstacle of some kind in order to get through that space, and the card is one move action distance (so two moves per round). Characters can leap over a boulder or UtF to move it, or blaster x damage to obliterate it. If the chasers get to the heroes' card (the one they're on) they can start combat. If the heroes get to the end first (or whoever they're chasing in turn) that person gets away some how.

I kinda hope my group goes scum and villainy when we play: I want to be the only Jedi

I'm supposed to be getting ready for the game tomorrow, (D&D) but I'm going to start by making up my own Jedi with a spread of levels from 1 to whatever.


My question: Should Scoundrels have full BAB, or at least for blasters? I really think they should. They're supposed to be gunslingers, and half-bab for Han Solo is just mean.

 

[Quickleaf]

Hey, that's okay too.

And a good chase scene can be fun. I hope you don't mind stealing from other systems for that: Pathfinder has a great chase mechanic that I think could really help with speeders and with ship chases. You could use, let's say cue cards, and line them along the table. Each card is a skill check needed to get past an obstacle of some kind in order to get through that space, and the card is one move action distance (so two moves per round). Characters can leap over a boulder or UtF to move it, or blaster x damage to obliterate it. If the chasers get to the heroes' card (the one they're on) they can start combat. If the heroes get to the end first (or whoever they're chasing in turn) that person gets away some how.

Oh, i treat everything as a mine for creative endeavors, so the PFSRD rules, the Big City rules, the rules GM Garett posted on d20 radio - they're all game. Since it was impromptu, it was by the seat of my pants...I think I was tracking successes/failures as if it were a skill challenge, but pretty much ended it when the evening was getting too late.

I'm supposed to be getting ready for the game tomorrow, (D&D) but I'm going to start by making up my own Jedi with a spread of levels from 1 to whatever.

Check out the Jedi Academy Training Manual - lots of goodies in there, like lightsaber force powers.

My question: Should Scoundrels have full BAB, or at least for blasters? I really think they should. They're supposed to be gunslingers, and half-bab for Han Solo is just mean.

I think you're aiming for the gunslinger prestige class. Until then a high Dexterity and Weapon Focus (pistols) plus your Scoundrel BAB will keep you on par with others.

 

[DerekSTheRed]

I ran a long running SWSE campaign (see my sig) and now I'm playing in an another one. I heavily house ruled to fix a lot of the items the thread has already mentioned. To fix Skill Focus: UTF, I changed it so that it allows you to add your level to the skill bonus instead of +5. Normally you add half your level. This means a smaller boost at low levels and a bigger boost at high levels. The math seems to work better this way.

Healing is also a problem IME. One of the Variant Rules WotC published on their web site made the second wind more like surges. I implemented those rules. In this case every character got 1 second wind + class bonus to fort + constitution modifier per day. I allowed them to use them more than once per encounter but still had to be less than half their hitpoints and no more than one per round. Out of combat though they could use them without having to be below half. This requires changes to thing like medpac rules and possibly transfer vitality (didn't really use the last one IMC).

As for advice, I would always liked having one vehicle fight/chase scene and one combat at least per session. I would then add in either another fight or a skill challenge. Second winds made them a bit tougher per fight but they were still fragile on a per day basis. Consequently having the vehicles/starship soak damage helped.

The biggest problem I have with the starship rules was that it was very repetitive. The engineer did the same mechanics check every round. The computer use guy did the same check every round. Sometimes even the pilots and gunners did the same thing every round. Even though everyone was participating, it wasn't fun for everyone. I found it much better if everyone was a pilot in their own starships or you paired everyone into a fighter + pilot team. I realize this isn't feasible for all groups.

This blog post by Rodney Thompson on the Dawn of Defiance retrospective was very spot on analysis of what works and what doesn't work in SAGA.

let's face it: if you're the systems operator, right now, you're doing one thing every. single. round.

 

[fireinthedust]

neat article. Was it written using the Starship book? I wonder if there are any helpful rules in there.

I wouldn't have more than one vehicle chase in a game if the rules for ship combat are that boring.

A land-based chase would be better for sure.



I'm going over my Jedi build, with a lightsabre combat focus, and looking for holes. Gotta say, I don't see much point in more than one level of Jedi Master: the force secrets aren't that exciting.

 

[DerekSTheRed]

It's not that vehicle or starship combat is boring. It's that it is boring if you are not a pilot or gunner.

 

[fireinthedust]

It's not that vehicle or starship combat is boring. It's that it is boring if you are not a pilot or gunner.

Think we could help others with shield dr or sensor sweeps or other buffs? That could help.

Trek had it right with transporters: mid battle boarding parties could keep the others busy.

Sent from my GT-I5510M using Tapatalk

 

[Spatula]

This blog post by Rodney Thompson on the Dawn of Defiance retrospective was very spot on analysis of what works and what doesn't work in SAGA.

Interesting how some of the GM/mechanical problems he notes would have been solved if the game was based on 4e instead of (basically) 3e. It's occurred to me in the past that 4e D&D would have been much better suited for Star Wars than SAGA, and SAGA would have been much better suited for the next edition of D&D than 4e was...