Star Wars RPG Beta: Are they serious?

[ComradeGnull]

It does look as though they are imitating the 40k RPG structure of splitting different power levels of play up into different core games- we get smugglers and scouts of the outer rim as book 1, then something like pirates and independent capital ship operators as book two maybe, and then full on rebellion vs. Empire in book three.

I don't necessarily dislike that idea as it stands. In the old games, it was never clear how you moved from being a foursome operating a small freighter to having a crew for even a very modest sized capital ship- which was odd given that the universe seemed to be rife with pirates and mercenaries who could put together 100+ man crews for dreadnoughts and corvettes.

That being said, the 'lots of things' (or: 'lots of notations replacing lots of things') style of the WHFRPv3 rules really put me off. I also wince to think of what the final price will be for all three games, given that the Beta is $30 and that the boxed WFRP3 set was approximately $100. There have been so many thorough (and overall quite good) takes on the Star Wars setting that this seems to be a game driven by the license-holders desire to make more money off the property rather than the community clamoring for a new game- particularly if they are throwing the old rules and system out the window. I also wonder a little bit about FFG's ability to hold onto the license- will the cost to keep it be prohibitive of making products, or will Lucasarts decide that someone else can offer them more cash and exposure in another five years?

I don't see it happening for me. I loved WEG's d6 game, I liked the d20 game. I loved WFRP v1 & v2. FFG seems to be where my favorite licenses go to trigger a bout of system-change-fatigue related indifference in me.

 

[Jhaelen]

I'm quite interested in FFG's version of the Star Wars RPG. I'm happy to wait for the final product, though, I won't get the beta.

 

[JediSoth]

I picked this up at Gen Con despite my misgivings about the custom dice. At least the Beta has stickers you can apply to create the dice yourself. I'm really tired, so I haven't read this whole thread yet, so I apologize if there's repeated information here.

The production values are really good. I was thrilled to see actual ARTWORK in this book, rather than having it crammed full of movie stills. It's already my favorite visual presentation of a Star Wars RPG since WEGs 2nd edition (not the Expanded & Revised; I think they overdid the "Look! We can print in color now!").

The class & talent tree system reminds me a bit of The Old Republic MMO, but only so far as they have classes & talent trees. They're not really implemented the same way. It uses a dice pool mechanic. I have no idea how it compared to WFRP.

Edge of the Empire also offers a smattering of species: bothan, droid, gand, human, rodian, trandoshan, twi'lek, and wookiee. I would have preferred mon calamari to gand, though, but it's still a nice mix.

I guess I'll have to run a few session of it and see how things work.

 

[alien270]

Edge of the Empire also offers a smattering of species: bothan, droid, gand, human, rodian, trandoshan, twi'lek, and wookiee. I would have preferred mon calamari to gand, though, but it's still a nice mix.

I just caved and ordered it off of the website (I REALLY need to reign in my TTRPG purchases lately!). Personally, I'm ECSTATIC that they included Gand. When I was younger for some reason I really latched onto Zuckuss. I was all about the bounty hunters, and he was my second favorite (after Boba Fett, of course). I think part of it is the ammonia-based respiration, which makes the species more alien (and therefore more interesting, IMO) than the majority of "weird but mostly human-like" species. I was also drawn to the pseudo-Force-like powers that members of the species have, at least in the EU anyways. While perhaps not all that well-known or popular, I think its inclusion was a good choice.

But yeah, I'm biased

 

[fireinthedust]

I'm just so tired of the way the license has been handled. FFG makes good products, but frankly I can't throw money at SW without a concrete reason as to why.

This could be a great game, FFG is a great producer, but I'm... filled with fury at how disrespectful the SW franchise has been treated (nerd rage to follow)

$30 for rules that haven't even been tested: ie: we don't know if this product works, but you can buy our version of it. That's pure Lucasfilm folks mandating the use of money.

That and the way SW dvd's are packaged by episodes rather than a full season of Clone Wars, at least for a good long time. (good show, but really over-priced dvds)

And that Han shooting "second" or stepping on Jabba's tail are the way we're being forced to watch the re-releases of the original trilogy.

And how instead of writing "the further adventures of", we're getting "backstory that drastically reduces the dramatic value of the actual movies"

Or how the facts of the original trilogy no longer matter because of the oceans of EU material that's being pumped out.

Or that the prices for SW games are inflated: not the value of the book themselves, but because of the SW logo on them.

Or how Boba Fett is suddenly an honorable good guy!!!! He's a psycho bounty hunter who disintegrates people for money!!! That and a throwaway henchman who got knocked into a giant mouth on a fluke. For some reason he's not only still alive, but we're giving him the sympathetic kid with a rough past who always meant well deal? Or the Deadpool popularity kick? Awful awful awful. Same thing as Han shooting first: it takes the teeth out of the story. Why don't we do this to Shakespeare: no, Romeo and Juliet were just kidding, kids, they get up and go home after the play...


EDIT: I don't have an issue with the product, or FFG. Frankly, I expect they'll do a great job with it. I'll play if someone runs a game, and some day I may well get a copy of this somehow (though preferably not direct from lucasfilms... and not downloaded, as that's wrong imho... don't know how I'll swing it yet).


For example, I like how they're separating the different styles of play, Jedi from the other characters. That's a wise move.

But I don't like the folks selling the license for the franchise. It meant a lot to me, but I don't like being talked down to. I feel like that's what's been going on for some years.

 

[JediSoth]

...

$30 for rules that haven't even been tested: ie: we don't know if this product works, but you can buy our version of it. That's pure Lucasfilm folks mandating the use of money.

Well, strictly speaking there has been SOME testing already, just nothing publicly available until now. The system this game uses is very similar to WHFRP from what I've read, so I suspect these Beta rules are just so they can make sure the rules will serve the cinematic & narrative feel they're going for.

 

[El Mahdi]

For me, I'll only be interested if the games mechanics are somehow better for my purposes than Star Wars SAGA is. As for accessory products, I have all the campaign info I'll ever need (and it's far from all that's available). I stopped following changes in the extended universe quite a while ago.

And I'm most certainly not paying $30 for a Beta.

Seems to me that's a very poor model for feedback oriented design. Charging for the Beta is going to restrict the number of people willing to participate, and by extension limit the amount of constructive feedback, innovation, and synergy that could be tapped. I think that's unfortunate, and doesn't bode well for the final product. I'd think it would end up very much influenced by a small, vocal minority (those willing to pay for the Beta) - resulting in mechanics with limited appeal.

 

[Super Pony]

I'd think it would end up very much influenced by a small, vocal minority (those willing to pay for the Beta) - resulting in mechanics with limited appeal.

How dare you slight the size of my minority vocals good sirrah! *slip slap with a white glove* The other 1%'ers and I will ensure that the mechanics meet our specific needs...and no one else's.

I need to get the shameful little thing in my hands before I weigh in, but I like what I've read and seen thus far (with the occasional raised eyebrow or chuff sound effect). I also don't believe that any major mechanical shifts will result from the beta release beyond errata clarifications and typo fixing. Given FFG's spotty track record on editing and rules clarity it's nice to at least have a chance to get some pre-erata in.

If my $30 $42.81 makes another person's $60 a better deal? Well then I'll just keep on polishing my halo...wait, ponies get into the upper planes for good behavior right?

 

[Greatwyrm]

This could be a great game, FFG is a great producer, but I'm... filled with fury at how disrespectful the SW franchise has been treated (nerd rage to follow)

It's all actually a plot to drive rpg sales. The more they mess with the core franchise products like the movies, the more disgusted you get. Eventually you'll start buying the rpg materials so you can "do Star Wars the right way".

Sure, it's evil. But it's pure genius.

 

[alien270]

And I'm most certainly not paying $30 for a Beta.

Eh, the way I look at it I'm paying $30 for a full game as opposed to (likely) $60 for a slightly more polished full game. I'll only buy the final version if a) there are drastic rules changes that are too impractical to utilize in conjunction with the beta, and b) if it's popular enough with my group that we play regularly. Given the time frame, I'm guessing that any mechanical changes will be minor enough to simply "houserule" into the game without buying the final product.