Star Wars Roleplaying Game by Fantasy Flight Games (FFG)
(No surprises, and no apologies.)
I have always felt that the
idea of
Star Wars was often better than what is sometimes actually produced. Between all the movies, TV shows, novels, comic books, and assortment of toys and games, there is much more to the Saga than most of us can truly comprehend. That is, if we base our assumptions only on the original movies, which told only one story--maybe the most important story, but not the only one.
This particular system by FFG is not the first RPG system to attempt to bring
Star Wars to the game table, but it is certainly the most unique. I could easily list more than three things that make this my favorite roleplaying game of all time, but I will do my best to limit it to just the three most important ones. But I make no promises.
1. The Narrative Dice
At first glance, it looks really complicated with a lot of different colors, shapes, and unique symbols. But I can assure you that it is not! It is very intuitive, elegant, and easy to learn. Once you figure out how the Core Mechanic works, which will take less time than you think, you will understand how to do nearly everything in the game. And while it is simple and easy enough to learn, it will take time and practice to master the nuances of a truly narrative-telling system.
There are 'good' dice and 'bad' dice working against each other rather than static target values to hit or get over. But the objective isn't about making all your skill checks; its about moving the story forward, which should be like the movies where we see a mixture of failed attempts, heroic achievements, and moments of growing tension mixed with humorous developments. Its difficult to try "gaming the game" by optimizing for every possible success like this, or you just look ridiculous either thinking you could or wasting a lot of energy and thought figuring out how.
Because the system uses symbols rather than just numbers or pips, there is greater efficiency in the producing several kinds of results from one throw. A greater number of
Successes could indicate accomplishing a task with greater speed or better results.
Advantage and
Threat add an extra layer to the story regardless of success or failure, while
Triumph and
Despair represent the ultimate achievement or the worst case scenario.
2. Focus on Telling a Story
Everything in this game is focused on one thing: helping your group to tell a story. That may sound true for most roleplaying games that, by their very nature, are intended to do just that. But rarely have I seen game mechanics emphasize this more clearly and effectively than this. More importantly, you are doing it together as a group. The details of an entire galaxy do not fall solely on the shoulders of the GM; players have a lot more agency and input to help develop the narrative as the game progresses. Collaboration and improvisation are the key elements here, and the mechanics both support and encourage that.
The
Destiny Pool, for example, can be used as a narrative device for both GMs and the players. Imagine the players find themselves on a planet but find out the air isn't breathable for their characters. Rather than stopping to check notes to see if the group had prepared for this, one of the players suggests someone in the group was smart/lucky/prepared enough to acquire rebreathers for everyone before the trip, and flips a destiny point (with the GM's approval).
Success and failure are not important to winning the game as it is to see what happens next. A failed or botched attempt can be just as interesting (or sometimes even more) than just succeeding every time because someone built their characters to beat the game itself. But even with success, complications may arise. We see it all the time in the movies and shows, and it is often the most memorable and laughable moments.
3. The Unconventional Approach
Up until this game, I felt every RPG was pretty much the same as any other (with only some notable exceptions). And in many ways, this one still does on some level. The mechanics may be different, but the preconceived notions of what an RPG is supposed to be were deeply ingrained into the DNA. Players built characters to challenge the system and climb the power scale. GMs controlled the stories bringing the players' characters along for the ride. Characters earn new rewards which make them better equipped to handle more challenges. And inevitably, there is a capstone or endgame achievement, which signals the end of a campaign and time start the process again.
I have said this many times before. If you approach this system like any other RPG you might be more familiar with (like D&D), you will likely be disappointed, frustrated, or even upset. I can speak from experience on this when my own group of D&D veterans tried it. We quickly came to realize that we had not changed our expectations, and though it was fun, it felt less than satisfying. But as soon as we began to focus just on the story-telling and worried less about everything else, it really started to click.
You can look at the rules, mechanics, etc., and believe there is a rigid structure underlying how the game is meant to be played. Or you can see it for what it really is--a toolbox, a guidebook, an example of how the game could be used for your own interpretation.
Interpretation is part of the game. The dice results show you nothing except the potential outcomes. It is up to you and your group to decide what those symbols add up to. And each and every time it is going to be something different because your game is always different than someone else's. Expecting the same thing to happen every time is boring for anyone. Here's an example of what went wrong the first time we (the D&D veteran group) played:
Player 1 shoots a stormtrooper and gets success plus 2 Advantage. He decides to use the Advantage to give the next character a Boost die on his turn.
Player 2 shoots another stormtrooper (with a Boost die) and gets success plus 2 Advantage. She decides to give the next character a Boost die on his turn... zzzZZZzzz
Its in the rules. Its a common thing. But we failed to incorporate it into the narrative and give it presence. Player 1 could have caused the target to stumble into some crates nearby, leaving him open for Player 2's shot. Mechanically the same, but now it makes the fight about the story and not the mechanics. (You can technically do the same with any game. But few of them have intuitive rules/dice/mechanics to support that kind of thing. This one actually does, and its one of my favorite things about it.)
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