New Star Wars RPG!

[ShadowDenizen]

The core rules have been revised and streamlined to make the game easier to learn and more fun to play.

Well, that I'm pleased to hear.

This new edition of the Star Wars Roleplaying Game encapsulates all six feature films while presenting a thorough revision of the rules, making the game easier to learn while improving the overall play experience. The new 288-page core rulebook includes new character abilities and options, a streamlined skill system, a revised combat system, new feats and Force powers, a world gazetteer, statistics for key characters from all six Star Wars films and the Expanded Universe, and guidelines on how to use Star Wars Miniatures and battle maps in play.

It sounds like an AWEFUL lot of infomration to cram into one 288-page book, but time will tell, I guess.

This new edition of the Star Wars Roleplaying Game is more miniatures-friendly than previous editions and includes a battle map and guidelines for using Star Wars miniatures in play.

This?
I'm not so pleased about.

 

[RodneyThompson]

Let's not all start panicking just yet, shall we?

 

[Henry]

When people start getting upset about smaller page counts, I point to books like Grim Tales as an example of how to push a lot of good material into one small space. If they have moved something out to another rule book, it wouldn't bother me too much.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Why the panic over "miniatures friendly"? That's what D&D 3.5 did, and it didn't change much at all...just clarified things.

Still looking all good to me.

 

[Ranger REG]

"streamlined"

That makes me nervous. I like the RCR a lot, I don't want to see it dumbed down or oversimplifed, and "streamlined" sounds like possible marketing-speak for both doing just that.

Heh. To dumbed down what is already a rules-heavy system to begin with -- the signature of d20 -- can be a good thing.

Of course, if you dumb it down too much to leave so many voids (aka rules ambiguities), then that could be a problem.

 

[Master of the Game]

Yay, I 3rd edition of the same damn game within six years. Yeah, I'm gonna rush right out and pick that up.

No thanks, I'll wait until 2008 and pick up the 4th edition.

 

[wingsandsword]

Let's not all start panicking just yet, shall we?

I don't want to panic, but we love the SWRPG, and we really want the new edition to be great. Heck, I know I'm going to buy it (I can't imagine it being something I wouldn't get), but for lack of detailed information (darn NDA's) we have to read tea leaves and smoke signals to figure out what's going on. This is the first WotC product in in a long time I've been this excited in this long before release.

Condensing the game down in page count, while expanding the coverage of the Star Wars universe seems like a tall order. Now, admittedly the RCR did have a lot of inefficient use of space in it, with some big graphics and full-page pictures that could easily be trimmed. Even the OCR was 318 pages though. Putting everything in that we're expecting and getting it down to 288 pages is going to be a masterpiece of editing and writing (or a lot of stuff is going to be left for future suppliments and only barely touched on in the Saga Edition book).

As for the minis-friendly part of the catalog entry, the minis game has been a big seller, so presumably WotC does want to sell the RPG at people who play the minis game but haven't played the RPG, so some tie-in as marketing the RPG as a more advanced or more complete Star Wars experienced instead of just being a minis combat game would be sound marketing.

I do really hope you made a great new edition we are all going to love, and we can look back in March and just laugh at our worries. As you're able to talk about it in more detail, I'm sure we'll have tons of questions for you on what's there, and why you made the changes you did.

 

[Kanegrundar]

Hmmmm....Hopefully it stays compatible to the material released after the RCR. If this ends up being just another reboot with little new content, then I'll likely pass. That said, I'm optimistic. Moridin has a great passion for Star Wars and will do his damndest to make the SWRPG v3 the best yet. Let's just wait and see.

 

[Ranger REG]

Hmmmm....Hopefully it stays compatible to the material released after the RCR. If this ends up being just another reboot with little new content, then I'll likely pass. That said, I'm optimistic. Moridin has a great passion for Star Wars and will do his damndest to make the SWRPG v3 the best yet. Let's just wait and see.

Then you better tell them what should stay sacred cow.

Me? I'm hoping that they put out a very helpful conversion guideline for the older SW d20 products. Of course, if they're going to revise and update the old material, then such a conversion document is not necessary.

 

[Kanegrundar]

Then you better tell them what should stay sacred cow.

Me? I'm hoping that they put out a very helpful conversion guideline for the older SW d20 products. Of course, if they're going to revise and update the old material, then such a conversion document is not necessary.

I doubt it would make much difference what I thought. :shrug: But here goes:
All in all I like the system as written in the RCR. I wouldn't mind a clean up in the
disparity between attack and defense bonuses and another tweak to the starship combat rules. Beyond that, I really enjoyed it.

Beyond that, good conversion guidelines for old products is a must.