No more Star Wars RPG - It's Official

[wingsandsword]

Of all the people lamenting of the death of the Star Wars RPG (well, not the death, but you know what I mean), I am justnot sure how many products could be put out in the future anyway.

Did you follow the old d6 SWRPG? There were dozens and dozens of books made for that, there are many products that WEG made that never had anything like them made for d20.

Examples (just going off my own shelf):
Rules of Engagement: The Rebel Special Forces Handbook (gritty special forces action, imagine if Tom Clancy did Star Wars)
Galaxy Guide 6: Tramp Freighters (An entire book devoted to being a smuggler or "independent shipper")
Platt's Starport Guide (detailed write-ups of many starports across the galaxy, from colossal core-worlds supercomplexes to tiny backwater encampments)
Fantastic Technology: Droids (a sourcebook just on droids, with huge lists of droids, as well as detailed rules for upgrading them, as well as building them from scratch).
Galaxy Guide 8: Scouts (a sourcebook for exploring Wild Space and the Unknown Regions, including random planet generators and random species generators).
Galaxy Guide 9: Fragments from the Rim (A "fluff" heavy book of rebel slang, organizations & guilds, bands & music groups, alcoholic drinks, mercenary companies, exotic locations in the Rim, and lots of well-detailed NPC's. Inquisitor Tremayne in the DSSB was originally from this book).
Live Action Adventures (Yes, West End Games made a Star Wars LARP book)
Wanted By Cracken (A Rogues Gallery of NPC's wanted by the New Republic)
Han Solo & The Corporate Sector Sourcebook (An entire sourcebook on the Corporate Sector, instead of the 2 or 3 pages it got in the Rebellion Era Sourcebook).
Stock Ships (A book of nothing but lots and lots of starships, with deck plans).

 

[Klaus]

There was also a boxed campaign set. IIRC, the Darkstrider campaign, centered around a big ship and its crew. You got to create three characters, from several levels in the ship hierarchy, and adventures would rotate between these groups.

 

[tensen]

Absolutely. I worked on the official Crothian d20 rpg, and the licensing process was awful. That's why it failed.

I thought it failed because unlike other licensed products, no one actually wanted to play the character of Crothian. I mean, so many people want to play Luke, or Darth, or Gandalf.... but Crothian.. please

 

[wingsandsword]

There was also a boxed campaign set. IIRC, the Darkstrider campaign, centered around a big ship and its crew. You got to create three characters, from several levels in the ship hierarchy, and adventures would rotate between these groups.

Yeah, there was another boxed campaign set too: Lords of the Expanse, about playing nobles in the core worlds (Colonies technically, but pretty close), intrigue, inter-family politics, dealing with bacta and spice smugglers, Imperial officers who bicker for power with powerful Lords.

It was supposed to be a chance of pace from the "Dark & Gritty" RPG's popular in the mid-to-late 90's, as well as a change from the Star Wars standard of playing Rebels & Smugglers characters against the Empire, by making core world nobles whose allegiance was mainly to their houses or selves a PC option.

In d20, this was at least touched on, vaguely, by the "Lord of the Expanse" PrC in the Hero's Guide, as at least a mention of the Tapani Sector, but in d6 is wasn't a 2-page PrC Entry, it was a box set and a 120 page softcover Player's Guide to Tapani as well.

There is enough material in the Star Wars galaxy to print books for decades, with just the Original Trilogy to work with (since WEG created much of the early EU), they produced for 10 years.

The sad thing is, WEG's SWRPG license was probably much more favorable than the WotC license, both in terms of editorial oversight and costs (a license negotiated in 1988 with no new movies or novels forthcoming, by a small-time wargaming company looking to get into RPG's, and in 1999 with the prequels just coming out and a huge merchanizing blitz with the juggernaut company of the gaming industry that had just bought TSR and D&D).

The SWRPG was probably very profitable for WEG (as it was their most famous game, and they produced it for a decade before being run out of business due to unrelated financial blunders by the owners). Licensed RPG's probably become money sinks when the licensors overestimate the value of the property, and more for the license than it is practically worth, and when added to a cumbersome approval process which limits how fast books can be produced, the license crushes itself under the weight of its own lawyers.

 

[Ranger REG]

The sad thing is, WEG's SWRPG license was probably much more favorable than the WotC license, both in terms of editorial oversight and costs (a license negotiated in 1988 with no new movies or novels forthcoming, by a small-time wargaming company looking to get into RPG's, and in 1999 with the prequels just coming out and a huge merchanizing blitz with the juggernaut company of the gaming industry that had just bought TSR and D&D).

That and it was a small company compared to a subsidiary to parent company like WotC to Hasbro.

The SWRPG was probably very profitable for WEG (as it was their most famous game, and they produced it for a decade before being run out of business due to unrelated financial blunders by the owners). Licensed RPG's probably become money sinks when the licensors overestimate the value of the property, and more for the license than it is practically worth, and when added to a cumbersome approval process which limits how fast books can be produced, the license crushes itself under the weight of its own lawyers.

That's because they want more share in the revenue of licensed merchandising, and that includes RPGs. I dunno if you can fault IP owners for overestimating the value in the RPG market.

The sad fact is, #1 TCG once again crushes #3 RPG in the gaming industry. Any IP owner seeing this has to wonder if such a licensing is worth drafting in the first place.

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

I'm not surprised by the news in the least. The last SW movie has come and gone, taking with it the marketing push that attracts new players. I suspect the SW product line is in decline across the board (with the possible exception of the SW minis).

 

[Ranger REG]

I'm not surprised by the news in the least. The last SW movie has come and gone, taking with it the marketing push that attracts new players. I suspect the SW product line is in decline across the board (with the possible exception of the SW minis).

Heh. Interplay once tried to countersue Paramount for their inability to sell Trek software and breach of contract (they want to opt out of the agreement).

Their defense? Paramount isn't putting out good Trek shows, ergo not attracting enough customers to their licensed merchandise. You should be a lawyer for Interplay and perhaps WotC later down the line.

 

[LostSoul]

I definitely prefer the d6 games I've played to the d20. I like rolling 14d6 for damage as a start-out character.

What kind of starting character did you have? The only way I can see to get 14d for damage is in lightsabre combat where you have 5D Control and you spend a Force Point. And even then, it's only 13d.

That ain't no starting character.

 

[jdrakeh]

How long was MERP around? It's got to be comparable to SWRPG.

A little over a decade, I think (first published in 1984 and discontinued in 1995, IIRC). So, yeah - those three licenses did well.

 

[jdrakeh]

What kind of starting character did you have? The only way I can see to get 14d for damage is in lightsabre combat where you have 5D Control and you spend a Force Point. And even then, it's only 13d.

7D is only the human maximum trait rating, IIRC. Maybe he was playing a mad whack Twi'lek Jedi or something