But to those who actually played SAGA, how was it?
I've heard that it was incapable of properly emulating cinematic space opera, and I've also heard that it was a solid system that rewarded smart play?
What's the word from the experienced players/GMs of SAGA?
SAGA is, in my opinion, easily the best version of a
Star Wars RPG out there. It is EASILY capable of simulating cinematic sequences, again, better than any other version of Star Wars to date. I've read pawsplay's comments before on SW:SE and we PROFOUNDLY disagree on Star Wars: SE.
There isn't much a of a community still playing The OCR or the RCR version of Star Wars. There was -- and is -- a significant Star Wars: SE community. It is the first version of ANY Star Wars game I ever played where playing a Jedi FELT like I was PLAYING A JEDI. The
Star Warsy feel is there even at low levels.
In terms of the overall system, SW:SE is a gem. We're going to be playing this one for a long time to come.
By the way -- as far as "no modules" for Star Wars:SE? There was a full adventure path 1st to 20th level released on the website (and still available if you read through my posts for the download link). There were also many adventures within the hardcover books. Not perhaps as many as we all might prefer - but it's not a case of "no material for the game". Over the course of the books and with the Dawn of Defiance and a few other scenarion/modules on the Website over the course of time, there is easily more than 30 Saga adventures.
More than enough to get anybody going. There are a number of community modules as well.
In terms of design, the game is relatively easy to design your own advntures for once you get in the groove. A LOT of the material in the expansion books helps with this as well. Such as vreating plug n play base sections in
Galaxy at War, unit designs in
Clone Wars, etc..
Unknown Regions has awesome charts for planetary generation and even plug 'n play alien beast creation and "near Human" species creation.
I really can't say enough that is complimentary about SW: SE. The community, especially those centred around the Ennie Award winning Order 66 Podcast is hellafun and quite helpful too.
Take the 14 hardcovers for SW:SE and all the miniatures released for the game -- a large number of which are common and uncommons and are still available from third parties for pretty damn cheap, and you have a VAST amount of material to create your own
Star Wars campaign for years and years to come.
I went a little overboard on my minis purchasing. I dropped probably about....$350? Might be $400. For that, I got ARMIES AND ARMIES of clones and droids and ship. I've got about 1200
Star Wars minis, the overwhelming majority of which are in groups of 6, 12 or 20. Highly usable for use in a whole swath of encounters on the ground and in space. Really - I'm
TOTALLY set.
I love the game but, truly, I'm
not disappointed that the license ended. Frankly, we were >>just<< getting to the point where the bloat was becoming unmanageable and WotC would have started to do things that would have wrecked the game with inevitable power creep.
If you ever get an opportunity to play in a Star Wars: SE campaign with a GM who is really into it? Say YES to playing in that campaign in a heartbeat -- before the GM changes his/her mind.