Star Wars d20 is dead

[Captain Tagon]

Though, I wonder if those numbers are, at least in part, reflective of which mini lines have had recent releases.

Maybe for Star Wars. But Heroclix has been up there for a while.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

Books that could come out for the d20SWRPG that could seriously improve the line:

...
*Knights of the Old Republic Sourcebook. The era was touched on in the d6 materials with their Tales of the Jedi Companion, but apparently a lot of video gamers have learned at least the basics of the RPG from this video game, and it's a rich subject for RPG materials.
...

I have avoided the Star Wars D20 to date, but I would jump whole heartedly if a KotOR sourcebook came out. Money burning a hole in my wallet waiting for it.

 

[mcrow]

There is more than enough SW info out now between the movies, RPGs, and Novels to give players many years worth of play. Really all the rules are covered in the D20 books, though some need tweaking. So I don't see why anyone should stop playing.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

*Knights of the Old Republic Sourcebook. The era was touched on in the d6 materials with their Tales of the Jedi Companion, but apparently a lot of video gamers have learned at least the basics of the RPG from this video game, and it's a rich subject for RPG materials.

But we've already got that in two books. See the Dark Side Sourcebook and Power of the Jedi. Both, especially DSSB, have very large sections on the Tales of the Jedi era that give enough detail that the only thing one could really justify for a book would be equipment/starships for the era...but that doesn't need its own book.

 

[scourger]

I'll prefer to think of it as a closed system, since it already is to me with the Revised Core Rulebook.

 

[Jim Hague]

So...there's no actual announcement from WotC, no insider information other than nothing on the publishing schedule? Gimme a break.

 

[Colonelpuddinhead]

my .02 cents

I've gamed since I was 9 (I remember those old Warhammer FRPG days like it was.... wait, I can't remember them...), almost 30 years now, and I've seen game trends come and go. I played both the D6 and D20 versions of Star Wars. Both are great. I prefer the d20 version, however I think the d6 version was more successful in a business sense. Here's why I come to this conclusion.

West End Games had these great smaller books, printed in softcover, on non-glossy paper, and with with limited B/W artwork. It was great. The main rules books were quite spiffy, but small enough that I could afford them. The sourcebooks, guidebooks and modules were small enough that I could easily afford them - and like I said all softcover. Wizards, while putting out great rules mechanics which I prefer, has fancy-schmancy hardcover books. I live in Canada, and the main rule book is $60 plus tax (which is quite a lot compared to American taxes ), and small thin hardcover books going for $45-$50. I think Wizards looked at what WEG was doing and thought they had a gold mine. WEG kept their material pretty much open ended and Wizard's material pretty much depends on the movies. Now that the movies are done, Wizards have either let their line of SW books die, or come up with new material (which they don't seem to do well for SW). I really thought Star Wars Gamer (a magazine kinda like Dragon, but for Star Wars) was really cool, but by issue 10 - you could tell why it wasn't selling well, because there was a lack of new stuff - just rehashing of movie stuff.

Anyways, long story short, I think Star Wars was doomed from the start (the Wizards version I mean) because they didn't follow the WEG model, they instead tied it to the fate of the movies too much. And hey, who knows - maybe their contract with LucasArts is going to be up soon and they don't want to be caught in the middle of producing a book when it does end.

my .02 cents

CP

 

[wingsandsword]

Anyways, long story short, I think Star Wars was doomed from the start (the Wizards version I mean) because they didn't follow the WEG model, they instead tied it to the fate of the movies too much. And hey, who knows - maybe their contract with LucasArts is going to be up soon and they don't want to be caught in the middle of producing a book when it does end.

Lucasfilm, Lucasfilm is the main company. Lucasarts is the software subsidiary (sorry, but lots of people think that Lucasarts makes everything, they are just a subsidary).

The license is until 2012, they're less than halfway through with it.

Also, many fans believe that in it's own way WEG's model limited the expansion of the game, because they got as far from the movies as they could. The movies are the core of Star Wars, and the d20 SWRPG to date has been made largely focused around the movies at least in part because for the first time they could detail the Clone Wars and Palptatine's rise. While WEG did define much of the Expanded Universe, the casual fan interested in a Star Wars game isn't going to be interested in a box set about the Tapani sector or other esoteric subjects away from the core of the movies, as opposed to a smaller number of books.

Dedicated gamers and the hardcore fans might want to keep up with the proliferation of books from d6, and the obscure side characters and places far removed from the movies. If your players have only seen the movies, a campaign set during the New Republic where the PC's work for a rebuilt Black Sun syndicate and are based out of a Victory Star Destroyer and there is a recurring Noghri NPC and the PC's boss is a Falleen who always wears a Corellian Powersuit, they might not get it as much as if it's set in the aftermath of the Battle of Naboo with the PC's as either agents of the Naboo government or the Jedi Counsil having to deal with the unrest in the republic and the growing Separatist movement, or just a good old-fashioned Rebel troops vs. the Empire starting around the Battle of Yavin.

 

[Agamon]

I'm not worried about [4E], because I have every [3.5] supplement I can possibly need to play any [3.5] game I want, and the minis that keep coming out mean that I have plenty of choice for my battlemats. It's disappointing to see no new product, but past [yet more feats and prestige classes], there's not a lot else to expect from the line, is there?

I hear ya, Henry. Oh, were we talking about Star Wars?

 

[Ranger REG]

Use Spycraft 2.0 to create your own starwars game...

Eeeegh!