Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Beginner Game
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4 out of 5 rating for Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Beginner Game
Another boxed set that does a lot to get people playing, the Beginner Game to FFG's Star Wars: Edge of the Empire is designed to be opened and played right away. You learn the system as you go, and the pregens are varied enough to get players into the Star Wars mood right from the get go. The dice mechanics are wonky at first but begin to flow, and it's enjoyable to "read" the dice results like an old gypsy fortune teller staring at chicken bones - yes, I see that it was my skill, not ability, that won me this task today!
Another boxed set that does a lot to get people playing, the Beginner Game to FFG's Star Wars: Edge of the Empire is designed to be opened and played right away. You learn the system as you go, and the pregens are varied enough to get players into the Star Wars mood right from the get go. The dice mechanics are wonky at first but begin to flow, and it's enjoyable to "read" the dice results like an old gypsy fortune teller staring at chicken bones - yes, I see that it was my skill, not ability, that won me this task today!
Emirikol
Adventurer
3 out of 5 rating for Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Beginner Game
I enjoyed the WFRP3 system and kind of enjoyed this system, but I don't see the point of using the WFRP dice equivalent if you aren't going to bother to have variable results. It's just funky dice for funky dice sake.- Disliked the Feats/Talent trees - Dislike the removal of special actions that were the highlight of the WFRP3 systemArt was mediocre. Lack of convention support is disappointing..but company is noted for product (love to spend lots of money?) and not external support.
I enjoyed the WFRP3 system and kind of enjoyed this system, but I don't see the point of using the WFRP dice equivalent if you aren't going to bother to have variable results. It's just funky dice for funky dice sake.- Disliked the Feats/Talent trees - Dislike the removal of special actions that were the highlight of the WFRP3 systemArt was mediocre. Lack of convention support is disappointing..but company is noted for product (love to spend lots of money?) and not external support.
If you like Star Wars and you are new to RPGs, buy it!
An excellent entry point to RPGs if you have never played one. Otherwise, there is little reason on buying it if you know what a RPG is, go directly to the core book.
I guess there is nearly no one who does not know the Star Wars setting, but just in case I must say: IT IS NOT sci-fi!
I have seen that here they have put it in the Sci-fi genre. No, Star Wars is "futuristic fantasy" or call it different, but no sci-fi.
An excellent entry point to RPGs if you have never played one. Otherwise, there is little reason on buying it if you know what a RPG is, go directly to the core book.
I guess there is nearly no one who does not know the Star Wars setting, but just in case I must say: IT IS NOT sci-fi!
I have seen that here they have put it in the Sci-fi genre. No, Star Wars is "futuristic fantasy" or call it different, but no sci-fi.
Last edited:
Kettlebriar
Original Old School Gamer
5 out of 5 rating for Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Beginner Game
The beginner box comes with a rulebook, maps, dice, and an adventure. If you know for a fact that you are going to be playing Edge of the Empire, you probably shouldnt buy this box and put that money towards the Corebook. If you are wondering if you want to play or how to play (mostly for those new to roleplaying) then this is the product for you. It holds your hand and guides you on how to learn their rules system. In fact, the Rulebook states READ LAST, after the Adventure itself. The Adventure itself step by step teaches players and gamemaster alike the new system. The artwork really sets the mood and the product quality is great. Most of the low reviews for this product are for the same reasons. they are either telling you dont buy because all this info is in the Corebook OR they dont like the unique dice system.
The beginner box comes with a rulebook, maps, dice, and an adventure. If you know for a fact that you are going to be playing Edge of the Empire, you probably shouldnt buy this box and put that money towards the Corebook. If you are wondering if you want to play or how to play (mostly for those new to roleplaying) then this is the product for you. It holds your hand and guides you on how to learn their rules system. In fact, the Rulebook states READ LAST, after the Adventure itself. The Adventure itself step by step teaches players and gamemaster alike the new system. The artwork really sets the mood and the product quality is great. Most of the low reviews for this product are for the same reasons. they are either telling you dont buy because all this info is in the Corebook OR they dont like the unique dice system.
jamesmanhattan
Explorer
5 out of 5 rating for Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Beginner Game
For around $20 this comes with everything you need to play. It's a perfect way to try out a ruleset. My friends and I enjoyed it a great deal. It comes with the dice (the most important part!) these cost $12 all on their own. It comes with tokens for players and enemies. It comes with pre-made characters. It comes with play-as-you-go rules, so you don't have to read an entire 250pg rulebook just to try out a system. It comes with some gorgeous battle-maps to play on. It comes with an adventure which is good for about 4-5 hours of play, and is a lot of fun.
The light side:
Open ended written adventures, with multiple avenues to winning. Win through guile or win through shooting. The adventures are the best part of the system, they are well written.
This teaches as you go, so you don't have to read a 250 page rulebook to play.
Wookies, Twi'leks, Smugglers, Blaster Pistols, YT-1300's, Stormtroopers, it's got it all!
The critical successes and failures force the entire table to get creative, coming up with narrative answers to what the dice outcome says.
The dark side:
The dice can be funky and hard to read/add up.
Is it balanced? It's a narrative leaning game, so you don't die, you suffer loss and setbacks to your goals. The story must go on.
For around $20 this comes with everything you need to play. It's a perfect way to try out a ruleset. My friends and I enjoyed it a great deal. It comes with the dice (the most important part!) these cost $12 all on their own. It comes with tokens for players and enemies. It comes with pre-made characters. It comes with play-as-you-go rules, so you don't have to read an entire 250pg rulebook just to try out a system. It comes with some gorgeous battle-maps to play on. It comes with an adventure which is good for about 4-5 hours of play, and is a lot of fun.
The light side:
Open ended written adventures, with multiple avenues to winning. Win through guile or win through shooting. The adventures are the best part of the system, they are well written.
This teaches as you go, so you don't have to read a 250 page rulebook to play.
Wookies, Twi'leks, Smugglers, Blaster Pistols, YT-1300's, Stormtroopers, it's got it all!
The critical successes and failures force the entire table to get creative, coming up with narrative answers to what the dice outcome says.
The dark side:
The dice can be funky and hard to read/add up.
Is it balanced? It's a narrative leaning game, so you don't die, you suffer loss and setbacks to your goals. The story must go on.
Last edited:
bjmorga
First Post
5 out of 5 rating for Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Beginner Game
The Beginner Game for Edge of the Empire provides all you need to get started with your adventures. The rules for the system are already very easy to learn, but the Beginner Game is even more simple. The adventure provided is fun and brisk. Downloadable content via the FFG website allows for a continuation of the adventure presented in the box set and gives two more playable characters. The GM and Player books are written in such a way that anyone could grab this set and play. I've run the adventure in this box set at least five times with different groups, each one finding unique and (more importantly) fun solutions to the situation presented. No one leaves this game without having had a great time.
The Beginner Game for Edge of the Empire provides all you need to get started with your adventures. The rules for the system are already very easy to learn, but the Beginner Game is even more simple. The adventure provided is fun and brisk. Downloadable content via the FFG website allows for a continuation of the adventure presented in the box set and gives two more playable characters. The GM and Player books are written in such a way that anyone could grab this set and play. I've run the adventure in this box set at least five times with different groups, each one finding unique and (more importantly) fun solutions to the situation presented. No one leaves this game without having had a great time.
Jan van Leyden
Adventurer
5 out of 5 rating for Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Beginner Game
The Beginner Set for FFG's Star Wars: Edge of the Empire line provides new gamers attracted by the license as well as old hands without knowledge of the Warhammer 3rd edition game system with an easy introcuction to this game line.
The box contains all a group needs to start playing: a sort-of rulebook, a very structured adventure, four pre-rolled characters, a poster map, some odds&ends, and the dice.
A gaming group can actually start out with the adventure, which takes place were it all began: Tatooine. It starts out with a string of scenes each gradually explaining more and more of the rules. After several such steps it gets less linear and provides the players with some semi-freedom. The adventure ends with some space action, using the limited rules of this set.
The adventure is nothing to write home about, but usefull as an introductory teaching tool. An experienced GM can use the tools given in the set to extend it or react to unexpected actions. FFG offers a free PDF of a second adventure (along with two additional PCs), which happens directly after the one from the set. This second adventure covers much more ground, but thankfully limits itself to the rules elements of the Beginner Set.
The rules themselves are dominated by the special dice delivered with the set. These come in different shapes, colors, and names. All the dice sport symbols instead of numbers or pips. The symbols are defined on the character sheets, and you will be glad about it as they aren't very intuitive.
To resolve a task, a player builds his dice pool based on his attributes, skills, the difficulty of the task, maybe hindrances and so on. Your goal is to get more successes than failures. The system's selling point is that the dice roll may tell you more than this. Maybe you have hit the stormtrooper (more successes than failures), but you weapon jams (disadvantage). Or, on the other hand, you don't hit the guy, but your attack forces him backwards and he stumble across some debris, falling prone.
The rules give you some standard interpretation of such results, but the game shines when you improvise the effect and turn up dramatics and special effects.
The force doesn't play a major role in this game. There's a special force die included, which is only used to generate a number of force points for both the characters and the enemies. The force points are cardboard chits showing a light and a dark side. Both sides of a conflict can use the force for minor advantage, which results in bringing the other side of the force point up. This works only so long, of course, as there are force points avaliable to your side.
I did have fun running a game for my son and some of his friends, but it didn't entice me to invest in the real game. Apart from slim chances to run a real campaign with SW:EotE the thing is darn expensive, and not only due to the rulebooks price. In the confines of the Beginners' game a single set of dice suffices, but when playing a real game, you would need more sets. And one set of dice easily teleports $20 out of your wallet in my neck of the woods. Furthermore, I don't think that I'd be up to the task to provide my players with interesting readings of the dice every few minutes. And when you only use the drab technical interpretations from the rules, the system doesn't really shine anymore.
But why do I award the game 5 stars in this review. I see it as a small scale RPG I will use several times over time, and I'm pretty sure that I can provide players with some successfull, enjoyable sessions. And that's about what a starter set for a RPG can hope to reach.
The Beginner Set for FFG's Star Wars: Edge of the Empire line provides new gamers attracted by the license as well as old hands without knowledge of the Warhammer 3rd edition game system with an easy introcuction to this game line.
The box contains all a group needs to start playing: a sort-of rulebook, a very structured adventure, four pre-rolled characters, a poster map, some odds&ends, and the dice.
A gaming group can actually start out with the adventure, which takes place were it all began: Tatooine. It starts out with a string of scenes each gradually explaining more and more of the rules. After several such steps it gets less linear and provides the players with some semi-freedom. The adventure ends with some space action, using the limited rules of this set.
The adventure is nothing to write home about, but usefull as an introductory teaching tool. An experienced GM can use the tools given in the set to extend it or react to unexpected actions. FFG offers a free PDF of a second adventure (along with two additional PCs), which happens directly after the one from the set. This second adventure covers much more ground, but thankfully limits itself to the rules elements of the Beginner Set.
The rules themselves are dominated by the special dice delivered with the set. These come in different shapes, colors, and names. All the dice sport symbols instead of numbers or pips. The symbols are defined on the character sheets, and you will be glad about it as they aren't very intuitive.
To resolve a task, a player builds his dice pool based on his attributes, skills, the difficulty of the task, maybe hindrances and so on. Your goal is to get more successes than failures. The system's selling point is that the dice roll may tell you more than this. Maybe you have hit the stormtrooper (more successes than failures), but you weapon jams (disadvantage). Or, on the other hand, you don't hit the guy, but your attack forces him backwards and he stumble across some debris, falling prone.
The rules give you some standard interpretation of such results, but the game shines when you improvise the effect and turn up dramatics and special effects.
The force doesn't play a major role in this game. There's a special force die included, which is only used to generate a number of force points for both the characters and the enemies. The force points are cardboard chits showing a light and a dark side. Both sides of a conflict can use the force for minor advantage, which results in bringing the other side of the force point up. This works only so long, of course, as there are force points avaliable to your side.
I did have fun running a game for my son and some of his friends, but it didn't entice me to invest in the real game. Apart from slim chances to run a real campaign with SW:EotE the thing is darn expensive, and not only due to the rulebooks price. In the confines of the Beginners' game a single set of dice suffices, but when playing a real game, you would need more sets. And one set of dice easily teleports $20 out of your wallet in my neck of the woods. Furthermore, I don't think that I'd be up to the task to provide my players with interesting readings of the dice every few minutes. And when you only use the drab technical interpretations from the rules, the system doesn't really shine anymore.
But why do I award the game 5 stars in this review. I see it as a small scale RPG I will use several times over time, and I'm pretty sure that I can provide players with some successfull, enjoyable sessions. And that's about what a starter set for a RPG can hope to reach.
Last edited:
Alphastream
Adventurer
4 out of 5 rating for Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Beginner Game
This is an excellent boxed set with everything you need to have a (provided) adventure in the world of Star Wars. The components have excellent artistic value and are suitably constructed to be used several times. The adventure has some good information for a new GM and offers a fun experience. Where the game suffered for us was in the rules. The combination of positive and negative die outcomes that need to be constantly accounted for (or converted into certain outcomes) was tiring after a while - especially when compared to games that offer greater storytelling freedom. Against games that offer more certain die-related outcomes this seemed cumbersome, even if it facilitated DM improvisation. We did not end up as fans of the system.
This is an excellent boxed set with everything you need to have a (provided) adventure in the world of Star Wars. The components have excellent artistic value and are suitably constructed to be used several times. The adventure has some good information for a new GM and offers a fun experience. Where the game suffered for us was in the rules. The combination of positive and negative die outcomes that need to be constantly accounted for (or converted into certain outcomes) was tiring after a while - especially when compared to games that offer greater storytelling freedom. Against games that offer more certain die-related outcomes this seemed cumbersome, even if it facilitated DM improvisation. We did not end up as fans of the system.
Sobran
Idiot Savant
5 out of 5 rating for Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Beginner Game
This is honestly one of the best starter sets for an RPG ruleset that I have ever seen. A few rules could use a bit of clarification, but this seems to be a problem with even fully released games, so I won't ding them for it.
This is honestly one of the best starter sets for an RPG ruleset that I have ever seen. A few rules could use a bit of clarification, but this seems to be a problem with even fully released games, so I won't ding them for it.
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