4 out of 5 rating for Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Core Rulebook
At the risk of coming across lazy, I'm going to copy & paste a lot of my review for the Beginner Game. Why? Because most of the review I had for that also applies to this product. There are differences though; see below:[The Beginner Game review]Typically, I'm someone who likes crunchy games and a bit of realism, so I went into the idea of a game built around being story and drama driven with some reservations. To my surprise, I was blown away. Edge of The Empire is currently my 2nd favorite rpg. I love that there's never a 'dead roll of the dice.' Even if you fail, most likely, the dice will produce some sort of result. I very easily went from someone who had reservations about the game to someone who has purchased a few books for the system. The artwork was top notch, I like the rules, and I feel the Beginner Game does a good job of explaining how the game works. I also love that Edge of The Empire focuses on parts of the SWs Universe that aren't given a lot of attention in the movies. I love that because there's enough SWs feel there to capture the imagination of the most hardened SWs fanboy while keeping things loose enough and open enough that someone who knows nothing at all about the SWs Universe could sit at the same table and still have fun without feeling as though they're missing out. However, there are a few almost-negatives to note.One thing to point out is that there are a few very minor differences in the rules when you compare the Beginner Game to the later books. Honestly, you're unlikely to notice without close scrutiny, but there are some differences. It's understandable given that the beginner game is an earlier version of the game and a more stripped down version, but it's still something to mention.The spaceship combat could be a little more clear. I understood most of how it worked, but a lot of the people in my group had trouble grasping some of it. I think the game could use more examples of how spaceship combat is supposed to work. I didnt mind the lack of Jedi and Sith at all, but I'm aware that some people may be bothered by that. Personally, I loved having a different focus; it felt a lot like Firefly set in the SWs Universe. However, there was one member of my primary gaming group who was upset about not having access to more force powers. Whether or not this is bothersome to you will depend on what you're looking for.Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by Edge of The Empire. I highly enjoy it. I've even stolen a few of the mechanics for use in other games that I run. For example, I use the force die and the fate token system in the GURPS game that I currently run. There are a lot of ideas in Edge of The Empire which are (in my opinion) cool and easy to port into other systems.Read more:
http://www.enworld.org/forum/showth...-the-Empire-Beginner-Game/page2#ixzz3Kart9rGo[end of copy and paste]So, what changes between that and my review of the full game? What didn't?As a more complete version of a game I already enjoyed, I felt very positive about this book. I love that the character building process brings in ideas like motivations, ideals, and etc. It's nice to have a creation process which encourages building a character more than just a bag of numbers and abilities. I still find the artwork to be incredible.I like how there's kind of a class system, but it's flexible enough that two characters with the same profession can potentially be completely different. I typically prefer classless systems; Edge of The Empire hit a nice middle ground for me. The classes give enough guidance to create niche protection and a solid in-game identity for who your character is and their role in the group while having enough flexibility to not get in the way of what I want to do as a player.I still think ship-to-ship combat could use more examples. While it's largely based on the same concepts of combat between characters, there are some small nuances of ship combat which differ and could be explained better. I had a lot of experiences in which members of a gaming group would essentially choose to do nothing if they were not involved in flying the ship or firing a mounted weapon.A few portions of the book could likely be edited better. Overall, I still highly enjoy the game, and it still currently (at the time of me writing this review) is my 2nd favorite rpg.
