Star Wars format...

[KDLadage]

Quick question, if anyone knows...

Back when the Star Wars RPG came out from WotC, it was in one big book. My initial reaction, after reading it was that I felt it really needed to be broken out into three books following the PHB, DMG, MM format of D&D.

When the 2nd Edition came out and it was still one big book... I looked it over, and was convinced again that this needed to be a three book format.

Now... recently we have had the Ultimate Alien Anthology, the Heros Guide and coming soon is the Campaign guide... Thice these are, effectively, the Star Wars MM, PHB and DMG (respectively) -- does anyone know if the next printing of the core rules will be a re-organization of teh material into a three book format?

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

I don't think they'd plan on releasing it as 3 books like D&D...I don't really THINK its needed. The Core Book has everything you need(especially the Revised book with the creature creation in there) to start a good game. The GM section is fine, and we don't need a huge sections for spells, or magical items, or even monsters. The main enemies in Star Wars games are usually just NPCs, and those can be fairly easily built with the Core Book. UAA, Hero's Guide, and Galactic Campaign Setting look to be more of a "These could add some really great options to your games" instead of in D&D with the MM and DMG being "You really need these books to play."

 

[KDLadage]

Well... my reason for thinking that the rules could/should be split into three books are as follows:

The Heros Guide (Player's Handbook) needs extra space to ensure that the Force rules are as nearly complete as possible. As it is, we have how many version of Yoda and Darth Vader out there? Make the Heros Guide (PHB version) for Star Wars contain all of the rules, classes, prestige classes and force rules.

The Campaign Guide (Dungeon Master's Guide) needs the extra space to ensure that space -- planets, systems, environments -- is handled well, as well as space combat (and by this, I mean a better system then is being used now). This book should have all of the sorts of things in the DMG (minus Prestige Classes) as well as the space combat system.

The Alien Anthology (Monster Manual) needs the extra space to truly give the alien races some room to shine. Right now, they seems a little "thin" in their desriptions, and some people (ie: the game amster for our campaign) feel that the 4-alien picture groups are not as effective as they could be if the alies were each given their own picture on the page where the alien description begins.

Now, I am fully agreeing with you when you say it is not needed -- I just think that the three book format makes more sense, helps organization and would allow a more complete look at the issues and areas of the game.

Plus... if they do a re-organized set of rules (not so much a re-write, just a shuffling of the data) then I would like to see the final, oficial versions of the Star Wars iconic characters... Luke, Han, Yoda, Darth, Boba, etc. that use all of the rules that have been created for the system.

 

[dpdx]

The UAA isn't so much a Monster Manual-style compendium of enemies as it is a big book of options for playing/decking out alien PCs, for example, so splitting the material in the core rules into those three published/upcoming works doesn't quite fit.

In my PbP game, for instance, the adversaries come from either the RCR (battledroids, etc.) or are native hazards from the adventure itself and/or the system book that encompasses it.

I like both game systems, but there are too many differences between the systems to treat them the same way. I guess I like how they do it now: one big book, then get what you need to run the adventure you want.

Besides, I paid about $50 for the RCR, plus another $20-25 for a setting book to run it in. I spent at least $100 getting the three core books for DnD, and even then, I either needed a campaign gazetteer like Greyhawk or a published adventure to run. It may be my fault that I couldn't dream up a homebrew setting where everything worked in DnD (Lord knows I tried), I'll admit, but from here, the status quo is looking just fine wrt SWRPG.

 

[Ranger REG]

does anyone know if the next printing of the core rules will be a re-organization of teh material into a three book format?

Heh. I don't know if the three-book core rules format is acceptable in this day and age. Granted, a few companies have adopted the same format as D&D. But I thought the one-book idea is to reduce encumbrance for us weak gamers.

As for predicting the format of the next edition of SW Core Rulebook -- IF we come to that -- it will be one big rulebook with a $39.95 price tag.

[ Although they could expand it and raise the price to $45. No biggie. I bought a $45 rulebook in the form of T20: The Traveller's Handbook -- a thick book -- and Armaggedon 2089 -- not so thick. ]