Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

[Balsamic Dragon]

So I just picked up this game on the PC. It is incredibly good and has actually gotten me to consider something that I had given up on, namely running a Star Wars table top game again.

The system that is used in the game is d20, but it differs greatly from the published d20 Star Wars rules. Frankly, I like it much better. It uses simple Vitality, instead of Vitality and Wound Points. The feat structure is simplified, and many of the D&D feats are dropped in favor of more Star Wars flavor feats. The force power system is completely different and, in my opinion, much improved.

Has anyone tried running a tabletop game using this revised system? Has anyone played this game and liked the system they used?

Balsamic Dragon

 

[Henry]

Played it, like it, but don't like it for the tabletop - mainly because as always, Jedi are skewed too favorably in the system. In fact, there is no way the main character does NOT become a Jedi, and in a tabletop game this is relegating anyone who has no force abilities to second class status.

 

[Desdichado]

I've played the xbox version of the game, and it also inspired us to roll up Star Wars characters (although we've yet to play that game.) I don't particularly care for the simplified system for a table-top RPG, though. It's fine for a CRPG, but why do it for a PNPRPG?

 

[Valiantheart]

Great game but I agree with others that it is terrible for table top. It is so skewed in favor of the Jedi that other classes are irrelevant. Also, the skill implementation makes half of the initial character classes useless as well.

 

[Luddite]

I would concur with Joshua Dyal. The system works well for a CRPG. Much the same way I liked Never Winter Nights for its use of DnD for a CRPG. But I would not want to play with those simplified rules for a Table top game.

Personaly, I would much rather see a d20 Modern redo of Star Wars. I have only breifly looked at the two editions so far, and found them sort of forced into the DnD mold and not the more flexible d20 Modern.

What I realy like about the game is that it takes place way before any of the movies, so it is a fresh history without relying on established characters.

-The Luddite

 

[Henry]

Funny how it takes an EEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAARRRRRRLY prequel to get away from continuity, doesn't it?

I've escaped Taris, so far, and I am in the "split decision" portion of the game (not giving out spoilers, hoepfully). The abilities of a high-level Jedi are absolutely sick (in other words, too cool for words). With a custom-built lightsaber, I regularly do 20 to 30 points of damage a strike, and with crits I do in the 50's! (All while deflecting blaster bolts like a duck deflects water droplets.) This is a clear indication to me, comparative to the way that fighters and scouts and scoundrels are done, that they are quite skewed in favor of the Jedi. One thing I am thankful to d20 Star Wars for is making Jedi Powerful, but no such that they dominate play so easily.

 

[Balsamic Dragon]

Hmmm, I am still on Taris in the game, so I haven't become a Jedi yet. I didn't realize they were so unbalanced in the game. However, I think that could probably be changed easily enough, don't you think?

Right now, I have my character (a scout), a Jedi, a Twi'lik (sp?) scoundrel, a soldier, a Wookie (don't remember what class, maybe a scout?) and a droid. All of those characters seem pretty balanced with each other, so maybe its just at high levels that things get unbalancing.

I'll definately have an extended skill set as well. Most crpg's cut down on the skills, just because they are difficult to implement.

It is odd that a computer game could make me like Star Wars again. The latest two movies were (not to flame, but...) so ridiculously awful that they actually made it difficult for me to watch the old movies and still enjoy them. Add that to the fact that I only _have_ the old movies on VHS because the DVD versions are "revised"... and I really didn't think I was ever going to run Star Wars again. Which is too bad, because it was a great universe before God went crazy

I'm working out the details now, and I'll have to give some thoughts to the system. Maybe somewhere between New Republic and the WOTC version. The game will be set right before A New Hope and everything that happened in the prequels is being rewritten. The only thing I am keeping is Mace Windu, because he's too cool

Balsamic Dragon

 

[Henry]

One thought, BD - you using the 1st edition or 2nd edition of the d20 Star Wars rules? I found the 2nd edition to be quite good!

By the way, would you mind If I borrowed that for my sig?

"[Star Wars] was a great universe before God went crazy..."
-Balsamic Dragon

 

[Desdichado]

Hold on; I'm confused. Is it the simplified system you want adapted to PNPRPG, or the 3000-4000 years before Episode I setting you want adapted? I'd totally agree with the latter; I'm still disappointed that WotC didn't jump up and make a guide to coincide with the release of the game.

 

[Balsamic Dragon]

I have the first edition Star Wars rules I'm pretty sure. I didn't know there was a second edition.

Henry - sure you can quote me on that!

Josh - I mean the system, although the setting is very good as well. I'd love to see a setting book based on it.

Basically, I dislike three main things about the d20 Star Wars rules (at least in the edition I have): first, I don't like wound points, easily fixed. In fact, I have a neat way of fixing it. (In my game, if you go to -10 hit points, you aren't necessarily dead, but something really nasty happens to you, like having your hand chopped off or being frozen in carbonite Second, I don't like the complexity of the way that force powers work (i.e., make them feats or skills, but not both!). Third, I don't like the D&D flavor interfering with the Star Wars flavor. I want the game to be more Star Wars than adapted D&D.

The computer game fixes all three of those things. It's a simpler system that it needs to be, so it might not work directly translated for table top, but it definately goes in the direction that I want to change the rules, so I thought it would be a good starting point.

Balsamic Dragon