Who Should Make The Next Star Wars TTRPG, And What Should It Look Like?

[MGibster]

I really love the old d6 system, but personally I would be behind a Modiphius 2d20 version of the game. i think Momentum and Threat could add a lot to the way the game playes, and generally i like the 2d20 system (I know the system has some detractors). In addition, Modiphius is known for solid licensed works and I would trust them with the franchise.

Combat in Modiphius' 2d20 system can get really wonky. It works fine for Star Trek which isn't a combat oriented game, but it gets rather tedious in Fallout and I think it'd get tedious in Star Wars as well. But like you, I do trust the fine folks at Modiphius because they have a history of making good games.

This is a tough one to answer. I really loved the old d6 system as well, but it really wasn't so great at handling Force powers. The Fantasy Flight Games version is okay despite the proprietary dice. I thought it had too many different skills and there was too much emphasis on gear and customizing it. So what am I looking for in a Star Wars game? I'd like one that emulates the movies as much as possible. I want swashbuckling adventure where someone can ambush a bunch of Stormtroopers at the Pleasure Palace of Palpatine on Omicron Persei VIII or hop in an X-Wing and defeat some Tie-Fighters. I want the vehicle combat to be fun, which seems to be a tall order for RPGs.

Hell. I'll just go with Savage Worlds. The vehicle combat isn't great, but I could make it work.

 

[Reynard]

.Hell. I'll just go with Savage Worlds. The vehicle combat isn't great, but I could make it work.

SWADE is my go-to for Star Wars, especially OT era stuff, and you can run it basically out of the core book.

That said, I don't want an official Savage Star Wars

 

[payn]

Stay with Edge or whatever became of FFG rpg division. I enjoyed that version.

 

[Parmandur]

Stay with Edge or whatever became of FFG rpg division. I enjoyed that version.

Things, they aren't producing anything new.

 

[payn]

Things, they aren't producing anything new.

Yeah its a sad state of affairs.

 

[Reynard]

You know what would be really fun? A bespoke solo Star Wars game built on the Iron/Starforged engine.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Combat in Modiphius' 2d20 system can get really wonky. It works fine for Star Trek which isn't a combat oriented game, but it gets rather tedious in Fallout and I think it'd get tedious in Star Wars as well. But like you, I do trust the fine folks at Modiphius because they have a history of making good games.

This is a tough one to answer. I really loved the old d6 system as well, but it really wasn't so great at handling Force powers. The Fantasy Flight Games version is okay despite the proprietary dice. I thought it had too many different skills and there was too much emphasis on gear and customizing it. So what am I looking for in a Star Wars game? I'd like one that emulates the movies as much as possible. I want swashbuckling adventure where someone can ambush a bunch of Stormtroopers at the Pleasure Palace of Palpatine on Omicron Persei VIII or hop in an X-Wing and defeat some Tie-Fighters. I want the vehicle combat to be fun, which seems to be a tall order for RPGs.

Hell. I'll just go with Savage Worlds. The vehicle combat isn't great, but I could make it work.

See, I'm looking for more world emulation and less genre or narrative emulation. If you want to play a particular setting or genre, and you have good tools to mechanically model the aspects of that world, IMO that's all you need the vast majority of the time.

 

[Reynard]

See, I'm looking for more world emulation and less genre or narrative emulation. If you want to play a particular setting or genre, and you have good tools to mechanically model the aspects of that world, IMO that's all you need the vast majority of the time.

I'm not so sure. Characters in Star Wars, even the "mundane" ones, regularly pull off some amazing feats and skin of their teeth escapes. Without some sort of tool (Savage Worlds Bennies for example) you are subject to the whims of the unmodified dice and that results in a different genre. Genre isn't just trappings, it is also tone and style. This is why SWd6 is not a particularly good fit for Prequel/Sequel Star Wars.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I'm not so sure. Characters in Star Wars, even the "mundane" ones, regularly pull off some amazing feats and skin of their teeth escapes. Without some sort of tool (Savage Worlds Bennies for example) you are subject to the whims of the unmodified dice and that results in a different genre. Genre isn't just trappings, it is also tone and style. This is why SWd6 is not a particularly good fit for Prequel/Sequel Star Wars.

That's a risk I'm willing to take nearly all the time (supers are my only big exception). If I want to make sure I get cinematic action from Star Wars, I'll watch Star Wars. Otherwise the physical Star Wars universe is good enough for me and my players. That's more important to me than the kind of forced genre emulation you're suggesting in the context of an RPG.

Of course, since I have an exception, it would be hypocritical of me to have a problem with other people having them, or even preferring more narrative systems in general. We should all game how we like.

 

[Reynard]

That's a risk I'm willing to take nearly all the time (supers are my only big exception). If I want to make sure I get cinematic action from Star Wars, I'll watch Star Wars. Otherwise the physical Star Wars universe is good enough for me and my players. That's more important to me than the kind of forced genre emulation you're suggesting in the context of an RPG.

Out of curiosity, which era or "subgenre" of Star Wars do you usually aim for? The OT stuff is different than the Prequel stuff, and the Jedi stuff is different than the scrappy Rebel or outlaw stuff. I am curious what you aim for, and how the dice make that happen.