Which Star Wars RPG Should You Run?
With Star Wars: The Force Awakens finally in theaters, roleplaying gamers by the droves are getting the itch to “run some Star Wars.” Forums and discussion boards are flooded with topics like…”Which Star Wars RPG Should I Get?” and “Can X system run Star Wars?” I can guarantee that 99% of the time you’ll get one of these four answers:
- Run West End Games Star Wars (d6)
- Run Saga Edition
- Run [fill in the blank] system, it can do Star Wars
- Run FFG Star Wars
Let’s take a quick look at these four options:
Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game by West End Games is a great game, no doubt about it. Published from 1987 until 1998, the WEG version of Star Wars gaming had considerable impact on the Expanded Universe material (now Legends) we’ve known for the last two decades. You can still dig up print versions on eBay and Amazon in addition to lots of fan support on the Internet. The game has some issues with power creep (especially with Force users), and does not have any new official support material being created for it, but all in all it has stood the test of time.
Star Wars Saga Edition by Wizards of the Coast was first published in 2007. This game line ran until 2010 when Wizards announced they would not be renewing the license. Often referred to as D&D in space, this d20 system was a precursor to D&D 4.0, and shares its emphasis on tactical miniature battles. If that’s your thing, then you’ll enjoy this game, but if not keep looking. Copies of this game can still be located on the interwebs, but books like Knights of the Old Republic can sell for $150 or more.
With a little digging you will also find many home-brewed mods that will allow you to run Star Wars games with systems like Savage Worlds & Fate. Your mileage on this may vary as they are not officially supported settings (due to the obvious licensing issues). If you are committed to running one system, and one system only, then this might be your best option.
Finally you have the Star Wars roleplaying game line released by Fantasy Flight Games in 2013. As this is the currently officially licensed and supported version of Star Wars roleplaying, it is our focus today. Fortunately, it is a fantastic game, and quite possibly the best of the lot!
3 FFG Star Wars Roleplaying Games?
So here’s where it gets really interesting…and confusing for those new to FFG Star Wars. Fantasy Flight Games released their take on the Star Wars universe as not one, but three different Core Rulebooks. Each is a standalone game, but they also work pretty much seamlessly together to tell just about any kind of story you want.
Edge of the Empire came first, and showcases life on the fringes of the galaxy in all of its glory. Evil hives of scum and villainy abound as bounty hunters, smugglers, hired guns and outlaw techs populate this world. Edge of the Empire introduces Obligation, a mechanic all about owing favors, having a bounty on your head, or simply having a debt to pay to a seedy underworld patron. If you’ve ever wanted to play characters like Han Solo, Lando Calrissian, Boba Fett or run your own criminal empire like Jabba the Hutt, then this game line is for you.
Get your copy of Edge of the Empire
Age of Rebellion is all about the epic struggle between the Rebellion and the Galactic Empire. With this second Core Rulebook, you can be an active part of the official Rebel Alliance, or part of an independent cell looking to do its part to oppose the Empire. Age of Rebellion introduces Duty, a mechanic representing the primary way the character looks to contribute to the Rebellion. Get enough Duty to up your Contribution rating, and you’ll get better gear and support for your missions. If you’ve ever wanted to play characters like Princess Leia, Wedge Antilles or Admiral Ackbar, then Age of Rebellion is your game.
Get your copy of Age of Rebellion
Force and Destiny is the final piece of the puzzle with a focus on rebuilding the Jedi Order, and avoiding the temptations of the Dark Side. Force and Destiny provides a complete suite of Force powers, 5 different types of Lightsabers, and other Force traditions to play in addition to the Jedi. A new Morality mechanic is introduced, representing your character’s internal conflict against taking the easy path of the Dark Side. If you’ve ever wanted to play characters like Luke Skywalker, Corran Horn, or Kyp Durron, then you’ll want to check out Force & Destiny.
Get your copy of Force and Destiny
The FFG Dice Mechanic
The custom dice mechanic created for the FFG Star Wars games either makes or breaks the game, depending on your point of view. FFG Star Wars is a narrative system, forgoing the typical polyhedral dice in favor of a completely custom system.
There are a total of 7 dice, 3 positive, 3 negative and 1 Force Die that is used when the Force comes into play.
Positive Dice:
- Ability Die (green) - has Success & Advantage symbols
- Proficiency Die (yellow) - has Success, Advantage & Triumph symbols
- Boost Die (blue) - has Success & Advantage symbols
Negative Dice:
- Difficulty Die - has Failure & Threat symbols
- Challenge Die - has Failure, Threat & Despair symbols
- Setback Die - has Failure & Threat symbols
Here is a quick breakdown of the symbols you will encounter:
| Success - can be cancelled by Failure. If there are any Success symbols left, the check succeeds. | |
| Triumph - counts as a Success, and can be used to trigger powerful effects such as critical hits as well as dramatic fortune for the character. | |
| Advantage - can be cancelled by Threat symbols. Used to indicate additional positive outcomes for the check, even if the desired result fails. | |
| Failure - cancels out Success. If all Success symbols can be cancelled, the attempted skill fails. | |
| Despair - count as a Failure, and can be used to trigger powerful negative consequences and twists of fortune. | |
| Threat - cancel out Advantage. Used to indicate additional negative results for the check, even if the overall check is successful. |
To attempt a check, you will assemble a pool of positive and negative dice based on your character’s abilities, fortuitous circumstances, the difficulty the GM has set, and any existing negative circumstances that could effect your roll.
You roll the dice, see which symbols are left after cancelling each other out, then make a narrative description of what happened based on the remaining symbols.
Instead of a binary result where you either hit a Target Number or not, you can get a much wider variety of answers to the question “was my attempt to successful?” Some possibilities include:
- Yes
- Yes, and (Success with Advantage)
- Yes, but (Success with Threat)
- Yes, and Yeah Baby! (Success with Triumph)
- No
- No, and (Failure with Threat)
- No, but (Failure with Advantage)
- No, and Hell No! (Failure with Despair)
Of course, you can also get combinations where you Succeed but with a Despair. Or Fail with a Triumph, etc. This is the time to let your imagination really run wild as GM and Players can collaborate to determine the narrative of what happened.
You can get a full breakdown of the Dice Mechanics by downloading the FREE Under a Black Sun demo adventure from Fantasy Flight Games.
Careers & Specializations
Still not sure which game to start with? Really it’s all going to come down to what types of characters you want to play. Here are the Careers & Specializations currently available with each game: (current as of 12/23/15)
| Edge of the Empire | Age of Rebellion | Force and Destiny |
|
|
|
LEGEND: AoR - Age of Rebellion Core Rulebook | DA - Desperate Allies | DC - Dangerous Covenants | EotE - Edge of the Empire Core Rulebook | EtU - Enter the Unknown | FC - Fly Casual | F&D - Force and Destiny Core Rulebook | FH - Far Horizons | KtP - Keeping the Peace | LbE - Lead by Example | SM - Some Modifications | SoT - Stay on Target
FFG Star Wars Species & Planets
From the very moment Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi walked into the cantina in Mos Eisley, we’ve been introduced to an amazing universe of new species. Picking your species is a major part of character creation in Star Wars. As you begin to build up your collection of books, use this table to find the species you’re looking for. We’ve also thrown in a list of planets that have a detailed Gazetteer in the game.
| Species | Planets |
|
|
LEGEND: AoR - Age of Rebellion Core Rulebook | BtR - Beyond the Rim | CotG - Chronicles of the Gatekeeper | DA - Desperate Allies | DC - Dangerous Covenants | EotE - Edge of the Empire Core Rulebook | EtU - Enter the Unknown | FC - Fly Casual | F&D - Force and Destiny Core Rulebook | FDGMK - Force and Destiny GM Kit | FH - Far Horizons | JoY - Jewel of Yavin | KtP - Keeping the Peace | LbE - Lead by Example | LoNH - Lords of Nal Hutta | MPQ - Mask of the Pirate Queen | NoP - Nexus of Power | OaA - Onslaught at Arda I | SM - Some Modifications | SoF - Suns of Fortune | SoR - Strongholds of Rebellion | SoT - Stay on Target
Helpful Resources
No matter which version of FFG Star Wars you choose, here are several fantastic resources you’ll want to check out:
- Big List of Star Wars NPC Names - names for many different species
- Crawl Generator - make your own Star Wars crawls
- Ogg Dude’s Character Generator - software for creating characters & encounters
- Order 66 Podcast - the first podcast completely devoted to Star Wars roleplaying
- Star Wars: Rebel Sourcebook - unofficial sourcebook for the Rebels TV series.
- Star Wars Galaxy Map - graphical map of the entire galaxy
- Triumph & Despair - blog with lots of ideas to get your creative juices flowing
- Wookieepedia - the ultimate Star Wars encyclopedia
Follow Our RSS Feed
