Josep Maria said:

Hi Josep

I'm from the WoTC forum, but I didn't post there that much.

I don't see why we can't start in the movie eras, but then expand.to others.  There's a lot of rich story telling, just take a look at the Old Republic video games.

WoTC's failure was trying to make their source books too similar to those video games and miniature games though.  The Force Unleashed book, for example, throws the game so far out of whack it's unbelievable.  All because the video game was insane.  Hopefully LucasFilms or whoever dictated those kinds of decisions won't do so here.

zeke023 said:

You know, it's interesting that you mentioned this, since WotC seems to be taking this EXACT approach with the upcoming 5th edition of D&D. I think this would be a wonderful idea for a star wars game. The original WEG D6 version of the Star Wars RPG had this exact type of thing going on...a simple core system that was easy to expand upon...which they did. The original WEG Star Wars "Adventure Game" boxed set, was little more than a basic rules intro to the game...later on they released the full on Core Rulebook and then a Companion Rules book that expanded them.

GoblynKing said:

Yeah, I'm really interested to see what they can do with D&D 5th edition.  I liked the options for 3rd ed published in Ars Magica and such.  I was a little disappointed in 4th ed, but not as much as some of its big critics seem to be.

 Also - now that WEG d6 is open - I think it's an option to get rules updates and go back to that if FF disappoints by making the game to gimicky.  

I'd personally like to see FF take the old D6 OGL and tweak it a bit. Give it their own spin and visual flair! They could even take a page from Cubicle 7's recent Lord of the Rings RPG - The One Ring, by including custom D6's that could easily be substituted with normal six siders.

The One Ring core set includes a set of six sided dice and a single twelve sided die:

These custom dice add a nice visual kick to the game, but can easily be replaced with normal store bought dice.

Think of the 12 sider as the "Wild Die"

Instead of the Gandalf and Sauron rune, imagine a rebel alliance and imperial symbol in their place.

Using this prototype, FF could easily revamp the d6 system, keeping the best parts, while adding a nice visual edge, which the company is so good at doing.

 I'm certainly interested in seeing what FFG does with the SW RPG (really really hoping that they actually use that aspect of the licence for starters). Unfamiliar with their other rpg systems I can't comment on them repurposing those systems for SW other than to say I'd give it a chance.

Having a new system built for the SW RPG specifically would be very exciting, and if they took that route I'd hope for something mechanically streamlined and fast paced. A modular approach talked about earlier could be a very good idea.

If they were to use a previous system to build off of, I would certainly vote for the d6 system to be updated. As a SW system it offers, in my opinion of course, the most potential.

Count me as another who'd like to see a d6 Star Wars revival of some sort. I think there's some merit to the system, and, with some tweaking, it could be even better. However, if I had to choose a newer system, I think I'd look closely at FATE. The mechanics work smoothly and it wouldn't be hard at all to flavor it towards Star Wars ...

I think that a Star Wars RPG based on the 40k rules would be pretty awesome, and honestly, would be a lot of fun.

Dak Rogers said:

I'd be fine with this so long as they find a way to allow alien races.  That's something that the 40k system does not have really.  I wouldn't want to see Wookie as a career any more than I would want to see a Human scoundrel looking the same as a Rodian one. 

tuco said:

While I see where you're coming from (I was weened on Basic OD&D and AD&D 2nd Edition) in regards to the old school pen, paper, and dice style of play, you have to remember that the fiddly bits are merely a stand in for having to look up rules in a book, or in the case of D&D, an assortment of books.

Having played Star Wars D6, Star Wars SAGA, AD&D, and Warhammer 3rd Edition, I can say without a doubt that in my gaming group at least, the fiddly bits act only to increase the speed of play, and do not distract or get in the way of the story. Hell, when playing Pathfinder or Star Wars SAGA, I had gotten into the habit of printing out my character's various Talents, Feats, and Spells onto cards, using either an online Magic the Gathering card editor or similar, bc it really does help me to not get derailed in the middle of an encounter by having to figure out which expansion book as the various rules printed in it.  Of course, this is all subjective.

IF (big IF), Fantasy Flight decides to put out fiddly bits for any as yet to be released Star Wars RPG, I would hope they would take the difference of play-styles into consideration by offering supplemental/optional play-aids. This would work with the dice example I posted a few posts up above. Custom dice that while adding flavor and theme to the game, can easily be replaced or supplemented with standard polyhedral versions. Maybe go the route of Paizo and their Pathfinder game, specifically the Gamemastery line of products (maps, cards, tokens etc) which are useful but not necessary to play the game.

Anyone have any speculations regarding when we may actually hear some news regarding a possible Star Wars RPG? Before/at Gen Con this August?

I hope we hear something soon ... it was my hope that the SWRPG would be a GenCon release ;)

 That would be very cool, though that sounds like it would be a very fast turn around - they've had the license less than a year correct? I'd just be happy with an announcement at Gencon, lol.

Well, here is hoping for the best!

    The mechanics of a RPG should be a vehicle for imaginative story telling. This is especially true of Star Wars. Important to Lucas was a wide variety of settings and characters for his "used" Sci Fi Universe. The universe is huge after 3 decades of movies, books, TV shows, etc, etc.To do a Star Wars RPG correctly, in my opinion is a very difficult task. Currently I am playing A Song of Ice and Fire RPG and a Pathfinder Game. I love both for different reasons. In ASOIF, I  esp. like the social combat / intrigue and the simplicity of the mechanics, among other aspects. A great system for telling a story within the structure of Martin's books (AKA: Game of Thrones). Pathfinder is a D&D setting so I live for all the craziness of rules and so forth. it is both complicated and fun to research the books; as such is not so much about storytelling as "campaigning".

    Star Wars will require a very well thought out original system. I think only through play testing and the creative development process will that system reveal itself. SW is such a vast universe of characters, settings and social / political / religious / belief structures and is more familiar to people across the board than any other fictional setting I can think of. As such, there are very high expectations. FF's story telling vehicle for SW has a big job.

    On a side note, too bad everything in Wookieepedia didn't come with stats during Saga Edition's hay day.  :) To agree with another post, it would be nice to clearly separate the eras in which you saw vehicles, weapons, etc. Yet another dimension to complicate FF job.  

    The mechanics of a SW RPG will greatly determine how you will be able to interact with the universe and perhaps more importantly, each other. Do you like "social combat / intrigue" or do you want to go "campaigning". If done properly and with thought, I'm hoping FF will figure out how to allow players and GM's the opportunity to play in a way that suits the individual player's style. I personally don't like just going from one encounter to another, but on the other hand I do love rolling dice. And the reason? For me it is the story set up before the dice go in my hand. Die in my hand is one of the payoffs for developing my character's roll in the GM's story.

     I am very eager to get my hands on a new SW RPG. I also hope FF has the courage to take its time and resources in developing a unique system that has staying power. One that maximizes moments of fun while preserving the opportunity for powerful longer term story arcs that reveal satisfying payoffs for PC's. Please FF, do it right. Do this and I will buy every book. I want you to take my money. 

Personally, I'm against level- and class-based systems.  The only one that I REALLY liked was Earthdawn, since the Levels and Classes translated into the setting.  "I'm a 4th Circle Nethermancer" was a perfectly reasonable thing for a character to say in Earthdawn.  "I'm a 6th level Scoundrel" was NOT reasonable in-character dialogue for the WotC Star Wars game.  Is the 40K system level-and-class based?  Kind of.  Enough so that I wouldn't prefer it for a Star Wars setting.  I don't see someone taking the profession "Scum" (er, Scoundrel) and ending up a General in the Rebellion…  I'd LOVE to see the Open d6 system re-visited, just because I still have a slew of old books that I could immediately pick up and use for source material.

I'm a fan of percentile-based systems, mostly because I have 10 fingers.  The math is easy.  However, the setting REALLY calls for something open-ended.  Where the average shmoe can roll up and up and up and get a stupid big number.  That's pulp action in a nutshell.  (I see the original Star Wars as a pulp adventure even more than a Sci-fi action flick.)  You could argue, "Yeah, well, you can always roll an ought-one."  Heck, that might even be MORE likely than several sixes in a row on the Wild Die. But there's something about having a target number that you can theoretically exceed by a STUPID number that seems better than a closed system, where I have a 15% chance and can only succeed by 14.  It's style more than math.

So, yes, one more vote for Open d6.