I fully expect all canon beyond RotJ to be scrapped once the new movies come out.

Garrett

I fully expect all canon beyond RotJ to be scrapped once the new movies come out.

Garrett

Barefoottourguide said:

Actually, the Legacy Era stuff (at least the comics) is far enough out that it probably won't be too badly impacted by the newquels and their changes of post-RotJ EU canon.  So there's still some hope… even if it's only a fool's hope ;)

But then who's the more foolish, the fool or the fool that follows him?

arkiva said:

…  and that many of us will wish we'd never heard of once we have.

You know, just like the prequels.

'Newquels'? They're sequels.

I. J. Thompson said:

Of which we've already had a bunch courtesy of the EU, ranging from the Thrawn Trilogy (which Lucas at one point espoused as being the follow-up stories of Luke, Leia, and Han) to the NJO.

As these are a new batch of sequels, thus they're "newquels." ;)

Nobody said you had to use the term if you don't like it :)

Donovan Morningfire said:

No danger, there! :D

Barefoottourguide said:

I expect (and hope for) that as well.  

LethalDose said:

Consider what we’ll have after the 3 different core rulebooks have come out: Fringe Life, Military, Jedi & Force. All separate entities, but all set within the same Classic timeline. The easiest way to tie them all together and weave continuity among the concepts… Force Unleashed.

The Force Unleashed setting (for better or for worse) has aspects of all 3 FFG rulebooks: espionage, cloak-and-dagger politics, bounty hunters, Force exiles, Light and Darkside powers, Rebels and Imperial Forces, planet hopping, Force –based enemies, gladiator arenas, corruption, redemption, and destiny. Plus George Lucas had even considered making a TFU movie(s) at one point, so its cannon is stronger than other EU material.

Force Unleashed could also expand upon the rules of all 3 books and offer alternatives a la “Unearthed Arcana” (WoC 3.5) or “Ultimate Combat” (Pathfinder) with variations of established guidelines. Not to mention Expanding on Force & Destiny by introducing Unleashed powers, gray powers, and gray Force Organizations (if not already discussed previously).

The Force Unleashed really is the bow that should tie everything together into a neat cohesive package.

Donovan Morningfire said:

Legacy (like KotOR) is disconnected enough from the main storyline to treat it like an alternate universe (which is why I think it works). 

Unknown said:

I understand what you're saying, but I think it's off base of what the corebooks actually are, and also disagree with your points.  

You point out that the TFU "Ties them all together".  I disagree.  The way I see it, while there were Militiary and Fringe elements in the game, it was a game about Jedi.  The TFU's writer stated, repeatedly, that the game was about "kicking ass with the force."  He apparently made the creative team recite this every morning they met.  So… For me, TFU falls solidly under a Force/Jedi game, and is a subsection of Force & Destiny, and therefore NOT a core book.

The Core books are not like like Unearthed Arcana. Each core product, EotE, AoR, and F&D, is a complete stand-alone game system that is designed to address one of these facets of the "Star Wars Experience".  To put this in D&D 4th ed terms (only chosen because it provided some convenient terminology), what FFG is doing is akin to making one product that encompassed the PHB, DMG, and MM (and maybe parts of the "Complete Martial" if there is such a thing; I neither know, nor care) for Martially-focused campaigns, and then making a separate stand alone product that encompassed the PHB, DMG, and MM again for Arcane-focused campaigns, and then a third similar product for Divine-focused campaigns.  So, if you asked "Whats the fourth core book here", it could be Primal, or whatever other shlock categorization WotC vomitted to sell more splat.  But, for this idea to work, this new corebook would have to be something that was recognizably D&D and not already covered in the previous material. 

So, to answer "whats the 4th corebook", someone would have to come up with something that's recognizably Star Wars and isn't subsumed in Fringe, Military, or Jedi/Force.  If you say FTU has parts of all of that, but doesn't incude anything that hasn't been covered, its not even eligible for a corebook.  And KotOR, and Legacy, do any of these represent fundamental facets that aren't covered in the three products already announced?  Personally, I don't think so.  While you could argue YZ in the NJO, I can't/won't comment on that.  The sooner that crap is struck from continuity the better.  The $#!t was worse than the prequels by full orders of magnitude.

Better than doing this and complaining about EU (which is what it seems like most of this thread has become), can we get constructive and talk about the adventure modules, and campaign settings, and interactive concepts, etc etc that we want to see in this project?  Perosnally, I think speculating about whats in a 4th corebook that probably doesn't even need to exist is silly at best, and misses the material that would produce way more productive discussions.

-WJL

PS For the record I agree that most of the EU sucks and can't wait for it to be white-washed by the new Disney produced films.

I doubt the is going to be a 4th core book. What the three planned (and what little we know of them) does not cover, is politics - Tapani sector, Lord of the Expanse box from WEG sort of thing. I'm not saying its a good idea (nor that its needed), but this could be a book aimed at the "high-life", upper-class corruption and intrigue. Duels between dandy princelings and love stories à la Romeo and Juliet… again, not saying its a good idea or that its needed, at least not a whole core book - a small supplement sure, but nothing more.

Am I the only one who appreciated the NJO books? and the Traviss books? Man there's much hate aimed and those stories.

I mean, I can appreciate the fact that the NJO series was … sub-standard, most SW-books are. Its not great litterature, its simple entertainment, with less nudity than Fifty Shades, but artistically at about the same level. That said, I really enjoyed reading NJO way back when.

Now, the new films are going to be exciting to watch - to quote a tweet quote by ars technica: "Worrying that Disney will ruin Star Wars is like worrying a second iceberg will dive down to hit the Titanic." - but I will still have fond memories and use the already written EU for my version of the Galaxy, and I hope FFG will do the same.

Doc, the Weasel said:

There's also the interesting tidbit that according to retailers, the Legacy era comics proved to be quite popular, with a new Legacy series (this time featuring what appears to be a female descendent of Han & Leia) slated for the near future.

So much like KOTOR/SW:TOR being the "distant past" and safe for the reasons you cited, the Legacy comics-verse also has a degree of popularity, something a lot of the post-RotJ EU can't claim outside of a very small selection of material, with NJO and later super-arcs being base-breakers of varying degrees amidst the fandom.

LethalDose said:

No. If we use the logic of your post, then even FFG isn’t even following what you’re describing. Watching the Gen Con announcement video on Youtube, the 3 core rulebooks are not the “Wizards D&D SRD” format you’re talking about i.e. GM’s book, player’s book, and NPC catalog. The 3 core rulebooks focus on iconic scenarios within the Star Wars universe: “Han Solo v Boba Fett”, “Alliance v Empire”, and “Jedi v Sith”. Those are aspects of a universe, not procedural nomenclature. Each book will have GM, Player, and NPC sections within the books themselves. FFG has yet to announce any type of supplement focusing solely on the GM, or the player, or Monster Manual—though if WFRP is any indication of great supplements, I’m sure we’ll see some for SW. (here’s hoping!)

Furthermore, all three corebooks are separate, stand-alone entities. While I would imagine that there may be some sort of cross-compatibility (in the same way there is limited cross-compatibility between FFG Dark Heresy, Black Crusade, and Rogue Trader) in the future, that prospect is as of yet an unknown quantity and is speculative. There are other threads on this board that have already gotten into the compatibility issue of FFG Star Wars between the 3 books.

So, therefore, as you stated, a 4^th core rulebook would need to offer something new. And I reiterate, Force Unleashed: 4^th core book that provides in-depth rules for full and complete cross-compatibility between the first 3. Plus, “Unleashed”, meaning “unchained”, “let loose”, the segregated rules of each book are now set free! Rules for scaling characters up and down to fit an all-inclusive campaign, like bringing your Force Sensitive Exile into the Jedi Order, or having your fully fledged Jedi Knight have to go into hiding, stifling his connection to the Force, and slowly watch his powers wean over decades of exile… All while being hunted by the Empire’s denizens. One of the easiest ways to explain a new concept is to provide context and example through story. Force Unleashed (especially the SAGA Edition campaign book for instance) has aspects of all 3 core rulebooks and focuses on a broader picture than merely Starkiller. It provides a great setting for multiple adventures that utilize some of the best parts of Edge of the Empire, Age of Rebellion and Force and Destiny combined.  It could also provide new rules. Unleashed powers, Intrigue, skill challenges, it could even incorporate ideas similar to WFRP’s  “conservative and reckless” dice, stances, and actions (as possible expansions). And since it's "Unleashed" it could also talk about powers, enemies, and campaigns beyond RANK 5 (i.e. "Epic level" material). The point is, if a 4^th core rulebook needs to have something the others don’t have, then having a way to maximize cross-play and compatibility is the way to go, especially if it’s FFG’s intent to remain within the classic era. And TFU has all aspects of the 3 books present, as well as falling into the correct timeline.  

Thank you.