Fantasy Flight Games

Soldier On!

Published 17 August 2016 | Star Wars: Age of Rebellion

Soldier On!

Forged in Battle Is Coming to Retailers Soon

The Galactic Civil War rages on numberless planets. It rolls through the deep oceans of Mon Cala, throughout the public fora of Chandrila, in the lush jungles of Naboo, and across the deserts of Tatooine. There are myriad battlefields, myriad means of warfare and, within the Rebellion forces, myriad kinds of soldiers.

Forged in Battle, a supplement for the Star Wars®: Age of Rebellion™ roleplaying game, introduces new playable options for Soldiers of the Rebel Alliance, those who work alongside them, and fighters of all kinds, along with providing options for military-themed campaigns and shorter Strike Missions. In our first preview we looked at those campaign options and the new Soldier specializations. Today, we’ll introduce the new playable species of Forged in Battle, and glance at the expanded rules for different combat environments, so that you can consider ways to diversify your forces and then prepare them to fight on any battlefield in the galaxy.

Natural Born Soldiers

Few species are as well-adapted and conditioned to military conflict as the tall, powerful Kyuzo. Their homeward, Phatrong, has higher gravity than many worlds, and so the Kyuzo have developed incredible Agility and Coordination in order to defy that gravity, including a dense muscle structure that lets them leap incredible distances on most other worlds. Not only can they perform physical feats on the battlefield that many other humanoids cannot, they dwell in a fairly militaristic society. Enforcing order throughout Phatrong, and often transcending political boundaries, are military groups called clovocs. From these clovocs rulers and politicians recruit soldiers and civilian police, yet clovocs have also been known to turn against rulers who mistreated them—or simply refused to pay adequate wages.

Kyuzo fighters have always been sought-after off-world, and many now have chosen to join the Rebel Alliance rather than sell their skills to the Empire. The equally agile, fiercely intelligent Shistavanens, however, tend to stay on their homeworld and keep others out. These furry, alert humanoids can be proud, stubborn, and aggressive, which makes them invaluable in battle but difficult to get along with. Their language, consisting of a series of snarls, barks, and growls, is extremely challenging for other species to interpret, let alone speak, which only contributes to their standoffish reputation.

From left to right: Elom, Elomin, Kyuzo, and Shistavanen

The other two species of Forged in Battle come from the same icy desert planet, but couldn’t be more different. The Elomin are tall, horned humanoids known for their intelligence, charm, and affection for order. The Elom are shorter, stockier creatures with long claws that evolved to efficiently tunnel underground and eyes adept to seeing in the dark. The Elomin language is close to Basic; the Elom struggle to make Basic match their physiology. As different as they are, however, Imperial abuses on their homeworld have united these two species and given them plenty of reasons to join the Rebel Alliance.

These four species make excellent options for players wanting to take on the Soldier career, but are also of interest to those looking at other Age of Rebellion careers, or even groups using the Edge of the Empire™ and Force and Destiny™ systems. Your group might include an Elomin Commander who has the challenging task of leading a Shistavanen Ace, or a Kyuzo Bounty Hunter working alongside Elomin Colonists in the Outer Rim. Or perhaps your group of wandering Force users includes a quiet, pacific Elom Mystic whose connection with nature allows her to sense far more than her eyes could possibly see.

Fight Scenery

The environment a Soldier fights in is much more than scenery. It effects everything, from how much cover you have to what equipment—and even what clothing—you can use. And, as the more experienced troops of the Rebel Alliance know, no two combat environments are exactly alike. You could find yourself defending the Echo Base on Hoth one day and engaged in a gunfight on Cato Nemoidia’s bridges the next. You can’t take it for granted that you’ll be able to breathe on your next battlefield, let alone walk or run.

Forged in Battle gives Game Master some tools for navigating the complex, constant interaction between a combat and its environment. It discusses in detail the advantages, opportunities, and obstacles that you’ll encounter when staging battles in cities, wildernesses, and aboard starships. You’ll also find tables that suggest how to spend dice results in each of those three broader environmental categories. Finally, because Soldiers may need to alter their environment before or during a battle, Forged in Battle offers guidelines for building foritifications in-game: perhaps hastily-dug trenches, temporary blinds, or cement bunkers that will be used for decades to come.

The Galaxy Has Its Eyes on You

The Rebellion is like a living organism. It sprawls throughout space, but however many planets it reaches, however many battles are fought, each individual engagement effects the whole fight—the whole galaxy. Whether you’ve just signed on as a Soldier or are a veteran Commander, whether you’re fighting on a densely-populated Core World or amid the colonies of Outer Rim, you matter. Forged in Battle offers you what you need to succeed, because no matter who you are or where you’re fighting, the galaxy has its eyes on you.

Seize your weapons and prepare to enter the fight. Forged in Battle will be available on Thursday at North American retailers and in our online store.

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Fight in the Front Lines

Published 11 July 2016 | Star Wars: Age of Rebellion

Fight in the Front Lines

The Specializations and Campaigns of Forged in Battle

“We are fighting a bigger fight, but it's still the right fight.”
–Hera Syndulla, Star Wars: Rebels

Soldiers are the body of the Rebellion against the Empire. Their lives aren’t as glamorous as those of Aces or Diplomats, and they face danger just as much, if not more, than Commanders and Spies. But as a Soldier, you’re not afraid of danger. You’ve already agreed to put your life on the line in order to fight for what you believe. You’re eager to get your hands dirty, if not bloody. You might even enjoy the rush of battle. Certainly you don’t mind being in the thick of the Galactic Civil War.

Forged in Battle, a new supplement for the Star Wars®: Age of Rebellion™ roleplaying game doesn’t just put you in the middle of the action. Its new specializations equip Soldiers to fight in the front lines, or even in advance of the main forces. Today’s article introduces you to the Heavy, Vanguard, and Trailblazer specializations, designed for Soldiers, but just as useful for Commanders, or even the Warriors, Guardians, and Colonists of the Force and Destiny™ and Edge of the Empire™ systems. We’ll also preview the three Soldier-focused campaigns outlined in the book, as well as the two new Soldier Signature Abilities.

Unseen and Unrelenting

Fights in the Galactic Civil War seldom take the form of pitched battles where armies meet on an open plain. The Rebellion is up against a numerically superior enemy with access to better weapons, armor, and supplies. This means its Soldiers must rely on their bravery, wits, and knowledge if they’re going to survive, let alone defeat the Empire. The Trailblazer and Vanguard specializations enable Soldiers to pick out unseen paths and, when they do encounter the enemy, meet them head-on in an unrelenting onslaught.

Trailblazers are experts in guerrilla warfare. They know how use a planet’s terrain, whether that be Naboo’s swamps or Cloud City’s streets, as a weapon. With their bonus skills of Perception, Stealth, Survival, and Knowledge (Outer Rim), they can create traps for Imperial forces, ambush outposts, and then elude pursuit if the tide turns. Vanguards, on the other hand, seize initiative and open fire rather than formulate tricks and traps. Their Cool and Vigilance skills enable them to shoot first whenever necessary, while their Athletics and Resilience help to dodge blows, stay alive, and bounce back easily. Together, a Trailblazer and a Vanguard make an excellent strike team.

The Bigger They Are…

The military operations of the Rebel Alliance usually rely on infantry supported with scattered cannon and a few airpseeders. Without massive machines that can carry artillery into the fray, that role falls to a group of Soldiers known as Heavies, trained in operating the Rebellion’s biggest guns. Heavies back up their skills in Gunnery and Ranged (Heavy) with the Perception needed to pick out a target at a distance, and the Resilience needed to stay healthy and high-functioning in even the worst battle conditions.

A good Heavy can take out a mounted cannon or an AT-ST all on her own, but Forged in Battle gives all Soldiers the chance to accomplish that kind of feat with the new Signature Ability, The Bigger They Are... It allows a character to spend Destiny Points in order to ignore the armor or soak of a target for three rounds, whether that target is a creature, vehicle, or starship. Its counterpart, Unmatched Courage, buys you the time you need to take that target down. With Unmatched Courage, you can spend Destiny Points to ignore the effects of all your Critical Injuries for two rounds—enough time to turn an entire battle around.

Inside and Outside the Lines

In addition to new specializations, species, and gear, Forged in Battle features an entire chapter on creating missions, rewards, and campaigns for the Soldiers in your group. While the suggested missions and campaigns have been created especially with Soldiers in mind, they are all open-ended enough to work for a diverse group of PCs, from Engineers to Explorers, Force-sensitive Seekers to Guardians.

For a session about the fight for a single planet, send your group on the Trench Warfare campaign, which compels players on an Outer Rim planet to fight their way out of a long-term stalemate against the Empire. Trying to slowly wear down Imperial defenses has proven ineffective, so now the PCs must find a way to break though, or even circumnavigate, enemy lines.

If your group prefers something less head-to-head and more high-tech, you might try the City Fight scenario. It situates PCs within the initial occupation force of a planet where the shields have fallen but the enemy has not withdrawn, nor have many of the civilians. If your group is particularly equipped to handle low-impact but high-importance covert missions, the campaign might follow the Raiding Operations outline. It takes the form of a series of special missions in stable, civilian areas that continuously evolve in difficulty as the team becomes better at their job—and more notorious for their work.

Time to Advance

You might be a Sharpshooter who prefers to snipe at the enemy from a distance, or a Squadron Leader who earned her first stars as a Heavy. An Engineer who is just as good at repairing humanoid bodies as he is at repairing machines. A Trailblazer who doubles as Analyst when not in the field. No matter what your role in the Rebellion, you’re still part of a fight much bigger than the mission at hand. It’s time to settle in, take aim, and show the Empire what you’re made of.

Forged in Battle is currently scheduled to become available in August. Pre-order it from your local retailer today!

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Forged in Battle

Published 10 May 2016 | Star Wars: Age of Rebellion

Forged in Battle

Announcing an Age of Rebellion™ Sourcebook for Soldiers

Arm your soldiers. Learn new combat techniques. Equip gear for a wider variety of climates. Take the fight to the Empire!

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce the upcoming release of Forged in Battle, a Soldier sourcebook for the Star Wars®: Age of Rebellion™ Roleplaying Game.

The Alliance to Restore the Republic rests on high-minded ideals, but its battles must still be won in the trenches. The Rebellion’s troops go into every battle outnumbered and outgunned. Its soldiers know that they're fighting a war against long odds, but they remain undaunted. Instead, they rally together, using their cunning, skill, and courage to ensure that the hope for freedom persists in the galaxy.

Forged in Battle offers these brave warriors a wealth of new options and resources with which they can better take the fight to the Empire. Within its 96 full-color pages, Forged in Battle introduces new species, specializations, and signature abilities for your Soldier characters. A sizable collection of new weapons, armor, gear, and vehicles adds more firepower to your campaign, and Game Masters will find helpful hints on running combats in different terrain, using the changes in environment to better suit the tastes of your Soldiers, as well as all other characters interested in standing on the front lines.

Individual Acts of Heroism

The Galactic Civil War is marked by countles soldiers stationed on countless planets. A fearsome weapon such as the Death Star might blast a planet into shattered rock and space dust, but if the Emperor wants to utilize a world’s resources or population, he needs legions of stormtroopers and Imperial Army forces to take and keep control of a world. Likewise, the Rebellion must field its own armies to take new territory and protect its much smaller—but all the more vital—military installations, as well as locations sympathetic to the cause.

Though outnumbered and often outgunned in every major military category, rebel soldiers know their successes advance their cause and inspire new allies to join the Rebel Alliance. The odds may be against them, but bravely battling the odds is just one of many struggles for the Rebellion to overcome.

Forged in Battle reinforces these heroes with three new species and rewards their bravery by granting them access to three new specializations and two signature abilities that better allow them to express their unique talents in the heat of combat. The Heavy uses sweeping arcs of withering firepower to destroy foes at range. The Trailblazer swiftly traverses rugged terrain, serving as a scout, a guide leading allies, and a wilderness infiltrator. The Vanguard is extraordinarily tough, skilled at breaching enemy fortifications, and excels at leading the charge into combat. Meanwhile, the book's signature abilities allow Soldiers to dominate the battlefield in ways that no other characters can, and new Duties and Motivations present you with new ways to tailor your character for the rugged path that lies ahead of him or her.

Gear Up

The war between the Empire and the Rebellion may be fought by soldiers, but weapons are often the deciding factor in which side triumphs. Soldiers depend on blasters, missile launchers, incendiary devices, and more to gain the upper hand in a fight, and in a war-torn galaxy, there is no shortage of weapons from which a warrior can choose. While armaments are ubiquitous across the galaxy, and are used by moisture farmers defending their homesteads and security officers suppressing rioting mobs alike, professional soldiers are generally the only people to wield true weapons of war.

Accordingly, Forged in Battle outfits your Soldiers with a wealth of new military grade weapons, armor, gear, and vehicles. From the book's energy weapons and slugthrowers to its amor and vehicles, these are designed to support a wide variety of roles and climates, so that you can better equip yourself for whatever mission lies ahead, no matter the battlefield.

Of course, weapons are merely tools, and they may sometimes fall into the hands of evil. This means that with its extensive collection of new weapons, armor, and combat vehicles, Forged in Battle makes for an excellent book for Game Masters looking to challenge their players with a variety of new encounters.

Indomitable Courage

In addition to the new character options and gear offered within, Forged in Battle provides Game Masters with advice for running adventures that feature Soldiers in military missions and campaigns. More than that, it goes beyond looking at the use of Soldiers in combat-heavy campaigns to explore how they might play a part in stories where the battlefield is not necessarily the focus of the adventure.

To get you started, Forged in Battle explores a number of specific encounters and campaign ideas, and features details for using specific tactics, combat types, and challenges posed by the combat environment in which those with military training excel. Finally, the book discusses suitable rewards for campaigns focused on Soldiers, as well as rewards that are appropriate when your Soldiers participate in adventures or campaigns focused on other missions or storylines.

Take the Fight to the Empire

Reward your Soldiers with an array of weapons and character options bold enough to match their bravery. Help them take the fight to the Empire. Forged in Battle is scheduled to arrive at retailers in the third quarter of 2016!

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