Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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68 of 72 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
It's back!!!, June 7, 2007
I have to admit that I wasn't happy when Wizards of the Coast announced they were, once again, revising their Star Wars RPG. I've been generally frustrated with WotC's re-release schedule and this, at first glance, seemed like just another ploy to plumb my pockets. But as they started releasing previews of the new system I became more and more intrigued. As a veteran of the old West End Games version of Star Wars I remember a day when the game was fast and furious and not so formulaic. Its adoption into the d20 RPG machine, I felt, deadened some of its spirit. While I felt there were some features that the d20 system brought that made it worth the effort the game often became too cumbersome and too sluggish for me to enjoy. I longed for the old day.
Well, the old days have returned with the Saga Edition of the Star Wars RPG. They've shed many of the trappings of the d20 system that held it down for so many years, and even freed themselves from many problems that have continually plagued the RPG since the d6 days. They started with a fresh new take on core concepts like The Force, starships, and character creation. The rules have been streamlined while still adding more flexibility for character creation. But most importantly (and I can't stress this enough) after 20 years of the Star Wars RPG, this may be the first time they've truly nailed it in regards to the spirit of the films.
From a design layout standpoint the product is the best Star Wars RPG book since the pre-revised second edition d6 book. They finally moved away from cramming the book full of images from the movies and went back to filling the book with rich, original artwork that shows us that the Star Wars universe is more than what you see on the screen. The dimensions of the book are a bit strange (about 9" x 9"), but that only serves to make the book more unique (though copying the character sheet will be a bit tricky).
The only down side to this book is that it is a little thin on "stuff." There aren't a lot of starships, Force Powers, NPCs, and so on. This version begs for a number of good quality supplements (which is the ONLY reason I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5). But I don't think that's a bad thing. Dividing the rules (in this core rulebook) from the "stuff" (in various, appropriate sourcebooks) is a good design philosophy, if not a bit more expensive.
The bottom line is this: if you're a Star Wars RPG veteran who lost faith after it was taken in to d20, come back. I think you'll like it. If you're a veteran of the d20 version, and have enjoyed the heavier rules of the Revised Core Rulebook (or D&D 3.x), you may want to steer clear of this one. it's designed to be a lot lighter and play a lot faster, but good, flexible character design is not sacrificed. I won't go into great detail of the changes to the rules (I'm sure other people will do that and everyone's view on what's important is so subjective anyway). But accusations that this system is simply a revamped version of their miniatures combat rules are simply wrong. Make no mistake this is a role-playing game, and a hopping good one at that. With a few solid supplements it might shape up to be the best Star Wars RPG yet.
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73 of 78 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rule changes are great (but too bad they had to cut some of the fun details from the previous edition), June 6, 2007
The 30th Anniversary Saga Edition is the latest update for the Star Wars D20 RPG (with the latest rules and content from all six films). This one Core Rulebook still contains all the information both players and Gamemasters need to start playing. And though the structure of the book is very similar to the previous edition (see list of chapters at the end of this review), some of the rules themselves have changed quite a bit (i.e., most are much simpler -- especially character creation and the combat rules). However, the new rules are still similar enough to the old rules that those who have been playing for a while should have little trouble adapting.
Overall, the book looks great (it is printed in full-color on high quality paper, and contains lots of great full-color photos and illustrations). However, this new edition is surprisingly compact (not only are the dimensions of the book smaller, but it contains about 100 less pages than the previous edition). A character template is still included at the end of the book. If there is one drawback to the appearance of the new edition its that some of the introductory text and many of the photos were taken from the previous edition.
This book includes a double-sided battle map. However (and unfortunately), both of the maps were previously released (one in the Rebel Storm Ultimate Missions book and the other in the Attack on Endor Scenario Pack). Further, NONE of the terrine is properly marked on either side of the map (i.e., walls, hindering terrain, etc.). Perhaps they did this because it is meant to be used with the RPG, but it will unfortunately make it harder to use the maps with the regular minis game (i.e., Rebel Storm, etc.).
The shorter length has also lead to a few other minor drawbacks over the previous edition. Here are SOME examples: (1) details are provided about fewer characters from the movies and books -- and the information that is provided is more limited, (2) the allies and opponents AND vehicles chapters are much less inclusive, (3) the Star Wars galaxy map is no longer included -- too bad because that was a pretty cool part of the previous edition, and (4) the equipment chapter no longer contains a picture of the items being described -- again, this is too bad because this was a very helpful part of the previous edition.
Overall, however, I think most of the changes are for the best, and I think those who play the Star Wars RPG will be very happy with this latest edition. And, the simpler rules will hopefully appeal to a wider audience. Some might even like that this book includes less information as it makes it easier to find what is most relevant to making game easier to play.
Finally, as promised above, here is a list of the chapter titles (I looked all over for this info, and couldn't find it anywhere... So I decided to include it here in case anyone else is interested):
Chapter 1: Abilities
Chapter 2: Species
Chapter 3: Heroic Classes
Chapter 4: Skills
Chapter 5: Feats
Chapter 6: The Force
Chapter 7: Heroic Traits
Chapter 8: Equipment
Chapter 9: Combat
Chapter 10: Vehicles
Chapter 11: Droids
Chapter 12: Prestige Classes
Chapter 13: Galactic Gazetteer
Chapter 14: Game-Mastering
Chapter 15: Eras of Play
Chapter 16: Allies and Opponents
Hope this helps!
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Excellent First Role Playing Game, August 31, 2007
There are plenty of reviews written by experienced role players for other experienced role players. If you want the perspective of a complete newcomer, read on.
Although I immensely enjoyed both versions of Knights of the Old Republic, I had never played a pen and paper role playing game until my brother-in-law introduced me to Dungeons & Dragons a few months ago. While I continue to enjoy D&D very much, after buying this book and gamemastering a couple games, I wish Star Wars Saga Edition had been my first introduction to role playing games.
First of all, character generation is very simple and flexible. One of my players had zero role playing experience of any kind. However, he said he wanted to play a character like Greedo, and we were able to easily come up with exactly what he wanted. We have a standard jedi in the party, but we also have a force-using noble and a very skilled pilot. In this game, you think about what kind of character you want then find the rules to support that kind of character, rather than seeing what kind of character the rules will allow you to build.
There are rules to cover anything you can think of to do or be from the movies, and there are explicit examples for many of them. For example, there is a stat block for the trash compactor from the Leia prison rescue scene, and there are feats to cover the scene where Darth Vader absorbs Han's blaster shots, then makes the gun fly into his hand.
For a gamemaster the simplified skill set adds to the element of surprise. My players were surveilling a building when I had them roll a perception check. They assumed it was to notice something about the building, but it was really to notice the rancor sneaking up behind them. They failed the check, but if they had succeeded, they would have noticed a bad smell and turned around. Having all the senses, including smell, rolled into the perception check is really fun.
Vehicles are another element that makes the game fun. Everything from a speeder bike to a star destroyer is represented. Vehicles enhance the dynamics of the game, and increase characters' capabilities. For example, that rancor attack was way above my party's level, but they had a fighting chance on speeder bikes.
My main complaint about the book is that some of the information is scattered, and the index is terrible. I ended up making my own index for my personal use.
I highly recommend this game to anyone who is just getting started with pen and paper role playing games. It's relatively easy to learn, and the possibilities are endless.
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