Apr 8, 2014
Since I have decided to return to writing again, I have also decided to expand on my original concept for this blog instead of simply just looking into finding a prefect game I am going to look at many aspects of gaming and RPG's in general. Exploring more than just black and white rules. More on that later for now a quick review.
As for my last blog before leaving I discussed Star Wars a story line I love and have played many versions of in the past, since then I started a Star Wars Edge of Empire game with some friends. The game system itself is a fairly well built incremental character build system (skill based rather than class based for advancement). We did leave the vision of the game for a more rounded character/game concept so I have no real harsh feelings against the system, but on the flip-side I have no real strong feelings for the system. Instead I will look for the things I have learned form the system. In all actuality I will probably play the system again some time later as more supplements and rule books come out for the system as I did with other Fantasy Flight Games.
The Fantasy Flight RPG Model:
Fantasy Flight has proven themselves to be board game designers with a flair for story driven RPG mechanics. The model they used to design the mechanics of the game is similar in some aspects to their other popular game Warhammer Fantasy, and to a lesser extent the Warhammer 40K series. They design books that focus more on relative power level of play, in Star Wars' case they start with relatively low powered characters looking to make it in a harsh imperially dominated game space. Though given that you play at the edge of the empire (to steal a phrase) you dont even need to include too many imperials or even law beyond that fact that you are breaking it pretty often. More often than not your problems are other fringe members of galactic society. Were we found a problem was one of my players desire to play a force user, while introduced in this book, it is not fully developed and actually led to limiting the character concept with the constrains of the system as officially released to this point .
Yes I know that the rebellion book includes more stuff for force-users and even Jedi, but releasing that book second is a bit well, underwhelming. Star Wars to even the most uneducated person is lightsabers, lets face it. When anyone thinks of Star Wars the first general thoughts go to force-users. Now this isn't really as bad of a issue as it sounds. It will be fixed I know, I can see the thought process because Fantasy Flight has done this before.
Warhamer 40K = Space Marines right? The first book they made was the Inquisition book, Dark Heresy. While fun lets face it if you have read the books the inquisition is kind of similar to playing as investigators in Call of Cthulhu, you will probably die or go crazy and then maybe kill your friends. They introduced Psycher's a very basic element to the Warhammer 40K lore, if you have they game books look at them again using only the Dark Heresy rule-set. They are terrible PC Killing machines, half the time I created a game where the characters would simply show up to investigate a anomaly or a cult and the psycher would go unfettered on his power roll and summon all sorts of nasty chaos spawn after that the game basically boiled down to Friday Night Chaos Beast Fight Club sponsored by the Imperial Pyscher. Every book they put out though refined and redefined what psychers could do, this seemed very annoying because it was like patch notes for a video game, nerf one thing make something else out of control. But just like patches they were evidence of the game designers looking to improve the game. With Only War's release psychers have become more than just plot killing monster they are playable, it just sucks that we had to wait so long for it.
It looks like this is the idea with the force, its so huge that to heavily define it in the first book could ruin the game. Instead they are building the other elements to act as a counter to the force-users to some degree. While I like the approach again its kind of off putting to say, hey no force-users in my game because the rules on them are "weird" (I have a similar problem with magic in some games). So for now we have returned to Saga's edition despite its failings in certain areas but we brought with us some of the great stuff from Edge.
Edge has the Edge on:
Edge of the empire has a neat system in place for obligations that places an in game mechanic and penalty for creating a real character with flaws and a built in system for consequence that the character is aware of. Now there is still good old fashion note taking and NPC revenge against the players but the system places strain on the characters each game (depending on dice rolls) involving their backgrounds. This means if I am out of ideas for the game or had a poor planning session in the week where I just couldn't think of anything I would roll my dice for obligations. Next thing I know I was writing an adventure where the ship my character's buried themselves in debt to the Empire for was destroyed by a mega-fauna stranding them on a planet and forcing them into more debt to just get off planet. This was an amazing game just from flaws. I am going to take that away from the system if nothing else.
Drugs, there has been a lot of drugs in this game. In fact it has been a major source of income for about half of it and lead to playing out some interesting NPCs. The system is designed for scoundrels, mone just happen to be less heroic, nothing wrong with that just a fact. Actually I should amend that statement they are heroic from an Imperial stand point, they are "relatively" upstanding imperial citizens trying to take down the nasty rebellion while starting their own in the shadows. I usually venture away from drug, sex, and rock and roll in my games becuase I like heroics, even when running an evil game I dont really bring it up much. But this game did allow me to break away from my norm and play with something I never really do. this had lead to double crosses, great RP moments where we had to describe what a Trandoshan looks like smiling and how a Hutt hits on someone after proving there are a great business partner.
All in all the game system was enjoyable but not fully developed for our particular campaign idea so we changed. I do plan on trying again sometime with more books but until then we play Saga's and gear up for Savage Worlds, but more on that later.
