Star Wars D20 Role Playing Game
Written: Sep 13 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Uses a widely known system
Cons: Not the best SW version
The Bottom Line: Recommended to RPGers that have only played DnD.
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| maza's Full Review: Bill Slavicsek, Andy Collins, J. D. Wiker - Star W... |
The book is very nice. At first glance, it is obvious the production values were extremely high, and the price tag reflects this. Perhaps I thought Wizards would do a huge print run like DnD 3e and pass the savings along. Ohhh well. I was rather overwhelmed by the abundance of Episode 1 images presented in the book; after careful examination, it appears that the older movies have just as much, if not more, representation in the book. Still, it was a bit disturbing.
The layout is top notch. White pages with black text, reasonable typeface size. Easy to read. All the illustrations and pictures directly relate to the surrounding text. The upper corners of each page have the chapter name, and are colour-coded to differentiate between the player and GM sections. All tables are done in white and off-colour red or purple , which makes them extremely easy to read. Quotes from the movie are littered throughout the book, and add a lot of flavour. The page numbers resemble the technical readout on an X-wing fighter (very cool). In fact, the pages themselves are reminiscent of a technical manual. I think this is probably the nicest looking RPG book I've ever seen.
The Game Mechanics
It's d20, which essentially means DnD In Space. Unfortunately, this also means a class/level system, which doesn't model the SW Universe very well. The inability of any character to learn any skill without changing classes is cumbersome. It seems that the designers shoehorned the class system into a game that really didn't need them, simply to meet a requirement of the d20 system. Also, the classes themselves seem a bit arbitrary. For example, the Jedi Consulars and Guardians have different skill sets. First, why do we even have separate classes for Jedi? The Consulars are simply Jedi who which to do more administrative duties, while Guardians focus on combat training a bit more. The game designers have given us separate classes to force a mindset the characters in-game adhere to; if they wish to change their outlook, they must change their class (and Jedi are prohibited from going to the other jedi class). Fringers are basically average joes who decide to seek adventure, fortune and fame (farmboy from Tatooine). Why must we have a class for that?
On the flipside, the d20 skill system is adequate for SW. The included skills closely resemble the WEG SW game. I don't think this will be much of an issue. I was rather disappointed by the included playable races. The only interesting races the core rulebook has are probably Wookies and Mon Calamari. Since SW is a human-centric game, this is a minor point. The Force is handled by special feats and skills that only Force-Sensitive characters may use. Thankfully, any character can become force sensitive. Anyone familiar with earlier editions of SW will quickly recognize the Force rules. Control, Sense, Alter, Force points, Dark side points, extra damage for lightsabers, etc. No real changes here. Starship combat is handled much the same way as earlier editions, too. Instead of rolling 4D6 for piloting maneuvers, we roll d20+skill. Everything else is pretty much the same. Hull ratings, shield ratings, attack and piloting bonuses for specific ships, etc. It's all here.
Fundamental Problem
Star Wars is a game about "The Good Guys". In older editions of the game, a Dark Side character became province of the GM and was no longer a PC. d20 SW "doesn't care what moral spin you want to give to your character". This is a Bad Thing. I understand that some gamers want to play fatally flawed characters, filled with angst, who become Dark Side users. But does this follow the tradition of heroism the SW movies have? No, it doesn't. It is one thing to allow Dark side characters to be played (maybe their lust for power is out of control), but to encourage *evil* characters just isn't right. Shady characters who sometimes compromise morality but are clearly good (Han Solo) are about as angst-filled as PCs in SW should be. This aspect of the game disappointed me.
Conclusions
The d20 SW game is by far one of the nicest SW games to ever be produced, but it's not the best. The game has a solid foundation mechanics-wise, but doesn't do anything special that revolutionizes the RPG industry. I would strongly suggest looking over older versions of SW before purchasing this game. I don't think this game captures the feel of the SW Universe as well as 1st and 2nd edition did. Furthermore, it IS a good game. Don't misunderstand me...I think the d20 version is perfectly fine. In fact, I am thinking of running a campaign using the rules. But it's not the best version of SW.
RPG Definition for the uninitiated.
A typical Role Play Game would be an activity satisfying most of the following:
1. It involves persons consciously playing fiction roles (either medieval, contemporary or sci-fi roles)
2. It involves the collective creation of a story
3. Usually one of the participants is responsible for guiding the activity
4. There is no audience besides the participants themselves (unless there is a demonstration of course).
5. The main purpose of the activity is to entertain the participants.
There are published books, often referred to as Rulebooks, containing unique rules regarding how to create a character (role) or how to resolve specific actions. Generally the success of an action is determined with by rolling one or more dice (dice can be funny in RPGs since they tend to have more than 6 surfaces).
Besides the rulebooks, there are books describing settings in which characters can role play. Settings are very diverse and include high or low fantasy worlds, dystopian worlds, contemporary worlds, or alternate reality worlds.
More RPG reviews that I would love to get a few more ratings:
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay Referee’s Screen by Games Workshop
Book of Vile Darkness by Wizards of the Coast
Feng Shui Action Roleplay by Atlas Game
Unknown Armies by Atlas Games
Delta Green by Pagan Publishing
Mortal Coils by Pagan Publishing
Mechwarrior RPG by FASA
Shadowrun 3rd Edition by FanPro
All Flesh Must be Eaten by Eden Studios
GURPS Vampire: The Masquerade by Steve Jackson Games
GURPS Mecha by Steve Jackson Games
Authentic Thaumaturgy by Steve Jackson Games
Time of Thin Blood by White Wolf
Jerusalem By Night by White Wolf
Dark Conspiracy by GWC
7th Sea RPG by AEG
Book of Vile Darkness by Wizards of the Coast
Blue Planet by Biohazard Games
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
maza
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Member: Nick Maza
Location: Greece
Reviews written: 40
Trusted by: 14 members
About Me:
I live in Greece. I hate the summers.
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