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Star Wars Roleplaying Game (Wizards of the Coast)
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The Star Wars Roleplaying Game is a d20 System-based roleplaying game set in the Star Wars universe. The game was written by Bill Slavicsek, Andy Collins and JD Wiker and published by Wizards of the Coast in late 2000 and revised in 2002. In 2007, Wizards released the Saga Edition of the game, which made major changes in an effort to streamline the rules system.
The game covers three major eras coinciding with major events in the Star Wars universe, namely the Rise of the Empire, the Galactic Civil War, and the time of the New Jedi Order.
An earlier but unrelated Star Wars role-playing game was published by West End Games between 1987 and 1999.
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The Star Wars Roleplaying Game is a d20 System-based roleplaying game set in the Star Wars universe. The game was written by Bill Slavicsek, Andy Collins and JD Wiker and published by Wizards of the Coast in late 2000 and revised in 2002. In 2007, Wizards released the Saga Edition of the game, which made major changes in an effort to streamline the rules system.
The game covers three major eras coinciding with major events in the Star Wars universe, namely the Rise of the Empire, the Galactic Civil War, and the time of the New Jedi Order.
An earlier but unrelated Star Wars role-playing game was published by West End Games between 1987 and 1999. Bill Slavicsek was one of the designers of that game as well.
See also Star Wars Miniatures.
Original and revised editions
The Star Wars Roleplaying Game originally came out around the time of the release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. It included statistics for many of the major characters of that movie. The later Revised game included material from Attack of the Clones and changed various feats and classes.
The Star Wars Roleplaying Game uses a Vitality/Wound point system instead of standard hit points, dividing damage into superficial harm (Vitality) and serious injury (Wounds). A character gains Vitality points just like hit points in other d20 games, and rolls for them each level and adds their Constitution bonus. A character's Wound points are equal to their Constitution score.
Most game mechanics are familiar to players of Dungeons & Dragons and other d20-based games. Characters have six ability scores, a class and level, feats, and skills. Most actions are resolved by rolling a twenty-sided die and adding a modifier; if the result equals or exceeds the difficulty, the check succeeds.
Species and classes
As with most d20 System games, Star Wars offers playable races (called species) and classes to the Player Characters (PCs).
The species of Star Wars d20 that are included with the Revised Core Rulebook are: Humans, Bothans, Cereans, Duros, Ewoks, Gungans, Ithorians, Kel Dor, Mon Calamari, Quarren, Rodians, Sullustans, Trandoshans, Twi'leks, Wookiees, and Zabrak.
The character classes are Fringer, Noble, Scoundrel, Soldier, Force Adept, Jedi Guardian, Jedi Consular, and Tech Specialist (added with the Revised Edition). Prestige classes allow advanced characters who wish to specialize in certain suites of abilities to join a class devoted to them. For example, Jedi with special talents at helping others can choose to specialize as a Jedi Healer, while a blaster-wielding mercenary might earn a reputation as a Bounty Hunter. The core rulebook includes the Jedi Master, Jedi Ace, Crimelord, Elite Trooper, Starship Ace, Officer, Darkside Marauder, and Darkside Devotee. Supplements to the core rulebook introduce many more prestige classes.
Saga edition changed things around and made Force Adept a prestige class.
Saga Edition
On June 5, 2007, Wizards released the Star Wars Roleplaying Game: Saga Edition. The game was streamlined to be easier to play and a greater emphasis was placed on miniatures. Some of the major changes include:
- Standard hit points have replaced the former Wounds/Vitality system. Each character begins first level with three times their maximum hit die in hit points based on their class which is modified by the character's Constitution bonus. Jedi and Soldiers for instance, have a hit die of d10, and begin 1st level with 30 hit points + Con bonus. Characters then roll a hit die for additional hit points as they progress in level. Characters also have a Condition Track which measures how much they are currently impaired.
- The number of character classes have been reduced to five — Jedi, Noble, Scoundrel, Scout and Soldier. Each class progresses along "character trees" similar to the d20 Modern system where characters are built with talents and feats. Jedi for instance, can follow paths such as Jedi Guardian, Jedi Consular, plus the new Jedi Sentinel and Lightsaber Combat talent trees. This allows for greater customization and more variety amongst characters of the same class. Prestige Classes are still available, but they also have one or more talent trees.
- Saving Throws have been changed to a series of "Defenses". Virtually all attacks and powers now require a roll against one of three defenses — Fortitude Defense, Reflex Defense, or Will Defense. These Defenses are analogous to both Saving Throws and Armor Class (or Defense as in the previous system) in other d20 games.
- Skill points have been eliminated. Characters have a number of trained skills they can pick based on their class and Intelligence bonus. When a character makes a skill check, they roll a d20 and add half their character level + any other bonuses. If they roll for a trained skill they get a +5 bonus to the die roll. Skills themselves have been simplified with such skills as Deception covering the former skills of Bluff, Disguise, and Forgery. The Mechanics skill now encompasses all the Repair skills and Demolitions. Likewise, the new Perception skill combines the Spot, Search, Sense Motive, and Listen skills.
- Force sensitive characters now have a single "Use the Force" skill, which allows them to do a number of things such as moving small objects and searching their feelings. Force Powers are special abilities such as Force Choke or Move Object that form a "suite" of powers, similar to a hand of cards, which are used and recharged. Force users can also have Talents related to the Force, and prestige classes grant Force Techniques and Force Secrets which improve their ability to use the Force.
- The game includes an optional Destiny system. Characters receive "Destiny Points" which are more powerful than Force Points. They allow such things as scoring an automatic critical hit without rolling, gaining 3 Force Points, or automatically succeeding at a virtually impossible task. Destiny Points are used to help characters with a predetermined fate eventually fulfill their specific goal.
- The character class Attack Bonus progressions no longer allow for multiple attacks during a full-round action. Instead, a character wielding a single weapon must pick the new "Double Attack" feat (for one extra attack) and "Triple Attack" feat (for two extra attacks). Multiple attacks are, in general, less common.
- Rules and stats for NPCs have been refined. There is only one non-heroic class for NPC characters. They do not get heroic Defense bonuses, their Hit Points are limited to 1d4 + Con bonus per level (and they do not receive triple maximum starting hit points at first level), and they get only the feats granted by gaining levels. Non-heroic characters do not gain Talents. Creatures in the game use the "Beast" class and gain 1d8 + Con hit points per level.
- Many minor bonuses have been eliminated. Alien races and classes now rarely grant bonuses to skill checks; instead they often allow a reroll of the check under particular circumstances.
Saga Releases
The following books are now available.
- Star Wars Roleplaying Game: Saga Edition (ISBN 978-0786943562)
- Starships of the Galaxy (Saga Edition) (ISBN 978-0786948239)
- Threats of the Galaxy (ISBN 978-0786947812)
- Galaxy Tiles (like Dungeon Tiles, but for Star Wars) (ISBN 978-0786947447)
- Star Wars Gamemaster Screen & Character Sheets (ISBN 978-0786949366)
- Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide (ISBN 978-0786949236)
- Force Unleashed Campaign Guide (ISBN 978-0786947430)
- Scum and Villainy (ISBN 978-0786950355)
- The Clone Wars Campaign Guide Release Date: January 20, 2009
The following books have been announced and can currently be found for pre-order online. Dates are taken from Amazon.com.
- Legacy Era Campaign Guide Release Date: March 17, 2009
- Star Wars Jedi Academy (Star Wars d20 Supplement) Release Date: May 19, 2009
- Rebellion Era Campaign Guide Release Date: July 21, 2009
External links
- (An unofficial fan site for both the WEG game as well as the WOTC version.)
- (Home of the Starwars-rpg.net Online Journal, an online magazine dedicated to Star Wars RPG. An unofficial site.)
- Material and Conversions library for Star Wars Saga Edition Roleplaying game.
- A Play by Post (PbP) site featuring Star Wars d20 games.
- A Play by Post (PbP) site using modified Star Wars D20 and converting to Saga-edition rules
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