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...is there a Character Stats Sourcebook?
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Mojomoe
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Joined: 10 Apr 2010
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Location: Seattle, WA

PostPosted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 11:20 pm    Post subject: ...is there a Character Stats Sourcebook? Reply with quote

Hey all -

So glad I found this forum! I've been a D6er forever, and I recently got back in. I've been eating up the weapons/vehicles/starships/equipment stats PDFs around here (and plan on printing/binding them all at some point).

One thing that I've noticed as particularly absent is a Characters Sourcebook - i.e., a comprehensive PDF (ala Starships by Gry) that includes characters from all eras, from all sources (D6 core rulebook, D6 expansions, D20 conversions, fan stats) and collected them in one place. Possibly even one that collected multiple versions of characters (i.e., Luke as of ANH, Luke as of RotJ, Luke as of NJO, etc.).

My first assumption as to why there wasn't one was some sort of moratorium on reposting official WEG D6 stats (such as the OT chars from the sourcebooks), but then I noticed many of the ships from the Starships PDF are official... so, yeah.

Is this a thing anyone would want? I know that there's not much call for Luke or Leia's stats, but as a GM I readily need Stormies and Clonies' stats, and you never know when you need to base a quick smuggler off of Han Solo... For now, I've just been grabbing my stats from the unofficial Prequel trilogy books on here, as well as the great collection on RPGGamer.org, but I just can't help thinking an Ultimate Characters book would be a goldmine.

Forgive me if this has been discussed or there's some obvious reason why this isn't done. Just curious.

Cheers!
-M.
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Forceally
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 11, 2010 12:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think one reason why is the amount of time and work involved in doing this.

Next, there aren't that many character stats converted from d20, be it OCRB, RCRB, or Saga-based.

Finally, the two premier authorities on stat conversions - Gry Sarth and cheshire - have spent a great deal of time catching up on back-to-back sourcebooks filled with a great number of vehicle or droid stats. They've done that, and I'm certain they're waiting for the upcoming Unknown Regions Sourcebook coming out in a little over a week. Once that's done, I think they're going to get back to the fan-made ROTS sourcebook.
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cheshire
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 11, 2010 6:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you're willing to put the work into it, then I think you'd have a number of people who would be interested. However, I don't know how much assistance you would get on that book. I did the legwork on the Force Powers book (which is the shortest of all the books), and I found the task quite exhausting. I'm glad I have a compilation, but it's not something that you'll find me anxious to repeat.

I think that having a go-to place for NPCs is a good thing. I've got the trilogy sourcebook and use it frequently as a baseline in creating characters. Though I'm not sure that it would be worth it to me to do the work.
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Gry Sarth
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Joined: 25 May 2004
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 11, 2010 9:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, you'll be glad to know that I HAVE been working on an NPCs sourcebook. So far I've typed up all of WEG's NPC, but there's still quite a few d20 NPCs to convert. Then I have to organize them, illustrate them and edit the book. With all the other work on the bench, it's still going to take a looong while.

However, I only intend to include "Typical" NPCs in this book, not Named ones like Luke, Han or Corran Horn. There are two reasons for that: First I don't see much use for those. In all my years of gaming I don't think I've ever used the stats for one of those famous NPCs for a game. They might come handy for reference when doing conversions or creating new characters, but I don't feel the need to have them readily at my fingertips during a gaming session (which is what the Stats books are for). Second, I wouldn't know where to stop with the Named NPCs, and it would end up being something of a huge, pretty useless book. Luke and Leia are obvious, but do I include all the cantina patrons as well? Sure, include them, but do I include an EU character like Corran Horn? Some may think he's essential, some don't even know who he is. And what about Farrk, the Twi'lek arms dealer from some Adventure Book? Do I include every named NPC from Cracken's Rebel Operatives and Wanted by Cracken? I wouldn't know where to draw the line.
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ZzaphodD
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 11, 2010 12:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Gry Sarth wrote:
And what about Farrk, the Twi'lek arms dealer from some Adventure Book?


Who is Farrk? Cant find him on WookieP and that site usually has information about what undewear Han Solo uses and such..
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JT Swift
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 11, 2010 12:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have to confess I'd love a source book with the BIG names from the EU. Corran, Starkiller, Jade, Ventriss, Grevious, Cody, Hethirir, Calista, Terrik, Jaina, Jacen, Ben, Anakin Solo, the Exile, Exar Kun, etc...

Obviously each person is going to have a different opinion about who is really a "big" name.

I'd do it myself but for 3 reasons.

1. I'm busy GMing TWO weekly Star Wars RPGs.

2. I'm busy creating an index to ALL the West End game books, and other SW referance books (like the Tech Journal for example). I'm also sticking in all the D20 books that I own (which isn't all that many).

3. I don't really understand the D20 stat system so I'm don't know how to convert anything.
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cheshire
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 11, 2010 1:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

We can teach you! Smile
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Gry Sarth
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 11, 2010 4:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

ZzaphodD wrote:
Who is Farrk? Cant find him on WookieP and that site usually has information about what undewear Han Solo uses and such..

Actually, I just made him up as an example of some obscure one-off character.
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Ankhanu
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 11, 2010 4:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

JT Swift wrote:
I'd do it myself but for 3 reasons.

1. I'm busy GMing TWO weekly Star Wars RPGs.

2. I'm busy creating an index to ALL the West End game books, and other SW referance books (like the Tech Journal for example). I'm also sticking in all the D20 books that I own (which isn't all that many).

3. I don't really understand the D20 stat system so I'm don't know how to convert anything.


1&2; everyone's busy Wink
2 - I'm quite certain that all the WEG books are indexed on Wookieepedia (or other site); I came across one while doing the same thing on my wiki. Don't reinvent the egg (yay for mixing colloqual phrases!), just use one of the existing indices.

3, now this one takes the real work... but, like Cheshire said, there is experience here and most people are willing to help you learn. Just gotta ask.
Generally, people are more willing to help someone build a sourcebook than they are willing to build it for them.
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ZzaphodD
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 11, 2010 4:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Gry Sarth wrote:
ZzaphodD wrote:
Who is Farrk? Cant find him on WookieP and that site usually has information about what undewear Han Solo uses and such..

Actually, I just made him up as an example of some obscure one-off character.


Ok.
So hes a one-off character in an adventure journal, or did you mean that you really made him up from scratch? If the former, do you know which one? In the latter, wow!

Thing is one of the characters in my group is named Farrk and is a Twilek gun dealer, so I just wanted to find out where the inspiration from.
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Gry Sarth
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 11, 2010 8:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow... this is really uncanny. I just made the whole thing up while I was writing the sentence!
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ZzaphodD
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 11, 2010 9:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Gry Sarth wrote:
Wow... this is really uncanny. I just made the whole thing up while I was writing the sentence!


Yeah, I think Im going to play the lottery now... Shocked
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JT Swift
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 17, 2010 12:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well I'm not expect people to fall all over themselves to make a 'name' character stat collection, just voting that I would use and appreciate such a book.

If someone has already indexed all the RPG and reference books I’d love to see it. I poked around on Wookiepeedia and could find anything (but my wiki-fu is weak). Also tried google and got nothing.

What I want/am creating is an index that works like this…

Say I’m doing a story about Tie Bombers; where the heroes are stranded on a planet with only a badly damaged Tie Bomber for resources. So I (being the completist I am) want to know everything about Tie Bombers that’s out there. Obviously Wookieepedia is a good start but there’s a lot of other in for out there. So I look up Tie Bomber in the Index and its got a list of every book and page number that has any significant info on Tie Bombers. Something like this…

*TIE Bomber
Sourcebook (2nd) 28
Complete Cross-Sections 128-129, 141
Technical Journal Volume Two 32
New Essential Guide to Vehicles & Vessels 152
Essential Guide to Vehicles & Vessels 172
Imperial Sourcebook (1st Ed) 75

If someone has already done this I’d love to hear about it.
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jmanski
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 18, 2010 4:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

To swerve slightly.... what are the chances of an NPC stats book? Stock types like Stormtrooper and the like?
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ZzaphodD
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 18, 2010 7:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Anyone seen any stats for Cad Bane around somewhere? Hes showing up in a few episodes so I thought Id have him statted out.
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