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-- REVIEW: Star Wars Roleplaying Game: Core Rulebook (http://holonet.terrandesigns.com/showthread.php?threadid=1527)
Posted by Armage Bedar on 23 November 2000 09:03 AM
This will eventually get up onto IMS, but I've been having trouble with my backend. For the moment it will reside in here. Enjoy, and constructive comments are appreciated...
Title: Star Wars Roleplaying Game: Core Rulebook
Authors: Bill Slavicsek, Andy Colins, and JD Wiker
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Released: 22 Nov 2000
Cost: $34.95 (US)
Pages: 320
DISCLAIMER: No review can be completely objective - it's simply impossible. However, I will try and come as close as I can to being objective even though there are some parts of the new system I disagree with. With that said, if you flame me about it, I'll either ignore you or flame you back. If, on the other hand, I've made a mistake, tell me why and I'll do my best to fix it. With that said, let's move on...
After WEG dropped the SW license in 1998 because of their financial troubles, the official future of the SW-RPG was in doubt. No one knew what LFL had planned for the game, but we knew that Star Wars itself wouldn't die: the new movie was due out in a year. When it was released, it was like an jumpstart for the community - stats, adventures, and articles about the new movie were being released in droves. Those who remember this reviewer's work are quite aware of just how much material was being put out, not by any official source, but by the fans. Many, though, still wanted official material from someone.
So, in December 1999, when the news that Wizards of the Coast (makers of assorted CCGs and buyer of TSR) would acquire the rights to produce the new RPG, there was both a simultaneous outpouring of joy and anger. Nearly everyone was happy that new material would be released, but many of those people were disgusted that WotC would produce it. Some thought that they were only after the money; that quality would be poor; that it would be "D&D in space". When 2000 rolled around, there was a definite schism in the community.
During playtesting, in which this reviewer took part, many of these views held out. "Why do we need saving throws? They're just needless bookkeeping." "What is UP with these space combat rules?" "WotC is using their sacred cow [D20] to run all of their products." Still, there was optimism about the end result coming in November, especially since WotC was getting input from both D6ers and D20ers.
The book was just released on Wednesday, 22 November. Did it live up to expectations? Find out below...
When you first view the book, the design just grabs you, pulls you in. This is no doubt thanks to Drew Struzan's wonderful cover image, stretching from the front around to the back of the book. The back also has the era icons mandated by LFL down near the bottom. Cracking open the book we see a very TPM-esque futuristic graphic design to the pages, pictures, and quotes (though several of the photos are quite inexplicably blurry). It is definitely much flashier than the WEG books - but is that a good thing?
The mechanics are going to be something you either like or you don't. It depends on one's gaming style. This reviewer does not like the mechanics much, and there are others who feel the same way about D6. Because of that, whether the mechanics are "good" or not will remain something of reader choice. One thing that must be mentioned, though, is classes. Again, some (including this reviewer) believe that classes are too restrictive for the SWU as we know it, that character creation and design should be free to expand in any direction without limits. Others think that a semi-rigid guide for creation and evolution, with provisions for expansion (multiclassing) and dedicated roles (prestige classes). Any argument for or against a position would be a waste of space in this review, so to each their own.
The book has many excellent points. First, as mentioned above, the graphics are very nice and appealing to the eyes. The list of D20 terms on pp. 8-9 is very helpful for new players to understand what is being discussed (and for D6ers to know that a skill check is the same thing as performing a skill roll). Chapter Six, the Heroic Characteristics section, is very comprehensive and talks a lot about what goes into a hero in SW. There is also a short discussion of currency in the SWU on p. 113 that is quite informative. Combat (Chapter Eight) seems fine, and as it is the forte of the D20 system this was to be expected. One extremely useful section is that on the Jedi Code by Master Odan-Urr (pp. 154-57) - any Jedi should find that useful. The photo montage on p. 225 is nice. This reviewer also found that the droids section (Chapter Fifteen) was informative, and that the Secrets of Coruscant adventure (Chapter Sixteen) was nicely laid out and easy to understand and run. The prefabricated characters starting on p. 261 are very handy for quick adventures.
However, there is a dark side (pun intended) to the positive points above. One of the biggest is the lack of even a mention of the New Republic era, save in passing or in character descriptions. This is inexcusable, regardless of any conspiracy theories concerning Bantam, Del Rey, or WotC. WEG's rulebooks tried to remain time-neutral, which is what WotC should have done regardless of the interest in TPM. The layout is inexcusably poor - why aren't Prestige Classes in with the other classes? Why isn't starship combat in with the rest of the combat section? Why aren't all the stats in one location for easier reference? One other thing is the use of large quotes throughout the book. These are wholly useless, and their removal could have allowed another several pages to be put in about conversion, droid PCs, or other areas that needed improvement. The character sheet in the back is presentable, but very hard to photocopy without breaking the spine of the book.
Some skills and feats are not written very well. The Enhance Ability power (p. 85) seems to be restricted to DEX and STR arbitrarily. The Pilot skill is much too broad: little Anakin can pilot anything from a starfighter to an F-15 to a Star Destroyer to a hovertank, as well as a podracer - all with equal ability, and no apparent training. Also, we have feats for starship piloting, but what about piloting vehicles?
Oftentimes the mechanics (or lack of some, believe it or not) get in the way of gameplay. No explanation is given for why ranged weapons can't be used against someone/thing standing next to a player, just that "you can't" (p. 135). What happens to FPs received by NFS characters after they have five? Do they evaporate into thin air? That possibility apparently wasn't considered. The number of tables in this book is staggering - it seems as if there is a table for anything that occurs in the game. During combat, the amount of page flipping for table viewing is incredible. This should be rectified with the release of the GM Screen. Why are there no small bonuses like Character Points available for the system? Can one use 100 XPs to serve as a +1 or +2 bonus on skill/ability checks?
There are also some minor character problems. Jar Jar has a DEX of 16, yet we know perfectly well that he was exiled for being clumsy. Anakin has the Weapon Group Proficiency (blaster pistols), yet he has been a slave all of his life with no experience in blasters. The Rodian language is not called "Rodese" - it's "Rodian" (see p. 54 of Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina). Automatic languages are a problem for some species - why would Ithorians, Cereans, and Wookiees automatically know Basic? Shouldn't Qui-Gon have multiclassed as a Consular and Guardian? He seems like he should be a level 4 Consular, level 11 Guardian. Palpatine and Sidious have been separated for some odd reason, even though it has been stated officially that Sidious is indeed Palpatine. They should have combined the two - but then they would have exposed the flaw in the class system. Palpatine runs the gamut of personality types. Is he a Scoundrel? Is he a Noble? Is he a [Sith] Guardian? Is he a Professional? Because of that, Palpatine has no Force-related skills or feats. The Yuuzhan Vong should have clarification that they are not just immune to the Force, but rather totally vacant to it. Also, if this reviewer remembers correctly, Luke is Jacen's Master, not Anakin's, as was stated on p. 243. The Noghri apparently do not have the Martial Artist feat. Stormtroopers are Thugs as opposed to Soldiers, but the description for Thugs on p. 274 seems to be the antithesis of stormtroopers. There are no rules for playing droid characters, though the idea is presented. It really should have been fleshed out more.
The universe can be somewhat ill-defined in the book. Most glaring in terms of format is the way the stats are laid out. Had someone simply pressed "Return" before each bold portion it would have been fine - but it would also have looked remarkably like WEG's layout (which was quite easy to read). "Spice" is mentioned as being 1,000 credits/kg on p. 114 - but which spice? We have glitterstim, andris, carsunum, and ryll. If the spice mentioned is glitterstim, then impression that we usually get from the SWU is that the cost for a vial (around 3-4 grams) of glitterstim would be 1,000 credits. There are two pilots, a gunner, and two commanders for an AT-AT, though the impression we get from the movies are that there is one commander, a pilot, and a co-pilot/gunner. There is no mention of the remote links of battle droids and destroyer droids in the stats of the two as far as game mechanics go. What happened to nav computers and astromechs on starfighters? The N-1 has an astromech, but the X-wing mysteriously doesn't (even though the many shots of Luke's X-wing include Artoo sitting in his little socket). This reviewer actually laughed out loud when he read p. 244 about villips - they can apparently squeeze through microscopic holes in a ship's hull to record what is happening inside. The picture of the Bothan on p. 248 doesn't resemble what we've seen of the Bothans - Mike Vilardi's picture of Borsk Fey'lya in the Thrawn Trilogy Sourcebook doesn't look quite so horselike. Mara Jade Skywalker's [former] ship is called the Jade Sabre, NOT Jade's Sabre as written on p. 245.
The methodology of the Force and Jedi leaves much to be desired. It seems that a Jedi Knight or Padawan Learner can simply advance as they feel necessary without a teacher. The only thing they need to use as a benchmark is the level system. This is VERY flawed for roleplaying Jedi characters, and must now be corrected using house rules. The fact that the Jedi Consular and Jedi Guardian classes aren't combined is simply WotC's artificial viewpoint that the two should be different, when in fact Jedi must be prepared to do both equally well at all times. That is getting into classes, however. Force Push and Move Object should really be combined, as telekinesis is a power that should be interpreted by the player.
Relative abstraction for space combat is unworkable. There is nothing differentiating the sizes and powers of craft, which really messes up things when an X-wing shoots at an ISD. The entire thing seems like a gimmick to require the use of the special "Starship Ranges Diagram." What happens when multiple ships have multiple battles, as will occur during a multi-pronged dogfight? There are several problems with things like turning and reversing direction (why wouldn't this shake a pursuer?), range increases, etc. Speed ratings are too arbitrary - D6ers have had a penchant for hard numbers.
Well, there you have it. I believe that what you just read is the most comprehensive, matter-of-fact criticism of the new Core Rulebook by WotC. Some may think it was incredibly nitpicking. To them I say this: SW fans are some of the most critical and quality-demanding fans of any fictional universe on the planet. Fact-checking and error correction is something that should have been foremost in the designers' minds.
On the whole, the book was disappointing. Some things from playtesting were definitely taken into account, but other things haven't changed a bit. WotC has a standard set by West End Games that they must live up to. So far, however, they've failed to live up to it, preferring instead to keep using their "one size fits all" D20 system. That won't work, no matter how hard they may try. The mechanics won't allow it.
As far as content goes, what new material we see is either already known or in error. I can understand WotC's time limits for publishing (which is why the NJO timeframe only goes to the end of Dark Tide), but other errors are inexcusable. Hopefully they will release an errata within the next few months to correct some of the mistakes made.
In short, WotC failed to set the bar for the new SW game. Too many things in D20, specifically classes and levels, are kept in because WotC wanted to use their newly developed D&D system for anything and everything they could find, regardless of whether it works or not. Other things, such as a gimmicky and flawed space combat system and a lack of important mechanics (multiple actions per round, Character Points, droid PCs, etc.) hinder the game as well. I hope that other game companies learn something from this, and I hope that WotC will improve upon this as much as possible before their next supplements and sourcebooks are released.
SCORE
Mechanics: 60/100 (Classes just won't work in SW - it would have been easier to remove them entirely. Space combat half-works. Other combat is fine.)
Content: 75/100 (Skipping the NR era entirely doesn't help the rating, but the original art does.)
Layout: 50/100 (Remove the quotes and fix those stats!)
Fun Factor: 70/100 (It's Star Wars - they have that much going for them.)
Final Rating (not an average): 70/100 (A good try, but some fatal flaws make the game seem unfinished and poorly done.)
[Edited by Armage Bedar on 23 November 2000 at 12:28 PM]
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- Armage Bedar
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Imperial Military Spaceworks
Posted by Deck on 23 November 2000 12:23 PM
An extensive and great review. It really helped me, and now I know what I'm going to buy when it finally arrives Europe. Thanks for the information about the book! 
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Posted by Armage Bedar on 23 November 2000 12:30 PM
BTW, I really urge everyone to buy it. I know that sounds weird, but the game is definitely workable and will be made more flexible when some house rules are released. The "one die plus modifiers" for skill rolls is a really good idea, but it just needs to be adapted for SW.
In short, buy the book, then wait for some extra additions to the system. Alternatively, buy the Adventure Game and get a feel for the system first.
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- Armage Bedar
The STATS Man
Administrator, SW-RPG HoloNet Discussion Forums
Imperial Military Spaceworks
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