If you owned the Star Wars gaming license...

[RoloGutwein]

A hypothetical question (probably), but say you were 'independently wealthy' and could manage to acquire the license to produce Star Wars RPG gaming products. First of all, would you do so? Second of all, where would you go from there? Would you 'reboot' the whole game? Pick up where WEG left off? What products would you be most excited about making? What formats would your products follow?

And yes, this is something I think about every time I play the lottery (like I'm going to today). But I'm curious what you folks would do if you had the option.

[Flagwaver]

I would definitely purchase it.

As for the direction I would take... Well, I would do like I am currently doing. I am rewriting the D6 variant of the game. For the most part, I am combining the Saga Edition with the D6 in as seamless a way as possible, as well as cleaning up the rules a little.

First, I am removing the template system. I have always felt that the template system was a little homogeneous. There was really no way to separate one character from another after about 12D worth of skills were put into it. So, instead, I am using a Background system. There are 5 backgrounds (6 if you include droids) that each character can begin as. The backgrounds are identical to the classes of the SWSE.

Second, I am making species selection part of the character building process. How difficult it is with the template system to select a new species with 11D of attribute dice when the template is human? Instead, you select the species with the background. Also, I am going through the current species list and updating some of the special abilities and such.

Third, I am including a Focus system with each background. At character creation, you select one focus and one ability from that focus. As you progress, you can purchase new abilities and even new focus' from your background. The focus lists are identical to the class talent trees from the SWSE. In addition, Force sensitive characters can use the Force Focus lists in addition to their background focus.

Fourth, I am including a profession system. Professions mirror the Prestige Classes from SWSE, with a few twists. Each profession has certain prerequisites that must be met (primarily skill and attribute prereqs). You have to purchase a profession (like the focus) and purchase the individual abilities within it.

Fifth, I am reworking the Force system to make it a little more user-friendly. Rather than three separate Force skills, you will have only the Force attribute (treated as an attribute for character advancement purposes). It is rolled for the activation of powers and is used for certain abilities. Force powers are being rewritten to include some of the screen-used abilities as well as others. Also, a character cannot use the Force a great deal without penalty: every time a character uses the Force in an encounter, they take a cumulative -1D to Force rolls.

Sixth, I am reworking some of the skills to make them a little more user-friendly. Melee parry and melee combat are being combined into melee weapons; brawling parry and brawling are being combined into unarmed combat; blasters is being separated into blaster pistols, blaster rifles, and heavy blasters (archaic guns and firearms are being changed too); blaster artillery is being moved to Mechanical; jet pack and rocket pack operation operation are being combined into jet pack operation; powered armor is being changed to armor for the use of all armors as a reaction; and dodge is being re-worded to provide only half the effect in melee. There are other minor changes, but those are the biggest.

Seventh, I am changing the Wound system to something a little more user-friendly. I didn't like that a good player in my game was taken out with a single stormtrooper blast... So, I am making each of the five wound levels have a number of points equal to the Strength dice (3D+2 means you have 3 points in each wound level or 15 wound points until death).

Eighth, I am changing the traditional square grid for movement and such into a hexagon grid. I have always found it more accurate than using the standard square D&D-style grid system.

There are numerous other minor things that I am tweaking, but these are the biggest ones. I would also be releasing sourcebooks to deal with the major ideas that the industry has had. Original Trilogy Sourcebook, Prequel Trilogy Sourcebook, The Clone Wars Sourcebook, Thrawn Trilogy, Shadows of the Empire, Legacy, NJO, Young Jedi Knights, etc.

Formatting is a different idea based on the WEG variants mixed with the WOTC variants. Each book would be split into four parts with chapters covering each of the major ideas.

Part one is the player section and would include things that the player has to know. It is focused mainly on character building and advancement. New backgrounds and focus/abilities, new advantages/disadvantages, new attributes/skills and how to use them in new ways, and new character building details and such.

Part two is the rules section and is great for both players and gamemasters to use. It includes all of the actual mechanics for running a game. How to roll, when to roll, what you can do, what various abilities mean, and all that fun stuff. It is pretty typical for the SWD6, but includes just the bare-bones mechanics.

Part three is the gamemaster section and goes into the why's and how's. It includes the difficulties and numbers for the past two sections, as well as how to implement certain ideas and planning adventures. This part is only necessary for the gamemaster to learn, as the normal player won't need to really know it.

Part four includes the galaxy information. The Force abilities/focus, professions, gamemaster characters, species, creatures, weapons/equipment, droids, vehicles, starships, and systems. This would be almost identical to the normal SWD6 variant. Though, it would include some minor tweaks. The gamemaster characters section would include hero characters, for instance.

And yes, I have given this some thought.

[Kalzazz]

If I am that wealthy then I would restart from where WEG left off but make a bunch of optional house rules, and also I would try to get GURPS sourcebooks for it made as well and go with dual stats for everything

The only thing I would really definitely absolutely change is I would have a new Martial Arts system made, and assign a price to everything (not available for sale as price will cease to exist)

I would also sell licenses to produce more Star Wars rulebooks, with rules as to how if I liked them enough could be purchased by the company, and freely allow fan statting with the caveat that fan statted things can be purchased by me and may also be made available for free with proper credit given

[Rosencrantz]

If I had the license I'd relaunch without being particular beholden to the ideas presented in WEG books of the past. (Nothing wrong with the ones I read, I just wouldn't want to worry about them too much.)

I would start by trying to support the stuff seen on screen and advance into the expanded universe material at a later time. I don't think I'd head the way of too many supplements too quickly. I'd do a core book and a player's companion, both covering all eras of play, but focusing only on episodes I - VI. Yes, I couldn't possibly cram every alien, every droid, every planet, every spaceship, etc. into those two books. That's what those eventual supplements would cover. (And expanded universe stuff too.) I'd be tempted to take the tack that Wizards of the Coast did with Player's Handbook II, III, etc. (Player's Companion II, III, etc., released on an annual basis.)

Everyone who grabs Star Wars seems to go book crazy, but I'm not certain that sales justify that. I'm not sure that the Star Wars license is really worth it these days. Yes, you can sell a lot of books, but you have to sell even more books in order to justify it.

I know that someone out there has picked up the license, so obviously someone with some cash disagrees with my assessment.

Then again, if I had the small fortune it would take to grab the license, I don't think I'd want the hassle of dealing with a licensed property.

[Whill]

And yes, this is something I think about every time I play the lottery.

Don't we all have this lottery fantasy?


A hypothetical question (probably), but say you were 'independently wealthy' and could manage to acquire the license to produce Star Wars RPG gaming products. First of all, would you do so?

Yes.


Second of all, where would you go from there?

I would retain the game design and playtesting services of Peter Schweighofer, Lee Torres, Grimace, Rerun, Chesire and others with lavish sums of money.


Would you 'reboot' the whole game?

Not the whole game, but perhaps a couple aspects of it.


Pick up where WEG left off?

I would take a few queues from Purgatory WEG but I wouldn't really consider it picking up where they left off.


What products would you be most excited about making?

Player Handbook Series
0 Solitaire Adventures
1 Core Rules Handbook (all rules for players and GMs absolutely needed to play game, including 40 PC templates)
2 Sentient Species Sourcebook (more aliens and alien templates)
3 Rogues & Heroes (Character Development, Swoop Gangs, Pirates & Privateers, Bounty Hunters, Scouts, more templates)
4 Mercs (including more templates)
5 Gamblers, Tramps & Smugglers (including more templates)
6 The Whills Sector Gazetteer (including more templates)
7 The Force Book (including more templates)
8 The Alliance Handbook (including more templates)

GM Series
The GM Guide w/ GM screen) (GM advice with adventure seeds, etc.)
The Whills Nebula Campaign (maybe this would actually come in a box set with PH6, meant for GMs to buy but to provide PH6 for player use)


What formats would your products follow?

Perhaps that should be saved for another post!

[cheshire]

Let's elaborate on this Force Book. I've gotten almost every Force Book I could get my hands on, whether d20 or D6 (almost means Tales of the Jedi, Power of the Jedi Sourcebook, The Dark Side Sourcebook, and Jedi Academy Training Manual. You'll note that the Jedi Academy Sourcebook is missing from that list, because I haven't found it at the right price: approximately $0.25 USD + free shipping and even then I'd have to think about it before bidding). None of them have ever done what I'd really like them to do. I'd love to see something spelled out as to how recruitment and training is done, broken down by era. Having a few sample adventure outlines would be great. I mean, I've read some of the novels in each of the eras, but nothing really gives me the sense of how the Jedi are doing their training aside from sending people out on missions to sort of learn on their own as they go. Having good fluff for the down time and a consistent outline as to what is happening on a daily basis at the Temple/Academy would really help create a good environment for the players.

So, yeah... a Force book would be very high on my priority list.

[Whill]

I think you are referring to my post. The Force Book is under my list of player handbooks...

Something that jumps out at me about most RPGs is the odd player-to-GM product ratio. Most gamers are players, not GMs. Why are almost all the products geared towards GMs, when most of the gamers are players? Doesn't see to be a very wise marketing strategy.

Also, I don't like how a lot of products are composite products, meaning they have sections for players and sections for GMs. That is too much temptations for some players to not read the GM sections. Also, why bog players down with GM stuff? Players should have books to buy, but they should not have to pay for GM sections they don't need in them.

I'm primarily a GM, but some of my favorite Star Wars books are feared towards players, like Platt's Smugglers Guide and Player's Guide to Tapani.

So these three ideas combined lead to my conception of those 9 player books. They're are all in the works and they will be made whether for licensed publication, or my own group's personal use only.

I still feel that there should be one core rule book that is the only thing required to play (PH#1 above). Most rules are for players and GMs alike. Yes, it is the GM who is ultimately responsible for knowing and applying the rules and determining difficulty numbers, but it behooves a player to know the system and how it works too. So the Core Rules book will be the only composite product, but still player-focused. It will not only have rules but a big universe section that doesn't delve too deeply into Imperial-only or Rebel-only technologies, so for the most part it will be info (and stats) for the general Star Wars universe, and mostly stuff that an in-universe citizen of the Star Wars galaxy might know. It will only have the bare bones GM-only stuff, no advice, no adventures. So the book is something that all players could own a copy of and not get spoiled on adventures the GM might run. And it would be good enough for an experienced GM to run the game, at least for short term playing.

The GM's Guide (w/ screen) would be where all the previous core book GM stuff is, and so this would be a must for new or inexperienced Star Wars GMs, and a good idea for all GMs to have anyway. Thus is where the GM advise and guidelines are, including adventure and campaign design, adventure seeds, hooks, synopses, perhaps one whole adventure, a campaign, etc. This stuff isn't absolutely needed for an experienced GM to run the game, and this stuff isn't needed at all in the main book for players to use.

So anyway, all the rest of the PHs, including the Force Book, would be player books like Heroes and Rogues, Platt's Smugglers Guide and Player's Guide to Tapani. So it wouldn't have Force adventures or campaigns. But I think it could have all the other stuff you mentioned, Cheshire. Since most PCs are not Force-users, I thought the Core Rule Book should not delve too deeply into the Force. It could have some basics with a few powers (going with the Force attribute and powers are skills idea), so the core book would be good enough to play some low-level Force-using characters, but then the Force Book would be the comprehensive Force handbook with many powers and a lot of good fluff.

[Flagwaver]

Whill, I both see and understand your idea. However, I believe in taking more of s simplistic attitude toward sourcebooks. In my D&D 3.5 experience, I have seen the terror that multiple separate books can provide. However, at the same time, I have seen the terror that a player owning a DM guide can be (i.e. barracks lawyer… I mean rules lawyer).

My idea with the multiple sections is actually for the convenience of both players and gamemasters. The player section is primarily for players and includes things that the players need to know. The rules section is for players and gamemasters alike as the rules benefit both. The gamemaster section includes the plot-centric and other tidbits necessary for the GM, but only basic ideas for games with perhaps a short game included for hutts-and-giggles. Finally, the stats for what you would find in the sourcebook.

I actually enjoy players being exposed to gamemaster information. Being the full-time gamemaster is fun, but if you were to leave who would take over? In my group, a person can request to run a game or assist with GMing (including game planning).

[Whill]

Whill, I both see and understand your idea. However, I believe in taking more of s simplistic attitude toward sourcebooks. In my D&D 3.5 experience, I have seen the terror that multiple separate books can provide.

I've also witnessed terrors for D&D (not just 3.5), but I don't see any terrors from multiple player handbooks in my D6 game that is pointedly not D&D or d20. Unlike with WOTC, most of my other books don't even add any rules (no feats in my game). You get more templates for those types of characters, and mostly a lot more fluff.

The core book is the only one you need. You can only have that and still play pirate, bounty hunter, scout, mercenary, gambler and smuggler characters without the other books. The core book presents 25 species playable as player characters, while the SSS adds more on top of that.

And the way I view it, my system is a significant simplification for players, but its not much more than a re-organization and editing of existing WEG materials (with a sprinkling of WOTC and other SW fluff edited in for good measure). I'm editing, filtering and re-presenting fluff and equipment from Prirates & Privateers, GG 8 and GG 10 into a player-oriented offering (including the removal of GM stuff), plus taking the character development chapter from Heroes and Rogues and making that into a player handbook like Patt's Smuggler Guide. I'm taking the SW Adventure Journal article on gambler/con artist characters and GG6, editing them into a player presentation and adding that to Platt's Smugglers Guide and Stock Ships for another players handbook. These additional books mostly just go into more detail than the core book.

If you wanna play a basic smuggler and just make a PC quick for a one-shot adventure, then you can just use the core book. If you want to really get into detail about the smuggler's profession and background for your PC you're making for a smuggler campaign, then you'll have a player handbook to help for that. It will be very simple for players who want to go into more detail in developing the character and knowing some more in-universe fluff appropriate for the PC's chosen profession (at least for certain iconic ones).

[TinMan]

Not to go into it too deeply but before I relaunched Star Wars D6 I would first meld together and streamline Fantasy, Adventure and Space into one big book available to buy in hardcover or payable download. Then after having it on the market for a year or 3 I would then Issue a Star Wars Suppliment for the Unified D6 Core Book and also a Stand alone 3rd edition Star Wars Core Book with any improvements learned over the year or 3 the Unified book was on the shelf.

I would also attempt to get the rights to all the old WEG Star Wars books if I didn't already have them and stream line and update them to a 3rd edition for release. The materials for SW eps 1 2 3 would come out in new books too.

[Bobmalooga]

If money was no object and I could get the rights, I would reprint all of the original books and put out new material covering the various bits of fiction, movies, animated series and what not. I'd talk to the fans and see which materials they'd like to see covered and work from there trying to get the information taken care of including source books for the Lando series as well as Splinter of the mind's eye...

[TinMan]

If money was no object and I could get the rights, I would reprint all of the original books and put out new material covering the various bits of fiction, movies, animated series and what not. I'd talk to the fans and see which materials they'd like to see covered and work from there trying to get the information taken care of including source books for the Lando series as well as Splinter of the mind's eye...

Yeah I forgot about the Lando stuff, that would be neat to get stats on especially his Driod guy that evolved. The animated series stuff would take a lot of work I'm guessing as it is still on going and packed with new NPC's and equipment but at least it could be something new that is coming out after every season of the show.

[Andrew]

I would focus on decoupling the world books from the game. One thing I've always like about Harnmaster/Harnworld is that Harnworld can be used by pretty much any other system. Granted the D6 system was the best suited for the game (IMO) but I could imagine playing with something like MiniSix, L5R, Rune, BRPS, or many other things. So I'd focus on build out neat ships, planets, plots, races, etc. in a consistent/coherent fashion suitable for a GM. I remember reading through the SW Adventure Journals and pretty much skipping every mechanic.

However, to make is "playable out of the box" D6 would be a fine system. But I try to make sure that none of the environment books would depend on the system being D6. I know this is probably blasphemy on this forum. ;)

[Whill]

So I'd focus on build out neat ships, planets, plots, races, etc. in a consistent/coherent fashion suitable for a GM. I remember reading through the SW Adventure Journals and pretty much skipping every mechanic.

However, to make is "playable out of the box" D6 would be a fine system. But I try to make sure that none of the environment books would depend on the system being D6. I know this is probably blasphemy on this forum. ;)

No, for the most part we're not like that here. I don't see that as blasphemy anyway.

But as you said, game mechanics can easily be skipped. I adapt all kinds of ships, planets, plots, and races from a variety of games with a variety of game systems. So I view divorcing source material from the game system of the original game to be fairly easy. For that reason I have a hard time seeing how any environment fluff absolutely depends on the game mechanics of the game it is written for anyway. I have many Star Wars d20 books on my shelf but I've never played the game once.