Star Wars Saga RPG Hacks, Part One (Abstract Combat)

[zakarntson]

I grabbed the new Star Wars Saga Edition. The presentation's great, and I really like the rules. I want to play this game, pronto. The good far outweighs the bad, but I'm not here to pile on kudos. Here's what I'm stuck on:

• The experience system gets a scant few pages, and you only get XP for overcoming "encounters." This means that the rewards

Comments

[kinra]

I'm eager to see your starting-with-ships option

[zakarntson]

I didn't know about the d20 Modern Wealth system! I've already written up a resources skill. I took a peek at the Wealth system, and I think I prefer my resources (I'd have to give both a whirl, though). My resources skill is almost entirely stolen from Burning Wheel.

The resources skill I've got is just another skill. The actions you can take with the resources skill are: Purchase, Overspend, Gift, Loan, Invest (trained only). You can take 10 but not 20. Bonuses and penalties (in +/-5 increments) represent treasure, debt, etc. A few extra notes for being a Noble, Jedi, etc.

As far as the starship starting option, it's nice to know West End handled it gracefully. It is definitely a campaign issue, and likely will be hashed out by the gaming group. Even so, it was fun to write up a pair of options.

[zakarntson]

Burning Wheel has a great Resources chapter with more rules than you'd need for a more pulpy Star Wars-style game. Good stuff, though.

As far as tracking goes, it's just remembering where your bonuses/penalties are in increments of 5. From my quick glance at the Wealth stat, it seems like you go up and down by in less intuitive increments, and can "spend" it in fine detail if you want. But I could be wrong.

Star Wars doesn't have skill ranks. Your skill is determined by 1/2 character level + ability bonus. +5 for being Trained (i.e., "buying" the skill), and a further +5 for the Skill Focus feat. This means that everyone has some resources, but you can be better at handling your money/favors/etc. by being trained.

As far as ranges, the ranges I listed are identical to those in the Star Wars Saga book. Good point, though. I may tweak it if I find I want to focus play in the direction you point out (i.e., encouraging movie-style play).

[zakarntson]

Sure! Star Wars Saga Edition. And this preview has links to other previews & info.

[zakarntson]

Well, the miniatures change is just the abstract rules above. Nothing fancy. You could still use miniatures to keep track of who's in Melee, Point Blank, etc. if needed.

And as for play preference, I agree with you. It's up to what the group wants. And if the group is in the mood for a credits-heavy game or a tactics-level fight, then by all means, bust out those minis!

As far as non bean-counting, Luke sells the speeder with a successful persuasion skill (I think that's what haggle falls under). It's enough to give him a +5 bonus while in Mos Eisley. Han has a -15 resources debt to Jabba. He's hungry for that +5 bonus, which Luke grudgingly gives. But Han still has that -10 debt hanging over his shoulders.

[kinra]

Oh sure thing, mechanically. On the other hand, follow a movie like Layer Cake or Gridlock'd and you can sort of get a feeling for owing every last cent. It can be wonderful to have that sort of tension play out for real; I'm convinced of the fact that this mechanic is the sole reason Monopoly has been a bestseller for almost a century. I find that sort of thing fascinating, from time to time.