[FFG Star Wars RPG] What do you think about it?

[finarvyn]

Perhaps heresy, as this thread isn't about the WEG version (which is still the best, by the way) but instead is about the new-ish FFG Star Wars RPG. I'm curious about what folks think about the game.

THOUGHT #1 -- THE RULES

For me, I found that I like FFG Star Wars when I play with the starter boxed sets but lose interest when I try to look at the hardback books. I find that character generation seems pretty complex and you have to follow a tree-branch approach to figure out skills and I've not been interested enough so far to follow through the rules.

On the other hand, each starter set has a couple of pregen characters so I can mix and match the sets to have a decent stable of characters for players to pick from, and once we start with a pregen I can control advancement and slowly let characters grow. This keeps the rules simple and I've enjoyed the couple of games that I've run using this method.

THOUGHT #2 -- THE DICE

I disliked the dice a lot at first, but they grew on me. Of course, the dice system they use is the same one as found in Genesys (which has both a fantasy sourcebook and an "android" scifi sourcebook) so there are a lot of resources out there if a person wants to see the dice used in other settings.

What I found about the dice (eventually) is that the analogy of "reading tea leaves" gets me in the right state of mind, and the fact that my group likes to play in a cooperative mode helps a lot. Essentially, when something happens we roll the dice and gaze into the pile and eliminate dice that are neutral or cancel one another. Then either I suggest an outcome or my players offer suggestions. (That's where the cooperative part works well, as my players are willing to suggest bad outcomes as well as good ones.) The game suggests use of the "fail forward" philosophy where you succeed on a failure, but at a price where something bad has happened. That's kind of fun and I think it captures the Star Wars feel.

I thought that buying the special dice would be a big drawback, but I picked up a set or so and each starter set comes with some dice and so I just keep a jar of dice in the middle of the table and players just grab them as needed. Not as fun as having special polyhedral dice for my characters, as I do in D&D, but not a bad thing either.

OVERALL

Uncertain. I enjoyed playing the FFC version, but I like the WEG version as well as my OD&D homebrew. Maybe just having jedi and stormtroopers is so cool that the actual rules don't matter? Dunno. Feel free to discuss. 

[boot]

To be honest, I know very little about the game. The proprietary dice turns me off, and the game is expensive. I don't like that there are different core rulebooks, either. That seems like a money grab to me. Why not have one core rulebook and then have supplements for specific types of play, like most games.

Plus, I love...LOVE...1E Core WEG Star Wars. I think it's one of the best games ever written. The fluff is amazing, and WEG did such an incredible job filling out the Star Wars universe that the WEG material still has an effect on the official universe today. Think about that. An RPG that has been defunct for many, many years has influenced a ton of stuff that is canon. Not too many RPGs have that distinction. WEG's work on the game is top notch amazing.

Second, I think the D6 system, which I believe was first created for Star Wars before the system went to generic or to Indiana Jones, is one of the best marriages between source material (the original trilogy of films) and a roleplaying game. The rules are energized with the feeling of the films (I think that is less so once you get past 1E, though).

Third, I own just about the entire game. I'm missing a couple of odd items, but I have the old school books for everything that important in this game.

So...there's not a lot driving me to check out FEG's game, especially when my first impression is so bad. And, to be fair, I didn't check out the d20/SAGA version of the game, either. I'm sure both are fine games, but they both seem like a step down from what I already have.



I do like this thread, though. I am interested to learn more about FEG's game. So....keep posting, Marv!

[boot]

Apr 27, 2019 17:06:58 GMT -6 finarvyn said:

THOUGHT #2 -- THE DICE

What I found about the dice (eventually) is that the analogy of "reading tea leaves" gets me in the right state of mind, and the fact that my group likes to play in a cooperative mode helps a lot. Essentially, when something happens we roll the dice and gaze into the pile and eliminate dice that are neutral or cancel one another. Then either I suggest an outcome or my players offer suggestions. (That's where the cooperative part works well, as my players are willing to suggest bad outcomes as well as good ones.)

Another thing that turns me off on the game is that it seems (again, I haven't played it or even read the rulebook) to focus on dice more than it does roleplaying. I really dislike that. I prefer games where the target number can be hidden. I want my players to roll a die (dice) and then forget about it because they are living in their character's shoes. To learn if the task was successful or not, they have to listen to my roleplayed description of what they see, hear, feel, touch, smell. I don't say, "You made it," or, "you rolled a success." I always describe the moment.

This is hard to do when players know the target number (do they know the target number in FFG?) and/or they are focused on dice, figuring out what symbols mean.

I've heard it said that the FFG system lends itself to roleplaying, but I don't believe it. Not like rolling a d20 and waiting for the Dungeon Master to describe if you it or not, which he will do by saying, "With both hands, you grip your sword, swinging from your shoulder--all your weight into the swing. But, the goblin is too fast! He darts to left--the green bastard is much more quick than you had thought. With a thud, your blade bites into the ground, leaving a divot. And, the goblin screams--an inhuman war cry--dancing around two steps before raising his nail infested club high to swing at you..."

I think that's a hell of a lot better than figuring out what dice symbols means what. To me, one is roleplaying; the other is playing a game.


D6 can be played like d20.

I will say, though, with three target numbers usually used (5-10-15), it is easy for smart players to figure out what they need even if the target is hidden.



As for my players suggesting bad things to happen to the group because of a die roll: I've tried this in the past, and it doesn't work well for my group. My players just aren't wired that way. Sure, they'll come up with a problem, but it's usually something easy and not too creative--usually like a slip if a DEX check isn't made. You won't hear them say, "my blaster bolt went wild, blew out the fire suppression tank, which made the lights flutter and go out," if adventuring in the dark was not their primary goal to begin with.

So, that doesn't appeal to me either.

[Zulgyan]

I have played as a player this version of the game. I did not like it so much.

First, character creation was too complex; way more than what you need to portray a character that feels like one from the SW universe. In fact character creation was SO complex, that we used a software program called "Oggdude Char Gen" to make our PCs.

So this aspect of the game came off to me as too much "mechanical character building", better suited for more hardcore rpg GAMERS, where gaming the system is an important aspect of its enjoyment. But what I love from SWd6, is that you can invite more casual players o complete rpg newbies that are fans of the movies, and they pick up the game right away. And the characters feel very starwarsy. So all that complexity from the FFG game is really not doing that much.

With regards to the dice, I find them cool and a nice break from other rpgs. But in the end the resolution system of the game became kind of repetitive and boring to me, in a way somehow rolling a bunch of d6s does not.

I don't know if this was a fault of the GM of that particular campaign, but I felt the game was too easy on us, and offered not much of a challenge. This is why I don't like the "fail foward" philosophy in rpgs. IMO rpgs become exciting and give you an adrenalin rush when you can definately FAIL.

The game this GM ran for us was way too easy, and I like harder, more challenging and dangerous games.

[bestialwarlust]

I've also never played but for me I don't like the dice. They did that when they had Warhammer and I never bought or liked that version. I want an rpg not a board game/rpg hybrid which is what Warhammer felt like. Even though I didn't like saga but at least I could use the supplement books in a D6t game with minimal fuss. I don't get that feeling with FFG. Seeing above that character creation seems overly involved would keep me even further away. Now that said if I knew someone that was going to run a trial game I'd be willing to try it out and see how it is in play.

[bestialwarlust]

Apr 27, 2019 17:06:58 GMT -6 finarvyn said:

Perhaps heresy, as this thread isn't about the WEG version

Almost forgot


BURN THE HERETIC!!!!!!!!!

[Zulgyan]

Even though the FFG game might not be as good at WEG's d6 (it is still a good game though, I would play it with a good group of players and a cool DM), I can say I love the presentation of the books and the art. To me, the FFG books are gorgeous.

But, as relics of the 90s, the WEG books are beautiful to me.