The Inside Scoop on Gaming

I shuddered as I shelled out $30 for Star Wars second edition revised rulebook. That money could have put two new supplements on my shelves. After picking over it more critically than I'd ever looked at a book, I came to the conclusion that it was almost perfect. No, really! Sure, I'd had the first two editions, and I thought they were quite playable. They weren't very colorful, however, and they came across as somewhat uninspirational; they didn't stay long on my shelves before I gave them to a friend. In contrast, not once did I ever consider even loaning this third rulebook to anyone. Each glossy page begged for attention.

First off, dice pools irk me somehow. The results feel less than precise, and there's something grating about each player tossing a handful of dice to get a result. That prejudice aside, the D6 system of Star Wars works. It's simple, understandable, and most importantly of all, easy to learn. This system is a dozen hyperspace leaps away from archaic THAC0s and Armor Classes. After a single session, a new player will have the system down.

The background material in the book was a bit scarce. Sure there were stats for the fighters and blasters, but there was no description of Dantooine or explanation of the Clone Wars. For most games that would be damning. In this one, the movies set the scenes better than a dozen sourcebooks. There aren't stats for creating Iotran scouts, but the basic guidelines are there and well written. Everything a GM could need makes an appearance in this book.

A small adventure was included. While not a masterpiece of creativity and mind-grabbing NPCs, it was quite usable for new or unprepared GMs. The guidelines for creating adventures are not new, but for a beginning GM they are important to hear.

Since there's been a bit too much gushing up to this point, it's time to hit the low points. One thing bothered me from the moment I picked up the book: the cover is not very good. The gray ship blasting its way through the fighters and white-speckled blackness of space looks unfocused and cluttered. In contrast, the rest of the art in this book was several steps above that found in nearly every other role-playing book. Another point worth mentioning is the lack of savvy subtext that long-time gamers enjoy in games like Pandemonium and WEG's Bloodshadows. Still, the writing style is up front and unlikely to offend or raise eyebrows. In fact, it's the book to display when confronted with a "role-playing is Satan's tool" rant.

This is the ideal game to give to someone whom one is trying to bring into role-playing. The setting is instantly familiar, and in that, comforting to someone learning a totally new game. The presentation is professionally done and well organized. The rules are clear and understandable. This should be every new player's first RPG book.

Style: 5 (Excellent!)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Star Wars Second Edition Revised and Expanded
Author: Bill Smith, Peter Schweighofer, George Strayton, Paul Sudlow, Eric Trautmann, and Category: game Company/Publisher: West End Games Cost: $30.00 Page count: 288 ISBN: ISBN 0-87431-268-X Capsule Review by C.H. Gallant on 03/02/98. Genre tags: none	I shuddered as I shelled out $30 for Star Wars second edition revised rulebook. That money could have put two new supplements on my shelves. After picking over it more critically than I'd ever looked at a book, I came to the conclusion that it was almost perfect. No, really! Sure, I'd had the first two editions, and I thought they were quite playable. They weren't very colorful, however, and they came across as somewhat uninspirational; they didn't stay long on my shelves before I gave them to a friend. In contrast, not once did I ever consider even loaning this third rulebook to anyone. Each glossy page begged for attention. First off, dice pools irk me somehow. The results feel less than precise, and there's something grating about each player tossing a handful of dice to get a result. That prejudice aside, the D6 system of Star Wars works. It's simple, understandable, and most importantly of all, easy to learn. This system is a dozen hyperspace leaps away from archaic THAC0s and Armor Classes. After a single session, a new player will have the system down. The background material in the book was a bit scarce. Sure there were stats for the fighters and blasters, but there was no description of Dantooine or explanation of the Clone Wars. For most games that would be damning. In this one, the movies set the scenes better than a dozen sourcebooks. There aren't stats for creating Iotran scouts, but the basic guidelines are there and well written. Everything a GM could need makes an appearance in this book. A small adventure was included. While not a masterpiece of creativity and mind-grabbing NPCs, it was quite usable for new or unprepared GMs. The guidelines for creating adventures are not new, but for a beginning GM they are important to hear. Since there's been a bit too much gushing up to this point, it's time to hit the low points. One thing bothered me from the moment I picked up the book: the cover is not very good. The gray ship blasting its way through the fighters and white-speckled blackness of space looks unfocused and cluttered. In contrast, the rest of the art in this book was several steps above that found in nearly every other role-playing book. Another point worth mentioning is the lack of savvy subtext that long-time gamers enjoy in games like Pandemonium and WEG's Bloodshadows. Still, the writing style is up front and unlikely to offend or raise eyebrows. In fact, it's the book to display when confronted with a "role-playing is Satan's tool" rant. This is the ideal game to give to someone whom one is trying to bring into role-playing. The setting is instantly familiar, and in that, comforting to someone learning a totally new game. The presentation is professionally done and well organized. The rules are clear and understandable. This should be every new player's first RPG book. Style: 5 (Excellent!) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Star Wars Second Edition Revised and Expanded