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Given the popularity of Han Solo, it comes as no great surprise that many players want to play a smuggler character in a Star Wars game. But, how can a player make a unique character instead of the generic happy-go-lucky pilot with a Wookie sidekick? Well, "Platt's Smugglers Guide" is a great place to start.

Instead of being a sourcebook crammed with nifty items, this book actually helps flesh out the background and universe of a smuggler character. Starting with the character's background, the book offers good examples of what the character did before becoming a smuggler. While experienced players may ignore this section, beginners and those looking for fresh ideas will appreciate it.

The next two chapters give discussion to starships and other tools of the trade. The chapter on starships is particularly good since it also provides background on the Empire's means of controlling spacers.

After that comes two chapters discussing allies and rivals that a smuggler must deal with. Well written, these two parts help flesh out a character by adding personal interactions with NPCs. Not every fence or starport official is a faceless clone; this section helps add color and individuality to them.

Character templates and color cards round out the book, their usefulness will vary according to need.

This is a solid book which will provide a lot of use to those players looking to start a smuggler character.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Platt's Smugglers Guide
Author: Peter Schweighofer Category: game Company/Publisher: West End Games Cost: $18.00 Page count: 86 ISBN: 0-87431-508-5 Capsule Review by Tomas J Skucas on 03/21/98. Genre tags: none	Given the popularity of Han Solo, it comes as no great surprise that many players want to play a smuggler character in a Star Wars game. But, how can a player make a unique character instead of the generic happy-go-lucky pilot with a Wookie sidekick? Well, "Platt's Smugglers Guide" is a great place to start. Instead of being a sourcebook crammed with nifty items, this book actually helps flesh out the background and universe of a smuggler character. Starting with the character's background, the book offers good examples of what the character did before becoming a smuggler. While experienced players may ignore this section, beginners and those looking for fresh ideas will appreciate it. The next two chapters give discussion to starships and other tools of the trade. The chapter on starships is particularly good since it also provides background on the Empire's means of controlling spacers. After that comes two chapters discussing allies and rivals that a smuggler must deal with. Well written, these two parts help flesh out a character by adding personal interactions with NPCs. Not every fence or starport official is a faceless clone; this section helps add color and individuality to them. Character templates and color cards round out the book, their usefulness will vary according to need. This is a solid book which will provide a lot of use to those players looking to start a smuggler character. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty)