The Inside Scoop on Gaming

"Stock Ships" is a 64-page supplement for THE STAR WARS ROLEPLAYING GAME designed using one of West End Games' two formats for the game. Since the emergence of the revised second edition (which is a wonder to behold) and the boxed adventure game (which I have yet to behold), WEG has taken two distinct approaches to their supplements: the full-color, almost-too-good-to-be-true style, and the style which includes perforated and detachable cards to toss around during play. "Stock Ships" comes with 16 of these cards, with one "Stock Ship" per card (plus a fun make-believe captain's license). The rest of the book follows a regular, useful format.

Each of the 15 vessels described get a single illustration, a full-page map (sometimes more), a brief description of the unmodified vessel (usually the history of the class or intended use of the ship), and complete game statistics. In addition, there's an example of a specific vessel of each type, complete with stats, history and secret or unique tidbits. For the most part, it's a solid, straightforward approach to the subject. The book is easy to navigate, comfortable to read (especially if you have a short attention span, like me), and has enough information to last several regular campaigns.

But there has to be a dark side to this book, doesn't there?

It seems as though whenever the book is about to start cruising along at a good speed, some superficial system shorts out. A bit fitting for the topic, sure, but somewhat disappointing as well. The starship illustrations range from attractive (the Kazellis Light Freighter) to startlingly cartoonish (the Corellian XS800). Some floorplans are detailed, believable environments. Some are obtuse collections of gray space and irregular lines. The cards in the back of the book are good ideas, and add a good measure of "gameliness" to the product, but they're printed incorrectly (such that a ship's information and illustration do not match). During the first game session I brought the book to, the binding began to degrade.

The dark side is, as Yoda said, easier and quicker.

The book is still of good use to most STAR WARS gaming groups, though. For several sessions the GM may not have to worry at all about what the characters book passage on, or the ship their bounty hunter opponent escapes in. The craft are an appropriate mix of scout craft and leisure ships, with a solid slant towards freighters. While some appear (to my knowledge) in this book for the first time, others visit from such sources as "The Star Wars Adventure Journal" (HT-2200, one of my favorites) and "Shadows of the Empire" (Dash Rendar's endorsed YT-2400). At $15, the price is a bit hefty for the book's size but not for its worth. As usual, I recommend chipping in for it.

In the end, if a variety of stock ships could help move your game along, then I suspect "Stock Ships" is what you're looking for.

Style: 2 (Needs Work)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Stock Ships
Author: Pabo Hidalgo, Steve Miller, Timothy S. O'Brien, Paul Sudlow, and Eric S. Trautmann Category: game Company/Publisher: West End Games Cost: $15 Page count: 64 ISBN: 0-87431-509-3 Playtest Review by Wil Hindmarch on 05/05/98. Genre tags: none	"Stock Ships" is a 64-page supplement for THE STAR WARS ROLEPLAYING GAME designed using one of West End Games' two formats for the game. Since the emergence of the revised second edition (which is a wonder to behold) and the boxed adventure game (which I have yet to behold), WEG has taken two distinct approaches to their supplements: the full-color, almost-too-good-to-be-true style, and the style which includes perforated and detachable cards to toss around during play. "Stock Ships" comes with 16 of these cards, with one "Stock Ship" per card (plus a fun make-believe captain's license). The rest of the book follows a regular, useful format. Each of the 15 vessels described get a single illustration, a full-page map (sometimes more), a brief description of the unmodified vessel (usually the history of the class or intended use of the ship), and complete game statistics. In addition, there's an example of a specific vessel of each type, complete with stats, history and secret or unique tidbits. For the most part, it's a solid, straightforward approach to the subject. The book is easy to navigate, comfortable to read (especially if you have a short attention span, like me), and has enough information to last several regular campaigns. But there has to be a dark side to this book, doesn't there? It seems as though whenever the book is about to start cruising along at a good speed, some superficial system shorts out. A bit fitting for the topic, sure, but somewhat disappointing as well. The starship illustrations range from attractive (the Kazellis Light Freighter) to startlingly cartoonish (the Corellian XS800). Some floorplans are detailed, believable environments. Some are obtuse collections of gray space and irregular lines. The cards in the back of the book are good ideas, and add a good measure of "gameliness" to the product, but they're printed incorrectly (such that a ship's information and illustration do not match). During the first game session I brought the book to, the binding began to degrade. The dark side is, as Yoda said, easier and quicker. The book is still of good use to most STAR WARS gaming groups, though. For several sessions the GM may not have to worry at all about what the characters book passage on, or the ship their bounty hunter opponent escapes in. The craft are an appropriate mix of scout craft and leisure ships, with a solid slant towards freighters. While some appear (to my knowledge) in this book for the first time, others visit from such sources as "The Star Wars Adventure Journal" (HT-2200, one of my favorites) and "Shadows of the Empire" (Dash Rendar's endorsed YT-2400). At $15, the price is a bit hefty for the book's size but not for its worth. As usual, I recommend chipping in for it. In the end, if a variety of stock ships could help move your game along, then I suspect "Stock Ships" is what you're looking for. Style: 2 (Needs Work) Substance: 4 (Meaty)