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Star Wars Roleplaying Game Saga Edition Revised Core Rulebook (hereinafter “SW Saga”) provides extensive revisions to both the d20 system and previous editions of Star Wars d20, largely focusing on simplifying the game system while creating more player options. Selectable traits instead of class features, no skill points, saving throws turned into simpler Defenses, and other changes (many of which are designed to integrate the Star Wars Miniatures rules into the RPG) make this the most streamlined of all the d20 incarnations yet.
The Good: By replacing class features with Traits character classes are more customizable than ever before. Many of the revisions are fun and exciting, removing excess bookkeeping and leading to more dramatic play. The core d20 system is familiar to many gamers and the revisions are easily learned. Starship and vehicle rules are easily integrated into the existing character rules.
The Bad: By striving to mechanically represent all of the Star Wars mythos – the movies, comics, video games, and past RPGs – some readers may be unhappy with how far the character capabilities differ from what’s seen in the movies. Those who dislike d20 will find that many features – Attacks of Opportunity, classes, etc. – are still present. Many features showcase poor game balance, resulting in significant bonuses for selecting certain races and features. The book is very sparse in some areas, offering only the bare minimum for play. R2 droids are stated, but no R5s. The Imperial Star Destroyer and Corellian Corvette are provided, but no other capital ships are. Movie characters are level 10-20, and some players may balk at how high level characters must be to be Jedi Knights and such.
The Physical Thing
This 288 page full color hardcover showcases average production values for its $39.99 price tag and offers less content than other similarly priced RPGs on the market. At a coffee table sized 9x9 and with significant white space to make the book more attractive this product doesn’t come close to offering the content of the 384 page full color hardcover of just 5 years ago.Nevertheless, there are few editing mistakes and the formatting is excellent. Tables are presented in all the appropriate areas to easily illustrate concepts. The text and rules are clearly written, often repeated to avoid confusion.
The artwork is good, though a significant amount of it is reused from the previous Star Wars d20 RPG. Every chapter starts with a picture of a planet, mixed in with a confused collage of characters and scenes generally unrelated to the topic, but the list of planets has no pictures. Nothing but white space and text for pages, and it does nothing to inspire me or put me in the mood for Star Wars. Use of smaller images or some sort of border artwork to break up the stark black and white throughout the book would have been welcome.
Under the Cover
My background on reviewing this game is that I’ve played West End Game’s D6 and every incarnation of Star Wars d20. I ran a year long campaign of d20 Revised. I’ve also played the Star Wars Miniatures game. So when you see me occasionally making observations and criticisms throughout this review just be aware that I’m familiar with the games and accompanying products.And I’m a big Star Wars geek.
Introduction - 10 pages.
Why am I telling you about the Introduction section? The Introduction is where we first learn that the game doesn’t suggest, but requires, the use of Star Wars Miniatures. Now, does it really require this? No, but it’s clear to me from the start that SW Saga is meant to tie into the miniatures line. The way combat and stats have been altered are entirely consistent with that, and it would be perfectly reasonable to argue that this product is meant to be an introduction to the miniatures game as much as it is meant to be an RPG. The rules illustrations later in the book even exclusively make use of official miniatures and grids.
The introduction does a good job of introducing the rest of the product and summarizing character creation, but it’s also disappointing because it’s the only place in the entire book where we see an example. A short one page example of play is provided, which is very helpful to someone new to RPGs. While we do see illustrations of specific combat problems later, greater use of examples would have made this an even better introductory RPG.
Chapter 1 Abilities - 4 pages.
SW Saga makes use of six Ability scores: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. Each score is rated from 1 to 20 for most humanoids, with a 10 representing average ability. Not only do characters have these scores, but so do vehicles and starships which results in the Abilities being a universal indicator of raw power in a given area.
In play Abilities have a modifier attached to them, determined by subtracting 10 from the Ability and then dividing by 2 (rounding down). So a 12 Strength has a (12-10 = 2 / 1 = 1) +1 modifier while an 18 Strength has a (18 – 10 = 8 / 2 = 4) +4 modifier. These modifiers are added to Attack Rolls, Skill Checks, and other game values. Most rolls in the game are 1d20 + Ability Modifier + Skill + Other Modifiers (equipment, situation, etc.).
Players choose ability scores either by rolling 4d6 and adding the three highest numbers together six times or by allocating a set number of Ability Points as they wish.
Let’s build a character!
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Example: My best friend Ian played a Jedi Consular named Karn Dors in one of my previous campaigns. The character was awesome until the rules hit the table, but we found the Consular to be less apt at both combat and force power use than the Guardians due to their smaller Vitality pools. In order to show off Saga I’ve decided to rebuild a lower level version of Karn Dors.
A diplomatic Jedi, I definitely want to prioritize my mental Attributes. I begin by rolling 4d6, taking the 3 highest 6 times, and get the following spread: 15, 15, 15, 12, 7, 10. I assign the three 15s to Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. I put the 12 into Dexterity, the 7 into Strength, and the 10 into Constitution. Karn has clearly spent far too much of his life in study and meditation. |
Chapter 2 Species - 14 pages.
Seventeen different Star Wars species, including humans, are all presented as character options. Each one provides a variety of bonuses and penalties, sometimes extreme bonuses or penalties. Take the Cerean for example. +2 Int, +2 Wis, -2 Dex, re-roll Initiative for free, Skill Focus (Initiative) if the character buys the Initiative Skill – they receive a very powerful collection of bonuses. When compared to some others, such as the Quarren, it becomes clear that the different species are notably imbalanced from one another from the start. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing – previous versions of the Star Wars RPG have done the same thing – but some players may find it to be problematic. It does provide players with incentive to play certain species at the exclusion of others.
In addition to Stat bonuses species typically receive at least one to three special powers on the level of a Feat, such as water breathing and low-light vision.
On the plus side, all the major races from Star Wars are present here and each comes with a nice illustration. The species are: Human, Bothan, Cerean, Duros, Ewok, Gamorrean, Gungan, Ithorian, Kel Dor, Mon Calamari, Quarren, Rodian, Sullustan, Trandoshan, Twi’lek, Wookie, and Zabrak.
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Example: Karn Dors is a Human and that means he receives a bonus Trained Skill at 1st level and an extra Feat of the player’s choice. Humans are the most versatile of all species and these bonuses help to back that up. Humans have a base speed of 6 squares (6 movement increments on a grid map).
Karn’s first level is going to be in Jedi, so consulting that list I pick Perception as his free bonus Skill. His bonus Feat is Skill Focus (Use yhe Force) which gives him a +5 bonus when using that Skill. |
Chapter 3 Heroic Classes - 22 pages.
Jedi, Noble, Scoundrel, Scout, and Soldier are the five Class choices here and they may be mixed and matched as the player desires. Each Class provides a variety of special values for each level of advancement (such as Hit Points and Base Attack Bonus) but, unlike many other incarnations of d20, each Class lacks static ‘class features’. Instead characters take turns buying Feats and Talents each level. Feats are chosen from a general list and tend to involve special combat maneuvers and techniques. Talents are Class focused powers that allow a Scoundrel to hack computers and a Noble to inspire his allies.
Hit Points, Defenses, Base Attack Bonus, and Skill lists are all important features of Classes. Hit Points are very simple, they represent your character’s health and attacks reduce the pool until the character becomes unconscious or dies. Defenses come in three varieties – Reflex Defense, Fortitude Defense, and Will Defense. Reflex applies to common attacks, such as blaster shots and lightsaber swings. Fortitude applies to the body directly and may come into play with radiation exposure and disease. Will applies to mental fortitude and often is used to resist Force Powers.
Base Attack Bonus is added to attack rolls (1d20 + BAB + Stat) and either comes in ‘full’ BAB form (Jedi, Soldier) or ‘medium’ BAB form (Scoundrel, Scout, Noble) depending on whether the character gains 20 points or 15 points of BAB over the 20 levels of character progression. Finally, Skill lists show off which Skills a member of a given Class can buy. Nobles can buy Persuasion, for example, but Soldiers can’t.
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Example: To illustrate this I’m going to build Karn Dors as a 4th level character. His first three levels are in Jedi while his fourth is in Noble, the idea being that he’s more of a Jedi negotiator than a kick butt warrior.
Every Class gives a static bonus to the Defenses. These bonuses do not stack, multiclass characters merely take the best of the bonuses. Jedi receive a +1 to Reflex, Fort, and Will, making them good at everything, while Nobles receive a +1 to Reflex and a +2 to Will. By being a multiclass character Karn will have a free +1 Reflex, +1 Fort, and +2 Will in this case – the best of both worlds. All Classes have a certain set number of starting Hit Points. For Jedi it’s 30 + Constitution Modifier (which is +0 for Karn) for a total of 30 hit points at level 1. All characters, regardless of class, gain certain benefits from just being higher level. All three Defenses increase with level (10 + level + Stat Mod = Defense). A free Feat is given at level 1, level 3, and then every 3 levels after that. Two Ability increases (rather than the one in other d20 games) are awarded at level 4 and every 4 levels after that. As a first level character I buy the Feat Force Training which gives Karn a number of Force powers equal to his Wisdom Modifier +1, or 3 in my case. I buy Farseeing, Force Disarm, and Move Object. As a first level Jedi I start by picking Trained Skills (see the Skills section below for more). I have 4 picks (2 for being a Jedi + Intelligence Modifier) and choose Use the Force, Initiative, Knowledge (Galactic Lore) and Knowledge (Bureaucracy). These are the only Skills Karn will ever know unless I spend a Feat to learn another. A new Jedi also starts with a lightsaber, the Force Sensitivity, Weapon Proficiency (lightsabers), and Weapon Proficiency (simple weapons) Feats, and a Talent of my choice. Looking over the Jedi Consular, Jedi Guardian, Jedi Sentinel, and Lightsaber Combat Trees I choose to take Force Persuasion. This Talent allows Karn to use his Use the Force Skill instead of the Persuasion Skill. I mark down my +1 BAB and I’m done. At second level Karn receives a bonus Feat from being a Jedi and a +1 BAB. I buy Force Training again, this time choosing Mind Trick, Negate Energy, and Vital Transfer. He also gains 1d10 (I roll a 6) more hit points. At third level Karn receives a bonus Feat just for being third level. I buy, heh, Force Training. I select Battle Strike, Surge, and Negate Energy (again). As a third level Jedi I receive another Talent pick. This time I buy Skilled Advisor, also from the Consular Tree. This Talent allows Karn to spend a round advising an ally and then the ally gets a +5 bonus to their next Skill roll. I roll another d10 for hit points and I get a 10, giving him a total of 46 hit points so far. I add another BAB point. At fourth level Karn receives +1 to two different Stats just for being 4th level. I pick Strength and Wisdom, giving him new scores of 8 (-1 Modifier) and 16 (+3 Modifier) respectively. Since his Wisdom Modifier increased all of his Force Training Feats are affected. Karn gets another 3 Force powers for free immediately. I buy Rebuke, Force Thrust, and Battle Strike (again). I’m also gaining a level of Noble. Right off the bat I get one (and only one) of the Noble’s starting Feats – I pick Linguist, making him even more adapt with Languages. This, combined with his Intelligence bonus, means Karn knows five languages beyond Basic – Huttese, Rodese, Bothese, Shyriiwook, and Mon Calamari. I receive 1d6 or, *roll*, 6 hit points. While I do not gain another point of BAB I do get to pick a Talent from the Influence, Inspiration, Leadership, or Lineage Talent trees. I buy Born Leader, a Leadership Talent, which lets Karn give everyone else a +1 bonus to all attack rolls for an encounter so long as they can see Karn. At 4th level Karn has 52 hit points, BAB +3, Reflex Defense 16, Will Defense 19, and Fortitude Defense 15. |
I have a few more general observations, especially for those familiar with previous versions of this game. The Class rebalancing is fantastic. The Noble, in particular, is far more desirable than ever before. Many group and teamwork bonuses allow it to be an excellent support Class, and a large Skill list and diplomatic abilities result in a versatile character that’s at least a little good at everything. The Soldier has more options, the Scoundrel can be easily customized as a Slicer (computer hacker), and the Scout is an excellent generalist and well worth a splash for multi-class characters. In short, the larger Class list of the earlier edition has been summarized and compartmentalized, resulting in easier multi-classing and streamlined character creation.
Chapter 4 Skills - 22 pages.
19 distinct Skills, some with sub-specializations (such as Knowledge), encompass everything a character might want to know and do outside of combat. Using computers, jumping, and piloting starfighters are just a few examples. As mentioned earlier, characters select certain Skills from a list to be Trained in (thus gaining a +5 bonus). However, even characters without training can use most Skills.
When using a Skill a player rolls 1d20 and adds 1/2 Character Level, the relevant Attribute Modifier, +5 if the Skill is Trained, and any other relevant modifiers (such as from being assisted) to the die roll for a total value. The goal is to meet or beat a Difficulty Class (DC) set by the Gamemaster.
| Example: Karn is trying to Persuade a Bothan spy that he really is a New Republic agent. Karn has a Talent that lets him use Use the Force instead of Persuade, so he makes a Skill check. The GM decides the DC for this roll is 20 and Karn’s player rolls. 1d20 + 1/2 Level (2) + Trained (5) + Attribute (Charisma, 2) + Miscellaneous (Skill Focus, 5) or 1d20 + 14. Karn’s player rolls a 13 on the d20 for a total of a 27 – success! |
Every Skill has multiple uses, often resulting in broad Skills that can do quite a lot. The exception is Knowledge, which has several specializations that each count as separate Skills. The entire Skill list includes: Acrobatics, Climb, Deception, Endurance, Gather Information, Initiative, Jump, Knowledge, Mechanics, Perception, Persuasion, Pilot, Ride, Stealth, Survival, Swim, Treat Injury, Use Computer, and Use the Force.
I’m generally happy with the revisions here. Some Skills have been folded together to allow characters to be generally more competent, not to mention that this seems necessary given the smaller number of Skills characters tend to be good at now. Including Initiative as a Skill makes sense and, more importantly, prevents the game from needing to include different rules just for Initiative. I do wish that more of the physical Skills – Acrobatics, Climb, Jump, and Swim – had been condensed as well. Note that SW Saga is set up so that higher level characters are vastly superior to lower level characters at everything – even Skills they’re not Trained in. This is a common theme throughout the system.
Chapter 5 Feats - 12 pages.
Feats provide new character options, from being Force Sensitive to Raging to doing even more damage with ranged attacks. On the whole they’re very combat focused but, as you may guess from the strong miniatures support, the system *is* combat focused. In addition to combat tricks, Feats allow for Training in Skills, the acquisition of more Force powers, and generally allow for character tweaking.
One revision I’m particularly happy with is the change to Skill Focus, now providing a +5 bonus. Since the Skills also happen to be broader and more useful this is a very appealing Feat choice. On the downside Dodge remains as a +1 bonus to Reflex Defense (the standard defense in combat) against a single target, as it has been in other forms of d20. For me this makes it too weak to be worth the Feat, and I’ll end up house ruling it to +1 against all targets.
Chapter 6 The Force - 18 pages.
Let’s talk about how SW Saga treats the Force in play. There are several distinct concepts here: Force Points, Force Powers, the Dark Side, and Traditions.
All heroic characters get Force Points. These can be spent to add to any dice rolls, to get more punch out of Force Powers, and to avoid death when it would otherwise occur. The number and potency of Force Points increases with level, starting out with under a half dozen that each add 1d6 at level one and progressing to fifteen that each add 3d6 at level twenty. They are reset every level and can’t be cashed in for XP or anything of the sort, which is fantastic because it strongly encourages players to use them.
Force Powers work differently in this game than all past versions of Star Wars. When a character uses a Force Power they know the player rolls Use the Force, the result of that roll determining how powerful the effect is. More importantly, a Power can only be used one time per encounter. Powers can be purchased multiple times, but once they’re used up the Jedi can’t call on the Force for that effect again until she has had about a minute to rest. I like it because it encourages versatility in combat, something more akin to the movies, but it may cause some players fits since it’s designed for cinematic effect rather than to simulate the metaphysics of the Star Wars universe.
The Dark Side is simple. A character can gain a number of Dark Side Points equal to their Wisdom and be ok. When those points equal or exceed their Wisdom they fall to the Dark Side and become a GM character (barring a desire to run a Dark Side based game). Example actions worth of a Dark Side Point are presented, and they’re pretty good – a little more focused on evil acts like murder and less on mental state, which suits me well.
Finally, this chapter surprised the hell out of me by including Force Traditions other than the Jedi. What makes this so surprising is that throughout the rest of the product we only get the bare minimum such as two capital ships, one astromech droid, etc. The Sith, Jensaari, and Witches of Dathomir all receive a half page or more of discussion and special Talent trees for each of them are provided.
On the whole I couldn’t be happier. The new system for Force Powers is fun, the inclusion of other Traditions is welcome, and the Dark Side makes more sense than ever before. To top it all off the Force Points mechanic encourages over the top, heroic actions and is exactly what I’d want to see in a game like this.
Chapter 7 Heroic Traits - 8 pages.
Rules for aging, height, weight, and similar minor details are presented but the real guts of this section is Destiny. Destiny is a mechanic wherein a character has a specific destiny waiting to be fulfilled, backed up with mechanical benefits and penalties. Here’s how it works. Come up with a concept and pick a sample Destiny. Included Destinies are Corruption, Destruction, Discovery, Education, Redemption, and Rescue. Define it a bit and determine a bonus, penalty, and fulfillment.
| Example: Karn Dors has the Destiny Discovery, specifically focused on the ancient history of the Jedi Order. Whenever Karn takes steps towards his Destiny, perhaps by investigating a legend of an ancient temple, he and his companions gain a +1 bonus to all Defenses for 24 hours. When he takes steps away from his Destiny, perhaps by allowing a starship commander to destroy a historical site before investigating it, he receives a -1 penalty to all Defenses for 24 hours. Finally, when he fulfills his Destiny (by Discovering something awe inspiring and revolutionary) he receives a permanent +1 bonus to all his Defenses. |
I like this because it provides mechanical support for a character’s quest. Not every character has to have this, but given the strong incentives I think a game would rock if the group chose interconnected Destinies and then worked hard to get those bonuses.
Chapter 8 Equipment - 26 pages.
All the Star Wars classics can be found here, from lightsabers and heavy blaster pistols to E-Web Repeaters and Thermal Detonators. Stun settings, ion weapons, force fields, autofire, and other options allow for a variety of weapons and effects without crowding the book with too many variations. The stat blocks are simple, complete, and easy to work with. The only downside, and this can be applied to the whole product, is the lack of illustration. I want to see lightsabers, blaster rifles, and other technological toys.
One interesting change is that cybernetic replacements no longer give characters Dark Side points or otherwise make them evil. They just make it a little more difficult to reach the Force, imposing a small penalty on Use the Force checks.
Chapter 9 Combat - 22 pages.
At its most basic level combat involves 1. Determining Initiative 2. Everyone takes turns from highest to lowest Initiative 3. Everyone moves, makes an attack, or does something else 4. Repeat. Characters normally get one attack per round (with exceptions for dual wielding weapons) and that attack is resolved with a 1d20 + BAB + Stat + Misc roll again Reflex Defense. Damage is rolled and subtracted from hit points. Not bad, eh?
In a little more detail, every character gets a standard action, a move action, and a swift action every round. Standard actions may be used to attack once or perform more complex actions. They may also be used as an extra move or swift action. Move actions may be used to move around and perform certain supplementary actions. They may also be used as an extra swift action. Swift actions have a variety of uses, the most powerful being a Second Wind action. By taking three swift actions a character may regain a quarter of their hit points once a day, a significant bonus. I suspect this was added to the game to make up for the weakened state of Jedi healing (which is wonderful, as Jedi healing was out of control in the previous edition).
Other than hit point damage players need to track the Damage Threshold. When more damage is dealt in a single attack than the character’s Fortitude Defense the character is moved along the Condition Track. The Condition Track is a series of penalties, ultimately ending in unconsciousness, that is similar to a Wound or Health Level system. Certain actions, such as intimidation, social attacks, and shock from injury, will push the character down the Condition Track and force them to accrue penalties. Thus SW Saga has both a simple hit point system and a simple Health Level system, providing many of the benefits of both systems.
Attacks of Opportunity are present here. For those unfamiliar, these are free attacks against opponents in melee range who are moving around or away from the character or otherwise performing an action that involves significant concentration. SW Saga has revised this system to include attacks from blaster pistols and other ranged weapons that lack an extended stock, allowing for a sort of gun-fu at close range. Rules for Cover, Automatic Fire, attacking an area, and other combat rules are all present as well. On the whole the combat system is simple and strongly embraces the Star Wars Miniatures game.
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Example: Karn Dors is attacking a Battle Droid (B1 Series) currently across the room. “Roger roger” says the Battle Droid as it accepts an order from itself to kick Karn’s ass. Both combatants are aware of one another so Initiative is rolled. Karn rolls a 7 for Initiative, +8 for his Skill (+5 Skill Bonus, +1 Dex, +2 for Level) for a total of 15. The Battle Droid gets a 14, so Karn wins Initiative. Karn takes a move action and then a standard action to move twice, up to 12 squares, to close with the Battle Droid so he can slice it apart with his lightsaber. His two actions done, the Battle Droid’s turn comes up. It raises its weapon and fires. The Battle Droid has a +1 bonus to hit and must hit Karn’s Reflex Defense (10 + Level (4) +1 Dex +1 Class Bonus) of 16. I roll a d20 and get a 20! 20s in SW Saga are automatic critical hits. Not only does the blaster rifle hit Karn right in the chest but it does double damage! I roll 3d8, the listed damage for a blaster rifle, and get 19. Doubled that’s 38, well over Karn’s Threshold of 15. This moves Karn down one step on the Condition Track, providing a -1 penalty on just about everything including Attack and Reflex Defense. He also has been reduced from 52 hit points to 14.
Now it’s Karn’s turn. The Battle Droid’s Reflex Defense is 9 and Karn has a melee attack bonus of +2 (+3 for BAB from level, -1 for Str of 8) so he needs a 7 or higher. The d20 comes up 16, a hit! Karn rolls 2d8, standard lightsaber damage, and subtracts 1 for his low Strength. 13 – 1 = 12 damage. The droid only had 10 hit points so it’s toast! |
The critical hit mechanic is the same as the miniatures game and, while simple, I strongly suspect it will result in large groups of throw away enemies becoming unpredictably lethal. It works well in the minis game, I’m just not so sure it’s appropriate in the RPG. On a final note, armor in this game does not stack with the Defense bonus from being a given level so characters over level eight or so have no incentive to wear armor (barring small bonuses such as internal gadgets and such). This is interesting because it encourages the main characters to run around without armor on, which is good for emulating the movie characters but once again may bother folk focused on realism and the logical usefulness of armor.
Chapter 10 Vehicles - 20 pages.
Vehicles have their own special rules but in large part function the same as player characters. A grid map is used, vehicles have physical stats (and an Intelligence for onboard computers), and movement is by squares. This leads to abstract vehicle combat, but it also greatly simplifies things and results in a starship combat system that’s easy to work with in play. The designers even went the extra mile and included different actions for different characters aboard each of the ships, actions that really mean something like Rerouting Power to heal the ship. On the whole I find the vehicle and starship integration to be fantastic, everything I could have hoped for, and I am more willing to have people, vehicles, and starfighters all acting in the same scene than in previous editions.
My only complaint is how sparse the vehicle section is. I would like to have seen a few more vehicles, especially mid-sized capital ships, because big fleet battles are common in Star Wars and with these rules they’re easy to manage.
Chapter 11 Droids - 20 pages.
Rules for creating droids as player characters and building droids from scrap are both provided and, for the most part, they’re very good. I dislike how easy it is for a droid’s backed up consciousness to become corrupted, but it may be that the designers wanted to avoid the implications of an AI consciousness as we would think of it today for fear that it wouldn’t match up well with the Star Wars Universe. I was also a little disappointed that player character droids of any size except Small and Medium are prohibited. It seems a player can buy a 3P0 unit, move its brain to a giant body, and program it to kill. However, the player can only use that character as an assistant, not as a main character.
In addition to detailed creation rules a variety of different types of droids are presented. A Crab Droid, Destroyer Droid, Astromech Droid, Probe Droid, and several others showcase different types of droids though most of the entries are meant to be convenient adversaries for the player characters. That’s good, but a few more utility droids (especially astromechs, which are strongly supported by starfighters) would have been welcome.
Chapter 12 Prestige Classes - 22 pages.
Prestige Classes are specialty Classes a character may multiclass into at higher levels, once they meet the prerequisites of the class. These classes typically require a 7th to 12th level character with a few Feats in the right areas. A mix in power and usefulness, the Prestige Classes range from the powerful (Jedi Knight) to the weak (Crime Lord). A few of the Talents seem poorly balanced when compared to others, such as the Crime Lord’s very limited ability to use a minion, but there are so many to choose from that one or two underpowered abilities wont break a class. I consider the Crime Lord to be one of the least optimal choices, for example, yet I would happily take at least a few levels in it for some of the cool reputation abilities.
The Prestige Classes provided include Ace Pilot, Bounty Hunter, Crime Lord, Elite Trooper, Force Adept, Force Disciple, Gunslinger, Jedi Knight, Jedi Master, Officer, Sith Apprentice, and Sith Lord. On the whole they’re fun, making use of new Talent trees that result in so many useful character options a player couldn’t even pick them all for a single character. Each Prestige Class also uses its own Hit Points total and Base Attack Bonus total, but otherwise offers less mechanical upkeep than Prestige Classes in other d20 systems.
Chapter 13 Galactic Gazetteer - 12 pages.
This is a list of all the major planets in the Star Wars Universe complete with the results of appropriate Knowledge checks for the character to know something about that planet. On the upside this is nice because it provides a use for those skills, but then any idiot with Holonet access should be able to learn that Coruscant is a giant city and Naboo is peaceful and pretty. Still, the planets are a nice starting point for adventures. I just wish pictures of the planets were included. Staring at black text on white pages does little for the imagination here.
Chapter 14 Gamemastering - 20 pages.
Fairly standard and straightforward gamemastering advice is presented. I like it well enough for new players because it tries to provide different perspectives on some issues, but I do wish it didn’t embrace Illusionism (the GM can do anything and doesn’t need to follow any rules so long as the players don’t figure it out) like it does. Otherwise basic discussion of issues like missing players, game balance, cheating, ending campaigns, and other topics are discussed.
SW Saga makes use of Challenge Levels, similar to what Dungeons and Dragons currently uses, for GMs to get an idea of how difficult a given encounter will be. In other d20 incarnations Challenge Levels are notoriously inaccurate, but they certainly serve as a good starting point for a beginning GM. In essence, every bad guy has their own rating and by combining these ratings and comparing them to the party’s level the GM can get an idea of how difficult the encounter should be.
Chapter 15 Eras of Play - 14 pages.
The Rise of the Empire, Rebellion, and New Republic eras are all briefly discussed and many major characters are listed, complete with stats. Darth Vader and the Emperor are at the very top of the level system while Luke, Leia, Han, and other main characters are around level 11 to 13 or so at their best. I’m a little disappointed that the main characters of the films are so high level. SW Saga certainly implies, as do most level based games, that the starting point for a game is first level. Considering that, players may find that they’re playing less than optimal characters for quite some time before they start having adventures similar to those of the film characters.
Chapter 16 Allies and Opponents - 14 pages.
A short but good list of monsters and bad guys for the characters to fight, this chapter provides Stormtroopers, Clone Troopers, Bounty Hunters, monsters, and other adversaries to drop immediately into a Star Wars game. This is welcome support and often neglected in other games. Even the Stormtroopers are nicely balanced, being neither utter incompetents nor supremely skilled. On the whole this is an excellent enemies chapter.
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Example:
Name: Karn Dors Class: Jedi 3 / Noble 1 Statistics: Strength 8 (-1), Dexterity 12 (+1), Constitution 10 (+0), Intelligence 15 (+2), Wisdom 16 (+3), Charisma 15 (+2). Skills: Perception, Use the Force, Initiative, Knowledge (Galactic Lore), Knowledge (Bureaucracy). Feats: Force Sensitivity, Weapon Proficiency (Lightsabers), Weapon Proficiency (Simple Weapons), Skill Focus (Use the Force), Force Training, Force Training, Linguist. Talents: Force Persuasion, Skilled Advisor, Born Leader. Languages: Basic, Huttese, Rodese, Bothese, Shyriiwook, and Mon Calamari. Force Powers: Farseeing, Force Disarm, Move Object, Mind Trick, Negate Energy x2, Vital Transfer, Battle Strike x2, Surge, Rebuke, Force Thrust. Defenses: Fortitude 15, Reflex 16, Will 19. Hit Points: 52 Attack: +2, 2d8-1 (lightsaber). |
My Take
SW Saga is a beautiful revision of the existing d20 system. I’m pleased with the vast majority of rules changes and believe that d20 requires less effort than ever before to run. Even creating high level Sith Lords and such is far, far less painful than it had been and something that may take just a few minutes. Traits and bonus Feats result in much more customizable characters, Vehicle rules are more a part of the whole game system, and the Force and Destiny mechanics encourage player characters to be heroes and to do heroic things.However, the production values are sorely lacking here. The book can easily be read in an evening and the presentation is far from inspiring. With another hundred pages of material and a presentation more like the previous d20 edition I would be very satisfied. Unfortunately the content of the book just doesn’t measure up to other games on the market for its $40 price tag. Nevertheless, if you just want an excellent new system and don’t mind waiting for supplements to expand your starship and vehicle options then I suspect you’ll be content with this edition.
If you’re a d20 fan or if you want a new system built specifically for Star Wars then pick this one up.
