I am not going to go over all those changes or evaluate rules and mechanics changes. If you are reading this, then by now you have read a few other reviews that have said the same thing that the WoC’s website has already been promoting over the last year, until they finally released it. Was it me; or did they post pone the release three times? The reason I am not going into that redundant pool is that all those changes did not actually over come some basic issues of combining D20 with Star Wars; which now, I get to whine about.
Whine #1: I got a bad feeling about this. WoC does capture many of the nuances of the SW, such as being able to slaughter stormtroopers without a second thought. The system does structure the rules to make the PCs into heroes that are larger than life. All of which creates the flavor of an action movie. Which I believe the d20 system is perfect for. True, the d20 might not have the flare of a Jackie Chan movie with all the flashy martial arts maneuvers; however, SW cinematically does not have that same flare either. My concern is that as a role playing game, this will only satisfy the player who is interested in being the guy who kicks butt and how long will they be satisfied with such a low risk system. My point being is that capturing nuances is not the same thing as establishing the mood or themes. It will be Star Wars, but it will not feel like Star Wars. Within the movies and expanded universe there are several themes and moods which can still be emulated within RPGs. WoC’s d20 Star Wars system does not create any mechanic to introduce these themes. Not only do they not create but d20 fails to identify them as potential choices or devises within the game. Now, I know the saga edition includes Darkside points and Destiny. My concern is that the mechanic itself is going to be difficult to work with, because there is really none there. This is because the resolution mechanic for both of these aspects is just “game master’s digression.” No rolls, no stat influence or modifiers. Essentially, there are several pages used to explain that the GM can get rid of a character who has acted evil in their opinion and that they can give players goals which the GM can give bonuses or penalties to the character should the GM feel that they are achieving or deigning those goals. These are good ideas and good attempts to create nuances within the d20 system. However, Spiritual Attributes within The Riddle of Steel Game are much more useful and directly encourages players to role-play and strive for plotlines.
Whine #2: Is this a space station crawl? Although d20 offers some good and practical advice for the beginning gamemaster, the overall “what am I suppose to do?” question is never answered. Without that being answered, then instruction on how to do it is completely glossed over. WoC hints at having an overall campaign story, or adventure path; yet seems to never define it. This gives the appearance that the game is a bit more of a war game. D20, we all know, has been design from a dungeon crawl. Can Star Wars be played that way? Yes, but I rather just use the miniature game for that and with this, I just find it hard to believe that it will be enough. Furthermore, because WoC got all the rules down to one book, they do not supply an awful lot of options for character motivations within the mechanics. With D&D a wizard could be seeking several different aspects of magic, the fighter could be seeking some sword or magical item; a whole group could be working together to take a castle or land for them to govern. You know, pursuit of power. Can you pursue power with Star Wars rules? Your characters meet at a bar and decide to take out the Empire? I think not. You have your character but it ends up being the gamemaster’s full responsibility to find a plotline to motivate them. “Knights of the Old Republic” computer game is designed on the d20 system; however, it offers several different goals for a player to pursue. First of all, the choice to between light and dark side. Second, influence and choice of secondary characters. Third, equipment upgrades. Fourth, Your actions and choices have affects on the playing environment and story. All these aspects have been removed from the WoC, leaving just the bare bones combat and character generation.
Whine #3: Too little, too late. I will admit, this is a better game system than the second edition core rules. It appears to be streamline and many glitches removed. However, I am noticing that at Barnes and Noble that the Star Wars book section has lost some shelves to other Sci-Fi books. This makes me wonder, if the fan base interest is waning? Revenge of the Sith opened May 19, 2005 and the dvd was release November 1 2005. It has been a solid two years since then and now we are getting the perfected rules. Will it turn out to have been too long? Can WoC make enough of a profit to afford the cost to supply supplements? We have two more years before the television show comes out to renew interest. Will WoC keep it going long enough? Or could they ironically suffer the same fate as West End Games, losing a license soon before the Lucas releases something that renews the fan base?
Although I find the system good and being better than the previous core rules edition, I find that the d20 system simply lacks the ability to follow through with a good theme and plotline. Instead of having the system diving into those black and white themes that made Star Wars a mythical story, WoC Saga Edition grabs onto the setting and just stays there. Compelling exploration of mood, virtue and epic heroism will fall squarely on the gamemaster’s shoulders, which hopefully they can handle. I only hope that support from WoC with a few expansions. Although I am not going not recommend this game, I will warn those gamemaster’s who want to play, good luck you still have a little bit of work ahead of you.
