Well, as I mentioned in my other thread, I bought Star Wars d20 and have now finished reading it over. I started a new thread since this is a mostly different topic. Plus, some of the replies might be useful to people on the fence about buying it.
Okay then. Like I said, I've bought and read the core rulebook. I'm not so sure that I like what I've read, but maybe I'm misinterpreting some things or just not seeing everything correctly since I haven't had any actual play experience. As it stands, though, I'm getting a very D&D-in-space vibe.
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Okay! Don't flame me yet! I know that I'm probably wrong. I know that calling it D&D-in-space is probably the worst offense I can make to the game's fans. So... prove me wrong. Explain to me why this is a good system for Star Wars and what about it really seperates it from D&D.
(and, for those of actually remember my other thread, I've still decided to use d6 for my upcoming campaign. that said, I don't like my RPG purchases going unused. I will use this game in the future, but I want to know about its strengths and weaknesses in play first.)
The one game of it I played had that feel. Having said that, so did the players.
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Well, I'm not sure what really constitutes "D&D in space." (Except maybe the old METAMORPHOSIS ALPHA game.) So it's hard to really say whether it's that or not. I mean, there are key differences between the systems (the Vitality/Wound split, in the Revised Core Book armor reduces damage instead of increasing defense), also a lot of similarities- but while it's still a class-level system, the classes aren't really analogous to those in D&D. The Fighter and Soldier are kinda close, but other than that STAR WARS's classes tend to have a broader scope, leaning more towards archetype than profession. I mean, D&D3e and d20 STAR WARS will play somewhat similar by nature as they use the same mechanics, but I'm not sure that'd be an impediment to it also feeling STAR WARSy.
I think one clear plus about it is, because it was done after Ep. I came out with all its Jedi-fu, the rules handle Force stuff more clearly than the d6 version managed, along with rules relating to Jedi and their ways that d6 never really was compelled to address (things like building a lightsaber, just when you clear the hurdle from Jedi-in-training to full Jedi, etc.)
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It has a stronger emphasis on character interaction that D&D. Classes are fairly versatile; a Tech Specialist, Fringer, and Soldier could all be crack pilots, just different kinds of pilots. Almost all offensive abilities, whether personal military hardware or force powers, fall in roughly the 1d8 to 5d6 damage range, dangerous but not necessarily instantly deadly to characters. Mastercraft items and the occasional Jedi or Sith artifact are all you get in the way of "magic items." Very few class features would be pertinent to characters not of that class. For instance, it would be hard to argue why most characters with resource access wouldn't be Nobles.
It is slightly tilted toward defense, just like the movies, but a direct hit is serious business. A critical goes right to your Wound points, and any Wound damage can stun you. "I love you." "I know."
Too many numbers for me, is what I learned from trying it. While I love the Vitality / Wound Points idea, the rest of the system just isn't very cinematic. Too crunch-oriented for my liking.
Like D&D, you have to be pretty intimate with the system knowledge before you can start guesstimating stats of things you throw at the party with any degree of certainty. It has a wider fulcrum upon which game balance pivots than does D&D, but only just.
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While I don't feel like it captures the scope and spirit of the movies, I think it does a pretty good job of recreating the world. I'll post some playtest once I have a chance to run it.
Originally posted by JDCorley Since D&D has no setting and Star Wars D20 does...I have no clue what "feels like D&D in space" means. At all. Period. End of story.
I don't understand why a setting for D&D would be necessary for you to understand what is meant by "feels like D&D in space". At all. Period. End of story.
Re: [Star Wars d20] Sell me on it, now that I have it
Quote:
Originally posted by Paradoxish Okay! Don't flame me yet! I know that I'm probably wrong. I know that calling it D&D-in-space is probably the worst offense I can make to the game's fans. So... prove me wrong. Explain to me why this is a good system for Star Wars and what about it really seperates it from D&D.
I played 6 month solid of Living Force. Two weeks ago we finished a trilogy (three adventure story) mixing Star Wars and Necromunda.
Star Wars D20 is not D&D in space ... unfortunately it's not really Star Wars either. It is for me the most enjoyable D20 rules set I own and that includes Spycraft.
The big things about Star Wars D20 are Vitality and Force Points. The VP/WP thing I should have to explain. VP = close shot, WP = hit meat. The mook rule that follows is that mooks don't get vitality. That means you could run into 10th level Soldier mooks. Force Points rock because they grown as the character does and you have to earn them. You only get freebies by going up a level. The other way is as a reward for doing daring stuff or something very in character. (Wasn't really a fan of the 3 action dice per night of Spycraft which I played over the same time frame.)
You can ditch the space out of space opera and run it as a fantasy game. I'm thinking of running a dieselpunk game with no energy pack weapons or formal Jedi. The Hero's Guide rocks for the system even if it's full of non-canon stuff.
Star Wars D20 is a great game, it's just not Stars Wars.
Iain.
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