An editor at the late Star Wars Gamer
magazine (one of the three for whom I worked before that periodical
finally folded) once suggested I write an article about the 10 most
important or influential Star Wars roleplaying game products West End
Games ever published for its D6 version of the game. Star Wars
Gamer has long since closed down, but the idea stuck in my head
as a possible piece.
That’s what this annotated top 10 list is: my opinion of the top 10 West End Games Star Wars Roleplaying Game
products, ranked considering content, subject matter, and play value,
with some graphic considerations thrown in for good measure. Some I
loved as a player, others I took pride in as an editor, writer, and
designer. Some are mine, many are not. They are, from my perspective,
the 10 products no serious D6 Star
Wars roleplayer or collector should go without (beyond, of
course, one’s preferred edition of the rulebook) as either a
reference, game aid, or simply a ground-breaking product.
#10:
DarkStryder Boxed Set
The DarkStryder campaign was an experiment
inspired by various sources, including the Star Trek series
Voyager (which happened to debut at the same time this
supplement was in development). The initial boxed set inspired two
more campaign books that took the crew of the FarStar –
assembled to chase a renegade Imperial Moff – into unknown regions
of space. Artist Doug Shuler introduced the idea of players running
multiple characters among the crew, one named bridge/command
character and one or two less-important crew members who could find
excuses to go out adventuring (and get killed without any huge story
ramifications). The box included a booklet of information on the
set-up, a book of initial adventures, a huge map of the FarStar
(a modified Corellian corvette), and reference cards for ships,
vehicles, creatures, droids, and the crew. It was a huge undertaking
that involved West End’s entire creative staff, and required a good
deal of personality wrangling to keep the project in line.
DarkStryder introduced the epic campaign concept to the Star
Wars roleplaying game line later followed by the Tapani Sector
box (more a location source-box, but with some campaign supplements)
and the piratical Far Orbit Project (though without all the
fancy, and expensive, boxed-set trappings). Was it a successful
experiment? Yes and no. Some gamers warmed up to the concept, but
others found it too foreign. A more mainstream “Rebels versus the
Empire” campaign box might have sold better, but the direction
DarkStryder took was more experimental and, ultimately, more
esoteric than a traditional Star Wars campaign.
#9:
Tales of the Jedi Companion
While ostensibly a guide to the universe as
portrayed in the eponymous comic book series from Dark Horse Comics,
this hardcover supplement allowed West End to describe material in
the distant pre-prequel era (the company had previously been
restricted to the eras in the classic trilogy movies and post-Endor
novels). The comics, plus rumors and speculations about the prequels,
fueled an interest in gaming during the heyday of the Jedi Knights.
The supplement added some Force powers, offered some adventures and
scenario ideas (including a solitaire adventure by yours truly), and
served as a basic reference work for anyone gaming in that era. The
companion was a breakout product mainly because it set out into
hitherto uncharted waters of the pre-trilogy era (at least for
roleplaying game materials) and pushed the bounds of the Star Wars
universe West End normally covered, though good writing and an
engaging subject also helped.
#8:
Platt’s Starport Guide
Although I’ll freely admit (as the author) it
could have used a bit more work and more substance, this sourcebook
continued the popular smuggler theme started in Galaxy Guide 6:
Tramp Freighters, but featured exclusive art from Christian
Gossett, the Dark Horse Comics artist who went on to become the
creator of the hit comic series The Red Star and other projects. West
End became known for working behind the scenes as a continuity
resource for Dark Horse Comics, Bantam Spectra, Decipher, and a host
of other licensees (before, of course, the company went bankrupt and
lost the Star Wars license altogether). The guide offered
seven specific locations, with detailed notes, maps, and non-player
characters tailored for smugglers, plenty of adventure ideas, and a
four-page, full-color spread of original and vibrant Gossett artwork
for each starport. Unfortunately sales were hobbled by an overly
obscene price on the book, $25.00, which, at that time, was too high
for a softcover book with only 32 pages of full color.
#7: Heir
to the Empire Sourcebook, Thrawn Trilogy Sourcebook, et. al.
These sourcebooks were the first of many
collaborations between West End and popular Star Wars fiction
authors. Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn Trilogy novels resurrected
interest in Star Wars during the late 1980s and led the way
for a renewed publishing program from Bantam Spectra (and no doubt
the entire renewed marketing push that arguably led to the special
edition of the classic trilogy and the prequels). West End initially
published three sourcebooks, one for each novel, that were later
released as one mondo-sourcebook compilation. Each book included
updated stats for all the main characters, new equipment, creatures,
starships, vehicles, locations, and Force powers. Many fans bought
them precisely because they served as good companions to the novels.
They illustrated key scenes and characters, and included location
maps. Since West End had already published sourcebooks for the first
two novels by the time Timothy Zahn began work on the third, the
company played a small role in detailing the climactic action in The
Last Command. Apparently the author asked West End’s art
department to render maps of the clone chambers and Emperor’s
throne room so he could script the final scenes there using the
visuals to choreograph his action.
Perhaps the best iteration of the style of
players’ book that began with Heroes & Rogues (and
included my own Platt’s Smuggler’s Guide), Rules of
Engagement offered equipment, campaign ideas, new rules, and
character templates for commandos in the Star Wars universe.
Commonly called the SpecForces Handbook (it’s subtitle), it
is widely hailed as the most useful and inspirational player book
West End ever produced. For example, most of the conventions I’d
prepared up to that time consisted of rag-tag Rebels carrying out
operations against the Empire, or smugglers running some errand. This
book inspired me to whip up missions specifically for Rebel commandos
with pre-generated characters reflecting different ranks and duties
within the team. They had a grittier feel than most Star Wars
adventures, but players seemed to love them. Like Galaxy Guide 6:
Tramp Freighters, Rules of Engagement opened up a previously
unexplored field for Star Wars players.
#5:
Instant Adventures
Rather than expand one adventure by a single
author into a full-length book, this supplement offered a handful of
one-shot scenarios gamemasters could browse, quickly review, and use
at a moment’s notice. Each scenario included maps, non-player
characters, and a quick summary at the beginning to brief the
gamemaster. Several pages of perforated cards in the back provided
stats on one side and a full-color illustration on the other,
covering all the ships, vehicles, droids, creatures, and adversaries
in the adventures. The scenarios range in location and theme, but
each offered a solid night’s Star Wars gaming. The format
gave rise to at least one other adventure collection that included
illustrated stat cards (the bounty hunter-themed collection aptly
titled No Disintegrations) and led the way to include more
cardstock goodies bound within gamebooks or slipped in boxed sets. I
still keep a copy with my Revised & Expanded rulebook and
personal scenarios in case I ever need to pull out a quick adventure
at a convention.
Affectionately dubbed “Heroes & Roogies”
by West End’s warehouse staff, this sourcebook was pioneered by
designer Paul Sudlow as a player’s workbook, with numerous tools to
help create a more rounded, deeper character. It included lists of
possible homeworlds, reasons for joining the Rebellion, and many
ideas on expanding a character’s motivations. It also packed a host
of additional character templates elaborating the kinds of people who
inhabited – and who players could run – in the Star Wars
universe. Heroes & Rogues set the standard for other
player-oriented books struck from the same mold, including Rules
of Engagement, my own Platt’s Smuggler’s Guide, and
Pirates & Privateers (yes, the warehouse staff butchered
that one, too, as “Privates & Privateers”).
#3:
Tatooine Manhunt
If I had to choose one adventure that stood out
from the rest, it would be Tatooine Manhunt...and not because
it was a great adventure (I heard tales of how many times, and how
much money was spent, to write and rewrite it over and over before
the final product). This initial adventure module (and later Galaxy
Guide 7: Mos Eisley, which included much the same and expanded
source material) gave gamers both a detailed setting and scenario in
perhaps the richest location shown in the original Star Wars
trilogy. Half the module consisted of descriptions of Mos Eisley
locations, including the infamous cantina, docking bay 97, and
Jabba’s townhouse, all keyed to a full-color, double-sided map
showing the starport’s downtown and the cantina interior. It worked
well as a city location providing services for spacers and Rebels,
and a setting for various adventures. The scenario itself was okay (I
completely botched it when I first ran it as my initial Star Wars
game...thermal detonators tend to do that), but the source material
more than made up for that.
#2:
Cracken’s Rebel Field Guide
Not just a compendium of handy gadgets, Cracken’s
Rebel Field Guide took common equipment found in the Star Wars
universe, explained in part how it worked, and then taught Rebels how
to modify it into useful field equipment. It was among the first
products to create a notable, original character within the universe
and give him a personal voice in the perspective of the supplement.
Years before Del Rey’s equipment and ship books flooded the stores,
General Cracken was sharing the secrets of Star Wars
technology with gamers. Since it was never updated to the second
edition of the game (though portions of it found their way into
future supplements), it remains one of the more difficult of the
early supplements to find. It inspired a later generation of Star
Wars Roleplaying Game writers and editors to create an entire
series of Fantastic Technology books covering personal gear
and droids, including commentary from various but notably lesser
personages than General Cracken.
The original edition of this book broke the mold
that all previous products assumed the player group was part of the
Rebel Alliance. Now people could play smugglers. The book included
rules for trading, a slew of new starships, a short campaign with
extended adventure outlines, non-player characters, and their ships.
The regulations and infractions from the Bureau of Ships and Services
(BoSS) alone were worth the price and gave gamemasters and players
some ideas of law enforcement that affected the average spacer.
Although the book (and its second edition revamp) wasn’t a huge
breakthrough in terms of graphics, text, or even the mini-campaign,
the entire concept and the combination of materials made Tramp
Freighters a must-have supplement in its time that continues to
provide good mileage for players today.
