[Note: When I first published this
in February 2004 I had firm thoughts on which edition I considered
the best...the most recent Revised & Expanded edition. In
the years since I’ve altered my perception of what makes a good
game for me, especially in light of my dwindling time and focus as a
busy parent. The text below has been revised to reflect my current
preference for the first edition of this game, both out of nostalgic
feelings as well as a growing dislike of rules-heavy games. – PS]
Every so often I stumble upon a discussion
debating which was the best incarnation of West End Games’ D6-based
Star Wars Roleplaying Game.
Although I didn’t sign on with West End Games
until a few months after the release of the Star Wars Roleplaying
Game second edition, I was familiar with first and second
edition, and had a hand in creating the Second Edition: Revised &
Expanded (commonly referred to around the office as
“Super-Mondo”). As a gamer, writer, and game designer, I have my
preferences, and I thought I’d explore those and my other opinions
on the various editions.
For purposes of clarity, I’m not including the
Star Wars Introductory Adventure Game in this discussion. That
product was specifically designed to bring new gamers into the fold
with the release in spring 1997 of the special edition Star Wars
trilogy. Although gamemasters could use much of the game’s
materials in their own campaigns (maps, cardboard stand-up figures,
the campaign book, references cards), the skill names and certain
other tidbits were simplified or condensed for clarity and ease of
play. Personally, as the designer, I veered toward the first edition
of the rules, which didn’t include as much rules clutter and
complication, but that reflects my overall game design style.
The Short Answer: For me, the best version
of the Star Wars Roleplaying Game D6 system is
the first edition of The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, partly
for nostalgic feelings on my part, but because its text and graphics
really captured the spirit of the movies and drew readers into the
universe (and because I prefer its basic skill definitions to the
other editions’ more complex skill breakdowns and specializations).
Second Edition – Revised & Expanded comes in a
close second, primarily for its full-color presentation and a more
clear organization; while it represents the final refinement of the
game system, it remains chained to rules-heavy mechanics implemented
in second edition.
Major
Differences
Each edition differs slightly from the others in
areas of gameplay, content, and presentation.
First Edition:
- Simple, D6-based rules engine with basic skills.
- 18 customizable character templates without illustrations.
- Illustrated with black-and-white stills from the films.
- Included both a solitaire tutorial adventure and a short group scenario.
- Really required the main rulebook and sourcebook to play with adequate stats for most everything in the Star Wars universe.
Second Edition:
- More rules-heavy D6-based rules engine with many more skills plus specializations.
- 16 customizable character templates with illustrations for each.
- Illustrated with original black-and-white line art of varying quality and subject matter.
- Included several substantial adventure hooks buried in the gamemastering chapter.
- Served as the main rule- and sourcebook for the game, with all stats required to play inside.
Revised & Expanded:
- Refined rules-heavy D6-based rules engine.
- 20 customizable character templates with illustrations for each.
- Illustrated with original full-color, high-quality art and stills from the films.
- Included both a solitaire tutorial adventure and a short group scenario (written by yours truly).
- Served as the main rule- and sourcebook for the game, with all stats required to play inside.
These differences don’t dive into changes in
certain rules for using Force powers, figuring “to hit“ chances
and damage between various scales, and other rules minutiae. The
basic premise of the D6 game engine remained much the same throughout
all three editions, though the latter two were definitely designed
more for players seeking crunchy game systems and less for people
looking for an easy-to-learn, quick-and-dirty cinematic game style.
First
Edition
Ah, I remember the day I first saw the roleplaying
game and sourcebook in Waldenbooks at the Danbury Fair Mall and
bought them without hesitation. They were the first step on several
exciting campaigns, convention appearances, and eventually a crazy
career writing game material. The cover displayed artwork from one of
the numerous film posters (with the sourcebook looking like some
dataport spewing movie stills here and there). The black-and-white
stills inside brought back fond memories of the characters,
starships, and planets we as fans loved dearly. The text encouraged
gamers to dive into the action, speak in funny voices (or growl like
Wookiees), and employ goofy sound effects. The character templates
and easy skill system allowed players start playing quickly with a
character archetype with which they could easily identify. The
solitaire scenario taught the basic rules principles, while the group
adventure gave a good example of the format and content of an
exciting Star Wars story.
Compared with later editions of the game, first
edition kept the skills simple. You had lightsaber, melee combat,
brawling, piloting, and such, without the more complex delineations
of various “parry“ skills and piloting, shields, and gunnery for
different classes of ships. For me, proficiency in a melee or
piloting skill translated (much as in the films) to proficiency in
both fighting and parrying, or piloting various craft of differing
sizes and configurations.
The in-universe ads, particularly the Imperial
Navy recruitment ad and the ones selling Incom’s X-wing and
Industrial Automaton’s R2-series droids, were sheer genius and
captured the spirit of the Star Wars universe.
The game was not without some flaws. The group
adventure promoted using the Imperial Security Bureau (ISB) as
villains, which I felt was a poor substitute for Imperial
stormtroopers. For stats on anything beyond the basics
(stormtroopers, X-wings, YT-1300 freighters, TIE fighters) you needed
the Star Wars Sourcebook, which contained more movie stills,
size-comparison charts, and an overall good reference to all things
useful in a Star Wars Roleplaying Game campaign. The rules
assumed if a character was Force-sensitive he had access to all
powers (something I altered in my own game, limiting Jedi to a
handful of powers at first, with others learned from training,
teachers, and ancient artifacts).
First edition gave people a cinematic rules set
and enough universe material (with the sourcebook) for gamemasters to
run off and create exciting campaigns, and players to expand their
characters to heroic proportions.
Second
Edition
First edition was out for maybe five or six years
before second edition released, which is a pretty good interval
between editions. Although I later knew, worked with, and was friends
with designer Bill Smith, everything from the book’s D6 rules
interpretations and changes to its overall layout and artwork
screamed mediocrity. The blue cover adorned with Darth Vader
presented a rather reserved if minimalist initial impression. I’m
not a fan of some of the more character-oriented artwork inside. The
interior layout was uninspired and not terribly clear regarding
subheads.
In its defense, the color, in-universe
advertisements are good (though they still don’t touch those in
first edition), and the artwork by Allen Nunis (influenced by Star
Wars comic strip artist Al Williamson) and the incomparable Mike
Vilardi stands above the other pieces, and its handy black-and-white
format allowed fans to scan and insert into their own player
handouts, adventures, and other materials (not that us
copyright-minded people would ever consider doing that...).
Unlike first edition, second edition included
stats for creatures, starships, aliens, vehicles, droids, weapons,
and other universe goodies all in one book for handy reference. The
character templates finally came with illustrations (which always
helps new players envision their characters), though some ported over
from first edition and others were left behind in favor of different
templates.
Second
Edition – Revised & Expanded: “Super-Mondo”
Thanks to a renewed fiction program pioneered by
author Timothy Zahn and his popular Grand Admiral Thrawn novels,
rumors of Star Wars prequels, talk of an upcoming release of
the Special Edition Star Wars Trilogy in theaters, and an
overall upsurge in Star Wars-related comics, figures, and
merchandising, West End Games planned a new, full-color, hardcover,
no-holds-barred edition of the roleplaying game to capitalize on the
films’ popularity and draw new players/customers into the game from
the huge fan base.
The planned “super-mondo” edition of the
roleplaying game initially hit some snags. With a more varied
development team than second edition, the editorial staff had to
adjudicate everyone’s opinions on the “best” changes, choose
the best approach to game design and presentation, and fine-tune
previously problematic rules (particularly those pesky scale
mechanics). As a book written by committee, everyone had their own
opinion what the game should include, delete, or change. Other staff
difficulties caused a delay in the initial summer 1996 release (after
the entire West End staff jumped in to do a last-minute fill-in
writing job on much of the book, it finally released in the summer of
1997).
Luckily the presentation of the book was in the
capable hands of West End’s production staff, headed by production
manager Richard Hawran, a huge Star Wars fan and tireless head
of the gaming division who somehow managed to keep various tempers
and personalities in line and productive (myself included). The cover
screamed “over the top action” with a full-bleed shot of the
Millennium Falcon blasting through a flock of TIE fighters at
the Battle of Endor. The book was huge, full-color, and packed to the
gills with computer-enhanced movie stills, original color art, and a
compendium of all the in-universe advertisements that ran in the
previous editions. Each chapter began with a color rendering of a
character (including a few of my own smuggler Platt Okeefe) by
talented Mike Vilardi with in-universe, in-character introductions.
Most of the art consisted of movie stills or prop/costume archival
shots, with original art illustrating the introductions, solitaire
scenario, and group adventure, and spot art filling in the sections
detailing creatures, droids, and vehicles. The comprehensive universe
section included a planet guide detailing locations in the main films
and Coruscant.
Since “Super-Mondo” was a collaborative effort
among West End’s numerous editors at the time, it’s a bit more
well-rounded than second edition. (About the only two contributions I
distinctly remember making are the solitaire scenario, “Cantina
Breakout,”and the group adventure, “The Pirates of Prexiar,”
though I’m sure I wrote a good portion of the attributes and skills
chapter, with spot contributions and ready advice to other sections,
too). It’s possibly the best-looking book West End ever published,
and it’s a shame the company never did a similar product for the D6
version of its Indiana Jones roleplaying game. “Super-Mondo”
represents everything the game should have been after 10 years’
play: a meaty, full-color extravaganza that included everything you
needed to play the game and develop your own campaign.
If I had to add one book to make “Super-Mondo”
even more complete, the full-color Star Wars Movie Trilogy
Sourcebook Special Edition is it. Presented in the same mold as
“Super-Mondo,” it relies heavily on film art with excellent
original art. The information inside rounds out the rulebook’s
comprehensive stats and descriptions, providing information on
everything else seen in the films.
