Star Wars

[Daredevil]

Star Wars always gets me thinking about it as a roleplaying game. Though the d20 Star Wars maybe much better than the WEG system (I haven't played d20 Star Wars yet, though), I still think that if I decide to get a Star Wars campaign going, I'd have to craft my own system.

So, I was thinking about this and thought it might make a good topic. What do you guys consider the essential elements of a Star Wars game? Let's work from either a Simulationist or Narrativist basis, as we already have a Gamist (d20) take on the mythos.

Because it's a game based on movies, however, at least I consider maintaining and supporting the feeling of the movies to be most important, no matter what the approach. If it isn't foremost in mind when designing, why design a Star Wars game at all?

Anyway, let's see if we get a discussion going from this. More later.

[Andrew Martin]

Daredevil wrote:
> What do you guys consider the essential elements of a Star Wars game? Let's work from either a Simulationist or Narrativist basis, as we already have a Gamist (d20) take on the mythos.

The game system has to be cinematic, fast flowing and allow PCs to be of different power levels -- consider Luke in the first three movies, and Anakin in the next two movies where he goes from like 8 years old to 18 while everyone else seems to only change by a small amount. :)

Like Jared mentioned with pulp action, every roll by a player should succeed, or cause something to happen.

PCs should be highly competent, in the order of 90% and greater if using BRP system. This helps players come up with the cinematic action that is in the movies. Clown characters like Jar-Jar Binks and maybe C3P0, should have a charm-like immunity to conventional harm, but easily fall prey to unconventional stuff.

Just some of my opinions.

[Ron Edwards]

Hey,

I think people are beginning to get the wrong idea about this forum. It's about concrete game design for real, actual games in progress. It's OK if those games will never exist outside one guy's notebook, but this thread, as well as a couple of other recent ones, border more on the "idea of the moment, let's chat" category.

Daredevil, I suggest that you present some design specifications and concerns that relate to something you really want to bring into existence, and perhaps that would be more likely to be presented to someone, some day, in some form for actual play. I'm not shutting down the thread, because I think the topic can be addressed, but we need more to work with and a concrete Indie Design issue.

If you want to discuss the more abstract or idea-oriented issues raised by playing Star Wars, such as why the present games don't suit you, or how a different design would, then you should take it to RPG Theory.

Best,
Ron

[Valamir]

Further given that we would be talking about designing a game for a specific licensed property, I think the powers that be at the Forge might want to carefully consider whether they'd want to host such a discussion.

I bring this up because there is currently a multimillion dollar lawsuit going on against some web forum hosts and list members for posts infringing on a brand name.  Part of the settlements are involving shutting the sites down.

Granted that case involves some really over the top libelous comments against a company for alleged poor customer service, but I thought I'd mention it as perhaps being a hornet's nest best left unstirred.

[Ron Edwards]

Ralph,

Agreed. As long as we're in RPG Theory and chit-chattin' about design specs and their relation to play, that's no big thing - but this is Indie Design and devoted to making real, playable, hopefully-available games. Star Wars or other brand names that are "taken" should definitely not be part of it.

Contrast the discussion of Panels, in which Spider-Man or whoever are being used as conceptual touchstones for the discussion, but are definitely not considered as part of the eventual game. This is OK - but a concrete Stars Wars game-design discussion is not.

Best,
Ron

[Laurel]

Thanks Ralph and Ron- those were my own immediate thoughts.  Which isn't to say that making such a game for personal use is a *bad* thing; just that it really doesn't quite fit the scope of the Forge and its creator-owned spirit.

Now, if a thread was proposed to address specific game design issues for a unique cinematic space opera game that gave the feel of a blockbuster movie, I'd be more than up for the discussion!

Laurel