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Well apparently FFG got the license for Star Wars and are doing a new RPG with focus on the smugglers and bounty hunters. They're doing this on a new system that employs a special dice system.
I'm keeping an eye on this. Even if I'm not really interested running a Star Wars rpg at the moment, FFG usually does write pretty good fluff so if and when I do get back to Star Wars this might be worth taking a look at. Not too fond of the special dice, but if the system turns out to be a clunker I'll just ditch it or mangle the fuck out of it.

-Gunhead

Seems to be followed by a sourcebook that would/will focus on the Rebellion, and then one that focuses on Force users in the Dark Times.

Going to have to see how it pans out, I still have a soft spot in my heart for Saga Edition (which I felt for years to be the only good d20 system).

These are the guys that do Dark Heresy, right?

Aaron MkII wrote:These are the guys that do Dark Heresy, right?

Yes and no. While FFG has done a pretty good job of maintaining and expanding the Dark Heresy line, all of the original design was done by now-defunct Black Industries.

FFG's original RPGs are... different. "Custom dice" was pretty much all I needed to hear about their new Star Wars line in order to have very, very low expectations.

I haven't played other RPG lines from FFG so what little faith I have in their system making prowess comes from their boardgames which I have played and generally speaking have had solid mechanics. Dark Heresy has a lot going for it as far as RPG design goes story and background wise, but the system is a real stinker. Since FFG inherited that pile from Black Library I can't really fault them for it. As far as a RPG having a special dice.. well it might work it might not. Generally roleplayers frown on such things but it's for a reason. I can't name a single RPG that tried to employ some sort of custom dice mechanic with any degree of success.

-Gunhead

Gunhead wrote:As far as a RPG having a special dice.. well it might work it might not. Generally roleplayers frown on such things but it's for a reason. I can't name a single RPG that tried to employ some sort of custom dice mechanic with any degree of success.

Well, I suppose there's Fudge. I guess it depends on how we define "custom" and "success." (Fudge uses refluffed six-sided dice, after all, and it's not exactly a huge game.)

Eleas wrote: Well, I suppose there's Fudge. I guess it depends on how we define "custom" and "success." (Fudge uses refluffed six-sided dice, after all, and it's not exactly a huge game.)

I suppose I'd draw the line at having dice with specific symbols that work as a random generator. Like Hero Quest or Space Crusade board games and so on. From the top of my head I can't think of a "special" dice you couldn't replace with a normal one with equal number of sides to it. With fudge it's even really simple and you don't need to make a chart for it, which was one of the main points of the Fudge system. It's completely free and you can replace the Fudge dice with standard D6s without any modification. I've never used fudge for any other purpose than to modify and make my own RPGs. It is a good developer aid really as it gives some base values you can use as a baseline to calculate rates of success and failure and as a guideline to different types of situations your game might need rules on. In a very broad sense Fudge could be put under RPGs that use "special" dice, and it would still be a very short list.

-Gunhead

Who cares where the results come from? The distribution and effect of results matters, not what device it uses to generate them.

Frankly the game should come with a fucking result generator for your phone and avoid the whilst hung, but nerds need their dice.

"whilst hung"?

For what its worth, the page for EotE mentions and links to a dice app.1

Lol sorry. 'Whole thing'. The whole dice thing (and tracking sht with chits and the like) is lame and avoidable.

I've been using a net dice roller for a few years now, much easier. Tell it to roll how many d10 (or whatever) and get it done in one shot.

FFG have released companion apps before; replacing hundreds of cards with an instant no fuss app is way better.