So beyond "Jedi!" what's the gameplay going to be like in Force and Destiny? I grokked EotE and AoR almost immediately ("Firefly in the Star Wars universe" and "Rebel strike teams go on awesome missions" [and both of those are good things, IMO]), but what's Force and Destiny supposed to be about?

Groups of Force Sensitives/Jedi or, like, 1 and some hangers-on? Are you starting new Jedi Orders? Are you hunting for lost/suppressed Jedi teachings and artifacts (actually I'd be all over that)?

One of the things that I like the most about Edge and Age is that they are beautifully focused on a default playstyle. What kind of adventures is Force and Destiny going to be about?

"We don't know yet" is an acceptable, if disappointing, answer.

For continuity sake, F&D will probably stick to the layout of the 2 previous core rulebooks:

-- 8 races

-- 6 careers with 3 specializations each

-- theme based content

If what everyone is saying is true, and this is the "RotJ" book, it'll follow the themes set in that film i.e.: sins of the father, keeping oaths, complete training, realizing potential, finding your "Avatar" state etc. But remember, though, that this is also a roleplaying game, so there will be content that marks it as such beyond what RotJ has to offer, otherwise F&D would just be a play-by-play breakdown of the movie and the novelization.

As for Jedi, they really could go one of two ways, either as just 1 single career with the classic Guardian, Consular, and Sentinel offshoots, or they would split the three up and offer way more variety. I'm not sure how you could get 6 different careers with 18 total specializations, though.

Maybe:

JEDI GUARDIAN

- Weapon's Master

- Martial Artist

- Ace Pilot

JEDI CONSULAR

- Healer

- Ambassador

- scholar/historian

JEDI SENTINEL

- Investigator

-infiltrator

-watchman

Which would take care of the first three careers, and allow FFG to release supplementary books for each (as they've already done for the Explorer class and Hired Gun). Thanks, guys!

I'm hoping for a Jedi Starfighter.

I would love some of the Jedi starfighters, and odds are very high there are at least some still around even though it wouldn't surprise me if the Empire tried to destroy as many as they could as fast as they could.

Wardens of the sky often became star pilots and such, and they were Force sensitive. The Blazing Chain as well. Both survived the purge, so playing one of those and eventually finding your path to the ways of the Jedi by the time F&D comes around is fairly plausible!

I kind of expect a part of the book to be about force mystics and other force users who aren't necessarily Jedi. Dathomir magic and powers as one example.

Likewise, I expect the book to have suggestions for DMs to temper force users. With these new abilities there should be new challenges to throw at force-enabled characters as well.

I'm hoping for a Jedi Starfighter.

As in the fighter, or a career for a Jedi pilot?

I'm hoping for a Jedi Starfighter.

As in the fighter, or a career for a Jedi pilot?

The fighter.

I doubt there'll be a default setting for FaD, but I wouldn't want to use the material as a Player during the OT period. Why? Really, really dorky reasons.

If I'm a Jedi purge-survivor...

• There are too many of those as it is (don't know about EU, but has cropped up in various campaigns I've been in over the years).
• The threat of the Empire is undermined.
• The power and ruthlessness of Mr. Vader is undermined.

If there are no Luke or Leia...

• (Dorkiest reason of all) The universe I'm playing in isn't the one I want my character to be a part of. Y'know the "real" one.

The two specs we already have look fine for untrained (or primitive) rebellion-era Force Sensitives. Anything more powerful would have gotten noticed and dealt with much earlier.

I'd have more fun playing a trained Force Sensitive in the KotOR era, or as a doomed Clone Wars general, or (my favourite option) as someone rebuilding the Jedi order.

Finding holocrons, looking for new recruits, hunting out dark Jedi, just doing what the Jedi were supposed to be for - like being a neutral arbitrator in various disputes. That's the kind of thing I'd hope to be doing.

But the fact that your Jedi slipped through the cracks or is in hiding doesn't mean that there are many others though...

I see a lot of people on this site who seem to forget that their characters won't run into all the others that are playing the game. It is not like the orbit of Cholganna was filled with other parties looking for the Sa Nalaor while we played Beyond the Rim.

If anything, I think the fact that there are hardly any jedi and/or ways to learn about the force is an excellent way to not have overpowered Jedi ruining future games. A 'nerf by era' so tho speak and I would really welcome that.

I think an important reason to keep the game in the Galactic Civil War, other than the fact that the other games are set during that period and it's unlikely to change, is that there are few other time periods where Jedi are hunted. At least to the degree that they are in the GCW.

The only other time I can think of that a Force Sensitive would self-limit their power use is the Legacy time period, which I think is safe to say we won't see any time soon. Obviously in other settings I'm not implying that Jedi would go all Starkiller on everybody, but one of the draws¹ of playing a Force user in the GCW is the fear that comes with such power.

1 I accept that you may think differently

Remember guys, regrading the EU, there are now, canonically, very few Order 66 survivors once again. So GMs, let your PCs be some of the first in this new age

Also, now when talking about old EU stuff, it's cool that we can just say, "Legend has it..." before our statements y'know like, "Legend has it that the Wardens of the Sky are capable pilots as well as Force users." Or "Legend has it that Darth Vader trained a secret apprentice who could crush an imperial walker using only the Force."

• The power and ruthlessness of Mr. Vader is undermined.

The entire Jedi order wasn't great when it came to finding Force Sensitive individuals. Hell, they would have totally missed picking up the "chosen one" if Qui Gon chose a different junk dealer (or city, or planet).

To think that reducing that pool of people searching to two – and then further occupy them with the day to day of rulership – and expect better results is a bit much.

Although I'm sure Vader went in to handle the big-league Jedi survivors, the new ones that sprout up are probably delegated down until they are a big enough problem to warrant his attention.

• The power and ruthlessness of Mr. Vader is undermined.

The entire Jedi order wasn't great when it came to finding Force Sensitive individuals. Hell, they would have totally missed picking up the "chosen one" if Qui Gon chose a different junk dealer (or city, or planet).

To think that reducing that pool of people searching to two – and then further occupy them with the day to day of rulership – and expect better results is a bit much.

Although I'm sure Vader went in to handle the big-league Jedi survivors, the new ones that sprout up are probably delegated down until they are a big enough problem to warrant his attention.

Thanks to Rebels Inquisitors are still canon....

The entire Jedi order wasn't great when it came to finding Force Sensitive individuals. Hell, they would have totally missed picking up the "chosen one" if Qui Gon chose a different junk dealer (or city, or planet).

To think that reducing that pool of people searching to two – and then further occupy them with the day to day of rulership – and expect better results is a bit much.

Although I'm sure Vader went in to handle the big-league Jedi survivors, the new ones that sprout up are probably delegated down until they are a big enough problem to warrant his attention.

That makes sense, but it also makes it less of a purge and more of a cull. Like the Emperor wasn't so much motivated by hatred as common sense. Which doesn't sound very Sith.

Also don't Emergent and Exile cover those who either weren't around or weren't worth Vader's time?

Re: two guys vs. big galaxy, I thought lots of people were involved in the purge? Conventional and elite military forces, Inquisitors, Imperial hands/assassins, intelligence networks, a specialised bounty hunter brotherhood, a line of droids with cortosis armour...

I think the Jedi were always going to find Anakin. Will of the Force and all that. They were pretty dumb once they got him though. Or at least blinded by/over-reliant on (a misinterpreted) prophesy.

Re: two guys vs. big galaxy, I thought lots of people were involved in the purge? Conventional and elite military forces, Inquisitors, Imperial hands/assassins, intelligence networks, a specialised bounty hunter brotherhood, a line of droids with cortosis armour...

Who are prone to the same flaws that all men are, and they're searching for people who are fighting for their very lives. Survival is a powerful motivator, and with the Force as their ally...

Don't get me wrong, the threat of the purge and Inquisitorial forces shouldn't be underestimated or dismissed (except in very silly, light-hearted games), but to imply that they perfectly and thoroughly eliminated every Jedi in the entire Galaxy except for the couple of Exiles is to overestimate their power.

The threat of Purge is simply that: a threat, not an inevitability.

Realistically, I think yer right.

On the other hand Old Ben and Yoda (and that one guy on the Death Star) made it sound like the Jedi had been exterminated.

Well, from a certain point of view...

The entire Jedi order wasn't great when it came to finding Force Sensitive individuals. Hell, they would have totally missed picking up the "chosen one" if Qui Gon chose a different junk dealer (or city, or planet).

To think that reducing that pool of people searching to two – and then further occupy them with the day to day of rulership – and expect better results is a bit much.

Although I'm sure Vader went in to handle the big-league Jedi survivors, the new ones that sprout up are probably delegated down until they are a big enough problem to warrant his attention.

Re: two guys vs. big galaxy, I thought lots of people were involved in the purge? Conventional and elite military forces, Inquisitors, Imperial hands/assassins, intelligence networks, a specialised bounty hunter brotherhood, a line of droids with cortosis armour...

That's my point. Any failure for that operation to destroy emergent Jedi doesn't undermine Vader. It's a bigger issue than his personal ability to hunt and kill them.

True. They didn't have to avoid Vader, just the weakest link in his network. That's pretty cool.

Realistically, I think yer right.

On the other hand Old Ben and Yoda (and that one guy on the Death Star) made it sound like the Jedi had been exterminated.

Well, from a certain point of view...

I always wanted Luke to turn around and say, "What- what the feck are you talking about? You weren't expressing a point of view - you were lying and attempting to manipulate me into assassinating me dad!"

That being a more powerful Force user was the only way the surviving Jedi 'masters' could think of resolving the problem is brilliant. Luke refusing to tow the line made him amazing.

Realistically, I think yer right.

On the other hand Old Ben and Yoda (and that one guy on the Death Star) made it sound like the Jedi had been exterminated.

They did, but then we need to answer the question of whether these characters were given the benefit of omniscience in this particular case

True. And backed up by multiple instances where they showed a distinct lack of vision.

Wow, how I see the original characters is really taking a battering today.

Well, from a certain point of view...

These two weren't machiavellian geniuses. When confronted by Luke about Vader being Anakin, the best response Yoda has is, "wow, I'm tired."

These two weren't machiavellian geniuses. When confronted by Luke about Vader being Anakin, the best response Yoda has is, "wow, I'm tired."

Well, I guess the portrayals of the characters have stayed consistent throughout the series. Neither one was particularly bright during the prequels either. Being a hermit for 20 years doesn't make one terribly more intelligent, it seems.

But that hilarious digression aside, I don't envy the design team. Other than "Keep your Jedi heads down" and "Hunt for Jedi artifacts", I'm having trouble thinking up activities or goals for Force-centric parties. Granted, they're experts, the community in general is okay with broad-scope, sandboxy games, and they've had years to develop, so they're probably fine.

What I don't get is why Obi Wan would say: "that boy was our last hope"

Yoda said: "no, there is another"

You'd think since he took Padme from Mustafar to Polis Massa and witnessed the birth of the twins and then agreed to separate them that he would have known "there is another". Something he seems to know all about in Return of the Jedi. When I saw the originals, a long long time ago, I always assumed that Yoda had told him on Degobah after the "no, there is another" and that's how Obi Wan found out. With the prequels it made him look...absent minded.

As for more Force-Centric parties, I can't think of anything beyond powerful enemies that need to be hunted down and eliminated but one Jedi isn't powerful enough to take down alone. Think about super hero movies and how they need the super villains. While Dark Siders, aka Sith, are the obvious way to go I'll need time to think up a good enemy, like Grevious, who can take on Jedi and have a strong chance of slicing them limb from limb.