Well, I don't know how good a friend he is but the actor Starkiller is modeled after and voiced seems to be a big fan of FFG and has made appearances of Order 66. Now the deeper story of FU was the fact that the Emperor ALLOWED the rebels to escape. See Palpatine is one crafty SoB and he didn't see the rebels as much of a threat because at that point it was just a bunch of whiny senators with no military muscle really. The reason he let Organa live is while he couldn't confirm or deny it Alderaan at one point and time was a major militant planet and they got rid of their weapons when they became pacifists. However, the people of Alderaan were not idiots and supposedly stored all their firepower onto a vessel and sent it to fly around the galaxy on automatic. If Palpatine had killed Organa right then he would of had rearmed Alderaan and had to deal with an actual threat. Also by showing them the awesome power of his Death Star he made have intimidated the members of the Rebellion to give up before they started. As for FU2 and the battle of Kamino it would of been the second battle as there was already the Clone Uprising that occurred in Battlefront 2. Again Palpatine probably let it slide just because he was tired of Vader screwing up and picking up speed. However, with that battle it showed the Emperor that the Rebels could be a credible threat and needed to be dealt with. Especially, if they captured Vader and tried to have him reveal all the Empire's secrets (btw in the novel that doesn't happen as Vader is rescued before he ever gets to the destination).

Every single sentence of that made me cry.

Great, now my make-up is running.

Great, I have now derailed the thread with stupid comments about make-up.

I like that my favorite rebel got a mention...mine is Garm Bel Iblis.Also most of it is good Starkiller is meh.I like the new statblocks though my players in edge are going to have fun.I also liked the Alderaan pic, now to figure out how to make an Imperial campaign for the game.

Well, I don't know how good a friend he is but the actor Starkiller is modeled after and voiced seems to be a big fan of FFG and has made appearances of Order 66. Now the deeper story of FU was the fact that the Emperor ALLOWED the rebels to escape. See Palpatine is one crafty SoB and he didn't see the rebels as much of a threat because at that point it was just a bunch of whiny senators with no military muscle really. The reason he let Organa live is while he couldn't confirm or deny it Alderaan at one point and time was a major militant planet and they got rid of their weapons when they became pacifists. However, the people of Alderaan were not idiots and supposedly stored all their firepower onto a vessel and sent it to fly around the galaxy on automatic. If Palpatine had killed Organa right then he would of had rearmed Alderaan and had to deal with an actual threat. Also by showing them the awesome power of his Death Star he made have intimidated the members of the Rebellion to give up before they started. As for FU2 and the battle of Kamino it would of been the second battle as there was already the Clone Uprising that occurred in Battlefront 2. Again Palpatine probably let it slide just because he was tired of Vader screwing up and picking up speed. However, with that battle it showed the Emperor that the Rebels could be a credible threat and needed to be dealt with. Especially, if they captured Vader and tried to have him reveal all the Empire's secrets (btw in the novel that doesn't happen as Vader is rescued before he ever gets to the destination).

However, this is just speculation on my part as I have no issue with FU being part of the canon as long as the over the top OMG powers are not.

I like the Another Chance a lot. I would love to see a unmodified Alderaanian War Frigate show up and be statted in FFG, Ditto for a Thranta War Cruiser but I doubt that will ever happen. Maybe we'll see the Alderaanian Gunship that appeared in the ROTJ novelization and Razor's Edge though. Possibly some Alderaanian fighter designs could be bouncing around some Rim sectors as well.

I like that my favorite rebel got a mention...mine is Garm Bel Iblis.Also most of it is good Starkiller is meh.I like the new statblocks though my players in edge are going to have fun.I also liked the Alderaan pic, now to figure out how to make an Imperial campaign for the game.

Yeah Garm is my favorite rebel as well. I actually played him briefly in an AU ANH era campaign where Mon Mothma was killed around 1 BBY and Garm was her replacement as head of the Alliance. One of many things I hated about LOTF was that given the lack of mention of Garm I'm certain he was dead by the time it took place but they never mention his fate at all.

I was hoping that the new rulebook would offer some clarification on various rules but it seemed that most rule sections are just cut-and-pasted from the EotE book. That's a big disappointment.

There's waaaaaaaaaay to much EU stuff in the rulebook, yet the rulebook doesn't have a Legends banner.

These books are not canon and were never intended to be. They've been using the EU as much as anything for source material from the very start. It seems to be more problematic now that they've included a very specific event that occurred in a video game that many found dissatisfactory. Legends is only being applied to reprintings of old EU materials going forward. They are not treated as a second continuity just a catch all for sw materials that were not the films and the clone wars.

I think everything being published now, including the FFG books is considered part of the new canon. Though the AOR Corebook might be old enough to not count.

It's a pretty safe conclusion that the AoR material was compiled months before the Legends announcement.

What on earth is a "Starkiller Sue"?

The term "Mary Sue" is generally slapped on a character who is important in the story, possesses unusual physical traits, and has an irrelevantly over-skilled or over-idealized nature.

Although more accurately, he would be a Canon Sue, being from an official source and all (and perhaps arguably a God Mode Sue).

Seriously of all the reasons to complain about FU and FUII the dragging down of the Star Destroyer should be nowhere near the top of the list. Please tell me there was no mention of FUII's Battle of Kamino or its aftermath. That was IMO the dumbest part of the FU storyline by far.

Naw, they spoke of the game(s) in the most high level of terms, not really getting into the nitty-gritty like that. Secretly agent of the emperor, saved Mothma et al from the off the Death Star and so on. A brief mention of the Family Crest as rebel logo was about as detailed as they got.

PS2: Doctor Who 23rd August!

THERE you go! Never heard the term "Mary Sue" before. And yes, great fun in the game but ridiculous to try to incorporate into any kind of sensible narrative.

Although there was that big debate on the EotE boards about the possibility of the move power being used to toss starships about... happy times. I'm trying to forestall my PCs from getting there as much as possible.

The FFG license precludes it from being canon as I understand it. The way I see it is that we are using it to fascilitate making our own sw stories but those stories are in no way canon.

The FFG license precludes it from being canon as I understand it. The way I see it is that we are using it to fascilitate making our own sw stories but those stories are in no way canon.

Maybe, the way I understand it after a certain point the data in the new FFG books, ships and gear, named character and organization histories and backgrounds, and possibly even the basic plots,of pre-made adventures is going to be part of the new canon which is why Disney will be reviewing it to make sure it doesn't screw canon up. We'll see though.

Of course any GM made plots and the results of pre-made adventures wouldn't be canon nor would any PCs made by players or NPCs made by GMs.

People, are overreacting quite a lot about the FU thing... It is such a small mention.

On topic, the book is great. I really like it...

I like it although I'm a bit miffed at a couple points. And I'm not done reading the whole thing so feel free to correct me if I missed it but the CRB needs IMO...

1. Clear pointers on Duty rewards. I get that this is largely up to the GM anyway, but I like hard rules. Makes me feel like the game is helping me make my job easier.

2. The previews said there were sections on building Rebel bases. There aren't really.

3. the Squad/Squadron rules should be in the CRB.

4. I feel like they could have differentiated the equipment more in both EotE and AoR. I would have liked to see unique stats for Imperial Arms and Armor in this game.

Otherwise? Great fun.

So far I am loving it, and the interior art is terrific.

For some reason I remember a Star Wars comic where Yoda brought a Star Destroyer down on Dagobah. Don't know if this is a real story or just something I believe could have happened . But my opinion is like others. There was no secret apprentice of Darth Vader's and the Rebellion wasn't created by Emperor Palpatine to put all his enemies in one group. Any Jedi hunted down in the Dark Times were done by Vader.

I also have similar problems with the new Rebels show where they introduce yet another Jedi Hunter with a bald head and duel wielding . What's wrong with using Vader? There are too many times when people seem to want to inject their own characters than use the ones established in the setting. And even if they do want to have someone less formidable than Vader, they already have Starkiller who can fulfill that role and they could build on the fact that he is more than just a one side villain.

Imperial Inquisitors have existed in EU/Legends for a long, long time. Just because this one is going to be in a canon source doesn't mean it's a radical new idea. Vader was one guy. He hunted the top end Jedi. For the rest, there is the Imperial Inquisition.

And nobody expects them!

Although we are certainly getting off topic, I am pleased that it's not Vader. That means the fate of the inquisitor is uncertain. There's a lot more room to play in when they use new characters.

Plus, seeing the heroes give Vader the slip every week would be depressingly hilarious. Or hilariously depressing... I'm not sure which.

"I have you now.... Doh!"

For a more palatable video game reference, at least there's also a nod to the game X-Wing (the destruction of the Invincible that was the goal of the first campaign (which I did twice before I was "supposed to", most inaccurate starship name ever )). Not a bad game to keep in mind for a starfighter-based AOR campaign, either, though I'd use fewer escort missions.

As for the book itself, no huge surprises from the beta version. Love the artwork, no major screw-ups stood out beyond possibly under-costing the second Indistinguishable talent in Ambassador (assuming it's not supposed to be 5xp). A little more info on suggested Duty rewards would have been nice, as other folks mentioned, but all in all a pretty good book really.

For a more palatable video game reference, at least there's also a nod to the game X-Wing (the destruction of the Invincible that was the goal of the first campaign (which I did twice before I was "supposed to", most inaccurate starship name ever )). Not a bad game to keep in mind for a starfighter-based AOR campaign, either, though I'd use fewer escort missions.

I blew up the Death Star in X-Wing long before I blew the Invincible. The Redemption mission took forever for me to beat.

For a more palatable video game reference, at least there's also a nod to the game X-Wing (the destruction of the Invincible that was the goal of the first campaign (which I did twice before I was "supposed to", most inaccurate starship name ever )). Not a bad game to keep in mind for a starfighter-based AOR campaign, either, though I'd use fewer escort missions.

As for the book itself, no huge surprises from the beta version. Love the artwork, no major screw-ups stood out beyond possibly under-costing the second Indistinguishable talent in Ambassador (assuming it's not supposed to be 5xp). A little more info on suggested Duty rewards would have been nice, as other folks mentioned, but all in all a pretty good book really.

The Invincible has never really been a good name for a ship as real world history could attest to (Wrecked on Sandbar, wrecked on Norfolk coast, renamed, sank during a storm, blew up and sank after taking a hit in the Battle of Jutland)

One problem with the X-wing series of games is that the ships had no "armor" to soak up damage, and just relied on Hit points. I could take out a Solo Star Destroyer with nothing but a TIE fighter in the game. Took a while, but it was possible

For a more palatable video game reference, at least there's also a nod to the game X-Wing (the destruction of the Invincible that was the goal of the first campaign (which I did twice before I was "supposed to", most inaccurate starship name ever )). Not a bad game to keep in mind for a starfighter-based AOR campaign, either, though I'd use fewer escort missions.

As for the book itself, no huge surprises from the beta version. Love the artwork, no major screw-ups stood out beyond possibly under-costing the second Indistinguishable talent in Ambassador (assuming it's not supposed to be 5xp). A little more info on suggested Duty rewards would have been nice, as other folks mentioned, but all in all a pretty good book really.

The Invincible has never eally been a good name for a ship as real world history could attest to (Wrecked on Sandbar, wrecked on Norfolk coast, renamed, sank during a storm, blew up and sank after taking a hit in the Battle of Jutland)

One problem with the X-wing series of games is that the ships had no "armor" to soak up damage, and just relied on Hit points. I could take out a Solo Star Destroyer with nothing but a TIE fighter in the game. Took a while, but it was possible

Yeah the tendency of ships named invincible to be destroyed easily was mentioned in a military scifi series I read. The solution of the characters was to recommission an Alien super battleship (Roughly a Super Star Destroyer to a Battleship's Star Destroyer) they had captured and name it invincible so that their navy couldn't name any more fragile ships invincible.

I'm a fan of the new book. My main issue is with an overuse of the word "openly," as in "openly supporting the rebellion," whether they choose to or not. I also disagree with the idea of rebels referring to themselves as "rebels," given that their whole argument is that the Republic is the legitimate government, not the Empire. In fact, in one of my games, it was a plot point that a supposed rebel agent kept referring to it as "the Rebellion" rather than "the Alliance."

But those are both pretty small complaints, and heavily subject to personal feelings and grammar.

I have no opinion on including The Force Unleashed details in the book.

Color me shocked they didn't include a section concerning running an Imperial campaign. But as I suspected, all the details you need to know in order to do so are included in the book, just not organized in one place. For this reason, though, I'm willing to cautiously revise my opinion that perhaps a source book of Imperial stuff will be forthcoming.

I enjoyed that they took a bit more time to go over various GM things, such as more sidebars and sections concerning how to run a narrative-intense game. That said, for all the mechanical sections, it's essentially word for word EotE material. (Which is as expected; F&D will probably be the same.) I was also pleased to see them include a lot of information on how EotE Careers and Specializations might find relevance in an Alliance setting.

In conclusion, it's a shame my EotE game imploded before this book came out, because it would have been a wonderful expansion to our ongoing story. I guess I'll just have to start another.

Actually most of my Alliance characters don't mind being called rebels but yeah that is rare in setting. I don't understand the claim that the Empire isn't legal honestly. The Empire's actions are immoral, unethical, and definitely justify a rebellion against it IMO but part of the brilliance of Palpatine's plan was that the establishing of the Empire was done legally. He did a ton of illegal things as part of his plan, and to encourage the transition from Republic to Empire but I don't think the rebels can actually prove that he committed any crimes before the Republic became the Empire and the transition itself was done legally from what I can tell. The only way I could see it being more legal would be if the Republic's citizens got to vote on the motion to shift from the Republic to the Empire rather than the senate.

Actually most of my Alliance characters don't mind being called rebels but yeah that is rare in setting. I don't understand the claim that the Empire isn't legal honestly. The Empire's actions are immoral, unethical, and definitely justify a rebellion against it IMO but part of the brilliance of Palpatine's plan was that the establishing of the Empire was done legally. He did a ton of illegal things as part of his plan, and to encourage the transition from Republic to Empire but I don't think the rebels can actually prove that he committed any crimes before the Republic became the Empire and the transition itself was done legally from what I can tell. The only way I could see it being more legal would be if the Republic's citizens got to vote on the motion to shift from the Republic to the Empire rather than the senate.

I think that right there is the crux of the matter. Imperials see the Empire as legal and a natural progression; rebels see it as the latest incarnation of the illegal/power grab tendencies of the former Supreme Chancellor. Both have a point, as Palpy definitely over-extended his powers as Chancellor, but he manipulated the Senate into rubber stamping everything he did to (in some ways) make it legal.

Consider, for example, the line, "Then I will make it legal," from Episode I.

This is also the key to making a game with moral ambiguity. Nobody wakes up in the morning and says, "I'm going to do me some evil today!" Everyone sees their path as justified and righteous, or at least one of those two. Thus, in my games, most Imperials are either just trying to get through the day or else actually believe in the Empire, even if its rulers are corrupt.

And I'm glad the CRB acknowledged that. It would have been easy for them to say, "Rebels are good, Empire is evil, shoot 'em."