Basic answer, not necesarelly.

I used to read as a hobby the Wookiepedia and also to have an accurate view from SW Universe. Then people from SW told me that almost all of that info was Legends XDD

I use to prefer Canon and updated material, but as I said in another posts, without alternative stories (from Legends or from our own imagination) would be PRETTY difficult to play roleplaying games.

So, knowledge is important if you want to fit in the "SW gaming essence" but again, do what do you feel more comfortable. If you don't feel good or don't like the general SW mood, or you just want to add things from other world you like just... I don't know... ¿digimon? XD just do it! There are thousands or even millions of planets in SW universe, so, feel free to add your personal touch to your games

Knowledge (canon or not) is a good reference to understand (or get confused XD) about Star Wars universe, but its only just that, a REFERENCE.

In the end we're talking about a whole hour and a half of film if you just go with ANH (My choice simply because as the first film released there's a proper amount of introductory exposition to establish the universe.)

So why not run a session or three and see what happens, they can easily get caught up enough by watching a single film if it turns out to be too hard to follow.

I'd think that the less they know about Star Wars would almost be better once you start playing. That way you, as the GM, can craft your vision of the universe for them. There are plenty of questions that players can get into debates about, such as how much holonet access there is for non-Imperials. If your players don't know the universe at all, you can tell them how it is.

Really, the only reason to watch any of the movies would be for the players to get better ideas as to what some of the basic character concepts are. Luke = Explorer / Fringer, Leia = Politico, Han = Smuggler. They would also get a better idea for the feel of the game, the mood and what's expected. This is high adventure scifi, not slow paced thought provoking like Star Trek. Might even be worth having ANH playing in the background while you all sit around making characters, to set the mood.

That being said, I've played several games before where the GM made everything up. There was no source material. I just knew the basics, such as fantasy vampire hunters with magic or WW2 with magic or fantasy with giant robots. All that they really need to know is that this game takes place in space, can easily travel between planets, and some people have a type of limited magic. (I say the Force is limited magic because it's more enhancements than fireballs.)

I would suggest you all watch Star Wars a New Hope together before playing. Not primarily to be informed of the universe but to have an idea of what the rules have been written to emulate.

See SW has a particular feel; fantasy, heroic realism. It's not D&D high fantasy, or cartoony superheroic, or gritty SF realism. PCs can't jump vast caverns but there is nearly always a tree to attach a rope to swing across while under fire. There's no "magic" but there is the Force. Knowing what the "physics" of the setting are is pretty important to the immersion and suspension of disbelief of the game.

I have many of the same feelings as those who suggest that, at least, "A New Hope" should be viewed.

That said, I am not following my own feelings on this.

I have a group that includes a mix of Star Wars and Firefly (EotE's closes cousin) fans. Most overlap... but not all (weird, right!?).

I have chosen to play "as-is", so to say, and guage the results in my own pop cultural experiment.

Wait - there are people who haven't seen Star Wars?!? How is such a thing possible? Have they also never seen the sun, either?

Wait - there are people who haven't seen Star Wars?!? How is such a thing possible? Have they also never seen the sun, either?

Morlocks to be sure....

I have many of the same feelings as those who suggest that, at least, "A New Hope" should be viewed.

That said, I am not following my own feelings on this.

I have a group that includes a mix of Star Wars and Firefly (EotE's closes cousin) fans. Most overlap... but not all (weird, right!?).

I have chosen to play "as-is", so to say, and guage the results in my own pop cultural experiment.

I definitely think ANH should be viewed before the game.

Ironically when I first saw Firefly I thought it was a lot like a what-if of if the RA lost the war and what any rebel survivors, either by somehow not being at Endor, or escaping it might become. But in retrospect it really does fit with EOE. I'm sure there are a few former CIS soldiers and officers who got their hands on small freighters after the Clone Wars and flew around doing jobs and taking any chances to sting the Empire that weren't suicide and benefited them somehow.

Even though I'm teaching university kids, mostly around 20 years old, the majority have never seen Planet of the Apes, Total Recall, Terminator 2, Demolition Man, or even an episode of Star Trek. When I discuss Cartesian Dualism I can no longer even assume they've seen The Matrix, and it came out in 1999 with sequels as recent as 2003.

Wait - how do you get to be the age of consent never seeing an episode of Star Trek?!? My god, I'm surrounded by Morlocks!

I know, it seems ridiculous to us. But even the most recent series, Enterprise, ended nine years ago when most of today's undergraduates were 9 or 10 years old. Star Trek: The Next Generation ended 20 years ago - around the time they were born.

Last year I had an older student (about 30) bring up The Borg as an illustration of something we were discussing. I then had to stop and explain to 90% of the class what The Borg were.

But it's still very strange to hear of anyone over the age of 5 who isn't at least passingly familiar with Star Wars. Star Wars is just such an enormous, pervasive cultural icon. I'd be surprised to meet any person over 10 who hasn't seen a Star Wars movie (or at least the recent Clone Wars television series).

There's the quote above where a 13-year-old supposedly asked "So, what's a 'Jedi' then, anyway?" I would think that asking "What's a 'Jedi'?" would be like asking "What's 'golf'?". Sure, there are lots of people who have never personally played golf; but almost everyone on the planet knows what it is. Even if a person has never actually watched a Star Was film, one would think he would know what a Jedi is anyway, just from cultural osmosis.

As a little kid I always knew what a Jedi was and that Darth Vader was Luke Skywalker's father, even though I didn't actually see the films until years later. I mean, how could one live in our culture and not know those things?

Way past due for new movies. Come 2015 to 2020 everyone will know what Jedi are................

What rock have P4 & P5 been skulking under for the last 37 years?........

I work with some high schoolers (summer temps) that have never seen the movies or shows. Also my Monty Python quotes get some odd looks and a "What?" which saddens me greatly.

I wear my "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!" T-shirt all the time and only one person has commented on it Quoting Python used to be a requirement for calling yourself a geek. Ah, well...

Incidentally, not having any SW lore geeks in your group can be a blessing. Nobody will call you on your canon mistakes

I have to wonder if "What's a Jedi?" really means "I know a Jedi is a Star Wars thing and they have glowing swords and powers, I guess... but what are they, exactly?" because I am currently playing with people at that level of knowledge.

Our least Star Wars-savvy player can accurately describe Darth Vader and has culturally absorbed that he is Luke's father.. but has no knowledge of Anakin Skywalker, what the deal is with the mask and the breathing, etc.

Our weirdest moment was looking at the cover of EotE and asking "Did the artist use Indiana Jones as the model for that guy with Chewbacca?"

I started looking around for Rod Serling, at that point.

If you have players that are clueless about Star Wars, just wear this T-shirt at the next session. It'll set the tone

I know, it seems ridiculous to us. But even the most recent series, Enterprise, ended nine years ago when most of today's undergraduates were 9 or 10 years old. Star Trek: The Next Generation ended 20 years ago - around the time they were born.

See, the cultural disconnect just blows my mind. When I was 20 (1990-ish), I was busy watching stuff well before my time like early Doctor Who, Shaw Brothers Kung Fu flicks, Godzilla movies, every Universal and Hammer Horror VHS I could lay my hands on, staying up to catch Night of the Living Dead on the UHF station and so on. Planet of the apes when I was 10? Yup. Shaft and Superfly when I was 15? yup!

So clearly this is just bad parenting! I blame the adults in the relationship and CPS should be called at once!

***edit***

Actually, thinking about it - I'll also blame the changing face of media, too. Think about life in the 80s and 90s - constant reruns of Gilligan's Island, old monster movies on Friday Night Creeper Theater, Saturday Morning Cartoons. There's nothing like that these days. We're inindated with media, but it's so diverse and random, cat videos and Angry Video Game Nerd and youtybe and . . .. and not just 3 networks and a handful of UHF stations showing I Love Lucy and Dialing for Dollars in the afternoon.

The reason is that there is just so much available in rewatchable media. I came up when one had to work to find the treasures of popular culture gone-by ("Star Wars" is on cable! Everyone clear your schedules!). Today it is all so common that either appreciation has dwindled or so many major fandom movements are competing in Montague and Capulet-style fueds.

However, while that may be a reason... It is still no excuse.

Raise your kids right and set your freinds on the correct path (or use them as lab rats), people!

I have to wonder if "What's a Jedi?" really means "I know a Jedi is a Star Wars thing and they have glowing swords and powers, I guess... but what are they, exactly?" because I am currently playing with people at that level of knowledge.

glowing swords... check (probably )

powers... i doubt the guy had any idea

if you had asked him what the millennium falcon might be, to describe a stormtrooper, or the death star, you would have surely drawn blanks every time. he recognizes darth vader, but couldn't say anything about him.

trust me, i was totally surprised that it's possible to know next to nothing about star wars. especially considering he already played roleplaying games (pathfinder).

i ordered him wo watch the original trilogy at once of course! i haven't seen him again (he isn't a regular at my gaming club) since then so i don't know if he has seen the light already.

I know, it seems ridiculous to us. But even the most recent series, Enterprise, ended nine years ago when most of today's undergraduates were 9 or 10 years old. Star Trek: The Next Generation ended 20 years ago - around the time they were born.

See, the cultural disconnect just blows my mind. When I was 20 (1990-ish), I was busy watching stuff well before my time like early Doctor Who, Shaw Brothers Kung Fu flicks, Godzilla movies, every Universal and Hammer Horror VHS I could lay my hands on, staying up to catch Night of the Living Dead on the UHF station and so on. Planet of the apes when I was 10? Yup. Shaft and Superfly when I was 15? yup!

So clearly this is just bad parenting! I blame the adults in the relationship and CPS should be called at once!

***edit***

Actually, thinking about it - I'll also blame the changing face of media, too. Think about life in the 80s and 90s - constant reruns of Gilligan's Island, old monster movies on Friday Night Creeper Theater, Saturday Morning Cartoons. There's nothing like that these days. We're inindated with media, but it's so diverse and random, cat videos and Angry Video Game Nerd and youtybe and . . .. and not just 3 networks and a handful of UHF stations showing I Love Lucy and Dialing for Dollars in the afternoon.

watching someone struggle with growing old is fun.

I don't feel there should be any "required" degree of familiarity to play the game. The first time I played D&D I knew nothing about the world, or Shadowrun, or about any other game. If someone who had never read/watched or knew any thing about Star Wars wanted to play in my game, I would welcome them. in my last group, I had a player who had never Role Played before, and heard about the hobby and decided to try it out. He was a great addition to our group.

I think the RPG would be great way to bring them into the Star Wars universe. Who knows, they may become a huge fan after playing the game, and could go on to become collectors, members of the R2builders, the Mando Mercs, the Rebel Legion or the the 501st.

STAR WARS IS FANTASY NOT SCIFI OMGNERDRAGE!!!!!!11

Also not to get nit picky here but Star wars is not Science Fiction but Fantasy???...

Sorry that is not correct. Star Wars fits in to the umbrella term of Science Fiction. With the sub-genre being Space Opera/Science Fantasy. Fantasy it self has zero to little high tech aspects to it. The Wheel of Time, GoT, D&D, The Witcher...Skyrim, these are Fantasy. Don't call out someone as wrong, if you are even more wrong...So way to nerd rage...

Eh, Star Wars encompasses too many genres to pigeonhole into just one. Science Fiction, Fantasy, space opera, spaghetti western, samurai flick, action, romance, kung-fu flick - and way more.

Eh, Star Wars encompasses too many genres to pigeonhole into just one. Science Fiction, Fantasy, space opera, spaghetti western, samurai flick, action, romance, kung-fu flick - and way more.

Which is why it absolutely rox.

Also not to get nit picky here but Star wars is not Science Fiction but Fantasy???...

Sorry that is not correct. Star Wars fits in to the umbrella term of Science Fiction. With the sub-genre being Space Opera/Science Fantasy. Fantasy it self has zero to little high tech aspects to it. The Wheel of Time, GoT, D&D, The Witcher...Skyrim, these are Fantasy. Don't call out someone as wrong, if you are even more wrong...So way to nerd rage...

Well I wasn't criticising anyone or calling anyone "wrong" per se, I was just making a tongue-in-cheek joke. I thought that was pretty obvious by the "tone" of it. That's also why I just made a random "drive-by" comment and didn't in any way elaborate.

And while I still won't get into any details now (since this is way off topic), yes, Star Wars is most definitely fantasy and most definitely not science fiction (at least not to any meaningful extent).

When you say that fantasy has little in the way of "technology" and then point out things like The Wheel of Time and D&D as correct examples of "fantasy", you're making the classic mistake which I was humourously commenting on. The fantasy/science-fiction distinction actually has nothing to do with the "look" or the technology level of the setting - those are only cosmetic details. The genre classification derives from the storytelling style and the narrative tropes that are featured.

Keeping this as brief as I can, while Star Wars might look like science-fiction, it's actually a near perfect distillation of fantasy storytelling (indeed George Lucas deliberately designed it to be so) while featuring almost none of the defining elements of science-fiction.

watching someone struggle with growing old is fun.

As probably the oldest person on these boards, my suggestion for the strugglers is to embrace it. I watch my friends struggle, and it's sad and boring, and comes from a fountain of BS memories of the past people cling to. You are older every single day, that ain't never gonna change. Too much nostalgia is crippling and leads to mental fossilization. All that stuff you grew up with? Most of it was crap, just like most of today's stuff is crap. Filter it, get rid of it, keep the gems (past and present), move on, stay fresh. Don't mistake an emotional connection you once had with "quality". Life's too short not to enjoy the vast ever-shifting creative potential humanity has.