There are several areas where the fluff text says something that doesn't match up with the actual rules we are given. Some examples are given below:

Trandoshan vision is described as extending into the infrared but their mechanics don't have any mention of this vision, such as the usual reductions in Setback dice from darkness that such vision grants the Chiss.

Toydarians are described as being immune to mind-altering Force effects, but their mechanics don't grant them any such mechanics.

Weequay fluff says twice that their pheromones only allow communication between members of the same clan, but the mechanics allow it to work with any Weequay regardless of clan.

So, do you go with the mechanics as listed (or the lack of them), or do you push the fluff descriptions into the rules?

I think it's been established that the supposed 'immunity' of Hutts and Toydarians is simply reflected by their high willpower.

For things like Trandoshan vision, I liberally apply blue dice for that kind of thing. In fact, I do that all the time to represent racial and career bonuses that don't appear in the statistics. Twi'lek's dancing, Rodian's hunting, Ithorians gardening, that kind of thing.

I think they're left vague for players and GMs to decide for themselves whether to relegate them to simply fluff or apply some kind of mechanic. Perhaps in internal testing they had concerns about balance or something and wanted it left vague.

Yeah, I would apply those kinds of things situationally, when it is 1) interesting and 2) moves the story along. And I would always try to rule in favor of the players in these kinds of situations. I'm glad they didn't encode every possible species bonus into the game...the less numbers I have to keep track of, the better I feel about my game.

Yeah, I wouldn't recommend getting too hung up on the fluff descriptions and whether or not they match up exactly to the actual rules for that given species/item/vehicle/etc.

Like 2P51 said, it's probably added in the fluff portion so that the canon-junkies don't get too up in arms about how some 'obscure trivia bit' got overlooked, but left nebulous enough so that if the GM feels the situation warrants a boost dice as Maelora suggested, they have additional justification to do so.

A lot of these things are reflected in an attribute or starting wounds/strain thresholds, and don't get an actual individual special ability.

However, at my table? Boosts and Setbacks are sometimes things I think of, but if the lights go out, and I impose a setback die for everyone, but my trandoshan player tries to talk his way out of it because of his IR vision? I'm either gonna toss him a boost, or make it so he doesn't have to roll the setback die. Even if its not explicitly stated in the species stats, I consider that good play. If they can sell me on it when the situation warrants, I'll allow it. I mean, its IR vision, if they are trying to beat an NPC deception roll, and the Trando states before their roll that they want to use IR vision to see if this guy is extra nervous, I might toss a boost for that too, you know?

Stuff like the IR thing doesn't bother me. I've got a video camera with IR "night-shot" and another that mount a gen-iii night vision adapter. One can see into the infrared but needs a powerful illuminator to actually see in the dark, the other SEES ALL!

So I just assume it means that trandos can see into the it, but are not sensative enough to it to matter in most low light conditions.

Toydarians start with a 3 Willpower, which is where their Force "immunity" comes from.

For most of this stuff a good GM would allow for the bennefit of the doubt and grant those characters role playing advantages. It's dark out? Everyone sees fuzzy shapes but the Trandoshans can see a little more.

It's like if you said your character used to be a cook. The GM should just say that you can cook a dinner for the crew and it tastes pretty good, even though there is no cooking skill.

The devs have stated that fluff text is just fluff text. The stat blocks for weapons, items, species, etc are all the proper stat blocks except for where noted in errata.

In my experience things like infrared vision can be more of a hassle than a benefit. The problem is groups and that not everyone in them has the same experiential basis.

Unless you have an interest in physics, photography, or military training most people don't really know what infrared can and can't do. Media makes it up most of the time. How many people think about a refrigerator casting an infrared shadow? On a space ship with plumbing going every which way infrared would be next to useless.

I like the idea that you allow blue dice when the situation might possibly warrant it. Then it's up to the dice gods and you don't have players arguing over whether that wall has wires and pipes in it or if it's just drywall.

I'd have been okay with them saying that Toydarians and Hutts are immune to mental force powers. It's a nice bonus, but it immunity to influence isn't exactly game breaking for either Jedi or Toydarians.

FF seems to have largely gone with the MMO idea that race is largely cosmetic.

Trandoshan vision is described as extending into the infrared but their mechanics don't have any mention of this vision, such as the usual reductions in Setback dice from darkness that such vision grants the Chiss.

Toydarians are described as being immune to mind-altering Force effects, but their mechanics don't grant them any such mechanics.

So, do you go with the mechanics as listed (or the lack of them), or do you push the fluff descriptions into the rules?

I have changed this "fluff" for real mechanics.

I have changed Trandoshans free rank in Perception for the same skill as the Chiss have.

In my games Toydarians are immune to force manipulation, point. I have also implemented a HR for them that if they fail to get food often, they gain set back dice to their skill checks.