I'm thinking of buying one of the rules supplements - Dangerous Covenants, Far Horizons, etc.

I like the look of Suns of Fortune but as my game is remaining firmly on the fringes it seems a waste.

Anyway, one factor in which I choose will be what bad guys and ships are in the books. I want to increase my stock of things that go *pew pew* and things that bite and stab. Which books have some interesting / iconic creatures and vessels? Like if one of the books had Interceptors and X-Wings that would be a strong nudge to get that book. If one had Scout Walkers and AT-ATs and destroyer droids (oh my!), I'd look at that.

Not asking for comprehensive answers (you can if you like ). Just a few shout-outs along the lines of "Dangerous Covenants has lots of imperial ships", "Far Horizons has those giant space worms that tried to eat the Falcon". That sort of thing. I basically want the best GM toybox for my money.

Thanks for any replies.

K.

The things you mention are all in the Age of Rebellion core. Is that an option?

The things you mention are all in the Age of Rebellion core. Is that an option?

Yes.

It's more expensive and I wasn't anticipating it. I suppose in retrospect it is obvious this would be where I find the big guns... I would prefer not to spend money on something that has so much overlap with what I already have. Some of the careers might be useful but I will be keeping the focus on an EotE style game, so it's a bit limited. Hmmmm. You've thrown me a curveball. What ships and adversaries are in there? Does it have a higher scale of firepower than EotE in general? How would it compare with Dangerous Covenants (which was my current most likely).

I think you'll still get a fair bit of value out of Suns of Fortune, it has some bitey animals, gear, ships and most importantly as a GM, there are some modular encounters in the back which are good to bounce a few ideas off.

The other splatbooks are career specific, but they're heavily PC career use and not so much for GM's

Did get a fair bit of value out of the adventure book Beyond the Rim, heavily modified to suit

One

I think you'll still get a fair bit of value out of Suns of Fortune, it has some bitey animals, gear, ships and most importantly as a GM, there are some modular encounters in the back which are good to bounce a few ideas off.

The other splatbooks are career specific, but they're heavily PC career use and not so much for GM's

Did get a fair bit of value out of the adventure book Beyond the Rim, heavily modified to suit

Thanks. I have toyed with getting Suns of Fortune - it looks useful. It's just off-putting that it's a source book for somewhere I'm very unlikely to take my game. : /

One thing I guess I should have said that I need, is some non-Imperial opposition. Militias, law-enforcement, that sort of thing. Not sure if any of the books particularly lean that way.

Good advice about the books being very career-focused. Maybe they're not what I really need after all (though I imagine quite a bit of Dangerous Covenants could be turned on PCs?)

Does AoR have much in the way of information on Imperial military structures, what they use, where their power-bases are, that sort of thing? Although my game wont be players against the Empire, I anticipate a lot of running around them.

There's some mention about things like that in AoR, mostly in the chapter that elaborates on the different regions of the galaxy - they mention some of the planets in that region where the Empire has large shipyards, important bases and so on. But it's not terribly detailed. If you need more background information on things like that you should resort to Wookieepedia.

And if you really want lots of details on Imperial military and political structure I'd look around online for West End Games' "Imperial Sourcebook". It's old and out of print, but it's probably the most comprehensive guide to the Empire ever written, made by the guys who invented most of the good parts of the EU.

One thing I guess I should have said that I need, is some non-Imperial opposition. Militias, law-enforcement, that sort of thing. Not sure if any of the books particularly lean that way.

Good advice about the books being very career-focused. Maybe they're not what I really need after all (though I imagine quite a bit of Dangerous Covenants could be turned on PCs?)

I guess you can probably find some use for the weapons as FFG has a massive woody for making tonnes of weapons in their supplements, but in all honesty, I found making up, hordes of Minions, some Rivals and Nemisis NPC's a better solution for interactions.

Course, as a GM, using them on PC's means that if they survive, then they'll pick up those objects and proceed to use them

As Krieger mentioned, some of the older D6 stuff has a derth of information on just what goes into making an Imperial presence, the Wookipedia to some extent also gets a lot of use for researching interesting planets, cultures, critters and stuff like that just as a reference. Like most wiki's, the accuracy and content varies from very good to complete rubbish, but it is what it is.

Dangerous Covenants has some good ships. I particularly like the YV-929 (which can also be found in Age of Rebellion). DC also has rules for turning ships into paramilitary vehicles. Great for making crazy mad max styled pirate fleets.

I would suggest AoR, but there isn't a hudge difference in guns, armor, and mundane equipment compared to the EotE core. But if you want TIEs and the like, it's going to have what you need.

Alternatively, for the same price (or less) you can track down the AoR beta book. If all you are interested in is the new ships, I would go this route.

The soldier:sharpshooter career:specialization from AoR is pretty impressive, combine that with bounty hunter:assassin and you have the ultimate personal scale ranged combattant.

Far Horizons had the Hwk-290 "freighter" (silhouette 3, i.e. star fighter sized, enc 75, speed 4, handling 1, no weapons but 5 hp so it can be souped up nicely. I think that it and the yt-2400 are my two favorite ships so far.

Dangerous covenants has some nice weapons and armor. But suns of fortune has berethron (sp?) Armor, an armored flight suit, and rules for sabaac. The dueling pistol is pretty hard core too.

Anyway, one factor in which I choose will be what bad guys and ships are in the books. I want to increase my stock of things that go *pew pew* and things that bite and stab.

That sounds to me like a pretty good description of Dangerous Covenants. You can go to the page at http://swrpg.viluppo.net/books/book/8/ and get a list of all of the equipment, etc… that are found in the book, but this is just the minimal stat listings — you’ll want to pay money to get the full descriptions, and so on.

Likewise, the page at http://swrpg.viluppo.net/books/book/5/ lists all the same kind of information that can be found in Suns of Fortune. Enter the Unknown is at http://swrpg.viluppo.net/books/book/4/ and Beyond the Rim is at http://swrpg.viluppo.net/books/book/3/.

Of course, none of those really compare with the page at http://swrpg.viluppo.net/books/book/12/ for the AoR CRB.

Thanks for every reply - all have been really informative and useful. It sounds like I actually do want AoR. I think as I'm not absolutely ready to use it yet (I'm planning ahead with all this), I may hold off on it slightly in the hopes that I'll be able to get a second printing with any errata included. For this purchase, I'll get Dangerous Covenants based on comments here - it sounds like it will still be the best bang for my buck. (So sorry for that. ). There'll be a slight delay in ordering it since I want to get another dice pack at the same time and the place I order from is out of them. (Again! They seem completely unable to keep them on the shelves). But I have made a choice. I'm pencilling in Far Horizons as a second and nicely contrasting supplement to get later. AoR I hadn't expected to buy but I'll now be getting.

Thanks all - really helpful!

K.

Anyway, one factor in which I choose will be what bad guys and ships are in the books. I want to increase my stock of things that go *pew pew* and things that bite and stab.

That sounds to me like a pretty good description of Dangerous Covenants. You can go to the page at http://swrpg.viluppo.net/books/book/8/ and get a list of all of the equipment, etc… that are found in the book, but this is just the minimal stat listings — you’ll want to pay money to get the full descriptions, and so on.

Likewise, the page at http://swrpg.viluppo.net/books/book/5/ lists all the same kind of information that can be found in Suns of Fortune. Enter the Unknown is at http://swrpg.viluppo.net/books/book/4/ and Beyond the Rim is at http://swrpg.viluppo.net/books/book/3/.

Of course, none of those really compare with the page at http://swrpg.viluppo.net/books/book/12/ for the AoR CRB.

Um, those pages contain a very large part of what I was buying the book for. I kind of don't need to buy them now I've seen that. I guess I probably still will, but you've just given me most of what I was after already.

Um, those pages contain a very large part of what I was buying the book for. I kind of don't need to buy them now I've seen that. I guess I probably still will, but you've just given me most of what I was after already.

I hope you’re the exception instead of the rule in this case, otherwise we’re probably going to be forced to shut down the project at swrpg.viluppo.net.

Um, those pages contain a very large part of what I was buying the book for. I kind of don't need to buy them now I've seen that. I guess I probably still will, but you've just given me most of what I was after already.

I hope you’re the exception instead of the rule in this case, otherwise we’re probably going to be forced to shut down the project at swrpg.viluppo.net.

Well I still will buy the books eventually, but it's now more a case of doing it because I think I should, rather than out of need / curiosity. I no longer need the books to put these things in my game. Not 100% of course - there's still the descriptions of things. But a large part of what I want is stats and rules and I now find I don't need the books for that. Silly or not, I had a desire to have Interceptors and Star Destroyers et al. and for that I needed the rules. Having seen them, much of my curiosity has now already been sated. I'm no longer thinking: "I want to get AoR and see what the new Imperial ships are like".

Sorry about this - I may well be the exception. I don't know. I'm sure it's put up as a useful resource and is one. I'm only describing how I feel. I am a sample size of one. I don't know how many others would be / are the same. Maybe no-one does.

Um, those pages contain a very large part of what I was buying the book for. I kind of don't need to buy them now I've seen that. I guess I probably still will, but you've just given me most of what I was after already.

I hope you’re the exception instead of the rule in this case, otherwise we’re probably going to be forced to shut down the project at swrpg.viluppo.net.

Then I hope I'm part of the rule - this is exactly what I'd been looking for in my decision. Like the OP I'm looking at which splatbook to buy next, and those links are perfect for me - I'm only buying the books 1/4 for the pure stats; the rest is the fluff, the physical copy, and to support FFG.

From that, it looks like Dangerous Covenants is best for all-around gear type stuff; plenty of weapons, equipment, and vehicles. Beyond the Rim is probably slightly behind it, but looks like will be my next choice for purchase because on top of the neat gear there's also an adventure.

Thanks brad!

Then I hope I'm part of the rule - this is exactly what I'd been looking for in my decision. Like the OP I'm looking at which splatbook to buy next, and those links are perfect for me - I'm only buying the books 1/4 for the pure stats; the rest is the fluff, the physical copy, and to support FFG.

That’s certainly more along the lines of what I have been hoping. We want to make this a valuable community resource, and we definitely don’t want to take away any income from FFG or cause them any license problems with Disney/Lucasfilm.

From that, it looks like Dangerous Covenants is best for all-around gear type stuff; plenty of weapons, equipment, and vehicles. Beyond the Rim is probably slightly behind it, but looks like will be my next choice for purchase because on top of the neat gear there's also an adventure.

Awesome!

Thanks brad!

I can’t claim credit for this project. I help with it a little, but the guy you really want to thank is Aahzmandius_Karrde — he wrote the code and did the bulk of the data entry. I’ve done some data entry, and acted as a sounding board for some of the code ideas, but that’s it.

Other than that, I try to be a strong advocate for the project on these forums.

Thank you for your support!

To offer a bit more support for things:

Yes, the index project give stat blocks, but you are missing out on a lot of details that really make a narrative game narrative. Descriptions, purposes, how it fits in the galaxy. . .all of these things are just as, if not more important, than the numbers.

Even with this index, I still find myself buying the books. One part because it supports FFG and shows them that this game needs to continue (i.e. vote with your dollars). One part is to have all of that fluff. The last part is practicality, as it's nice to have an analog, non-digital version.

That said, here's a breakdown:

==Career Splatbook Overview==

Each book contains 3 species, 3 career specializations, and 2 career unlockables that add a lot of narrative and mechanical power to each career. Some are better than others, but I won't bother going into them in detail here.

As you are looking specifically at the beasties and gear, I'll focus on those.

==Enter the Unknown==

Lots of fun slugthrowers with alternate ammo, and probably the largest collection of starting ships in a splatbook thus far. I don't recall many beasts, but there's a few droids you can use. Armor is more useful that protective.

General, non-combat gear is mostly toward surviving in the wilderness. Some fun and useful things here, though!

==Dangerous Covenants==

There's a lot of amusing weapons in here, but very little fit for a starting character. Armor contains one of the best suits for a "mandalorian" character and also includes the first fully powered armor we see, which makes this rather fun.

There's a small collection of vehicles, most of which are outside of the reach of character creation, but there's some guidelines to turn any vehicle into a "military" ship. Fun if you need quick guidelines of turning your random luxury yacht into a fighting machine.

I don't recall much non-combat gear for this book, and the few pieces were narrowly focused to paramilitary groups.

==Far Horizons==

I haven't finished this one yet, but the weapons and armor were rather minimal, but the weapons were focused on things that focused on stunning (which is a GREAT thing for the new Marshal career). There are some snazzy ships (including the HWK-290 "Freighter") and some other fun tidbits, but it really isn't my favorite book.

==Suns of Fortune==

Honestly, this book may be the best splatbook to get so far. Here's why:

--NPCs galore! Named NPCs, beasty NPCs, and CorSec agents! You can easily file off the serial numbers for any one of these and introduce it to your own setting (i.e. I'm saving CorSec for local police forces with some bite).

--Cheap gear! Honestly, the gear in this book is ideal for character creation where every credit counts, and the more expensive gear is just interesting to have on hand.

--Fast ships! There's a nice collection of ships here, and it's hard to say no to CEC.

--Modular Encounters! This gives a few hooks that you can use as-is or as a placeholder for parts of your own game. The NPCs there are also pretty useful and can be used anywhere.

--New rules! This may not be important, but when you get rules for how to play Sabacc and a fun way to handle vehicle races (as that's one of the module encounters), it's hard to say no to this book.

In all honesty, Suns of Fortune was the first splatbook I bought, and it has been the most well-loved book by my players as they buy gear from it (I think half of the table is wearing armor or carrying a weapon from this) or even play a species from it (Corellian Human and Selonian at my table right now). It's probably the most bang for your buck as you get some amazing setting information, plenty of equipment, a good list of goods outside of the usual gear, and a nice collection of NPCs to modify.

Why are you reading this still? Go buy it!

==The Adventure Modules==

I've never been one for pre-made adventures, but I do own Jewel of Yavin and Onslaught on Arda I. The first because it gives stats for Lando and Lobot (which can easily be tweaked for any administrator/gambler and assistant in the Galaxy) and my former FLGS special ordered it for me on accident (and I hated him losing a sale). It was still worth grabbing.

The second was snagged because it offers mass combat rules. My copy just came in on Thursday (haven't had time to read it yet), so I can't tell you much about it.

In any case, good luck with choosing which books to snag!

Suns of Fortune was already going to be my next purchase next month; I only had a limited amount left in my 'fun' budget for the month, however, which is why I was focused on the best Career splatbook. As mentioned above, I really want to support FFG for this product line - it's one of the best, and most innovative, RPG designs I've seen in my life. But I'm still trying to support a family, so they don't have first call on my dollars - just first call on my spare

As a tangent - all those folks griping about the core rules being reprinted in each book. I don't know about you, but at my table in the past there have been plenty of times where having two rulebooks handy has been great; one can engage in their rules debate with the GM while the other kills time looking up an ability he wants to use. Having the core in multiple books (or copies) is great for things like that.

Suns of Fortune was already going to be my next purchase next month; I only had a limited amount left in my 'fun' budget for the month, however, which is why I was focused on the best Career splatbook. As mentioned above, I really want to support FFG for this product line - it's one of the best, and most innovative, RPG designs I've seen in my life. But I'm still trying to support a family, so they don't have first call on my dollars - just first call on my spare

I can relate there, so don't worry! Good job with keeping things in line!

As a tangent - all those folks griping about the core rules being reprinted in each book. I don't know about you, but at my table in the past there have been plenty of times where having two rulebooks handy has been great; one can engage in their rules debate with the GM while the other kills time looking up an ability he wants to use. Having the core in multiple books (or copies) is great for things like that.

I actually snagged a second copy of Edge of the Empire for this reason, and still bought Age of Rebellion. While AoR is great for all of the new things that are GM friendly, it's still nice to now that my well loved (i.e. binding is loose due to use and a few drops) EotE won't need to be constantly opened to look up a rule.

I'm such a completist I am having a hard time keeping myself from buying a second copy of EOTE just so I have the latest printing with its errata ...

I'm such a completist I am having a hard time keeping myself from buying a second copy of EOTE just so I have the latest printing with its errata ...

I can understand that. I'm not much of a completionist, but I hate not having the rulebook I want/need after the game goes out of print and I'm packing 3x market price for the book like I did with some of my WEG books. . .

I'm such a completist I am having a hard time keeping myself from buying a second copy of EOTE just so I have the latest printing with its errata ...

I don't blame you. I'm really considering buying a second copy of Force and Destiny (once it is out to the public) just to mutilate and photocopy the force powers and talent sheets. Unless some nice members of the community make some lovely PDF copies.

There are already terrific printable Talent Trees like BeggingForXP's, I wouldn't be surprised if the same happened for F&D. Don't go chopping up your books yet!

I'm thinking of buying one of the rules supplements - Dangerous Covenants, Far Horizons, etc.

I suppose after all the advice people gave, I should reply just to say what I ended up buying.

I eventually settled for Suns of Fortune, Dangerous Covenants, Enter the Unknown and Far Horizons.

It was a bit of a failure as regards narrowing it down, but on the plus side, I now have four new books.