With AoR "Stay on Target" Pilot book announcing the Beast Rider spec, I was in shock... because I realized that there is no other class book left in Edge that would really allow something similar to be added (a Smuggler Beast Rider?).

Any thoughts on this? I guess you could use the AoR book with Edge characters, but the thought that is it being left out of Edge has me really disappointed.

In the beginner game, 2 of the PC's gave nearly all their credits to the Dewback Stables just so they could have one to ride on their adventures.

Looks like more house rules will be coming, since everyone loves pets & mounts!

I'd go with a Hired Gun, except their book has already been done. Hm.

I'd go with a Hired Gun, except their book has already been done. Hm.

Exactly!

Probably should wait and see what the spec actually looks like. Once it's out it might not really fit. Survivalist already has Survival, Xenology, and ranks of Hunter, which is all anyone needs to simply tame and ride mounts. I would think the AoR one will be a bit more about militarization of animal mounts.

The easiest house rule would to purchase the book and make the beast ride a career specialization for either then Explorer or the Colonist (makes most sense). It is a shame that these more iconic specializations are exclusive to one line, but if your willing to purchase the splat book, it's not a stretch to make it fit in your game.

I'm a bit surprised they would hold onto an idea like this for an AoR book. The idea seems more fitting for an EotE style campaign setting.

Or maybe not, since you are possibly more likely to be in a situation where you are staying in one place long enough without access to a proper vehicle while holding out on some remote military installation or something.

Still, there is no reason you can't buy the book and use it for EotE, they were designed to be used together anyways.

Yes, I agree, and will no doubt be buying this... clever marketing to get Edge players to start grabbing Age of Rebellion books, even though personally, I can't stand the military-focused setting.

Beastrider + Basilisk War Droid = Mandalorian Nemesis!

Yes, I agree, and will no doubt be buying this... clever marketing to get Edge players to start grabbing Age of Rebellion books, even though personally, I can't stand the military-focused setting.

Let's just say we disagree on the term "clever"...

Yes, I agree, and will no doubt be buying this... clever marketing to get Edge players to start grabbing Age of Rebellion books, even though personally, I can't stand the military-focused setting.

Let's just say we disagree on the term "clever"...

It may not be so nefarious as you're implying.

All the same, I can't say I'm nearly as excited as Shift is for this specialization. It doesn't seem like it fits into the AoR theme or the Pilot career. Colonist or Explorer feel like more natural places to put it. It will depend on your campaign and what talents are in the tree, but I just can't see Beastrider as anything more than a niche role. Unless you happen to be playing a Dathomiri Witches campaign.

For what it's worth, the main cases in the films of beast riders are both military: Rebels on Tauntauns and Imperials on Dewbacks.

It may not be so nefarious as you're implying.

Certain people have painted my reaction as though FFG were "up to no good".

This is not the case. I think it was a poor business decision and one that will ultimately cost them, but I don't think they're evil for it. Short sighted? Yes, but not evil.

FFG started this "multiple core books" stuff* with their 40K line, it worked there. I never heard one peep about people being upset at buying multiple Core books for that game. Likely because the different "Cores" did not go with each other. Inquisitors and Rogue Trader crews and Deathwatch squads really should be in separate games.

However... I know people who won't even give FFG SW a chance because of this.

* To be completely fair to both FFG and the history of rpgs... White Wolf started this "nonsense" with the 1st edition of their Storyteller lines. Each individual line reprinted all the basic core rules in it's own "Core book. However in this case the games weren't meant to be mixed and matched. They could be, but really thematically they did not match up well (nor did they match up in power scaling). In the Second set, they did make one Core Book with all the basic core rules, each line had it's Core book which added further rules, but didn't reprint the base Core Book.

So to be completely fair, FFG is trying to steal an idea from old White Wolf... but we've seen this nonsense before and are wiser for it.

For what it's worth, the main cases in the films of beast riders are both military: Rebels on Tauntauns and Imperials on Dewbacks.

For what it's worth, the main cases in the films of beast riders are both military: Rebels on Tauntauns and Imperials on Dewbacks.

Sure, but in both cases you're talking about what? Maybe 30 seconds of screen time for the Dewbacks (were they even in the original or only one of the updates?) and maybe 60 seconds of Tauntauns?

Neither or which seemed important enough to warrant a specialization devoted to them. But then again, with six Pilot specializations to fill out, you are going to be hard pressed to make them all unique and viable.

For what it's worth, the main cases in the films of beast riders are both military: Rebels on Tauntauns and Imperials on Dewbacks.

And one Jedi on wall running lizard back.

To be far, just about every character we see is military. Rebel, Imperial, and Jedi. IMHO, if Jedi are leading an army they are military.

It may not be so nefarious as you're implying.

Certain people have painted my reaction as though FFG were "up to no good".

This is not the case. I think it was a poor business decision and one that will ultimately cost them, but I don't think they're evil for it. Short sighted? Yes, but not evil.

Fair enough. I misread your response.

I'm actually in agreement about business decisions. I'm not sold on the multiple core books concept. FaD seems to set itself apart, but other than the Duty mechanic, a few pieces of gear, and themed specializations you don't have much value in AoR CRB if you own EotE CRB. I can see that leading to a lot of people not being very excited aobut the new rulebooks that FFG produces. I know my enthusiasm for the AoR CRB was way down after seeing the beta.

There are also those Jawas who try and fail to ride that ronto on the way into Mos Eisley. I don't think they have the spec

Don't forget about the Gungans on their dinosaur things. Yes. Gungans. I went there.

A New Hope had Stormtroopers riding Dewbacks on Tatooine while looking for the droids.

In the original release, it's just a Stormtrooper sitting on a dewback behind a hill, but in the special editions they're actually riding them around.

Are you really saying you play the games but you just pirate all the books?

While I'm reserving the specializations in the AoR core book for military-type characters, what I've read about the SoT specs makes me think that they'll be "universal" enough to let my players get them even though they're strictly speaking EotE characters with no ties to the Rebellion. I'm just going on the description in the write-up, mind, but they didn't really have the same military flavour as the ones in the core book.

Given that at the moment there are still three EotE career splatbooks still to come, it remains possible that Beast Rider could be a specialization that finds its way into EotE. Most likely it would be part of the Bounty Hunter career than either Smuggler or Technician. First, Survivalist gives us some hints that Bounty Hunters do lean in that direction, and second it doesn't really fit either bailiwick of Technician or Smuggler. In addition, somewhere out there is a picture of Boba Fett riding a Varactyl, which seems to indicate that it could work well there.

All six careers will have a sourcebook attached to them, so one could give it time. Granted, if one wants to have a Beast Rider in Edge of the Empire, they could pick up Stay on Target to provide it in the short-term. After all, the games are totally cross compatible, and if someone specifically wants to use a Beast Rider specialization in Edge, there's nothing stopping them from picking up Stay on Target as a resource in the short term.

I don't call that a conspiracy at all, but the current pace of product development. It's not practical to have everything all at once. Truthfully one doesn't need anything other than the Core Rulebook to play the game. The splatbooks simply add flavour.

In the original release, it's just a Stormtrooper sitting on a dewback behind a hill...

Now I wish I had the original three on disk instead of video cassette.

Are you really saying you play the games but you just pirate all the books?

I don't. Our group has a "Star Wars" guy, he tends to buy most books that are "Star Wars" related. He was running a campaign but it's wrapping soon and he won't ever run FFG again (he really has come to hate losing narrative control to the Players and the "loose" gamism/non-sim manner of the rules).

He'll be buying F&D as his "last FFG SW" book when it's out of Beta. Or so he claims. I'm pretty sure since I'll be running a loose "F&D" game (really it's EotE/AoR game with Force Users) he'll get all the splats too.

To be honest the only reason I'm going to run is a) I do like the dice (the funk invaded my soul) and b) he was making "I'll convert the game to d20" noises and I hate D&D more than I dislike FFG's marketing strategy.

As a kid, after the first movie came out, I even had a dewback toy which had a hole on its back you could stick a Stormtrooper in so he could ride it.

I collect all the FFG SWRP stuff, but I don't expect the players in my game to buy it unless they wanted to.

It's just that none of them are as vocal or as ... opinionated ... about it on the forums