I'm starting to prep for a Firefly campaign that I'll be running in a few months. Although I like the rules for the new Firefly game, I also like the Edge of the Empire mechanics, and I think I've sold most of the group on the fancy dice (we're traditionally d20 - I don't think we've played anything but for more than a decade).

So, right off the bat: no aliens, no Force (unless we have a reader like River), probably lower tech...

I want to fiddle as little as possible with the core mechanics, but I want to make the world feel like the 'Verse a little more (although I honestly think EotE already does quite a bit), but am considering a few changes. I'd like advice from those more experienced with the new Star Wars RPG.

1) Less reliance on gear. I mean, you still want a gun to be effective, but I want less reliance on customizing and kitting out your gear. In Firefly, a gun is a gun, pretty much.

2) What would be the ramifications of doing away with armor? Presumably, that would make combat a little more lethal... and I'm okay with that. What else?

3) With non-humans out, I'm toying with "regional" backgrounds instead. Someone from Alliance Space, like Inara or Simon, has a different upbringing and different sensibilities than someone raised on the Rim, like Mal or Jayne.

Any thoughts on these specific things? Any Browncoats with other suggestions?

I've been wanting to run a Firefly game (but actually using Cortex Plus, not replacing it). I like the new Cortex Plus system and would actually run that for Firefly... only because MWP has done a good job of marrying the two together. Cortex Plus uses a combination of the old Cortex system with a mixture of Fate. The way the assets/complications work in Firefly make that system vastly different in my experience. Before you try to tweak too much, you should probably experience a few games to get a better feel. (I don't know if you've actually played or not, so message was assuming you haven't).

The Edge game that I am running has been kind of a Firefly feel to it already... Read up on the way Firefly uses episodes and try to emulate that. I try to use that with a "super" arc and a "minor" arc and each episodes with a number of "acts". In my edge game, the party is about to get the information they need to identify the over reaching arch. Up until now, there have only been minor hints as I've been building the party up.

If you're going to go w/ FFG Edge of Empire rules, I'd go all the way or not at all. But that's only my opinion and others may have some better suggestions.

I appreciate the feedback. I'm pretty set story-wise. I'm a semi-pro editor/writer and as a hobby for a few years I was head writer for a Firefly virtual series (we ran 29 episodes). It's the mechanics that I'm thinking about here.

I do like the Cortex system, but I've spent the better part of a year or so doing a low-grade sell on EotE to the point that at least two of my five future players have bought the game. My group has cycled through three recurring games for the past decade - my Star Wars game (using various d20 editions) and two different D&D games. I suspect I might have a full-on revolt if I scrap EotE as we get closer to actual game time.

Suggestions:

Races: I'd pick 5 to 10 races from SW and just stop calling them alien races. They're just people from different backgrounds, education etc. Naturally bizzare alien qualities (tails, sonic attacks etc) would have to be dropped.

Trading: Search for Tramp Freighters for WEG's Star Wars game. There are some good ideas about prices, supply/demand etc. The d20 system (not SAGA) also had a free web supplement about trading (for Hero's Guide sourcebook).

Combat: If you really want dangerous fights think about fiddling base soak - perhaps no brawn at all? or half of it? But boosting armour soak. This way wearing armor really matters.

My game is very firefly ish with no changes out if tge bix. You are right ig firefly a gun was a gun. But makeing a case fir mods "veria" was nit just another gun. I like the idea of dropping aliens and makeing them regional differences. My suggestiong is keep the stoy the way you wsnt it to feel and the rest will come. My sisuation is almist opposite of your I did not like the new cortex system. When I got EotE I started a game that turned into a furefly feel. I love the system anf the way a story can flow from it

Suggestions:

Races: I'd pick 5 to 10 races from SW and just stop calling them alien races. They're just people from different backgrounds, education etc. Naturally bizzare alien qualities (tails, sonic attacks etc) would have to be dropped.

Trading: Search for Tramp Freighters for WEG's Star Wars game. There are some good ideas about prices, supply/demand etc. The d20 system (not SAGA) also had a free web supplement about trading (for Hero's Guide sourcebook).

Combat: If you really want dangerous fights think about fiddling base soak - perhaps no brawn at all? or half of it? But boosting armour soak. This way wearing armor really matters.

Thanks for the thoughts. I have a bunch of WEG stuff (including Tramp Freighters) in a box in the basement. I had also printed out many of the WotC supplements, so I may have the one you're talking about. If not, I think I have a disc with the old stuff cataloged.

I wasn't thinking of removing Brawn from soak (would that devalue Brawn too much) but was thinking that for the rare folk who use actual armor, it might be much better than it is currently.

My game is very firefly ish with no changes out if tge bix. You are right ig firefly a gun was a gun. But makeing a case fir mods "veria" was nit just another gun. I like the idea of dropping aliens and makeing them regional differences. My suggestiong is keep the stoy the way you wsnt it to feel and the rest will come. My sisuation is almist opposite of your I did not like the new cortex system. When I got EotE I started a game that turned into a furefly feel. I love the system anf the way a story can flow from it

I get what you're saying about Vera, but the feel is all wrong. Vera isn't a great gun because it's kitted out with all the proper upgrades (although that is also true). Vera a great gun because Jayne loves her so much he gave her a name!

Remember though that your PCs and major NPCs are not regular folks, they are the focus of your entire universe, they are the .000000001% (likely lots more 0's) of the galaxy. Of the trillions of sentient creatures that own guns or swords or lightsabers, or even just pointy sticks, 99.999999....% just go with stock versions (or close enough to not matter). So when your PCs mod something it's because they are the heroes in the spotlight, everyone else are just extras. With this in mind it's not important that they spend a lot of resources and get attached to their equipment, as long as they follow the rules it really doesn't matter.

See, thats' the difference between Star Wars and Firefly. In Firefly, they're NOT the .000000001%. They're just some poor suckers who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Regardless, though, my point here is that I want a focus on the characters, not their gear. My group rotates between three different GMs. Two are running D&D 4E, so there's a huge emphasis on what stuff the characters carry. In my Star Wars campaign, especially after a second Jedi joined the group, the "normal" PCs had to kit out their gear to the max to compete. I don't want that here. If a weapon offers a bonus, it should be because the character has history with it - like Jayne and Vera, or Mal and the gun that was one of two things that made it through the war with him, or even Simon's medical bag being one of the handful of belongings that connects him to his old life.

Here, I think Firefly's "signature assets" works much, much better for the game I want to run than EotE's customization system. Now, I just need to figure out how to translate it.

Gwek,

The game I ran for close to a year was Firefly-esque as others have done. I set up episodic games so that each storyline was basically done in one evening. The feeling of Firefly came across very well. And I still allowed aliens, and droids, but I limited force users. My players really seemed to enjoy it.

However, to be honest from what you are saying I would recommend just staying with the Firefly system. It is designed to focus on the parts of the Firefly universe they want focused on. The FFG Star Wars system is designed to be very cinematic, and help convey the feeling of the Star Wars movies. Just an observation.

Salcor

See, thats' the difference between Star Wars and Firefly. In Firefly, they're NOT the .000000001%. They're just some poor suckers who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Here, I think Firefly's "signature assets" works much, much better for the game I want to run than EotE's customization system. Now, I just need to figure out how to translate it.

Thats fair. What I meant though, with a bit of exaggeration, was that your Player's PCs and their nemesis(es) are the only people in your FireFly universe that really count. So when they Mod their gear it really is the EotE version of Signature Assets. Now what you could do is just have your PC choose what their "Signature Asset" is based on what is available in the game already in the beginning and build it (- the rolls) using the Modding rules and just not allow further Modding unless they have the Jury Rig Talent (as written).