I've got a mixed bag of players. My wife and I are familiar with Star Wars terms and items, but most of the other players aren't. How have you handled this for your groups?

One of the fun things about Star Wars, is if you ignore "the Force" it is like any other space type thing.

So really you only have to explain how the Force is this universe's "space magic" and then I recommend spending time over the next weeks/month/etc watching all the movies with them. That way they can get a sense of the setting and who doesn't enjoy an excuse to watch the movies again?

Honestly through playing you learn about the universe. Lightsabers are unique but they are just "laser swords" to non star warsy folks.

Another idea would be to force the issue to come up. Suggest a player make a Force wielding character and have the situations force them to learn about the weirdness of it.

Realistically there are only 2 ways to get someone to understand Star Wars. 1, talk about the differences, 2, watch the movies. Any other answer than that is a modification of one of those 2 methods.

Good Luck and hopefully they enjoy the wonderful universe that is Star Wars.

Sounds like a good time for Pizza, beer, and movie night pre-game session to me.....

I've got a mixed bag of players. My wife and I are familiar with Star Wars terms and items, but most of the other players aren't. How have you handled this for your groups?

Most of my players are in this category and it hasn't been a problem. I'm sure even the most "living-under-a-rock" type person knows about things like the Empire, Darth Vader, and Jabba the Hutt...that's about the limit of my group's knowledge. So long as you don't introduce plot elements that require the players to know much more than that (like making clues based on obscure species facts), it works out just fine.

Agree with movie night.

That said, the "idiot" is a common character in all sci-fi films. By idiot I mean the normal guy that has no idea what's going on and has to have everything explained to him so that the audience can be introduced to the setting. So there's a simple in right there, make the players the idiots. It doesn't mean they don't get to be awesome, in most media that use this method (Farscape is a great example) the idiot is usually also the hero.

That said:

"Star Wars is a archetype-heavy science fantasy setting. The overall setting is akin to a world war two Europe, with the Evil Galactic Empire occupying most of civilized space, while an Alliance of rebels, resistance groups and guerrilla forces fight against them with the goal of restoring the republic government of old. Within the setting there is legend of a mystical group of peacekeepers known as the "Jedi" who used magic and laser-swords to defend the republic, but were ultimately wiped out by the Empire when the emperor came to power." Pretty much sums up the basics. As long as you say "the white armored Imperial stormtroopers" or "Triangular Imperial Star Destroyer" a few times you should be able to make it clear who the good guys and bad guys are.

Sounds like a good time for Pizza, beer, and movie night pre-game session to me.....

This is definitely the best way I'd think too. Might I suggest for the movie of choice though...Episode IV A New Hope as the film of the night to get them most comfortable with the Edge of the Empire feel (and to make the most sense of things). This will prevent a six movie marathon from the "technical" beginning to end.

Also, the "default" Edge of the Empire time frame is around 1 ABY - i.e. after A New Hope but before The Empire Strikes Back .

So in the standard EotE setting, Episodes V and VI haven't happened yet anyway and the victory of the Rebellion against the first Death Star is still recent news.

The part I try to watch out for with unfamiliar players is aliens. Knowing the universe, its easy for me to just say "there's a Givin and a Verpine sitting at the cantina booth". Make myself describe the pale alien who looks like a ghostly skeleton and a thin green insectoid, then give the names for those plagers/character familiar with them.

The part I try to watch out for with unfamiliar players is aliens. Knowing the universe, its easy for me to just say "there's a Givin and a Verpine sitting at the cantina booth". Make myself describe the pale alien who looks like a ghostly skeleton and a thin green insectoid, then give the names for those plagers/character familiar with them.

This is a great tip. My only EU exposure is a few select video games and now this wonderful RPG. I now know many different species, having read about them for this game, however I'm sure at least a few of my players will not be familiar with them.

Glossary of relevant terms might be helpful:

Slicing = hacking a computer system

Blaster = gun

Spaceport = airport for starships

Starship = spaceship

Hyperdrive = something that allows your ship to travel faster than light

Hyperspace = kinda like a constantly shifting freeway system

Droid = robot

And so on...

Unless you own a bunch of guides (I suggest aliens and vehicles, with technology a bit useful), I'd have Wookiepedia or similar nearby to access if people want help visualizing things. Or have some images available prior to the game. I find having the alien guide to show what a Gotal or a Yuzzem looks like helps.

I also suggest watching A New Hope (for the background) and maybe part/all of The Empire Strikes Back (for the feel--Outer Rim, bounty hunters, desperation of an ever-present Empire, etc.).

Like bsmith said, just describe stuff more than you refer to its names. Many many things in Star Wars are never given names on screen. As a kid, we used to learn the names of the characters from buying the action figures.

But if you say "There's a belligerent-looking humanoid with large tusks and furry hands", that's better than just saying "There's an Aqualish".

I've just seen "The Guardians of the Galaxy" - the most Star Warsy film since J.J. Abrams "Star Trek". My point is - does your group care if it is very Star Warsy? Do you? Or you just want to have fun games in a semi-sci-fi setting with cool aliens, explosions, talking trees, light-swords (that's deliberate) etc?

Everyone is having a pretty good time so far. Though we have a few quirks that come up occasionally, I think drugs, planets and alien species are the hardest. Also trying to explain that you can't just take a stroll around downtown Corellia with a heavy blaster rifle and armor.

I've just seen "The Guardians of the Galaxy" - the most Star Warsy film since J.J. Abrams "Star Trek". My point is - does your group care if it is very Star Warsy? Do you? Or you just want to have fun games in a semi-sci-fi setting with cool aliens, explosions, talking trees, light-swords (that's deliberate) etc?