Honestly if it is not a burden on your financial situation having both beginner sets in your Library is a great benefit.

First I would go with the dice. Yes there is an app for the phone, but that is not for everyone. I know a lot of people who prefer actually handling dice. If you have both boxes then you have dice for both players and a separate one for the GM. In a game like this with specialty dice it is sometimes easier for a group if the GM has a dice pool for players to use. So just considering the Dice it can be a big win.

Now the maps and tokens are another strong reason for getting both. You can re-purpose them for your sessions. As for alternate tokens you can use. Yes there is a variety of things you can use. Some are cheap and some are not really cheap. That really depends on you as the GM and the group on what you can ( afford to) and want to use.

Then there is the adventures. This is always something you can save and use with a new group. Adapt the story for an advanced group. Having them in your library is just another source you can tap just like the adventure ideas in the other supplement books.

Getting the beginner sets is really what benefits you. If it is a cost you can not do right now that is fine, there is no reason you to not pick them up later on. Have fun with them and use them to further expand your library of resources.

I have a table full of dice and the app.. The app goes unused.

It is just not as intuitive or fun to add and subtract dice, upgrade or downgrade them.

I like setting up the dice that form the challenge and have the players gather their part of the roll... doing that with an app is just... Weird.

Thanks for all the input. What I've decided for now is this:

Buy the Core Rulebook, GM Kit, Dice Pack and Beginner Game. That'll give me 2 sets of dice and lots of tokens, though I've heard I'll probably want to replace the cheap tokens.

I'm going to use the Beginner Game and pre-gen characters to run acclimatisation sessions so everyone can get used to the new system without using their "real" character. Also, so that people will get a sense of how the system works before they create their main characters which hopefully will avoid really terrible builds.

If I decide I need more dice, I'll grab the Age of Rebellion Beginner Game. I could get 3 sets of dice for the cost of the 2 Beginner Games, but the extra material seems worth it. Having the limited AoR rules also lets me drop in some AoR material without having to buy that Core Rulebook yet.

Lastly, though nobody mentioned it, it occurred to me that the limited rulebook in the Beginner Game might do extra duty as an in-game reference for the players so they're not always borrowing my copy.

That is what we use that little rulebook for at our table as well!

I Use It For It too

Thanks for all the input. What I've decided for now is this:

Buy the Core Rulebook, GM Kit, Dice Pack and Beginner Game. That'll give me 2 sets of dice and lots of tokens, though I've heard I'll probably want to replace the cheap tokens.

I'm going to use the Beginner Game and pre-gen characters to run acclimatisation sessions so everyone can get used to the new system without using their "real" character. Also, so that people will get a sense of how the system works before they create their main characters which hopefully will avoid really terrible builds.

If I decide I need more dice, I'll grab the Age of Rebellion Beginner Game. I could get 3 sets of dice for the cost of the 2 Beginner Games, but the extra material seems worth it. Having the limited AoR rules also lets me drop in some AoR material without having to buy that Core Rulebook yet.

Lastly, though nobody mentioned it, it occurred to me that the limited rulebook in the Beginner Game might do extra duty as an in-game reference for the players so they're not always borrowing my copy.

This is a great plan. Essentially how I got my group into the game. I had never played a pen and paper RPG before. My friends had not either. I joined up at a "local" (I drive about an hour and fifteen minutes to get there) store and had a blast. I HAD to get my friends involved. So I bought the beginner game and ran them through it with the pregens. They loved it too!

Now they all have characters and I am learning how to GM. We play about once a month with our 3rd session this Saturday.

Before I even got my friends involved I bought 3 sets of dice, so the extra beginner games are a tougher sell for me. I might end up grabbing Force and Destiny when it hits store shelves.