http://www.buzzfeed.com/danieldalton/stunning-star-wars-concept-art-ralph-mcquarrie#.cnNboa53v

Versus


http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/The_Star_Wars

I think the 2015 Gencon Flight report will have all the information about the new movies and how they will be used in FFG games.

I suspect:

new rebranded starter for X-wing, maybe new ships too

new starter set for the RPG , new expansions tied in to movie

maybe new ships for Armada

new scenario kit for Imperial Assault, new character packs

a series of force packs /expansions for the LCG

another new game...probably a re skinning of one of their simpler games.

It is an exciting to time to be a Star Wars fan, that's for sure.

Before episode vii talk started I'd never heard of Ralph, and honestly I've not been a big fan of any of the designs based on his art be it rebels or elsewhere.

Just because something's old does not mean it's worth anything.

The EU had bad bits sure but if it wasn't for the books and comics and computer games it wouldn't be a universe those added so much depth and life into the franchise, fun as the OT is it does not give a great deal of details such as the clone wars being only a throw away line, of course the EU clone wars was far more interesting than what Lucas gave us.

I'd like vii to be good but the prequels burnt me so badly I have no massive anticipation inside me, instead there's a low level dread that what happened to trek will happen to wars.

This is interesting...I wonder if it is a generational thing. I was 7 when ANH came out and it transformed my young mind...never seen a sci-fi movie where everything was grungy and that guy Han Solo was the coolest.

people in their 20's and 30' never got to experience Star Wars like that...some had their first Star Wars movie experience with the prequels. (dear god no...)

For me Ralph Mcquarrie was one of the pillars of Star Wars...I had seen his images early on and fully understood how important his work was to forming the look of Star Wars. I am very glad to see his designs being used in Rebels and the new movie.

but back to the subject (Stay on target!) A starter set with the new Force awakens branding would be great...include a revised rulebook and maybe a new model/card for the X-wing and you are good to go.

I think a good chunk of my generation (late 20's, early 30's) just grew up with Star Wars. My father showed me the movies a LOT when I was young. And I was about the perfect age when they started to release Star Wars action figures again.

same one of my earliest memories i watching hope on my uncle Brian's telly and then being handed over the video tape so i could watch it when i liked, i loved wars as a kid and never once heard ralph mentioned.

When Star Wars came out, not a new hope but Star Wars, there were specials on television about the making of and all the magazines had articles of concept art and then there were the official Star Wars fan club, Bantha Tracks. All these things featured Ralph's work heavily, and there were no video tapes so you could watch it whenever you pleased. I guess that's the problem here, some people think the world was always this way and you could watch whatever you wanted whenever you wanted. That wasn't the case in the seventies. The first home viewing for me was the original laser discs, the big clunky ones that you loaded the case and all in and it spit the case back out, this predates both VHS and beta tapes. I don't see how anyone who was alive and actually had to wait three years to find out if Vader was really Lukes father or if he was just full of **** can't be familiar with who Ralph was and what he contributed to what became this universe that we all love.

Edited for spelling.

I can see a new starter set with title cards for the x-wing to make it a newer version with updated abilities and stuff.

same with the TIE's

The Crossguard lightsaber abomination is all JJ.

According to The Guardian the new texture of that lightsaber was Jony Ive's idea:

Ive said Abrams told him his thoughts were partly responsible for the new style of lightsaber in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, although he doesn’t explicitly mention the cross-shaped guards. Ive told Parker: “I thought it would be interesting if it were less precise, and just a little bit more spitty ... more analog and more primitive, and I think, in that way, somehow more ominous.”

Personally I don't think I approve of the "spitty" texture any more than I approve of the quillons. Well OK, that's a lie, I approve a LOT more than I approve of those, they're utterly awful, but still don't like the new texture. If lightsabers are supposed to have differing textures why were all the old ones identical? Looked like an intrinsic aspect of the technology to me, changing the style like that is just wrong.

The Crossguard lightsaber abomination is all JJ.

According to The Guardian the new texture of that lightsaber was Jony Ive's idea:

Ive said Abrams told him his thoughts were partly responsible for the new style of lightsaber in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, although he doesn’t explicitly mention the cross-shaped guards. Ive told Parker: “I thought it would be interesting if it were less precise, and just a little bit more spitty ... more analog and more primitive, and I think, in that way, somehow more ominous.”

Personally I don't think I approve of the "spitty" texture any more than I approve of the quillons. Well OK, that's a lie, I approve a LOT more than I approve of those, they're utterly awful, but still don't like the new texture. If lightsabers are supposed to have differing textures why were all the old ones identical? Looked like an intrinsic aspect of the technology to me, changing the style like that is just wrong.

The director has final say someone else design's it but he chooses which final product we see so yes it is all JJ because only he has the power to say no.

Just like every bad thing in any other movie is the directors fault, it's their vision they are his or hers final call so they get the blame for such mistakes.

A new starter set? Why not. But I dont see an X-Wing 2.0 coming anytime soon. Because to me, X-Wing 2.0 sounds like a totally new game. And why would FFG release a 3rd faction and then say: Okay, now you bought into a new faction, you need to buy even more stuff, because we have this new X-Wing game and you can't use your old stuff with that anymore. So whatever FFG does, they should make sure that it's compatible with X-Wing. Or create a totally new and different game with the Episode VII stuff.

The Crossguard lightsaber abomination is all JJ.

According to The Guardian the new texture of that lightsaber was Jony Ive's idea:

Ive said Abrams told him his thoughts were partly responsible for the new style of lightsaber in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, although he doesn’t explicitly mention the cross-shaped guards. Ive told Parker: “I thought it would be interesting if it were less precise, and just a little bit more spitty ... more analog and more primitive, and I think, in that way, somehow more ominous.”

Personally I don't think I approve of the "spitty" texture any more than I approve of the quillons. Well OK, that's a lie, I approve a LOT more than I approve of those, they're utterly awful, but still don't like the new texture. If lightsabers are supposed to have differing textures why were all the old ones identical? Looked like an intrinsic aspect of the technology to me, changing the style like that is just wrong.

Hilt design was definitely a place that was explored. Each of the Sith enemies had their own fairly unique style.

Also everyone in the prequel was exposed to Jedi technology and would have used the same basic engineering. With the Sith and the Jedi pretty extinct at the end of the movies, there isn't a whole lot left to mimic. Add another 40 years and the hermit Luke, it is very likely that this Sith had to make his own based on whatever knowledge he obtained from, well wherever.

He could be using a sh*tty crystal, or messed up the alignment. He could have learned from an ancient holocron when things were built differently. the TOR series has all kinds of variants. Maybe it is a result of splitting the energy to make the cross guard.

There are a ton of reasons why this could be the case, and not really a good reason not to allow for the beam being a little different.

I agree with everyone who mentioned marketing as a big factor in a decision like this.

Note: This was an accidental double post of my previous one, but I thought I would at least say something.

I for one think it would be in FFGs best interest to capitalize on the new movie by attracting new players with episode VII merch.

Hell I'd buy it, even a new start set would interest me

I would love a stand-alone yet compatible x-wing 2.0.

Basically, updated rules and mechanics with conversion rules.

I could see new dice. Red for attack, Green for agility defense (with one side that evades everything), Blue for shield defense: more likely to succeed but not as powerful, and maybe a black die for heavy weapons like ordnance and epic level weapons.

Pilots separate from the ships: you could put Poe Dameron flying his x-wing 2.0 or the square dished falcon.

Much of the material should stay compatible gor the original game: tokens, dials, rangr rulers, etc.

This would be a good place to test a new system as well. If people prefer x-wing 2.0 sell conversion kits. If they don't, bd smart and include backwards comparability in the base game.

I would love a stand-alone yet compatible x-wing 2.0.

Basically, updated rules and mechanics with conversion rules.

I could see new dice. Red for attack, Green for agility defense (with one side that evades everything), Blue for shield defense: more likely to succeed but not as powerful, and maybe a black die for heavy weapons like ordnance and epic level weapons.

Pilots separate from the ships: you could put Poe Dameron flying his x-wing 2.0 or the square dished falcon.

Much of the material should stay compatible gor the original game: tokens, dials, rangr rulers, etc.

This would be a good place to test a new system as well. If people prefer x-wing 2.0 sell conversion kits. If they don't, bd smart and include backwards comparability in the base game.

With only 6 releases, it feels waaay to early for a 2.0. So far FFG hasn't done that with their IPs. Heck they haven't even retired almost a decades worth of GoT cards yet.

Tannhäuser, a game published by FFG, was published in 2007 and had updated rules in 2010.

X-wing came out 2012 and here we are in 2015. So it IS possible.

However, if you read what I posted, I do make a case for including backwards compatibility for the original x-wing should players not want or like the new ruleset, as well as not fully alienating the customer base. Heck, the way I proposed it the red and green dice could remain exactly the same. The x-wing 2.0 could be an optional upgrade ruleset that you use or don't at your leisure - an x-wing advanced edition. New rules, new tactics, new dice, new (episode VII) ships, new cards, etc - but requires the original x-wing.

The Crossguard lightsaber abomination is all JJ.

According to The Guardian the new texture of that lightsaber was Jony Ive's idea:

Ive said Abrams told him his thoughts were partly responsible for the new style of lightsaber in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, although he doesn’t explicitly mention the cross-shaped guards. Ive told Parker: “I thought it would be interesting if it were less precise, and just a little bit more spitty ... more analog and more primitive, and I think, in that way, somehow more ominous.”

Personally I don't think I approve of the "spitty" texture any more than I approve of the quillons. Well OK, that's a lie, I approve a LOT more than I approve of those, they're utterly awful, but still don't like the new texture. If lightsabers are supposed to have differing textures why were all the old ones identical? Looked like an intrinsic aspect of the technology to me, changing the style like that is just wrong.

The director has final say someone else design's it but he chooses which final product we see so yes it is all JJ because only he has the power to say no.

Just like every bad thing in any other movie is the directors fault, it's their vision they are his or hers final call so they get the blame for such mistakes.

Not only is this patently untrue for any studio film (i.e., almost any film you see in theatres), but this comes from a viewpoint that relies heavily on auteur theory...

ok,

enough hate on the tri-saber, Stephen Colbert clearly explained how it works

just look up Colbert lightsaber on youtube and you will see a perfectly logical explanation

a Jedi or Siths lightsaber is constructed to be as individual as he is. where were the cries of outrage when darthmauls lightsabee became a staff? ok, internet wasn't that big back then, but still.

I like it, now the droid with the disembodied head I take issue with, WTF?

Tannhäuser, a game published by FFG, was published in 2007 and had updated rules in 2010.

The rules for Tannhauser were confusing, unbalanced, and actually incomplete in a couple of places. The rules for X-wing have their issues, but they're light-years (parsecs?) better than Tannhauser.

ok,

enough hate on the tri-saber, Stephen Colbert clearly explained how it works

just look up Colbert lightsaber on youtube and you will see a perfectly logical explanation

a Jedi or Siths lightsaber is constructed to be as individual as he is. where were the cries of outrage when darthmauls lightsabee became a staff? ok, internet wasn't that big back then, but still.

I like it, now the droid with the disembodied head I take issue with, WTF?

I kinda hated that droid, until I learned that it was a practical effect. That's not a physics defying head on a ball, that's an actual head on a ball. That makes it much cooler to me.

Something to think about:

When the Prequels came put, they were the first new (official) Star Wars in 15 years. Each movie that came out was _THE_ Star Wars.

When Episode 7 hits theaters, it will be the first (official) Star Wars that day. But not that month, or even that week. There are 3 (official) ongoing Star Wars comics. There is a (quite good!) Star Wars TV show. A few months after Episode 7 comes out, we're scheduled for another (official, non-numbered) movie.

All of that makes for a very different marketing environment. All of that makes for a very different _fandom_ environment. There are a lot of jumping on points for new Star Wars fans. I'd go so far as to say: even if Episode 7 is of equal quality to Phantom Menace, there will still be so much good Star Wars that we will be able to ignore JJ's movie.

So: does Disney need Fantasy Flight to brand a new Core Set with EP 7? Probably not. X-Wing is a _general_ Star Wars product, and is in a strong place to represent the Star Wars brand as a whole. This is also a good argument for whether or not X-Wing will _have_ to incorporate fighters introduced in Episode 7. They (probably) won't. There are so many stories being told that are set in and around the OT that it seems likely to produce a few cool ships we'll see in game before too long.

Tl;Dr: this is a great time to be a Star Wars fan, and it doesn't matter if JJ fails. Watch Rebels.

Hilt design was definitely a place that was explored. Each of the Sith enemies had their own fairly unique style.

Also everyone in the prequel was exposed to Jedi technology and would have used the same basic engineering. With the Sith and the Jedi pretty extinct at the end of the movies, there isn't a whole lot left to mimic. Add another 40 years and the hermit Luke, it is very likely that this Sith had to make his own based on whatever knowledge he obtained from, well wherever.

He could be using a sh*tty crystal, or messed up the alignment. He could have learned from an ancient holocron when things were built differently. the TOR series has all kinds of variants. Maybe it is a result of splitting the energy to make the cross guard.

There are a ton of reasons why this could be the case, and not really a good reason not to allow for the beam being a little different.

Yeah, I'm sure you can explain it away fluff wise, it just doesn't feel right to me.

ok,

enough hate on the tri-saber, Stephen Colbert clearly explained how it works

just look up Colbert lightsaber on youtube and you will see a perfectly logical explanation

a Jedi or Siths lightsaber is constructed to be as individual as he is. where were the cries of outrage when darthmauls lightsabee became a staff? ok, internet wasn't that big back then, but still.

I like it, now the droid with the disembodied head I take issue with, WTF?

No way! I love the ball droid!

Tannhäuser, a game published by FFG, was published in 2007 and had updated rules in 2010.

The rules for Tannhauser were confusing, unbalanced, and actually incomplete in a couple of places. The rules for X-wing have their issues, but they're light-years (parsecs?) better than Tannhauser.

Also, FFG didn't make Tannhauser in 2007. They only distributed it. They took the game over in 2010. And, FFG being FFG, obviously tweaked it.

Something to think about:

When the Prequels came put, they were the first new (official) Star Wars in 15 years. Each movie that came out was _THE_ Star Wars.

When Episode 7 hits theaters, it will be the first (official) Star Wars that day. But not that month, or even that week. There are 3 (official) ongoing Star Wars comics. There is a (quite good!) Star Wars TV show. A few months after Episode 7 comes out, we're scheduled for another (official, non-numbered) movie.

All of that makes for a very different marketing environment. All of that makes for a very different _fandom_ environment. There are a lot of jumping on points for new Star Wars fans. I'd go so far as to say: even if Episode 7 is of equal quality to Phantom Menace, there will still be so much good Star Wars that we will be able to ignore JJ's movie.

So: does Disney need Fantasy Flight to brand a new Core Set with EP 7? Probably not. X-Wing is a _general_ Star Wars product, and is in a strong place to represent the Star Wars brand as a whole. This is also a good argument for whether or not X-Wing will _have_ to incorporate fighters introduced in Episode 7. They (probably) won't. There are so many stories being told that are set in and around the OT that it seems likely to produce a few cool ships we'll see in game before too long.

Tl;Dr: this is a great time to be a Star Wars fan, and it doesn't matter if JJ fails. Watch Rebels.

Eh, only the sheer scale makes the movie releases any different than the Shadows of the Empire multi-media event. They hit it across as many formats as possible. After what happened with the Decipher CCG game, I'm wary of LFL forcing any content into X-wing. I don't necessarily think they will, but it is still a possibility.

FFG would be bad at business if they didn't try to capitalize on the movie somehow, though...

I would welcome a new starter. It would be a perfect opportunity to add a new/updated damage deck/cards and update the X-Wing to a mainstay again and maybe add some new TIE pilots. Obviously it would send the game into overdrive from a popularity perspective.

I would love a stand-alone yet compatible x-wing 2.0.

Basically, updated rules and mechanics with conversion rules.

I could see new dice. Red for attack, Green for agility defense (with one side that evades everything), Blue for shield defense: more likely to succeed but not as powerful, and maybe a black die for heavy weapons like ordnance and epic level weapons.

Pilots separate from the ships: you could put Poe Dameron flying his x-wing 2.0 or the square dished falcon.

Much of the material should stay compatible gor the original game: tokens, dials, rangr rulers, etc.

This would be a good place to test a new system as well. If people prefer x-wing 2.0 sell conversion kits. If they don't, bd smart and include backwards comparability in the base game.

NO.

we do not need a "separate" or "2.0" game...just change the packaging and give us an updated/revised rulebook.

And as hida77 said some new pilot cards

I would love a stand-alone yet compatible x-wing 2.0.

Basically, updated rules and mechanics with conversion rules.

I could see new dice. Red for attack, Green for agility defense (with one side that evades everything), Blue for shield defense: more likely to succeed but not as powerful, and maybe a black die for heavy weapons like ordnance and epic level weapons.

Pilots separate from the ships: you could put Poe Dameron flying his x-wing 2.0 or the square dished falcon.

Much of the material should stay compatible gor the original game: tokens, dials, rangr rulers, etc.

This would be a good place to test a new system as well. If people prefer x-wing 2.0 sell conversion kits. If they don't, bd smart and include backwards comparability in the base game.

NO.

we do not need a "separate" or "2.0" game...just change the packaging and give us an updated/revised rulebook.

So how does that incorperate episode VII material? The new x-wings clearly look different from the originals. Having a seperate line allows the people who want to play in the original trilogy do so, and those who want to play in the new era do so. If, as I suggest, the game is an x-wing advanced ruleset, you can keep things compatible by making the newer ships 'better' than the older ones without over inflating any point costs.

Also, as an upgraded ruleset that can be used or not, FFG could playtest any extreme changes without alienating the current player base. There will be costs, bit FFG would just have to make their money back in this upgrade. If the players like it it continues. The new episode VII material provides a way to test the waters, with minimal fuss and threat to the game as is.