I don't see how releasing a new core book would alienate anyone...

It wouldn't alienate anyone. But it would be useless.

EotE gives you all the rules needed for the shady illegal or quasi-legal activities.

AoR gives you all the rules needed for more formal conflict based games.

When it comes out F&D will cover all of the force related angles.

All the other possible settings/times do not require any new rules at all.

Now a campaign/setting guide that includes equipment, worlds/locations, timelines, NPC's/Organizations and so on unique to the specific setting is another matter. Those would be great. But 300 of the 400 pages in a Core is just repeated material.

A 100-150 page setting book for $30-40 is much better than $60 for the same 100 pages tacked onto 300 pages I already have, three times, in the other core books.

I'll be honest, I would like to see the 3 core books have a "common core" book and 3 separate books for the locations/ periods. It's expensive to buy the same stuff over and over again. That way, adding a new setting would just be a "Period" book with Careers & Specializations, Equipment, and Flavor

I don't see how releasing a new core book would alienate anyone...

It wouldn't alienate anyone. But it would be useless.

EotE gives you all the rules needed for the shady illegal or quasi-legal activities.

AoR gives you all the rules needed for more formal conflict based games.

When it comes out F&D will cover all of the force related angles.

All the other possible settings/times do not require any new rules at all.

Now a campaign/setting guide that includes equipment, worlds/locations, timelines, NPC's/Organizations and so on unique to the specific setting is another matter. Those would be great. But 300 of the 400 pages in a Core is just repeated material.

A 100-150 page setting book for $30-40 is much better than $60 for the same 100 pages tacked onto 300 pages I already have, three times, in the other core books.

I agree with that sentiment eventhough the difference in the current CRB's is also mostly fluff inspired moreso than anything else.

It would be, in my opinion, a terrible business decision to not release a core book based on the biggest movie release in at least a decade for which FFG holds a very expensive license (so expensive Hasbro let it go). Kids see the movie they want to try the RPG and have to buy multiple books in order to do so. I don't see that happening.

There’s a lot of work in developing a new core book, and it takes a lot of time.

Sure, FFG would be smart to release a book tie-in with the movie, but I am not at all convinced that they could — or should — make that book release a new core rulebook. A smaller book, more like a splat book or a region book, would make much more sense to me.

It also doesn’t make sense to me for FFG to extract all the things that are common between the core rulebooks and then create a fourth generic CRB. A lot of the things that people think are common between the books actually isn’t, as it is similar material but presented from a different point of view, and with a different flavour. The actual amount of truly common material is pretty minimal.

No one needs to buy everything. In fact, no one *NEEDS* to buy anything. A single CRB is sufficient to do everything that a GM might need to do within a given type of game, but to be honest you don’t even really need that — you just need your imagination and an idea of what kinds of stories you want to help tell.

Sure, the extra books can be helpful, but they are not required and no one should think of them as required.

Likewise, having multiple CRBs can be useful at certain points in time, but it doesn’t make sense to create any more than they already have.

A unified index of everything would be really nice, which is one of the things that fan-generated supplements can help with — and are doing so.

It’s especially helpful if these are done online in an electronic format, so that they can be easily updated when new material comes out. And again, the community is already doing that.

But that’s all IMO. YMMV.

I guess all we can do is wait and see.

I don't see how releasing a new core book would alienate anyone...

It would easily alienate a large portion of the community if the new core book contained some small amount of useful information that wasn't included in previous core books (e.g. mass combat rules, an abstract wealth system, etc). They would essentially be putting that small amount of information behind a fairly hefty $60 paywall.

A lot of players got alienated by the original announcement that there would be three separate core releases, though the effect was somewhat mitigated by several facts, including, but not limited to:

• They had good justifications (there's a huge variety in what players/fans see as the "core Star Wars experience")
• It was novel approach to a Stars RPG
• The player/fan base was hungry for a new Star Wars RPG

It would also alienate individuals who would see a new $60 product that was 80% recycled from previous material a simple money grab.

Basically, the first three core products were part of the original plan from three years ago, but a new one that isn't part of the plan would stink of greed, regardless of how well intentioned it is. IMO, three core books is enough, and more than that is going to be ridiculous. At this point, new info should just be printed as a supplement product, like the class books or the upcoming Strongholds of Resistance.

We really need that generic 'Star Wars Roleplaying' line (and forums!).

We've got 'Star Wars Roleplaying' dice, now it's time for books...

My personal opinion is there is no reason for any additional "core" books. The first 3 are generic enough and shifting to a specific time/setting/episode only needs a campaign supplement.

I'm not sure we'll ever get that Dark Side/Sith/Empire setting book, that seems to go against the design philosophy for this game. I don't think it's needed either. But I would welcome it, as with most of the stuff they've made so far.

I wouldn't want a Empire/Evil supplement so that PC's can play those options. But a series of GM oriented supplements would be very welcome.

Empire Core would be awesome. We got stupid Rebels, I want me some Empire love.

A more coherent detailed source book for a GM would be welcome. But more player options, meh.

For me the next logical move is not more splat books such as are being churned out. But actual useful books for the GM. For instance in EotE smuggling and encounters with Imperial Customs and Law Enforcement are a given. But except for a few NPC's and a few very very generalized and very vague statements in a few of the books you have virtually no information on them.

So a supplement about Imperial Law and one about the Imperial Customs Service for he GM would be fantastic.

A supplement that covers Starships and their design as a unified rulebook. The ship side is my greatest disappointment. The silhouette stat is completely useless for descriptive narration, sure it works great as far a the game mechanics go, but as a descriptor it is useless. Plus many of the ship have no illustrations at all. Just a listing of the ships overall length would at least give players and GM's a sense of scale.

Just what does an Imperial Customs Frigate look like? What other ships does Imperial Customs use? How many Imperial Customs ships in a system is normal?

All questions that have no answer in any of the books so far.

The strongest part of the FFG Star Wars RPG is it's narrative mechanic. It's weakest part of the FFG Star Wars RPG is it's relatively nonexistent GM support. There are extensive volumes of stuff for the Players to trick out their PC's. But very very very little concrete and usable information for the GM. The Players are on the run and an Imperial Customs Patrol is in pursuit. Just what is the average crew of an average Customs Cutter composed of. Hmm... is there even such a thing as a Customs Cutter? Would a small fringe system rate a larger vessel such as a Customs Frigate? Do Customs Vessels carry small craft such as fighters? If so, What kind of fighter? What do Sector Rangers fly? Are they usually solo or in teams? Do they work well with Imperial Customs or is there interdepartmental rivalry's that make them uncooperative or even antagonistic?

Beyond the fact of having a name and a title in the books does Imperial Customs even exist as a gaming entity?

And why do they not have book called "Imperial Forces: The Army and Navy of the Empire. Vol 1" with details and information to allow the GM to better run the military aspects in their games.

And so on.

I agree with you to a large extent but, well... It's not really NECESSARY to have a core book beyond EotE. Given how much redundant information there is shared between all the cores, you could easily release AoR as one supplement covering the same material or two books covering the Imperials and the Rebels. I haven't tried FaD yet, but it seems likely that same information could be condensed into a supplement book about playing jedi. But you've gotten me thinking now. The OT was about a rag-tag team consisting of a rebel, a jedi, a couple of smugglers, and a couple of droids. Replicating that formula would require a group to have all three cores (and a lot of the careers in AoR and EotE are largely interchangeable). It actually strikes me as pretty sensible to have a core book where a group can emulate that hodge-podge dynamic from out the gates. You can include six careers just like the other cores (two each for outlaws, rebels, and jedi) that condense the sometimes overstretched career options that are in the existing cores. Put in the obligations/duty/morality mechanics and include a section in the GM chapter about playing those off of each other and tying together characters with potentially crossed motives. I think it would actually be an incredibly wise move.

That said, all the stuff you mentioned is tops. I would buy almanacs and such just to have all that information condensed in one place, and a book about Imperial policy would be a first-day buy. As a first-time GM, that lack of information is the biggest impediment to building a story for me.

I don't see how releasing a new core book would alienate anyone...

It would easily alienate a large portion of the community if the new core book contained some small amount of useful information that wasn't included in previous core books (e.g. mass combat rules, an abstract wealth system, etc). They would essentially be putting that small amount of information behind a fairly hefty $60 paywall.

A lot of players got alienated by the original announcement that there would be three separate core releases, though the effect was somewhat mitigated by several facts, including, but not limited to:

• They had good justifications (there's a huge variety in what players/fans see as the "core Star Wars experience")
• It was novel approach to a Stars RPG
• The player/fan base was hungry for a new Star Wars RPG

It would also alienate individuals who would see a new $60 product that was 80% recycled from previous material a simple money grab.

Basically, the first three core products were part of the original plan from three years ago, but a new one that isn't part of the plan would stink of greed, regardless of how well intentioned it is. IMO, three core books is enough, and more than that is going to be ridiculous. At this point, new info should just be printed as a supplement product, like the class books or the upcoming Strongholds of Resistance.

Eh... It strikes me that a sort of "Greatest Hits" core that condenses existing material into one book, streamlines the careers from the three existing cores into six base careers, and cherry picks the species people will be most familiar with from the popular media would tap a pretty big market of people who don't want to buy three books so that they can play a game that represents all the cool stuff in the movies they love. And it shouldn't alienate the existing fans, because those guys already have access to what's essentially the director's cuts of the condensed core, and all that material is just recycled. Win-win, right? I know 12-year old me and my friends would have been SO PUMPED to hear about this new, awesome Star Wars RPG... and then we'd be sorely disappointed when I spent a month's worth of allowance to discover the book had rules to play Han but not Luke (or vice versa). Grown-up me loves the way the books are distributed, but I'm also sympathetic to the idea of a book that I would have wanted as a kid, you know?

I still think the most elegant way to handle movie tie-ins is to make a supplement for each of the cores that bridges the gap between films. Make it adaptable to the "condensed core" as well, and you're good to go. While we're at it, I'd love to see them incorporate some of the "new EU" from the Star Wars comics into upcoming books. It's rather good and fits into the same time frame.

The OT was about a rag-tag team consisting of a rebel, a jedi, a couple of smugglers, and a couple of droids. Replicating that formula would require a group to have all three cores (and a lot of the careers in AoR and EotE are largely interchangeable). It actually strikes me as pretty sensible to have a core book where a group can emulate that hodge-podge dynamic from out the gates.

Obi-wan was a GM NPC that died quickly. Yoda was another GM NPC that died. Luke was an FSE. You could do the entire OT with just EotE. Or you could do the entire OT with just AoR. You don’t need more than one CRB to do the entire OT. If you want the hodge-podge, there you go — just pick which flavor fits you better.

Now, if you want to do the PT, then you’d need FaD.

Personally, since none of us control what is going on at FFG, I don’t think there’s much point in this thread continuing any further. Those guys will do whatever they’re going to do, and no amount of our kvetching is going to change anything in that regard.

Eh... It strikes me that a sort of "Greatest Hits" core that condenses existing material into one book, streamlines the careers from the three existing cores into six base careers, and cherry picks the species people will be most familiar with from the popular media would tap a pretty big market of people who don't want to buy three books so that they can play a game that represents all the cool stuff in the movies they love. And it shouldn't alienate the existing fans, because those guys already have access to what's essentially the director's cuts of the condensed core, and all that material is just recycled. Win-win, right?

That’s actually the best argument I’ve heard yet for that side of the discussion.

And, maybe a couple of years in the future (or more), when it is time for FFG to come back around and start work on the next iteration of CRBs, maybe they’ll decide to do that.

But I don’t see that happening until most of the other splat, region, and adventure books for the three lines have been published, and they’re starting to look at a pipeline of material that is growing thin.

I know 12-year old me and my friends would have been SO PUMPED to hear about this new, awesome Star Wars RPG... and then we'd be sorely disappointed when I spent a month's worth of allowance to discover the book had rules to play Han but not Luke (or vice versa). Grown-up me loves the way the books are distributed, but I'm also sympathetic to the idea of a book that I would have wanted as a kid, you know?

But you could do both Han and Luke in either EotE or AoR, depending on which direction you want to take the campaign.

FaD is the odd one out, since it is exclusively about Force users.

I still think the most elegant way to handle movie tie-ins is to make a supplement for each of the cores that bridges the gap between films. Make it adaptable to the "condensed core" as well, and you're good to go. While we're at it, I'd love to see them incorporate some of the "new EU" from the Star Wars comics into upcoming books. It's rather good and fits into the same time frame.

Movie tie-ins as supplements that can work with any of the CRBs, I’ll definitely agree with that.

Creating a condensed CRB that works across all three lines, I don’t see that happening soon — if ever.

Of course, this is all IMO. YMMV.

Eh... It strikes me that a sort of "Greatest Hits" core that condenses existing material into one book, streamlines the careers from the three existing cores into six base careers, and cherry picks the species people will be most familiar with from the popular media would tap a pretty big market of people who don't want to buy three books so that they can play a game that represents all the cool stuff in the movies they love. And it shouldn't alienate the existing fans, because those guys already have access to what's essentially the director's cuts of the condensed core, and all that material is just recycled. Win-win, right?

That’s actually the best argument I’ve heard yet for that side of the discussion.

And, maybe a couple of years in the future (or more), when it is time for FFG to come back around and start work on the next iteration of CRBs, maybe they’ll decide to do that.

But I don’t see that happening until most of the other splat, region, and adventure books for the three lines have been published, and they’re starting to look at a pipeline of material that is growing thin.

I know 12-year old me and my friends would have been SO PUMPED to hear about this new, awesome Star Wars RPG... and then we'd be sorely disappointed when I spent a month's worth of allowance to discover the book had rules to play Han but not Luke (or vice versa). Grown-up me loves the way the books are distributed, but I'm also sympathetic to the idea of a book that I would have wanted as a kid, you know?

But you could do both Han and Luke in either EotE or AoR, depending on which direction you want to take the campaign.

FaD is the odd one out, since it is exclusively about Force users.

I still think the most elegant way to handle movie tie-ins is to make a supplement for each of the cores that bridges the gap between films. Make it adaptable to the "condensed core" as well, and you're good to go. While we're at it, I'd love to see them incorporate some of the "new EU" from the Star Wars comics into upcoming books. It's rather good and fits into the same time frame.

Movie tie-ins as supplements that can work with any of the CRBs, I’ll definitely agree with that.

Creating a condensed CRB that works across all three lines, I don’t see that happening soon — if ever.

Of course, this is all IMO. YMMV.

Yeah, but AoR and EotE don't have rules for sweet lightsaber fights and super cool force moves, and that's what the kids want.

I don't think a condensed core is ever going to encompass all the rules and peculiarities of the individual books, but if you take the above idea of a "Greatest Hits" book, it could easily be cross-compatible with a (non-splat) supplement that's built for any of the other cores, in the same way that the Hutt sourcebook can be useful for any of the three existing cores.

As for whether the idea of a streamlined core should be done sooner or later, the former makes a hell of a lot more sense to me. Spark the imagination of kids while they're still excited about these new movies. Compared to other cores, it would be comparatively painless. The need for artists, writers, and playtesters would be minimal. You could get most of the work done with an editorial team that culls the material from other books. You'd likely want to include information that ties into the new trilogy so you can really work on that zeitgeist, but if you also have a setting supplement in production, your core editors could pull from that.

I don't see how releasing a new core book would alienate anyone...

It would easily alienate a large portion of the community if the new core book contained some small amount of useful information that wasn't included in previous core books (e.g. mass combat rules, an abstract wealth system, etc). They would essentially be putting that small amount of information behind a fairly hefty $60 paywall.

A lot of players got alienated by the original announcement that there would be three separate core releases, though the effect was somewhat mitigated by several facts, including, but not limited to:

• They had good justifications (there's a huge variety in what players/fans see as the "core Star Wars experience")
• It was novel approach to a Stars RPG
• The player/fan base was hungry for a new Star Wars RPG

It would also alienate individuals who would see a new $60 product that was 80% recycled from previous material a simple money grab.

Basically, the first three core products were part of the original plan from three years ago, but a new one that isn't part of the plan would stink of greed, regardless of how well intentioned it is. IMO, three core books is enough, and more than that is going to be ridiculous. At this point, new info should just be printed as a supplement product, like the class books or the upcoming Strongholds of Resistance.

Eh... It strikes me that a sort of "Greatest Hits" core that condenses existing material into one book, streamlines the careers from the three existing cores into six base careers, and cherry picks the species people will be most familiar with from the popular media would tap a pretty big market of people who don't want to buy three books so that they can play a game that represents all the cool stuff in the movies they love. And it shouldn't alienate the existing fans, because those guys already have access to what's essentially the director's cuts of the condensed core, and all that material is just recycled. Win-win, right? I know 12-year old me and my friends would have been SO PUMPED to hear about this new, awesome Star Wars RPG... and then we'd be sorely disappointed when I spent a month's worth of allowance to discover the book had rules to play Han but not Luke (or vice versa). Grown-up me loves the way the books are distributed, but I'm also sympathetic to the idea of a book that I would have wanted as a kid, you know?

I still think the most elegant way to handle movie tie-ins is to make a supplement for each of the cores that bridges the gap between films. Make it adaptable to the "condensed core" as well, and you're good to go. While we're at it, I'd love to see them incorporate some of the "new EU" from the Star Wars comics into upcoming books. It's rather good and fits into the same time frame.

The bolded part is where I think your argument just crumbles. Which six base careers are you going to pick? Somethings going to get left out, and then people are going to need to shell out $60 for another book anyway. Besides, they already have the "Beginners" products to give people a taste of the game for half the price of the big books. And unfortunately, this isn't a system geared for players with extremely limited incomes. MSRP is for a half-set of dice is $15...

And this isn't a game you play alone, you need other players. If you have 3 players, each player can buy one book, and have complementary information.

Trying to force a new book into this system without new information is redundant, and forcing a new book with a small amount information is frustrating.

It's not win-win, it's just pointless.

IMO best solution to capture new players' imaginations based on the new movies would be to create an Ep VII beginners product, and then let people further invest where they want. If you want a consolidated version of the information, do something like put a redeemable access code into the product that provides an access to an online database of all 18 careers and ancillary specs (Recruit, Force-Sensitive Exile, etc.) but is completely bereft of rules, equipment, fluff, etc.

But like Brad said, there's not point in continuing worrying about it, FFG is going to do what they're going to do.

I don't see how releasing a new core book would alienate anyone...

It would easily alienate a large portion of the community if the new core book contained some small amount of useful information that wasn't included in previous core books (e.g. mass combat rules, an abstract wealth system, etc). They would essentially be putting that small amount of information behind a fairly hefty $60 paywall.

A lot of players got alienated by the original announcement that there would be three separate core releases, though the effect was somewhat mitigated by several facts, including, but not limited to:

• They had good justifications (there's a huge variety in what players/fans see as the "core Star Wars experience")
• It was novel approach to a Stars RPG
• The player/fan base was hungry for a new Star Wars RPG

It would also alienate individuals who would see a new $60 product that was 80% recycled from previous material a simple money grab.

Basically, the first three core products were part of the original plan from three years ago, but a new one that isn't part of the plan would stink of greed, regardless of how well intentioned it is. IMO, three core books is enough, and more than that is going to be ridiculous. At this point, new info should just be printed as a supplement product, like the class books or the upcoming Strongholds of Resistance.

Eh... It strikes me that a sort of "Greatest Hits" core that condenses existing material into one book, streamlines the careers from the three existing cores into six base careers, and cherry picks the species people will be most familiar with from the popular media would tap a pretty big market of people who don't want to buy three books so that they can play a game that represents all the cool stuff in the movies they love. And it shouldn't alienate the existing fans, because those guys already have access to what's essentially the director's cuts of the condensed core, and all that material is just recycled. Win-win, right? I know 12-year old me and my friends would have been SO PUMPED to hear about this new, awesome Star Wars RPG... and then we'd be sorely disappointed when I spent a month's worth of allowance to discover the book had rules to play Han but not Luke (or vice versa). Grown-up me loves the way the books are distributed, but I'm also sympathetic to the idea of a book that I would have wanted as a kid, you know?

I still think the most elegant way to handle movie tie-ins is to make a supplement for each of the cores that bridges the gap between films. Make it adaptable to the "condensed core" as well, and you're good to go. While we're at it, I'd love to see them incorporate some of the "new EU" from the Star Wars comics into upcoming books. It's rather good and fits into the same time frame.

The bolded part is where I think your argument just crumbles. Which six base careers are you going to pick? Somethings going to get left out, and then people are going to need to shell out $60 for another book anyway. Besides, they already have the "Beginners" products to give people a taste of the game for half the price of the big books. And unfortunately, this isn't a system geared for players with extremely limited incomes. MSRP is for a half-set of dice is $15...

And this isn't a game you play alone, you need other players. If you have 3 players, each player can buy one book, and have complementary information.

Trying to force a new book into this system without new information is redundant, and forcing a new book with a small amount information is frustrating.

It's not win-win, it's just pointless.

IMO best solution to capture new players' imaginations based on the new movies would be to create an Ep VII beginners product, and then let people further invest where they want. If you want a consolidated version of the information, do something like put a redeemable access code into the product that provides an access to an online database of all 18 careers and ancillary specs (Recruit, Force-Sensitive Exile, etc.) but is completely bereft of rules, equipment, fluff, etc.

But like Brad said, there's not point in continuing worrying about it, FFG is going to do what they're going to do.

I'm not worried whatsoever. I wouldn't buy the book, but I think it would be a smart business decision. This is all just unconcerned speculation. But no, I don't think it really falls apart anyway. There's overlap between most of the core classes in AoR and EotE anyway. Have a support class (medics/politicians/scholars), a pilot class, a combat class, a tech class, jedi knights, and jedi mystics. There you go. I think that hits most if not all of the bases. Though, in retrospect, you'd probably want to make the core classes non-specific to the rebels and outlaws, and instead make the specializations tailored towards Alliance/neutral/outlaw. For instance, have your combat specs break down as soldier/brawler/bounty hunter. It also seems feasible to simply include one or two more specializations per class in the book, or (and I haven't read FaD yet, so I could be off base here) narrow the jedi to a single class. It seems perfectly doable to me. Obviously EVERYTHING characters might conceivably want to play isn't in there, but I think it covers all the bases for a traditional trilogy Star Wars game.

As for the idea of an Ep VII beginner's game... Are you suggesting it doesn't include core rules? i.e. you can't play the game out of the box? Because that strikes me as a rather absurd strategy to draw in new gamers.

I don't see how "redundancy" is a problem. There's redundancy at play in all the existing cores. Repackaging your game for a different group of players strikes me as a pretty solid opportunity to draw in new players without much investment and without alienating your existing fan base.

As for everyone buying a core? That's... impractical for the group of people I'm talking about. I'm suggesting people fresh to roleplaying games, kids who probably don't have expendable incomes, newbies who are trying to draw their friends into a game. "Everyone buy a core book" is a pretty stiff barrier to entry for people who aren't already invested in the hobby.

My group and I would love a book about the Empire. Since there's one for the Rebellion it only makes sense to allow working for the Empire too. Or heck, lets do some time travelling and do one about the Clone Wars or the New Republic.

I would love sourcebooks covering working for the Empire, or The Clone Wars (Say one per faction and one for Indys) Ditto for the later EU/Legends GCW an the canon GCW but they don't need core books IMO.Really what you need is some details on the faction's goals, organization, and major centers plus the state of the galaxy in the setting and a section on their commonly used equipment, vehicles and spacecraft. If there is room a motivation table would help too.

I would love to see a core book that focuses on playing Imperials!

I would love it if not every time we talk about the system someone comes up to make the same statement that we need/might see/can reasonably expect a more generic crb one day. The developers have been extremely vocal that this is not their design philosophy and it is not goin to happen. There won't be a generic 40k lin, nor will there be a generic SW line. Not happening.

I would love it if not every time we talk about the system someone comes up to make the same statement that we need/might see/can reasonably expect a more generic crb one day. The developers have been extremely vocal that this is not their design philosophy and it is not goin to happen. There won't be a generic 40k lin, nor will there be a generic SW line. Not happening.

I'm not saying that it will happen, or that I would buy it (I wouldn't). I'm just countering the bold assertions that it's pointless or insulting to the existing fan base. It strikes me as a smart, low cost option that could draw in a new crowd without doing disservice to the existing audience. I like playing devil's advocate; but by all means, feel free to skip those posts by me. I won't be offended. I'm not even suggesting that FFG should make an abbreviated core book, merely that this is the only feasible option they have to expand to new cores. I think they've done a spectacular, thorough job of covering all their bases.

As for everyone suggesting new core books that cover varying eras or the Imperials, it seems a bit excessive. As others have stated, the three pillars of the Star Wars setting have been thoroughly covered by the existing book (and there's even a pretty heavy amount of redundancy between EotE and AoR).That being said, I'd LOVE to see an Imperial book. As someone earlier stated, I think solid GM materials are the one blind spot missing in the existing line. Given how heavy the influence of the Empire is on all three games, I would be ecstatic to see a fat hardcover that covers their gear, hierarchy, modus operandi, setting, etc. Throw in a fat section devoted to advice on building out antagonists and a plethora of templates for villains, and I'd buy it in a heartbeat. If they feel it's necessary, throw in one of two added specializations per AoR class to facilitate Imperial-PC stories. It wouldn't be of much use to me (Though I'd maybe use it in my game. Having my players build an Imperial squad for intermission sessions could be a fun way to expand the setting), but it might be a cute addition. They could take the "fat splats" approach to it that was popular at White Wolf for a time (like the Changing Breeds and stellar Guide to the Technocracy books), handsome hardcovers that strip out the core rules and devote that extra page count to setting and expanded mechanics.

Once all their career books are out, I could see them expanding their hardcover lineup by releasing "almanacs". Give us hardcovers devoted to geography, species, gear, and ships, and reprint applicable rules and setting fluff like details on smuggling, bounty hunting, and base building as applicable. Even if it's an 80/20 split of old and new material and I own a lot of it, I'd probably buy a couple of those just for the convenience of having those stat blocks compressed in one place.

I'd keep expanded timeline books to paperbacks. Any chronological setting I can picture could easily be adapted to the existing books without the need to regurgitate those core rules, and anyone passionate enough about Star Wars to care about playing an Old Republic or Clone Wars game probably already has or is willing to invest in the existing cores anyway.

I propose a forest moon-based core rulebook where everyone is an ewok on the forest moon.

I propose a forest moon-based core rulebook where everyone is an ewok on the forest moon.

Yub yub!

I propose a forest moon-based core rulebook where everyone is an ewok on the forest moon.

The entire book is written in Ewok, but you can buy a supplement that translates the language to English for 30 bucks.

I would love it if not every time we talk about the system someone comes up to make the same statement that we need/might see/can reasonably expect a more generic crb one day. The developers have been extremely vocal that this is not their design philosophy and it is not goin to happen. There won't be a generic 40k lin, nor will there be a generic SW line. Not happening.

True, and I do agree with you.

But things do change, and it's possible that several years down the road, a new group of people will be in charge of the product line, ones that weren't there from the beginning. And they might decide that a unified core rulebook is just the kind of quick cash grab the line "needs" before it takes the Final Jump.

I'd prefer it if the line stuck to the initial vision, that of a component series that GMs can mix and match as they choose. WotC tried the "unified approach" three times (OCR, RCR, and Saga Edition) not only in terms of what type of characters but also in trying to keep things generic enough that GMs could run the game in any setting or era that they wished. And one of the major complaints about the core rulebook each time was that it was perhaps too generic; Saga Edition felt this one particularly hard due to the lack of product support for almost six months after the corebook released (caused by the major delay in the tie-in sourcebook for Force Unleashed being put on hold in relation to LucasArts' delay in getting the game finished on time).

As has been discussed back and forth since FFG announced they were doing the RPG, there's pros and cons to both approaches. In the end, they can't please everyone, so they opted to go with the approach they thought would work for the best. And thus far, it seems to be working, particularly where EotE and the anti-Jedi crowd were concerned.

Actually, instead of a Force Awakens core rulebook (which I think would be a stupid idea), I think a force awakens BEGINNER box would be cool.

An adventure tied in with something related to that era.

Beginning characters tied into the background of the movie, with builds from different books. A "Jedi", A smuggler, a soldier, etc.

A small GM guide explaining how to run the game and detailing some of the new planets from the films, and some info on the structure of the alliance/empire stuff going on.

And then instead of the "do you want more, buy this crb" we get from the other ones. have it like point to all three core rulebooks and say what each one models.