Hi,

I don't have Force and Destiny yet, but I wonder if all 3 games integration runs well? Mostly in terms of balance and fun in the adventures.

In a mixed party (fringe people, rebels and jedis), won't the force characters be too powerful compared to the other classes?

I guess that when facing and enemy character with the force, the party jedi will be "in charge" of handling this enemy. Isn't it difficult to balance the challenges the players will be facing so that:

- every player can fulfil its role and be of "value" for the party

- it does not seem to obvious that every event has be "designed" for a specific player (players should have interesting choices to make on "who's doing what")

So how do you mix the games, and does it run well ?

Thanks for your feedback!

You can check out the very recently started PbP, Shadows of the Future, to see how a mixed group pans out. It's being played right here on this very forum; you'll see it floating around on the Force and Destiny topics list.

Edit: I will say I screwed up a bit with the mixed Morality, Obligation, and Duty rules that the GM chapter presents...if I had to do it over again, I'd run it closer to RAW. Way simpler. But short answer is, yeah, they work extremely well together.

I've just got Force and Destiny Core Rulebook.

Next will be Lords of Nal Hutta and Keeping the Peace. More for the extra races, but also because there's whispers of a big Hutt plot in F&D. I'm also a fan of the Guardian career.

Age of Rebellion Core Rulebook is also on the list. Lots of plans to have the Force Sensitives join the Rebellion. In fact, there'll be two campaigns that become one at some point.

Duty will continue for Age of Rebellion, and the Force Sensitives will continue their Morality. No crossovers, unless the Force Users turn to duty but their morality will continue to be tracked. Hutt will probably use duty since I won't be getting Edge of the Empire.

The systems truly mix very well. Jedi are not overpowered. If a Jedi wants to power out there force abilities that's great, but they are doing it at the cost of their talents and skills. In our game, which is now in the 500+ exp range the non force user is the best fighter of the lot. She (Marauder/Heavy) has taken down more dark force users then the Jedi. It doesn't matter how tough your Sith is, a massive hit from a tricked out Vibro Axe will seriously screw up their day. In one session she beheaded a minor Sith Lord in two hits.

Personally I think mixing Duty, Obligation, and Morality is a bit much. Our group happens to really like Obligation, so we went with that. Force using characters also track Morality. We aren't military so we left Duty off. If it were a more military focused game I might use Duty and Morality. To my mind all three is just a bit much to track. Go with Morality and one other.

Our characters all interact well. Without really trying we've created a group that compliments each other very well. A fighter a face, a Jedi who's mostly knowledge skill based (Sage) and a Scout/Force emergent who's mostly a generalist.

I've got a group of Alliance Agents drawn from all three books.

EotE: Bounty Hunter/Thief and a Mechanic

AoR: Gunner/Commando, Hot Shot/FS Exemplar, and a Tactician

F&D: Soresu Defender/Protector with Heal

The three books and background mechanics fix and mix very well together. The Jedi is by no means more overpowered, and the Commando could eat him for breakfast if he wanted to (if he could see him, anyway; long story involving a vibrosword and a crit of 121...).

The Jedi is a good melee combatant, to be sure, but he's also a bit of a knowledge character and the party medic. There are better fighters and gunners in the group, besides the Jedi. And honestly, if the Jedi were built as more of a fighter (or after he gets a few more sessions of XP into Soresu Defender), he'll be good, for sure, but not every encounter is bested by a Jedi with a lightsaber. Some are social encounters, or ranged fights, or space battles.

In my experience, it works out and works well.

Or, you could ask GM Lucas how he did it.

Han and Chewie are EoTE types.

Leia is AoR (though you could build her with F&D due to her father...)

Luke is F&D (with a mentor resource. If one dies, he gets a new one that's a green midget...)

Or, you could ask GM Lucas how he did it.

Han and Chewie are EoTE types.

Leia is AoR (though you could build her with F&D due to her father...)

Luke is F&D (with a mentor resource. If one dies, he gets a new one that's a green midget...)

and 3PO is AoR, R2 is either EotE or AoR

I've got a group of Alliance Agents drawn from all three books.

EotE: Bounty Hunter/Thief and a Mechanic

AoR: Gunner/Commando, Hot Shot/FS Exemplar, and a Tactician

F&D: Soresu Defender/Protector with Heal

Either you have been beta testing the the BH and Tech EotE books (awesome if you have), or your completely on the edge of your seat waiting for them!

I've played in a fair share of "mixed games", including GM Chris' very cool Ghosts of Memory module, which offered two PCs from each of the books (EotE, AoR, and FaD Beta), all built at Knight Level. And frankly, the FaD characters didn't overshine the rest of the group at all. Yeah, the Ataru Striker could be a beast in combat with his basic lightsaber and Saber Swarm talent, but there was a Sharpshooter with a tricked out sniping rifle and a beast of a heavy blaster pistol that could match him on damage very easily and not have to spend time getting engaged with the target before shooting.

I'm running what is predominately a FaD game with one EotE character (Smuggler/Thief/Gunslinger that uses knives instead of blasters) and the EotE is certainly holding her own, up to the point of probably being one of the more dangerous PCs in the group with only the Zabrak Seeker/Hunter coming close. Session I ran just last night had the knife-thrower take out an entire minion group (only three baddies in this group) in a single attack thanks to her ranks in Quick Strike and getting in the first shot.

I've been playing another Ataru Striker in a friend's take on Dawn of Defiance, with most of the PCs having been built using EotE careers and specs, and those PCs are doing just fine. Like Phil said, the Jedi types are going to be nasty in melee combat when they break out the lightsaber... but if you're playing in a Dark Times/Rebellion Era setting, breaking out the lightsaber shoudn't be your go-to response, especially if dealing with Imperials and there's a high chance of either witnesses or news getting back to command that there's a Jedi on the loose.

I'm also doing a field test of Force and Destiny's Warrior/Starfighter Ace in a game where everyone else is a Rebel Pilot with Ace/Pilot.

This game starts at 0 XP, (though everyone obviously gets an X wing.)

The idea is measuring how well hypothetical Luke really matches up against hypothetical Wedge Antilles.

My character got to start with (mentored) Basic Enhance/Influence/Foresee/Sense (Everything that's conceivably useful on a fighter) as the use of the use of those powers is one of the balancing factors.

I plan to make a Beeline for Force Rating 2 (95 XP) then buy up the Force Powers high enough to make that FR relevant.

We usually mix careers, specializations, and gear/ships/vehicles freely but stick to whichever core mechanic fits the campagin best though if we do chains of campaigns we might change Core Mechanics between them.

For example in one Saga chain we started as crew on an anti-Imperial pirate ship (EOE equivalent) became early Alliance privateers in 0 ABY (Sill EOE but more Alliance focused and occasional help from ships that I hope appear in AOR). Then after our ship was crippled beyond repair in the final battle of the Privateer campaign the survivors joined the Alliance Navy for a few campaigns (AOR equivalent) then early in a campaign set a couple of years after Luke started the Jedi Academy we were scouting some ancient ruin and found the wreckage of an old Jedi Temple complete with a pool of Force energy that broke loose and made the entire party Force Sensitive leading to a two-yearlong time skip that we emerged from as Jedi Knights (FAD equivalent)

My players group consists of a Droid Colonist [Doctor/Gadgeteer], Selonian Mystic [seer/Hunter], Wookie Hired Gun [Mercenary Soldier/Heavy] and Human Hired Gun [Marauder/Makashi Duelist]. I recently threw a tricked out Inquisitor at them and it was easily the droid (who has pressure point) that was doing the most "damage". So much so that I had to turn all 5 groups of Stormtroopers on him in order to make sure he didn't make the Inquisitor drop like a chump, haha. The Wookie can easily autofire a group or small vehicle to death, and the Selonian (with his M8 Rifle) can clean house from long range. If anything the human is the only one falling behind, but that's OK because she's a GMPC. She's easily the strongest at fighting one on one in melee however, that just isn't typically an issue.

We use both Morality and Obligation. I even have the non force sensitive characters use Morality, although it's mainly just for their sake as RPers. If the game goes on long enough for them to join the Rebellion, then I plan to add Duty to the mix.

The systems truly mix very well. Jedi are not overpowered.

....

....

The three books and background mechanics fix and mix very well together. The Jedi is by no means more overpowered, and the Commando could eat him for breakfast if he wanted to (if he could see him, anyway; long story involving a vibrosword and a crit of 121...).

...

In my experience, it works out and works well.

Ok, thanks a lot, this is just great to read.

I know the books would fit well together because FFG decided to split the game into 3 separate books and make them work together.

I was mostly afraid of the balance with jedis, and the role of the characters in a party, now I am totally relieved by your great feedback.

I looks important to take into account the real role a jedi at that precise time the star wars universe.

@Angelalex242: feel free to share the results of your test, looks interesting!

This game starts at 0 XP, (though everyone obviously gets an X wing.)

My character got to start with (mentored) Basic Enhance/Influence/Foresee/Sense (Everything that's conceivably useful on a fighter) as the use of the use of those powers is one of the balancing factors.

The Mentor bonus isn't designed to apply until after you've spent your initial XP during character creation. So according to how the rules are designed to work, you are actually starting out unbalanced...just so you know!

(I'm not sure how this would play out in the long run...as XP is XP...and you're obviously going to be buying more than just Force powers as the game progresses...but your starting play testing might be a little skewed because you already have so much utility available to you right out of the gate)

Oops.

I forgot about that. I figured mentor bonus applied whenever a mentor was involved. Or a holocron.

Then again, it's just changing the order of operations. Had I known that, I'd have spent the XP on relevant Starfighter Ace attributes I need to get anyway and gain the Force Powers later.

I'm planning to use Obligations for all characters. Additionally, I'm going to track Duty for characters belonging to the Rebel Alliance. And all Force Sensitives will additionally track Morality. I don't feel it's that much effort, but only time will tell.

Well, when my F&D characters have an obligation, if it's anytime between 19 BBY and 4 ABY, they typically just shrug and go 'Bounty/Order 66' at the highest level possible for the game.