I am just curious if you were making movie characters as player characters what career's and specs would you start them with? Can use standard or knight-level. Most characters I can figure out, I'm currently having trouble deciding how best to handle: Anakin, Lando, Chewbacca, R2-D2, Rey, Finn and BB-8?

I would say that most movie characters are not starting level PC.

But Career wises

Lando - Smuggler: Scoundrel or Charmer (He's a Swindler)

Rey - Mystic: Advisor (Not to sure here but it fits and gives the good base of skills)

Finn - Soldier: Commando (Fits for a trained from birth Stormtrooper)

Chewbacca - Not sure here (leaning towards scout here)

Anakin - Warrior: Starfighter Ace (Duh)

Oh I know they are not starting level. I'm just looking for examples.

Starfighter Ace works for Anakin mostly but part of me think he would start as an Artisan. The Sentinel Career seems to fit his character a bit better also in my opinion.

Part of me thought Rey would be a Scout with Force Emergent but I'm not sure that covers her technical skills.

Oh I know they are not starting level. I'm just looking for examples.

Starfighter Ace works for Anakin mostly but part of me think he would start as an Artisan. The Sentinel Career seems to fit his character a bit better also in my opinion.

Part of me thought Rey would be a Scout with Force Emergent but I'm not sure that covers her technical skills.

The problem with Ray is the concept of Careers being your Life Calling

so is her calling as a force user (Yes IMHO) or a Explorer.

I feel the same way about Luke, I think he is more an Ace (Driver) to start but clearly is all about the Force later.

Rey had Jedi training. The movie heavily implies that she may in fact be one of Luke's early students. So starting her out in a Force career seems about right. As such due to her technical skill level she is either an Artisan or maybe even a Pathfinder.

And some of the characters are beginning characters. The OT crew can all be easily done as starting characters and for the most part you can also stat Rey, Finn and Poe as starting characters too. The only real ones that aren't starters are the PT crew and that's mostly based on how the Force works in this game and there no logical way for a starting PC to do what we see Obi Wan do in TPM.

I could see Rey as an Explorer/Fringer with Force Exile to account for her "latent" Force abilities, with her not grabbing any Force powers until later into the adventure (with the possible exception of Sense for the defensive upgrades), likely starting out as a Knight Level PC much as Finn (Soldier/Commando fits incredibly well for him) and Poe (Ace, with either Pilot or Hotshot) did to account for their high degree of competency in their respective fields.

In terms of her Force usage, Rey doesn't really do anything super extraordinary that a PC with Force Rating 1 can't accomplish, having the Move basic power, the Influence basic power and the Control Upgrade to affect thoughts, and as mentioned the Sense power for the defensive upgrades, with the GM allowing her to spend adventure XP earned on those things as well as one or more ranks of Lightsaber (perhaps adding to an existing rank she took as one of her Human bonus non-career skills depending on the details of her as-yet unrevealed background).

Rey is likely a Pathfinder/Outlaw Tech/Mechanic

Finn is a Commando/gunner

Lando is a Gambler/Charmer

Han Solo is a Pilot/Scoundrel/Gambler

Chewbacca is a Bodyguard/Enforcer/Rigger

Luke is a Starfighter Ace/Outlaw tech

Rey makes use of utinni, Speaks Basic, as well as known schematic, contraption and redundant systems.

I don't think I'd give Finn the Gunner spec. Most of what he did in the film can be covered under just having the Gunnery skill, which he could purchase at the non-career rate. For most starship combats, a dice pool of 1 yellow and 2 green will do just fine, especially if most of the targets you're aiming at are of a larger silhouette than you. He did struggle quite a bit with the Falcon's guns during the Jakku sequence, which to me suggests he's still only got a dice pool of 1 yellow and 2 green, plus a boost from the quad laser cannon's Accurate quality while also suffering from Rey's usage of Evasive Maneuvers each round.

Not to mention, when escaping with Poe, he claimed he never fired a ship's guns before, only blasters.

Lando has offical stats somewhere in Fly Casual!

Lando has offical stats somewhere in Fly Casual!

Nope, that's actually in Jewel of Yavin, and that stat block (built as an NPC) flat-out says it only reflects Lando as he is needed for the sake of the adventure, as the Baron-Administrator of Cloud City and excises any other traits that might show up in a "full" stat block.

When it comes to generating characters from the Movies, I prefer to ignore the Careers and Specializations entirely and simply focus on providing them with the characteristics, Force Rating, and talents/skills that are appropriate independent of following a Career or Specialization tree that is more appropriate for player characters to develop thru

When it comes to generating characters from the Movies, I prefer to ignore the Careers and Specializations entirely and simply focus on providing them with the characteristics, Force Rating, and talents/skills that are appropriate independent of following a Career or Specialization tree that is more appropriate for player characters to develop thru

Agreed 100%.

I think Finn is a Commando with the Force Emergent and the Insight talent.

The Out of Character podcast released an episode where they tried to stat the lead trio from TFA but he tried to stat Finn as a Sharpshooter with Gunner as an extra career except he chose talents from the Commando tree!

Probably meant Commando but I'm more inclined to think Finn is Force Sensitive than not.

Rey definitely had training but might be because she's Ezra's daughter which might explain why she was left on Jakku better than if she was Luke's daughter how that works if she's a Kenobi I don't know!

Still haven't listened all the way through that podcast mentioned above!

When it comes to generating characters from the Movies, I prefer to ignore the Careers and Specializations entirely and simply focus on providing them with the characteristics, Force Rating, and talents/skills that are appropriate independent of following a Career or Specialization tree that is more appropriate for player characters to develop thru

And thou I agree from a GM's point of view with this.

But if a system can't make the movie characters with any degree of accuracy then there is a problem with the system.

now this is not to say as a GM I want a group of Obi-Wan's running around my game,

but the game should be able to generate these characters in a reasonable way so if the PC is looking to not be Obi-Wan but like Obi-wan he has a chance to do it.

So to come into a post about stating Movie characters and make a statement about the best way to stat him is to forget the rule and give them what you want show issues with the system.

I bring this up because every thread where this discussing has occurred this has been the final answer.

Movie characters aren't RPG characters. They never have to roll dice, and they don't need "signature abilities" to deal with the climactic moment of the story.

Furthermore, if you can shoehorn fictional characters into "classes" or "careers", then they were probably written in a lazy "what archetype does this character fill" manner (one that's all too common in Hollywood and in "genre" fiction).

But if a system can't make the movie characters with any degree of accuracy then there is a problem with the system.

but the game should be able to generate these characters in a reasonable way so if the PC is looking to not be Obi-Wan but like Obi-wan he has a chance to do it.

So to come into a post about stating Movie characters and make a statement about the best way to stat him is to forget the rule and give them what you want show issues with the system.

I bring this up because every thread where this discussing has occurred this has been the final answer.

Movie character can never be constrained to RPG character ideals because the authors of those characters are never constrained by game mechanics. This is why you can never have a consensus. The writers will apply any ability that will make those characters more interesting or be able to succeed. RPGs are emulators not simulators.

So to come into a post about stating Movie characters and make a statement about the best way to stat him is to forget the rule and give them what you want show issues with the system.

I bring this up because every thread where this discussing has occurred this has been the final answer.

Unfortunately it is the most accurate answer. Hence why we have a stat block for Lando 'that is only in regards to the adventure" and not a complete stat block. Even FFG avoids doing a "complete" stat block of movie characters. If i were to create a stat block for Obi-Wan as of Ep IV I would probably focus on the upcoming Hermit spec. Keep in mind this does not stop any GM from using or creating these characters. It also means that without an "official' stat block that no player can call foul on any GM's creation.

Movie characters aren't RPG characters. They never have to roll dice, and they don't need "signature abilities" to deal with the climactic moment of the story.

Furthermore, if you can shoehorn fictional characters into "classes" or "careers", then they were probably written in a lazy "what archetype does this character fill" manner (one that's all too common in Hollywood and in "genre" fiction).

I believe that point i was trying to make is if your making a non-generic game that is based on a series of movies then one of your responsibility is to make whats on the screen come to life on paper Characters included.

now does that mean you have to stat those characters, no.

But the system should be able to create those characters within the system.

now don't get me wrong i feel that Star Wars RPG (FFG) can do this.

But if a system can't make the movie characters with any degree of accuracy then there is a problem with the system.

but the game should be able to generate these characters in a reasonable way so if the PC is looking to not be Obi-Wan but like Obi-wan he has a chance to do it.

So to come into a post about stating Movie characters and make a statement about the best way to stat him is to forget the rule and give them what you want show issues with the system.

I bring this up because every thread where this discussing has occurred this has been the final answer.

Movie character can never be constrained to RPG character ideals because the authors of those characters are never constrained by game mechanics. This is why you can never have a consensus. The writers will apply any ability that will make those characters more interesting or be able to succeed. RPGs are emulators not simulators.

So to come into a post about stating Movie characters and make a statement about the best way to stat him is to forget the rule and give them what you want show issues with the system.

I bring this up because every thread where this discussing has occurred this has been the final answer.

Unfortunately it is the most accurate answer. Hence why we have a stat block for Lando 'that is only in regards to the adventure" and not a complete stat block. Even FFG avoids doing a "complete" stat block of movie characters. If i were to create a stat block for Obi-Wan as of Ep IV I would probably focus on the upcoming Hermit spec. Keep in mind this does not stop any GM from using or creating these characters. It also means that without an "official' stat block that no player can call foul on any GM's creation.

As from my last post I totally agree with FFG's chose not to stat Movie PCs, I just get tried of when someone goes through the trouble of trying to stating one up everyone just tells him hes wasting his time.

I know no one is going to agree on stat but give helpful advice about there build dont just try to discourage them from doing it.

Some helpful advice? Create NPCs that challenge your group. If people want help with those that is an entirely different kettle of fish to creating a character as a player character is done.

Movie characters aren't RPG characters. They never have to roll dice, and they don't need "signature abilities" to deal with the climactic moment of the story.

Furthermore, if you can shoehorn fictional characters into "classes" or "careers", then they were probably written in a lazy "what archetype does this character fill" manner (one that's all too common in Hollywood and in "genre" fiction).

I believe that point i was trying to make is if your making a non-generic game that is based on a series of movies then one of your responsibility is to make whats on the screen come to life on paper Characters included.

now does that mean you have to stat those characters, no.

But the system should be able to create those characters within the system.

now don't get me wrong i feel that Star Wars RPG (FFG) can do this.

The movie characters have exactly the abilities and characteristics and limits and so on that the writers and directors give them.

When you fixate on trying to make your game "classes" replicate the movie characters, you end up with the "smuggler" and "bounty hunter" of SWTOR, who are in many ways just forced pastiches of Han Solo and Boba Fett, because the developers were trying to "capture iconic elements" -- -- even though smugglers and bounty hunters should be some of the most varied and customized characters.

I wouldn't mind a product released that included the statistics of characters depicted in the movies, I just doubt they would ever provide talents and skills as provided via the existing careers and specializations to do so, so trying to view movie characters thru that prism is a flawed approach.

Ultimately the Careers and Specializations are a balance mechanic for players and not really intended to be NPC development tools.

I wouldn't mind a product released that included the statistics of characters depicted in the movies, I just doubt they would ever provide talents and skills as provided via the existing careers and specializations to do so, so trying to view movie characters thru that prism is a flawed approach.

Ultimately the Careers and Specializations are a balance mechanic for players and not really intended to be NPC development tools.

Based on Lando FFG seems to be of the opinion that movie characters aren't truly statable. Their archtypes yes, but the individuals no.