Hi...I am Wraith03, I am a RPG gamer with over 30 years of experience in lots of games from D&D to the Old WEG Star Wars d6 games...

My sons are avid rpg gamers as well, after trying D&D, and even DC Super Heroes, they want to dive headlong into Star Wars: Age of Rebellion....SO here we go...

My sons are avid Star Wars Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels fans, while I am more of a Episode 4/Episode 5 freak myself,...

What timeline is used for the game? How much latitude is there in creating your own "rebel cell" that can encounter characters from the movies and tv shows? How easy/hard is starfighter combat in game? Is this much like the old WEG sd6 game where force-users are almost required to get much out of the game?

Any advice here would be greatly appreciated...Thanks Wraith03 signing off....

The "default setting," that is, the era the books are assuming, is original trilogy era, shortly after the Battle of Yavin.

However, there's plenty of flexibility in that regard. The system is incredibly easy to reskin for different eras. FFG's philosophy regarding the movie/TV characters is to not stat them out...they're out there somewhere, and your players' characters may occasionally encounter them, but the PC's are the stars of the game. (So far, the one exception is Lando in the Jewel of Yavin adventure, but the text specifically points out that the stats reflect Lando as an NPC in his capacity within that adventure...not complete stats.)

Force users are as essential or non-essential as you, the GM, want them to be.

I'm a die-hard WEG D6 player, but this system's versatility has completely won me over. You'll find plenty of assistance here on the boards. So, welcome!

What timeline is used for the game?

Any timeline you want, but as noted the default is just ABY. FFG has a pattern of releasing splat books that also contain new equipment, new starships, etc, and a few Clone wars-era items have popped up.

Since the Edge of the Empire game was first in the line, that forum has a lot more activity, plus this sticky thread of resources:

https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/85616-compiled-resources-list/

Also note that all three game lines are essentially identical, and you can easily mix and match careers in your campaign. My own is mostly an EotE-flavoured campaign, but two players are running AoR characters.

How much latitude is there in creating your own "rebel cell" that can encounter characters from the movies and tv shows?

You might want the "Strongholds of Resistance" sourcebook if having a rebel base is a big part of your game.

How easy/hard is starfighter combat in game?

It's fairly straightforward, but keep in mind it's narrative, not a tactical simulator. It's also fairly lethal, so be sure to make your first space encounters more about timing and escape than fighting to the death, until you get the hang of it.

Is this much like the old WEG sd6 game where force-users are almost required to get much out of the game?

Not at all. Non-Force users can hold their own quite well. If the player makes a one-trick pony things can go askew (like in any game), but if you give them challenges that encourage breadth that is less likely to happen. Also note that using the Force is a very long road if the player follows media assumptions. You can't really expect to be at even a Padawan level until you've invested ~150XP, though again one-trick ponies can break that mold in their chosen area.

Welcome Wraith,

I own the AoR rule book and I'm a player in a EotE campaign. We're using the rules for all three books (which the GM owns).

AoR is "set" in the era of the Movies Ep IV - VI (New Hope, Empire, & RotJ)

However, everything is highly adaptable to suit your needs.

AoR assumes that you WILL build a unique rebel cell and how closely its tied to the other cells is entirely up to you.

The combat rules for personal combat & starship combat are incredibly similar. The biggest learning curve that you'll face is learning how to interpret the dice. And I really like the dice mechanics and the more creative you are the better this mechanic works.

While I was obsessed with being a Force user when I was much younger, I have no interest in being one now and less so after having studied the rules.

Yeah, the Force powers are nicely modeled in the game but non-Force users have access to some very powerful talent trees that make the game very worthwhile for me as a Force insensitive character.

As Whafrog pointed out, it does take a bit of time to build up force users. If you have a player who is interested in being a Force Sensitive, I highly recommend getting Force and Destiny too.