Hello Folks,

I wonder if there are any different mechanics between Age of Rebellion and Edge of the Empire, since AoR is a newer setting/books. Is there an improvement or a more streamline approaches to the game?

I am thinking of buying one of the 2. Since they are basically compatible, is it just the info about the setting or there is something more?

Thanks

Laurent

The main difference between the two are the two narrative mechanics, Obligation vs Duty: Edge of the Empire has Obligation, something from the character's past that still bothers them today, like a debt, responsibility, a bounty etc... Obligation is something you want to get rid of, since it has mostly negative consequences. Age of Rebellion has Duty, which is basically their purpose within the Rebellion, like gathering intel or winning in combat against the empire. Gaining Duty can be seen as gaining esteem within the Rebellion, so you want to gain as much of that as you can. Both Obligation and Duty provide storyline hooks, just in different ways.
Furthermore, the basic setting of Edge of the Empire points more towards sandbox-y, open-world play, while Age of Rebellion favors a mission-oriented approach (that's however not necessarily how you need to do things, of course).

As far as rules go, the Age Core book has some things rephrased which weren't explained comprehensively in the Edge Core book, but those are minor things, really.

As you say, the main difference is flavor and what type of game you want to run. Edge has much more miscellaneous NPCs, smuggling ships, mercenaries etc, while Age is focused on military action, and is chock full of your iconic rebel and imperial ships and starfighters, military grade weapons, and more specs that are combat focused.

EpicTed did a good job covering Obligation vs Duty, which is the biggest mechanical difference. The only thing I can think of offhand that Age has that Edge doesn't is several extra actions for capital ships.

It's worth noting that the Careers and Specializations are different between the two books, each keeping with the appropriate theme. Anyone can say "I collect bounties for a living, I am a bounty hunter," regardless of what their in-game Career and Specialization are. If you have a player that wants to play a Bounty Hunter-Gadgeteer or Soldier-Commando, you'll need the appropriate setting.

Cross-pollination is certainly possible, though I find mixing Obligation and Duty within the same party to be a bit tedious.