I agree that the system is pretty well complete. I'm far more concerned about those that were laid off. I hope they bounce back quickly.

In addition, my biggest disappointment is we are unlikely to see more Genesys material.

56 minutes ago, kaosoe said:

I agree that the system is pretty well complete. I'm far more concerned about those that were laid off. I hope they bounce back quickly.

In addition, my biggest disappointment is we are unlikely to see more Genesys material.

Yeah, the sacking of people like this is ridiculous in my view, but I guess hardly surprising, given certain aspects of corporate culture when its about maximising profits for the few.

I think they could have produced a lot more for Star Wars, original content as well as from the new films and TV-series. But I get that it would be slowing down. As it has been.

Genesys is also sad, not that I've really played it, I own it all (now). Yet, besides new setting books, and the odd expansions to rules and guidelines, the Foundry kind of covers the community (and FFG's ****) when it comes to new stuff - at least I can see this as an argument, even if it isn't a particularly strong one, if you go beyond: "We get money for free through the fan-community's efforts. Yay! *(Shush! Be quiet!)*"

Let’s be fair on both sides here. I understand and feel for those who have been laid off. That being said layoffs don’t have to be permanent but, it isn’t right to be all up in arms in regards to companies trying to make money. Specifically game companies as their margins are particularly small traditionally.

People like to stick it to the man a lot... or the perceived man but in situations like this, I think it also important to think of the financial implications relevant to he company in general. Even more so that this means that they are likely hemorrhaging money in some lines and if they don’t do something the company wouldn’t exist at all.

I do hope the the rpg wing resurfaces. I also agree that the Star Wars line is pretty much complete. I do hope they keep a reprint schedule going and at least modules for the time being. That would be something. Genesys is my favorite system by a long shot so I hope that maintains at least a handhold on existence. At this point I think the sky is falling conversation needs to be (partially) tables and perhaps help those affected find positions. Then encourage FFG to at least maintain the community presence and perhaps allow for the community content generation we see in the marketplace like the foundry. Perhaps even expand it.

4 minutes ago, Strange1 said:

Let’s be fair on both sides here. I understand and feel for those who have been laid off. That being said layoffs don’t have to be permanent but, it isn’t right to be all up in arms in regards to companies trying to make money. Specifically game companies as their margins are particularly small traditionally.

I think a lot of the ill feeling comes from the fact that this doesn't seem to be a measure taken to keep the company afloat (desperate times, desperate measures, etc) but rather it is in line with long-standing rumours that the owners of FFG are looking to sell so this "streamlining" the company is being done to simply buff its perceived value on the market rather than out of fiscal necessity.

Of course, FFG could clarify a lot of this if they were to address this in a public statement - which they have thus far declined to do.

I’ll be honest, I think it is a twofold issue. I think part is the tariffs being imposed on production outside the US coupled with the smaller margins and the plausible sale. That is making the margins smaller and smaller and you have Asmodee an entity not wholly US and thus they are probably getting double hit by the political climate. Especially since they are shipping from China and there are specific additional tariffs in place there.

2 hours ago, Strange1 said:

I do hope they keep a reprint schedule going and at least modules for the time being.

If by "modules" you mean adventures, I don't see that happening. Those are notoriously poor sellers compared to other titles, and I'm not afraid to say that most of FFG's adventures have been among their poorest products.

One of the biggest nails in the coffin of these lines has been the minimal amount of original materials that FFG has been able to put into their products. We have the Phylodons and... um... yeah. The RPG didn't get much of the creativity, I think even Armada got more original creations.

15 minutes ago, HappyDaze said:

If by "modules" you mean adventures, I don't see that happening. Those are notoriously poor sellers compared to other titles, and I'm not afraid to say that most of FFG's adventures have been among their poorest products.

One of the biggest nails in the coffin of these lines has been the minimal amount of original materials that FFG has been able to put into their products. We have the Phylodons and... um... yeah. The RPG didn't get much of the creativity, I think even Armada got more original creations.

a Book of modular encounters would be more useful than an adventure.

10 minutes ago, HappyDaze said:

If by "modules" you mean adventures, I don't see that happening. Those are notoriously poor sellers compared to other titles, and I'm not afraid to say that most of FFG's adventures have been among their poorest products.

One of the biggest nails in the coffin of these lines has been the minimal amount of original materials that FFG has been able to put into their products. We have the Phylodons and... um... yeah. The RPG didn't get much of the creativity, I think even Armada got more original creations.

That's a good point. While there are original additions elsewhere too, in Nexus of Power, in the fluff department, and possibly elsewhere too, the adventures are a bit lack luster.

Looking to other publishers, they have gone a somewhat different route in designing their adventures, like Coriolis for instance, Free League does publish pre-made adventures, but they also publish scenarios, areas and potential plot, rather than a meticulously laid out paths. FFG did something along these lines with their modular encounters, but Free League's Coriolis scenarios, and the Mutant Year Zero zone guides, are somewhat more fleshed out, but they also cater to a different type of story than Star Wars.

So yeah, I think what Daeglan is suggesting could be interesting, and filled with more original content, and ultimately be tied together into larger narratives, mini-meta-plots or something Like Gray Death for Mutant Year Zero, or Abzu's Bounty for The Expanse RPG

Well... I agree the adventure modules are not great and I stopped buying them after buying two and running one. However, I am happy there is no original materials in the books. I want the wealth of the existing universe to be at my fingertips, not the rpg developer’s ideas on what he would have done.

No reason that can't be combined in books similar to Suns of Fortune, Lords of Nal Hutta, Nexus of Power and Strongholds of Resistance. As well as more era books, and so on.

But some of us also desire stories, not what are basically pre-determined stories where you may have to make a new character along the way if things go badly.

I personally am not a huge fan of running “modules” as is. I just like the ideas but I was actually meaning more material like lords of a Nal hutta and Strongholds... nothing big but... or even allow for people to write “module” content and publish it in the foundry or in a foundry style way. I hate to say that that is free money. It really isn’t even though people like to think it is because of the IP and systems which are different used in the games.

Hopefully this is the good news it looks like.

https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/44911/fantasy-flight-games-layoffs-rpg-lines-continue

This could be interpreted a couple ways, but seems encouraging:

Quote

"…all three product lines are still ongoing."

1 hour ago, Sturn said:

This could be interpreted a couple ways, but seems encouraging:

When i see another star wars book announced i will feel better. But FFGs lacks of forthrightness doesnt fill me with a lot of confidence. I mean i am not all doom and gloom but saying production is on going with only books that are coming relatively soon is not all that convincing...

12 minutes ago, Daeglan said:

When i see another star wars book announced i will feel better. But FFGs lacks of forthrightness doesnt fill me with a lot of confidence. I mean i am not all doom and gloom but saying production is on going with only books that are coming relatively soon is not all that convincing...

Well, Katrina Ostrander tweeted earlier that today was her first day as “Creative Director of Story and Setting” at FFG, so there’s another puzzle piece.

10 hours ago, DanteRotterdam said:

Well... I agree the adventure modules are not great and I stopped buying them after buying two and running one. However, I am happy there is no original materials in the books. I want the wealth of the existing universe to be at my fingertips, not the rpg developer’s ideas on what he would have done.

The wealth of the universe is ironically based in part out of the creativity of RPG developers. West End Games contributed really a lot to star wars.

I am aware of that.
However that was in the time when the universe consisted of three movies.
Today we have 12 movies (incl that godawful Clone Wars feature length monstrosity) 4 series (excl. the droids and Ewoks animated shows) a full library of novels and comic books, videogames, etc.
There is so much that hasn’t been touched upon yet...

8 minutes ago, SEApocalypse said:

The wealth of the universe is ironically based in part out of the creativity of RPG developers. West End Games contributed really a lot to star wars.

There still contributing a lot to Star Wars, their material is still making its way into movies and tv shows.

6 hours ago, DanteRotterdam said:

I am aware of that.
However that was in the time when the universe consisted of three movies.
Today we have 12 movies (incl that godawful Clone Wars feature length monstrosity) 4 series (excl. the droids and Ewoks animated shows) a full library of novels and comic books, videogames, etc.
There is so much that hasn’t been touched upon yet...

I count 14?
(I'm sure you've skipped over Caravan of Courage and Battle for Endor, based on the rest of your post.)

19 minutes ago, Demon4x4 said:

I'm sure you've skipped over Caravan of Courage and Battle for Endor, based on the rest of your post.

Yeah... they are not considered cannon...

A monolithic corporation in bed with China does not decided what is and is not cannon. The players and fans on a personal level based on their own subjective needs/beliefs do. If we want a video game or comic to be considered cannon, it is.

1 minute ago, daggertx said:

A monolithic corporation in bed with China does not decided what is and is not cannon. The players and fans on a personal level based on their own subjective needs/beliefs do. If we want a video game or comic to be considered cannon, it is.

Well, no, not really. They own it and they own the licensing rights. They absolutely do get to decide what is capital "C" canon. If they don't think what you're making fits into the canon, they don't have to approve it/license it.

That doesn't mean that fans can't generate their own personal canon or headcanon if they want. There can even be an agreed upon canon amongst a group of fans.

But it's a little presumptuous to say that the entity who owns the intellectual property doesn't get to decide what is and isn't an official part of it.

16 minutes ago, daggertx said:

A monolithic corporation in bed with China

Alex Jones, is that you?

51 minutes ago, DanteRotterdam said:

Alex Jones, is that you?

While it's a tinfoil-y enough statement it's at least on same hemisphere as factually correct (meaning still quite a ways off), which isn't anywhere near where A.J. operates. I mean, gay frog DNA wasn't even mentioned!

There is a great podcast where they dissect A.J.’s show week by week called Knowledge Fight. Totally recommended.