Hello! I'm brand new to tabletop RPGs, but have wanted to do a Star Wars one for some time. I asked around and found out about a Beginner's Box for the FFG Star Wars RPG. I assume many of you have them and, since I am on a tight budget as are many consumers, I was wondering what parts of the box are essential, handy, and can be found for free. I assume the rulebooks are important, so does someone know where they are on an online pdf? Is there a sample campaign I could find online? I really appreciate it and look forward to playing! Thanks
Online Beginners' Box?
Here's what the beginner box gives you:
A bunch of chips with various pictures on them, stormtroopers, pre-made PCs, a dianoga, Jerjerrod, etc. I generally use them on my initiative tracker (aka what amounts to a glorified ruler) or on maps when I need to keep track of characters' locations.
One set of dice (ideally, you'd have 2 sets).
6 premade characters.
A
very
slimmed down rule book.
A learn-as-you-go adventure.
A map of a location in the learn-as-you-go adventure.
It is a good introductory set, but you will probably want to pick up the CRB anyway, so you have to decide for yourself whether you are willing to spend ~100 bucks (list price) to get the CRB, the beginner game, and (optional) another set of dice, or just spend ~85 bucks to get the CRB and 2 sets of dice.
I found everything on significant discounts, so I got the CRB, Forged in Battle, the beginner game, and a set of dice for I think about 75 dollars (which is the list price for the CRB+1 set of dice).
As for getting stuff free, there are download links for the follow up adventure and the premade characters: https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/products/star-wars-age-of-rebellion/ (go down to player resources and scroll through until you find what you need)
You may be better off picking up the CRB and using Operation Shadowpoint as a practice adventure.
The 4 Beginner Boxes each provide a free bonus adventure:
Force&Destiny: https://images-cdn.fantasyflightgames.com/filer_public/74/9f/749fc12b-fd71-489f-aee9-cf8b23b03e60/swfp01_lure_of_the_lost_lr.pdf
Force Awakens: https://images-cdn.fantasyflightgames.com/filer_public/b1/aa/b1aaa46b-70ad-4f27-bd4d-930c245db53d/a-call-for-heroes.pdf
There are also two free bonus Characters each, except for Force Awakens.
Most people seem to like the Edge Beginner game adventure best (of the beginner games), I also like the Rebellion one. Haven't read/played the other two. But I own all of them, for the DICE! They are not much more expensive then the set of dice alone!
There is a way to try the game entirely for free, the "Free RPG Day"-Adventure:
It also includes a short version of the rules, but the rules are slightly simplified in the Beginner Boxes, too. But you still need the dice. Or you can use an App that simulates the dice. Not my style, but some people use them and there are free versions out there.
Orokos is a free dice rolling tool that we use for PbP.
As for PDFs of rulebooks, etc, I’m afraid you’re out of luck. Short version: the RPG license terms remain essentially unchanged since the original in 1987, before routine internet access or the PDF format itself were things. So, PDFs fall under the terms of the electronic/video game license, meaning FFG cannot legally distribute PDFs of the books. (Things like the follow-up adventures and the dice app fall through a loophole, as they’re useless without the actual game.)
While there are people out there who have pirated the books and posted the PDFs, it’s a violation of the copyright and is frowned upon on the forums here.
Sorry.
While it's a fan-made product, there is a "beginner game" style adventure created by Rancor Publishing Group called "Shadow over Tarkintown" with a follow-up adventure "No Safe Haven." Both are set on Lothal during the earlier season of Star Wars Rebels, and have a number of pre-gens available.
Rancor Publishing Group's home page
You'd still need the dice, but there's a variety of options for online dice rollers that you can turn up with a simple web search.
I haven't run either adventure myself, so I can't speak to the quality of it, but if you're looking for an entry point with minimal layout of cash upfront, it's a viable option.