Any news on when the completed version of EotE (after Beta testing) will be available for purshase?

"Early 2013" is the most specific comment that FFG has made.

Here's some additional speculation

I'd have said February - that gives people 2-3 months of testing (until the beginning of November/December), a few weeks to make changes to the rules and layout, and then 1-2 months to print it, ship it back to FFG, and distribute it.

MILLANDSON said:

Printing in China (which is out of FFG's direct control), followed by warehousing and loading time for a giant tanker full of many other products besides the original print run of Star Wars (also out of FFG's direct control), transit time across the Pacific at 18mph (which is top speed and thus likely to be slower and also out of FFG's direct control), unloading and additional warehousing stateside for international shipments and union work hours (also outside FFG's direct control), then shipping to FFG's distribution warehouse (outside their direct control), THEN out to stores and individual orders (finally something FFG has control over). That's like 3 months if things go amazingly well.

I'd be a happy little nerd if we saw it by February…but that would be an amazing feat of global logistics.

I'm thinking this would probably be released at GenCon 2013. It'd fit with the schedule for release of news so far, with 2011 being "We got the license," 2012 being "we've got an RPG in the works, and here's the Beta!" So 2013 would be "Here's the final version, and some news about upcoming supplements too!"

Just my take though.

Also, if FFG's production schedule is anything similar to the one I experienced when doing my two freelancing jobs with WotC, they're probably working at least 8 months ahead of proposed release date, up to about a year out to ensure that the approvals process doesn't drag things out too long. Give them about three months to collect feedback data (if that long), a month to get what updates need to be made in, and then final layout done and sent off to the printers (anywhere from a week to a month), and then getting the books printed and shipped back to the U.S. for distribution… well, that can be an absolute crap shoot. After all, it kinda bit WotC in the bum when they had no copies of the Saga Edition Core Rulebook for sale at Celebration V because of shipping delays.

So anything earlier than GenCon might be pushing their luck…

Callidon said:

Well, as I said, if they only give 2 months max for the testing, then they'll have 3 months to print and ship it, which is doable - I belive that's about how long they currently take with books (though if anyone has any hard figures on that, I'd appreciate it). We'd probably be seeing it at the end of February, maybe beginning of March, which gives them an extra few weeks/a month to send it to the various distributors, who then send it on to stores.

MILLANDSON said:

Ok, 2 months for testing (end of september), add a month to fix, update, and make any changes for final layout, final proof, then proof to Lucasfilm for approval. Then you wait for approval (conservatively add a month, November), make any changes they want, resend, wait for approval, send to print (end of November), wait at least two more months for printing, shipping and customs.

My bet would be February - March at the earliest.

So early 2013 for EotE. Then early 2014 for Rebellion and early 2015 for Force and Destiny? That's a long time. Can I play with just the EotE core rulebook?

richterbelmont10 said:

Well… yea, they're all separate core books covering different sections of the setting, though as other people have shown, it's not hard to make pretty much any character you can imagine with just the Beta.

If it's early 2013 then it will be late March/early April after the GAMA Trade Show (March 18-22). So we are likely looking at mid November tops for changes via the Beta. Takes more like 3-5 months for printing and shipping.

Yancy