I have been thinking about how much and what kind of force stuff will be in the follow-up core books. It seems they are following Luke's journey to become a Jedi Knight so t the end of TESB Luke is probably a force sensitive exile and knows the basic force powers in EotE.

For AoR I look to Luke for what will be in that book. I assume that AoR will have a force section similar to EotE. So let's say one force specialization and three new force powers (they may repeat the EotE powers so that the book can stand on its own more). The specialization I am assuming will be a universal one called something like Jedi Apprentice/Padawan. As for the new powers I look to Luke by the end of TESB and I think maybe a force power to allow jumping and maybe a lightsaber power. I can't really think of a third one.

For FaD we will probably see a Jedi career (and possibly several), as well as other force user career and multiple specializations and many force powers.

These are my speculations but we will see what happens (maybe we will know much more after Gencon). Anyone else have any speculations?

I agree with you.

My only thought is that FaD will also explain the story of the jedi order threw the ages and what are all the force adepts.

Like explanations on force sensitive outside the jedi order and the sith (Dathomir, Altis etc...).

Since FaD is supposed to be about playing Jedi I expect that there will be a lot of diversity within playing a Jedi.

I compare it to the WH 40K games. Space Marines are sort of the iconic characters of the 40K world but you really couldn't play on in Dark Heresy though you could maybe get some power armor and/or a bolter which were pretty awesom. In Rouge Trader your characters were more powerful but again it wasn't really about playing Space Marines. With the increased power level you could likely stretch and get a very Space Marine like character or even with some GM fiat you could probably play a space Marine.

Then came Death Watch. And if you think about it, the character idea - Space Marine - doesn't really work either, not because you can't play a Space Marine, but because every one is a Space Marine. Instead you play an Assault Marine, or a Librarian or some other subtype of space Marine.

I expect something similar with the third Star Wars game release. I expect that every one will at least be a force user. So the game will have to have lots of diversity within that category. I don't think it will be enough to say I want to play a Jedi you will have to choose what kind of Jedi. I don't really know what different categories they will use. Existing Star Wars Role Playing Games and Computer Games have already broken up Jedi into different classes/carriers/emphasis. I think it is possible that FFG may use some of the already defined sub types, or perhaps make some of their own. I do think it is significant enough to point out that by the time we get our third game in the Star Wars world we will have some more movies. We might get some cool stuff that FaD can build upon. Truth to tell I don't think FFG knows for sure what they are going to do.

I have been thinking about how much and what kind of force stuff will be in the follow-up core books. It seems they are following Luke's journey to become a Jedi Knight so t the end of TESB Luke is probably a force sensitive exile and knows the basic force powers in EotE.

I hope they don't follow Luke's journey. I'd rather this game not be about recreating the movies, and I'd say so far they've done a good job of that. Sure, the are using the background, but nothing in the game really suggests you have to style your game, characters, or plots around the movies at all. Besides, Luke couldn't do jack with the Force by the end of E4, only timing a torpedo.

My hopes are that AoR simply expands some powers like coordination and athletics, and maybe some of Vader's powers, like choking; adds Lightsaber as a skill; maybe gives a hint of a Lightsaber form tree; and maybe (just maybe) a mechanic for seeing the future. This would be pretty much where Luke was at the end of E6.

My hopes for F&D are the whole gamut: Force defences; all seven Lightsaber form trees; all the powers of Jedi from E1-3 and TCW; all the Emperor's abilities; Sith alchemy and Witches of Dathomir...I'm bound to be disappointed but I'll accept future supplements as recompense

In my ideal geek world, Force and Destiny would have heavy support for each Lightsaber Form in some way or another.

With regard to following Luke's journey I think fjw has it right. I don't see it as a literal tracking of Luke Skywalker's progress, and I don't think that is what was meant. Just the order of the books alone seems to follow it. (Think about it).

And certainly the ability to start out as a certain career supplemented by the Force Sensitive Exile, and then add Force options in a book all about the Rebellion, and then finishing up as a fully fledged Jedi ... that's Luke's journey, and the options are there.

Of course Luke being the protagonist of the movies, you could also say that the order of the book mimics the original trilogy as well.

Makes me wonder if we'll see a revised Emperor's Hand. They're supposed to be pretty powerful, but none of the high-level Force stuff has really been touched upon yet and yet they still have a stat block in EotE.

My chief concern with how the Force plays out is making sure that non-Force users are comparable in usefulness and power to Jedi Knights. I refer to The Old Republic MMO (which I played briefly) and every class is (more or less) balanced. Jedi don't steamroll anyone. The way I think of it, this is a galaxy of many trillions of people (I recall reading 345 trillion people died to an invasion during the Legacy era I think, so surely there's way more than that still alive). Of those unnumbered trillions, I imagine fewer than one million are capable of attaining a level of mastery or strength at their skill to rival a Jedi. These are the people that make up the PCs in this game.

What I'm getting at is that I hope that all careers are balanced so players don't feel like the best route for ANYTHING is to be a Jedi. I love the idea of well rounded groups with the chance of a Jedi, not Jedi groups with the occasional outsider who wants to be Han Solo.

Balance is really important and I do believe we will see it in the future CRB's. Jedi really take a beating in all comics/movies/games when up against non-minions. PC's will really be able to lay the smack down on Jedi PC's because of the multitude of options they'll have to play with. Jedi won't be one-slicing their way through anything anytime too soon. Equal xp balanced characters will be equal, regardless of career. My .02.

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Balance is really important and I do believe we will see it in the future CRB's. Jedi really take a beating in all comics/movies/games when up against non-minions. PC's will really be able to lay the smack down on Jedi PC's because of the multitude of options they'll have to play with. Jedi won't be one-slicing their way through anything anytime too soon. Equal xp balanced characters will be equal, regardless of career. My .02.

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I agree. We saw this philosophy come to the fore in the d20 version, especially Saga: Jedi are awesome because they are heroes, but all the PCs are heroes, therefore they are awesome. To put this in the context of the fiction: every Jedi and Sith, PC or NPC, is awesome. But not all starship pilots, mechanics, doctors, lawyers, sandpeople chiefs* are necessarily awesome, just the PC ones.

I'm expecting we'll see a few new power trees, at least a couple careers and (applicable to books 2 and 3) ways to neatly dovetail existing characters into all this.

I've no idea how they're going to execute lightsaber talents, but I'm praying for awesomeness.

(* All sandpeople chiefs may, in fact, be awesome -- it's hard to get the job, otherwise...)

To put this in the context of the fiction: every Jedi and Sith, PC or NPC, is awesome.

Looking at the battle scenes in ep II and ep III brings me to another conclusion. There are quite a few Jedi who are the opposite of awesome in combat. (And a few manage to look completely derpy while just standig still.)

I'm not holding my breath on there being a slew of brand new Force options in Age of Rebellion. In fact, given that it's supposed to be it's own core book and thus not reliant upon EotE, I wouldn't be surprised if we see re-prints of the Sense, Influence, and Move power trees, with maybe one or two new Force powers in AoR. And we'll likely see all those power trees reprinted in Force & Destiny alongside several new powers to round out what Force-users can accomplish.

I also don't think we'll see a Jedi anything in Age of Rebellion, but instead perhaps a F/S spec that represents someone that's had some degree of training in the Force rather than being entirely self-taught the way the F/S Exile is. Or, they may just re-print the F/S Exile in AoR and leave it that. From what Steve Horvath teased during his guest appearance on the O66 podcast, it does sound like we'll have some new options for Force-users coming in AoR, but I doubt we're going to see a ton of new content.

Bear in mind that each of these books are designed to be stand-alone products, so we're going to see a lot of repeated material anyway in regards to the dice mechanics, equipment, and combat.

To put this in the context of the fiction: every Jedi and Sith, PC or NPC, is awesome.

Looking at the battle scenes in ep II and ep III brings me to another conclusion. There are quite a few Jedi who are the opposite of awesome in combat. (And a few manage to look completely derpy while just standig still.)

I'm sorry -- are those . . . movies of some kind? I don't recognize 'em. . .

Ah continuity blindness, happens to the best of us...

kidding aside, I've got alot of faith in FFG. they used adjusted xp totals to balance space marines and Imperial Guardsmen, why not Jedi and smugglers? AoR will probably include some new stuff for use in its theater of operations, maybe some alternate powers like healing or jumping/running/climbing trees/piloting ships? things a soldier would need. It may cover Force Rank 3-4, but I doubt it. Probably most of that will have to wait for FoD.