Yes, very true that the game designers need to have some canon to go by. I would love to see the game "bible" to know what is in and what is out and how the open questions are resolved.
I suppose we'll just have to wait for the rest of the books to know.
I do think we can expect new material in supplements, sourcebooks and adventures while we wait for Age of Rebellion and Force and Destiny. Long Arm of the Hutt gave us a new creature already.
LFL-Canon, in the form of the Clone Wars TV show, shows Y-Wings well before ANH.
In the end it's going to be Your Canon for your campaign. If you want your Y-Wings new and shiney, go ahead. If you want them old and battered, go ahead. Hopefully you don't have a Star Wars Canonologist in your group that will scream bloody murder at the smallest contradiction to Book 6 of the Tusken Jedi Wookie series. See I was making up something ridiculous on the fly, and I realized there IS a Tusken Jedi in the EU.
I personally start with only the movies for my canon. And even that is MY interpretation of the movies. I then sprinkle in what I know and like from the EU at my own choosing. For example, in a d20 campaign I had teenage Mara Jade be part of a small group of Black Sun pirates around the start of Episode IV, just before she became a Hand. I know that probably contradicted all kinds of things in EU, but none of my players cared. There wasn't a Mara Jade expert in the group (including myself, just read the original Thrawn books long ago) so it worked for all of us.
I don't want to make sticking to every level of Canon become such a chore that I have to research every adventure I make to ensure no contradictions amongst a flood of EU data....which has its own contradictions.
Y-wings are also older and were in use before the Rebellion, so I guess that's partially why.
Also, FFG probably wanted at least 1 iconic fighter from the movies
In the end it's going to be Your Canon for your campaign. If you want your Y-Wings new and shiney, go ahead. If you want them old and battered, go ahead. Hopefully you don't have a Star Wars Canonologist in your group that will scream bloody murder at the smallest contradiction to Book 6 of the Tusken Jedi Wookie series. See I was making up something ridiculous on the fly, and I realized there IS a Tusken Jedi in the EU.
I personally start with only the movies for my canon. And even that is MY interpretation of the movies. I then sprinkle in what I know and like from the EU at my own choosing. For example, in a d20 campaign I had teenage Mara Jade be part of a small group of Black Sun pirates around the start of Episode IV, just before she became a Hand. I know that probably contradicted all kinds of things in EU, but none of my players cared. There wasn't a Mara Jade expert in the group (including myself, just read the original Thrawn books long ago) so it worked for all of us.
I don't want to make sticking to every level of Canon become such a chore that I have to research every adventure I make to ensure no contradictions amongst a flood of EU data....which has its own contradictions.
That's the only way to do it, imo. As long as the contradiction isn't blatant (like Vader is actually Obi-wan's twin brother) then there should be no issues. Even then, if the group agrees to play an alternate history version, then there's nothing off the table.
The Star Destroyer is in AOR
The West End books made a lot of stuff up, some of which was wrong or didn't fit with the setting - see Y-Wings and TIE Fighters being just as manoeuvrable as each other mechanically, etc.
You do realize that the setting - before WEG started publishing - consisted of seven novels and the Marvel Comics run, right? Of course they made a whole bunch of stuff up and pulled stuff out of the air - they had nothing to work with!
You're forgetting 3+ years of Daily comics, as well, and a pile of Starlog Magazine articles, and the backs of the figure and toy packs....
It wasn't entirely cogent...
Just looking at the list on Wikipedia...
3 Han Solo novels (1979, 1979, 1980)
3 Lando Novels (1983, 1983, 1983 )
Novelizations and Audiobooks of all three movies
Young Adult Novels of all three versions
two Ewok films (1984/1985)
Star Wars Droids animated series (85-86)
Star Wars: Ewoks animated series (86-86)
NPR Audio Dramas (3 movies adapted, plus a 4th "movie," Return from Ord Mandell , that was original in 1984)
Daily comics (1979-1984)
6 Video Games
Several Marvel monthly comic book series, from 1978-1986, plus marvel monthly strips in Pizzaz. Plus adaptations of all 3 movies.
All of this is pre 1987. Most of this was available to WEG.
You forgot the Holiday Special
No, I just don't list it because almost no one seems to think it canon.
Christmas in the stars...
Out among the stars...
What a merry Christmas it will be!
...
The Holiday Special was canonized as soon as Lucas re-used the Holiday Special paintings of Kashyyk (used to establish the houses in the trees) to create the planet for the Wookie battle in Episode 3
The Star Destroyer is in AOR
****. And the Void Demoness (wife) gave me the evil eye when I said some new SW books were coming out soon. I waited until just recently to buy the core book, screen, and two sets of dice. She's the accountant and just saw that bill......
I REALLY want to see what they did here. I hope they grouped like weapons on like firing arcs into minion "batteries". A.i. 20 turbolasers on starboard side are grouped into 4 groups of 5 each and treated like a group of minions when rolling attack dice.
Edited by SturnI hope they grouped like weapons on like firing arcs into minion "batteries". A.i. 20 turbolasers on starboard side are grouped into 4 groups of 5 each and treated like a group of minions when rolling attack dice.
That is the suggested way of handling capital ships in The EotE book so I imagine that won change.
I will post the SD stats when I get my book. FFG seems to be pretty lenient about letting us share bits and pieces of the books.