On the Rebel Force Radio podcast

http://www.shotglassdigital.com/release/rebelforce-radio-october-18-2013/

Highlights -

-Rebels to be less dark than The Clone Wars

-Stormtroopers much less competent soldiers than Clone Troopers in part due to not having the good example of the Jedi to live up to

-Rebels to be less dark than The Clone Wars

(hello Disney...)

It'll be a repeat of clone wars. 14 year old ahsoka will make up stupid nicknames for a season or two, and then cad bane will shoot a senator in the back, the ratings will spike and the dark times will earn their name.

The mouse may be known for being kid friendly, but the dollar still rules all...

Still, I think that interview does rather imply that Rebels will be going with the Stormtroopers as disposable goons school of thought.

Not clones. Not as badass as clones. Less individual and likely to question orders than clones. And led by a**holes.

Clones talk of duty, honour, brotherhood. Stormtroopers... Don't.

AoR Stormtroopers probably overmodelled.

And how is that different from how the clown B-1s were depicted in CW? As villains it's really no surprise Stormie's aren't going to be depicted sympathetically...

As villains it's really no surprise Stormie's aren't going to be depicted sympathetically...

Tell that to the Space Nazi Defence Force.

As villains it's really no surprise Stormie's aren't going to be depicted sympathetically...

Tell that to the Space Nazi Defence Force.

Wow, that didn't take long. No one took your original bait then?

Most people have him blocked. Can't take the bait if you can't see it.

No surprise there as far as the depiction of the stormtroopers, it is a cartoon. Luckily enough for us it has nothing to do with how we play our games. Hopefully it will still be entertaining.

There you have it though - if you want your game to reflect the official Lucasfilm party line and Star Wars Canon ^tm then your Stormtroopers are poorly trained zealots suitable for being given the run around by the good guys.

<looks pointedly at FFG>

No surprise there as far as the depiction of the stormtroopers, it is a cartoon. Luckily enough for us it has nothing to do with how we play our games. Hopefully it will still be entertaining.

I always thought the Stormtroopers were more of the elite and that the Empire had a regular army. Stormtroopers, to me, were they types that when they showed up, things were going to get really bad really fast for the other guys. I always pictured them as a cross between the USMC and the Airborne. I haven't read much of the EU tbh, but the way they were portrayed in the books and then in the movies when the main characters were not using plot armor gave me the impression that they can lay some serious hurt on their opponents.

I always thought the Stormtroopers were more of the elite and that the Empire had a regular army. Stormtroopers, to me, were they types that when they showed up, things were going to get really bad really fast for the other guys. I always pictured them as a cross between the USMC and the Airborne. I haven't read much of the EU tbh, but the way they were portrayed in the books and then in the movies when the main characters were not using plot armor gave me the impression that they can lay some serious hurt on their opponents.

Turns out not so much.

Stormtroopers are the Empires finest troops in the same way the Iraqi Republican Guard were Saddam Hussein's finest troops.

It's pretty true to the source material, if you ask me. There's lots of instances where the stormtroopers are used as a gag.

That said, they are supposed to be the elite troops of the Empire, and even Solo and Chewie run from them when they're grouped up. I'm confident that Filoni certainly knows the difference, and will do right by them. As for the 'Disneyfication' of it all, that's ludicrous. Disney's just the studio, not the creative team. I think I can safely say that Rebels will be 100% fairy-dust free.

It's pretty true to the source material, if you ask me.

Oh, I agree.

Stormtroopers are the generic foreigners you shoot in Call of Duty games.

Rebel Commandos are the badass western special forces you play as. I think the new Call of Duty:- Ghosts is going to be good inspiration for a Star Wars game:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SumIZb6qMJw

That said, they are supposed to be the elite troops of the Empire

Like I say, the Republican Guard were the elite troops of Saddam Hussein.

The skills, attitudes and general talents of my own Stormtroopers will be dependent on a lot of factors - circumstances that also affect real world armies, since we're such a fan of making real world references here: training, superiors and how they conduct themselves, experience, equipment, morale, etc.

Having every single Stormtrooper be easy to kill, unable to hit the broadside of a barn, and just like very other guy in white would make the game boring very quick. Make them personable, make them different, give 'em as much loving attention as you do any other NPC.

So keep your easy to kill and incredibly under-efficient Stormtroopers, Rebels ; I'm going to make mine more believable.

Play them as Keystone cops or as elite troops, whatever works for your game. That's the nice thing about RPGs is that you can take your inspiration from anywhere.

Amen, mouthymerc. A-frickin'-men.

Play them as Keystone cops or as elite troops, whatever works for your game. That's the nice thing about RPGs is that you can take your inspiration from anywhere.

Certainly. However, one of these approaches just got demoted to fanfic.

OK Erik, propose a solution that FFG can enact that will resolve this issue, match the film depictions, stay within lanes established in existing lucasfilm licensed products, and do so without violating the license agreement Lucasfilm made with FFG to produce games for them.

Its great you can find a percieved problem, but without presenting a viable solution you can't expect anything to be done.

Or do you just like the debate? Because if that's the case the starwars.com forums might be a better venue for topics like this...

Play them as Keystone cops or as elite troops, whatever works for your game. That's the nice thing about RPGs is that you can take your inspiration from anywhere.

Certainly. However, one of these approaches just got demoted to fanfic.

Really? Because between the movies and all the EU they have been portrayed as both and everything in between. So are you now going to say that all the EU is fanfic? There is no right way or wrong way.

Erik isn't interested in a debate, discussion or anything remotely sensible or reasonable. He ignores any sound argument and continues on his fundamentalist rants until you put him on your ignore/block list, he doesn't stop then, but you won't have deal with his nonsense and idiocy.

I'm a masochist so I force myself to read his drivel... as a challenge to myself: do not feed the uneducated inbred trolls.

OK Erik, propose a solution that FFG can enact that will resolve this issue

Update the fluff and remember to write the Stormtroopers as being generally there to make the heroes look good?

Its not like this is a huge change of direction or anything.

I always thought the Stormtroopers were more of the elite and that the Empire had a regular army. Stormtroopers, to me, were they types that when they showed up, things were going to get really bad really fast for the other guys. I always pictured them as a cross between the USMC and the Airborne. I haven't read much of the EU tbh, but the way they were portrayed in the books and then in the movies when the main characters were not using plot armor gave me the impression that they can lay some serious hurt on their opponents.

You've nailed what WEG sort of tried at, and to some extent what came off in the EotE Beginner's Game ("better to run than to stand"), although in the Core Rulebook I saw stormtroopers that in numbers can hurt the players*, though they go down quickly themselves if your players have blaster rifles*), and individual stormtrooper sergeants that can hurt the players (and abet regular stormtroopers' ability to hurt the players). In practice, as mouthymerc pointed out, it varies by the EU author... although in fairness, so did a lot of things (just read Legacy of the Force and Fate of the Jedi if you really want to indulge your "inconsistency" masochist!).

The Age of Rebellion beta does however distinctly specify Imperial Army as separate from the Stormtroopers, so FFG's barking up a similar tree as you in that respect.

I don't think 'Imperial Army' dudes will be showing up in rebels. I suspect any and all required mooking will be performed by Stormtroopers.

You do realize there is room between suck and not as competent as the clone troopers right? It's not a dichotomy.

Stormtroopers are awesome. I mean, just look at Gary from Robot Chicken - the guy's a work of art, yo.