As an aside, have you played the Buffy RPG?

The Buffy & The Scoobies mechanic worked out pretty well. The trick was that they closed the gap between them quite a bit by giving the scoobies notably more action/drama/hero/edge/luck points.

So if you built a Buffy, or Faith, you got more points at character creation, but you didn't have nearly as large a pool of luck points, and IIRC luck points cost more for you to improve.

My experience is that it didn't work out that well. Since Drama Points were a limited resource that could only be refreshed by spending XP, the White Hats ended up being relatively stagnant as they had to keep filling thier tank on what made them special (or at least survivable). OTOH, the Heroes made minimal use of Drama Points and just kept upping Attributes, Skills, and Edges (or Merits or whatever) - permanent improvements that just kept widening the gap between them and the White Hats. This in turn made the White Hats have to spend their Drama Points more quickly just to keep up, and the vicious cycle continues.

Hmm. That does sound problematic. I guess our GM must have seen that as not good and houseruled that one. In our game drama points refreshed. So the Heroes would use them sparingly because they didnt have them very often, and the white hats would use them multiple times per session, allowing them to survive in very difficult situations despite lacking in raw capabilities.

For luck points to be a good balancing factor, they'd have to be renewable.

But if I was going to have Jedi just be better than the regular characters, I would try to make up for that somehow, likely by giving those regular characters a bunch of destiny points to make up for it.

Other options, as mentioned, include capping out maximums based on the amount of XP you have, and arranging for Jedi to get multiple powers, but have none of them exceed a ceiling, which would make jedi more versatile than regular characters, but not more powerful.

And option number three: just give everyone more Exp to build with. Possibly impose some restrictions on chargen.

If you want a character with better base stats, then give more beginning XP to buy up stats. But I never really got the impression that Force-users like the Jedi were naturally more talented on basic abilities. Training in the Force definitely improved their abilities though. That's why i think that if you want a powerful Force-user, give them more XP. If you want them to be more naturally talented, give them more starting XP so they can spend it on increasing attributes. If you want the abilities to stem more from skill, then create a character as per the norm, then add more XP to season until the level of power is achieved. Either way will work with this system.

Right, be a Force-Senstive doesn't mean that you have 5 to every stat, its more like "granted access to more powerful skills".

I don't like so much the idea to give extra XP to a Force user at the beginning but there is one "present" that I give to them if story requires it. For example: If a character has a truly Force potential I give him/her a better inital Force Rank but I mantaint the other things without any change.

This way you can have the "potential" to be a really strong Force User with the same XP/stats/skills than another one but with a higher start Force rating (You can have Rating 3 or 4 but without learning the powers or improve them you are just the same that another one BUT with the potential to become Force-Awesome).

What do you think?

That is not the assumption I refer to. Most people around here want a game where different characters of the same XP value are of equivilant ability. Erik wants Buffy and the Scoobies. He wants Superman and the rest of the JLA. Yes he wants powerful Jedi and they should eclipse everyone else.

Personally I think all archetypes can play together barring mechanical issues that push Force-users into being over-powered. An issue with past versions of the Star Wars game. Some feel differently for various reasons.

A bit of a sidenote, but I once played in a semi-regular Mutants & Masterminds game (2nd edition) that used the Justice League as PCs, consisting of Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash, Aquaman, and myself playing Superman (who was more in line with early Post-Crisis Reboot than the Silver Age Big Blue Cheese). In spite of what most folks might thing, the most dangerous PC of the lot was Batman, whose player managed to solo an encounter that the GM had intended to be a major challenge for the entire league, simply through sheer cunning (and judicious usage of Hero Points). Our Green Lantern was hampered by the fact that the player wasn't very inventive with his power ring, playing him more like early DCAU John Stewart than Hal Jordan, but he could have been a contender for "most powerful PC in the group" in the hands of a more creative player (like the guy who was playing Batman).

Then again, I took a page from the DCAU version of Supes and usually held back and tried to protect the squishier members of the group, and only "cut loose" once in the entire campaign, taking a page out of Superman Returns and lifted an entire island that had a nuclear generator/bomb powerful enough to wipe out the entire hemisphere into space (and still needed to burn a few Hero Points to pull that one off). So it is possible to play "gods amongst men" in conjunction with "lesser mortals," but it takes the right group with the right mindset to do so. And sadly, not very many groups have that cohesive mindset, as there's too frequently at least one person that either wants to be the godlike character or gets peevishly jealous when somebody else is playing the godlike character.

But you are right about what ErikB seems to be demanding. it's quite similar to his grousings back when he was AluminumWolf about how FFG had 'botched the job' on Space Marines by not making them the ultra-powerful gods that the WH40K (recent chunks of which were written by another Space Marine fanboy) makes them out to be. Granted, part of the problem there was FFG was constrained to using a rule system that they didn't design in the first place, as the rule system made it so that a Dark Heresy character with the suggested XP boost to put them "on par" with a Deathwatch PC was actually more capable than the Space Marine.

On topic -- My vote is for green.

Well, with EotE being White, AoR being Red, if F&D is Green...

It'll be a Holiday Special collection!

A thought on "power level" of F&D PCs in comparison to PCs from EotE or AoR....

Some have noted that starting level F&D PCs are likely to be more powerful than starting level PCs from EotE or AoR. From a purely mechanical approach, my thought is that the only real "advantage" that F&D characters will enjoy is that they'd save 20 XP due to receiving Force Rating 1 as part of their initial career/specialization selection, where EotE & AoR Force-users have to pay 20 XP if they want to be Force-sensitive. So in that case, the F&D PC might have a slight boost over the muggles, but they've still got to spend XP to purchase Force Powers in order to have that Force Rating 1 really mean anything... which puts them right back on par with non-Force-user PCs, as that's XP that wasn't spent on raising Characteristics, increasing skill ranks, or buying specialization talents.

Could also be that the F&D specializations offer the ability to purchase the Force Rating talent a bit sooner than the Exile or the Emergent, or possibly even allow the PC to purchase it twice within the same specialization. So while this would eventually lead to the F&D specs allowing for a more powerful Force-user eventually, it's not right away, and the Force-user is growing at a pace that's on par with the other PCs. Granted, this does mean that EotE/AoR PCs using the Exile or Emergent to become Force-users do get shafted a bit, but that actually works as it reflects the idea that the Exile and Emergent are largely "self taught savants" rather than the F&D folks who've had proper training.

Admittedly, there's still the issue of "Should a Jedi PC begin play with a ligthsaber?" Even a Jedi PC with just a single rank in the Lightsaber skill and a rating of 3 in the relevant Characteristic is going to decimate most minion groups, which is the bulk of what most starting out PCs in this system will be facing, with the occasional Rival or two thrown in and maybe a major fight with a Nemesis at the end of the adventure/story arc, and the lightsaber will still be a dangerous weapon, as a single successful hit will likely result in significant damage and a critical injury (assuming 1 Success and 1 Advantage on the attack roll). Truthfully, I still think that FFG made the lightsaber a bit too powerful in this system (notably the combination of a high damage rating and Breach 1), but that's water under the bridge at this point.

Perhaps it'd be best to note that PCs that start with the Jedi career don't automatically have their own lightsaber, being the equivalent of Initiates, and that getting their own lightsaber is reserved until they reach Padawan status regardless of era, though for Rebellion Era it's not an assumed thing unlike those eras where the Jedi Order is an active presence.

I've been tinkering with a house rule for building a lightsaber, and it's gotten to a pretty workable state (it's far from being easy or automatic though). A bit more difficult to adjudicate in light of FFG not having provided any sort of "item construction" rules, so my concern with said house rule is currently "did I make this too difficult on the PC?"

I will say though that if this is the intent, I'd like there to be a faster way to make a higher level character than to ask a player to plop down 750 XP at character creation. Some games offer quick start packages that can be taken to represent such characters, and it wouldn't hurt if such was available for this game too.

The other option would be to play as normal, but instead of awarding the 10-20 points per session, hand out 30-50 points instead. That way you get some natural-ish growth and evolution as people go "Oh, my character needs X skill", but you quickly become the Jedi Badass you desire to be. Then when you get to about the power levels you want, dial the experience back to the usual 10 or so.

As an aside, have you played the Buffy RPG?

The Buffy & The Scoobies mechanic worked out pretty well. The trick was that they closed the gap between them quite a bit by giving the scoobies notably more action/drama/hero/edge/luck points.

So if you built a Buffy, or Faith, you got more points at character creation, but you didn't have nearly as large a pool of luck points, and IIRC luck points cost more for you to improve.

In the Angel RPG it was basically the same, but everyone was more competent, because all the characters are supposed to be professionals instead of teenagers.

--

And splitting the party so that the weak guys do a weak fight and the strong guys do a strong fight doesn't work as well in a game as in a movie. In a game you're much more interested in what your character is doing, in a movie you're interested in all of them. And frequently splitting it like that means the players frequently having to sit and just watch the other players play for a while. That takes away from the fun for many groups.

That's a pretty cool idea!

My wife and I are brainstorming a Buffy RPG right now based on Edge of the Empire rules. It is fun, but that's a really interesting concept on how to make it feasible for normal people like Xander etc...

Admittedly, there's still the issue of "Should a Jedi PC begin play with a ligthsaber?" Even a Jedi PC with just a single rank in the Lightsaber skill and a rating of 3 in the relevant Characteristic is going to decimate most minion groups, which is the bulk of what most starting out PCs in this system will be facing, with the occasional Rival or two thrown in and maybe a major fight with a Nemesis at the end of the adventure/story arc, and the lightsaber will still be a dangerous weapon, as a single successful hit will likely result in significant damage and a critical injury (assuming 1 Success and 1 Advantage on the attack roll). Truthfully, I still think that FFG made the lightsaber a bit too powerful in this system (notably the combination of a high damage rating and Breach 1), but that's water under the bridge at this point.

Honestly, Bounty Hunter with blaster will decimate minion group too, but he don't need to go to them and don't risk staying in the open after the attack.

I guess they should start without LS, just to be fair with other players (it's 10000 credits after all), but I don't understand this OP Jedi idea.

Obi-Wan lost his fight with Jango 2 times (Kamino and space).

Is Obi-Wan more powerful than Han Solo? In melee, he's a god. But Han is superior pilot and tech, not to mention his interpersonal skills. Everything can be balanced..

Truthfully, I still think that FFG made the lightsaber a bit too powerful in this system (notably the combination of a high damage rating and Breach 1), but that's water under the bridge at this point.

Man, if only someone could have brought up concerns about that two years ago in the EotE beta based on experience with FFGs last game line whereby a lack of thought as to how the core system was going to handle powerful characters and items caused massive problems down the line when they wanted to make games that featured powerful characters constantly hitting each other with powerful weapons.

A thought on "power level" of F&D PCs in comparison to PCs from EotE or AoR....

Some have noted that starting level F&D PCs are likely to be more powerful than starting level PCs from EotE or AoR. From a purely mechanical approach, my thought is that the only real "advantage" that F&D characters will enjoy is that they'd save 20 XP due to receiving Force Rating 1 as part of their initial career/specialization selection, where EotE & AoR Force-users have to pay 20 XP if they want to be Force-sensitive.

You could just make the Jedi/Sith careers "Advanced Careers" and require that they are taken at a 20xp cost.

There is also an Obligation/Duty to the Master/Padawan, this may be above and beyond what a normal character may have. I would expect that the use of dark side powers would be far more restrictive because of the Master/Padwan relationship.

The force powers, and there are probably 3-5 new power trees and the existing trees will continue to be an XP sink (of a sorts) for the force users. It could also be that the 20XP head start is taken away by requiring that the Force user takes a package of powers trees relevant to their career and specialisation.

I think too, because this book has to potentially "stand alone" there will be some repeat careers and talent trees, my bet would be for a Politico, Pilot and Smuggler.

As for your light sabre concerns a lot of how the light sabre will work will be centred around the skills that allow the force user to deflect the shots that are fired on him. If the volume of incoming fire or accuracy of the fire can overwhelm the force user then you wont have invulnerability. This may start as being a black dice or two and by investing in talents and force skill trees the character may eventually add in purple or red dice into his opponents attacks.

You could just make the Jedi/Sith careers "Advanced Careers" and require that they are taken at a 20xp cost.

...

The force powers, and there are probably 3-5 new power trees and the existing trees will continue to be an XP sink (of a sorts) for the force users. It could also be that the 20XP head start is taken away by requiring that the Force user takes a package of powers trees relevant to their career and specialisation.

...

I think too, because this book has to potentially "stand alone" there will be some repeat careers and talent trees, my bet would be for a Politico, Pilot and Smuggler.

I hope there are not "advanced careers", but I am not sure how to structure them with "Universal Specializations". If I was on the design team I would worry about it, since I am not...meh.

While I think there will be some repeat specializations, it entirely depends on what besides Force Users they intend to include. I doubt they will repeat any careers from previous books. I agree we will likely see Politico and Pilot along with bodyguard, doctor, and technician. Enough to have a well balanced party from a single tome, but all of them with the slant and flavor of the intended theme.

You could just make the Jedi/Sith careers "Advanced Careers" and require that they are taken at a 20xp cost.

...

The force powers, and there are probably 3-5 new power trees and the existing trees will continue to be an XP sink (of a sorts) for the force users. It could also be that the 20XP head start is taken away by requiring that the Force user takes a package of powers trees relevant to their career and specialisation.

...

I think too, because this book has to potentially "stand alone" there will be some repeat careers and talent trees, my bet would be for a Politico, Pilot and Smuggler.

I hope there are not "advanced careers", but I am not sure how to structure them with "Universal Specializations". If I was on the design team I would worry about it, since I am not...meh.

While I think there will be some repeat specializations, it entirely depends on what besides Force Users they intend to include. I doubt they will repeat any careers from previous books. I agree we will likely see Politico and Pilot along with bodyguard, doctor, and technician. Enough to have a well balanced party from a single tome, but all of them with the slant and flavor of the intended theme.

If there were "advanced careers" they would probably require a force rating of some sort (like Force 3+) to take rather than XP.

I think it's far more likely to see force powers that are "advanced" this way. Careers already seem to be designed to be somewhat equivalent to each other as far as what they provide.

Incidentally, looking at Maelora's review of "Enter the Unknown", I could see a case for Signature Abilities in FaD as far as representing higher-level abilities, or higher-effect manifestations of existing abilities.

I could see a whole new tree that would just tack on to an existing "Force Initiate" or the "Force Sensitive: Emergent" and "Force Sensitive: Exile" trees to represent advanced training. You could take this model and work through the entire hierarchy of Jedi from Padawan to Master.

I can see a case for something in that vein... remember, in the context of the EotE/AoR RPGs -- and FFG's own declared intent for compatibility between all three books -- the two existing Force specializations seem to represent people with no Jedi or Sith training background whatsoever, and likewise the powers (including the AoR beta's) have no requirement beyond Force Rating 1+, yet even without Jedi or Sith training a character can reach the "power levels" seen at the bottom rows of both talent trees... or (in my view) the Jedi and Sith in both trilogies have these Force specializations and the talents from them.

I believe that it's mainly -- if not only -- powers that can specifically be identified in the movies, at least moreso than talents or specializations, but EldritchFire described months ago a progression from which we can chart the where-and-when of Luke's manifestations:

Episode IV: Sense

Episode V: Move, Foresee, Enhance (specifically the "Force Leap" and "vertical Force Leap" Control upgrades)

Episode VI: Influence

(Kenobi is depicted as using Influence in Episode IV, while Episode V has the famous scenes of Yoda's "high-end" use of Move while Vader infamously used Move a bunch during Bespin.)

As far as characters being "combat stunts"... to me that depends on how much stock you put in the idea of that being represented as specific Force power upgrades instead of new powers, talents, or even specializations, but I'd say that statting up what's going on with the Force-wielding "combat stunts" in both trilogies (on top of "PCs/Nemesis-level NPCs with Adversary" vs. Minions and/or Rivals) can be done using what's already revealed in both books, not only in the powers but in their upgrades, due to how abstract/generally-non-numerical they tend to be...

For example, the "Force Leap" Control upgrade by itself lets the user jump horizontally as far as a hold-out blaster (or a blaster on stun, or a slugthrower pistol) can shoot/a weapon can be thrown/a flame projector's emission will go... add in the Range upgrade, and they can jump as far as a blaster carbine, a bowcaster, or a slugthrower rifle can shoot, and vertically at that! (The vertical control upgrade is a prerequisite to the Range upgrade)

I'm not sure if I'd agree with EldritchFire saying that he picked up Foresee during training with Yoda, not least since I'm outright skeptical of Foresee as a separate power from Sense in the first place, but otherwise it looks to me like Luke "runs the gamut" of picking up all five revealed powers over the course of three movies... and over three or four years, at that!

Note: Keep in mind that there were no Force changes in the AoR beta updates, so the beta book seems pretty indicative of what the AoR core book will look like in a WYSIWYG way.

EDIT: As was pointed out to me previously and to remind others, characters who purchase unranked talents are counted as having already acquired it in any subsequent talent trees, in the same way as the final AoR beta update specifically states that repeated-in-AoR specializations are the ones seen in EotE, and there's been an theory going around that AoR's reprint of the Move power means that it is the Move power from EotE and like the aforementioned unranked talents and specializations cannot be "doubled up" on.

Also, I just found this key line from the final AoR beta update: "This section offers clarifications and guidance for playing Age of Rebellion alongside Edge of the Empire. For guidance on playing Age of Rebellion with Force and Destiny, see the Game Master chapter of Force and Destiny."

No idea what if any of that we'll get to see during a FaD beta, but at least it signals FFG having already "thought ahead" on this front.

A few of my predictions are:

The careers, not the specialties will give force rating 1

Lightsaber will be a force power with control and other upgrades, probably committing force dice to get the defensive and deflect qualities. I bet the initial purchase of this power will give lightsaber as a class skill.

The careers will not be based on specific order names such as Jedi, Sith or Witches of Dathomir and instead be more generic catch all archtypes such as warrior, sorcerer, etc.

We will see reused specialties such as the pilot for some of these careers.

There will be very few new powers, the afore mentioned lightsaber being one, another being Rage - a power that calls on the black force pips and has range and control upgrades that let you shoot lightning.

Specific orders will be represented by the equivalent obligation/duty mechanic called commitment. As a character accrues commitment to a tradition, by performing acts in line with the traditions ethos, they will unlock access to powers, force rating, equipment such as lightsabers, etc.

We will get 7 alien species from prominent force using/iconic characters. The races will be:

Human

Kel Dor

Gand

Togruta

Cathar or Nautolan

Zabrak and/or dathomiran from the clone wars

Twi'lek

Miraluka

Commitment paths will be:

Jedi

Inquisitor

Emperor's Hand

Gand Findsman

Jensaraai

Baran Do

Witches of Dathomir/Nightsisters

Sith may not be represented because the rule of two, but at the same time a seperate sect of sith could exist.

There will be new weapons (many primitive types such as swords and bows) and lots of force using baddies and beasties.

I'd be very happy to see that, Samophlange. I hope you're right.

While I'd be delighted to see Guardian, Sentinel and Consular return, I agree that the careers and specialties almost certainly won't have specific in-game titles. Thus far, everything is a generic career-type title (Hired Gun, Commander, Explorer, etc).

I'd be very surprised if we see Sith or dark side characters as PC options.

As far as lightsabers and Force Powers... we've already got that. It's called the Sense power, with the defensive and offensive Control Upgrades. Using a lightsaber well is typically a Jedi trait (with the Sith having cribbed off the Jedi), so things like blaster deflection and getting defensive boosts from using a lightsaber are more likely to be talents found in the various Jedi specializations.

As far as the names, in the EU the only groups to really have specific titles are the Jedi and the various Force Traditions. So I don't think we're going to see nothing but generic career and specialization titles for this book. FFG has kinda already done "generic Force-user specializations" with the Exile and the Emergent. I still think were more likely to see specializations that draw from the various Force Traditions of the EU for their names, as while the Jedi and Sith are the two major camps of Force-users, the EU has provided a large number of other Force-user groups, several of which were active during the Rebellion Era, and I believe it's been said that Force & Destiny is not strictly about playing Jedi, but more about playing Force-users in general.

As for it being the careers and not the specializations that grant a Force Rating 1 talent... the problem I see there is that if a PC without Force Rating 1 later wants to buy into one of those specs (kinda like how Leia eventually started training as a Jedi in the post-RotJ EU), they'd be hosed due to not getting that initial Force Rating; in effect, if they wanted a Force Rating,they'd either have to spend even more XP to pick up Exile or Emergent, or likely spend XP on Force-based talents they can't use until they finally manage to reach a Force Rating talent in the specialization tree. FFG's game design has been more about the players being treated fairly, not screwing them over, and since you can't change careers once the character's been made, it makes more sense to have the free Force Rating 1 be granted by the specialization, allowing EotE and AoR PCs to multi-class into F&D specializations without additional hassle.

On the species, I agree that Kel Dor, Nautalons, Togruta, and Zabraks are strong contenders. Twi'lek seems likely as a reprint given the prominence of Twi'lek Jedi in the EU (particularly Aayla Secura). Gand I could see if the book includes some kind of Findsman specialization (or career, though I think a specialization is more likely). Cathar and (especially) Miraluka are tied far more strongly to the KOTOR era, so I don't think they're likely to show up given that FFG is sticking pretty close to the Rebellion Era; so far only the Toydarians fall outside that era, but they're fairly close given Watto's presence just prior to the Clone Wars. I wouldn't mind seeing Whiphids be included; it's an unusual choice (kinda like including Gand in EotE was) and they do have a notable EU representative in the form of Master K'kruhk (he of the awesome hat).

In terms of Force Powers, the only thing really missing based on what we see in the films that's not already published is a true direct-damage power, something to cover Vader's Force choke and the Emperor's Force lightning. More than likely it'd be fueled by using Dark Side pips on the Force die, much the same way inflicting negative emotions via Influence's "affect thoughts" Control Upgrade does.

We might see a few new weapons, but I think it also depends on which Force Traditions get covered. The Matukai and Zeison Sha each have a signature weapon, so if they're included as specializations, then those weapons are in. Also depends on how much attention primitive Force-user cultures are given, as there's more than just the Dathomir witches and Nightsisters; spears and bows would be enough to cover most of them. I'm kinda hoping we don't see a bunch of variant lightsabers in the initial book; at most the short lightsaber/shoto and the double-bladed lightsaber, but leave the other variants for a later supplement.

I will be downright shocked if they bring in anything other than Jedi and Sith. What i got on the tidbit for the concept of F&D is that you are a Jedi in hiding struggling between preserving the ideals of the Order or doing anything to survive. So to me that sounds like a journey of the Force with a smattering of dark side struggle. That is going to be too much fun!

I think they will stick to having Jedi Guardians, Consulars and Sentinels as they are now recognized forms now. Whether or not they end up as careers or specs remains to be seen. With books like Jedi vs Sith, The Jedi Path and Book of Sith collecting and quantifying much of myths surrounding these characters, I think it is more likely to use them than not. Not sure we'll see much directly supporting the Sith. I could see a Sith supplement on them much like a supplement on the Empire for AoR.

I can see a Guardian career, Consular career, and Sentinel career with three specs each. The Jedi Guardian career would include Peacekeeper, Security/Bodyguard and Pilot specs. The Jedi Consular career would include Seer, Healer, and Ambassador specs. The Jedi Sentinel career would include Tech, Thief, and Shadow specs. Some of these may be retreads (why reinvent the wheel) or they may be new, incorporating some Force-use into their talent trees.

I think another career will Force Adept (or some other name) that will include three specs for traditions with some light side affiliation. Those specs could be Force witch/shaman, Jensaarai (Gadgeteer), and Zeison Sha/Martial Arts. Possibly there could be two of these, one focusing on martial Force traditions and the other focusing on cerebral ones. If that is the case there are five of your six careers if FFG follows form.

Lightsaber will remain a skill which may be taken with Brawn or Agility. Lightsaber specs will be universal specs. I don't think they will be tied to the Force like powers are, as we see characters that don't use the Force use them. And I can see two specs, one playing off characters that use Brawn as their lightsaber attribute and the other playing off Agility. They'll include talents relating to certain maneuvers associated with different lightsaber forms.

Force powers will include all so far, plus a damaging one and healing one.

If we do see the Sith it will be one career, but I doubt it. If they did, that would bring the book to six careers.

Or they could include a non-Force career like an ultimate leader/alpha type.

Just some thoughts.

I'd be surprised if they have any sort of Sith careers or specializations. However, I'm not sure if they can actually come up with 6 more careers and 18 specializations without either a great deal of duplication or possibly doing something like Sith either. I just don't see that many other options left that haven't been covered by EE and AR. That combined with the fact I assume a number of the career expansion like Enter the Unknown will have been published by then sort of further depleting realistic ideas.

A Sith supplement wouldn't need six careers and 18 specs. Much like Enter the Unknown, it would only need the careers and specs needed to do the book. Only the core books, and only the two so far, have followed the 6 career/18 specs route.

Nevermind, misread what you wrote.

We've only seen two Force specs at this point, so there are a wealth of specs yet to be tapped. I can see some duplication, Guardian/Bodyguard or Pilot, Consular/Ambassador, Sentinal/Tech or Thief, and Jensaarai (Gadgetee). But the book will also include new powers (which will also likely include consolidating the powers), lightsaber use, and whatever else I can't think of right now.

I think there should be a few specializations rather than just generic "jedi."

You could have "jedi investigator," "jedi scholar," "jedi soldier," "jedi advisor," etc. That would give some variety as well as allow for multiple specs.

The real question is how will characters raise their Force Rating. Will it be at the end of specs like the previous ones? Will there only be one boost per spec? If so, then you have to create a variety in order to allow characters to advance in the Force.

I hope they don't do specs that are "padawan," "knight," "master." Bland bland bland, and makes force users effectively level-based in a game where no-one is level based.

I'm also wondering if the careers will start with Force 2.

I can see (and make) a case for the existing Force Specializations being the two underlying "bases" on which a "trained" Force-wielder (i.e. Jedi) is built, by layering "Jedi training" on top of what would already be an EotE/AoR-ready character (other than the whole idea of a birth-trained Force-user career).