Then he can get those AWESOME cybernetics he always wanted. A little green paint.. some long ears... He'll be halfway to a date with a certain female GM we all know and love!

Ahahaha!

But yeah, the D&D crowd seem to have a harder time getting out of the 'kill it and take it's stuff' outlook.

Thankfully, we prefer to keep to the themes of the SW movies and don't loot every last stormtrooper for their armour and weapons!

Though the encumbrance rules keep characters pretty honest in that regard. You only have the capacity to carry a weapon or two (unless you start abusing the Infinite Duffel Bag glitch...)

Or two backpacks should suffice... one on each end? if you only consider encumbrance values and mechanics, and are hell bent on ignoring trying to make sense, sure...

I think EoE aims to be rules-light, and doesn't have a D&D3 attitude of explaining every last thing in lawyer terms.

You really have to apply some common sense playing it, I think. Such as a limit of one Duffel bag per character, or that you need a free hand to drag it around.

Seriously, I'm barely 5' and 100 lbs, and I even find carrying the EoE book around strains me.

That's... what, Cumbersome 4 or something?

To be honest this is tricky. Frankly there's no reason a spear should be better at parrying than a sword. And a spear, logically, should also be a 2-handed weapon.

Have you ever been in actual combat where a sword and staff are involved? The only real difference between a staff and a spear is the pointy end.

I'll elaborate my point using that as my basis.

Yes, a staff is a two-handed weapon and a spear should absolutely be used as such unless it is considered a thrown weapon. And since there is no quick retrieval method, it would be a really stupid idea to make a spear-chucker character.

So, let's consider that the character is using the spear as a staff with a pointy end.

This means that his attack style is mostly to use the spear point as the upward end and the unchanged end as the lower. This gives him two separate weapons; one with stab, and one with blunt.

On top of which, the whole thing can be used defensively. Both to parry and to outright stop an attack.

A well made staff can deflect even the truest of strikes against a sword, and an ax has considerably less mobility options.

When it comes down to a one on one fight between a staff user and a sword user, the reality is this; an amateur with a staff can take down a sword master. Not necessarily easily, but that is the reality.

A sword has one point of attack. Even if it is double edged, the effort to lead from one attack to another is significantly greater than it is for a staff user, who has 2 separate points of attack.

For a staff user, it is quite simply a flick of the wrist or the extension/retraction of their arms. A high strike goes into a low strike with great ease, and it is entirely possible to attack AND defend with the same movement.

The spear got nerfed unfairly. It should have a higher crit requirement, but it should be allowed to use Stun or Stab separately, and it should have a Melee Defense rating.

As far as damage goes, it should still be less than the sword or ax. But it needs to be called to account for its ability to square off against either one with great ease.

The reality is, it is not so easy for an amateur with a staff to take down a sword master. I have tried it. Give the swordsman a shield and he wins almost every time. Block spear, grab shaft, attack with sword. Block staff, thrust with sword. Cut fingers holding staff, laugh...

A skilled staff or spear user against an amateur swordsman and the game changes quite a bit. My favorite fencing style is rapier and baton, especially when I can use the baton to strike. Grip it in the middle and it is much more fun than a second sword...

Spears were most commonly used one handed with shields and were popular because they required much less metal to construct than a sword.

Swords were popular because over all they are the most efficient and best all around hand to hand melee weapon. They have both an edge and a point, and make most efficient use of their mass in causing damage.

But, this is Star Wars. I do think given the flavor text the vibro spear comes off as mechanically weaker than it should be. It is not the only case where the text and the mechanics seem not to match up.

Throwing spears are best for mass combats, and used as an opening volley, then draw your sword. Throwing weapons in single combat are a bit silly. If you fail to kill on the first shot you are generally toast...

The spear is an interesting weapon with a long history -- much of it related to mass combat. Fighting in formation with a long sword is pretty difficult. It's why the Roman Gladius was a short, heavy-bladed weapon. Fighting in formation with a spear is much easier and is useful against cavalry where the length helps prevent the horse's weight from crushing you even if you do kill it.

It's a difficult weapon to quantify in game terms where most combat is skirmish based and people have blasters that make a spear a stupid weapon. At least a sword can be used in the cramped conditions of a starship. A spear or a large axe? Not so much.

It's Star Wars, so if you want your marauder to use a spear, go for it.

The stats for the vibro-spear in Enter the Unknown is for a specific model by a specific manufacuterer, and it's best used in the hands of a Melee-heavy character with ranks in Stealth -- in other words, Assassins. Sounds odd, but given that it's silent it makes perfect sense. I could also see an Outlaw Tech taking it apart and creating silent vibro-swords and vibro-axes.

If you'd like a non-silent vibrio-spear, I say use the stats for a vibro-axe and call it day.

So, if I put my duffel bag inside a duffle bag can I carry twice as much?

Or maybe I should add a binary load lifter to my equipment package?

Maybe a vibro-duffel?

Vibro-duffel ftw!

In the description for the E-11s, it says that the rifle "has a limited ammunition capacity (a rarity in blasters.)"

But it doesn't actually have the Limited Ammo quality.

what is wrong with the vibrospear?

it has over the sword, +1 extra damage and +10 on crit checks, -1 hard point and -1 melee defence.

so its kind of ok there

it is worse then an axe though, so it could use a minor fix.

easiest way without reinventing the wheel is:

option a) allow it to take the weighted head modification if desired.

option b) say it has knockdown, due to being able to trip people.

In the description for the E-11s, it says that the rifle "has a limited ammunition capacity (a rarity in blasters.)"

But it doesn't actually have the Limited Ammo quality.

I think this is represented by the Slow Firing quality.

In the description for the E-11s, it says that the rifle "has a limited ammunition capacity (a rarity in blasters.)"

But it doesn't actually have the Limited Ammo quality.

I was going to bring this up as well. In the fluff dialogue, it says limited ammo and slow firing, but the stats only show Slow Firing 1. Which I guess means it can be fired every other round.

But if you compare this to the Model 38 slugthrower, I would take the Model 38 over the E-11.

E-11 does a little more damage, but has Accurate 1, vs. 2 on the Model 38.

Model 38 doesn't require Brawn 3 to use, and it can fire every round...

I think I'm going to house rule that the E-11 has a limited ammo of 5, and can fire every round, but only once per round (in case the group has a Mercenary Soldier with Improved Field Commander, or they try and pull some funny business like handing off weapons).

In the description for the E-11s, it says that the rifle "has a limited ammunition capacity (a rarity in blasters.)"

But it doesn't actually have the Limited Ammo quality.

This is consistent with the system though. Slugthrower Pistols don't have limited ammo 6 or 10, holdout blasters don't have Limited Ammo 5, heck even Heavy Blaster Pistols don't have limited ammo (something else yes, but not limited ammo).

Other games track ammo because it's expected. EotE doesn't because, in the grand scheme of things and with the dice mechanic, it's largely unnecessary except with specific weapons and usually for obvious reason.

The dueling blaster in SoF has limited ammo. I do think the slow-firing 1 is enough to warrant the fluff, but one could of course slap on limited ammo 3 or 5, in that case I'd also require something else than your normal extra reloads, just because I'm mean, but the description does suggest a different sort of blaster gas... And the fluff also says it has a multioptical telescopic sight, which could mean a mix of two attachments... Of course the accurate 1 deals with that, perhaps ... So, basically, I'd go with stats as is and ignore the fluff.

In the description for the E-11s, it says that the rifle "has a limited ammunition capacity (a rarity in blasters.)"

But it doesn't actually have the Limited Ammo quality.

This is consistent with the system though. Slugthrower Pistols don't have limited ammo 6 or 10, holdout blasters don't have Limited Ammo 5, heck even Heavy Blaster Pistols don't have limited ammo (something else yes, but not limited ammo).

Other games track ammo because it's expected. EotE doesn't because, in the grand scheme of things and with the dice mechanic, it's largely unnecessary except with specific weapons and usually for obvious reason.

All true.

But none if those guns have "limited ammunition capacity" in their description.

Its just an error of fluff and rules not matching up.

In the description for the E-11s, it says that the rifle "has a limited ammunition capacity (a rarity in blasters.)"

But it doesn't actually have the Limited Ammo quality.

I was going to bring this up as well. In the fluff dialogue, it says limited ammo and slow firing, but the stats only show Slow Firing 1. Which I guess means it can be fired every other round.

But if you compare this to the Model 38 slugthrower, I would take the Model 38 over the E-11.

E-11 does a little more damage, but has Accurate 1, vs. 2 on the Model 38.

Model 38 doesn't require Brawn 3 to use, and it can fire every round...

I think I'm going to house rule that the E-11 has a limited ammo of 5, and can fire every round, but only once per round (in case the group has a Mercenary Soldier with Improved Field Commander, or they try and pull some funny business like handing off weapons).

Except you can't shoot the Model 38 from Extreme range like you can with the E-11s.

Yeah, its a sniper rifle.

Its got the stats for it.

I'm thinking the E-11s had Limited Ammo and it got dropped at some point, probably because it already had Slow Firing and Cumbersome, but the description was never updated. It's not that great of a weapon that it needed three negative qualities.

Except you can't shoot the Model 38 from Extreme range like you can with the E-11s.

Except you can shoot the Model 38 from Extreme range.

Personally, I'll take the virtually silent air rifle with the tranquilizer rounds. Or maybe mix it up with a neuroparalytic dart. One question: How would everyone spend a triumph on a weapon with no critical rating?

For the M77 air rifle using smarttranq? Perhaps increase the Resilience difficulty by 1? Upgrade it once? or increase the base Strain damage? Or require a second check the following round, akin to the Despair result on the Resilience check.

For using the standard M77 ammo, perhaps a leg, or arm, is temporarily paralysed and useless until the end of the targets next turn... afaik most non-crit weapons are stun weapons, so finding some similar effect to a crit, which isn't lethal could work - or check out the sidebar on page 218.

Personally, I'll take the virtually silent air rifle with the tranquilizer rounds. Or maybe mix it up with a neuroparalytic dart. One question: How would everyone spend a triumph on a weapon with no critical rating?

• Recover 1 Strain.
• Add a Boost die to the next check of the next active, allied character.
• Notice a single important point in the ongoing conflict, such as the location of a blast door’s control panel or a weak point on an attack speeder.
• Activate a weapon quality (Blast, Disorient, Sunder, etc.)
• Perform an immediate free maneuver, as long as this does not exceed the two maneuvers per turn limit.
• Add a Boost die to the next check of the any one active, allied character.
• Add a Setback die to the next check of any active character.
• Negate the targeted enemy’s defensive bonuses (such as the defense gained from cover, equipment, or performing the Guarded Stance maneuver) until the end of the current round.
• Ignore penalizing environmental effects such as inclement weather, zero gravity, or similar effects until the end of the active player’s next turn.
• When dealing damage to a target, have the attack disable the opponent or one piece of gear rather than dealing wounds or strain. This could include hobbling him temporarily with a shot to the leg, or disabling his comlink. This should be agreed upon by the player and the GM, and the effects are up to the GM (although the Critical Injury table is a good resource to consult for possible effects). The effects should be temporary and not too excessive.
• Gain +1 melee or ranged defense until the end of the active player’s next turn.
• Force the target to drop a melee or ranged weapon it is wielding.
• Up g rade the difficulty of the targeted character’s next check.
• Upgrade any allied character’s next check, including the current active character.
• Do something vital, such as shooting the controls to the nearby blast doors to seal them shut.

I was under the impression that you could always spend a Triumph to trigger a crit, even on weapons with no crit rating. Am I wrong?

EDIT: Although I do prefer the idea of working more along the lines of paralysis and working with the toxins.

Your dart not only lands a hit, delivering its toxins to the security guard, but the dart shot him in the EYE!

it hit him in the jugular causing the poison to flow into his body at a very fast rate, it deals damage twice per round instead of once.