@ Fgdsfg: There really isn't much that would be Imperial-specific for " background-to-mechanics " that couldn't be adapted from whatever's already in AoR, it's not that barebones...

I'm not sure what that means.

@ Fgdsfg: There really isn't much that would be Imperial-specific for " background-to-mechanics " that couldn't be adapted from whatever's already in AoR, it's not that barebones...

Same could be said for EotE relating to playing rebel characters.

Does any else feel the need to organise a search party?

I think ErikB frequents the Age of Rebellion forums more than these. Still he should have noticed this thread by now. He has been online today.

They refuse to make elves for various warhammer IP's, I doubt they'll give us imperial agent stuff. I mean who wants to play an imperial agent.....better question...who wants to play an imperial agent or a big game hunter? Agents on the fringe, double crossing, build out some Imperial fluff, drop some NPC's...BOOM..profit. wtf, how hard is it? I mean if people are going to drop $30 on explorer sourcebook, which lets be honest...really is pointless bloat. I don't see how they won't kill it with some imperial stuff...work it in the fringe man...bounty hunters taking contracts on both side...smuggler..well smuggling, I mean Han walked the line workin for some Hutts dealing with some Imperials...Imperial sourcebooks with Fringe relevant classes will work. It would work better than that stupid big game hunter class.

I find your lack of faith .... to be pointless bloat.

@ Fgdsfg : What stood out to me about the majority of the specialty stormtroopers though is that there wasn't much in the way of any difference except gear, which to me would suggest little point in specializations just for those.

What's the difference between the commando spec and the stormtrooper commando?

@ Fgdsfg : What stood out to me about the majority of the specialty stormtroopers though is that there wasn't much in the way of any difference except gear, which to me would suggest little point in specializations just for those.

I haven't seen the AoR Beta rules myself, but my guess is that it's partly a function of how the Minion rules work. If you treat Stormtroopers as Minions as the Beginner Game and Core Rulebook do, their Skill selection and combat options are fairly limited. The only thing to distinguish them within the existing framework is gear.

And fluff-wise, Stormtroopers are cross-trained to operate in lots of different environments, although obviously some units will still specialize in particular operations. The massive standardization of the Imperial military is meant to facilitate this across the widely varied climates of different planets. A Star Destroyer chases smugglers to Tatooine? Time to issue out those enhanced sand filters and coolant systems. Rebel base on Hoth? Extra insulation and thermal sensors. Boarding action? Double-check those armor seals and magnetic clamps.

If you want to show off their specific abilities, make the difficulties of the terrain evident to the players through description and rolls, then showcase how these troopers' gear and training allow them to overcome it.

And Specialization-wise, there's probably no need, especially since existing environmental-oriented Talents don't distinguish between the types of environment. I could definitely see the Gadgeteer, Scout, and Survivalist showing up in an AoR expansion as special forces variants.

@ Fgdsfg : What stood out to me about the majority of the specialty stormtroopers though is that there wasn't much in the way of any difference except gear, which to me would suggest little point in specializations just for those.

To be fair, though, you didn't see much of them at all. It's a pretty open field to explore or fluff out for specializations. We know that there's an imperial academy and we know that there's a stormtrooper corps.

It would stand to reason that the various stormtrooper specializations would receive some kind of special training, or at the very least develop a variety of approaches or tactics as part of fulfilling that specialization.

What [would be] the difference between the commando spec and the stormtrooper commando?

Aside from fluff and maybe a skill, probably only the Specializations offered. Much like several of the careers between AoR and EotE. Also, the Commando Specialization is a Specialization for the Soldier Career, so, I mean, there's that.

Another possibility is to simply have a Stromtrooper Career, that gets to share the Commando Specialization with the AoR soldier, but other than that have other Specializations, which again could include Desert, Swamp, etc, meant to represent not base training (but may very well do so) but as a function of where he's served and thus evolved as a character in his own right.

One Specialization Stromtroopers should emphatically not get would be the Sharpshooter Specialization....

I don't see a need for a stormtrooper career. Just a soldier by another name. Everything is there now to play an Imperial game with a little work.

I don't see a need for a stormtrooper career. Just a soldier by another name. Everything is there now to play an Imperial game with a little work.

By that logic, the Hired Gun is just a soldier by another name. The Spy is just a Scoundrel by another name.

And so on.

On the basis of Edge of the Empire, would you argue against a Age of Rebellion Core Rulebook on the grounds that everything is there now to play a rebel game with a little work ?

I don't see a need for a stormtrooper career. Just a soldier by another name. Everything is there now to play an Imperial game with a little work.

I have encountered this attitude quite often on these boards. Everything can be achieved with a "little work", however that is not to say that should be the way to go as far as I'm concerned.

Some people aren't that good at doing emulations, many don't have the insight to do so nor have the time to rewrite rules, backgrounds, etc. Some people want official material. Some people like to follow the same line for everyone. And some of us just like to have a book to read through and enjoy.

This forum is full of countless creatives who spend days, weeks, and even months coming up with homebrewed rulesets or hacks, custom starships, adventure scenarios, species stat blocks, additional weapons, planets, and more. They then turn around and provide all of their work to the community, often with nothing but criticism and a few thanks as a reward.

But folks can't be bothered to rename "Soldier" to "Stormtrooper"?

Ok,

Wow, if that was directed at me then that is a gross misinterpretation of what I said....

Also, it is a bit of a stretch to state that thing about receiving "nothing but criticism" in the same sentence as I have been nothing but thankful for the work others have done. Even if that was just an afterthought it still paints people that would like an official supplement as whiners and lazy, which would also be unjustified.

I am wondering why you would think that "I would like an Imperial source book" would be adequately answered with "just rename soldier to stormtrooper." It is apples and pears, and that was the point I was trying to make.

I was not speaking to you, nor was I referring to you specifically, Dante. There's nothing here to take personally. I'm simply gobsmacked that this community didn't get this sorted out the last 20 times it's come up. I find it bizarre. Simple as that. Cheers.

Alrighty then!

But you must agree with me that there is a big difference between having fantasies about a certain source book you would like to see and renaming a career. Right?

@Dante Sure. One deals with material possessions that may or may not ever be released. The other deals with making an Imperial campaign happen this Thursday.

This forum is full of countless creatives who spend days, weeks, and even months coming up with homebrewed rulesets or hacks, custom starships, adventure scenarios, species stat blocks, additional weapons, planets, and more. They then turn around and provide all of their work to the community, often with nothing but criticism and a few thanks as a reward.

But folks can't be bothered to rename "Soldier" to "Stormtrooper"?

Ok,

This.

This right here.

This is what a strawman looks like.

@Dante Sure. One deals with material possessions that may or may not ever be released. The other deals with making an Imperial campaign happen this Thursday.

Well, I am having dinner with friends on thursday anyway. So I'll be alright.

Folks, it's your choice to take this personally and make it some kind of adolescent Dunning-Kruger type of situation. The fact is if an Imperial sourcebook was available I'd buy it and add it to my collection today. Currently there isn't one so I'll do what I need to do to provide the kind of game my players want. No one is hating on y'all because you want something that doesn't exist. They're just suggesting that you shouldn't let the current lack of a 100 page splat full of things you already know hold you back from having the kind of experience you want. I hope this concept isn't hard to grasp but I have a feeling you're simply on a mission to feel right about something. If that's the case then Godspeed. We'll see you in a month when the next thread about this pops up

Folks, it's your choice to take this personally and make it some kind of adolescent Dunning-Kruger type of situation. The fact is if an Imperial sourcebook was available I'd buy it and add it to my collection today. Currently there isn't one so I'll do what I need to do to provide the kind of game my players want. No one is hating on y'all because you want something that doesn't exist. They're just suggesting that you shouldn't let the current lack of a 100 page splat full of things you already know hold you back from having the kind of experience you want. I hope this concept isn't hard to grasp but I have a feeling you're simply on a mission to feel right about something. If that's the case then Godspeed. We'll see you in a month when the next thread about this pops up

And nobody is arguing that you can't use the pre-existing rules to do.. whatever it is one wants to do. But saying "X is just Y by another name" or, as you did, pull out strawmen of the "...can't be bothered to do Z.."-variety is disingenuous and misrepresents the topic, and the wants of those discussing the potential(s) of such a project as the one the topic pertains to.

The existence of EotE didn't mean that AoR was wasted, even though you could do anything with EotE that you can do with AoR; it just added appropriate Careers, additional specializations, and so on and so forth, along with fitting rules to tie the fluff together, but it can just as easily be argued that they weren't really necessary, and it can certainly be argued that they could've been homebrewed if you wanted to.

Yeah, this conversation by now makes no sense at all...

Again, the OP was just a normal post from someone thinking about whether or not an imperial source book might be a possibility. We all know in the past these topics were hijacked by a crazy forum dude that started to rain hellfire on anyone asking about this but this time around that didn't happen. Great!

However, the other posts that usually follow are of the "who needs it!?"-persuasion which seems a bit odd if you ask me because who then needs anything? You could pretty much do without all the careerbooks, the different basic systems, etc. but that doesn't mean that people (like you yourself indicated you woud) wouldn't buy such a book if it were there.

No one in this topic complained about the possible book not being available, no one whined about it not being announced, actualy no one made a stink about it at all.

Of course you could rename one career into another if push came to shove. No one argues with that at all.

It is just not the kind of reply that adds to the conversation as I don't recall reading anyone wanting to get into an Imperial Campaign "right now", "next thursday" or (in my case) "ever".

You guys are adorable, but this conversation is pointless and is going nowhere productive. I'd suggest we simply put each other on ignore and move along. Good day, and good gaming.

Jezus...