*waves Lightsaber around maniacally cackling while shooting Force Lightning out of my hand* :D                                             I am out of my mind. I'm ordering two copies of this…It will be handy having two copies around a table and doing group character creation… and 224 pages full color of game mechanics that are pretty much finished… all that is not in it is the final art and the Fluff about the Outer Rim and some planets and stuff… I'm stoked. 

I ordered this as soon as I heard it was available.  Not so many years ago, I also ordered the print version of the Pathfinder beta and got a tremendous amount of use out of it gamewise as well as the pleasure of just being able to soak up the work Paizo had done on 3.5 in the meantime.  With that experience in mind, snapping up this book was a no brainer.

 Wow, yeah, I've played no fewer than 4 different Star Wars RPGs and ported more than a few other systems over to run games in that setting, and I've play tested for a few other companies, so I'd have liked to get in on Playtesting for this - but there is no way in hell I'm going to Pay for the Privilege of playtesting a pen and paper game.  

This isn't like a computer game where the interface is purely available online and so you're paying for the opportunity to get exclusive access to that world before someone else … a Pen and Paper game occurs chiefly in our imaginations and I don't need to pay a subscription to get there.  A sneak peak at mechanics which will probably be altered later, little art, poor layout and bad editing is not worth paying for.  

I'd have donated my time and my gaming group, (which has been playing a SW game with another system for some time, as it happens) but I'll let some other sucker pay for an unfinished product. 

No kidding.  I would feel like a sucker if I bought this.  Is it worth the paper and ink in that book.  Maybe with all the work that has gone into it, but it could had been done better.  They could had given you a coupon in saying if you bought this book you get that much off from the finish core book.  Maybe a autograph by the team would be nice even if they didn't personally signed it themselves.  If they did that, then it would really stand out as a limited edition book. 

It is just to me a unfinished work that you are asking me to pay you for.  It is like you did some of your homework and expect a A+ from me.  Not happening.  Only War beta got away with it because it was basicly buy now and get twenty off when the core book pdf comes out.

 *tsk tsk tsk*   Your faith is lacking unbelievers… 

Stacie_GmrGrl said:

I've been internally debating, and that actually seems like the best, or perhaps only justifiable, reason to get this beta. At least without holding it in my hands, reading enough to know if it's gonna be good or not. I few post-it notes come full release and this beta-baby can be up to speed for players, and cheaper than having multiple corebooks.

Still, damn Lucas Licensing for the whole no PDF thing. Whatev, I'm gonna stop myself from ranting more… fer a while.

Thank you, Stacie_GmrGrl, a very excellent point you have made, in my opinion.

Still gotta check enough of the rules to see if it's worth it, though. Time will tell, it seems.

 Damn it all to hell!

I bought the damn BETA - I hate the fact i had to use 55 dollars to buy a beta, damn Lucas for not allowing pdfs' why! I want to have my whole collection on an Pad… I bet its being scanned and uploaded somewhere as we speak…

But yeah, I ordered the damn book, and it better be frigging awesome with rules that really fit the setting! Support it all the way - and if the Beta is good, well then my group might order the finished product when its ready..

Oh I hate this cynic world :-p

KjetilKverndokken said:

Now I am not afraid for FFG's future at all, because they can merely churn out betas and sell them. And shelling out 55 bucks for that, no less….

 Anybody else think it's weird that a core rulebook, especially the first one to be released, should not only be intrinsically tied to a specific era of the Star Wars mythos, but to a specific part of the Galaxy?

I also don't really get why Age of Rebellion didn't come out first. I always thought the Rebels were like, the main heroes of the Original Trilogy, with the fringers and bounty hunters being more of a sideshow. 

Anyway, I wish I could know more about this product before dropping money on it, but I suppose that would inherently defeat the purpose in this case.

MarthWMaster said:

It seems like playing these fringe characters with an array of gray toned morality allows players more flexibility on who they work for/against. Many crime lords are as evil as I can humanly grasp, being slavers and all these sorts of things. But others are just looking for a buck and to undercut the competition, then Rebel cells and Imperial Intelligence agents can always hire on independent operatives for one-time work or more. I can't help but dig the possibilities in this mini-setting, and we barely even know what's really in there, but it's sparking my imagination.

 Alright gang, I'm holding a copy of the new beta test…and It looks like I'm the only person thus far who can say that in this threat so…My thoughts are:

Totally worth $30 to start playing a new rejuvenated Star Wars RPG with a totally different sistem that seems to be really well thought out. I'm so excited to try it out with my friends and then be able to have a chance and say what I DON'T LIKE about a system I'll probly be playing for the next 10 years. Being able to make changes to things that would normally drive me nuts. The book is full 220 page color and isn't just a manual. Could use some more examples and art to build it up but being a 15 year RPG veteran I'm not worried about it. 

My point is just this, if you don't want to have a say in the Beta then don't buy it. Yes $40 (including shipping) feels like a lot for an unfinished game but thats just not how I look at it. I look at it I payed $30 (cuz I was at Gen Con) and get to start playing star wars now, and add my feed back into the game I'll play more then any other. 

May the force be with you!

 I picked this up at GenCon and I've had some time to read over it. It's actually a very full-featured product, and it seems to me like you could use this book to run a Star Wars game for years and never buy another product. And hey, while you're at it, send in feedback to FFG and help the final published product benefit from your wisdom and experience.

So yeah, I think this is actually pretty cool. I mean, this is not a "beta" in any sense I've seen before for an RPG. For example, I got a beta playtest kit for D&D Next and it was nowhere near as full-featured as Edge of the Empire (though it was also free). Think of this more as an open beta for an MMO that's about to launch. Really, the work is all done, it just needs some intense, widespread playtesting to shake out the remaining balance issues and exploits.

Yes, you do have to pay money for this product and yes, it's a beta. But it's a very, very finished beta by RPG standards and it's a nice print job with full color, tables, some decent art, and so on. So if you're interested in playing a new, more narrative-driven take on a Star Wars RPG, I'd say give it a shot.

On the other hand, if you don't want to pay for a beta and you can wait a while, great, pick up the published final version when it's available.

That's my .02

I am glad some of you who already have it are reporting in and telling us about it. Gives me hope that we are getting a well made, and designed, finished Star Wars rpg that is, for the first time, a custom system for Star Wars and not put into a dice system Star Wars doesn't quite fit.  I have faith in this game.

First off, if you haven't previewed the book, isn't it kind of hypocritical to nay-say just for the hell of it? I've been gaming 30 years and I can say this is far from a "beta" and in fact is better written than many 'complete' RPGs on the market. Its full color, 224 pages of solid rules with some decent artwork and a little background. When they announced it during the In-flight seminar, the whole room went crazy.

Going to once again criticize the game having no fluff or art? This game really isn't for you then. If you don't know what Star Wars is, then go play Halo or Madden or something.

My friends and I laughed that the beginning of the book could have had the words:
"A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away… you know the rest."
and that would have been just fine. We know the background.

To start:
8 playable races
6 classes with 3 specialties each
Force specialization tree with 3 trees of powers
Customizable equipment
Customizable vehicles
Comprehensive rules that are FAR from being a 'beta' version.
Enemies and Adversaries
Even a 3-part adventure.

Honestly, if people want to cry about paying for a 'beta', then I'll say the same thing when the Only War beta came out. Simply don't do it. Pretend that it doesn't exist, because really, who cares? FFG isn't forcing anyone to pay them money. If your so concerned with it being a 'beta' then don't buy it. Its not hurting you one bit not to have it and FFG doesn't owe anyone a free game. And oh man, just wait till you find out you have to buy special dice to play! The tears shed will sustain me for at least another year or two.

In the meantime, my group and I will be busy delving back into the galaxy we all have loved our whole lives with the brand new books we picked up GenCon.

 I'm sure the final version will have tons of art and plenty of fluff. Those things do not need to be beta-tested. What's in the book is the rules, character options, enemies, vehicle stuff, Force rules, and a GM section. Basically it's everything you need to play the game. I imagine that the biggest change between this beta book and final product will mainly be the presentation, plus any changes to the rules that result from the feedback.