talyseon's Full Review: Sterling Hershey, Rodney Thompson, Owen K. C. Step...
The Force Unleashed Campaign Guide for the Star Wars Roleplaying Game. Designed by Sterling Hershey, Peter Schweighofer, Owen K.C. Stephens, and Rodney Thompson.
In the Dark Years after the Revenge of the Sith, but before the events in A New Hope, the fledgling Empire struggled to bring the entire galaxy under Palpatine's evil control. This is the setting for the Lucas Games "The Force Unleashed" video game, focusing on Darth Vader's secret apprentice, Starkiller. Not one to bypass an opportunity to expand the scope of the galaxy, the Role Playing Game has created this guide to facilitate play set in this grim period in the history of Star Wars.
This setting offers several advantages for the Games Master. The Heroes have far fewer allies to call on; there is no Rebel Alliance yet, and the Jedi Order has fallen. Overriding paranoia limits characters options for rabble rousing a population into open rebellion, and there are Stormtroopers on every street corner of the Core worlds.
By the same token, this can be a plus for the players; fewer restrictions, and less of the constraints of civilization to reign in players whose normal style in D&D would be called "Hack and Slash". All they have to do is stay ahead of that pesky Empire...
It also offers unique opportunities to explore the criminal organizations which flourished at this time, like the Black Sun, or to explore the lifestyle of the Bounty Hunter, a profession gaining prominence. In this era, there are many chances to play Robin Hood in space.
Chapter One looks at species; While some have been covered before, this chapter covers the Aleena, the memory swapping Caamasi, the vegetative Felucian, the three eyed Gran, the reptilian Nosaurian, the bizarre Talz (best seen in the Cantina on Tattooine, White, four eyes, talk like a kazoo), the Togruta, (Shaak Ti's Race) the gloriously violent Whiphids, and the strange, Joe Camel looking Yarkora. These races all had their place in the video game, and are detailed out here.
Chapter Two focuses on the Character's Heroic Traits, detailing new ways of viewing the core classes. For instance, Jedi are reduced to a handful of Order 66 survivors. This is a major change to the class. Each class also adds new talents to existing talent trees, or introduces new trees entirely, like the Noble's Ideologue Talent Tree, five new talents for an inspirational leader. New uses for skills are covered, and 20 new feats are outlined.
Chapter Three covers Prestige Classes. Not only are new ones introduced, like the Enforcer, Independent Droid, and Saboteur, but expansions of talent trees for existing classes like Bounty Hunter and Force Adept are covered. The Imperial Inquisitor Talent Tree takes the Force Adept in a new and very dark direction. These ideas help you tailor your heroes, or the villains who oppose them.
Chapter Four covers Organizations. What are the benefits of being a member of the Black Sun criminal organization? How is status figured out amongst the members of the Bothian Spynet? This chapter answers those questions and shows you how to build an organization from the ground up.
Chapter Five. The Force. Not only does this cover the expanded powers of the Force, and suitable alterations to Force using prestige classes, it details two new Force Traditions, the Agents of Ossus and the Felucian Shamans. The Unleashed Force Powers are quite impressive!
Chapter Six. Equipment and Droids. New weapons, armour, and other stuff, and rules for contraband. New droids, including the Junk Droid template, gives new rules for the help, or for Heroic droids.
Chapter Seven covers Starships and Vehicles. This section just strikes me as one of the better done in the several I have seen, with a nice array of sizes and purposes.
Chapter Eight covers the campaign itself, the themes and tones the Gamesmaster can weave into his campaign to give it the distinctive feel of The Force Unleashed. This chapter details the workings of the galaxy during this time, and provides not only a double fistful of adventure hooks, but lots of detail material that will spark ideas of the Gamesmaster's own. It also includes a small adventure, Round up on Salliche, to show you how it all works.
Chapter Nine is the Galactic Gazetteer. This section details many worlds of the galaxy, and what is events are unfolding. As an example, the Wookiees of Kashyyyk are currently enslaved by the Empire, and the drug empire of Kessel is now really Imperial, as the criminals are replaced by real professionals; politicians. Three new worlds are detailed; complete with the scores the player must hit to garner ever more detailed knowledge.
Chapter Ten details the Empire, the size, the policies, and many of the personalities, with the stats for many standard issue Imperial personnel, like Stormtroopers, and Noghri Assassins. It details personalities, complete with stats, like Starkiller, Grand Moff Tarkin, and Admiral Thrawn. It also includes droids, weapons and vehicles used by the Empire, including Starkiller's ship Rogue Shadow.
Chapter Eleven is Allies and Opponents, including the various Jedi Masters who appear in the game, Bail Organa, Princess Leia's adopted father, and the races, Fellucians, Jawas, and Ugnaughts. As usual, it details a mere two beasts, one of which is just a variation, the Bull Rancor.
Taken all together, it is remarkably consistent with the product line, slick, well thought out, detailed with many features to help the Gamesmaster run a successful campaign. Chapters 8, 9, and 10 are particularly fertile soil for a crop of new ideas for a GM.
One could make an argument that this product is just another way to separate the gamer from another $39.95 when there is plenty of material in the core book that would require minimal tweaking to work. And while this is intrinsically true, the book delivers enough new materials, bright ideas, and slick artwork to make you think the money well spent.
My main complaint remains the same; like most Star Wars Campaign books, this one lacks an index, a fact that is countered somewhat, but not sufficiently, by a very detailed table of contents.
All in all, another successful product in what is my favorite new game system. Check it out.
Unleash the Force and fight the Empire. The Emperor has swept away the last vestiges of the Old Republic. Darth Vader and his dark apprentice hunt dow...More at Buy.com
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