Post by @IsNotABomb on Oct 31, 2014 15:00:37 GMT -6
So I've officially had time to take a more in depth look at Force and Destiny Beta beyond the cursory look I've had while debating whether or not I was going to allow it into my game and managed to actually put together an opinion that was more in-depth than "Mmm... No... I think not." in my most awesome Eliphas impersonation I can muster. But I digress. After having been able to take more than a mere cursory glance at it, and looking at it with the entirety of the collection at my disposal I've managed to look at everything as a whole for exactly what it was.
Most of my problem with Fantasy Flight Game's Star Wars system is the same problem I've had with Star Wars: The Old Republic. The problem being, that at the time of writing (Force and Destiny being in Beta at the current.) each career at current is a mere archetype with specializations being a phenotype that left me with a bad taste in my mouth after discovering that back in Edge my options were IG-88, Boba Fett, Bossk, Kix, Bail Organa, Professor Durns, etc... basically, everyone was cloned from some source so it was difficult to stick with one specialization or even a single career and maintain a unique identity. My Edge character was a Bounty Hunter and I needed to go Gadgeteer, Outlaw Tech, Assassin and Mercenary Soldier to get a proper Mando'ade. What the hell? Though in retrospect, Star Wars is one of those things that people get really weird about and as a result I can see why taking an archetype entails being a clone of an iconic character.
All in all I've found that the archetypes were actually really well-balanced if not particularly exciting, but half of the fun became mixing and matching insane combinations to yield outlandish and cartoonishly destructive characters (jousting a Rancor with a jetpack comes to mind) in this mythic science fantasy all about the struggle of good versus evil. Edge was actually great because you weren't actually obligated to throw your lot in with the good guys. It was gritty enough to allow flex room with moral challenges that make triumph in the face of evil that much more epic--because you weren't an unkillable Jedi with a lightsaber and the ability to create a force chainsaw laser made of lightning, nor were you chucking starships at droids the size of buildings--you were just a badass with a gun, convictions (or outstanding debt!) and what was left of his wits.
Force sensitivity has always been a sore spot for me. When I first saw Edge of the Empire and leafed through it, I was super excited when I didn't see anything related to the Force. I got aggravated about fifteen minutes into flopping on my couch and leafing through, when I saw Force Sensitive Exile. *sigh* I took a look and wasn't entirely infuriated, nor was I suddenly inclined to murder everything in sight. It was an optional subclass that presented new options, some subtle and some not so subtle that was adept at bringing something new to the table--mainly, Force stuff.
Everybody remembers how overpowered Force Powers were in d20, and in Sagas. Force Powers in FFGSW are actually organic, they take time and focus to use effectively and are useful in most cases. That said, while useful, the same result can usually be achieved through other means. But I established that non-sensitives will not be overshadowed by Force Sensitive peers due to the profound investment of experience to achieve proficiency and apply the desired result with any degree of reliability. This, when combined with conventional firepower actually being good, actually lent to the viability of badass normals.
And then Force and Destiny. I actually didn't blow a gasket about this. This is mainly because the Filmverse didn't bother to portray internal corruption of the Republic as well as the problems inherent with the whole concept of a bunch of axiomatic warrior monks acting as an NGO peacekeeping force despite being tainted by millenia old dogma and philosophical divides regularly causing schisms lending to the interchangeability of eras since the Republic is clearly either too steeped in their own denial or too stupid to realize that the Jedi Order, while well intended has no place ordering people around when the lure of the Dark Side is so tempting. That said, it's a game all about these axiomatic warrior monks.
*sigh*
That said, the mechanics are awesome, and while the classes all reek of the existing archetypes, it's possible to create something unique... eventually. The one glaring problem with it is honestly the cross-compatibility, necessitating either Exile or Emergent to be taken in order to use these new specializations, which isn't a problem in itself unless you've been running a long-haul campaign and you've done an extensive amount of allocations as is (At the time of writing, my playgroup's specialization minimum is five, and the player in question had to invest 130 EXP to take Emergent to take on Sage.). I do actually like how the new careers meld with the old ones and create the ability to adapt something that isn't a Jedi assuming you've been drawing from the other material as well, but Force and Destiny seems extremely Jedi and Sith-centric, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it does feel like the Witches and Rangers should be getting a bit more love.
Anyway, that's my take on it. I'd like to hear your thoughts, people.
Most of my problem with Fantasy Flight Game's Star Wars system is the same problem I've had with Star Wars: The Old Republic. The problem being, that at the time of writing (Force and Destiny being in Beta at the current.) each career at current is a mere archetype with specializations being a phenotype that left me with a bad taste in my mouth after discovering that back in Edge my options were IG-88, Boba Fett, Bossk, Kix, Bail Organa, Professor Durns, etc... basically, everyone was cloned from some source so it was difficult to stick with one specialization or even a single career and maintain a unique identity. My Edge character was a Bounty Hunter and I needed to go Gadgeteer, Outlaw Tech, Assassin and Mercenary Soldier to get a proper Mando'ade. What the hell? Though in retrospect, Star Wars is one of those things that people get really weird about and as a result I can see why taking an archetype entails being a clone of an iconic character.
All in all I've found that the archetypes were actually really well-balanced if not particularly exciting, but half of the fun became mixing and matching insane combinations to yield outlandish and cartoonishly destructive characters (jousting a Rancor with a jetpack comes to mind) in this mythic science fantasy all about the struggle of good versus evil. Edge was actually great because you weren't actually obligated to throw your lot in with the good guys. It was gritty enough to allow flex room with moral challenges that make triumph in the face of evil that much more epic--because you weren't an unkillable Jedi with a lightsaber and the ability to create a force chainsaw laser made of lightning, nor were you chucking starships at droids the size of buildings--you were just a badass with a gun, convictions (or outstanding debt!) and what was left of his wits.
Force sensitivity has always been a sore spot for me. When I first saw Edge of the Empire and leafed through it, I was super excited when I didn't see anything related to the Force. I got aggravated about fifteen minutes into flopping on my couch and leafing through, when I saw Force Sensitive Exile. *sigh* I took a look and wasn't entirely infuriated, nor was I suddenly inclined to murder everything in sight. It was an optional subclass that presented new options, some subtle and some not so subtle that was adept at bringing something new to the table--mainly, Force stuff.
Everybody remembers how overpowered Force Powers were in d20, and in Sagas. Force Powers in FFGSW are actually organic, they take time and focus to use effectively and are useful in most cases. That said, while useful, the same result can usually be achieved through other means. But I established that non-sensitives will not be overshadowed by Force Sensitive peers due to the profound investment of experience to achieve proficiency and apply the desired result with any degree of reliability. This, when combined with conventional firepower actually being good, actually lent to the viability of badass normals.
And then Force and Destiny. I actually didn't blow a gasket about this. This is mainly because the Filmverse didn't bother to portray internal corruption of the Republic as well as the problems inherent with the whole concept of a bunch of axiomatic warrior monks acting as an NGO peacekeeping force despite being tainted by millenia old dogma and philosophical divides regularly causing schisms lending to the interchangeability of eras since the Republic is clearly either too steeped in their own denial or too stupid to realize that the Jedi Order, while well intended has no place ordering people around when the lure of the Dark Side is so tempting. That said, it's a game all about these axiomatic warrior monks.
*sigh*
That said, the mechanics are awesome, and while the classes all reek of the existing archetypes, it's possible to create something unique... eventually. The one glaring problem with it is honestly the cross-compatibility, necessitating either Exile or Emergent to be taken in order to use these new specializations, which isn't a problem in itself unless you've been running a long-haul campaign and you've done an extensive amount of allocations as is (At the time of writing, my playgroup's specialization minimum is five, and the player in question had to invest 130 EXP to take Emergent to take on Sage.). I do actually like how the new careers meld with the old ones and create the ability to adapt something that isn't a Jedi assuming you've been drawing from the other material as well, but Force and Destiny seems extremely Jedi and Sith-centric, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it does feel like the Witches and Rangers should be getting a bit more love.
Anyway, that's my take on it. I'd like to hear your thoughts, people.
