Y'know, I remember hearing a few months ago that when asked about the Star Wars license that Fantasy Flight's response had been along the lines that they neither had, nor wanted, the license. They were content with what they already had, and all that fun stuff. Now, I don't know if that is true or not, but it is what I heard and it seemed believable enough.
So, you can imagine my surprise when Fantasy Flight made this announcement yesterday.
The Deal
For those without the time to read, the announcement basically says the following. Fantasy Flight Games now has the license to make Miniature, RPG, and CCG games set in, and using, the Star Wars license. They are already hard at work on the products, and have announced what the first two games will be: a miniature tactical game involving X-Wings, and a CCG. As of right now, I don't believe there is any news on an RPG, but I wouldn't be surprised if they announced early plans for one at GenCon this weekend.
Reaction
I'm not sure about others, but I honestly think that Star Wars has a good home. FFG has done amazing work with the 40k license, and while I have some gripes about over design with Deathwatch, I still can't believe that they've managed to get the 40k universe into an RPG so smoothly and feeling so true. Star Wars is definitely in good hands here.
The minis game seems interesting, and I'll probably check it out if given the chance. I have no interest in the CCG at this time, but I'm open to being converted. I am, after all, a Star Wars fan boy without shame.
Hopes and Desires
Honestly, my biggest hope is that they do for the Star Wars RPG what they did for 40k. I want to see what a different group does with the Star Wars universe now that it has been established so much more firmly. The West End Games version was great, though not without confinement issues, but they had little more than the actual movies to go on then. The D20 stuff was some of the best D20 stuff out there (there is a reason the Sagas edition core book is going up in value now that it is out of print), but I don't really like having to map everything out for combats and staple things to a grid. I prefer more abstract than that, and D20 isn't happy without it.
The system they have for Dark Heresy could probably work for Star Wars, but it will take some in depth looking. Star Wars is more "happy epic" than 40k, in much the same way that the sun is brighter than the void of space, so that would need addressing. Balancing force users against non-force users may also be tricky, considering the warp isn't there. Though, I'd imagine something could easily be done involving the Dark Side and losing your character, or suffering from other affects.
All of this is speculation, so for now all we can do is keep our eyes open for more news. That said, I'm curious what you all think will happen, and how you hope it plays out.
So far on the all the blogs, everyone is very happy about FFG getting Star Wars and for the reason of what they've done with 40k.
ReplyDeleteI concur and cannot wait until they come out with the rpg too and would love to see what they come up with.