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Star Wars Roleplaying Game (D20)
Star Wars Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook
Experience the drama and epic scope of the greatest space fantasy of all time! Take on the role of a Jedi Knight struggling to preserve the Republic. Become a Rebel fighting to restore freedom to the galaxy. Join New Republic forces to battle an enemy from beyond the limits of known space. There are millions of exciting adventures awaiting you. What's your story?
320 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2000
4 people are currently reading
114 people want to read
About the author
Bill Slavicsek
106 books23 followersBill Slavicsek's gaming life was forever changed when he discovered Dungeons & Dragons in 1976. He became a gaming professional in 1986 when he was hired by West End Games as an editor. He quickly added developer, designer, and creative manager to his resume, and his work helped shape the Paranoia, Ghostbusters, Star Wars, and Torg roleplaying games. He even found some time during that period to do freelance work for D&D 1st Edition. In 1993, Bill joined the staff of TSR, Inc. as a designer/editor. He worked on a bunch of 2nd Edition material, including products for Core D&D, Dark Sun, Ravenloft, and Planescape. In 1997, he was part of the TSR crowd that moved to Seattle to join Wizards of the Coast, and in that year he was promoted to R&D Director for D&D. In that position, Bill oversaw the creation of both the 3rd Edition and 4th Edition of the D&D Roleplaying Game. He was one of the driving forces behind the D&D Insider project, and he continues to oversee and lead the creative strategy and effort for Dungeons & Dragons.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 28, 2017
The book is a decent adaptation of D&D3.0 rules to Star Wars. It definitely needs more proofreading; there are many charts that directly conflict other charts, typos, and paragraphs that conflict with other rules throughout the book. Feats are referenced by different names in different places throughout the book and character sheet.
The way this book handles the Force is interesting, though it doesn't entirely feel as fleshed out as I would like for a Star Wars game. Many of the rules feel dependent on the 3.0 framework, though the deviations are typically welcome.
One of those deviations is the use of Force Points, which, aside from being rather limited in use, is one of the most interesting mechanics. It does a wonderful job of making the Dark side of the Force feel more powerful (especially at low levels), while still having drawbacks. The main problem, again, is that Force points are so rarely awarded.
The distinction between which Force Powers became Feats vs which became Skills seems a little blurry to me. I think the system would have benefited from having a point-based Force system where abilities cost points, which replenish over time. The cost of those points could vary depending on how they deviate from your alignment. This would be a much more elegant solution than the one presented here.
The deviations aren't all good: having Force powers (here skills) cost vitality points is an interesting mechanic that seems more appropriate for a dark magic game than with the Star Wars universe. Spending health to Force Push someone just doesn't quite jive with me.
Star War's Reputation system is intriguing, but tying it to class feels restrictive. The idea is that as you become more well-known, you can invoke that to get bonuses on interaction checks like Bluff and Diplomacy. It seems like an attempt to tie a mechanical bonus to something that should be in the realm of roleplay. Certain prestige classes have restrictions on this, like the Bounty Hunter which can only be taken with a high enough Infamy score. The whole thing seems restrictive: sure, a Noble should have more reputation than a Fringer in some contexts. But what about on a slimey space port on Nar Shaddaa?
This rulebook claims it supports three Eras of play, but there's no reason it can't support more. The "support" just includes key characters and restrictions on which races can be played (no Ewoks pre episode 6, for example.
I also would have loved to see more droid support, including Droids as player characters. I can understand the rationale for not doing it, especially given how heavily the game drew from 3.0. The race section is one of the most transparent areas in terms of D&D origins.
Several of the class features seem redundant or unimportant, like bonuses to buying or selling goods, or only if those goods are illegal. Perhaps this was an attempt to make the characters less "heroic" than their d&d counterparts, but it just feels a little lackluster.
The opponents section of the book (the "monster manual" of sorts) is rather diverse in role, having options for crime lords, bounty hunters, and administrators, but is lacking for creatures at low levels. The creature section is also the weakest section of the book in terms out layout.
There's potential here, and I would love to look at the revised edition that was released 2 years after this one, or the Saga Edition which overthrew that one.
The way this book handles the Force is interesting, though it doesn't entirely feel as fleshed out as I would like for a Star Wars game. Many of the rules feel dependent on the 3.0 framework, though the deviations are typically welcome.
One of those deviations is the use of Force Points, which, aside from being rather limited in use, is one of the most interesting mechanics. It does a wonderful job of making the Dark side of the Force feel more powerful (especially at low levels), while still having drawbacks. The main problem, again, is that Force points are so rarely awarded.
The distinction between which Force Powers became Feats vs which became Skills seems a little blurry to me. I think the system would have benefited from having a point-based Force system where abilities cost points, which replenish over time. The cost of those points could vary depending on how they deviate from your alignment. This would be a much more elegant solution than the one presented here.
The deviations aren't all good: having Force powers (here skills) cost vitality points is an interesting mechanic that seems more appropriate for a dark magic game than with the Star Wars universe. Spending health to Force Push someone just doesn't quite jive with me.
Star War's Reputation system is intriguing, but tying it to class feels restrictive. The idea is that as you become more well-known, you can invoke that to get bonuses on interaction checks like Bluff and Diplomacy. It seems like an attempt to tie a mechanical bonus to something that should be in the realm of roleplay. Certain prestige classes have restrictions on this, like the Bounty Hunter which can only be taken with a high enough Infamy score. The whole thing seems restrictive: sure, a Noble should have more reputation than a Fringer in some contexts. But what about on a slimey space port on Nar Shaddaa?
This rulebook claims it supports three Eras of play, but there's no reason it can't support more. The "support" just includes key characters and restrictions on which races can be played (no Ewoks pre episode 6, for example.
I also would have loved to see more droid support, including Droids as player characters. I can understand the rationale for not doing it, especially given how heavily the game drew from 3.0. The race section is one of the most transparent areas in terms of D&D origins.
Several of the class features seem redundant or unimportant, like bonuses to buying or selling goods, or only if those goods are illegal. Perhaps this was an attempt to make the characters less "heroic" than their d&d counterparts, but it just feels a little lackluster.
The opponents section of the book (the "monster manual" of sorts) is rather diverse in role, having options for crime lords, bounty hunters, and administrators, but is lacking for creatures at low levels. The creature section is also the weakest section of the book in terms out layout.
There's potential here, and I would love to look at the revised edition that was released 2 years after this one, or the Saga Edition which overthrew that one.
January 14, 2019
This core rulebook has been a wonderful addition to my collection and is now going out into the wild world to, hopefully, get some use by someone who has a use for it.
April 14, 2019
I've tried out pretty much every version of Star Wars RPG that has come out - the various incarnations of d6 back with West End, the d20 spree, and even the Buy-Our-Expensive-Unique-Dice version from Fantasy Flight.
Each had their advantages and drawbacks.
d6 had one of the hardest/longest/slowest Jedi paths, which felt right and its lack of levels made it seem more natural (the first level-less system I played). However, it has lots of fiddliness with modifiers and the amount of adding everyone does every roll can bog gameplay down pretty quick.
d20 had some neat stuff - usually gorgeous art (especially Saga), great layout, simple rules - but suffered from my growing dislike of level-based systems. The split of Wounds/Vitality from HP was a great step that I think was a huge and missed opportunity for later versions of D&D.
Fantasy Flight had the literally mixed bag of dice - the system was cool and innovative, but slow, clunky, and often challenging for the GM. The way character's bought advances was cool, but it took me hours trying to design a future theoretical Jedi that could do even half the stuff we see in the movies and it would take a year of playing to get there.
If I were to play Star Wars again, I'd probably drift indie towards ImpulseDrive or Scum and Villainy.
Each had their advantages and drawbacks.
d6 had one of the hardest/longest/slowest Jedi paths, which felt right and its lack of levels made it seem more natural (the first level-less system I played). However, it has lots of fiddliness with modifiers and the amount of adding everyone does every roll can bog gameplay down pretty quick.
d20 had some neat stuff - usually gorgeous art (especially Saga), great layout, simple rules - but suffered from my growing dislike of level-based systems. The split of Wounds/Vitality from HP was a great step that I think was a huge and missed opportunity for later versions of D&D.
Fantasy Flight had the literally mixed bag of dice - the system was cool and innovative, but slow, clunky, and often challenging for the GM. The way character's bought advances was cool, but it took me hours trying to design a future theoretical Jedi that could do even half the stuff we see in the movies and it would take a year of playing to get there.
If I were to play Star Wars again, I'd probably drift indie towards ImpulseDrive or Scum and Villainy.
December 10, 2008
A solid effort at translating the Star Wars universe into the (at the time) exciting new d20 system. Nice layout, decent original art, and fundamentally playable, at least at first blush. (I am afraid our group didn't get very far into the nuts and bolts of the game in our two sessions with it.) Followed pretty quickly by a revised edition, but not sure what tweaks justified the second publication.
February 5, 2012
Signed by:
Bill Slavicsek
Andy Collins
JD Wiker
and Michonne Bourriague
For some reason I cannot remember the event at all. I may have just found the copy with items I received when taking on WOTC as 3rd party distribution client at Random House.
Bill Slavicsek
Andy Collins
JD Wiker
and Michonne Bourriague
For some reason I cannot remember the event at all. I may have just found the copy with items I received when taking on WOTC as 3rd party distribution client at Random House.
May 4, 2021
I am not a fan of level based sci-fi or modern. It is a personal thing for me.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews