Quote from: Old One Eye;876096I definitely would not want to run a game for players to whom those two sentences matter.

I play in a regular X-Wing Miniatures night and it totally sucks having those people around.

Quote from: mcbobbo;874516My only concern is distancing yourself too far from Star Wars and winding up with generic space fantasy.

See the terrible Clone Wars CGI series where wannabe drow (including Darth Maul the Drider) cast magic spells that raise an army of the undead.

Quote from: hedgehobbit;873956One thing this movie does highlight is just what a mistake those prequels really were. Too much time has now passed to tell a convincing Han/Luke/Leia story.

Although in the context of this thread, the prequels were far superior in terms of expanding the Star Wars universe in new and interesting ways. There are stories you can tell and games you can play in the PT era that you simply can't tell in the OT. The prequels, despite their myriad flaws, expanded the toys we have to play with.

TFA fails to do that (because, of course, it's not trying to do that -- it's far more of a character-driven film). There's really nothing "gameable" in TFA that didn't already exist in the Star Wars universe.

I'm hoping that Episode VIII and IX find a way to do that grand expansion of the universe (while still remaining true to Star Wars). But I'm not sure that they will. Unfortunately, despite how much I enjoyed TFA on its own merits, the writing on the wall strongly suggests that the scope of their "ambition" is to merely return the galaxy to a status quo of plucky Rebellion/Resistance against a fascist Empire/First Order.

(Maybe we'll be surprised. Maybe the sequel trilogy will find a dynamic as completely new and different as droids-vs-clones with both armies being controlled by the same bad guy. But that certainly doesn't seem to be what they're setting up.)

Quote from: Justin Alexander;876147(Maybe we'll be surprised. Maybe the sequel trilogy will find a dynamic as completely new and different as droids-vs-clones with both armies being controlled by the same bad guy. But that certainly doesn't seem to be what they're setting up.)

I agree with the sentiments expressed here.

Incidentally, apropos of nothing, I can't hear the "Clone Wars" without being disappointed that we didn't see an epic game of war, with impersonation and subterfuge, dopplegangers and replication of individuals in order to defeat biometric safeguards or to assassinate highly placed loved ones. Where the Jedi and the rest of the galaxy tears itself apart with suspicion and betrayal, leaving the masses crying out for the order of the Empire. Rather than armies of Boba Fett (I know, I know) shooting at armies of droids.

For me, I loved the originals because they didn't tell us everything and the tidbits they did give were highly evocative.

Quote from: Justin Alexander;876147Although in the context of this thread, the prequels were far superior in terms of expanding the Star Wars universe in new and interesting ways. There are stories you can tell and games you can play in the PT era that you simply can't tell in the OT. The prequels, despite their myriad flaws, expanded the toys we have to play with.

TFA fails to do that (because, of course, it's not trying to do that -- it's far more of a character-driven film). There's really nothing "gameable" in TFA that didn't already exist in the Star Wars universe.

I'm hoping that Episode VIII and IX find a way to do that grand expansion of the universe (while still remaining true to Star Wars). But I'm not sure that they will. Unfortunately, despite how much I enjoyed TFA on its own merits, the writing on the wall strongly suggests that the scope of their "ambition" is to merely return the galaxy to a status quo of plucky Rebellion/Resistance against a fascist Empire/First Order.

(Maybe we'll be surprised. Maybe the sequel trilogy will find a dynamic as completely new and different as droids-vs-clones with both armies being controlled by the same bad guy. But that certainly doesn't seem to be what they're setting up.)

I desagree.  

In a OT game, good-guy PCs are the equivalent of Zulus fighting against the power of the British Empire.

In a TFA game, the good-guy PCs are the equivalent of westerners fighting against ISIS.

The writing of the wall for the next two episodes is that the good-guy PCs will be French Resistance fighting against Nazi occupation.

Those all feel significantly different to me.

In addition, it is completely unfair to compare how much TFA expanded the universe to the Clone Wars cartoon.  The latter has something like 10 times as much screen time.  Of course it will expand things more.

Quote from: Old One Eye;876166In a OT game, good-guy PCs are the equivalent of Zulus fighting against the power of the British Empire.

In a TFA game, the good-guy PCs are the equivalent of westerners fighting against ISIS.

The writing of the wall for the next two episodes is that the good-guy PCs will be French Resistance fighting against Nazi occupation.

I never really got a native-vs-colonial vibe from the OT, probably due to the distinct lack of colonies and natives.

And while I could see how you could potentially reinterpret the First Order as an ISIS-like organization, the actual canon of the setting is that they're basically the Nazi party of Germany.

But, despite that, I'm also not really seeing the French Resistance thing as a viable avenue. If we count our main characters as Leia, Chewie, Poe, Finn, and Rey we notice a distinct paucity of homelands to defend against a hypothetical occupation that hasn't even happened yet.

QuoteIn addition, it is completely unfair to compare how much TFA expanded the universe to the Clone Wars cartoon.

I'm comparing it to The Phantom Menace.

For the CGI Clone Wars I recommend burning the discs in a bonfire and pretending it never existed.

Quote from: Justin Alexander;876186I never really got a native-vs-colonial vibe from the OT, probably due to the distinct lack of colonies and natives.

And while I could see how you could potentially reinterpret the First Order as an ISIS-like organization, the actual canon of the setting is that they're basically the Nazi party of Germany.

But, despite that, I'm also not really seeing the French Resistance thing as a viable avenue. If we count our main characters as Leia, Chewie, Poe, Finn, and Rey we notice a distinct paucity of homelands to defend against a hypothetical occupation that hasn't even happened yet.



I'm comparing it to The Phantom Menace.

For the CGI Clone Wars I recommend burning the discs in a bonfire and pretending it never existed.

Strongly disagree.
For what they are they are highly enjoyable.
Besides there are some good storylines.
Examples:
In my opinion the story of the rebels on Onderan is quiet good.

Ventress has an extremely sympathetic story arc across the series and her interactions with Obi wan are always entertaining.

Quote from: Montjoy;876214Strongly disagree.
For what they are they are highly enjoyable.
Besides there are some good storylines.
Examples:
In my opinion the story of the rebels on Onderan is quiet good.

Ventress has an extremely sympathetic story arc across the series and her interactions with Obi wan are always entertaining.

Almost forgot the tragic end of Fives. His complete story unfolds over all 5.5 seasons.

Quote from: Montjoy;876214For what they are they are highly enjoyable.
Besides there are some good storylines.

Based on watching all but the last season or so on the basis of someone who kept telling me it would get better at some point, the best the series ever seemed to manage was mediocrity. Which, I suppose, could be mistaken for "good" because, unlike the rest of the series, they weren't making your eyes bleed.

The only thing I would consider salvageable from the series is the character of Ahsoka. But, in terms of worldbuilding, the stuff it adds to the Star Wars universe is godawful: Undead armies, neo-Nazi Mandalorians, and a weird family of Final Fantasy characters who live inside a space ziggurat and whose soap opera drama somehow determines whether or not the entire galaxy will fall to the Dark Side or not.

"So, Anyone Running a Star Wars Ep. VII Game Yet?"

Why would I want to do that to myself? Bad enough they made Episodes I-III and now VII with 46 more on the slate.

Quote from: Matt;876486"So, Anyone Running a Star Wars Ep. VII Game Yet?"

Why would I want to do that to myself? Bad enough they made Episodes I-III and now VII with 46 more on the slate.

Maybe to be the GM, and destroy everything you don't like... ;-)

Episode VIII - Genocide of the Gungans
Episode IX - The Extermination of Everything Else The GM Thinks Is Dumb

Or to celebrate your interpretation, such as this hilarious one.

Quote from: Justin Alexander;876475Based on watching all but the last season or so on the basis of someone who kept telling me it would get better at some point, the best the series ever seemed to manage was mediocrity. Which, I suppose, could be mistaken for "good" because, unlike the rest of the series, they weren't making your eyes bleed.

The only thing I would consider salvageable from the series is the character of Ahsoka. But, in terms of worldbuilding, the stuff it adds to the Star Wars universe is godawful: Undead armies, neo-Nazi Mandalorians, and a weird family of Final Fantasy characters who live inside a space ziggurat and whose soap opera drama somehow determines whether or not the entire galaxy will fall to the Dark Side or not.

Ahh come on you don't like Hondo?
How could you not like Hondo Ohnaka?

I agree on the point about Ahsoka. By the time her arc finishes it's clear she is one of the only ones actually behaving as a Jedi and so really doesn't fit in with the Jedi.

Oh man the Tarkin novel was making me want to watch the Clone Wars cartoons but you guys are killing my enthusiasm.

Quote from: KingCheops;876673Oh man the Tarkin novel was making me want to watch the Clone Wars cartoons but you guys are killing my enthusiasm.

Watch it.  Just remember who it's aimed for.