May The Fourth Be With You: My Journey Through Star Wars Gaming
I’ve had a long and winding path of Star Wars gaming, and on this Star Wars Day, I thought I’d provide a rundown of how Star Wars gaming has affected my life. I’m going to leave off video games like Dark Forces and Rebel Assault, despite the fact that I’m chest deep in Star Wars: The Old Republic right now. This is a tabletop gaming blog, and so it shall remain.
1. Young Jedi. Long before I discovered RPGs, I had Young Jedi. Episode 1 came out when I was 14, so I was primed for all things Star Wars. My friend, Steven, and I would regularly venture down to the FLGS to pick up miniatures for Warhammer Fantasy and comics. We found the Young Jedi card game there. It’s a pretty straightforward CCG, but with a few elements I haven’t seen in any other game, including how it rigidly helped you construct your decks, as well as the die rolls as card draws, which you could use to actually weight your odds. The game was aimed at younger players, but was still really great.
2. Star Wars D6. My first RPG. I still remember reading over the rulebook as Mike explained the mechanics to me, building a scoundrel with a heart of gold, marking the “Force Sensitive” box, and naming him Kibur Blastblade. At the time, Kyber crystals were fairly unknown, having only shown up in Splinter of the Mind’s Eye, and Star Wars encyclopedias were rare, so I felt pretty confident the name would sound very original. Over time, of course, the name became synonymous with the crystals within lightsabers, and now, all these years later, my hero was named for a rock.
3. Star Wars D20. The first game I ever ran. My Iron Dawn crew still plays on occasion, on line. The group moved from the Episode 1 era, where they participated in the downfall of Black Sun and found themselves at the Battle of Naboo, through the Clone Wars. They’re now much older, with children they’re trying to keep safe from The Empire. I also ran two extensive campaigns on the carrier I was deployed on while we cruised around the Arabian Gulf back in 2007.
4. Star Wars Miniatures. I own a ton of the Star Wars Miniatures from WotC. The prepainted game came out while I was working at an FLGS, so my employee discount netted me a TON of minis. I’ve acquired more over the years. The game was a super simplified D20 system, worked really well, and was a ton of fun. With no players to play with, I’ve continued collecting for the RPGs I run.
5. X-Wing. I got deep into X-Wing when it came out. I know it’s one of the most popular wargames out there, but I could never really get into the competitive side. I’ve bought a ton of stuff for it over the years, including the massive Tantive IV, but I mainly use them for RPGs as well.
6. Imperial Assault. I’ve ran about 4 campaigns of Imperial Assault, and have gotten everything I’ve got painted up. It’s a solid system, and great for a no-prep RPG-like experience.
7. Armada. I’ve realized at this point I’m mostly just talking about FFG Star Wars products, but they’re the main guy in town for stuff like this. I’ve gotten a ton of Armada stuff too, and just need to have the time to get out there and play more than just one or two games with my brother.
8. FFG’s Star Wars RPG. I love this system. It’s got amazing narrative elements, the dice are great at helping me tell the story, and I love talent trees. I’m plotting out an extensive campaign right now for my return to the states. My friend bought me a big playmat for the RPG in hopes of luring me back to the table with it. He succeeded. Now I just need to make sure he doesn’t play a Wookiee doctor…
9. Star Wars Rebellion. I’ve played this game more than a dozen times now, almost exclusively as the Empire. The game plays like a combination of Risk and Twilight Struggle and allows you to craft your own narratives of the Galactic Civil War. I really love it.
While I’ve got other games I could talk about, including The Queen’s Gambit and Legion, I’ll leave those for other posts I’ve written. What are your favorite Star Wars tabletop games? Lemme know.
J4