Star Wars Revised and Expanded Core Rulebook

    "Immerse yourself in the excitement of the greatest space fantasy of all time.  You can struggle to preserve the peace and order of the Republic, join the Rebellion against the oppressive might of the Empire, or defend the New Republic against the tyranny of the Yuuzhan Vong.  The only limit to the adventure is your imagination.  Take control of your destiny and become one of the greatest heroes of the galaxy."

Vital Statistics

ISBN:  0-7869-2873-X
Cost:  $39.95 ($55.95 Canada)
Hardcover
Pages: 381
Cost per Page:  $0.1049
Authors: Bill Slavicsek, Andy Collins, JD Wilker
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
System: Star Wars d20
Release: May 2002

Review by Jay Adams

    First thing is first; I was part of the playtest group for Star Wars d20.   When we got the playtest packet, most of our group, who had been avid WEG fans, were disappointed with the game.  In fact, some of us swore never to play FUSW, as we dubbed it.  The game that was published originally, as well as the revised and expanded edition, is very different from the packet that we were to playtest.  WotC ought to realize that their version of Star Wars is always going to be compared to the WEG version; it is just the nature of the beast.  In my opinion, WotC ought not to fear the comparison because they come out on top.  I played WEG for about six years, I have some great memories of it, but the d20 Star Wars System is just more eloquent.  In a little over a year, WotC released a "second edition" of d20 Star Wars.  So, of course, the major points of this review deal with the changes made by the design team.

    The release of a new edition so close to the original brought many cries of foul against WotC.  I disagree with the indictment that many bring against them.  Sure, more play-testing might have revealed the so-called flaws in the system, but if you were to look at most of the feedback that WotC got from the play-testers, it was mostly useless.  We did try to give some constructive criticism, but overall the play-testers whined about the demise of WEG Star Wars.  So, while play-testing would have refined the product, I blame the play-testers more so than the WotC staff.  Also with the release of a new Star Wars movie, Attack of the Clones for anyone living under a rock, the timing was perfect for a movie tie in while interest was peaked.  The price of the book was also increased from $34.95 to $39.95.  The original book only had 318 pages, though.  So this actually represents a decrease in the cost per page from $0.1099 to $0.1049, a 4% decrease.

    Revised and Expand [R&E] introduced a number of new concepts to Star Wars d20.  These include attacks of opportunity, new starship combat, a few new races and prestige classes, newer classes, and updated feats and skills, both normal and Force.  With only one exception, all these changes are positive ones.  First the good...

    Attacks of opportunity are a wonderful addition to d20 Star Wars.  The mechanic was cut from the original rules before publication, but the re-addition of attacks of opportunity increase the tactical possibilities that are possible in the d20 mechanic. Rather than just forbidding certain actions (such as moving through an area threatened by an opponent) chratcers now incur attacks of opportunity. Basically anything that distracts a character from melee combat, or when one diverts his attention away from melee combat in which one is engaged, will incur an attack of opporttunity. This gives more utility to a character who focuses on melee combat, mainly Jedi, but also any character who likes vibro-weapons and force pikes.

   The updated feats are an excellent addition. The Force feats that give a bonus to two Force skills are a welcome addition to the system. Feats arising from the addition of attacks of opportunity add to the character creation process. Other feats such as Stamina drastically increase the options that a character has to set herself apart from all the other characters. With all these new and improved feats come the new and improved classes.

   The update in classes is possibly the best change made in R&E. The classes no longer lok or feel like D&D knockoffs. Each class has its own feel. Each class also has a number of bonus feats sprinkled through its progression. These increase the variations possible in each class. Not every Jedi Consular is going to be the same, now. The defense of each class better reflects the defense that the classes deserve. The prestige classes in R&E include the original prestige classes as well as a few from previous sources. In addition to those, there are a few new ones, like the Jedi Master and Jedi Investigator. The mix of prestige classes is good for further customization of a character.

   The addition of a few new species to play also adds to the customization of the characters. In addition to that, a couple of new skills add more choice.

   Th only negative change made in R&E is the new starship combat system. The old system was well-written and was eloquent. While it was less concrete, it gave great tactical possibility without having too much complication. The new system is basically a two dimensional system, unless the gamemaster adds in the huge complication of three dimensions...