{"id":6626,"date":"2016-09-05T12:00:57","date_gmt":"2016-09-05T17:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.d20radio.com\/main\/?p=6626"},"modified":"2016-08-30T09:21:55","modified_gmt":"2016-08-30T14:21:55","slug":"being-a-better-star-wars-player","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.d20radio.com\/main\/being-a-better-star-wars-player\/","title":{"rendered":"Being a Better Star Wars Player"},"content":{"rendered":"

For many years, I’ve been privileged to co-host the Order 66 Podcast,<\/a> which has devoted itself to Star Wars roleplaying. \u00a0Almost four years ago, the podcast (which started to discuss Wizards of the Coast’s now defunct Star Wars: Saga Edition<\/em> RPG) discovered the amazing game created by Fantasy Flight Games, a new publisher with a brand new Star Wars RPG: \u00a0Edge of the Empire<\/em>. After many hours of playtesting, meeting the producers and developers – we became converts; lovers of this new game – and we relaunched the show to focus on it. Four years have passed, and have seen the release of nearly a score of supplement books, as well as two new core game books: Age of Rebellion<\/em> & Force and Destiny<\/em>. \u00a0This new game changed the rules. \u00a0It taught gamemasters\u00a0who were weened on the d20 mechanic a new way to tell stories, and it taught many players a new way to roleplay in the setting set a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.<\/p>\n

In the past four years, the Order 66 Podcast has devoted thirteen episodes to helping the GMs in this system thrive with advice, tips, tricks, and lessons learned to help a GM master the game and provide the most enjoyable and exciting time for their players. But a recent heavily requested topic for the podcast was to visit the other side of the GM screen; with all the love heaped upon the GM – what about the player? What advice can three hard-boiled Star Wars Podcast hosts\u00a0utterly steeped in this system give… to the player<\/em>? Well, we recently tackled that in Episode 82<\/a>. The discussion was an invigorating one, and for the first time in a long time, I found myself really and truly pondering the question: what makes a good player a GREAT player – in FFG’s Star Wars system?<\/p>\n

This article relays a lot of the lessons expressed on the show, and will hopefully guide eager Star Wars players in this system, everywhere. \u00a0We humbly present: \u00a0the rules players should live by.<\/p>\n

\"Being<\/a><\/p>\n

Don’t adjudicate another player’s dice pool<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There\u2019s a long-standing tradition among many superstitious roleplayers that \u201cyou never touch another person\u2019s dice.\u201d \u00a0But in FFGs narrative system, it\u2019s actually rare to find a player using ONLY their dice. However,\u00a0there is still a major dice faux pas you should try to avoid. \u00a0You need to: \u00a0<\/span>Respect Other Players\u2019 Dice Adjudication<\/span><\/i>. \u00a0Simply put, this means that it is typically a very bad idea to sum up another player\u2019s roll.<\/span><\/p>\n

For some players (especially very new players to this system), it can take a moment or two to perform your cancellations and figure out what you just rolled on those \u201ctriple axes of resolution\u201d dice. And we\u2019ve all painfully watched as a tender new player stares at his roll for a full minute, trying to figure it out. \u00a0It’s even more painful when (as a more seasoned player) you can merely <\/span>glance<\/span><\/i> at the dice pool and instantly calculate the results.\u00a0<\/span>There is a serious temptation to \u201cdo the work FOR the other player\u201d as he or she stares at the dice. \u00a0You want the game to move along. \u00a0You get annoyed or frustrated. \u00a0So you interrupt and say, \u201cYou failed, 2 advantage, and a Despair,\u201d<\/em> then snatch up the dice.<\/p>\n

This is one of the most damaging things you can do to another player at the table. \u00a0You\u2019re telling that player (without telling<\/strong> them) that they don\u2019t know what they\u2019re doing. \u00a0This does NOT foster a love of this\u00a0game (or any game, for that matter) for a player; you\u2019re removing that player\u2019s agency and voice at the table. \u00a0So DON’T DO IT. \u00a0Wait. \u00a0Be patient. \u00a0ASK if a player would like help (but only if it\u2019s been a minute or so).<\/p>\n

Don’t hog the Obligation or Duty spotlight.<\/b><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Obligation and Duty mechanics are beloved by fans of this system for good reason; they are unique character resources that not only support amazing roleplaying opportunities and tangible, mechanical benefits for your character, but give your GM a codified mechanical way to work your character\u2019s personal stories into the game. \u00a0As such, i<\/span>t\u2019s natural that players are going to <\/span>want<\/span><\/i> to push their Obligation or Duty into the limelight; people are going to <\/span>want<\/span> to buy-down their<\/em> Obligation and increase <\/span>their<\/span><\/i> Duty. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But really good players will realize that Duty actually functions as a \u201cGroup\u201d mechanic. \u00a0The way it\u2019s designed…you might <\/span>never<\/span><\/i> increase your personal duty ONCE, but because Duty\u2019s benefits are all about the Group\u2019s overall contribution rank (and not each PCs individual Duty), that\u2019s okay<\/em>. \u00a0T<\/span>he group\u2019s <\/span>total<\/span><\/i> Duty just has to get to 100 for a Contribution Rank increase, so it doesn\u2019t matter whose Duty is focused on. \u00a0Really good players\u00a0<\/span>will also realize that with Obligation, the entire<\/em> group suffers when any player\u2019s Obligation is high; and will want to work to bring it down.<\/p>\n

Smart players in this system will wisely latch on to <\/span>other<\/span><\/i> characters\u2019 Obligations and Duties, working hard to help them be bought-off or achieved, b<\/span>ecause they realize it benefits them, too. It’s also an amazing way to\u00a0endear your PC to another PC (and yourself to another player, for that matter). And amazingly, when you do this for\u00a0other<\/em> players they’ll do it for you. More efficient? Improved group bonding and cohesion? Sign. Me. Up.<\/p>\n

Focus on helping other player characters.<\/b><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This is very much in the same vein as our previous tip, but doesn’t focus on mechanics – it focuses on roleplaying. \u00a0A really good player in this system learns his party members’ backstories, Motivations, Obligations, Duties; and (<\/span>possibly<\/span><\/i>) susses out the Emotional axes of their Morality. \u00a0Extremely wise\u00a0<\/span><\/b>players might go so far as to <\/span>make a private list<\/span><\/i> of these things, and focus on talking to and assisting other party members each session. Much as the benefits for not hogging the Obligation or Duty spotlight, it will completely endear you to the others in the party; m<\/span>eaning that they will be the first ones up to help you with YOUR problems.<\/p>\n

Narrate your own dice results.<\/b><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Players who really \u201cget\u201d FFG’s Star Wars system learn how to properly narrate their own dice results, instead of letting the GM do it. \u00a0First of all, you’ve got to have a solid handle and u<\/span><\/b>nderstanding on what the dice mean; the\u00a0<\/span>\u201corder of operations\u201d for the dice, if you will. \u00a0They’re pretty easy to figure out.<\/span><\/p>\n