(Editor’s Note: Wow… that’s a loaded prompt. LOL! This prompt literally had me somewhere between laughing and sobbing on the floor in the fetal position.)

In my opinion, Star Wars needs a new edition probably more than most. In a perfect world, I’d love for it to be a definitive edition covering all movies (even the ones Disney made) and the various animated and TV series. (Yes, I loved Ashoka back when Clone Wars Animated premiered.) I definitely think there is a “right” way versus a “wrong” way to do a Star Wars TTRPG, along with a proper type of system to use.

What it should look like, to me, is a system that is crunchy enough to really play around with but simple enough for new players to make a character and jump right in. For example, West End Games’ D6 system is almost ideal. Wizards of the Coast’s D20 version was a little rough on the new players, but it was definitely crunchy. It was almost like Dungeons & Dragons in space, and that is not a compliment. Then there’s what Fantasy Flight Games did… (Let’s not go there and say we did.)

I have two specific systems I would prefer not to see used for Star Wars RPG probably ever. The first system I pray I never see Star Wars done under would be Forged in the Dark, a derivative of Blades in the Dark. I like Scum and Villainy and all, I just don’t think the skill/combat resolution mechanics have that sorta crunchy cinematic feel. Basically, it need more dice rolls and different die mechanics for Star Wars.

The other system that would probably make me cry at this point would be Starfinder. It seems ideal on the surface. Starfinder does a lot of the same things Star Wars does. Pathfinder 2E is merging with Starfinder, and it has a lot of tags for everything. That’s okay in a fantasy game, but I feel like maybe the vehicle rules are going to suffer more. They’re already complicated enough as it is. I feel like in a cinematic game, things should flow together fast, but not so fast that it becomes abstract.

All of that said, I also don’t want another D6 based system for Star Wars. There are too many of them already and I strongly doubt the West End folks would ever get the go ahead to do it again. I would still run it under those rules, but good luck finding books for new players currently. Hence the need for a new edition, right?

The ideal system that comes to mind for me, anyway, would be akin to Cyberpunk Red (aka Cyberpunk 2020.) The Force rules could be a modernized version of the D6 System. Control, Sense, and Alter with some specializations and modifiers to lightsaber combat. Throw in stock vehicles, droids, NPCs, and let’s go! Sourcebooks to follow for the Clone Wars, Droids, Weapons, Bounty Hunters, Ships and Vehicles, the list goes on. I would be on it in a heartbeat if someone built it that way.

Food for thought, anyway. I could have just as easily mentioned D&D, but I harp on poor WotC enough already. They just need to fess up that it’s a new edition next year and then maybe I’ll talk about it some more. Why go for the low hanging fruit when the sweetest plum is in plain sight.

I could also mention DC Heroes while I’m here. I always thought the Mayfair Games AP system was broken for the low end characters such as Batman, but really great on the high end such as Darkseid and Superman. Given the recent Marvel Multiverse RPG reboot, I think one for DC would be a natural choice. Hopefully we get our wish someday. I’ll talk more about DC in another article, possibly for Superhero September.

Thank you for stopping by. The #ttrpgcommunity is up in arms over Safety Tools and one of our most beloved D&D Content Creators again, so I’m going to comment on that in the next day or two. I appreciate you being here.