A great Campaign Book. STAR WARS: KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPULBIC CAMPAIGN GUIDE
Written: Aug 17 '08 (Updated Mar 14 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Well written and constructed with lots of new options. Very usable.
Cons: No index. Pricey.
The Bottom Line: If you are a fan of the Star Wars game, this supplement is a definite asset. I highly recommend it.
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| talyseon's Full Review: Rodney Thompson - Knights of the Old Republic Camp... |
Star Wars Roleplaying Game: Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide.
Designed by Rodney Thompson, Sterling Hershey, John Jackson Miller, and Abel Pena.
ISBN 9780786949236
Journey back nearly four thousand years before the Battle of Yavin to a time when the Republic struggled for survival against the threats of the Sith and the Mandalorians.
This game accessory provides a complete setting for stories born of Tales of the Jedi and Knights of the Old Republic comic books and video games. It covers in depth details for species, technology, heroes and villain from this long ago era. It provides more options for tailoring your characters with new talents and feats, expanded abilities, new prestige classes, and alternate force using traditions.
There are 10 new character races to play including the Arkanians, the Feeorians, and the Snivvians. The prestige classes are Corporate Agent, Gladiator, and Melee Duelist. An extensive list of New Prestige Class Talents enrich the Elite Trooper, Force Adept, Gunslinger, and Sith, while the Jedi Knights get new duelist talents, and two new talent trees, the Jedi Battlemaster and Jedi Shadow Talent trees. These options allow for much greater tailoring of characters, and particularly differentiate Jedi, appropriate to an Era when the Jedi Council had less authority and individual masters established schools, much like the Kung Fu Academies of ancient China.
There is extensive coverage of new equipment and droids, new vehicles and star ships. Much of this covers the Mandalorians, a cultural movement of armoured mercs that gave rise to Jango and Boba Fett.
Chapter VII starts in with the Campaign Guidelines, showing how this era is vastly different from the eras of the two trilogies. Sith were numerous and a constant threat, and Force users came in many flavors.
There are 18 new planetary systems detailed, including Dantooine, and an extensive update on established worlds; at this time Bespin is uninhabited, and Kashyyyk is under corporate control by Czera Corp, and the Wookiees are little more than slaves.
The Jedi, Sith, Mandalorians and the Republic each have a chapter detailing their place in this universe, and detailing prominent members to be used as NPCs. Finally, the last chapter details Allies and Opponents, an overview of notable personalities, star ships, droids and beast the heroes may be called on to face, the Monster Manual chapter, if you will. There are many things here to spark encounter ideas, warranting a slow read with scrap paper for notes. The droid and beast sections are notably anorexic with two entries each.
Overall, this is a very well written resource book. The material is interesting, well laid out, the writing is clear. It definitely is designed to spark a Games Master’s creativity. However, there is no index. This is partially offset by the very well laid out table of Contents; still, I consider this a serious lack.
A few of the highlights include different crystals for light sabers that allow for different effects. For instance, have you ever wondered how they train Padiwans with light sabers without loosing limbs? Bondar Crystals convert all damage to stun damage. They can’t cut, only knock them out. Firkaan Crystals convert the damage to Ion damage, making the weapon particularly devastating to Droids. Opila Crystals make the blade more damaging on criticals, adding an extra d6.
Armour, never a big thing in Star Wars, gets much more detail here, thanks to the Mandalorians, and personal Energy Shields. There are weapon and armour templates as well, and rules for stacking them.
Exar Kun, Dark Lord of the Sith, and Author of the Sith wars is well detailed.
And very useful to Star Wars aficionados is the timeline, encompassing the major highlights between 4,000 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin) to 3951 BBY.
Even if you are not going to run a KOTOR campaign, most of this can be adapted to what ever campaign you are running. A quick draw Bondar Crystal Light Saber can be a very interesting addition to your next Cantina fight. The ancient Sith Masters might appear as force ghosts, leading your Padiwan astray with “forgotten wisdom.”
At 223 pages, this is a much thicker supplement. The price is thicker too at $39.95. Still, I feel the price is worth it…the options it gives you to tailor your character make for happier players. And it gives you a whole new bag of tricks for your bad guys.
May The Force Be With You.
The New Frontier: Younglings.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Check out the other completely different Clone Wars cartoons.
Star Wars Clone Wars Volume One. and
Star Wars Clone Wars Volume Two.
Check out these Star Wars Novels:
Tatooine Ghost
Star Wars Legacy of the Force: Sacrifice
Star Wars Legacy of the Force: Invincible
The Cestus Deception.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor
Check out these Star Wars Comics:
Tag and Bink Were Here
Jango Fett: Open Season.
Rites of Passage
Star Wars Rebellion: My Brother, My Enemy.
Check out my reviews on Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic.
Commencement
Flashpoint.
Days of Fear, Nights of Anger.
Check out the Future of Star Wars in Legacy:
Star Wars Legacy: Broken.
Star Wars Legacy: Shards
Star Wars Legacy: Claws of the Dragon
Star Wars Legacy: Alliance
The Star Wars Role Playing Game:
Star Wars Role Playing Game
Star Ships of the Galaxy
Threats of the Galaxy
Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide
The Force Unleashed Campaign Guide
Scum and Villainy
The Clone Wars Campaign Guide
Check out all the Star Wars Saga:
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Recommended:
Yes
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