Anyone following the info on the impending release of the Star Wars Saga Edition next month?
See here for preview 3 and links to the other previews:


I'm not a Star Wars gamer...heck, I don't game at all these days...but this intrigues me, mostly because of the implications it has for D&D 4e.

I really like the direction they are taking d20 as alluded to in the previews and I hope that most of this carries over to the next D&D iteration. I'm interested enough to buy this next month and try to run D&D with it, or rather incorpoarte the system changes into D&D.
Anyone else with thoughts/insights?

Steve

I really like what they are doing! I would not mind seeing D&D mages made more like the Jedi in that. The whole "forgetting" your spells things still irks me.

The changes may well be limted to just the Star Wars game, for a few reasons.
1 to bring it closer in line with the "d20" computer/consule game Knights of the Old Republic, which many people played and had a much much cut down skill system closer to what is being mentioned now.
2 It's the Star Wars system, which has Always been different than D&D and is a seperate entity even from d20 Modern and the two don't really cross over (the SWd20 game system is Not OGL). few examples, are the way the force worked originally as multiple skills (a big complaint) over spells and level or even Psionics, VP/WP instead of HP, Force Points, No Alignment, Creature construction.
3 revamping the system to get closer to d6 and win converts.

Just a quick thought about D&D and the whole Wizard vs Sorcerer issue.

There ARE other ways in which they're moving away from the Wizard paradigm if you look for them.

It starts with the much-maligned Wizard (Set list of spells in a book, must memorize spells each day, each memorized spell is forgotten).

The Cleric takes a step away from that (Unlimited list of spells available...but still memorize and forget).

The Sorcerer helps somewhat (set list of spells known, but may cast any spell of a given level using a list of slots at each level). By the way, I'd like to know why people think the Sorcerer is throttled back or weaker than the Wizard...they see more use hereabouts from what I've seen.

Then you get into some of their alternate choices, and start seeing even more variability.

Complete Divine gives us two spontanious divine casters...the Favored Soul is the "Sorcerer" of Clerics, while the Spirit Shaman is even more intriguing to my mind...casts like a Druidic (list) Sorcerer, but your "spells known" changes each day depending on what the Spirits bring you.

Psionics builds off of the idea of a Psi Point (PP). You have a total pool of PP for the day, and expend them manifesting (casting) your list of known powers (spells). If you want to create a ton of little effects all day long until your pool is exhausted, you can. You also have "augmentation", allowing you to take a lower-level power and "juice it up" to greater effect.

They even have a variant (Euridite) that has unlimited potential to learn new powers, and is only limited in the number of unique powers he can manifest in a day, and the capacity of his psi pool.

Warlocks (CA) and Dragonfire Adepts (DM) both have a smaller list of "invocations" and blast-type abilities, and can do them all the live-long day...the effects growing more powerful as they gain in levels.

Magic of Incarnum introduces the idea of "shaping" a set list of effects (more available at higher levels) and a pool of power (Essentia) that can be shifted around from one effect to another as needed. Need to move faster? Move more of your essentia from your other effects into the one that boosts speed. Etc.

There's more still, but these are just some of the variations on magic that are part of the D&D game. It's a far cry from the old "Memorize and Forget" system as being the only deal in town.

As an aside for those who may not already know, it appears that 4th Ed D&D will use the "talent trees" and the slightly nerfed skill system from Star Wars Saga Edition.