Tag Archives: star wars

The Force Awakens (contains spoilers)

If you’re reading this and you haven’t watched the film yet, stop and go watch it. I’ll wait. No really, go watch it. I’m not going to hold back under here, I’m still buzzing after seeing it and I don’t want to miss things by trying to avoid spoilers.

Also, I’m placing it behind a cut, so don’t read it unless you really want to…

Continue reading The Force Awakens (contains spoilers)

#rpgaday2015 day 18 – favourite sci-fi RPG

Unlike fantasy RPGs, sci-fi RPGs are something I’ve done more of, and also something of a interesting point because of where you put the border of sci-fi.

Demon Hunters: A Comedy of Terrors or Conspiracy X could be classed as sci-fi because they uses advanced fictional technology, but I’d be hesitant to class them as such because they’re based in the modern era and I associate sci-fi with being out in space which isn’t anywhere near being a requirement for good science fiction.

In a more comfortable definition of sci-fi, I still have room for favourites. My first RPG (and still somewhat of a favourite) was Star Wars (West End Games) or at least was based on it. As part of the Imperial Order, I gathered a group of friends online all across the world and roleplayed with them on a nightly basis. Those rules were a little ridiculous, but that factor probably arose from no one going “what if someone put all of these factors together” or not thinking about difficulty scaling. For reference, I had around 13 d6 to roll for starfighter piloting in my TIE Defender, with a result of 20 being a “heroic” feat that could achieve just about anything – my average roll was in the 30s.

The Warhammer 40,000 roleplaying games by Fantasy Flight Games are favourites as well. Between Dark Heresy, Rogue Trader, Deathwatch, and Black Crusade, I’ve had a lot of fun playing and running those games – you can do some ridiculous stuff when you get to max level Ascension…

I also love the look of the Serenity roleplaying game, though I would have to get a second copy to roleplay with as the copy that’s been signed by 7 of the main cast isn’t going anywhere near a gaming table full of snacks.

So there you have it – some of my favourite sci-fi games without even a brief jaunt into the world of LARP for a change.

X-Wing Series – Michael A. Stackpole / Aaron Allston

It’s been a while since I posted. It’s not that I wasn’t reading, but that I couldn’t quite find the energy to post. And then I procrastinated. But enough about that.

I’ve been re-reading the X-Wing series recently. All but two of the books, but that’s because I’m missing my copy of The Krytos Trap and reading The Bacta War without it doesn’t quite seem right.

Wraith Squadron

I have the utmost respect for Aaron Allston as a writer; the Wraith Squadron books are – in my opinion – by far the best books in the series. He brings in a new squadron of rejects, shapes them into an elite unit and weaves their own story that fits beautifully into the universe. My only real regret is that there’s no real mention of Wraith Squadron after those four books other than a cursory mention in the New Jedi Order series.

Stackpole on the other hand… At one point, I had him listed as my favourite author in the Star Wars universe. In hindsight, I think this is due to the same youthful infatuation that causes Twilight to be so popular. Stackpole’s X-Wing books are less about Rogue Squadron and more about how awesome Corran Horn is.

Where Allston switches perspective regularly between core characters such as Wedge Antilles, Garik ‘Face’ Loran, Kell Tainer and Lara Notsil (aka Gara Petothel aka Kirney Slane), Stackpole tends to relate stories only from the perspectives of Corran Horn (recollecting his tales of emo woe) and Wedge (with the exception of cases where neither is involved), and even then focusing on Corran except where Corran’s not involved.

The idea has occurred that Stackpole mostly wrote the X-Wing books to give credence to his epic “I, Jedi” that would follow them. I just find it a shame that the Rogue Squadron books seem so focused on Corran that it skews my enjoyment of the books. Especially since I’ve always enjoyed reading the series.

If you haven’t read them, I would recommend them. They’re worth the read – especially the Wraith Squadron books. Just watch out for Stackpole’s obsession with Corran.