A Preview of the STAR WARS (R): Age of Rebellion (TM) Roleplaying Game

“General… count me in.”
    –Leia Organa

With the Star Wars®: Age of Rebellion™ Roleplaying Game, you and your friends gain the opportunity to fight for a cause greater than any one person. As members of the Rebel Alliance, you’ll undertake desperate and daring missions to help undermine the evil Galactic Empire and restore freedom to the galaxy!

In Age of Rebellion, your success is vital to the Rebellion. It’s vital to the Rebellion’s next intelligence operation or military success, and it’s vital to the people you know and for whom you care. Your missions are matters of life or death. Your actions touch upon the fates of hundreds of planets and thousands of Rebels. This is war, and you must prevail, no matter the odds.

Heroes of the Rebellion

One of the ways that Age of Rebellion grounds you in the civil war raging between the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance is through its use of Duty.

In an earlier preview, lead developer Andrew Fischer explored the concept of Duty as it relates to character creation and advancement, as well as the Game Master’s ability to shape the campaign. Still, it’s worth noting that Duty is a positive mechanic in Age of Rebellion. Players want their characters to accrue Duty points; the more they receive, the more they’re recognized, and the more central they become to the Rebel Alliance and its efforts.

In turn, this means that Age of Rebellion is a relatively selfless gaming experience, and your character is a true hero. He or she isn’t hunting credits or swindling other con artists at a sabacc table; your character’s using his or her talents to aid the Rebellion.

• Fly your starfighter into battle alongside other Rebels.
• Rally talented scientists to the Rebellion’s cause.
• Operate a listening post deep undercover in Imperial territories.
• Launch guerrilla strikes against Imperial supply ships.

The variety of missions you can undertake are limited only by your imagination, but whatever you do, you’re doing it for the good of the galaxy. You’re risking your life to free others from the tyranny of an evil, authoritarian regime.

Even the careers and specializations you’ll find in the Age of Rebellion Core Rulebook suggest that your conflicts may resonate with other actions on a much grander scope. Careers like the Commander and the Diplomat are well-suited to players who want to keep an eye on the bigger picture. One of the Engineer specializations, the Scientist, is all about devising new ways to help the Rebel Alliance stay in the fight against the much richer Galactic Empire and its newest technological advances. Even the Soldier career suggests a character’s role within a larger conflict; its specializations – the Commando, Medic, and Sharpshooter – all lead characters into clearly defined roles that are meant to interact well with their teammates and other members of the Rebel Alliance.

In Age of Rebellion, you and your friends are the protagonists of your adventures, but those stories are defined by your roles within the Rebel Alliance. You’re heroes, but you’re not the only ones.

Fighting for Galactic Freedom

It’s important that the characters in Age of Rebellion are part of a force greater than themselves because they’re fighting against an overwhelming military force that no single individual could possibly hope to withstand.

The evil Galactic Empire has subjugated countless worlds. Its Navy uses Star Destroyers and swarms of TIE fighters to spread fear through the galaxy. It marches across battlefields with AT-AT walkers. Its military presence in the galaxy is completely unmatched.

Despite this fact, the Rebel Alliance continues to fight. Massively outnumbered and outgunned, the Rebellion must rely on tactics other than pitched battles to strike at Imperial forces. Defeat and retreat against the superior foe is common, and victories are hard-won. Living to fight another day is essential to the success of the Rebellion. Retreat is often not only a wise long-term move; it is built into Rebel battle planning.

The Age of Rebellion Core Rulebook allows you to participate in the countless skirmishes, battles, and incidents that occur between the Rebellion and Empire, and you’ll find a vast array of the Empire’s mightiest weapons brought to life amid the book’s sections on adversaries, vehicles, and starships. You’ll also find stat blocks for Rebel starfighters like the X-wing, A-wing, and B-wing, but none of these ships will hold up long against a full squad of TIE fighters or TIE interceptors. Ultimately, you’ll need to learn how to coordinate your actions with the rest of the Rebellion in order to make your shots count.

Hope, Faith, and Courage

Members of the Rebel Alliance don’t live easy lives. Instead, they devote themselves to the cause of galactic freedom. Against the unparalleled military prowess of the Galactic Empire, they rely upon cunning tactics and each other.

We’ll look more closely at Rebel tactics and the Rebellion’s unique view of the galaxy in our next preview. After that, we’ll explore the new starships and vehicles appearing in the Core Rulebook, along with the rules for Barrage starship actions that allow players to run meaningful capital ship encounters within the timeframe of a single gaming session. Then, in our final preview, we’ll look at the Core Rulebook’s adventure, Perlemian Haul, and how it serves as an example of the type of adventures you can expect during your service to the Rebel Alliance.

You’ll soon have your chance to make your mark in the Galactic Civil War. The Age of Rebellion Core Rulebook is scheduled to arrive at retailers everywhere early next month. Head to your local retailer to pre-order your copy today!

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