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Tales of the Jedi Sourcebook

Discussion in 'Archive: Games: RPG & Miniatures' started by Koohii, Feb 2, 2009.

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  1. Koohii

    Koohii Jedi Master star 5

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    May 30, 2003
    OK, for some reason, this was the last (or close to the last) sourcebook to really come out for WEG d6 Star Wars. This is silly, because it's what about 75% of people seem to want to play at some point or other. On the other hand, as a result of being the last book, it was able to list all the force powers introduced elsewhere into a single book, so you don't have to flip through the other 20 or so volumes looking for _____ force power (like if you were trying to make a complete list of LVL1 spells in D&D 2nd ed).
    Color insert in the middle has covers of DarkHorse comics (kinda nice).
    There's info about the characters from the DarkHorse comics (if you want their stats for some reason).

    All in all, a good, solid book with almost everything you could want for playing a jedi character.
     
  2. Rogue_Thunder

    Rogue_Thunder FanForce CR, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada star 6

    Registered:
    Jan 7, 2003
    I had the pleasure of actually getting my hands on this book once, when I borrowed it from a friend to use some of the info in the for a campaign I was writing. It's an awesome book and I only wish it had a Saga edition counterpart in a be all end all sourcebook for all things relating to the Force.

    I don't even play d6, but if I found it at my LGS for a reasonable price I'd jump on it.
     
  3. Jedi_Matt

    Jedi_Matt Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 11, 2002
    I bought mine off ebay for about $75. At the time though it was about $2 US to the UK Pound sterling so it worked out not so bad.

    This is one of about three of the WEG books that commands a high price, I don't know how many were produced but maybe as it was WEG's last book, this had something to do with it?

     
  4. Jedi_Dajuan

    Jedi_Dajuan Administrator Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Dec 30, 2002
    Holy crap that's expensive for a book. I saw one of WEG's books in a toy shop a couple years ago. Now I wish I'd have picked it up!
     
  5. Vrook_Lamar

    Vrook_Lamar Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    May 12, 2008
    Hopefully the Jedi Academy book out in May will be a bit like that.
     
  6. Darth_Reese

    Darth_Reese Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Mar 8, 2009
    What is a source book?
     
  7. JediAlly

    JediAlly Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 31, 2000

    Considering one of the main themes for the forthcoming Fate of the Jedi series - Luke and Ben retracing Jacen's five-year sojourn, I don't think this sourcebook will do that.
     
  8. Rogue_Thunder

    Rogue_Thunder FanForce CR, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada star 6

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    Jan 7, 2003
    How do ya figure?
     
  9. Leto II

    Leto II Jedi Padawan star 6

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    Jan 23, 2000
    Yeah, I don't see the Jedi Training Manual giving much up on Jacen's missing years, except what the first couple of FotJ books will have in them. It's probably going to end up basically being a "Saga"-updating of the 2002 Power of the Jedi Sourcebook.

    Which I'm all for, incidentally.
     
  10. JediAlly

    JediAlly Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Oct 31, 2000
    I figure the manual's going to be a combination of the following:

    A Saga conversion of Tales of the Jedi Handbook, Powers of the Jedi, and tidbits from the Dark Side Sourcebook that hadn't been brought into the other sourcebooks.
    An overview of the Jedi training methods from the KOTOR era covered in the KOTOR/DLOS/TSW/Redemption comics, the Prequel trilogy, the New Republic Era, the NJO/DN, and maybe the Legacy era that wasn't covered in the recent Legacy Campaign guide.
    A listing of prominent Jedi who hadn't been given Saga stats yet. This is what I'm hoping for when it comes to the Luke's first twelve students, the Solo kids and their friends, and even Vima Sunrider.

    As for other Force traditions, I can see the Matukai (from Hero's Guide), the Baran Do (from Hero's Guide), the Zeison Sha (from Hero's Guide), the Fallanassi, the Theran Listeners, and maybe the Ta-Ree Ascendants from the DarkStryder campaign. However, the information on these traditions would be limited to what's been published pre-FOTJ and perhaps pre-LOTF.
     
  11. Leto II

    Leto II Jedi Padawan star 6

    Registered:
    Jan 23, 2000
    Although I wouldn't be surprised to see most Sith lore getting held in reserve for a future DS Sourcebook-updating, unless this new volume mentions various Sithly tidbits in a "What You Need To KNOW!" training head's-up type of thing for Jedi characters. Especially with the new MMO coming out, and with lots of Dark Side material from there that wouldn't have made it into the KotOR CG, I can understand LFL and WotC wanting to put out another book dedicated to just that content alone.

    That said, I certainly wouldn't mind an expanded, non-Jedi-centric "non-traditional Force-users" section in this new one, since the Jedi tend to soak up most of the page-space whenever it comes up. There are probably lots of folks out there who are interested in playing a different class of Force-user other than a Jedi.

    The "Jal Shey" would be another logical one to expand upon, especially since Karen Traviss recently used their backstory in the Clone Wars movie novelization (along with the Kilian Rangers, IIRC). I also predict the "Gray Paladins" making an appearance somewhere in this one. Let my Jedi carry a blaster and shoot crap, and I'll die a happy lad.
     
  12. Jedi_Matt

    Jedi_Matt Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 11, 2002
    I played a Force warrior in a previous game, so I hope this is carried over somehow
     
  13. FlareStorm

    FlareStorm Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Nov 13, 2000
    I own this, probably got it at a used bookstore or something long ago. Don't remember it much, wasn't interested in the era. Dang I should ebay it!
     
  14. Leto II

    Leto II Jedi Padawan star 6

    Registered:
    Jan 23, 2000
    Fie upon thee, sir.
     
  15. Koohii

    Koohii Jedi Master star 5

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    May 30, 2003
    Well, if you don't want it, I'm sure someone here would be happy to have it...

    Actually, the era doesn't really matter. Having all of the Force material in one place instead of bouncing between 5-8 different materials is what makes this such a darn spiffy book.
     
  16. Leto II

    Leto II Jedi Padawan star 6

    Registered:
    Jan 23, 2000
    Sez you. [face_mischief]

    True, the book's packed with more Force-info than you can shake a lightwhip at (it even boasts this on the cover), but up until the KotOR CG hit last year, there wasn't another RPG source on this time period which was this detailed and specific on so many things, despite only going up to the start of the Great Sith War proper.

    (Imagine if WEG hadn't gone under when they did -- "The Sith War Companion," anyone?)

    Nor one which fleshed out so many minor TotJ side-characters and added so much new, crunchy detail to the era outside of the comics themselves. Even if you're playing Saga Edition and you're remotely interested in the period, grab this one and use it alongside the KotOR sourcebook. It's more than worth its weight in gold.
     
  17. Koohii

    Koohii Jedi Master star 5

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    May 30, 2003
    Well, I suppose, but we really just build our own pre SW universe set 80 years before ANH. Of course, that was also pre TotJ comics, so we really didn't care about them. The comics didn't start coming out until after we'd been playing for 3 years.
    We were using 4 or 5 books when having to look up info to make powerful jedi & anti-jedi villains.
     
  18. FlareStorm

    FlareStorm Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Nov 13, 2000
    back in my d6 days (which would be pre-prequel days) we didn't use jedi or the force much. Everyone was Han Solo-esque or Bounty Hunters or something.

    You kids and your new fanged force classes :mad:
     
  19. Leto II

    Leto II Jedi Padawan star 6

    Registered:
    Jan 23, 2000
    Yeah. I too sometimes pine for the old D6 days when you actually had to use guns and crap in your "kill-all-the-Stormtroopers" campaign, instead of six out of seven party members all packing lightsabers and Jedi Prestige classes and Jedi Feats.

    Sigh.
     
  20. Jedi_Matt

    Jedi_Matt Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 11, 2002
    I blame Darth Maul for that, he was so cool in TPM. While Luke was awesome in RotJ, the shot to the back of his hand showed that Jedi weren't perfect against opponents armed with blasters. Hell, Lightsaber Combat wasn't worth having if you didn't have more than 3D in sense & control.

    Now younglings are batting blaster bolts away like flitnats.
     
  21. Koohii

    Koohii Jedi Master star 5

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    May 30, 2003
    eh, Luke getting shot in the hand was just to remind everyone that it was artificial cyber prothetic.
    Darth clown, er, Maul did not work for me--I didn't think he was hot stuff, but I can understand why the wushu/wire-fu combination would appeal to the youngsters.
    The utter crap coming out of the novels also explains why everyone is trying to munchkin jedi powers into every single character class. It is a sorry thing indeed.

    One of the great strengths of D6 is that anyone (except a bounty hunter) could be partly jedi, but you really had to want it. If you didn't start off as Force sensative, it cost 20 points to become FS. Then it cost 20 points for your first 1D of Control or Sense or Alter, and another 20 for each one you developed afterward. On top of that, it cost twice as much to advance those powers as it did other skills. Now, with a teacher (someone with at least 7D), the costs were halved (10 points each, advance at normal skill rate), but that's still a huge investment. All the while everyone else is advancing their character skills by leaps and bounds.

    Yeah, you needed 3D in both control & sense to use lightsaber combat well. On the other you could have that as a starting character if you were willing to sacrifice the development of other skills. (2 of you starting 7 dice get added to each, and probablly throw 2D onto Lightsaber skill under dex)
     
  22. Jedi_Matt

    Jedi_Matt Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 11, 2002
    I thought that to start with Control/Sense/Alter you had to sacrifice an Attribute die rather than a skill die, which is a better representation of the 20 skill/character points cost.

    This meant that your Human character would have 16D spread between the 6 attributes to have 1D in control and 1D in sense, then skill die could be used to improve them.

    Is that right? I don't have my books in my back pocket :D


    What Koohii says is right though, the Force in D6 was a deep investment, and you had to be good about it, too many transgressions and you were soon dark-side-loopy (but that's a different discussion!).

    This investment means that to learn the first steps in the Force, the d20 OCR equivalent investment could be for a soldier to increase their average defense by 3. That's quite some cost (3 level increases) as opposed to say... taking Force Sensitive feat instead of... weapon focus.

    I always pictured Jedi to be rubbish until they were about 20, learning more about the theory I guess.
     
  23. Koohii

    Koohii Jedi Master star 5

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    May 30, 2003
    yes, if you start as a jedi, each of your first 1D force powers cost one of your attribute dice. But once you have them, you could use your skill dice to improve them. Thus, your starting character would have 16 dice to split among 6 primary attributes (instead of the 18 everyone else had) but would have 1d of Control and 1D of Sense.
    From there you could add 2 of your 7 skill dice to each one to have 3D of Control and 3D of Sense, leaving you with 3D to add to other skills. Usually, Lightsaber Skill would gobble up 2D, which left the character with only 1D to use to improve 1 skill--a pretty serious investment, since improving an attibute was bordering on impossible (minimum 10 skill points but ususally 20 or 30 to add +1 pip to a 1D attribute, plus spending 6 months of Game Time out of commission while you improved that one stat) One die = 3 pips, so 30 to 90 skill points to counter EACH of the starting 1D put into a force power at character creation plus 18 months out of Game Time action.
    The most skill points any character has acquired in one of the campaigns I've been in is less than 200 over the course of over a year of gaming.
    Thus, that starting attribute die is extremely expensive.
    But, you start right off the bat being able to swing a lightsaber arround and cut through enemies like cheezewiz.

    The efficient use of skill points is to start force-sensative (which is free so long as your character obeys the laws of conduct--a role-playing factor) hope your GM is Generous enough to allow you to find a teacher early on or even to start with one, and spend the skill points over time to develop the powers. With a teacher, 3D of both Control and Sense would cost 74 skill points. That would take a very, very long time in the campaigns I've been in, but it would be possible. Without the teacher, 148 points.
     
  24. FlareStorm

    FlareStorm Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Nov 13, 2000
    Anyone need it, I'll part with mine
     
  25. Koohii

    Koohii Jedi Master star 5

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    May 30, 2003
    Somewhere, I messed up my math on the last bit about the most efficient way to build up a jedi. With teacher, it should cost 56 points to have 3D of Control and Sense.
     
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