Uprising: The First Step Beyond Jedi

Today Star Wars.com announced the upcoming release of the mobile phone game Star Wars: Uprising. This is the first official canonical story to take place after the events of Return of the Jedi. Here is the teaser snippet:

In the days following the Battle of Endor and the fall of the Emperor, the Anoat sector has been locked down by the Empire. 

With the Rebel Alliance on the other side of the Iron Blockade, it falls to the sector’s smugglers, freedom fighters, bounty hunters and gangsters to join forces and form an uprising.

Based on the trailer, it looks like the Imperial machine is still chugging along even without the Emperor and his Number One. They are going full blown containment here. Does this mean that the battle weary and depleted Rebel forces are hemmed in by the Empire? Has Admiral Ackbar fallen into another trap?

The Anoat Sector is made up of several systems. The three systems mentioned for this game so far is Hoth, Cloud City (Bespin), and a new location - Burnin Konn. This last location is a chromium mining facility (perhaps this is the source material for Captain Phasma's armor?). It is also teased that Cloud City did in fact end up with an Imperial Garrison, though that isn't really surprising.

In terms of characters, there is the new Trade Spine League for smugglers and bounty hunters. There is also the nobles faction which is a secret group trying to survive since the rise of the Empire.

There is a female assassin named Deathstick, who seems to be more protagonist than antagonist. Another character is Riley, who is a female thief and has a younger sister. Lastly, there is Commander Bragh who is the leader of the Purge Troopers that are pretty much bad news for the Rebels.

This looks really cool and I am very happy this is coming out for smart phones and tablets since I don't own a gaming console and don't have time for one either!

You can see all the details, watch the trailer, and pre-register to get in-game goodies here:

https://playstarwarsuprising.com/

UPDATE:

I wonder if this game will cause a snag in continuity. At the end of Return of the Jedi in the special edition (which is the official canonical version), after the destruction of Death Star II, we see a sequence of planets celebrating the fall of the Emperor. These worlds were Coruscant, Naboo, and Cloud City. Cloud City is located in Bespin, which is part of the Anoat Sector. So the game will have to explain why everyone on Cloud City was celebrating the death of the Emperor when that information was suppressed by Empire.

Edge of the Empire RPG

In celebration of the second annual International Tabletop Game Day, here are my thoughts on the Star Wars role playing game, Edge of the Empire. If you are looking for tips in preparing for the day, take a look at this post on Geek Dad.

I have not played a lot of role playing games, but I used to pour over the Advanced Dungeon & Dragon rulebooks as a kid. I studied the Player's Handbook and the Dungeon Master's Guide so much I could probably tell you what is on every page. I spent more time creating characters than actually playing the thing.

I never went further than that when it came to this kind of tabletop gaming. I've flirted with the idea of getting back into tabletop RPG (or rather actually playing the thing). However, I would quickly get overwhealmed by the complicated dice and table look-ups and the sheer enormity of the various worlds.

That being said, I am very pleasantly surprised to have discovered one of the latest RPG releases from Fantasy Flight Games - Edge of the Empire. It is a simple system that emphasizes storytelling over elaborate calculations and look-up tables. The key is a collection of specialized dice that have various symbols on them. To make a skill check you get to add good dice (the number and type depends on your character's proficiency & situation) as well as bad dice (depending on your opponent's skills & situation). You roll the pool of dice and see if you end up with more good rolls than bad rolls. It really is that easy!

I won't go into a full review because (1) I still haven't played the game yet and, (2) there are plenty of more reputable sources you find on the web that do a much better job than I ever could! However, here is a summary of what is currently available for this game:

INTRODUCTORY MATERIALS

Beginner Box - This is like the old D & D red box where you get a much reduced rulebook, pre-made characters, dice, and a streamlined adventure, called Escape from Mos Shuuta. It is the try before you buy sampler, which I think is a fantastic idea. I bought the newly revised D&D red box and, though I haven't played it, I feel like I have a good idea what it is like. I am not a big fan of the maps and miniatures that seem to be common among RPG systems these days. I guess I am too old school for that. I am glad that it seems the Edge of Empire RPG does not rely so much on miniatures. This is a perfect place to start with this RPG (released Dec 14, 2012)

The Long Arm of the Hutts - This is a free downloadable adventure from Fantasy Flight Games that continues the story, Escape from Mos Shuuta, started in the Beginner's Game. It also includes two more pre-generated character folios. (released Dec 14, 2012)

CORE MATERIALS

Core Rulebook - Unlike D&D, there is just one rulebook for both player and game-master to use. I like that approach. While it possibly makes it more expensive, it is just more convenient and compact. Apparently the adventure that begins with the Beginner Box continues with the sample adventure, Trouble Brewing, included here. (released Jul 5, 2013)

Game Master's Kit - This kit includes a screen to hide the the actions of the GM, as needed. It also has the adventure, Debts to Pay, included. (released Jul 5, 2013).

ADVENTURES

Under a Black Sun - This adventure was made available during the 2013 Free RPG day. (released Jun 15, 2013)

Beyond the Rim - This is the first full length adventure set in the Edge of the Empire RPG. It is a 3-act adventure. (released Sep 6, 2013)

The Jewel of Yavin - This is the second full length adventure set in the Edge of the Empire RPG. (To be release Q1 2014)

SUPPLEMENTS

Enter the Unknown - This is the first rule supplement that expands the Explorer career (released Dec 6, 2013)

Suns of Fortune - This is a sourcebook supplement for the Corellian system. There are new weapons, ships, and races included here (released Jan 24, 2014).

Dangerous Covenants - This is the second rule supplement that expands the Hired Gun career (released Feb 28, 2014)

Specialization Decks - There are several specialization deck cards available for the each of the paths within each career.

This series is just one of three cross-compatible series planned by Fantasy Flight Games. The other two, Age of the Rebellion and Force & Destiny are due out in 2014 and 2015, respectively. The beta test version of Rebellion was released in September 2013.

If you want to see the downloadable content from Fantasy Flights Games, follow this link.

Star Wars on QuizUp

I first learned about the mobile phone trivia game, QuizUp, on the fantastic Star Wars news site, Jedi News. They were spreading the word that the Star Wars OT topic was just posted on the app. OT is short for Original Trilogy, which is my personal favorite time period for the Star Wars saga. Since downloading the app I have been hooked on it! Not only do they have Star Wars OT, but also a Star Wars topic that spans all six films.

You can challenge your friends and family and see how you rank with people nearby, in your state, in your country, and in the world. It is a blast taking on a trivia challenge with someone in Singapore, then the UK, then Texas.

But the app has much more than Star Wars trivia - a lot more. There is a topic for just about any subject you can think of - 18th Century History, Name That Food, Harry Potter Spells, Logos, Disney, Jane Austen, Downton Abbey, Grammar, and even Star Trek (just to name a few).

Now just today, the Star Wars Expanded Universe just went live. I am excited for many reasons, but I must admit one of those reasons is that I wrote about 250 of the questions! I hope I did a good enough job and that everyone enjoys them.

If you haven't tried the app yet, you should! The Android version came out just a day or two ago, so it should be widely available now.