The Long Arm of the HuttA Free Adventure for the Star Wars(R): Edge of the Empire(TM) Beginner Game
The Star Wars®: Edge of the Empire™ Beginner Game is poised to introduce new and veteran roleplayers to exciting adventures on the fringes of galactic society. The perfect starting point for roleplaying in the Star Wars galaxy, the Beginner Game includes a complete learn-as-you-go adventure, plus all the references and components three to five players need to experience it.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve explored what new players can expect when opening their Beginner Game and we’ve discussed the core dice mechanic that gives Edge of the Empire its unique narrative focus. Then, in our last preview, we looked at character advancement, and we concluded with a promise that the excitement doesn’t end when you’ve finished the game’s included adventure.
Today, we’ll discuss the first steps new Game Masters can take as they move beyond the introductory adventure and into a whole galaxy of excitement. First, we’ll discuss “The Long Arm of the Hutt,” the free downloadable Beginner Game adventure that’s now available on our support page! Then we’ll detail the process for advancing Beginner Game characters beyond their first adventures and describe the resources available to the GM to enhance the game. Finally, we’ll discuss creating your own brand new adventures in the Star Wars galaxy!
The Long Arm of the Hutt
The included adventure in the Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Beginner Game is entitled “Escape From Mos Shuuta.” Presuming that all goes well for the Hero Players, by the end of the adventure they will have - Spoiler alert! - escaped from the crime-ridden Tatooine spaceport of Mos Shuuta and are ready to embark on a galaxy-spanning adventure!
Even if the Hero Players have been successful in that adventure, that doesn’t mean they’ve escaped their own shadowy pasts. After all, even in a galaxy as expansive as that in Star Wars, you carry your reputation (and your problems) with you wherever you go. Can the players escape the grasp of a ruthless and influential crime lord once and for all?
Today, FFG is pleased to announce the release of “The Long Arm of the Hutt” (low res pdf, 2.4 MB) a totally free pdf adventure designed to serve as a sequel to “Escape from Mos Shuuta”! Now available on our support page, “The Long Arm of the Hutt” continues the action immediately after “Escape from Mos Shuuta.” Throughout this comprehensive 46-page adventure, the Hero Players will travel from the Ryll mines of Ryloth to the noble courts of Geonosis as they seek to escape the ire of a powerful Hutt crime lord. With an exciting blend of action and intrigue, “The Long Arm of the Hutt” is an ideal next-step for groups just finding their stride in the Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Beginner Game. The multi-session adventure is also suitable for veteran roleplayers, providing 20 hours or more of additional gameplay!
How to Proceed
Having finished the included learn-as-you-play adventure, both the GM and the Hero Players alike will have developed considerable knowledge of the Edge of the Empire setting and mechanics. The training wheels can now come off, and while your group will still be relative novices, they will be more comfortable improvising, adapting, and facing a wider array of narrative choices. There are two main resources that the group should consult as they proceed: the Rulebook and the final spread in the Character Folios.
Let’s begin with the Rulebook. Marked “Read This Book Last,” the Rulebook provides a quick and easy reference both during and after “Escape from Mos Shuuta.” Having played through “Escape From Mos Shuuta,” both the GM and the Hero Players should have a strong grasp of the mechanics of the Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Beginner Game. However, reading the rulebook will give all players a better, more detailed understanding of the rules of the game. Subjects that were addressed in a more limited fashion in the introductory adventure are expanded and described in detail.
The Rulebook presents essentially the same mechanics as the Adventure Book, but in a format more conducive to quick referencing.
The Rulebook also describes how player characters can spend experience points to improve their skills and talents, which brings us to the next important resource. In our last preview, we met Lowhhrick the Wookiee Hired Gun, and we saw how the Beginner Game guides players through spending their first ten experience points. Essentially, that advancement is as simple as turning the page in Lowhhrick’s Character Folio, then spending the XP on a pre-determined menu of choices. Indeed, those ten XP are enough to see Lowhhrick through the remainder of “Escape from Mos Shuuta”; he won’t have another opportunity to advance unless he and his compatriots succeed in that adventure. At that time, he’ll again turn the page in his Character Folio (to the final two-page spread), this time finding something very different than before.
The final spread of Lowhhrick’s Character Folio, used only if his player chooses to adventure beyond “Escape from Mos Shuuta.” Click to enlarge.
Upon first turning this page, Lowhhrick’s player should simply transcribe the stats and other pertinent information from the previous page (in pencil). Later, as he gains and spends further XP, acquires new equipment, and grows as a character, his player will edit the sheet accordingly.
What’s more, on the right side of this spread, Lowhhrick’s Talent Tree clearly displays the paths that his talent selections might take. If you remember our previous article, then you’ll remember that Lowhhrick’s player selected the “Toughened” and “Feral Strength” talents when spending his first ten XP. Now, therefore, that player should mark those two talents on this spread as well.
Two New Bonus Characters!
Two more pre-generated characters, Sasha the Explorer and Mathus the Technician, are on our support page for download, adding more character options for players. Any of these six characters can be used to undertake the escape from Mos Shuuta and then continue their adventures in the “Long Arm of the Hutt.” If you’ve already played through the first adventure with any of the original four characters, we recommend continuing into “Long Arm of the Hutt” with that character. If Pash the Smuggler, Oskara the Bounty Hunter, Lowhhrick the Hired Gun, or 41-VEX the Colonist didn’t appeal to you, then try stepping into the shoes of Sasha or Mathus to begin your adventure anew!
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What comes after that is up to Lowhhrick’s player. After each adventure or session, his GM will award him more experience points to spend. Hopefully, the Wookiee Hired Gun will live a long and profitable life, and he’ll continue to grow over the course of his adventures on the Outer Rim. If that’s the case, Lowhhrick’s player will find his Character Folio open-ended enough to accommodate that growth.
Going Further
Between the rules in the Rulebook, the information at the end of each character folio, and the free downloadable adventure, your Edge of the Empire Beginner Game group has everything they need for many more sessions of play. (We estimate 5-6 more evenings of gameplay from the free downloadable adventure) But eventually you will exhaust even those options. When that happens, it’s time to start making your own adventures and telling your own stories. The Rulebook includes an adversaries chapter with a selection of classic Star Wars allies and villains to populate your adventures, and there’s a wealth of Star Wars content already available to mine for ideas and inspiration. You can tell any sort of story you like with the tools given to you, and even create your own NPCs, starships, and even whole worlds to populate your game.
The galaxy’s the limit in the Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Beginner Game. Visit your local game store Monday to pick up your copy, and begin your adventures in a galaxy far, far away!
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The Long Arm of the Hutt
