GenCon announcements Day3 (Updated)

So last bit of news from Saturday...FASA is back, as heard on This Just in from GenCon...James Sutton was on with the crew, and this is the first I found out about this info! Also, Jeff Laubenstein is back as Art Director, which is great, his artwork made Shadowrun and Earthdawn the games they were! A 6th world game is in the works, as a post-apocalyptic game. James says to watch out for what's coming out. Even numbered ages are the high magic ages. It looks like RedBrick is moving away from RPGs, while FASA will reabsorb Earthdawn, and RedBrick's current licenses, as I understand it from the interview they did with James Sutton.

If you're a Star Wars fan, and have been waiting for a new Star Wars RPG to hit, Fantasy Flight Games has released a beta of their new Star Wars Beta for the first of their new line of Star Wars RPGs. Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Beta They're following in the steps of Paizo by releasing a Beta version, but I don't see a PDF Beta yet, I think not releasing a PDF version would be a misstep. Especially at a $29.95 price tag for a Beta test....


Fantasy Flight Games is pleased to invite you to the Star Wars®: Edge of the Empire beta test! For over three decades, the Star Wars universe has inspired the imaginations and captured the hearts of generations of fans. Now, we invite you to indulge your creativity and lose yourselves in the fantastic world of the Star Wars Roleplaying experience.

To encapsulate the operatic grandeur of the Star Wars universe, the Star Wars Roleplaying Game will be presented in three epic installments. These take place during the height of the Rebel Alliance’s struggle against the Galactic Empire. Star Wars: Edge of the Empire is the first of these installments, focusing on the fringes of society, on the scum and villainy of the galaxy and the explorers and colonists of the Outer Rim. 
In this game, players take on the roles of hard-hearted bounty hunters, roguish scoundrels, charming smugglers, or fearless explorers trying to survive and thrive on the edges of civilization. Visit our description page to learn more.

In the second installment, Star Wars: Age of Rebellion, the players take the fight to the oppressive Galactic Empire as cunning spies, cocky pilots, and dedicated soldiers in the Rebel Alliance. Finally, in Star Wars: Force and Destiny, the players become figures of legend; the last surviving Force users in the galaxy. Hunted by the Empire, they must stay alive, and more importantly, stay true to the ideals of their forebearers—the fabled Jedi. Each of these independent game lines stands alone as a unique gaming experience while fully integrating with the others to form a single unified system.

We here at FFG invite you to join us in the process of creating the best Star Wars Roleplaying experience possible. The Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Beta is a limited edition, 224-page softcover rulebook, and it's a complete game that provides players and Game Masters with all the tools they need to play countless games of Edge of the Empire.
However, it is important to note that some of the elements in this beta are not representative of the final product. Much of the art and background material has been removed to provide a more concise playtesting experience.

Protagonist Games RAWR RPG, A kid's oriented RPG, with a simple system designed for the short attention span crowd. Kids versus the things that go bump in the night...



Pelgrane Press released 11 items at GenCon, that's a LOT. The most intriguing for me is Night's Black Agents by Ken Hite dropped at GenCon, this is the first I'd heard about it, a modern era horror game, where you play ex-agents hunting down monsters...nice.



From listening to the podcasts, it seems the Con is expanding, the game community is expanding, more kids, and females and older folks attending GenCon, that's encouraging!

Wednesday Night at Pair A Dice

It's good to have the boys on Summer vacation, we were able to head over to Pair A Dice after I got off work and play some. We tried out Fantasy Flight's Lord of the Rings LCG. (Living Card Game). A Living Card Game is one which has booster pack style expansions, but they're not collectible, they're set cards. Well we played the store's base copy, it plays pretty cool, it's a cooperative game so making sure your friends survive is definitely a priority. It's a well thought out game that's not always winnable. One of the cool things is that you can actually play it solo, it's designed that way, not like playing Monopoly by yourself solo, but like playing solitaire, Solitaire for the LotR Geek.

I'm not sure I'll ever buy it at the $60 price tag. It does have the standard Fantasy Flight mark of quality. With thick cardboard pieces, a 'threat' counter that you would pay $10 for easily if bought separately and you get 2 of them. The problem with LCGs is like most of games, you 'want' to have all the cards...MUST HAVE ALL TEH CARDS..../drool.

Use the Force FFG

Fantasy Flight Games announces the Star Wars Minis and Star Wars Cooperative Card Game

Announced BEFORE GenCon. I was wondering where the licensing would land after it was not renewed by Wizards of the Coast. I was hoping beyond hope that a FATE system would be the next Star Wars, but was pretty sure none of the FATE Publishers had the cash for that license. (Being one of the most costly to procure.)

However FFG Does have a really nice line of Board Games, and RPGs. Though I'm a little afraid of a $60 core rulebook for the RPG. See back when minimum wage was $4.75 in CA, a rulebook cost $12, now the minimum wage is $8 and a core rulebook costs between $35 and $60. However I still feel the value of RPGs is excellent. For the cost of a family going to the movies for one evening, you can purchase a core rulebook, and have many evenings of creative fun.

I look forward to reacting to more news from GenCon (Since I'm not there in the flesh)