My “tabletop story” is very recent compared to some out there. My husband and some of his friends have been playing tabletop RPG games (role playing games) like Dungeons and Dragons since they were in elementary school, and I know they’re not the only ones. On the other hand, I know friends that started playing after I did, spurred on by things like Critical Role, and Penny Arcade’s Acquisitions Incorporated.
I started playing Dungeons and Dragons with friends when my husband and I moved to North Dakota, and we were all newbies compared to him. (We were of the, OMG! Critical Role is so cool!’ crowd.) And I loved it. I’ve always loved writing, so I was writing stories all the time about the fictional characters I would dream up, and this was that turned up to eleven. I got to BE said fictional character.
About a year and a half ago (give or take, probably closer to two years now), a friend of ours (part of our DnD group), told me about some people he knew through his work, fellow Star Wars fans who wanted to get start up their own tabletop group. I don’t even think he finished his sentence by the time I was done asking where the heck I signed up. I had a couple of the beginner kits from Fantasy Flight Games’ line of Star Wars RPG’s, but was always too nervous to try and start my own group.
Age of Rebellion was the system we were going to play, and it couldn’t have been a better choice for someone like me! It’s set during the timeline of the original movies, meaning the big, bad Empire is still big and bad, and you’re taking them on as some sort of member of the Rebel Alliance. It’s similar to playing a high-fantasy campaign such as what you’ll find in Dungeons and Dragons, with a few differences that make the system truly unique.
Take the dice pool, for example. In Dungeons and Dragons, outcomes and such are determined by more traditional dice; dice with numbers on them, ranging from 20-sided to 3-sided. In the Star Wars RPG series from Fantasy Flight, the dice pool is much smaller, consisting of seven different dice that don’t have numbers, but icons meaning success, failure, advantage or threat. To me, it makes for a much more interesting way to tell stories.
Fantasy Flight Games has three standalone RPG systems for Star Wars, but they’re all made to work together. Age of Rebellion has you taking the fight to the Empire as a member of the Rebel Alliance, Edge of the Empire gives you the chance to experience life on the edges of the galaxy, and Force and Destiny gives players the opportunity to tap into your inner Jedi. (Like my next character will be!)
I’m in no rush, though, to end things with my current character, Fiona Ralle (pronounced like Raleigh in North Carolina). She’s a Corellian ‘Slicer’ (a hacker, if you’re wondering), with a somewhat volatile past.
Fiona’s inspiration came from a few characters on television, but I’m saving that for part 2!