Review by Mike Mistele

Star Wars Introductory Adventure Game
published by West End Games

1997 Boxed Set,  US $19.95 Suggested Retail Price

One of the biggest challenges faced by role-playing games (RPGs) is recruiting new players. This is made more difficult by the fact that many of these games are complicated, and frequently seem to be best learned from someone who already knows how to play. Many potential players, particularly kids, who haven't previously played RPGs either don't have a veteran player to teach them, or are daunted by the games' complexity. Recognizing this, some manufacturers have produced stripped-down versions of their games for novice players. For example, TSR has used the Dungeon! board game and various incarnations of the D&D "boxed set" to get players into fantasy role-playing; once players became familiar with the basic concepts, they can graduate to the more complex AD&D rules.

    West End Games, apparently sensing a need for a basic version of their Star Wars Roleplaying Game (SWRPG), has introduced the Star Wars Introductory Adventure Game. The timing for this new product seems to be ideal, with the resurgent interest in anything and everything Star Wars (thanks to the popularity of the Special Editions and the upcoming Prequels).

What's in the Box? Player Booklet Character Sheets Narrator Booklet Adventure Book 64 Color Cards 7 Maps Stand-Up Characters 6 Dice

The Introductory Adventure Game (IAG) is a boxed set that contains everything one would need to start a Star Wars roleplaying campaign except for players. Iit's a pretty good value for the money: $19.95 gets you a box that's crammed full of "stuff." The set contains 4 booklets (2 digest-sized rules booklets, a full-sized "Adventure Book," and a booklet of character templates), 4 sheets of cardboard stand-up figures (reminiscent of Steve Jackson Games' old "Cardboard Heroes" products), 8 sheets of color "character cards" (used to show the players who or what they're facing), 4 11" x 17" maps, and 6 dice.

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT
As RPGs go, SWRPG is a fairly simple system, and I have never found it to be difficult to teach the game to a new player. However, the rules have evolved over 10 years (and two revisions); while these revisions have generally made it a better game, they have also made it harder for a truly novice player to learn. The IAG is essentially a simplified version of the SWRPG rules, written in a simpler style. In fact, the IAG's rules are a whole lot like the original, easy-to-learn 1st Edition rules for SWRPG.

     For those of you who are familiar with the current SWRPG, the primary differences between those rules and the IAG are:

• Simplified lists of skills (e.g., one skill called Starship Piloting covers flying any starship)
• No Wild Die
• Simplified movement rules
• No initiative rolls: unless they are surprised, the player characters always go first
• Adventures take place only during the time of the SW movies

     The Player's Booklet explains what role-playing is all about. It leads the player through a short solo adventure, using a pregenerated character. Then, step-by-step, it leads the player through generating his or her own Rebel character. The Narrator's Booklet ("Narrator" is this game's term for the gamemaster) gives the Narrator a short adventure to run for the newly-generated Rebels. The booklet also contains the IAG's simple rules, as well as some equipment stats and narrating tips. Finally, the Adventure Book contains six longer adventures for the Narrator to run.

     The adventures are all essentially "chapters" of one story. They have lots of action, as well as some opportunities to role-play. The Narrator is given diagrams of where to set the cardboard figures on the maps, as well as numerous tips on staging the adventures for maximum impact, including "verbatim examples" of how particular scenes played out during playtesting. Each adventure is more challenging than the last, both for the players and for the Narrator.

     The final three pages of the Narrator's Booklet describe the Star Wars Roleplaying Game ("if you're ready for a greater challenge"), with information on how to convert IAG characters to the full-blown SWRPG rules. By the time they complete the final adventure in the Adventure Book, the players and Narrator will have a very good grasp of how the game works, and would have little problem transitioning to SWRPG, if they so desired.

"JOIN THE RANKS OF THE PROUD"
While the box says "For Star Wars fans of all ages," the Introductory Adventure Game is probably most suitable for players who are at least 11 or 12 years old; most younger kids likely won't have the reading ability or the patience to play even a simplified role-playing game. The writing style of IAG is geared towards a young-adult audience (for example, "Set a time to meet -- Friday night, Saturday afternoon, whenever you'd normally get together to hang out"); this tone would likely come across to many adult players as juvenile or condescending. Further, the illustration on the back of the box shows a group of kids playing the game; this would likely give prospective adult players the impression that IAG is a children's game. This is unfortunate, as there are likely many adults out there who would be interested in a Star Wars roleplaying game, but have no idea how to start playing.

     If you try the Introductory Adventure Game, I have a few suggestions for you, in order to make the game run more smoothly:

• The character templates are printed two-sided, one template on each side of a page, in a stapled booklet. If your players use the templates directly, it'll be hard for them to play characters who share a sheet of paper. I'd suggest photocopying the entire booklet (WEG gives you copyright permission to do this), and have the players use the photocopied templates. Additionally, this will leave the original templates unmarked, so that you can copy them again later.
• As there are a lot (64) of Character Cards, I recommend finding the cards you'll need for the adventure before you start running, in order to save the time of hunting through the deck for the cards.
• The Force skills are probably the most complicated section of the IAG rules. If you and your players haven't played a role-playing game in the past, you might want to hold off on letting your players try the Jedi character templates until you become comfortable with how the rules work.

     If you're already playing the Star Wars Roleplaying Game, the Introductory Adventure Game probably wouldn't be on your shopping list (although you might find some of the accessories to be useful). But if you're a young adult who is interested in Star Wars and has never tried role-playing, the Star Wars Introductory Adventure Game would make a good "first step into a larger world."

(Mike Mistele spends his waking hours devising new ways to torment the players in his Star Wars Roleplaying Game campaign. If you'd like to write to him about the SWRPG, you can drop him a line at mjmistele@aol.com.)