2nd Edition REUP is ready for Download!

[atgxtg]

It looks pretty. Very good so far, but it will take some time to give it a though going over.

At present my biggest worry is using the SAGA price lists. In play we found the SAGA prices to conflict with the preexisting WEG prices.

[klhaviation]

pricing was (and is) a point of debate. Saga prices were used for sake of consistancy, WEG prices often vary greatly for the same item from book to book, and all assume rebellion or new rep. era pricing. Saga is more consiatant, but this is one of the very few departures fro WEG RAW. But we are open to argument on this... mabye it will be subject to change in future revsion.

[atgxtg]

I'm not so worried about using SAGA prices over WEGs, it mixing 'n matching that can be problematic.

And yes, WEG pricing was inconsistent at times.

[klhaviation]

I do not recall any mix/matching, if we missed a few, or if you see that some mix/matching worked its way in, let us know.

[cheshire]

[Forceally]

I have two questions.

First: Jet pack operation vs. rocket pack operation. There isn't really a distinction between the two. Can you give an example of each. I believe Boba Fett uses a jet pack. Who uses a rocket pack?

Second, various astromechs like R2, Chopper, and some of the astromechs from the four-episode arc of Season 5 of the Clone Wars were able to fly around because of jets or rockets that they were equipped with. Which skill would they use to operate them - jet pack operation or rocket pack operation?

[aegisflashfire]

I had a midterm yesterday so have not had the chance to look at this yet, but I STRONGLY recommend consolidating those two skills. (Jet & Rocket pack)
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[griff]

A jet pack is used for only short bursts to "jump" from short distances. A rocket pack would be used continusely for travelling much greater distances. Rocket pack think of the movie The Rocketeer.
_________________
"EXECUTE ORDER 67. Wait a minute, that doesn't sound like order 67..... No, wait. Yes, yes it does. EXECUTE ORDER 68" Palpatine's last moments - robot chicken.

[klhaviation]

It is definitely not a bad house rule to combine these skills. They remain separate in REUP (and likely will not be combined in later revisions). For those that desire a greater explanation as to the difference, I have provided WEG's description of the difference as per Galadinium's Fantastic Technology page 12:

• Jet Packs. Most jet packs typically function by the use of an intake mechanism that pulls the surrounding atmosphere into the pack's ignition chamber. Arrays of miniaturized turbines combine minute amounts of fuel to produce the thrust for lift and maneuvering. Thrust generated by a single jet burst is controlled by a series of internal regulators that distribute the release of energy over a period of several seconds. Jet packs typically require a minimum "cool down time of several seconds between individual turbine bursts, though the regulation of expelled energy during this time period gives the impression of continuous operation. Wrist or hand controls adjust the angle and pitch of both intake and exhaust vanes, allowing for vertical and horizontal flight. Setting exhaust vanes to oppose each other similarly produces a neutral hovering effect. Jet packs are subject to difficulties in zero, low or high atmospheric pressures situations; they require atmospheric gases to produce thrust. Should the intake mechanism become damaged or clogged, insufficient intake pressures will result in a sudden loss of altitude.

• Rocket Packs. Rocket packs are self-contained units providing directed thrust from the regulated mixture of large amounts of combustible chemicals. They can operate in zero, low or high atmosphere situations because the rocket contains all of the necessary thrust components. Because of size and weight restrictions, rocket packs must incorporate rapid-burning elements, limiting flight duration. Moreover, if ruptured or otherwise damaged, the risk of leaking explosive chemicals poses a serious concern. This notwithstanding, rocket packs are typically faster than corresponding jet packs and are designed to provide a better "all-environment" flight capability. By comparison, jet packs are generally lighter and quieter to operate. Sometimes special flight requirements result in a hybrid of the two basic designs one example is the Aratech Screamer, which is fundamentally a jet pack that uses additional solid fuel rocket boosters to allow for rapid altitude gains.

[Forceally]

[klhaviation]

yeah sorry the answer was a bit off topic, addressing the reason there are two skills rather than your original question.

Boba Fett (and Jango Fett & I believe Death Watch) uses a Z-6 Jet Pack, therefore uses the Jet pack operation skill.

R2 D2 uses Brooks Engineering Rockets which are ideal for an astromech to maneuver in the vacuum of space where jet packs will not work.

The use of rockets for R2 seems more of a neat plot element for the writers, and certainly was a new addition to the droid. So how is this handled in D6? Well for REUP the "stock" R2 unit has no rockets (perhaps this should be a change on the next revision?), and there are no rockets or jet packs included in the Droid Accessories section. The reason is because in our limited droid playtest we found the droid accessories to make the game very unbalanced already. It takes a strong GM's hand to keep droid characters in check. That being said, in order for a droid to use rocket/jetpacks, he will have to purchase the skill programming as per the droid creation rules, then purchase the rocket/jet pack as equipment. If a character wants a special rocket attachment like R2D2, the GM must approve the design. Additionally any rocket or jet fuel will have to be stored onboard the droid, and makes it a potential incendiary bomb.

As far as hover packs, well they certainly are not too common, however if you decide to use the Jet pack/ Rocket pack operation skills as separate it would stand to reason the a GM may elect to allow a Hover pack operation (or perhaps a repulsor pack operation).

This is of course why there are proponents of a single skill, the 2nd Ed of D6 uses a plethora of like skills (starfighter operation & space transport operation being another) when one really would do. This is largely left to the discretion of the GM and is a matter of style.

There are logical reasons why the skills are separate though, rocket packs are useful in Zero-G, and a person with jet pack operation using a rocket in zero-g would likely blast himself into the void because he isn't familiar with the physics of zero-g operations.

So the question is not really the combining of the skills, but the description of the skills; hover pack, repulsor pack, jet pack, rocket pack operation used in gravity should be one skill, while rocket pack in zero-g should be another.

But that is the nature of the D6 system, it can be a bit wonky as written. This however has never taken away from the fun of our games, and it is important to remember that this is space opera not hard sci-fi. Games like Traveller address issues like this, but at the cost of great complexity, Star Wars as a fast-paced run & run adventure, and sometimes we need to leave logic and reason here on earth.

At the very least, the skill diversity of 2nd editions of the game requires players to purchase more ranks in skills, which balances the game in a particular fashion that has been uniform for over 2 decades. I am all for a house rule or two combining some of these skills, but too much can open the door to a power gamer making a very specialized character that can potentially break a game in the face of a weak GM.

[Teazia]

Super Congratulations! It seems to be a huge effort on the part of you guys. I'll definitely print out the final version.

Cheers!

[klhaviation]

The dropbox link has exceeded the max downloads. you can still download at sw3rded.4shared.com or www.scribd.com search for star wars rpg reup.

[Forceally]

What about the equipment, ships, and vehicles of the Yuuzhan Vong. They've been using the skill Yuuzhan biotechnology for them, and in case of flying one of their crafts, I guess it would be using that as well as the appropriate vehicle flying skill depending on the size of the vehicle in question.