RPG Spotlight: West End Games Star Wars
In 1987 West End Games made a Star Wars Roleplaying Game that was not only fun, but made changes to the galaxy that we’re still feeling today.
Regardless of personal game-play preferences, it’s impossible to not acknowledge the importance of the West End Star Wars RPG system. Published in 1987 and initially based on the ’86 Ghostbusters RPG, the Star Wars system’s sourcebooks quickly became one of the most influential additions to the galaxy. Previously unnamed aliens such as the Twi’leks and Rodians were finally officially named and described in these books, making them a definitive enough source for the most cutting edge Star Wars information that Heir to the Empire author Timothy Zahn was provided with a collection of WEG Star Wars sourcebooks to use as reference and background material.
The Star Wars Roleplaying Game utilizes the D6 system, a very simple roleplaying option using only a collection of, you guessed it, D6s. Gameplay and character creation are both relatively easy as characters are broken down into Attributes (Dexterity, Perception, Knowledge, Strength, etc.) and skills (Blaster, Con, Languages, and Brawling respectively). Your levels of ability in those attributes and skills are written out in terms of number of dice and bonus points and you have a certain number of dice to distribute within the guidelines of the species you choose. For example, if you have a 3D+2 in Sneak you would roll 3 D6 and add 2 to the roll. If you beat the difficulty determined by the GM you pass. Opposed rolls are determined similarly, but the two players – or more likely the player and the GM acting for an NPC – each roll and see whose result was higher.
The practical benefit of more simple games like this is they tend to encourage if not necessitate more creativity from players and often make for more dynamic and interesting gameplay and sometimes some questionable decision. The more open world and cinematic nature of this game helped it work very nicely in the Star Wars universe and resulted in system winning the Origins Award for Best Roleplaying Rules the year the game was first published.
Unfortunately, in 1998 West End Games declared bankruptcy and as a result lost their license to the Star Wars properties. The license was picked up by Wizards of the Coast for a few years and now Fantasy Flight’s system is the youngest sibling in the line of Star Wars Roleplaying Games. But I wouldn’t say this story has an entirely sad ending. Much of the information that West End Games had made canonical within the galaxy stuck with Star Wars through Disney acquisition and remains unshakable features of the canon to this day and in 2018 Fantasy Flight Games released a reprint of the WEG corebook to celebrate the game’s 30th anniversary.
Though West End Games ceased operators in 2001, you can still purchase the original Star Wars Roleplay Game in the form of the reprint here on the FFG website.
Have you played the WEG Star Wars Roleplaying Game? Which Star Wars RPG system is your favorite? Do you have a favorite character that you played in the galaxy? Let us know in the comments!
Happy Adventuring!
