I know that "this party's over," but as a late comer to the SWrpg, this is an invaluable resource for GMs and players learning to use the force! Thanks for all the advice.
My pleasure - I am glad the videos in this playlist are useful. I don't think this party will ever be over: lots of people, including me, still play this great game~
"Anyone asking me to do something 'briefly' is living with a lot of hope." - Runeslinger Classic statement from a great guy. Thank you SO MUCH for doing this, man.
Amazing breakdown of how using Force powers works! It's been almost 1 year since we last played EotE - as a group of beginners - and we are picking up where we left off to finish it and bring closure. And something I always struggled with as the GM was finding out how Force powers ACTUALLY worked in EotE; ending up with 4 different rulings on how it worked throughout the campaign. Didn't exactly help that I only found videos and reddit threads speaking about VERY specific scenarios or spoke of only the Force powers trees, and not how to actually USE Force powers. Which yes, I see the irony of not finding an explanation like yours is ironic, given we played for a couple of months in 2019, while this video is from 2015. But oh well, better late than never xD
I have thanked you before Runeslinger but I need to do so again. We just finished what I like to think of as "season one" of our game and I often listen to your vids as I work on the game, making maps or creating NPCs. I really like how clear you are and also how tight these videos are. You stay on topic and don't wander like so many "how-to" channels seem to do. Great work.
Very informative - I've been poring over this tome since getting it last month, and I think you've rattled those last couple of BBs into their holes in the puzzle box of my brain. Thanks!
Very useful, clear and helpful overview. Having read the rules for the force and now getting to see it really helped me "get it". Thank you for an informative and great video.'
I know it's old, but I just found your channel and wanted to say thank you. I've had the game for years, but I'm just now starting to prep my first campaign. Thanks for all of your work helping me to visualize it. Can't wait to dig into some of your other stuff.
Thanks for letting me know. I am glad the videos are useful. We have recently been playing Age of Rebellion and it was fun to go through this Playlist again to see what might be missing~
A bit late to the party here as well. Been looking everywhere for this information and your video here was by far the most educational of all of the videos or articles I have seen so far. Having sort of a spat with my DM/Storyteller with Move Object. My argument is that using Move Object to attack someone does not constitute gaining conflict. The reasoning is that you are not using the force to directly attack them, rather throwing objects at them or sending them into object that possibly harm or kill them. More than that it would mean most Jedi would be dark side as it is a very popular thing to do. My friend gained 4 conflict just using Move Object like that and to me that seems very harsh.
Thanks for the kind words. I am glad the video was useful. The assignment of points of Conflict is as much art as it is application of rule as ultimately the GM has to represent the underlying moral judgement of the Force and interpret that through the clear but limited examples provided to them. Although points are earned in play for specific Force powers, and for each opposite Side point used to power force effects, (and that can, at times, be quite a few), most of the points will come from the GM's assessment of what the use of the Force means, ethically, the outcome of the usage, and the intent behind it. The assignment of Conflict can be anywhere from 1 to 10 or more points for a single action (in addition to those gained from the rules cited above). I have found that no matter how small the number assigned, it can ruffle some feathers as a character's Morality score can take them out of play or transform them just as easily as combat can. Unlike combat, though, there is a context of judgement appended to this. To help players gain trust and ensure enjoyment of this aspect of playing a Force Sensitive in F&D, I recommend that each assignment of Conflict be explained until everyone gets how it all works, what the intended role of the force and Jedi/Sith morality will be in the campaign, and learns how to describe action and intention. I do not know if your GM is acting reasonably or unreasonably. I do know that the specific Force power used is not usually the issue in the assignment (barring specific cases cited in the rules) - it is the intention and how it is carried out that matters. Is the intention to stop, or to kill? The truth matters here. Is the use of the power pre-emptive? This answer matters, too. No Force power should be seen as 'safe' or conflict free as the way that they are used, the reason they are used, and the context in which they are used as well as the outcome of their use all matter. I hope this helps. Like I mention, I cannot comment on the fairness of the GM, but the table of examples from which a GM is intended to learn how to apply Conflict has a small section of actions which earn just 1 point, and a much wider range of actions which earn multiples of points of conflict. Even if a character ends a period of play with a lot of Conflict, there is still a die roll to determine if there are long-lasting consequences. If the character is using the Force as their main method of interacting with the universe, the odds are against them staying on the light side long - but even so, from time to time, they will get away with a lot of questionable acts because of the roll of a die.
I really appreciate this video as I was feeling pretty hopeless with my Jedi Guardian Soresu Defender (no extra Force Rating increase in the talent tree). Sigh, he will only ever have a Force Rating of 1 as just a Defender. So, time for branching out a bit.
I realize your intent in making this video was to do an overview of the mechanics, and you did such a great job doing that. Especially in explaining how many Force Points it actually takes to activate upgrades. The one thing you did not mention (that I am still unclear on to be honest) is what happens should a person try to do your example of pushing (move) those 2 stormtroopers back, but perhaps only rolling 3 pips instead of the necessary 4. I have made the assumption that in this case, the power would work like advantage dice in that as a Force User, I can use those 3 pips to "activate" the upgrades I choose. In other words, it is more important to me to lift and move the stormtroopers, than it is how "far" I actually move them. Therefore, I could still use the power successfully and simply not get the extended range on the move (as an example), if I choose that particular upgrade to fail. Is that particular ruling up to the GM, or is there a RAW mechanic explaining that situation that I missed in reading the books? Secondly, (and this is a subjective question I realize) - since you have been playing the game for awhile, does the "balance" of Force Powers seem about right to you as far as what a player can actually accomplish with only 1 Force Die? In looking at the Force Die, there is a 4 in 12 chance of actually rolling 2 pips. To me, that seems like a pretty low percentage of activating a single upgrade to the base power reliably. Are you finding that to be true in actual gameplay, or does it seem to work out just fine for the players who focus on force power use? Thanks again.
That is a good question. It's just a line in the activation section, but your approach is RAW, so don't worry. Trying to use a Force power takes an Action, so even if you do not generate as many Force Points as you wanted an effect can still be activated with whatever points are available. The rules state the force pool is rolled and once points are determined, the player chooses if and how to spend them. Our Force-Sensitive had a rating of 1 for about 3 or 4 months of weekly play and now has a rating of 2. He prefers not to convert points so he often has moments where he is tempted, but steps back from the power. That feels very different from not being able to do anything. He could often do cool things with a 1 rating which made a huge impact. He hasa tactical mind, and pays close attention to setting details, so he always finds great ways to use even a single Force point. A 2 rating has made him more powerful, but it has also made him face more moments of temptation, so it's nicely balanced for us. The creative nature of his uses are the real source of his power. A cold streak might be frustrating, but those get wiped away by the cool stuff - for us at least.
+Runeslinger Super. Thanks. On your recommendation I also began watching the tides of change group videos. It still amazes me how much stuff there is on youtube that I would never know about if not for recommendations from others. Looking forward to any more videos you put out on the FFG system, Runeslinger.
+Runeslinger You are doing an explanation of Space Combat in Star Wars? EXCELLENT! Although I find the basics very easy to understand; things like firing arcs on weapons, defense on different quadrants of the ships, and ship positioning as it relates to those two things and how you determine when they come into play - pretty much loses me. I'm very excited for your overview.
I watched both your video review of FFG Star Wars and this video, and I found that you expressed your opinions in a very detailed and organized matter. However, like some of the people you have mentioned in your review video, I also disagree with the current distribution of LS/DS pips on the Force die in the game. I believe it distresses some of the players of the game with their lack of competence in the most basic use of their abilities, and this degree of hampering of their abilities is not necessary to facilitate the narrative theme the game is trying to push. As a newly generated Force-sensitive character, you have literally no way to increase your Force Rating beyond 1 at character creation. That means you're going to be stuck with the 1 Force die for quite a bit of your early career no matter what. To some new players or converted players who have a more math-oriented mind, this means that they quickly realize they only have a 5/12 chance to generate at least one useful pip and activate the minimum effect of a Force power unless they draw on the Dark Side, and some of these players will have a negative knee-jerk reaction to choosing between accepting a penalty or a less than 50% chance to use their hard-earned abilities. The players that have these reactions are not expecting to be masters of the Force, but they would understandably like their character to be more competent than not with their field of specialty. I have seen that defenders of this mechanic often reply that people who have this mentality are approaching the game incorrectly, or that they are missing the importance of the Morality and Conflict system to their character's struggle. First of all, if the system is designed to be friendly to newcomers of RPGs and the Star Wars series as you've described in your review video, then the close-minded mentality that people who have bought this game and want to play must do it a certain 'correct' way is hypocritical. Secondly, I think the current Conflict and Morality system is flawed because the gauge is paced with the expectation that players will steadily accrue Conflict every session. The system encourages you to take Conflict, but the significance of this decision is minimized by the length of the Morality scale. The fact that characters automatically gain 1d10 points of Conflict each session furthers lessen the importance of gaining Conflict, and may even make light the struggle for a Force-sensitive to either redeem himself from the Dark Side or attain spiritual enlightenment in the Light Side. So, when I was asked to come up with a change to these rules in a discussion with a friend who supports the current mechanics, I proposed that reversing the distribution of LS/DS pips with each other on the Force die presents an easy fix that offers better mechanical balance to new players, while not breaking the narrative purpose behind the system. Mechanically, this would mean a player with FR 1 will have a 7/12 chance to generate at least 1 useful Force point, and a 5/12 of not. It is a significant improvement to the player's chance to activate a basic Force power, but not so much that failures are rare or even uncommon, leaving room for the temptation of the Dark Side. As characters improve their Force Rating in their career, they will obtain a more consistent average in the Force rolls, while Dark Side pips will produce more varying results from minimum to maximum. Thus, a practiced Force practitioner will be more consistent in activating intermediate effects of their Force powers, while sometimes being tempted to enhance themselves with the Dark Side to obtain the Force points needed to activate greater effects. If used, I cannot see any reason this change would fly in the face of the theme of the rest of the game, and I bet a newcomer to the game would probably not notice any inconsistencies with the existing fluff. A verbal description of the intended narrative effect of this change would still be, "Although Light-side practitioners of the Force often emphasize controlling their emotions to hone their connection to the Force, this not an ability that comes naturally to most. To initiates of the Force, the frustration of their untrained abilities often tempts them into unleashing those emotions in order to bring the Force to heel. To adepts of the Force, their deeper understanding of its powers offers even greater temptation each time to dig deeper into themselves to unleash more of its might. These are the temptation of the Dark Side, its whispers offering a quick and easy path to power. But, those who fall for this promise often find themselves deceived by it in the end." Anyway, I have blabbed on long enough. If anyone read through all of that ranting, thanks for your patience.
Ok thanks RUNESLINGER. Im buying the book today. Im going to run a game about the Jedi Exploration corps taking place during Episode one time period. Before the purge.
I don't know if this requires clarification, but around the 17 minute mark, when you mention that anyone can at any time become force sensitive by acquiring a specialization which comes with a force rating, you mention that they can pick up the Force Emergent Universal Specialization from AoR, the Force Exile Universal Specialization from EotE, or any of the specializations from F&D with a Force Rating. From what I understand, the Force Rating is provided by the career, not the specialization, when it comes to the F&D careers, and any tree that provides an upgrade to your Force Rating requires that you already have a rating of 1. So, for anyone with a career that is not from F&D, they can only get a Force Rating through the universal specs from the other two lines.
Okay, so to confirm: When you choose to use the force, assuming your ability calls for force points (FP), then you will roll a number of force die equal to your force rating. If you get at least one FP of your alignment, you may perform the action; just know that using any dice from the opposite alignment will inflict strain equal to the number of oppositely-sided FP you're using. You will have to use 1 force point for the move itself, and you will need to ise one extra force point for each branch of upgrades you choose to activate in a given instance. Yes?
@@Runeslinger If you don't mind my asking, could you let me know if you think this idea is feasible? I'm GMing a game, and one of the things I noticed that I don't care for is how many powers are locked behind higher force ratings, which in turn are locked behind a select few specializations. So, for example, if someone wanted to play a Soresu defender, they wouldn't be able to unlock and use force bind unless they both bought *and* heavily invested in another specialization with the force rating upgrade. So, I had the idea, what if force abilities could build on each other? For example, if you complete the Force Move tree, you can go on to start the Force Bind tree regardless of your Force rating. Would that work? Or is Force Bind (effectively or literally) impossible to use unless you're rolling two dice? Also, what about the possibility that two related abilities might make it so that completing one makes it easier to unlock the other? For example, maxing out Force Heal would give you a discount on unlocking Force Ebb/Flow and vice versa.
We played a very long campaign of several years. In that time, I found that the XP costs for things were reasonable and that limits such as a requirement for a minimum Force Rating helped ground characters in their traditions and careers. It also reinforces the explicit and implied setting of Star Wars. The system as presented allows characters to have a lot of powers in common, followed by a diversification not only of training but also of power and aspects of personality associated with power and its pursuit.
enhance had been in the D20 game and I believe some version of it was in the D6. My guardian always had enhance ability, enhance force defenses, and enhance senses.
+Daniel Essex I am not sure what you are referring to in the video specifically. My guess is that I might mention that Enhance is introduced in Age of Rebellion. The context is that it is not in Edge of the Empire. In FFG Star Wars, it appears for the first time in Age of Rebellion~
I could use your help. Looking at the talent "Mental Tools" for the Sentinel Atrisan, I'm not clear on how "the right tool for the job" works. Based on the description on page 181 it sounds like you still might need tools, but that you get a bonus. Or that your able to tweak additional benefits from items and gear. It doesn't really mention telekinetic (which others have suggested this could function in place of tools as) so much as increased benefits from mechanics skill. Do you have or know of any more in depth explanations for "the right tool for the job" in this situation?
Talents like Mental Tools can be confusing, often because people read more into them without realizing it. Page 181 defines what the phrase "The Right Tools for the Job" means. Some tools make a task possible, some make it easier. Not all tools are defined in the rules and we will need to make tgem up, or just recognize that a tool is needed to undertake a task. The Talent indicates that in situations where a tool is needed in order to undertake a task, the user is to be allowed to do that task even if they do not have the specific tool. They can make do with the tools that they have and the Force abilities thst they have. Those without this Talent must use the correct tool. If the Talent conferred the ability to do work without tools, it would say so. What it does is remove the condition of "Impossible without tool X" for the user of the Talent. For the Boost Die, this understanding still holds. In a case where the task can be performed without a specific tool, but it could benefit from the use of a specialized tool, a Boost Die may be added per GM approval.
@@Runeslinger Thank you. This makes sense per the wording. I was leaning in this direction since the assumptions other people made were not supported, but you made this more clear in your description. Many thanks for your time and consideration. Wishing you a happy and prosperous New Year.
I'm new to this so please forgive me if this is an obvious mistake. In the video, you said that the amount of damage done to the hurled stormtroopers was based on how far they were moved. I can't find that in the rules. I assumed that the amount of damage was based on the silhouette. To hurl the stormtroopers, at least one strength upgrade would be necessary along with one control upgrade. Wouldn't that make the damage be 10?
+RPG Wizard Excellent question. As the text for the Force Powers cannot handle all situations, we are expected to build from what they do describe. You can certainly handle thrown troopers with the damage indicated in Move if you wish. We noted, however, that the text presents the situation from the point of view of hurling objects to strike targets. We tend to use it to hurl targets for distance and intent to harm. As a result, we use the rules for falling when we do. When hurling scenery at adversaries we deal 10 damage per Silhouette rating. How are you enjoying the game so far?
Thank you for your response! I wondered if it might be something like you described. I enjoy the game. I still have a lot to wrap my head around but I think it has a lot of potential. Thanks for your awesome videos!
This is incredibly helpful because all my players are clone troopers and I need to have a Jedi NPC fight alongside them eventually. How best does one use it in that way? After all, I don't want an NPC flipping the PCs destiny pool and such. Haven't watched the full video yet so I'm not sure if you explain it somewhere
Well, dice pools are set up in two sides. If you have an NPC ally working with a group, it is perfectly acceptable to have them contribute to the Destiny Pool. In play, when the NPC is acting, involve the players in the use of the Destiny Pool and encourage them to suggest using it when they are invested in the outcome of a particular roll~
Question. IF you're using multiple tiers of Range to move something from one place to another, are you burning a force point for EACH tier of Range? or are you simply spending the one point to cover multiple tiers of the range upgrade. Also, do you say "Pop Pop" when someone says "Magnitude" at your table? If not, you should. Edit: You answered this question, and you are awesome. But I still want to know about the Pop Pop thing.
+TheBigFuzzy666 I am glad you found the answer in the video. In regard to "pop, pop", I think the group prefers its Lukes to be Skywalkers, not Youngbloods~ ;)
I had questions about force points and how you get them. But basically you roll force dice get the result add your one force point if low level and thats how many force points plus the DM points you can use if you get dark force points you can convert them and take strain and morality points.
That's close: Force Points are always determined by rolling your Force dice. You get as many dice as your Force Rating, unless you 'commit' dice for an ongoing effect. Any white pips you get are usable. Any dark pips you get are unusable unless you pay strain, take Conflict, and flip a light side token in the Destiny Pool. (This is reversed for force sensitives who have fallen to the Dark Side.) Conflict only needs to be used in Force&Destiny. The other two games assume force users stick to the light unless the group chooses to go dark. There are no bonus force points, and the Destiny Pool is only involved if you convert point types. This works differently in the Beginner set rules, so that can cause confusion~
I feel like all guide tell me the same thing and I know a lot about force. But I still don't understand how to actually use the force. What dice are rolled. How do you know the force was successful. Can we please have some examples.
I am interested in helping you. I have some questions first: Have you played the game, yet? Do you have one of the core rule books? If so, have you started reading, yet? Have you watched the video? Let me know, and I am sure we can get you ready for play.
I am so conflicted with this system. It seems they condensed all the force powers into a few groups and leave it to the player to describe it. Makes it way simpler and streamline, but feels lacking to me.
Runeslinger, Perhaps I haven't watched enough videos or simply haven't been able to find it, but in Force & Destiny, can you play as Sith? Is that like a class option?
Runeslinger Thanks for the reply!!! That was extremely prompt too!. How does the force "class" work? For example is Force sensitive different then full on force? Are there like levels of force? Is there padawans all the way up to master? Sorry if this is too much.
+King Jutt It is not a strict class system and there are no levels. The games are all set between Episode IV and V. Have you watched the Review on this channel, yet? It may answer many of your questions.
I've taken to handing out combat related skill points for free, and offering up a suite of force powers that are sorta basic for everyone...everyone being Jedi. It's frustrating when a Jedi character is lame.
this is a great video however it doesn't explain if the talent requires a dark or light side to use (in the new force and destiny). Take heal/harm for example which has the same force symbol next to each of them. In my head heal is light and harm is dark but the book doesn't specifically state that. How do you know which side of the force the talent takes?
Thanks for writing David. I am glad you enjoyed the video. In response to your question, I will stick to your chosen example of Heal/Harm and direct you to page 292 of Force & Destiny. In the Force Power Tree, in the Basic Power box, it specifies that Heal is available to Force Sensitives who are light side users, and that Harm is available to users of both sides. The use of the Basic Power of Heal does not cause Conflict in a light side user, but use of Harm does. Accrual of Conflict leads toward the dark side, and the eventual fall of a Force Sensitive from the light. In the description of the various Upgrades available for the Basic Power it details specifically what effects the avoidance of using dark side points, or the choice to use dark side points will have on the target and/or the user. In addition, it may also or alternately indicate a special, additional, or different effect if the user is either a light side or dark side user. Most of the powers operate the same for light and dark side users. The use to which a power is put will determine if the GM should assign Conflict or not. Some powers, such as Heal/Harm do have specific effects caused by the choice to use dark side points. Others have specific effects determined by the orientation of the force user toward the light or the dark. The powers themselves, however usually do not require a specific type of force point to operate. Some, like Heal/Harm or Influence, for example, have their effects altered by the decision to use a specific type of force point. Their effects are always indicated in the short descriptive text in the Force Power Trees, and spelled out clearly in the accompanying write-ups of the powers and their upgrades. (See the Influence Special Rule boxed text on page 295 for a very clear example of this). So, to recap: some powers have altered effects if a specific type of force point is used, some powers have altered effects if a light side or dark side user employs them. In all other cases the light/dark symbol is indicating that either type of force point will suffice to use the power. The idea that there are light and dark side points is a false one, but it can be easier and faster to describe it that way. Force dice generate only light side points (white pips), or the temptation to draw upon the dark side due to a feeling of lacking the power one needs (dark pips). Choosing to draw upon the dark side causes Strain, Conflict, and affects Destiny negatively (flipping one of the light side points in the Destiny Pool to dark). Once that is done, those null points are converted to actual force points (from the dark side) which can be used to fuel Force Powers. I hope this description has been helpful, if you have further questions, please do not hesitate to ask~
Thank you that was very helpful and cleared up a lot. The last thing is the destiny and specifically your comment " Choosing to draw upon the dark side causes Strain, Conflict, and affects Destiny negatively (flipping one of the light side points in the Destiny Pool to dark)." I thought that was the case but I couldn't find where in the rulebook it says to actually do that and it caused some confusion for the group.
You can find this in a few places in the rules, but the easiest reference is on page 280 of Force & Destiny under the Force Power Checks header starting with the last paragraph of the first column and extending into the second column. This refers to light side users. Dark Side users are described in a box on page 281.
I think I have it. Here is an example from last nights game. So to break it down. Player A (light side jedi, morality of 70) decides to use HARM on a creature. He is a light sided Jedi so if you look under harm basic this will cause him to gain 1 conflict. Lets say he makes his roll. He has a result of 1 light force - he can use the harm ability but will gain a conflict. Let's say that he has a result of dark side, he can use the dark side (give in to easy power) and use the harm ability. He can then choose to flip a destiny from light to dark to power the ability but he will still suffer 1 point of conflict for using the dark side. Is that right?
In your example, the light side force user who uses Harm will take 1 Conflict for that. They will also take Conflict for the specifics of what happens as a result of using Harm (this will be determined by the GM for that scene). If the character needs to use dark side points to create the effect they are trying to make, they must flip a light side Destiny point to dark. The character will take 1 point of Strain for each dark side force point that they rolled for Turn, and they will take 1 point of Conflict for each dark force point they use in the effect. So: Let's say the character needed 3 points for the effect and has a Force Rating of 2. The Force Roll nets two light side results and two dark side results. The character does not have enough light side points to create the effect that they want and they are feeling the temptation to give into the lure of the dark side because there are dark force points showing in the roll. They can choose to not create the effect or they could choose to convert force points. Their emotions begin to rise and take control. Even though they are a light side user of the force they use a dark side technique (Harm) on their enemy (take 1 Conflict to use Harm). As their emotions surge they feel their connection to the dark side surge as well and they find the strength that they need to work their will on the opponent (flip 1 Destiny to convert points, take 1 Strain: 1 for each of the dark force points used in the effect, take 1 Conflict: 1 for each dark side point used). The character now has access to 4 force points to use for their effect. They only need 3 to achieve the effect they want, so they only use 3. One force point is left unused and is lost. It does not generate Strain or Conflict. For this example Force Power Activation, the character takes 1 Strain, 2 Conflict, and has turned a light side Destiny point to the dark. The GM will need to assign more Conflict based on how they use Harm. For example, if the target suffered horribly (like Torture) or died (similar to Murder) as a result of using Harm, the GM would be right to assign more Conflict using the chart on page 324 as a guide. If the character attacked their target without warning and killed them with Harm, for example, the GM should assign 10 or more points of Conflict in addition to the 2 taken to Activate Harm.
