Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Rule Book

COOL OR VIGILANCE? THETURN

T

wo different skills in EDGE OF THE EMPIRE can

be used to determine Initiative: Cool and Vigi-

lance. Which skill should be used in a particular

situation is determined by the situation at hand.

Characters should determine their Initiative us-

ing the Cool skill when they are aware and ready

for combat (or whatever situation results in us-

ing structured gameplay). For example, rolling

to see who goes first in a quick draw gunfight, or

springing an ambush on an unsuspecting enemy

would require Cool, as Cool is a skill represent-

ing a character's ability to remain calm, collect-

ed, and focused on the task in front of them.

Characters should determine their Initiative us-

ing the Vigilance skill when combat (or another

situation resulting in structured gameplay) be-

gins unexpectedly. Two enemies walking around

a corner and running into each other would both

use Vigilance to determine Initiative, for example.

Likewise, someone being ambushed would also

use Vigilance to determine Initiative (and if they

ended up going earlier in the Initiative order than

their ambusher, clearly they were vigilant enough

to spot the ambush at the last second!).

It is important to note that different characters
may use different skills to determine Initiative
during the same combat, depending on their
differing circumstances. Also, if the CM and
players are unsure as to which of the two skills
best applies to a given situation, they should
k default to using Vigilance.

STEP 4: ROUND ENDS

Once all NPCs and Player Characters have taken a
turn, the round ends. At this point, certain effects that
last until the "end of the round" may end. The CM also
determines if the ongoing action warrants additional
rounds, or if it has been resolved. If the ongoing action
continues, repeat step three using the same Initiative
order generated in step 1. If the action has been re-
solved and the encounter is over, proceed to step 5.

STEP 5: ENCOUNTER ENDS

Once the action has been resolved, the GM ends the

encounter. At this point, any character abilities that

may only be used "once per encounter" reset and any

abilities that last "until the end of the encounter" ex-

pire. Each Player Character also has a chance to catch

their breath and recover strain, and may take steps to

help heal any incapacitated characters.

Each character (whether a Player Character or a Non-

Player Character) gets one turn to act during each

round. During this turn, the character has the chance

to undertake certain activities, such as moving from

place to place, using his skills, and even attacking oth-

ers. The activities the character can perform during

his turn are split into three categories: Incidentals,

Maneuvers, and Actions.

INCIDENTALS

Incidentals are minor activities that characters can

undertake that require extremely little time or ef-

fort, such as dropping something they're holding or

speaking to another character. There is no hard limit

to the number of incidentals a character may perform

during his turn, although the GM may veto excessive

numbers of them or decide they are complex enough

to warrant counting as a maneuver. The following are

examples of incidentals:

• Speaking to another character.


• Dropping an item held in one's hands.


• Releasing someone the character is holding.


• Minor movements such as shifting position, peek-
  ing around a corner, or looking behind a person.

CINEMATIC COMBAT

E

DGE OF THE EMPIRE strives to capture the-

pure cinematic thrill found in the Star Wars

universe. Combat is frequent, fast-moving, and

meant to showcase the talents and abilities of

the Player Characters.

The unique dice system of EDGE OF THE EMPIRE

helps push the story-driven nature of the game

forward. Even a single attack roll generates

enough options (some good, some bad) to give

the Game Master sufficient information to make

combat far more than just a matter of rolling to

hit and rolling to wound. In turn, the players are

highly encouraged to provide interesting detail

before rolling on an attack, in order to give the

GM hooks in describing the results. Combat is

similarly streamlined so the players do not bog

down gameplay with too many tactical decisions;

descriptions of their actions and the roll of the

dice is sufficient to help visualize the violence.