WELCOME TO ROLEPLAYING
AT THE EDGE OF THE EMPIRE!
I
n the EDGE OF THE EMPIRE roleplaying game, you're part
character, part storyteller, and part improvisational ac-
tor. You simultaneously create and play through fantas-
tic Star Wars stories filled with action, suspense, space
battles, and more than a few stormtroopers, smugglers,
bounty hunters, and Hutt crime lords. In EDGE OF THE EM-
PIRE, you play characters at the fringes of civilized space
or society—usually both. To play the game, you need
your imagination, this book, paper and pencil, some Star
Wars EDGE OF THE EMPIRE dice, and several other players.
Before you begin, you need to decide which member of
your group will play as the Game Master (GM). While not
a permanent decision, the role of GM does not gener-
ally change from one game session to the next, and the
Game Master has several responsibilities that the rest of
the players do not.I'M THE GAME MASTER! WHAT DO I DO?Running a roleplaying game is a lot of fun. The GM runs
the game, provides the basic story plot, plays the char-
acters the players meet, describes the surroundings, and
adjudicates the rules. A good GM must think on his feet.
The GM responds to unexpected actions from the play-
ers and adjusts the story as the players come up with
the best way to resolve the situation they have encoun-
tered. Your number one job is to make sure everyone has
a good time. Fun first, rules second.I'M A PLAYER! WHAT DO I DO?As a player, you take on the role of an individual charac-
ter, referred to as the Player Character (PC). You usually
create a Player Character for yourself at the beginning
of the game, but the Game Master may provide a pre-
generated PC for you. Your Player Character takes part in
an adventure, analogous to episodes of a television show
or individual movies wherein you play part of the recur-
ring cast. Adventures last for one or more game sessions.With each adventure, your character gradually becomes
better at what he or she does, and the story evolves with
and around all the characters.
Player Characters in EDGE OF THE EMPIRE are typically
from the rough-and-tumble side of the galaxy,
but they don't have to be. You use the rules
to create the kind of character you want
to play, and you develop it by playing ,
the role you envision. You might play
a character based on someone found
in the Star Wars movies and stories,
but most players use a combination
of abilities and
backstory to
create a charac-
ter unique to them.For example, the
opening story featured a
common Player Character
type—Sona, a smuggler whose
deal with a criminal benefac-
tor turned sour, forcing her
and her crew to take dras-
tic action to regain their
ship. The Pero brothers
and the story's nar-
rator could be
played by oth
er players.Your smug-
gler might run con-
traband to Imperial
worlds while dodging
Star Destroyers and stor-
mtroopers. You could be-
come a Rodian bounty
hunter, chasing down the
scum of the universe for
profit. Or you could be a dis-
graced human noble or politi-
cian on the run from the Empire
and fending off accusations of
being a rebel sympathizer...
accusations which might
be true!WHERE DO I START?flifferent parts of this Core Rulebook will serve
Has a good starting point depending on wheth-
er you will be playing EDGE OF THE EMPIRE as the
Game Master or as a Player Character.
Players should begin by reading Chapter I: Play-
ing the Came and can then dive right into Chap-
ter II: Character Creation.The Game Master should also begin with Chapter
I: Playing the Game but can then move on to
Chapter IX: The Game Master