Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Rule Book

EXAMPLE OF PLAY

Prank, George, Harper, Isabelle, and Jackie have

• gathered together to play EDGE OF THE EMPIRE
  around Frank's dining room table. Frank and George
  are playing Twi'leks: Coson the Hired Gun and Rels
  the Technician. Harper is playing Mills, a human Col-
  onist. Isabelle is playing Sona, a Bothan Smuggler.
  Jackie is acting as the Game Master (GM).

We join the group mid-session as they arrive in

Mos Shuuta...

Jackie (CM): It takes five minutes to walk from

your crashed speeder to the foot of the great stone

bridge leading up to the Mos Shuuta mesa. It takes

another ten to climb all the way up to the town itself.

Fifteen minutes hiking in the Tatooine sun is enough

to tire everyone: you all suffer two strain (Everyone

marks that they've suffered two strain on their char-

acter sheet.)

Frank (Coson): I hate this planet. Let's get out of here.

Isabelle (Sona): We should try to find a ship. May-

be we can book passage off-world at the cantina—

this town must have a cantina, right?

Jackie (CM): Sure. The first Jawa you ask on the

street points you towards the cantina.

Harper (Mills): We should be cautious about this.

I'll hang back from the group and keep an eye out.

Logron's thugs could be right behind us.

Jackie (CM): Good idea. The cantina is a low

pourstone building, like most of the rest of the

town. It's sunken a bit into the rock of the mesa

and is much cooler than the hot streets. There is

a collection of aliens of all types scattered around

the main room, and the Devaronian bartender

sneers at you as you approach.

Isabelle (Sona): Okay, I guess we work the room

and see who might know where we can get a ride

off of this rock. Somebody must be a pilot for hire.

Frank (Coson): Hire? With what money? We're

broke, remember?

Isabelle (Sona): Details. We'll figure that out later.

Jackie (CM): Okay, this will be a Streetwise check.

What do you do? What do you say?

Isabelle (Sona): I start with the bartender, I guess.

"Hey, you handsome devil. I like your cantina; it must

be the first port-of-call for every spacer in town."

George (Rels): I'll sit with my brother at a table

near the middle of the room where we can see and

hear as many people as possible. Maybe someone'll

let something interesting slip while Sona's doing her

gladhanding.

Jackie (CM): Okay, that's a pretty good icebreaker.

This will be an Average difficulty Streetwise check.

Rels and Coson's extra eyes and ears are worth a

Boost die, and take another for good roleplaying.

(Isabelle gathers dice based on various factors into

a dice pool and rolls it.)

Isabelle (Sona): Success, no Advantage or Threat.

Jackie (CM): Well, good news! The Blue Flare is in

dock at Bay Aurek.

Isabelle (Sona): The Blue Flare? I know that ship!

Jackie (CM): Meanwhile outside. Mills, make me a

Vigilance check.

Harper (Mills): Not exactly my strong suit. (Harper

collects dice based on Mills' Vigilance skill and chal-

lenge and difficulty dice provided by Jackie, then

rolls.) Failure, but two Advantage.

Jackie (CM): Alright. Mills. You don't see the Rodi-

an bounty hunters until you literally walk into them

when you turn to step into the cantina. You and the

Rodians go flying in opposite directions, tumbling

to the ground as they shout out in recognition. Be-

cause of your Advantage, I'll give you a free maneu-

ver before they can respond.

Harper (Mills): Uh...uh... I duck into the cantina

and shout for help!

Frank (Coson): Oh, great. A firefight in the cantina

is the perfect cap to our terrible day.

Jackie (GM): Roll for initiative!

THE EMPEROR RULES

The fearsome Empire dominates the galaxy politically,
socially, and militarily. The Emperor maintains absolute
control; he skillfully plays political games, using both the
military and the dreaded Darth Vader to keep his choke-
hold on the galaxy. The Imperial military is unmatched
when deployed en masse. Imperial agencies monitor the
actions of opponents and allies alike. The feared Imperial
Security Bureau (ISB) digs into any suspected corruption
or rebel activity. Government-sanctioned political groups
like the Commission for the Preservation of the New Or-
der (COMPNOR) promote Imperial ideals and harshly
counter rebel propaganda and anti-Imperial sentiment.

Dominant though the Empire is, it is hardly monolithic

or omnipresent, and the rebels, criminal organizations,

corporations, and many others exploit that fact.

THE GALACTIC CIVIL WAR RAGES ON!

The rebels destroyed the Empire's ultimate weapon, the

Death Star! The loudest shot of the Galactic Civil War

still reverberates throughout the galaxy. Viewed as a le-

gitimate new hope for the repressed and the persecuted,

the Rebel Alliance battles Imperial forces every day. The

rebels are locked in a desperate, winner-take-all battle

with the Empire, with only a fraction of the military might

they need. With each new success, the Rebellion spreads

INTRODUCTION

EDGE OF THE EMPIRE