ESCA P E P OD D OWN
10.
You don’t know how much time has passed when sev­
eral Rebel soldiers wake you. A field medic is patching
up your wound — it’s not too bad. You warn the oth­
ers about the Imperial probe droid, but it’s long since
escaped into the forest.
• Please go to 14.
11.
The probe droid is going to shoot at you. Your best bet is
to try and dodge out of the way. You’ll need to make
two rolls here, one for the probe droids action and one
for your dodge. The droid has a blaster skill of 4D: roll 4
dice, add them up and remember the total (in the game the
gamemaster would normally make skill rolls for the enemy).
Now you need to make a dodge roll for yourself. Dodge is a
Dexterity skill — Rojo’s dodge has been improved to 3D+2. Don’t
let that +2 worry you: it just means that you roll 3 dice and add
2 to the total. Now compare what you rolled for dodge with the
total you rolled for the probe droids blaster:
• If the probe droid ’s blaster is higher than your dodge
roll, you’ve been hit: go to 8.
• If your dodge roll is equal to or higher than the droid’s
roll, you’ve dodged its blaster shot. Now you can
return fire with your own blaster: go to 2.
12.
Your shot bursts against the probe droid, sending sev­
eral parts and manipulator legs flying through the air.
The droid is still working, though, and turns one of its
ocular sensors to look at you. You’re about to take
another shot when it emits a high-pitched sound, then explodes
in a ball of fire. It must have had some kind of self-destruct
mechanism inside to keep it from falling into enemy hands. It
doesn’t matter. Your priority now is to return to base quickly
and make your report.
• Please go to 14.
13.
Your shot hits the probe droids weak center. The
resulting explosion tears the droid apart, sending parts
of it all over the forest clearing. Now that you’ve
destroyed the Imperial droid, your priority is to return
to base quickly and make your report.
• Please go to 14.
14.
You return to base quickly and report to Commander
Drayson. If that probe droid was really scouting your
hidden base, you could have more trouble with the
Empire very soon...
That’s the end of the adventure — you’ve successfully com­
pleted the story in which you were the hero. Now you have a
very basic idea of how your character works in the game. The
rules below will help you learn even more about what you can
do with your character. It’s all based on the same concept you
learned during this adventure:
Pick a difficulty number. If the character’s
skill roll is equal to or higher, he succeeds.
12 ! THE STAR WARS ROLEPLAYING GAME: REVISED • EXPANDED • UPDATED
You’ve gotten your first taste of roleplaying.
But that was just a solitaire adventure. Roleplay­
ing games normally involve several people,
including this “gamemaster” person. How
does that work?
Well, each player has a character... but
you already know that, right? You might want
to think of each adventure as a Star Wars
movie, with your characters as the stars.
Then there’s the gamemaster. He’s got several jobs: ref­
eree, storyteller, and mood-setter — all rolled into one.
While you and your friends might play one character each,
the gamemaster will play everyone else. He’ll be all the bad
guys, all the bystanders, all the bartenders, informants,
pals, and anyone else you’ll run into, talk to... or shoot at.
The first thing the gamemaster does is come up with the
story your characters are going to star in. He’ll set the
scene, tell you what your characters see, and so forth.
Once you have an idea of what’s going on, you get to
decide what your characters are going to do. For example,
if you’re in a crowded cantina, you can try to leave, try to
get some inside info from somebody in the room, open fire...
whatever seems like a good idea at the time. (Keep in mind
what kind of character you’re playing. A human Jedi’s going
to react differently to something than, say, a Wookiee
smuggler.)
Once you know what you want your character to try, the
gamemaster takes over, deciding how hard it is and what’s
going to happen if you succeed or fail.
Maybe I should stop telling you about this, and just
show you. Keep reading and you’ll see what I mean.
AN EXAMPLE OF PLAY
Bill is the gamemaster. Greg is playing Thannik, a bounty
hunter. Paul is playing a protocol droid named GT-9R (C-3PO is a
protocol droid). Peter is playing Dirk Harkness, an outlaw (and
all-round scoundrel). Amy is playing Rhen, a brash pilot (who
thinks she’s something of a hotshot). Finally, George is playing a
kid named Cev Rees (young Cev is something of a mischievous
pest).
BILL: “You enter the Dancing Dewback. It looks a lot like the
cantina from Star Wars. There’s about 15 people here — some
are human, but most of them are aliens. Off in the corner you
can see a Devaronian — you know, the guy in the cantina scene
with the short, pointy horns — downing a glowing red drink that
seems to have a small electrical storm hovering over the cup. He
looks like the contact you’re supposed to meet. What do you
want to do?”
PAUL: (As GT-9R, doing a typical droid-like mechanical
voice) “Master Thannik, we are supposed to meet our contact in
this... establishment. What a rough place. No one respectable
would be found here.” (Now using his normal voice, telling Bill)
“What else can I see? Do my sensors pick up anything unusual,
or any signs of weapons?”
GREG: (As Thannik) “Look, Niner, this is my kind of place. A
good bar fight waiting to happen!” (Looking at Bill, speaking as
the player) “I’m not taking any chances. Where are all of the
entrances? If we have to fight our way out, where can we go?
Who’s heavily armed?”

PETER: (As Dirk) “Well, friends, it’s not polite to stare. I’m
going to the bar for a drink. Anyone with me?”
AMY: (As Rhen) “I’m in.”
GEORGE: (As Cev) “Me too... I want a Reactor Core! I hear
they’re good!”
AMY: (As Rhen) “That’s enough, Cev. You’ll get a fizzyglug
and like it. And don’t try picking any pockets like last time.”
GEORGE: (As Cev) “I never get to have any fun. And how
many times do I have to tell you... it’s ‘Cev,’ like with a ‘k,’ not
with an ‘s!’” (To Bill) “I’m going to pretend to do what Rhen says
but I’m looking out for someone I can pick-pocket.”
PETER: “Here we go again... you know, last time you nearly
got us all killed.”
BILL: (To Peter) “You don’t know what Cev is doing so don’t
worry about it.” (To everyone, pulling out a sheet of scrap
paper) “Here, let me draw you a sketch of the room. There’s a
front door — where both of you are standing now — plus a bar
in the center. Dirk, Rhen and Cev are already at the bar. The
room’s about 20 meters square, so it’s a decent size. There are
booths and tables everywhere.”
(Bill sketches a rough square, drawing in the front door, the
bar and its approximate size, and several booths. He draws a
booth in the back and circles it.)
“This circled booth is where the Devaronian is. At first glance,
you don’t see a lot of the bar — the lighting’s not very good.
There are several humans and one Wookiee in the front — they
look like smugglers or traders. You see three Duros — the guys
with the big green heads and glowing red eyes in the first movie
— in the back, clustered around a table. One is clearly arguing
with the other two, and there’s a deck of sabacc cards and sev­
eral stacks of coins on the table.
“In the back corner is a Gamorrean — you know, Jabba’s pig-
like guards in Return of the Jedi — and he’s really out of control.
He’s standing by himself, well, stumbling is more like it. He’s
punching at thin air and screaming lots of curses in his lan­
guage.
“If you want to notice anything else, you’ll have to take a
few more seconds to scan the area and make Perception checks;
if anyone is antsy, they’ll probably notice that you’re checking
out the place if you keep on standing at the door.”
GEORGE: “Have I found anyone to pick-pocket?”
BILL: “You’re sure you want to do this? Most of the people
here look pretty tough.”
GEORGE: “That’s what makes it a challenge.”
PETER AND AMY: “Oh no.”
BILL: (Smiling evilly) “The guy next to you is a big, burly
spacer-type. He’s got his back turned to you and there’s several
empty glasses on the bar. His wallet’s half out of his back pock­
et. Easy pickings…”
GEORGE: “I’ll go for it. Besides, he won’t beat up on a kid...”
BILL: “Make your pick pocket roll.”
GEORGE: “My pick pocket skill is 4D+2...” (Rolls four dice) “I
got a 2, 4, 5, 5; with the +2, that’s an 18!”
BILL: “You reach over and tug on the wallet and it comes
right out. The guy doesn’t even notice.”
AMY: “Can I see any of this going on?”
ESCA P E P OD D OWN
BILL: “Make a search roll.”
AMY: “I didn’t improve search, but it’s a Perception skill,
right? My Perception’s 3D …” (Rolls three dice) “... a 3, 4, and 6;
that’s a 13.”
BILL: “Out of the corner of your eye you see Cev pulling the
wallet out of the man’s pocket. The guy’s huge... he could proba­
bly press Cev one-handed.”
AMY: (As Rhen, whispering to George) “Cev, what are you
doing?”
GEORGE: (As Cev) “Nothin’ Don’t come over here... there’s
nothin’ to see.” (To Bill) “What’s in the wallet?”
BILL: “Not much. An ID card and about 20 credits.”
GEORGE: (As Cev) “Cool!”
BILL: “The bartender walks up to the spacer, gives him a
another drink and says, ‘Here’s your lum, Fenn. Two credits.’ The
guy reaches around to his back pocket and starts feeling for his
wallet.”
GEORGE: (As Cev) “Uh-oh! See you later, Rhen!” (To Bill) “I
duck into the crowd.”
AMY: (As Rhen) “No you don’t!” (To Bill) “I grab the wallet
from Cev.”
BILL: “Now you need to make what’s called an opposed roll.
Both of you roll your Strength. High roller holds on to the wal­
let. Amy, add a +5 modifier to your roll. You get a bonus
because Cev is trying to sneak away and isn’t really paying
attention to you.”
AMY: (Rolls dice) “A 12... with the +5, that makes my total
17!”
GEORGE: (Rolls dice) “A 10.”
AMY: “Got it!”
BILL: “Just as you grab the wallet and Cev ducks into the
crowd, the spacer realizes his wallet is missing. He turns to look
at you, Rhen.” (Bill imitates drunken spacer) “‘Hey, where’d my
wallet go... hey, what are you doin’ with it?’”
AMY: “Um, I’ll offer to buy him a drink.”
BILL: “C’mon, play it out.“
AMY: (As Rhen) “Uh, you just dropped your wallet on the
floor... here. Let me buy you a drink.”
BILL: (As spacer) “‘Sure. Say, what’re you doin’ later on?’”
AMY: (As Rhen, muttering under her breath)
“I’m gonna kill that little twerp...”
Okay, now you’ve seen a little of how the
game works. What next? Well, first is
the “Star Wars Player Handout.” It’s
sort of like a “cheat sheet” that speeds
up play. Feel free to make copies for
your players.
Then Risha herself will take you through
character creation in Chapter Two. And we’ll wrap up the
Player Section of this book with Chapter Three, which tells
you all you’ll ever need to know about attributes and skills.
Keep reading and keep listening. I’ll be back to check on
you later.
THE STAR WARS ROLEPLAYING GAME: REVISED • EXPANDED • UPDATED ! 13
 PLAYER HANDOUT
If you’re new to the Star Wars Roleplaying Game, this section
will get you ready to play in a couple of minutes.
You’ll be playing a character a person who lives in the Star
Wars universe. While playing, you pretend to be that character.
There is no board to move tokens around on. Instead, one of
your friends will be the gamemaster. The gamemaster acts as
storyteller and referee, describing each scene to you and the
other players. Now, imagine how your character would react to
the situation. Then, tell the gamemaster what your character is
going to do.
When you describe what your character does, the gamemas­
ter will tell you when to roll the dice, and tell you what happens
as a result of how well (or poorly) you roll. In a way, you, the
other players, and the gamemaster are creating your own Star
Wars movie with your characters as the stars!
Winning. There are no winners and losers. Having fun is
what counts. It is far more important to have a great story than
it is to excel as the “best” character.
GETTING STARTED
Select a character template that looks like it would be fun to
play. Grab a pencil and a few six-sided (“normal”) dice.
The right side of the character sheet describes your charac­
ter’s personality and background. You can change some of these
elements, but make sure those changes are approved by the
gamemaster. Each character has six attributes:
Dexterity — Your character’s eye-hand coordination and
agility.
Knowledge — Your character’s knowledge of the galaxy.
Mechanical — Your character’s “mechanical aptitude,” or
ability to pilot vehicles, starships and the like.
Perception — Your character’s powers of observation, and
ability to convince others to do things for him.
Strength — Your character’s physical strength, health, and
ability to resist damage.
Technical — Your character’s “technical aptitude,” or ability
to fix, repair, and modify all kinds of technology, including
starships, droids, and vehicles.
14 ! THE STAR WARS ROLEPLAYING GAME: REVISED • EXPANDED • UPDATED
Cooperate. If the characters are to stand any chance of
succeeding in their adventures, you and the other players have
to work together.
Be True to the Movies. Remember, you’re playing Star
Wars! Be heroes. Use snappy one-liners. And above all else, have
fun!
Become Your Character. Don’t be afraid to ham it up a
little! Speak like your character and adopt his mannerisms in
your movements and actions. You can act out scenes — for
example, if you’re play a gambler, you could have fun trying to
con the other characters.
Use Your Imagination. Your character can do whatever
you can imagine someone in that situation doing. If you can
imagine it in the real world (or the Star Wars universe), it can
happen in the game!
Keep Things Moving. Don’t worry about the rules. Simply
tell the gamemaster what you want your character to do, and
he’ll tell you what to roll and when.
Each attribute has a die code. A typical die code could be 3D
(pronounced “three dee”). That means roll three six-sided dice
whenever the attribute is used.
Example: George is playing a kid, who he names
Cev Rees. Cev has a Mechanical of 3D. When he jumps
behind the controls of a landspeeder and tries to drive
it on a busy highway, the gamemaster tells George to
make a Mechanical roll. George rolls three dice and
gets a 2, 3 and a 5 — Cev’s Mechanical total is 10.
If there is a +1 or a +2 after the “D,” add that number to
your total.
Example: Cev’s Dexterity is 3D+2. (Pronounced
“three dee plus two.”) When Cev throws a grenade, the
gamemaster tells George to make a Dexterity roll.
George rolls a 3, 4 and a 5 (for the 3D), but he also
adds +2 to the total (for the +2) to get a total of 14.
A die code of 2D is about average; a die code of 4D is pretty
good.