It was yet another fantastic and very interesting GenCon this year. First, there was THE BIG ANNOUNCEMENT that will have everyone in the RPG world talking and arguing for a year...but since that was only somewhat related to Star Wars, see my General GenCon News and Notes post coming up next.

For Star Wars Minis and the RPG, the remainder of 07 and 08 will feature another fun and interesting array of products. These were announced at the Star Wars Minis and RPG seminar. The seminar was well attended and went off with only a couple of glitches - like the fact there wasn't an A/V projector or screen, and they double booked the room with the podcasting seminars (it was evident even on the printed placard out front.....seminar locations was a definite problem this year.

So, on with the news:

Upcoming Star Wars RPG Saga Edition products:

Starships of the Galaxy - (December 07) - featuring a new starship maneuvers system, building and enhancing you ships, plus a codex of about 100 ships.

Galaxy Tiles - Similar to the D&D dungeon tiles, but featuring Star Wars locales, will not include minis style terrain lines as the set is not balanced specifically for minis play (you could still use them, though. I know I will.).

Force Unleashed Campaign Guide (March 08) - Regular readers already know I'm one of the authors of this one. Features the Empire and the Dark Times era as well as Force Unleashed related source material.

Dawn of Defiance Campaign - Free RPG campaign from levels 1-20 to present the iconic Star Wars experience. RPGA player rewards will be available if you play via the RPGA. Prelude to Defiance was featured at this convention.

GM Screen (Feb 08) - there will be one, in a 4 panel landscape format.

"Monster Manual" style threats book with character creation options.

Further hints regarding a future book featuring knights of a really old republic.

All RPG books will use the same square format of the Saga Edition core rulebook. Interestingly, it was revealed that the size and shape of the book came about at the distributor / publisher's request to provide a way to physically differentiate between the old and new editions.


SW Minis products:

Force Unleashed Set (November 07) - A 60 piece set featuring 15 from the LucasArts video game. Note that this provides a preview for Force Unleashed since the video game was delayed into next year. There will be 10 huges in this set. One secret that was let slip (no, really....): there will be multiple levels of Force Push that may blast characters across the board.

Hoth Battle Pack - Features 17 minis, including a reposed AT-ST, a holographic Veers, new maps and new scenarios. It complements the AT-AT released previously. It will be exclusively released at Target stores.

Two more sets: Legacy of the Force and Knights of the Old Republic.

There will be a future set to tie into the Clone Wars TV show.

No new factions in upcoming sets.


Also:

The premiere of the Star Wars Minis Championships had 90 participants.

There were at least two versions of the Hoth battle available for play.

If you want to hear more about the upcoming products, and how Saga Edition ties into THE BIG ANNOUNCEMENT, check out this video from the show featuring Rodney Thompson, Associate Game designer and basically the Star Wars RPG lead at WotC:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCYZ9dFjS6o

Lots of interesting products coming up again this year, so stay tuned...

Sterling