Blasters firing, lightsabers swinging, heroes conquering, and starships soaring. These are the core elements of Star Wars in general, and they are reproduced well in its d20 RPG from Wizards of the Coast. Even better, everything you need to start playing can be found in a single sourcebook: The Star Wars Roleplaying Game Revised Core Rulebook.

Updated for the release of Attack of the Clones, the Revised Core Rulebook is chock full of vital rules, general content, and flavor text. Still pictures from the movies are peppered throughout, as are original pieces of artwork for things not seen in theaters. Dozens of movie quotes line the book's pages, helping to set the tone of the game. After all, this isn't just any RPG; it's meant to take the epic scale and grand adventure of the Star Wars movies and bring them to your gaming table.

More so than many mainstream RPGs, Star Wars d20 reminds us that heroes come in many forms. From Jedi, soldiers, and smugglers to aristocrats, technicians and wanderers, adventurers are found throughout the galaxy accomplishing the impossible. Some goals can be accomplished more easily with a small bribe than a blaster fight. This game, and Star Wars in general, is designed for its heroes to explore unique paths to victory.

One of the best features of the Star Wars RPG is its way of keeping everyone involved in the action. In a space battle, for instance, you might find a scoundrel at the helm, a technical specialist in the engineering bay, a soldier in a gunner's seat, and a noble in the captain's chair coordinating the crew. Special attention was paid to ensuring that each playable class has more than one simple role to fill; it is simply up to the imagination of the players to find ways to incorporate their characters into any given situation.

Now, down to the meat of the book. With nine base classes and seventeen starter races, there are certainly lots of possibilities. You'll find Twi'lek scoundrels, Bothan Force adepts, Duros Jedi, and Cerean nobles as often as Human soldiers. Each heroic class is presented with twenty levels of progression, and there are ten prestige classes located later in the book. Additionally, guidelines are given for creating new prestige classes to add a special touch to your own campaigns.

Like other d20 systems, the Star Wars RPG features numerous skills and feats for players to choose from and further customize their characters. While many of these are similar to those found in other RPGs, some are very well tailored to the unique environment of Star Wars, especially Force-related feats and skills such as Computer Use and Gamble. Additionally, Force powers are treated as skills, forcing Jedi and other Force-wielders to carefully balance their esoteric abilities and their extra-curricular learnings.

Though the game is about the heroes and their adventures, no Star Wars story is complete without the instruments and tools of high technology. Classic gear like blasters and comlinks are found alongside bacta tanks and holoprojectors. For the lover of fine transportation, many options are contained within, including vehicles and starships seen in the movies as well as those featured in Expanded Universe content. An entire chapter is devoted to the rules of space combat, easily one of the most enjoyable of Star Wars spectacles.

Later in the book, there are also chapters for the gamemaster's use that espouse various guidelines for running an epic Star Wars adventure, as well as detailing more than a few NPCs and creatures for use as opponents, allies, and others. There is also information in the Revised Core Rulebook for setting campaigns in different eras of the Star Wars storyline. Emphasis is placed on sentient humanoids and aliens for use as enemies, with creatures taking a back seat. However, popular beasts are found, such as the dewback, bantha, and rancor.

Finally, the last chapter discloses additional rules and statistics for creating, owning, and playing as droids. The book dispenses tables of information on maintenance, repair, quirks, gadgets, and personalities important for droid use. A special section is also included to explain exactly which kinds of droids are balanced for play as PCs and how they advance.

All in all, the Star Wars RPG Revised Core Rulebook is loaded with more than enough material to run and play an epic space adventure. The $40 USD price tag is a little steep for a single book, but at over 380 pages, it is no lightweight. With lots of pictures and movie quotes, the book's Star Wars setting is clearly established and maintained. The Force is definitely with this one.

-The Wizard
"Many Bothans died in the making of this review."