#RPGaDay 2016 Day 24: Game I'm Most Likely to Give as a Gift



I really hate giving gifts when I don't know the recipient. Does he or she own a ton of games and I want to present something unusual? Or do I want to break someone into gaming? And is money an object? Is being in print one?

However, I'm going to make a few assumptions. I'm going to assume this game is a gift for someone who is into some moderately geeky stuff but isn't a gamer. And I want to get him or her hooked.

With that in mind I'm going to go with a game that I've used to introduce lots of people to gaming - the West End Games incarnation of Star Wars. Back in the day, I'd have a new player, usually a friend of someone in the group, show up for a game at my apartment, and within about fifteen minutes I'd have explained the rules and had a character ready for them. The D6 incarnation isn't flashy and it does have its flaws, like any game, but it is incredibly easy to grasp, slides out of the way, and feels appropriate for the genre. It doesn't have a lot in the way of bells and whistles and isn't big on narrative control, so for some experienced gamers it might be a bit on the bland side. I've found that these bland games often make for awesome gaming experiences.

As far as the version I'd give, I'd be giving the underrated Star Wars Introductory Adventure Game boxed set. It's a complete game that dials back a lot of the 2nd edition's added complexity (not that it was super-complex) but is a much tighter and robust game than the 1st edition was. I also liked it stayed clear of most Expanded Universe material, focusing just on the films. If West End Games had had an opportunity for a 3rd edition, it might have been interesting for them to have used this as a starting point. It's got sections teaching the rules, character generation, and a nice series of adventures making up a campaign.

Honorable mention to Evil Hat's Young Centurions, a great presentation of the Fate system.



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