Rogue-Like: Introduction

One of the best games I’ve played this year has been Faster Than Light (FTL). It’s a definitively “rogue-like” indie video game. If it were a tabletop roleplaying game, we might describe the gameplay as an ultra-deadly sandbox. I love the level of challenge and exploration that is inherent in this style of game. With that in mind, I don’t see any reason why Star Wars Edge of the Empire couldn’t support a campaign set into a rogue-like system full of unlimited exploration of the billions and billions of stars within the galaxy. As the player explores the galaxy under the ever-present threat of an advancing enemy fleet of starships, star systems are discovered, enemy ships destroyed, merchants traded with, weapons upgraded, and alien civilizations are met. The game portrays a true sense of accomplishment and meaningful progress, as fun new features of the game are constantly being unlocked as the player explores interesting new branches within the game’s random events.

To successfully create a fun, engaging campaign in this way, several key new House Rules and guidelines need to be created. I’ll be using the tag ‘rogue event’ with posts that are aimed specifically at this style, although as a general statement most of the Edge of the Empire Alphabet blog posts fit in perfectly with the randomness and exploratory nature of a rogue-like game.

The first rogue-like post of any real substance will be my first Rogue Event. Rogue Events will be my interpretation of the top 100 random events that are able to be discovered in FTL that are most suitable for use in an Edge of the Empire campaign.