A Word About Design Philosophy.

As somebody who contributed a fair bit of professional development of rules systems for at least one other RPG years ago, I've devoted a fair amount of thought to design philosophy and RPGs.

Basically, I'm generally in the opposite camp of the TSR/Wizards of the Coast school of building more rules so players can do something cool. I think, if D&D has a flaw, it's that it chokes itself to death with rule systems and players options without ever really looking at the cohesive whole of those systems. There comes a point with D&D where as a player or GM, you have to say enough, and stop collecting books, or drive yourself mad collecting every sourcebook. I still haven't taken too much of a plunge into D&D 3.5, and haven't spent a dime on D&D 4, as a result.

That being said, I can say that I'm actually grateful that WotC called it quits after 14 books with Saga. To me, that was about the sweet spot. In my opinion (and I don't speak for the other designers on the project) it is already reaching a point of diminishing returns with regard to developing new rules systems, talents, feats, classes, etc.

What is needed in Saga Edition is more stuff for GMs. Stat blocks. NPCs. Adventure ideas. Published adventures. Things that a GM can steal or borrow from, drop into a session, and minimize the work he has to do to run a game.

For those expecting a ton of crunch in terms of new rules systems for the book, prepare to be disappointed. We'll be giving the Yuuzhan Vong and the Killiks the treatment they deserve from the system in terms of character options, and we'll be filling in stuff that hasn't been published for the system already in terms of equipment, Force powers, etc. on the New Republic/Galactic Alliance, Imperial Remnant and Jedi sides, but I think a lot of what is needed to run NJO adventures in terms of rules subsystems, talents, feats, etc. is already there. All we need to do is point GMs and players in the right direction.

What the book will have is tons of adventure seeds. Generic and specific NPC stat blocks. New vehicles and starships, particularly on the Vong side. Cool ideas on why to consider running a campaign in the era. Campaign outlines. A published adventure to get you started.

That's the book I'd buy if WotC had published it. Obviously, your mileage may vary, so let us know what you think