When comparing Star Wars RPG by Fantasy Flight Games vs Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition , the Slant community recommends Star Wars RPG by Fantasy Flight Games for most people. In the question“What are the best tabletop RPGs?” Star Wars RPG by Fantasy Flight Games is ranked 18th while Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition is ranked 61st. The most important reason people chose Star Wars RPG by Fantasy Flight Games is:
Rather than focus on combat encounters and character stats, Fantasy Flight Games system allows the group to focus on telling a great Star Wars story. The players and the GM alike are major contributors due to FFG's unique system and dice mechanics.
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Pros
Pro Story focused instead of combat focused
Rather than focus on combat encounters and character stats, Fantasy Flight Games system allows the group to focus on telling a great Star Wars story. The players and the GM alike are major contributors due to FFG's unique system and dice mechanics.
Pro Drives improvisation through its die roll mechanics
The die roll mechanic leads to more than just a simple success and failure. The result often requires positive and negative side effects; sometimes dramatic ones! Very rewarding with a GM who's good at making stuff up on the spot.
Pro Super-customizable character creation system
The Star Wars RPG's point-buy system allows characters to easily gain skills outside their career while still making each build feel unique. Focused builds are rewarded, but, in the narrative system, min/maxed characters are no more overpowered than their (equally rewarded) all-around counterparts. Players can easily create a bounty hunter, ambassador, or mystic, or even all of them in one character. Rigid classes ("I am a cleric") are a thing of the past. Your character is no longer defined by such constraining borders—he is what you want him to be. The level-less system places literal millions of possibilities at your fingertips.
Pro Set in the Star Wars Universe
The Star Wars Universe is arguably one of the largest and most beloved in the world, and this RPG captures it's depth and diversity very well. Players can choose from hundred of class and specialization combinations for creating unique characters and stories set in classic Star Wars settings, or create entirely new worlds and stories.
Pro Now available in setting free format with Genesys
Pro Easier to play online
Because the Star Wars RPG focuses more on story and role play and less on combat, maps and hard stats, it is easier to play online using Voice Software like Skype, Google Hangouts or Discord. There are also online platforms such as Roll20 that allow for digital dice rolls and resources.
Pro Concise and consistent rules
Compared to prior editions, 4th Edition D&D has dramatically simplified rules. There are very few special cases to remember, and all character classes (Fighter, Wizard, etc.) share a common pattern in how they gain and use combat abilities.
Pro Excellent tactical combat system
As a grid-based combat game, 4th Edition offers well-balanced and tactically rich gameplay. In particular, it features numerous effects which force or prevent movement, often preventing simple "charge and attack" tactics.
Pro Focus on heroism and fun
4th Edition downplayed simulation, and instead embraced cinematic action. The players are assumed to be the main characters of a story which revolves around them, rather than merely one faction in a far larger world.
Pro Best balanced version of D&D
Other versions of D&D tend to use a "balance over time" system, where some character types are weaker to start with and stronger later on, and vice-versa for others. However, this works poorly if your game doesn't continue for a long time, or starts with PCs already at a higher level. 4th Edition is the first - and so far only - version of D&D to do a good job of making characters similarly powerful at all levels.
Pro Character death is uncommon
To encourage boldness, characters are far harder to kill than in any other edition. This also allows players to invest heavily in the story and personality of their characters without facing the potential buzzkill of loss.
Pro A unique D&D experience
Not weighed down by sacred cows, and arbitrary rules for the sake of nostalgia and identity.
Cons
Con You need custom dice, and they take some getting used to
This game doesn't use the regular dice so common in most RPGs, but requires the use of a special set of dice that only Fantasy Flight sells. It's kinda pricey, and it takes some getting used to the weird symbols on the dice. There is a die roller app. Of course, some people come to love the custom dice (no more automatic 1-or-20 successes or fails).
Con All the worst money-grabbing faults in RPG design incorporated here
Multiple, nearly redundant corebooks. Supplements are high on price and low on content. It even has custom dice. Fans should be able to apply for a second mortgage at the fantasy flight website.
Con Very little digitally distributed content
While Fantasy Flight has added a few digitally distributed(PDF) resources that are all free; such as character sheets, pre-generated characters and campaigns; there are no official digital versions available for any of their print materials.
Con Three flavoured "separated" subvariants for smuggler theme, rebel stories and Jedi path
A lot of redundant text in the there "corebooks". The rest of the subgames lines are similar structured with in depth class type rule books. Patterns of the lines are very similar: Core book, beginner box, class types expansions and adventures books. You can mix the variants. Rules are compatible.
Con The old WEG edition is so much better
This is clunky and doesn't create a heroic STAR WARS feel.
Con Too much focus on combat, not enough on roleplay
Con Ovely complicated
Con Not enough customization
Multiclassing has been reduced to the point where it is rarely useful past the first feat & limited to one extra class.
Con Combat drags
Due to the scaling of player damage vs. monster hit points, even simple fights can take a long time to resolve, particularly at higher levels.
Con Suspension of disbelief is often difficult
Making it fun was such a priority in 4th Edition that it frequently trumped making sense. This manifests in ways ranging from "minions" who die in hordes at the lightest touch, to broken weapons simply repairing themselves.
Con Grid combat is required for best combat experience
Though most other editions of D&D assume miniatures are used for combat, they have all provided rules for playing without them, while 4th edition has not. It even goes as far as to measure distances and ability effects in terms of "squares.".
And while it's possible to play the game without a grid, 4th edition combat places so much emphasis on powers and abilities that move you and your opponents around the battlefield that keeping track of such movement is important enough where playing 4th Edition without minis or a similar system loses most of the interesting parts of the combat system.
Con Equipment is mandatory to be efficient
Con It's the easy mode of D&D
Everyone has spells and unlimited HP.