Star Wars Adversary Decks

Fantasy Flight came out with three sets of adversary desk for its Star Wars RPG, and they are a great tabletop resource for playing the game. They are quick NPC cards that cover minions, rivals, and PC-like opponents and allies in the roleplaying game.

As an in-game resource, I can't see how I would play without these, as they give me a quick NPC stat and skill block to quickly create a character from. With a little modification, you can swap skills and boost abilities for a customized NPC if you so desire, the baselines are solid enough that you could mod these cards for talented individuals or elite storm-trooper squads with little effort, and it sure beats flipping through the book for NPC stats.

There are three decks and they are pretty inexpensive, so they are must-buys for me. Each deck gives you twenty cards, which feels like enough value for a deck, and there are three decks focusing on imperials and rebels, citizens, and a rogue's gallery of villainy.

I would like to see new decks covering the galaxy's monsters, Jedi and Sith, pirates and spacers, and even notable NPCs from the movies. I could see these cards going off in many useful directions, and I would also love to see cards covering starship, vehicle, or equipment stats, complete with pictures and the rules for each. I would go to the dark side just to get decent starfighter stat cards, those would be a cool and useful addition and help me greatly when players hop in their X-Wings and start blasting TIEs.

Will I use these during play? Most certainly. I love little in-game referee tools like this, and I wish D&D and Pathfinder were simple and organized enough they could do useful referee's aids like this for their games. I know Pathfinder has equipment and other card add-ons, but that game feels so voluminous and large the cards don't feel like they do the game justice.

Right now there are only three decks, and after reading and sorting through these, I went to the store looking for more in the series. There aren't any more packs beyond the original three, so I am hoping these decks take off and we have a greater selection in the future. I want more of these, and I would love to see these expanded upon.

Like a second set of Star Wars RPG Dice, these are must-haves for running the game, and they are a great tool to prevent a referee from 'winging NPC stats' and playing fast-and-loose with the rules. While I can wing it in a pinch, I prefer to play by the rules in order to get the full game experience, and this includes NPC stats. A great resource, fun, imaginative, and with pictures of citizens of the galaxy that inspire and give you ideas for adventures in this universe. Recommended.