Really? I have read the "Y2K" version religiously, and the Saga one pretty thouroughly, and I like the Y2K one better. The new one has too much die-rolling and far too much emphasis on classes, IMO.

Also, ED has the right idea when he's talking about must-have items. In fact, I always pack all three with my character whenever possible (when you are captured by the Vong and in the Embrace of Pain, as my character is currently, in my present campaign, rope isn't always immediately available for obvious reasons) Another one I think you should have with you is some way to quickly start a controlled fire, be it matches, a lighter, or even a low-power blaster. Having a way to start an immediate fire is incredibly handy. You can use it to signal someone, to create torches, to blind a nocturnal creature, to start a bushfire, detonate explosives, the list just goes on. And besides, do you really want to be caught without a fire-starter when you need it most?

I stand corrected. I just went and thumbed back through my Y2K rulebook last night and wow... it's a lot worse than I remember it. I haven't had to use it much at all, because in the current RP I have going, I have been running my own special breed of the game. I developed it for use on VASSAL and for a friend who does not understand the RPG rules well and just wants to get in the action and fight rather than spend half of the session "developing his character."

What we do is take an RPG character and convert it into SWM stats. This eliminates the need for all of the d4s, d12s, etc. All skill checks you make for anything have a bonus equal to your current level. To keep it from just being monotonous killing, I let him make saves to perform all kinds of wild crap. Save of 11 is obviously a fifty-fifty chance, save 16 is a much less probable event, etc. He has really used it to the full extent, as he has created a living bonfire of enemies, thrown them in to stone pillars so hard it actually caused the pillar to fall over (it was a weakened pillar and he is a Wookiee too), shot a gun with a pistol on stun just so he could throw his unconscious body over the edge of a Coruscant skyscraper, and perhaps most notably, kicked a stormie in the nuts, grabbed a grenade from his bandolier, pulled the pin, and shoved it up his helmet. You get the picture. What makes it balanced is that the enemies can do the same wonkish crap back to us. So things clearly get very interesting.

And for note, I have played a traditional campaign with the Y2K rules and I do know how they work. However, I have only used the rulebook sparingly for almost six months now. Please forgive my ignorance of the rules.