West End Games

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"We've expanded the universe."
―Peter M. Schweighofer[1]

West End Games (WEG) was the publisher of Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game. The Roleplaying Game was also translated into Swedish, French, Spanish and German and published internationally under license by Äventyrsspel, Jeux Descartes, Joc Internacional and Welt der Spiele.

History

Based in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, the company started with tabletop war games in the early 1980s. They took the Star Wars license starting in 1987.[1] West End Games originally previewed the then-forthcoming Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game to the public at Origins '87 in Baltimore.[2][3]

West End Games editors maintained an online presences dedicated to Star Wars, as early as 1991, on the GEnie computer network BBS under the Scorpia page, the SUMMIT Games Network BBS, as well as on America Online, answering questions and gaining insight from fans.[4] Since 1994 they also started publishing their own Star Wars Adventure Journal.

West End Games' third logo following the 1998 bankruptcy and re-merger.

West End Games' third logo following the 1998 bankruptcy and re-merger.

In July 1998 the company declared bankruptcy despite the popularity of Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game, leaving the Star Wars tabletop game license in limbo, which caused fans to be unsure of the future of Star Wars tabletop games.[5]

Legacy

While all the supplements West End Games produced are out of print, some of the information included in their sourcebooks and adventures was used as background material for the Expanded Universe novels and comics, and some of the writers for West End Games supplements went on to write for the Star Wars Roleplaying Game produced by Wizards of the Coast. Much as with Marvel Comics' original Star Wars series, relatively obscure characters and settings from WEG supplements were frequently referenced in later Expanded Universe material by such authors as Abel G. Peña and Pablo Hidalgo (himself a former West End Games freelancer).

Lucasfilm's 2014 continuity policy change placed West End Games material under the Legends banner of Star Wars canon. Character and item statistics had always been considered non-canonical game mechanics.

Associated supplements, of varying canonicity, were also published in publications such as Dragon Magazine, Challenge magazine, Polyhedron, and, later, Dungeon/Polyhedron. Three West End Games sourcebooks—the Jedi Sourcebook, Tion Hegemony Sourcebook and The X-Wing: Rogue Squadron Sourcebook—were canceled before their release. The solitaire adventure Gambler's Luck was likewise never released.

Products

Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game

Wiki-shrinkable This out-of-universe list is incomplete. You can help Wookieepedia by expanding it.
Title Released
Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game 1987[6]
The Star Wars Sourcebook 1987[7]
Star Wars Campaign Pack 1988[8]
Tatooine Manhunt 1988[9]
Strike Force: Shantipole 1988[10]
Battle for the Golden Sun 1988[11]
Imperial Sourcebook 1988[12]
The Star Wars Rules Companion 1989[13]
Starfall 1989[14]
Otherspace 1989[15]
Otherspace II: Invasion 1989[16]
Scavenger Hunt 1989[17]
Riders of the Maelstrom 1989[18]
Crisis on Cloud City 1989[19]
Galaxy Guide 1: A New Hope 1989[20]
Galaxy Guide 2: Yavin and Bespin 1989[21]
Galaxy Guide 3: The Empire Strikes Back 1989[22]
Galaxy Guide 4: Alien Races 1989[23]
The Rebel Alliance Sourcebook 1990[24]
Black Ice 1990[25]
The Game Chambers of Questal 1990[26]
The Isis Coordinates 1990[27]
Death in the Undercity 1990[28]
Galaxy Guide 5: Return of the Jedi 1990[29]
Galaxy Guide 6: Tramp Freighters 1990[30]
Cracken's Rebel Field Guide 1991[31]
Death Star Technical Companion 1991[32]
Domain of Evil 1991[33]
Graveyard of Alderaan 1991[34]
Planets of the Galaxy, Volume One 1991[35]
Star Wars Gamemaster Kit 1991[36]
Star Wars Miniatures Battles 1991[37]
Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game, Second Edition 1992[38]
Mission to Lianna 1992[39]
The Abduction 1992[40]
The Politics of Contraband 1992[41]
Star Wars Gamemaster Screen 1992[42]
Wanted by Cracken 1993[43]
Galaxy Guide 7: Mos Eisley 1993[44]
Galaxy Guide 8: Scouts 1993[45]
Star Wars Gamemaster Handbook 1993[46]
Galaxy Guide 9: Fragments from the Rim 1993[47]
Twin Stars of Kira 1993[48]
Han Solo and the Corporate Sector Sourcebook 1993[49]
The Last Command Sourcebook 1994[50]
Galaxy Guide 10: Bounty Hunters 1994[51]
Goroth: Slave of the Empire 1995[52]
Alliance Intelligence Reports 1995[53]
Galladinium's Fantastic Technology 1995[54]
The DarkStryder Campaign 1995[55]
Galaxy Guide 5: Return of the Jedi, Second Edition 1995[56]
Heroes & Rogues 1995[57]
Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game, Second Edition, Revised and Expanded 1996[58]
Tales of the Jedi Companion 1996[59]
The Truce at Bakura Sourcebook 1996[60]
The Thrawn Trilogy Sourcebook 1996[61]
Instant Adventures 1996[62]
Live-Action Adventures 1996[63]
No Disintegrations 1997[64]
Imperial Double-Cross 1997[65]
Cynabar's Fantastic Technology: Droids 1997[66]
Mos Eisley Adventure Set 1997[67]
Wretched Hives of Scum & Villainy 1997[68]
Star Wars Trilogy Sourcebook, Special Edition 1997[69]
Gundark's Fantastic Technology: Personal Gear 1997[70]
The Black Sands of Socorro 1997[71]
Cracken's Threat Dossier 1997[72]
Secrets of the Sisar Run 1997[73]
Pirates & Privateers 1997[74]
Alien Encounters 1998[75]
The Far Orbit Project 1998[76]

Solitaire adventures

Title Released
Jedi's Honor 1990
Scoundrel's Luck 1990

Board games

Title Released
Star Warriors: Starfighter Combat in the Star Wars Universe 1987[77]
Assault on Hoth 1988[78]
Battle for Endor 1989[79]
Escape from the Death Star 1990[80]

Sources

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Secrets of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
  2. ↑ SpaceGamerCite "Origins '87 Report" — Space Gamer/Fantasy Gamer 80
  3. ↑ SpaceGamerCite "Star Wars Sneak Preview" — Space Gamer/Fantasy Gamer 80
  4. ↑ Greg Farshtey, Bill Smith and Ed Stark. "BBS News". Infiniverse, 1, 14, 1991-09-xx, 12. "For those of you with computers, West End Games is involved with two national bulletin board systems. For GEnie subscribers, both Torg and Star Wars listings can be found under the Scorpia page, while the Paranoia listing is under the TSR page. West End Games editors are on-line two or three times a week to answer questions, run contests and just generally poke around to see what's on everyone’s mind. The new SUMMIT Games Network BBS will also be featuring West End Games on-line. We plan to have our section on the system up and running within a month."
  5. ↑ Star Wars Year By Year: A Visual History, New Edition
  6. ↑ Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game
  7. ↑ The Star Wars Sourcebook
  8. ↑ Star Wars Campaign Pack
  9. ↑ Tatooine Manhunt
  10. ↑ Strike Force: Shantipole
  11. ↑ Battle for the Golden Sun
  12. ↑ Imperial Sourcebook
  13. ↑ The Star Wars Rules Companion
  14. ↑ Starfall
  15. ↑ Otherspace
  16. ↑ Otherspace II: Invasion
  17. ↑ Scavenger Hunt
  18. ↑ Riders of the Maelstrom
  19. ↑ Crisis on Cloud City
  20. ↑ Galaxy Guide 1: A New Hope
  21. ↑ Galaxy Guide 2: Yavin and Bespin
  22. ↑ Galaxy Guide 3: The Empire Strikes Back
  23. ↑ Galaxy Guide 4: Alien Races
  24. ↑ The Rebel Alliance Sourcebook
  25. ↑ Black Ice
  26. ↑ The Game Chambers of Questal
  27. ↑ The Isis Coordinates
  28. ↑ Death in the Undercity
  29. ↑ Galaxy Guide 5: Return of the Jedi
  30. ↑ Galaxy Guide 6: Tramp Freighters
  31. ↑ Cracken's Rebel Field Guide
  32. ↑ Death Star Technical Companion
  33. ↑ Domain of Evil
  34. ↑ Graveyard of Alderaan
  35. ↑ Planets of the Galaxy, Volume One
  36. ↑ Star Wars Gamemaster Kit
  37. ↑ Star Wars Year By Year: A Visual History, New Edition
  38. ↑ Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game, Second Edition
  39. ↑ Mission to Lianna
  40. ↑ The Abduction
  41. ↑ The Politics of Contraband
  42. ↑ Star Wars Gamemaster Screen
  43. ↑ Wanted by Cracken
  44. ↑ Galaxy Guide 7: Mos Eisley
  45. ↑ Galaxy Guide 8: Scouts
  46. ↑ Star Wars Gamemaster Handbook
  47. ↑ Galaxy Guide 9: Fragments from the Rim
  48. ↑ Twin Stars of Kira
  49. ↑ Han Solo and the Corporate Sector Sourcebook
  50. ↑ The Last Command Sourcebook
  51. ↑ Galaxy Guide 10: Bounty Hunters
  52. ↑ Goroth: Slave of the Empire
  53. ↑ Alliance Intelligence Reports
  54. ↑ Galladinium's Fantastic Technology
  55. ↑ The DarkStryder Campaign
  56. ↑ Galaxy Guide 5: Return of the Jedi, Second Edition
  57. ↑ Heroes & Rogues
  58. ↑ Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game, Second Edition, Revised and Expanded
  59. ↑ Tales of the Jedi Companion
  60. ↑ The Truce at Bakura Sourcebook
  61. ↑ The Thrawn Trilogy Sourcebook
  62. ↑ Instant Adventures
  63. ↑ Live-Action Adventures
  64. ↑ No Disintegrations
  65. ↑ Imperial Double-Cross
  66. ↑ Cynabar's Fantastic Technology: Droids
  67. ↑ Mos Eisley Adventure Set
  68. ↑ Wretched Hives of Scum & Villainy
  69. ↑ Star Wars Trilogy Sourcebook, Special Edition
  70. ↑ Gundark's Fantastic Technology: Personal Gear
  71. ↑ The Black Sands of Socorro
  72. ↑ Cracken's Threat Dossier
  73. ↑ Secrets of the Sisar Run
  74. ↑ Pirates & Privateers
  75. ↑ Alien Encounters
  76. ↑ The Far Orbit Project
  77. ↑ Star Warriors: Starfighter Combat in the Star Wars Universe
  78. ↑ Assault on Hoth
  79. ↑ Battle for Endor
  80. ↑ Escape from the Death Star

External links