"Through the ages, I've seen evil take many forms. The Sith. The Empire. Today, it is the First Order. Their shadow is spreading across the galaxy. We must face them. Fight them. All of us."

–Maz Kanata

When you're given the chance to fight the spead of evil, will you take it? Or will you flee? What will you do?

That's the question that's at the heart of any roleplaying game: "What will you do?"

It's the question at the heart of The Force Awakens™ Beginner Game. It's the question that can drive the veteran of a hundreds Star Wars battles to achieve new heights, and if you're a complete roleplaying novice, it's a question that can sweep you away from the sands of Jakku and onto an adventure that may change the course of the galaxy!

Life as a Restless Pilot

When you sit down to play The Force Awakens Beginner Game, you become one of four characters from the Star Wars universe. You might become an alien like Durm Borno the Abednedo Colonist. Or you might remain human, like Fira Bon the Soldier, Tiras Or'un the Explorer, or Mhar'li the Ace pilot. Whichever character you become, you will find all the information you need to assume that character's identity in his or her character portfolio.

For now, we'll imagine that you assume the role of the human Ace, Mhar'li. Like each of the other characters, Mhar'li is defined by an eight-page character portfolio that offers insight into her personality through a bit of backstory and that uses an assortment of numbers and charts to describe her specific skills and talents. Both the backstory and the charts are important, albeit for different reasons.

When you play The Force Awakens The Beginner Game, your goal is to enjoy an immersive and collaborative storytelling experience within the Star Wars universe. Along with the other heroes, you arrive to Jakku in the middle of a dramatic situation rife with possibility, and your choices may have far-reaching consequences. Your character background helps you understand who Mhar'li is, why she's in the adventure, and why she's joined up with a band of nomads outside a salvage site on Jakku.

While Mhar'li's backstory specificially avoids confining your actions throughout the course of the adventure, it gives you enough information so that you can take the actions you think Mhar'li might take… even if they're different from what you might do in her place.

Some of the things you'll want to do as Mhar'li may come with a risk of failure. For example, you might want to scavenge a crashed ship for the specific part you need to repair your ship's engine. There's no guarantee that you'll succeed—especially if the situation is further complicated by the threat of laser fire!

Whenever you want to pursue a course of action that might fail, your Game Master will ask you to make a skill check. To do this, you'll assemble a pool of dice determined by the difficulty of the task as well as your character's ranks in the appropriate skill, plus the associated characteristic. If you roll more than , you succeed.

Naturally, since Mhar'li's character portfolio identifies all her skills and characteristics, you can identify which of her skills—and, therefore, her potential courses of action—are more likely to lead to positive results. As Mhar'li, you're great while piloting, and you're great with blasters. But you're only mediocre with ship repairs. So when you get caught in the middle of a shoot-out, you might decided to abandon your scavenger hunt in favor of returning fire.

Time to Act

…You run through the airlock and slam it shut. There’s no lock, so it won’t hold the Strus Clan back for long. The hallway just beyond the entrance is cluttered with crates and piles of junk. The light panels flicker fitfully, leaving deep pools of shadow in the alcoves on either side of the door. Some of the crates are large enough that, if pushed onto their side, they could serve as a solid barricade. Parts of the hallway are narrow enough that one resolute hero could make a stand there to stop intruders from advancing deeper into the ship. At the far end of the hallway, Misha Vontoba orders a group of nomads to take cover or flee deeper into the ship, her clear voice ringing through the halls. Some of the nomads ignore her, cowering in corners and wailing. If you can’t hold off the Strus Clan’s gangsters, these people are done for. You have just enough time to do one thing to prepare for the attack. What do you do?

Allied with nomadic scavengers. Thrust into conflict with vicious gangsters. Stranded on the sands of Jakku. This isn't a time for modesty. This is a time to summon your courage and do what your favorite heroes from the Star Wars movies would do. This is time to act!

What will you do when The Force Awakens Beginner Game arrives at your local retailer? Will you rise to the occasion and help those in need? Will you be a hero? Who will you become?

The Force Awakens Beginner Game is scheduled to arrive at retailers early next month. Be sure to pre-order your copy today!