There is a strong case for Star Wars: Edge of the Empire to be a great solo game. The dicing system provides a lot of narrative direction, producing unexpected results for you to interpret with every roll, and it's like having an oracle built into the system's task resolution.
It is brilliant for narrative gaming, especially for Star Wars.
Does "something bad happen?"
Well, it is right there on my skill roll!
A despair result happening on a stealth roll? Yeah, I am caught and surrounded by stormtroopers. Game over, man, and my smuggler is getting their gear taken away and thrown in a holding cell. There is a little bit of interpretation needed, but the "what happens next" is right there, on the dice, in front of my face, and begging for me to fill in the blanks. I am not rolling a second orgacle die, "Did they see me?" Or, "was I captured?" Nope, that one symbol does it all; just a touch of very easy interpretation is needed, and my mind can fill in the rest.
Every skill roll can be a narrative instruction. Now, it does take a little discipline to aggregate the rolls, avoid rolling too many times, and roll only when it matters. These sorts of special dice systems can get tiring and repetitive, forcing you to stop the game, think of something to please the dice, and then pick up again where you left off.
Special dice fatigue is a real thing!
But, if you can control the urges to "roll for every little thing" and learn to apply some results broadly, or just "handwave away" a few negative results as a "penalty to the next turn," then you will be fine. You do not always have to interpret every symbol; just saying, "Oh, you got a couple negative symbols this roll, next turn you are not in a great firing position, and will take a small penalty," is good enough!
Don't force yourself to come up and account for every little thing.
The best way to handle most results is to decide what happens quickly, and if you can't decide, make a snap call or use it as a negative (or positive) modifier for the next turn's actions. Do not spend forever thinking of what the dice tell you! Yes, know the symbols and what they mean, but don't let them slow the game down.
Make a quick judgment call and move on.
And Star Wars, especially in the Legends Universe, is an amazing place to game. If you want to ignore the new stuff, you are free to do so, and have an entire history of classic lore and stories to pull from! This is one of the greatest gifts to storytelling and gaming ever given, and the de-canonization of the Legends lore keeps it set in stone and never changing.
I love the Legends Universe. I grew up with this stuff!
I can choose to ignore the new stuff or use the best parts. It works both ways.
An excellent Solo Play game today, and a worthy set of lore and one of the best universes to share and create in. Strong recommendation.
