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Massively's gift guide for the Star Wars Galaxies player

Filed under: Sci-fi, Culture, Events, real-world, Star Wars Galaxies

They say pet owners look like their pets. There are enough people who put stock in their horoscope to see it put in the daily newspaper. Heck, even which Hogwarts House you identify with probably says something about you. So why not your Massively Multiplayer game of choice? Over the next few weeks we at Massively are going to do our level best to help you make holiday gift giving easy. We'll run down some of the player archetypes you might have among your friends, based on the games they play. We'll give you gift ideas perfect for that type of player and (if it seems right) even some in-game presents that might fit well with their play style.

Today I've got a pile of gift ideas for that rare breed: the Star Wars Galaxies player. Playing a much-maligned game can be hard, but the folks still participating in the story of the galaxy far, far away have their reasons. Maybe it's the crafting, maybe it's the twitch combat ... maybe it's the awesome player housing. For that player - be they Jedi or Bounty Hunter, Sith or Savior - we have an idea that'll keep them happily humming John Williams music on December 25th.

Read on for our gift ideas, and (please) toss out your own in the comments!

The Hardcore - StarWars.com Hyperspace Membership

Let's face it, everyone who is still playing Star Wars Galaxies is at least a little hardcore. For those who just can't get enough of the galaxy a long time ago, though, the official Star Wars site offers a fan club membership called 'Hyperspace'. Hyperspace membership nets a bunch of benefits, including first looks at new LucasFilm projects, discounts on official Star Wars merchandise, and freebies like bonus downloads and a members-only kit. It's a great benefit for the grinding player, too, as they can view limited-access content on the website while they're doing a resource run.

The Beast Master - The Wildlife of Star Wars

This enormous hardcover book offers a beautiful look at the species that inhabit many of the Star Wars Galaxies planets. Give your friend a chance to fully appreciate the inventive critters you blast through every day of your SWG career. The book takes a naturalist's approach, offering amazing sketches of everything from the Peko Pekos of Naboo to the (now extinct) Thrantas of Alderaan. Odds are your favorite beast from the game is in here, and it's a great chance to see a full-scale drawing of your hunting partner. The best in-game gift to go along with the book? Some high-quality pet food!

The Jedi - Power of the Jedi Sourcebook

Technically an RPG sourcebook for the d20 Star Wars game, this is an all-inclusive history of the force-using orders in Star Wars. If your Jedi friend doesn't play the tabletop game, tell her to ignore the crunchy parts and just pay attention to the page after page of historical perspective. Groups like the Jedi, the Sith, and even stranger sects like the Force witches of Dathomir all get their day in the sun. The book also outlines some famous sites important to Force-users, like the Massassi temple on Yavin, and esoteric Jedi equipment. For an in-game gift, see if you can swing the credits for some Holocron shards; they're a link back to the time in-game when Jedi were rare creatures ... and ruinous, from a design perspective.

The Bounty Hunter - Boba Fett Helmet Scaled Replica

Nothing makes a BH player prouder than their full set of Mandalorian armor. This reasonably priced piece of official merchandise commemorates your friend's efforts to look their Boba best. It'll look great on the mantelpiece, or as the ultimate finisher for a game room. Accompany this with some in-game hunting food purchased from an accomplished Chef and you're sure to maintain good faction and plenty of hide shipments with this particular hardened hunter.

The Roleplayer - The New Essential Chronology

This title, one in a series of 'essential' guides, is a wall-to-wall ideas banquet for anyone looking to get fully into character. How you can you fully play the role of a survivor of the poisoning of Atraken, or take on the guise as a disciple of K'Kruhk, if you have don't have sufficient background information? This book covers the full history of the Star Wars universe, with Expanded Universe content going all the way back to the age of the Sith. If you're looking for in-game presents, get friendly with a Tailoring master and buy your RP buddy a whole new wardrobe!

The Crafter - Han Solo DL-44 Blaster

Crafters love the finer things in life. They work hard to gather those resources, and as a result they want nothing but the best. Commemorate the hard work of that Weaponsmith you know by giving them a Masterpiece-quality replica of Han Solo's DL-44 blaster pistol. In the early days of SWG the DL-44 was one of the finest weapons available; I still have one hanging in my home as a memento of days spent hunting on Lok. If you really want to make that crafter's day, go out and snag them some really high-quality resources for their work. Find out what they're making regularly and get a few hundred thousand units of the best metals or polymers you can find.

The Storyteller - Stormtroopers

It's a cliche that Star Wars nerds really like action figures, but there's a reason for that. It taps into the kid you were when you first saw the movies in a way more appropriate that a Space Bikini Leia fetish. Blogger and author Wil Wheaton has written eloquently about the joys of playing with Star Wars toys, and you can give that to your fellow gamer in a neat little package. The folks who have gotten deeply involved in the Storyteller system will probably enjoy these the most; I suggest starting them off with a nice collection of Stormtroopers to get them started. For in-game Storyteller goodies, consider the SWG equivalent of a gift card: credits. They can use them to buy more Storyteller chits and throw a swinging event; alternatively, you could do them a huge favour and advertise their upcoming event in cantinas and forums across the galaxy ... and internet.

The Pre-NGE Fanatic - Prima's Official Guide to Star Wars Galaxies

There are some people that just can't let go. Despite all the improvements made to the game since the NGE, there are still some folks who spam the official forums with calls for 'legacy servers'. That's never going to happen, but if you want to give them a really easy way to relive the 'good old days', buy them the official Prima guide released waaay back when the game first launched. They can pour over the pages describing long-obsolete game design while imagining they were still playing things the old way. It also happens to be the cheapest thing on this list: you can pick it up used for nothing. For an in-game momento, find them an Alderaan flower; it was originally handed out during the Cries of Alderaan, the first and only 'chapter event' the team tried to run.

The Post-SWG KOTORO Fanatic - Knights of the Old Republic Graphic Novel

Then there are some Star Wars Galaxies players who have gone in the far opposite direction. They're not playing anymore, and are simply counting the days till a new Star Wars MMOG comes along. The rumours are that BioWare is already hard at work on Knights of the Old Republic Online; if you want to give them a leg up on that setting you could give them the Xbox KOTOR game, but chances are they've already played it. A better option would be to get them involved in the ongoing story of Zayne Carrick, rogue Jedi padawan. His story is told in the Knight of the Old Republic comic book series from Dark Horse. The first graphic novel collection is primarily inked by Brian Ching (a very talented artist) and tells an amazingly compelling story. In-game items for these lapsed players won't be of much use; instead consider buying them a one-month time card for a Massive game they haven't tried yet ... they've got quite a wait before BioWare's offering sees the light of day.

There you have it - eight great gifts for the Star Wars Galaxies players in your life. They're choosy, particular Massive gamers; they have a good thing and they're sticking with it. The best gift you can give an SWG player is a little understanding. The dedicated ones probably feel a bit like pariahs in the community, and having a chat with them about their game of choice would probably be the best gift of all.

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