This week has seen all kinds of activity, as The Republic and Sith Empire rev up their machines of war in preparation for the imminent launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic. There is so much chatter on the comms we can barely keep things straight, from the second Fan Site Summit to the revelation of the Pre-Launch Guild Program moving into Phase 3: Deployment.

But wait! This just coming in; Georg Zoeller has sent us an encrypted communique detailing some brand new Trooper intel. Strap on your armor and lace up your boots for a great read that may just be key to winning our war against the Sith Empire!

Tags: Advanced Class, Aim, Alacrity, Assault Specialist, Bioware, Combat Medic, Combat Support Cell, Commando, EA, Electronic Arts, Endurance, Galactic Republic, Georg Zoeller, Guardian, Gunnery, Gunslinger, Gut, Hail of Bolts, Jedi, Jedi Guardian, Jedi Knight, Jedi Sage, Jedi Shadow, LucasArts, Pulse Cannon, Republic Trooper, Sage, Scou, Shadow, Sith Empire, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Supercharge Cell, Surge, SWTOR, Tactics, The Old Republic, TOR, Trooper, Vanguard

This week we have witnessed a conflict that threatens to dwarf the struggle between The Empire and The Republic. Maybe I exaggerate but in all seriousness there has been quite a bit of unrest surrounding the announcement of the second fan site summit for Star Wars: The Old Republic. Things have become tense and strained between some fan sites and BioWare regarding the list of attendees for the second summit. We here at Republic Trooper have our own opinions on the matter.

Tags: Ask A Jedi, Bioware, Corellian Run Radio, Darth Hater, David Souza, EA, Electronic Arts, fan site summit, Force Junkies, Frag World, LucasArts, Mos Eisley Radio, R2-DB, Red Rancor, Republic Trooper, Star Wars: The Old Republic, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR, TOR Syndicate, TOR-Talk, TOROcast, TORWars, Trooper

Always in Motion is The Future is our column that deals with general news and information regarding The Old Republic based facts and finally spiced with the unique perspective of Republic Trooper.

As The Old Republic’s release grows nearer, many are preparing to leave their old MMOs and make the jump into a galaxy far, far away. Some are coming to the game as long time Star Wars fans, eager to make their own adventures in The Old Republic while others are looking for something new, their previous games having grown old and tired. No matter how you come to BioWare’s premiere into the MMO market, most will be coming from another game. How does one simply make that leap, and how will it be for you? Will it be bittersweet, with fond looks back on good times or will it be a breath of fresh air?

Tags: Bioware, EA, Electronic Arts, guilds, LucasArts, Mike Kern, MMOs, podcast, Star Wars: The Old Republic, SWTOR, TeamSpeak, The Matrix Online, The Old Republic, TOR, Ventrilo

Beyond the Outer Rim is the RepublicTrooper.com column responsible for delivering intel reports on what’s going on beyond the boundaries of The Old Republic. These reports are gathered from distant galaxies and will likely involve alien information that may prove useful in understanding our ancient enemy, the Sith Empire.

Blizzard recently lowered the curtain and revealed the details on their next World of Warcraft expansion. The newest chapter in the Warcraft saga is entitled “Mists of Pandaria” and has been rumored for the past few months. While the general theme of the xpac was discerned some time ago many of the features that will be delivered are nothing short of exciting.

Tags: Azeroth, Bioware, Blizzard, Cataclysm, Challenge Mode Dungeons, Companion Pets, Diablo 3, Mists of Pandaria, MMOs, Monk, Pandaren, PvE, raid, The Old Republic, TOR, Warcraft 3, World of Warcraft, WoW

Beyond the Outer Rim is the RepublicTrooper.com column responsible for delivering intel reports on what’s going on beyond the boundaries of The Old Republic. These reports are gathered from distant galaxies and will likely involve alien information that may prove useful in understanding our ancient enemy, the Sith Empire.

I remember playing my first table-top game session almost 30 years ago with a bunch of my friends from school—that was the beginning of a passion that’s lasted ever since. In time I began playing MMOs, at first expecting them to be a natural evolution from the table-top RPG but finding, to my disappointment, that they were missing a vital element. All the same, I found the value in MMOs for what they were but have always wondered about that missing “fourth pillar” that Bioware has been touting so much as of late. Well, for those of us who want story now there’s a new player in the game—Namaste with their new Storybricks system.

Tags: Bioware, Kelly Heckman, MMOs, Namaste, Phil Carlisle, Sith Empire, Storybricks, The Old Republic