RPGNow

RPGNow

Saturday, June 1, 2013

What Would Be Your Choice of SciFi RPG Rulesets?

I plan on kicking of a Stars Without Number campaign that going to draw influence from other scifi sources - RPGs, fiction movies, etc.

I'm going with SWN as there is little transition need for my mind to go from AD&D / S&W / OSR to SWN - the engine is pretty much the same even if the chassis is different.

There are other viable choices, of course.

My last (and only) sci-fi gaming in the last 15 years prior to my upcoming campaign was playing in a Warhammer 40k Dark Heresy campaign. I had a blast as a player, but the game itself is just crunchy for me to be able to comfortably run it these days. Not saying I might not borrow a lot of it's flavor for the new campaign, just not the rules.

Traveller, whether the LBBs or Mongoose is a solid system, but I'm at least 20 years past the last time I've run it.

X-Plorers, Hulks & Horrors and other OSR type scifi rpgs are sources I plan to liberally liberate material from. They are both good choices, but SWN seemed to fit my needs the best.

So, if you were to run (or currently are running) a SciFi RPG game, which set (or sets) of rules would you use?
Posted by at
Labels:

20 comments:

  1. UnknownJune 1, 2013 at 11:20 AM

    I'd love something with the depth of Traveller and the simplicity of SWN.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownJune 1, 2013 at 11:20 AM

    I'd love something with the depth of Traveller and the simplicity of SWN.

    ReplyDelete
  3. KergillianJune 1, 2013 at 11:26 AM

    I love SWN. I'm also very fond of Star Frontiers and High Space for Savage Worlds.

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownJune 1, 2013 at 11:31 AM

    I'm using Cortex Plus, specifically Marvel Heroic Roleplaying, for my Mass Effect campaign. Simple base mechanic with as much complexity as you wish.

    ReplyDelete
  5. EdgetoneJune 1, 2013 at 11:32 AM

    If it was fairly "hard" Sci-Fi, I would go with Mongoose Traveller, even though, like you, it dates back over 20 years for me with the LBBs.

    For pulpier Sci-Fi, I would go with D6 Space. WEG Star Wars always worked well for me as a fantasy Sci-Fi system.

    Lastly, if it was post-apocalyptic Sci-Fi, I would run Darwin's World Savage Worlds edition. If you wanted it more human-centric, just leave out the mutant characters, or have them be only NPC adversaries.

    ReplyDelete
  6. minitrueJune 1, 2013 at 1:19 PM

    I've always been a fan of Alternity, didn't care too much for the Star Drive Setting, but Dark Matter was fantastic. When Wizards first announced they had the rights to Star Wars I had hoped it would be using Alternity for the rules engine.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. David The ArchmageJune 2, 2013 at 9:44 AM

      I also loved Alternity, but unlike you I prefered Star*Drive over Dark Matter. I've actually used the S*D setting for a D6 game, and it worked. Wish I still had my notes on it...

      Delete
  7. BlUsKrEEmJune 1, 2013 at 1:24 PM

    I use X-plorers with a mix of Bandits and Battleships (Terminal Space's sequel,) although I'll borrow the odd rule from here or there. Last solo campaign I ran Starships and Spacemen ship rules instead of with XP's and it worked well for solo play (still prefer Xp's strip and ship system.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousJune 1, 2013 at 9:00 PM

      I would be interested to know which parts of Bandits & Battleships you found the most useful. The starship rules? Do you mostly just use the random tables for inspiration? That's a pretty wacky book and I enjoyed reading it, but I didn't come away with much of a sense of how a B&B game would play out.

      Delete
    2. BlUsKrEEmJune 2, 2013 at 12:36 PM

      I love the random tables. I have never actually played it as a game by itself (I've been playing X-P since the beta so I'm pretty set with my core rules.)

      Delete
  8. Digital OrcJune 1, 2013 at 1:48 PM

    I agree with your sentiments towards Dark Heresy. I've been playing in a DH campaign for over three years, mainly because my gaming group won't get behind a Labyrinth Lord run :(

    ReplyDelete
  9. Gothridge ManorJune 1, 2013 at 2:09 PM

    GURPS. Its the one I know best. While I'd like to learn other systems when I find the time. I know I could get a jump out of the gate using GURPS.

    ReplyDelete
  10. PiperJune 1, 2013 at 2:13 PM

    Traveller would be my first choice, merely because I've played it so long and know the rules very well. I must say, however, that X-Plorers is really growing on me and I were to go for a more "pulpy" or "Swords & Planets" feel I would probably use X-Plorers instead.

    ReplyDelete
  11. PriddayJune 1, 2013 at 2:25 PM

    Actually, I'm trying to decide on which sci-fi rules to use for a possible campaign. I love the old Traveler (still have my old boxed set), but I'm also looking at d20 Modern/d20 Future. Another possibility is Albedo: Platinum Catalyst, since there will be mutant animal player races. Friends tell me that D6 Space is good, but I haven't played it yet.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Doctor FuturityJune 1, 2013 at 3:29 PM

    I usually default to Traveller (Mongoose edition) but I have been keen to use BRP for some SF gaming lately as well. I also have a weak spot for SciFi20, a generic D20 adaptation of the original Traveller20 rules. I really love GURPS Space and will use that as a reference book regardless of whether I run GURPS, Traveller, BRP or whatever.

    ReplyDelete
  13. vfultsJune 1, 2013 at 6:34 PM

    I love the simplicity of X-Plorers; it's just so easy to customize it to fit whatever tech level one wants.

    ReplyDelete
  14. faoladhJune 2, 2013 at 1:01 AM

    Traveller of some flavor. Ideally, MegaTraveller rules, but I am unhappy with the Rebellion (and TNE) setting, and would use either my own setting (preferred) or the GURPS Traveller alternate history. I'd also pull in bits from other editions (for instance, I prefer the way that MgT handles stat bonuses) as house rules.

    ReplyDelete
  15. infocydeJune 2, 2013 at 5:18 AM

    Space Master all the way....

    ReplyDelete
  16. TomJune 2, 2013 at 11:53 AM

    In my current mood, I'd want to play Mekton.

    But I've been looking at a lot of sci-fi systems. Unfortunately I like sci-fi a lot more than anyone else in my gaming group, so for now I'm still just reading.

    ReplyDelete
  17. KonsumterraJune 2, 2013 at 12:07 PM

    I used BRP/Ringworld for 10+ years was great. Also I did mt space dnd version of earlier time period of my universe here: http://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/spaceships-and-spacemarines.html

    following blog finishes
    have run cthulhu in future too pretty much same but i wanted sf a bit more fun for players - a bit more animation action style

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
Tenkar's Tavern is supported by various affiliate programs, including Amazon, RPGNow,
and Humble Bundle as well as Patreon. Your patronage is appreciated and helps keep the
lights on and the taps flowing. Your Humble Bartender, Tenkar

Blogs of Inspiration & Erudition