Good systems for sky piracy

[Trekkin]

The title is probably self-explanatory; several of my players, having been exposed to steampunk via Deadlands, would very much like to play a game in which they're some kind of airship pirates, and as we've an upcoming holiday I thought it'd be an excellent opportunity to run a one-shot to accommodate the interested.

Deadlands can do this well enough, but I'm sure there's a better system out there; I just don't know what it is. Thus my question: is there a system/setting out there that's reasonably quick and rules-light but accommodates aerial swashbuckling? Character generation and advancement can be reasonably involved, but I'd rather something light enough on actual task resolution that people can grasp it reasonably quickly.

[Kaun]

If i recall correctly Earthdawn featured Sky pirates but more of the magical nature then the steam punk.

Unfortunately I am not sure how well they did it, i played 1e a long time ago and while have some of the 4e material it's still all sitting on my "to be read" list.

Do you want rules heavy or lite?

[Trekkin]

If i recall correctly Earthdawn featured Sky pirates but more of the magical nature then the steam punk.

Unfortunately I am not sure how well they did it, i played 1e a long time ago and while have some of the 4e material it's still all sitting on my "to be read" list.

Do you want rules heavy or lite?

Rules light, ideally. That said, since it's a one-shot, character advancement can be as complicated as it needs to be, and I can help them through a complicated character generation procedure, so the only part that really needs to be light is the gameplay itself.

Incidentally, you bring up a good point; our group's been dealing with fantasy systems, so magic is rather cliche for us at this point. The lack of magic, or at least of spellcasting, would be a point in a potential system's favor.

[The_Snark]

I feel obliged to point out the existence of an RPG titled Airship Pirates (http://airshippirates.abneypark.com/). I haven't read it myself, so I couldn't tell you whether it's any good, but presumably it is what it says it is.

Otherwise... I like Wushu (http://wiki.saberpunk.net/Wushu/WushuOpenRules) for truly rules-light gameplay, and it's good for swashbuckling action. (If you want to have a ship's engineer and a captain and actually have rules for keeping the ship afloat and the crew's morale going, possibly not so good.) A lot of people enjoy Risus (http://www222.pair.com/sjohn/risus.htm), though personally I don't care for it.

Spirit of the Century (http://www.faterpg.com/dl/sotc-srd.html) or some other FATE-based system might be good for you. It's a little more complex than the two I mentioned above, but basic conflict resolution is pretty simple. It's definitely got the right mood, though. Geared towards pulp adventure rather than standard fantasy, which sounds like it might be a plus for your group.

[Xefas]

Lady Blackbird (http://www.onesevendesign.com/ladyblackbird/) is a light game built for one-shots based in a Firefly-esque Steampunk Western Airships sort of setting.

The premise is that you're the savvy smuggler/outlaw crew of the "Owl", an old clunker airship held together with more spit and hope than actual bolts, and you've just been hired by a rich noblewoman to find a legendary Sky Pirate King. Although, of course, it won't be that easy. Imperial police, spurned lovers, and your own misfit pirate-kind stand between you and the big payoff.

The game starts you off with the same basic premise each time, although it is not a 'module' - nothing but the very beginning situation is planned (and indeed, the system stresses that you, as the GM, should do no pre-planning).

There is a minor bit of magic, though it is rare, flimsy, and never more useful than a sturdy pistol or lantern. Even the most credible 'mage' is going to do a hell of a lot more swashbuckling than spellslinging if he wants to keep his hide in one piece.

The system is also free, easily teachable in about 5-10 minutes, and each character sheet comes with all the rules in cheat-sheet format at the bottom.

[Zagaroth]

While not so light on rules as you would preffer, I thought I should point out that the DnD 3.5/4.0 setting of Eberron (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eberron) has lots and lots of Airships (http://eberron.wikia.com/wiki/Airship) and in general is a steampunk setting.

[Trekkin]

While not so light on rules as you would preffer, I thought I should point out that the DnD 3.5/4.0 setting of Eberron (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eberron) has lots and lots of Airships (http://eberron.wikia.com/wiki/Airship) and in general is a steampunk setting.

Oh, I love Eberron, but the airships are magical. I've noticed a recent tendency for my group to take to science (well, SCIENCE!) with a lot more gusto than magic; were we not so used to D&D that magic doesn't even really register as wondrous anymore, I'd use it in a heartbeat.

Lady Blackbird looks really cool, by the way, as does Spirit of the Century; I'll have to try to adjust it to not be post-WWI and see how everything still feels thematically. It's certainly sufficiently similar to pulp fiction to be inspiring.

[Rockphed]

Okay, I must look into Lady Blackbird. I have friends who are steampunk-airship-pirate-firefly lovers. I think they would get a kick out of it.


Plus it would give me an excuse to get them all together. I expect play to resemble Jack Sparrow in the Locker.

[The Cat Goddess]

Unfortunately, you asked for "Rules-Lite"... otherwise, I'd point you at GURPS.

Especially if your group likes its SCIENCE!

[Knaight]

Rules light? Swashbucklers of the Seven Skies (http://www.7skies.net/) should work pretty well in that case. Its by Evil Hat, who are also responsible for the Fate system, though this is the much lighter PDQ.

[paddyfool]

The title is probably self-explanatory; several of my players, having been exposed to steampunk via Deadlands, would very much like to play a game in which they're some kind of airship pirates, and as we've an upcoming holiday I thought it'd be an excellent opportunity to run a one-shot to accommodate the interested.

Deadlands can do this well enough, but I'm sure there's a better system out there; I just don't know what it is. Thus my question: is there a system/setting out there that's reasonably quick and rules-light but accommodates aerial swashbuckling? Character generation and advancement can be reasonably involved, but I'd rather something light enough on actual task resolution that people can grasp it reasonably quickly.

What do you want to do that the Savage Worlds system and/or its Deadlands setting doesn't allow or do well?

[Trekkin]

What do you want to do that the Savage Worlds system and/or its Deadlands setting doesn't allow or do well?

My apologies for the ambiguity; I was referring to Deadlands Classic (both the setting and the system), not Reloaded(a setting for savage worlds). Savage Worlds might work quite well for this; I just want combat that doesn't rely on the rather clunky mechanic of cards.

[Knaight]

My apologies for the ambiguity; I was referring to Deadlands Classic (both the setting and the system), not Reloaded(a setting for savage worlds). Savage Worlds might work quite well for this; I just want combat that doesn't rely on the rather clunky mechanic of cards.

I'd be much more worried about the grid than the cards. Hence my suggestion of So7S. Granted, I dislike Savage Worlds as a system anyways.

[beyond reality]

Swashbucklers of the Seven Skies is a great game (I especially like the ship combat system). It does contain magic but it's a little different from the norm. Essentially characters with magic have a Gift that lets them perform specific magical feats (those with the gift of the Dragon can manipulate or create fire, the Gift of the Unicorn allows healing, etc). There are special individuals who can possess more than one Gift and these guys resemble traditional wizards a bit more, but they can easily be edited as you like.

The setting has gunpowder and musket era technology for the most part. Ships fly not due to magic but due to the bizarre "geography" of the setting and the supernatural properties of certain materials. But of course that's also easily changed or kept as you wish.

I'd say Savage Worlds does sky-pirates fairly well, my only comment would be to keep in mind that most of the system is built with fairly short ranges in mind. If there's a lot of long-range ship-to-ship combat anyone who isn't focusing on cannoneering or long-range sniper combat is probably going to be feeling left out. If your game will feature more up-close-and-personal boarding actions then it could be plenty of fun.

[Shadespyre]

I remember good times with the Adventure! RPG, which was intended for pulp style action, so it'd work for heroic swashbuckling. It's pretty much a version of the Vampire: The Masquerade system, so may not qualify as "lite". I don't recall how it handled vehicle combat although I do recall a battle aboard a giant mechanical Quetzocoatl, and something about a submarine in the shape of a trilobite.... happy days. You'd need to supply all your own background material though.

[tensai_oni]

If i recall correctly Earthdawn featured Sky pirates but more of the magical nature then the steam punk.


Unfortunately Earthdawn is the exact opposite of rules-light.

Spirit of the Century is neither heavy nor light on rules, rules-medium you could say. It's made to simulate pulpy adventures with possible steampunk, so it will fit like a glove.

[Viktyr Gehrig]

I'll repeat the recommendation for Spirit of the Century. It's probably the best system for pulp games, hands down.

[paddyfool]

It isn't exactly rules-light either, but Fantasy Craft's Wyrmstone setting (http://wyrmstone.org/x/page/) might be fun to try.