Good system to run a Mass Effect game?

[Ryu_Bonkosi]

A friend of mine is looking to start a Mass Effect game, but can't find a good system to run it in. Not having much knowledge outside D&D 3.5, and Pathfinder, I was little help and was hoping you guys could give me some suggestions.

[NEO|Phyte]

Star Wars Saga Edition could probably manage it pretty well. The high shot capacity of blasters along with being able to recharge power packs translates fairly well to a heat-based system, and biotics fits well as refluffed telekinetic force gubbins.

[Matticussama]

If you're willing to give new World of Darkness a try (the system is fairly easy to learn, compared to D&D/PF) there is a great fan alteration called Mass: the Effecting. (http://wiki.rpg.net/index.php/Mass:_the_Effecting)

If you prefer to stick to a system closer to D&D/PF, then you could definitely use Star Wars Saga Edition to pull it off. Most of the changes you'll need to make aren't too difficult, for example: get rid of lightsabres, strip all ships of their hyperdrive engines to reflect the reliance on Mass Relays, and limit force powers to those things that Biotics is capable of doing.

[Ninjadeadbeard]

There's also a D20 Mass Effect game that got floated on the forums for a while. It was pretty cool.

Alternatively, Mutants and Masterminds is great at everything. I've considered running a Mass Effect game using those rules for a while now. It's well balanced (given a good GM) and the wide variety of "powers" allows you to easily mimic the Biotic or Tech-based powers of ME.

[Alleran]

Star Wars Saga Edition could probably manage it pretty well. The high shot capacity of blasters along with being able to recharge power packs translates fairly well to a heat-based system, and biotics fits well as refluffed telekinetic force gubbins.
Definitely this. You'd need to cut out some talents and Force powers, obviously, and possibly design some of your own ships (although the Normandy is easily built out of a C70 Charger refit of a Corellian Corvette) but the rest should work just fine.

[Matticussama]

Alternatively, Mutants and Masterminds is great at everything. I've considered running a Mass Effect game using those rules for a while now. It's well balanced (given a good GM) and the wide variety of "powers" allows you to easily mimic the Biotic or Tech-based powers of ME.

Mutants and Masterminds could definitely handle the roleplay and ground combat of Mass Effect quite well. You would need to limit certain powers in order for it to make sense within the world, of course, but it could get most aspects down quite well (such as Krogan regeneration) in ways that other systems might struggle with. However, if you plan on having significant vehicle combat (be it Mako, Hammerhead, or space combat) you might want to consider other options. In my experience at least, M&M doesn't handle vehicle based combat very well.

[tensai_oni]

If you're willing to give new World of Darkness a try (the system is fairly easy to learn, compared to D&D/PF) there is a great fan alteration called Mass: the Effecting. (http://wiki.rpg.net/index.php/Mass:_the_Effecting)

Urgh, Mass: the Effecting. Why would anyone do that? WoD mechanics do a bad job at representing World of Darkness systems already, why try to spread them into unrelated settings?

I'm going to recommend Fate/Spirit of the Century. It's a very cinematic system, fitting for something like Mass Effect.

[Matticussama]

Urgh, Mass: the Effecting. Why would anyone do that? WoD mechanics do a bad job at representing World of Darkness systems already, why try to spread them into unrelated settings?

I'm going to recommend Fate/Spirit of the Century. It's a very cinematic system, fitting for something like Mass Effect.

I, for one, think the nWoD mechanics work very well for Mass Effect. Given that the Mass Effect skills are already point-buy with built-in caps and the point cost getting progressively higher per rank in a skill, WoD gets that aspect down almost perfectly. It works better when trying to model Mass Effect 1, but with some alterations and additions it can get ME2 and ME3 too. When it comes to items you can easily convert the mechanics of the WoD guns to their ME equivalents; pistols, shotguns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, grenades etc are all available. I could go on, but for many reasons I think it works quite well.

[Emmerask]

Gurps :smallwink:

[Black Jester]

I know that there is a relatively complete Mass Effect RPG based on Space D6/ Star Wars D6.
You can find it here. (http://www.bozark.com/mass/x/downloads.html)
I haven't played but I have played a few games of Star Wars D6 and that is a solid and fun game.

Otherwise, I think Gurps is the way to go. After all, it's the best flexible system for this kind of adapting settings (or adapting just anything, really).

[HylianKnight]

When testing the final version of the Advanced Race Guide, one of the Pathfinder guys actually started running a Mass Effect game within the Pathfinder rules.

It got such a good response, they posted a lot of material online if you want to look at some of that.

http://erraticepisodes.blogspot.com/search/label/mass%20effect

[Saidoro]

Legend is good for everything. (http://www.ruleofcool.com/) And as an added bones, it's quite similar to systems you're already familiar with. You'll need to homebrew up the races and refluff the weapons to guns and biotic smashes and the like, but that's all fairly easy, the process for both is basically effortless.

[Lorsa]

I've been wondering the very same thing. Been contemplating doing some changes with Eclipse Phase and use that.

[Waspinator]

I would go with Star Wars Saga Edition.

http://www.shadowflareindustries.com/eberron/masseffect/Mass%20Effect%20Campaign%20Setting.pdf

[NX_Phoenix]

If you want to run ME in FATE may I recommend Reaganstorme's hack of Diaspora (http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?510374-Hacking-Diaspora-Mass-Effect). That thread should have all of the commentary, previous work, and continuing developments. Also note that mirrors of the current files are available on RPGGeek.

[mrelegos]

Speaking from experience of running a Mass Effect campaign in the system (after tweaking out the power system and the equipment list, the Corporation system works perfectly.

It's not a particularly commonly used system, but it's far and away my favourite.

check it out at www.corpgame.com

[mr1135]

If you are looking for a good system, the guys at Mass Effect D20 Forum (http://masseffectd20.freeforums.org/index.php?sid=068fbf29a0797245dc0c572078c2a752) have written up a pretty comprehensive conversion. They've got all ME infantry weapon, biotic and tech skills, classes, majority of races and such all pretty well converted. I've played in a campaign using this system a year or so ago with my usual RP group and it worked out quite well.

Check it out :D

[mrelegos]

My homebrew only had 6 of the races statted as playable (Humans, Krogan, Turians, Asari, Salarians, Quarians) but at some point I'll probably expand it to include Batarians, Drell, Elcor, Volus and Hanar.

I had pretty much all of the in game weaponry from ME2 onwards statted up, as well as covering all the various powers from the ME2/ME3 Power systems.

Though I nerfed the crap out of Shepard charge for balance purposes.

[neonchameleon]

Just about any flexible cinematic/low end supers system will work. I'd try Marvel Heroic myself - but there's nothing wrong with Mutants and Masterminds, FATE, or most of the other suggestions mentioned. (I'd avoid Mass: the Effecting on the grounds that the World of Darkness games are settings with rules that don't work well - and using WoD under different rules makes much more sense than using different settings under Storyteller rules). Of course familiarity might be your most important consideration - pick something in the right power level you are comfortable with.

[Dsurion]

I think Star Wars SAGA is your best bet, but it's also really hard to find a physical copy for sale anywhere, let alone cheap.

Barring that, GURPS would probably work, or possibly D6 Space.

[sana]

Stars without Number works good. You only need to change some of the the Psionics a bit to work as Biotics.

Plus is it's available as a Free download (http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/86467/Stars-Without-Number%3A-Free-Edition).

[Holocron Coder]

In my random free-time, I've been working on a SW:Saga conversion for ME. The only section that is fully complete is Races (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NpDYjC27vKMWapl3gbgi9_XvkS8bUySFcwEGkGdLH60/edit?usp=sharing).

Though, Classes (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1I8OZKqy5q3kUcCVcy1k_88KAuWj2cStgYT6uMBr3MIs/edit?usp=sharing) has a decent amount of work done on it.

[Kiero]

Urgh, Mass: the Effecting. Why would anyone do that? WoD mechanics do a bad job at representing World of Darkness systems already, why try to spread them into unrelated settings?

Because the core nWoD system is a very capable rules-medium game. WoD mechanics work just fine in this instance, as my own experience of 20 sessions of M:tE so far attest.

You don't have to take my word for it, we podcast our games on In Sanity We Trust Productions.

[Jane_Smith]

Well if you want a system that is roughly equivalent to D&D 3.0/3.5 and/or pathfinder for the d20 system, True20. Its a generic system that was designed specifically with being unattached to any genre or setting in mind, something 3.0-4.0 failed, and even pathfinder, has failed to do by sticking their core races, etc all themed to a specific setting. Such as grey hawk or glorian, respectfully. True20 has a ruleset that can fit sci fi, modern, western, horror, all of it equally well and it deserves a shout out I think.