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Airon
2015-12-20, 06:41 AM
Hello Playground!

I am trying to find the best system for a sci-fi space-faring campaign I'll run next year - I'm looking either for a generic system or a system with a setting which I can pretty easily modify.

The system should be able to:
- represent different races, and playable droid PCs; in addition to giant, monstrous, unintelligent aliens foes
- allow for a character to be somewhat useless in combat in exchange for being a skilled pilot or engineer
- be able to model spacecraft to spacecraft fights, with the possibility of a spacesuit wearing boarding party
- bonus points, but not necessary at all, for limited psionic powers

The most important thing is a balance, in the rules, between granularity and simplicity. I wish to avoid are massively heavy systems such as Gurps. My players love sci-fi, but they are somewhat lazy when it comes to learning new rules. We played a full campaign of Mutants & Masterminds and some of them still don't quite get how their character was made.
So far I thought about using an iteration of FATE, but I wish to represent better the equipment and gears that, in a sci-fi game, are pretty important. ANybody has any experience with that?
Star Wars edge of the Empire seems good, but I haven't tried it yet... anyone can vouch for it?

If anyone has any idea or advice, I'd be really grateful.

Fri
2015-12-20, 07:02 AM
Star wars edge of empire is good, but I just can't wrap my head on all the funky dice. As you know, they don't really use numbers, but multiple different colored and sized dices that means success, failure, advantages, bad stuff happenings, and whatnot.

I'm currently in a pbp game of Stars Without Numbers and it's pretty nice. It's more tailored to sandbox game, where the system provide you ways to roll yourself random star system, planets, cultures, monsters, and such. Eventhough it's not as rules light or narrative like fate, but definitely less rule heavy than most d20 systems. It's more in the theatre of the mind style, rather than battlemat '30 cone of fireball' style.

It got all your requirement I think, but it might or might not be in your taste, so I can recommend checking it, since the book is free.

Anderlith
2015-12-20, 08:52 AM
Traveller would be your best bet. Its a great system too.

UristMcRandom
2015-12-20, 09:01 AM
Traveller would be your best bet. Its a great system too.

Seconding Traveller.

Eisenheim
2015-12-20, 10:33 AM
Bulldogs just released its fate core update http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/166518/Bulldogs-Fate-Core-Edition

It's a fate chassis with a lot more crunch for things like races, gear, and spaceships. Sounds like just what you want.

Knaight
2015-12-20, 11:26 AM
I'd second Bulldogs, but it's also worth taking a look at d6 Space. Fudge will also work, though it's more work on the GM side and you'll have to crunch it up a bit.

ImNotTrevor
2015-12-22, 02:02 PM
I like Stars Without Number.

Alien races aren't statted out, but it pretty much says "Give them +2 in one stat and -2 in another. If playing an alien is obviously superior to playing a human, you did it wrong."

And it has Psionics.

It's mostly skill based (only 3 classes, but each class varies SIGNIFICANTLY based on skills you pick.)

And the kicker: It's free.

It also has a very cool Faction Turn system that lets the GM play by himself between sessions so see how wars between factions are going (be they wars of bullets, manipulation, or cash.)


Starship combat is pretty simple and fast if you ignore the Drill depth rules. (Very easy to do.)

And characters can go from lowly joes to faction-owning awesome dudes over time. (And thus participate in the faction turn.)

It doesn't come with a bestiary, though. Just basic stats and features for aliens. But putting an alien monster together with their tools is ultra simple.

Since they have prestatted thugs of whatever class, it's also really easy to just throw people into a fight without lots of prep. (I can literally just flip to the Lvl 1 Thug page and make a fight out of it. Or flip to the lvl 20 thug for a big fight. Whatever.)

It's a fun system. The setting is somewhat static, but also very cool. Lots of resources for it online. (Sector Generator is the best.)

GM.Casper
2015-12-28, 12:37 PM
So far I thought about using an iteration of FATE, but I wish to represent better the equipment and gears that, in a sci-fi game, are pretty important. ANybody has any experience with that?


I have. I wasn't impressed by the official rules for playing Warhammer 40k Inquisition, so I wrote my own based on Fudge. Wrote my own equipment lists too. If you are interested, I can send you the rules (8 pages total). I could use some reader feedback regarding how clear the rules explanations are on their own.

Knaight
2015-12-28, 12:54 PM
I have. I wasn't impressed by the official rules for playing Warhammer 40k Inquisition, so I wrote my own based on Fudge. Wrote my own equipment lists too. If you are interested, I can send you the rules (8 pages total). I could use some reader feedback regarding how clear the rules explanations are on their own.

I'd be happy to take a look at this.

On a related note, there's an article on the Fudge site I wrote, called "Another Dimension to Gunfire" that does weapon differentiation well. It's an old article from back when I was in highschool, and the writing is kind of crap, but the rules base should work well.

Malifice
2015-12-30, 01:47 AM
Spacemaster. The orginial (star strike, armored assault etc).

It can model anything. Just... get used to looking up charts.

LibraryOgre
2015-12-30, 02:12 PM
D6 Space, the engine that ran the WEG Star Wars game, is a good option. It has a free PDF, and does most of what you want pretty well.


- represent different races, and playable droid PCs; in addition to giant, monstrous, unintelligent aliens foes
- allow for a character to be somewhat useless in combat in exchange for being a skilled pilot or engineer
- be able to model spacecraft to spacecraft fights, with the possibility of a spacesuit wearing boarding party
- bonus points, but not necessary at all, for limited psionic powers

1) Different races and droid PCs are standard, naturally, as are big monsters.
2) Want a non-combat character? Don't put a ton of dice in Strength of Dexterity, instead focusing on Perception, Knowledge, Technical or Mechanical attributes.
3) I didn't do as much with the space fight rules, but they're there and the rules are generally solid.
4) Metaphysics is Force with the name changed.

Liodre
2015-12-30, 03:02 PM
I can suggest Savage Worlds. I haven't played it in a SciFi setting but the system has the ability to do. There's a SciFi companion for it as well.

I'd also +1 to Traveller.

themaque
2015-12-30, 03:33 PM
Savage Worlds, especially with their Sci-Fi expansion.

Git777
2016-01-03, 10:00 PM
You could always give Quadrant a try. it is a really straight forward system and would be very easy to mod. there are no aliens in it but you could change that really easily. I cant post a link to the rules yet but you could search for the facebook page www facebook com /groups /quadrant.rpg/