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GorinichSerpant
2016-03-29, 11:59 AM
My friends have musings on playing an XCom 2 campaign. Can anyone think of a fitting system for it or a system that is easily adapted for the purpose?

Thinker
2016-03-29, 12:11 PM
I don't know of a specific system designed for it, but a few that could support it are:
GURPS - can pretty much handle anything
d20 Modern - well-suited for modern or near-future type games with limited powers and helps keep familiarity with the system if you're used to DnD 3.5e
Fate - like GURPS, can pretty much handle anything
Mutant & Masterminds - This would take some more effort to re-skin everything, but it can cover a lot of modern and modern-ish settings
Monster of the Week - This is a Powered by the Apocalypse game focused on hunting monsters, but I could see a reskin and some modification to get a m ore us-versus-them aliens feel. There may be a better Apocalypse game for this, but I can't think of one.
Lots of other systems could be made to fit with X-Com.


It might be easier to narrow down your choices if you say what you and your friends want out of the game.

Vitruviansquid
2016-03-29, 01:06 PM
I would use Savage Worlds, which is lethal and swingy enough to give that feel of danger.

GorinichSerpant
2016-03-29, 01:56 PM
It might be easier to narrow down your choices if you say what you and your friends want out of the game.

Of the three people who are definitely going to play, one wants to stomp around as a mec trooper and PUNCH aliens, I want to play a highly delusional scientist played for laughs and tragedy (think doublethink from 1984) and finally the GM who has never previously GMed. Also of note is that the GM and the other player have played XCom while I only have a second-hand understanding of it.

Thinker
2016-03-29, 02:59 PM
Of the three people who are definitely going to play, one wants to stomp around as a mec trooper and PUNCH aliens, I want to play a highly delusional scientist played for laughs and tragedy (think doublethink from 1984) and finally the GM who has never previously GMed. Also of note is that the GM and the other player have played XCom while I only have a second-hand understanding of it.

That sounds pretty cool. What RPGs/systems are you guys used to playing? How much do you want your character's skills/attributes/abilities/powers to matter compared to dice rolls? Are you looking for something that is going to help you simulate a whole world or are you focusing more on adventures? Is this collaborative storytelling or a more straightforward game? I would recommend sticking close to what you all are familiar with and requires little customization if your GM is new to the experience.

Grim Portent
2016-03-29, 03:19 PM
I would probably use a modified version of the FFG 40k RPG rules.

It's a d% system, which I feel would better reflect the core numerical mechanics of XCOM2 than a d20 system would, it already has rules for overwatch, is high lethality, has a good basic mechanic for shooting at different rates with different guns and a nice variety of special abilities and rules for reducing damage based on armour.

Oh, and it has a fear system that would work pretty well for seeing if someone panics after getting shot by a sectoid. :smallsigh:

If I really wanted to get the XCOM2 mechanical feel I'd change the cover system from giving extra armour to giving a penalty to being hit and change up the damage and crit mechanics to be more like the computer game, but for the most part I'd probably leave it as is.

D+1
2016-03-29, 03:33 PM
My friends have musings on playing an XCom 2 campaign. Can anyone think of a fitting system for it or a system that is easily adapted for the purpose?
The most easily adapted system would be whichever one that all the players are ALREADY familiar with and has SF/near-future setting rules. For example: if you have d20 Modern and everyone has played d20 Modern, then use d20 Modern.

Barring that I'd suggest using whatever simple system you have at hand. For example, I've actually thought of running an X-Com-like game using WEG d6 system rules. The players have some experience with it (albeit a LONG time ago), but it's also a simple system, easy to run out of the box with minimal adaptation, and would be readily expanded on the fly avoiding the need to create a whole setting sourcebook with gear and skills and whatnot from scratch. Jedi abilities easily adapt to basic psionics. PC's can choose how to split "experience points" that they earn between researching and adapting new tech and self-improvement.

GorinichSerpant
2016-03-29, 06:33 PM
The problem with using a system that were already familiar with, is that we don't really have one. I can't think of a campaign we had that didn't shortly fizzle out for similar reasons.

Brookshw
2016-03-29, 08:18 PM
D20 Modern with some elements from the D20 Future supplement. Check out the monster book for modern, it has some enemies already set up for Xcom style games. The wealth system in my mind lends itself well to simulate research with a bit of modification.

polity4life
2016-03-29, 08:24 PM
And if you're feeling froggy, have them build up to being the council that leads X-Com and give them some weight decisions to be made. Keep the outcomes binary but the possible solutions open for the players to discover.

DontEatRawHagis
2016-03-30, 08:50 AM
I would use Spycraft as it is more suited to a Military Campaign than d20 modern, in my opinion.

My friends and I had a game for a while where we were investigating a Eureka type city(From the Scifi TV show). And the feeling was very similar to Xcom but with Super Soldiers, Robots, and Mutants being our enemies.

Corvus
2016-03-30, 08:54 PM
A friend of mine ran an X-Com themed game using the Cyperpunk 2020 rules (with slight modifications).

RazorChain
2016-04-01, 08:59 AM
Xcom is about feeling, a feeling of hopelesness. Where you assemble a band of heroes fighting off an alien invasion, knowing that you are expendable for the greater good.

You have to find a system that is lethal and can project the feeling you can get vaporized if not careful.

I would use GURPS, but it is a very crunchy system and could be hard for a first time GM to invest in lots of books and time to get it running.

DontEatRawHagis
2016-04-01, 09:30 AM
Xcom is about feeling, a feeling of hopelesness. Where you assemble a band of heroes fighting off an alien invasion, knowing that you are expendable for the greater good.

After playing Call of Cthulhu it made me feel XCom would be home there. Insanity and stress levels being similar in some cases.

The only downside was that the way combat is even the most heavily armored individual will die in one hit. Granted for Xcom that is realistic, but when you have players who what to play specific characters it may be too deadly.

CoC also doesn't have the special abilities/feats that Xcom needs.

Hyooz
2016-04-02, 01:37 PM
Spycraft could be a good option, but you could probably work with a stripped-down Shadowrun as well. That'll give you systems in place for eventual Psionic stuff, at least.

Mr.Moron
2016-04-02, 04:29 PM
If it's anything like the last X-COM, you could drop all the fancy range modifiers and port the rest of the system over with almost no modifications. At it's heart X-COM runs on a pretty straightfoward health and d% system that's less full of guff than a lot of RPGs. Just tack on some non-combat skills and go nuts. Just literally run it on the rules of the video game.

X-COM was tested & prototyped as a tabletop game before the implemented it as a video game. I see no reason to reinvent the wheel they built.

ATHATH
2016-04-03, 05:53 PM
I'd run D&D 3.5, using higher CR than average Aberrations (they're more varied than demons and such) as the aliens, and having double damage for everything and no initial PC spellcasting. The only true healing is natural healing (items and abilities that boost natural healing are fine). Other sources of healing are temporary, and health drops back to what it would be without that healing (to a minimum of 0 HP) after an mission/encounter. All of the players get 4 or so squad members that top out at level 10 or so (they're replaced when they die), and get to also be one of the leaders of XCOM. When they get access to spellcasting, they can retrain the levels of some of their soldiers to levels in Sorcerer and Favored Soul. Their spells known are random.

As for the setting... The world is united in a dystopian/utopian society where everyone (except the higher-ups) are secretly drugged out of the wazoo, making everyone peaceful and bringing an end to conflict. XCOM is a small, secret government organization that isn't drugged up and is meant to defend the world/the government from the conflict-producing outsiders (not Outsiders) that the founders of the government knew would show up. They're the only people in the world that know how to hold a bow/gun, and they're humanity's (or humanoidity's) only hope for survival.

You could also run a game of Dark Heresy, using the standard WH40K setting.

Vitruviansquid
2016-04-03, 07:44 PM
If it's anything like the last X-COM, you could drop all the fancy range modifiers and port the rest of the system over with almost no modifications. At it's heart X-COM runs on a pretty straightfoward health and d% system that's less full of guff than a lot of RPGs. Just tack on some non-combat skills and go nuts. Just literally run it on the rules of the video game.

X-COM was tested & prototyped as a tabletop game before the implemented it as a video game. I see no reason to reinvent the wheel they built.

My only problem with that is Xcom was also developed from the ground-up as a strategy game where you will experience and deal with attrition, while players probably don't want *that much* lethality.

ImNotTrevor
2016-04-03, 08:09 PM
I would look into Stars Without Number.

It has lots of high-tech goodies and weapons, high-lethality, and an emphasis on avoiding fights whenever possible. It could easily be modified to work with X-com. (It even has rules to help quickbuild aliens)

You would need to throw out the core setting, but that's hardly a problem. (Or use it and just have the campaign take place on a world being invaded)

SWN has just about everything you need and barely any baggage to go with it. Playing the archetypes you want would be pretty easy.
(The first guy is a Warrior with assault armor who can work towards Power Armor, which would be functionally the same as a mech for all intents and purposes, with very minor changes. The second is an Expert, and you woukd just need to pick/make the appropriate skill packages for each. Easy peasy)

There is also the Faction Turn system the GM can use to play out internal strife among the world governments and factions within the alien groups.

Oh, and did I mention the core rulebook for Stars Without Number is FREE?

I would do it via SWN.