Looking for a Sci Fi RPG system

[Blackhawk748]

What it says on the tin. Im going for low tech, so no ray guns (except on starships), FTL is a thing though as are shields. Think near future tech. So kinda like Firefly, but with a bit more Space Opera going on.

[Eisenheim]

so, it sounds like you have a setting, and just need a system for it. Let me suggest the eminently customizable fate core. I use it for almost everything, at this point. It can certainly do what you want, if you're interested in narrative gaming.

[Waddacku]

Stars Without Number

[Blackhawk748]

so, it sounds like you have a setting, and just need a system for it. Let me suggest the eminently customizable fate core. I use it for almost everything, at this point. It can certainly do what you want, if you're interested in narrative gaming.

Never used Fate Core, what dice system does it use?

Stars Without Number

This one is definitely on my radar, just seeing what else i have to work with.

[Milo v3]

Mutants and Masterminds can work for this.

[Waddacku]

Never used Fate Core, what dice system does it use?

Roll four dice, each resulting in -1, 0, or +1. Sum them and add modifiers. Try to meet a target number or the higher result in an opposed roll. Margin of success frequently matters, and failure is supposed to move the story forward.
If you don't want to use Fudge dice, 1d6 minus 1d6 also works.

[themaque]

Savage Worlds could work very well. That is my first suggestion.

Fantasy Flights Star Wars is also very well done and could easily fill the role needed.

FATE if you like keeping things very loose.

[Milodiah]

Traveller. Traveller is the original Space Opera RPG.

I prefer Mongoose Traveller, personally...thing to know about the game is it's definitely a setting rather than a series, and it's had the rights bounced around pretty heavily. It's got a GURPS version, a d20 version, and at least three variants of it from the original guys. What the Mongoose version did right was take the classic system/setting, take most of its mechanics, but streamline it a good deal mostly by incorporating a lot of the universal houserules that began to emerge. Classic Traveller was, if I recall correctly, the second ever TTRPG, behind the first run of D&D, so there was a ton of early-installment weirdness, such as needing to cross reference on a chart of every weapon versus every armor to determine damage modifiers.

[Airk]

It really SOUNDS like Traveller, but Traveller has some issues; Namely, you don't really control anything about chargen, so it's entirely possible to end up with a character who is pretty useless for the game you end up playing. If the chargen process gives you a character who spent a lot time in the army and is really good at shooting things (but not much else, because the general level of competency in Traveller is pretty low) and your GM runs a game that feels more like Star Trek, with some planetside exploring but 95% of the 'action' being shipboard, you'd better get used to not really having a lot to do.

Fate could work, but only if you want to play the kind of game that Fate produces - it has nothing to do with setting. Fate is basically a game about "interesting" (read: gently flawed) characters getting out there and doing adventurous stuff. It needs players who are willing to get out there and do things, and it needs players who are willing to embrace their characters' flaws. It'll also need a fair amount of customization unless you pick up a published supplement of some sort. Maybe check out the free preview for Mindjammer - it might not be the setting you're looking for, per se, but it probably contains a lot of good info for how to adapt Fate for sci-fi spacefaring.

Stars Without Number feels very D&D-ish to me; That may be a positive for you, but it was a negative for me. On the other hand, it does have a free edition.

Or you could just play Lasers & Feelings. (Not actually recommended for your particular request, but worth looking at anyway.)

[1337 b4k4]

Seconding the suggestion for traveller. It does have laser/ray gun type weapons, but they're easily ignored (just don't use them, they have regular kinetics too). Char gen is life path, but I do believe the mongoose one has an alternative for building a character too. But life path char gen is also helpful for the GM to generate some interesting NPCs if the generated character doesn't work for your campaign as a PC. The other cool thing about Traveller is that unlike a certain well known RPG, the main Traveller forums are very low key in terms of "edition warring" and no matter which you pick, people will be happy and willing to help you.

[LibraryOgre]

Savage Worlds and D6 Space are both possibilities. You might also look at the older game Fading Suns, which kind of mercilessly mashes D&D, Dune, Star Wars, Star Trek, and Babylon 5 into a single setting, which is more or less "Europe imagined as a chunk of the galaxy."

[Knaight]

I'd generally use Fudge, but if you're hopping into a new system anyways I'd recommend Cortex. Finding a more recent edition is key, as some of the earlier ones were clumsy, but once you have that done it should be pretty solid. It was actually used for a Firefly product at one point, and while I'd avoid that specific iteration it does indicate that the system can handle it.

[Blackhawk748]

I think im gonna go with Savage Worlds. Ive been playing Deadlands recently and i like the system, and i understand that Savage Worlds is quite similar. With that said does Savage Worlds have a Sci Fi book? Because Starship combat will be a thing.

[Kaun]

Im going to add my vote to Savage Worlds with the Sci-Fi companion.

[themaque]

I think im gonna go with Savage Worlds. Ive been playing Deadlands recently and i like the system, and i understand that Savage Worlds is quite similar. With that said does Savage Worlds have a Sci Fi book? Because Starship combat will be a thing.

As a matter of fact they do.

Since you love DEADLANDS, the Savage Worlds Deadlands rules set that I think captures the feel of the older games with the smoother savage worlds rules.

[Blackhawk748]

Ok, gonna have to take a look at it, as i see that they have a free test book.

[Freelance GM]

Recently I've started using Alternity. It's flexible enough to do just about any kind of Sci-Fi. However, I'd personally recommend sticking to the fast-play rules, as the full game can get pretty clunky at times.

[themaque]

Recently I've started using Alternity. It's flexible enough to do just about any kind of Sci-Fi. However, I'd personally recommend sticking to the fast-play rules, as the full game can get pretty clunky at times.

-twitch twitch- I personally hate Alternity. It wants to be a skill based system but it isn't really. It kind of uses classes but it doesn't really. The bonuses vary WILDLY adding a fair amount of chaos.

It was originally published when they where experimenting with new systems and I can appreciate that. But while I own the books I don't think I would ever willingly use the system again.

[Freelance GM]

-twitch twitch- I personally hate Alternity. It wants to be a skill based system but it isn't really. It kind of uses classes but it doesn't really. The bonuses vary WILDLY adding a fair amount of chaos.

It was originally published when they where experimenting with new systems and I can appreciate that. But while I own the books I don't think I would ever willingly use the system again.

Yeah, that's the thing. There's a lot of really unique things I really like about the system, but it shows its age and takes a lot of work to make it, well, work, compared to today's RPG's. That's why I suggested sticking to the fast-play rules. IMO, they manage to dodge most of the game's clunkiness.