Adventures in SPAAAACE!

[horseboy]

Well, I'm bored with swords. I want guns. I mean BIG guns. Meson accelerator big guns. I'm looking for something with the richness of Traveler, but with some control over my character creation. Also I'd like to be able to do more than just pay the gas bill on my ship after every adventure.

One of the guys has SAGA, but everybody else (I wasn't there that day) just kind of "mefp"ed it. So I don't think they'd be interested in it. Any other ideas?

[Tengu]

What about Fading Suns? It's a science fantasy setting, with both swordplay and magic (or rather, psi and divine gifts), and interstellar travel, plasma guns and energy shields. You have complete control over creating your character, and the mechanics (also for space combat) are rather fast while leaving a huge number of options.

There are small chances that you will own an actual ship on the start though - I think that'll require at least 10 points in certain advantages.

[horseboy]

Yeah, saw that on the Redbrick's website, just wasn't sure about how good the setting is. There's only so much you can get out of free previews.

[Matthew]

How about WEG's D6 Space? You can download a free Quick Start for their Septimus Setting from RPGNow.

[Kurald Galain]

Spelljammer :)

No seriously, try for GURPS ultra-tech. Or get the Alternate Worlds #2 setting book, it has a future-earth world called Caliph that's TL-11 (drooool...)

[horseboy]

How about WEG's D6 Space? You can download a free Quick Start for their Septimus Setting from RPGNow.

I saw that on Drivethru RPG. Down loaded it last night, haven't gotten around to reading it all, but it looks a lot like the old Star Wars game, from the initial impression. Good to see people getting back into the biz.

[Citizen Joe]

I think there is a GURPS Traveller out there.


But I also think the randomness of character creation was so that a program could generate many characters rapidly. In a game where instant healing and resurrection isn't possible and some weapons can take out city blocks, its important to be able to make a new character fast.

[Matthew]

I saw that on Drivethru RPG. Down loaded it last night, haven't gotten around to reading it all, but it looks a lot like the old Star Wars game, from the initial impression. Good to see people getting back into the biz.

Yeah, it appears to be the old Star Wars D6 system, but with a new Setting. I'm very pleased with this development, as I rather like the D6 system. Not much support out there for it yet, but I hope to see some Adventure Modules in the future.

[TheThan]

You could also check out D20 modern- future for some good sci-fi action.

D20 Modern SRD

It gives you lots of options for tech and stuff. You could easily homebrew races or just adapt some DnD races to the game. Heck its versatile enough that I made a D20 Star Trek game using just the SRD.

[Crow]

You could also check out D20 modern- future for some good sci-fi action.

D20 Modern SRD

It gives you lots of options for tech and stuff. You could easily homebrew races or just adapt some DnD races to the game. Heck its versatile enough that I made a D20 Star Trek game using just the SRD.

I'm not into star trek, but that you could do that with the SRD is just sweet. I'm going to check it out myself.

[TheThan]

I'm not into star trek, but that you could do that with the SRD is just sweet. I'm going to check it out myself.

It was more of an experiment really, the ships came out really nice though.

[Crow]

It was more of an experiment really, the ships came out really nice though.

Btw, your avatar looks eerily like one of the people that works out at my workplace. She just got back from burning man and is into bdsm...yikes!

[horseboy]

You could also check out D20 modern- future for some good sci-fi action.

D20 Modern SRD

It gives you lots of options for tech and stuff. You could easily homebrew races or just adapt some DnD races to the game. Heck its versatile enough that I made a D20 Star Trek game using just the SRD.

Any way to make it lethal?

[Fax Celestis]

Any way to make it lethal?

Use the Vitality system instead of HP and say that energy weapons automatically surpass Vitality and go straight to Wounds.

[DSCrankshaw]

Use the Vitality system instead of HP and say that energy weapons automatically surpass Vitality and go straight to Wounds.

Yikes, that's really lethal. The low Massive Damage Threshold already makes it pretty lethal, as one shot can take you to -1 pretty easily.

It's been mentioned already, but d20 Modern has a supplement called d20 Future, that lets you add high tech stuff (including starships) to the basic framework. Modern's base classes are general enough that this works pretty well. And the best thing is that it's all pretty modular. If you want to include psionics, you can. If you want aliens, or mutants, or even magic, just include those sections from the core rulebook and the supplements. d20 Future will let you build a post-apocalyptic setting with most people thrown back to the stone age but some really cool high tech gizmos lying around (Wasteland, Fallout). d20 Cyberscape will let you build the Matrix or the bionic man, or cyborgs fighting aliens.

The only thing is that the GM has to lay the ground rules of what will and won't be allowed from the start, lest his players run all over him. When you have so many options, it really can run away, and it's possible to build characters who are either overpowered or useless depending on the setting. If you don't want your powergamer bringing his psionic cyborg netrunner to your gritty startship simulator, make sure that's clear from the beginning. And if you allow your players to spend a feat on Starship operation, you better let them operate a starship at some point.