So I've been in a little Sci-Fi kick for the past few weeks (been watching "How the Universe Works" on the Science channel) and I want to find a good Sci-Fi RPG to try. I don't care what rules system it encompasses I just need somethign fun and cheap to try. I already tried STAR WARS: SAGA EDITION and didn't like it. What are some good Sci-Fi RPGs? (P.S. Next Summer I'll probably buy "Numenera" when it comes out next summer, but I'd like to try som high-tech stuff too.)
I've been enjoying reading up on "Eclipse Phase" lately.
The universe and sci fi bits are all fun and one thing the game material does well is impart a sense of what life is like in their universe, which often gets overlooked. I don't have a good handle on the rules yet, which from what I've read might be the game's weak point. It's also worth noting that the setting is trans-human and if the (albeit sometimes limited) ability to re-sleeve into a new body isn't something you like the idea of in your sci fi, then it may not be your cup of tea.
I bought a lot of their nicely done PDFs, but ordered a hard copy of their core rules/setting book earlier this month and have not been disappointed by the topnotch quality of the dead tree version! This is literally the first core book I've picked up in years that not only felt as though a cover to cover read was necessitated, but that doing so would be a pleasure. Beautiful, beautiful product.
http://eclipsephase.com/
quick start rules: http://eclipsephase.com/qsr
Traveller was the first RPG I ever owned. It was given to me by some folk that bought it thinking it was an expanded ruleset to a minatures game.
I am said to say, I owned it for a few years before I ever could figure out what one was supposed "to do". Made lots of characters though. It was later watching some folk play AD&D (The Village of Homlet) that I clicked over to what those little black books were for.
Since then, I have played many different sci fi RPG's, SpaceMaster, the various Treks, StarWars D6 and SAGA, Firefly, SpaceHERO, ALIENS, Traveller2300, Space1889, Mechanoids, Ringworld, and more that I am certain I have forgotten.
Gotta say, I think Traveller did it best. And heck, it is easy to find PDF's or hardbacks or softcovers on the interwebs.. or even right here at Paizo one can get LINK!!
Greg
Cthulhu Tech has soem great setting.
Eclipse Phase looks all round awesome, but I have yet to play it.
CP2020 is however proably my favourate science fiction roleplaying game.
I'm having a delightful time with Dark Heresy (and related game lines) though I'm not sure if it's fair to call it a Sci-Fi RPG. :)
I'm also quite fond of Star Wars SAGA. And Jovian Chronicles is a guilty pleasure of mine.
RIFTS. Palladium system, but the game is pretty awesome. I played an EOD/spy guy who blew things up and stabbed people in throat if they got to close.
.....he was only the negotiator that one time. Why would you put an EOD guy in charge of negotiations in the first place right?
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Depending on how Old School you are I recommend Stars Without Number (there is a FREE version HERE) or the D12 based Thousand Suns.
Savage Worlds has a few nice offerings (and it doesn't take much to twist it into whatever style you're interested in) such as Space Lanes by Triple Ace Games (free space rules at the bottom of page - they only have adventures, Robot Rumble is particularly fun to run), and the new High Space (beta costs $5 and there are no setting rules)
If you want to jump into something more complex (and expensive), I agree that Eclipse Phase is your best bet (FREE starter rules HERE[). I'm still waiting for Wildfire's The Void...
Then for something completely different there is Ashen Stars - it's up for an Ennie this year. I dont have Ashen Stars but I have other GUMSHOE products and Lorefinder is really cool!
That's really helpfull guys. Thanks so much I think Eclipse Phase and Traveler then maybe the other afterwards.
Oh if you want really nutty stuff then check out Skyrealms of Jorune. That game is weird.
I loved skyrealms, but could not get a single person to ever play it with me. :(
Greg
I'd toss another +1 for Eclipse Phase.
With the caveat that you really need to make sure you and your group have your heads wrapped around the style of a transhuman game before you get going. One of the biggest let-downs GMs have with Eclipse Phase is that they get suuuper stoked to run it, and then their players are like "WTF is this!? Shooting myself in the head is a viable and suggested victory tactic!?."
LUCKILY, the eclipse phase core rulebook has a fantastic list of suggested inspirational sci-fi in it. And, the Eclipse Phase forums are full of cool nerds and a few astrophysicists that help bring it all home with inspiration and pizazz.
Their physical books are amazing (which makes them a bit pricey but nothing out of the unusual for a hardcover). Doug Obrien up above was right on the money. And, the art that they've commissioned for each of their books is just amazing.
The pdfs are sometimes hosted on the authors' home pages in the hopes that people will actually pony up the cash and pay for the pdf versions. "Legit" pdfs are fairly priced on RPG Now and DriveThru RPG.
Also, supporting the freaky tattooed little pile of geniuses & anarchists over at Posthuman Studios is something that everyone should do.
Classic Traveller is probably my favorite RPG. In answer to the OP's question, it was the first Meta-Setting RPG that I stumbled across: It took you a week to get to any other planet, and there were rules for battle axes and laser carbines. I loved it.
If you want something with a lot of charts you might try I.C.E.'s Spacemaster.
Neither of those are setting specific like Star Wars, but you could probably do a Star wars setting with either, if see what I'm saying.
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+1 for Thousand Suns. A surprisingly great system. One of my pals concocted a Gears of War inspired campaign, spanning many worlds from neighbouring solar systems, and since then I've elected it as my favorite choice for sci-fi games.
Close second is Spycraft 2.0, a toolbox of sorts, very detailed but requiring a good deal of custom fitting work.
Shadowrun.
Hands down one of my absolute favorite games. The Fourth/20th Anniversary Edition is the most streamlined the game has ever been and it is a blast to play.
It's a cross genre game of cyberpunk sci-fi and fantasy but the cyberpunk always seems to rest at the forefront. The fantasy elements tend to take a backseat but you can emphasis whatever elements you want and tell any kind of story you can think of.
Unlike other games, the rules are streamlined and solid allowing for any kind of game you want to play. You play and run the kind of style YOU want, not what the designers want. It's user friendly for both players and GMs.
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I want to love Shadowrun, really I do. But some of the rules are totally incomprehensible to me. I spent 2 weeks reading and rereading the hacking rules trying to work out how they worked and all I got from it was a headache.
Love the setting, love the lore but I would disagree strongly that it's an easy system to get to grips with.
I want to love Shadowrun, really I do. But some of the rules are totally incomprehensible to me. I spent 2 weeks reading and rereading the hacking rules trying to work out how they worked and all I got from it was a headache.
Love the setting, love the lore but I would disagree strongly that it's an easy system to get to grips with.
Which edition. 4e is much better than earlier editions.
The porblem with sci-fi is that it's such a broad term, covering very near future (James Bond) near future (cyberpunk) all the way to the almost end of humanity (40K). And then there's an additional sub-genre (dystopian themes, adventure, fantasy)...
Just to suggest a few that I like...
Bablyon 5 (second edition)
Star Wars (the West End Games original d6 version)
A +1 for Shadowrun (although I'm more than happy with my 1st/2nd ed stuff).
Paranoia
TORG
Judge Dredd/Strontium Dog
Cheers
Mark
For Sci-Fi, depending on what you want:
Shadowrun for cybermagic
Cyberpunk 2020 for just the sheer how many PCs can you kill.
Star Frontiers for the actual space thing.
I had a great time running Justifiers in the 90's when I was in college. TNMT and other strangeness also fits for it.
If you like West End Games' Star Wars, they offer D6 Space and all of its supplements for free on DriveThruRPG. It is basically WEG Star Wars with the serial numbers filed off and updated rules.
The porblem with sci-fi is that it's such a broad term, covering very near future (James Bond) near future (cyberpunk) all the way to the almost end of humanity (40K). And then there's an additional sub-genre (dystopian themes, adventure, fantasy)...
Just to suggest a few that I like...
Bablyon 5 (second edition)
Star Wars (the West End Games original d6 version)
A +1 for Shadowrun (although I'm more than happy with my 1st/2nd ed stuff).
Paranoia
TORG
Judge Dredd/Strontium DogCheers
Mark
You are very correct, sir. Never really think about Paranoia as being scifi...but it is. THAT is a great game.
Greg
Fading Suns for me. It's a bit grimdark and has a heavy Dune influences but it's a fine roleplaying game.
Well have yet to see how the 3rd edition ends... DarthGus version was looking quite good but the Red Brick scrapped it at the last moment and what is mentioned about new 3rd edition is not very appealing to my former FS group (which counts some 10 people interested in FS and at best time had closer to 15), especially when comparing to Angus scrapped version. A few things advertised seem to be a serious step backs.
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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The OP already mentioned it, but I'll toss in another vote for Monte Cook's Numenera. If you're looking for something a little more... "out there," particularly if you're a fan of Sword & Planet pulp novels and the like, why not check it out?
It's science-fantasy, in which all the "magic" is really just incredibly advanced technology, the monsters are all bio-engineered mutations, and the world is still gritty and medieval because the secrets of that technology has long since been lost. I really dig it, and I've pitched in hard for the Kickstarter. :)
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I want to love Shadowrun, really I do. But some of the rules are totally incomprehensible to me. I spent 2 weeks reading and rereading the hacking rules trying to work out how they worked and all I got from it was a headache.
Love the setting, love the lore but I would disagree strongly that it's an easy system to get to grips with.
Which edition. 4e is much better than earlier editions.
4e.
Like I say I have tried to understand it but it's very tough to get your head round.
4e.
Like I say I have tried to understand it but it's very tough to get your head round.
That's unfortunate because I have loved the game for a very long time and it makes me a little sad that you may never get to experience it. It's not for everyone, I'll definitely grant you that.
I came to 4E from 3E, which I came to from 2E so the evolution of the rules naturally made sense to me, though it took me a bit to get used to 4E because the rules are very different, especially with hacking. I found it to be a pretty strait forward attribute + skill dice pool vs number of successes to succeed. I do admit that I have a good head for game systems. Hell, I understood SenZar when I first read it. Then I realized that it wasn't just my reading, it really did suck... speaking of sci-fi games.
No love for Empire of the Petal Throne? It is as much SF as Star Wars, really...
Surprised no mention of Gamma World either...
You are very correct, sir. Never really think about Paranoia as being scifi...but it is. THAT is a great game.
Greg
Please report to the nearest termination center Citizen.
Please report to the nearest termination center Citizen.You are very correct, sir. Never really think about Paranoia as being scifi...but it is. THAT is a great game.
Greg
Hi! The Computer sent me!
Greg-O-REE 4
So I've been in a little Sci-Fi kick for the past few weeks (been watching "How the Universe Works" on the Science channel) and I want to find a good Sci-Fi RPG to try. I don't care what rules system it encompasses I just need somethign fun and cheap to try. I already tried STAR WARS: SAGA EDITION and didn't like it. What are some good Sci-Fi RPGs? (P.S. Next Summer I'll probably buy "Numenera" when it comes out next summer, but I'd like to try som high-tech stuff too.)
My top four are ...
Traveller (just a great role-playing system and setting)
Serenity RPG (nice mechanics and fun setting)
Dark Heresy (great, fifth gen game)
West End Games (D6) version of Star Wars (best captured the feel of the original movies)
I've got more listed here.
In service,
I actually wrote a highly detailed d20 Modern version of Robotech. Still have it, and have been told that it beats out Palladium easily. It's not perfect, though.
If you want something a bit crunchier, and with a great built-in setting, the there's the WH40K lineup: Dark Heresy, Rogue Trader, Deathwatch, Black Crusade, and Only War.
It's unfortunately a bit too crunchy for my taste. But the setting is grand and for that alone these rather expensive books worth their price.
... reminds me of my Necromunda RPG adaptation (based on 1st ed Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, with few cues from 2ed when that came out) I made in college. It worked surprisingly well, but I had to tone down class advancements to Strength and Toughness to avoid "naked dwarf" syndrome. Fun times...
I'm fond of Xplorers, an old-school style sci-fi game with a strong '50s movie vibe based on the Swords & Wizardry rules. Link to free version: http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=93797&
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Eclipse Phase has a lot to play around with. There's a wide range of tone you can get out of that game.
I'm fond of Xplorers, an old-school style sci-fi game with a strong '50s movie vibe based on the Swords & Wizardry rules. Link to free version: http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=93797&
Caught my eye!
No particular order, my favorites, are:
Traveller in any incarnation except the New Era version. Mongoose has a version out now, and Traveller 5 (T5) from the games originator Marc Miller is due out in a couple months. I did the kickstarter and I'm counting the days...
Stars Without Number is a simple old school game system with great sandbox support in the rules and a very interesting setting.
Other Dust, if you want your post apocalyptic fix is very nice. Same basic rules (and author) as Stars Without Number.
Mekton Zeta is still my go to game for Anime style science fiction. It's great. The best time I ever had running a Star Wars game was with Mekton Zeta rules. Built every vehicle from Speeder Bikes to the Death Star using the vehicle construction rules. Character construction fit well too. Came to the conclusion that Star Wars was anime in disguise. It just fit so well...
Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0 is great for the cyberpunk genre. And it's rules use the same basic system as Mekton Zeta. There is an upcoming related computer rpg coming out from the same devs who did the Witcher 1 and 2 if you like computer rpgs as well (Cyberpunk 2077).
Others: the original FASA Star Trek game (out of print), Space Opera (out of print, I think)... had fun with a boatload of others that are mostly out of print now. But the above are the ones I would run right now without hesitation. Fun games.
Kind of surprised no-one has mentioned Trinity as an excellent Sci-fi setting. The whole Trinity-verse setting (including Aberrant and Adventure) is really outstanding, and the mechanics are quite good as well; essentially it's a streamlined and simplified version of the old World of Darkness system (and may be what was used for NWoD, but I haven't looked into any of that).
Anyway, it's an excellent setting and outstanding game system.