Space RPGs?

[CarlZog]

Alternity and Star Drive. As El Mahdi mentioned Star Drive is particularly low tech, gritty space opera with a VERY well fleshed out universe. I would strongly recommend giving it a try with Alternity, its native system.

Alternity has a very loose class system that does a realistic job of portraying experience. The whole rules system is very modular, and can be very detailed and bloody or loose and quick, as you desire.

Check out Alternity for a wealth of excellent fan material for Star Drive and Alt in general.

Carl

 

[RFisher]

Classic Traveller is still my favorite. (Haven’t gotten Mongoose’s version yet, so not opinion.)

GURPS Space is good if you want to bring your own flavor. Especially one of the better options if you were going in a “more realistic” direction. For a more a more space opera direction, there’s also GURPS Lensman.

I haven’t had a chance to actually play it yet, but I think Buck Rogers High Adventure Cliffhangers looks like a great system for Buck Rogers/Flash Gordon kind of things.

And Star Cadets looks perfectly serviceable too.

 

[rgard]

Unfortunately I can't say I have found a game so far that fully hit what I wanted. Maybe I am playing D&D too long now and the particular play style I enjoy in D&D just doesn't fit into a Sci-Fi setting? (Killing People and take their Stuff?)

"Killing People and take their Stuff" Funny how that ends up being the theme of most RPGs I've played in; Traveller included.

Thanks,
Rich

 

[Jack of Shadows]

"Killing People and take their Stuff" Funny how that ends up being the theme of most RPGs I've played in; Traveller included.

Thanks,
Rich

"He's dead, Jim."

"Right. You take his tricorder. I'll take his phaser."

Classic.

JoS.

 

[El Mahdi]

"He's dead, Jim."

"Right. You take his tricorder. I'll take his phaser."

Classic.

JoS.

Was that guy wearing a Red shirt by chance?!

 

[dm4hire]

I'm waiting for WotC to update Star Frontiers.

However I have to agree with Alternity. It was pretty solid and such ashame that it got dwarfed by 3rd Edition and d20 Modern. Probably one of the shortest lived game systems that achieved its objectives as far as mechanics go where as most shooting star products fail for lack of reaching it.

 

[Silverblade The Ench]

Unfortunately I can't say I have found a game so far that fully hit what I wanted. Maybe I am playing D&D too long now and the particular play style I enjoy in D&D just doesn't fit into a Sci-Fi setting? (Killing People and take their Stuff?)

Spelljammer I tell ye!

To boldly go where no one has gone before, to find strange new worlds, and loot them!
Or trade and seduce them!
or Conquer and bombard them with asteroids!
Or leave a trial of broken hearts and mutant offpsring across the known Spheres!

Hehe

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

My favorite RPG is HERO, so its no surprise I like Space HERO.

However, a good sci-fi game with a dedicated setting is truly special.

Of those, I've enjoyed Traveller in many of its forms, Universe (by SPI, long OoP), Altnernity, Paranoia, Shadowrun, Spaceship Zero, Prime Directive, Gamma World, MechWarrior, Space: 1889 and RIFTS.

Yeah, I said RIFTS.

I don't usually run it in its own system, though.

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

I strongly recommend Fading Suns for a science fantasy/space opera setting, and Transhuman Space for a hard SF one.

 

[qstor]

Let me throw in another recommendation for Traveller. I think I've posted something similar to this like 3 times.

There are various rules sets you can use, d20, GURPS or Mongoose Traveller. With different settings too. I'm not a huge fan of the New Era setting but it uses the GDW "house" rules the same as Twlight 2000. The TNE rules are out of print but you can download them from drivethrurpg.com. I like the d20 and GURPS rules.

As another poster mentioned the GURPS Traveller books have a lot of good background in them even if you don't use the GURPS rules system. A lot of them are out of print however.

For ease sake you might get the Mongoose Traveller book and the Mongoose Spinward Marches book. Both are in print and a good way to start a campaign in the Third Imperium. Traveller is more hard science fiction than space opera but its a great setting whatever rules system you use.

Mike