What's the best (non-Star Wars) sci-fi system/setting for fans of D&D 5e?

neobolts

Explorer

• Dec 15, 2015

• #1

- Prefer sci-fi to sci-fantasy.
- Prefer a system low on micromanagement and constantly consulting charts.

The only sci-fi setting I have played extensively was 1992's Traveller: The New Era.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

log in or register to remove this ad

Ralif Redhammer

Legend

• Dec 15, 2015

• #2

Hmm, classic Star Frontiers might fit the bill. So might the more recent Star Siege and Savage Worlds. I like the Warhammer 40K RPG, but that might be too chart-y.

I’ve never really cottoned to sci-fi RPGs, though, compared to fantasy and horror. Did a little Star Wars, Robotech, and Traveller back in the day.

 

darjr

I crit!

• Dec 15, 2015

• #3

There is a passable star frontiers 5e conversion out there. I ran it for a one shot and had a blast. Used an old mod. Note that all of the older star frontiers is available online legally for free and there is at least one current PDF mag for it.

 

GMMichael

Guide of Modos

• Dec 16, 2015

• #4

N.E.W. Set yourselves free, 5e players!

 

neobolts

Explorer

• Dec 18, 2015

• #5

DMMike said:

N.E.W. Set yourselves free, 5e players!

Click to expand...

I plan to do some kind of WOIN mash-up once the hardcovers are in-hand. Part of my desire to do pure sci-fi now is knowing that Laser Space Wizards are in my future.

 

neobolts

Explorer

• Dec 21, 2015

• #6

Ralif Redhammer said:

Hmm, classic Star Frontiers might fit the bill.

Click to expand...

darjr said:

Note that all of the older star frontiers is available online legally for free and there is at least one current PDF mag for it.

Click to expand...

Wanted to pop in and say this was a great suggestion. I am really enjoying the old Star Frontiers material. Looking at the Alpha Dawn Expanded, but scaling back the somewhat clunky combat/movement system to be closer to basic. Haven't spent much time with the Knight Hawks spaceship rules, but they look promising as well.

 

Umbran

Mod Squad

Staff member

Supporter

• Dec 21, 2015

• #7

DMMike said:

N.E.W. Set yourselves free, 5e players!

Click to expand...

I dunno. N.E.W. is designed with lots and lots of fiddly-bits as a selling point. 5e is a step away from that sort of design.

I would want to ask - what about 5e is it that makes the players in question fans?

 

neobolts

Explorer

• Dec 21, 2015

• #8

Umbran said:

I dunno. N.E.W. is designed with lots and lots of fiddly-bits as a selling point. 5e is a step away from that sort of design.

I would want to ask - what about 5e is it that makes the players in question fans?

Click to expand...

It's a Friday night group with a mix of casual players and tabletop RPG lifers.

• Ease of play (particularly ease of character creation and leveling) matter to the new players, who are far happier with the simple social aspects of D&D.
• For the veteran players (I'll include myself here), there needs to be enough mechanics to keep it interesting. There's also a distaste among some of the lifers for the modifier creep of D&D 3.x.

5e seems to hit that right balance of ease of play for the casuals and enough streamlined strategy for the lifers, so I was looking for something sci-fi with the same happy medium.

 

Evenglare

Adventurer

• Dec 22, 2015

• #9

Easily Numenera for me. Not even something I have to think about.

 

B

Bluenose

Adventurer

• Dec 22, 2015

• #10

neobolts said:

- Prefer sci-fi to sci-fantasy.
- Prefer a system low on micromanagement and constantly consulting charts.

The only sci-fi setting I have played extensively was 1992's Traveller: The New Era.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Click to expand...

T:NE was probably the height of complexity as Traveller goes. I'd suggest either Mongoose or Classic Traveller would be a pretty good system, or one of the BRP/d100 SF games like River of Heaven. Traveller has a huge amount of setting information available for the Official Traveller Universe, though there's other settings too which might work better if they've the sort of features you particularly want.