Anyone tried The Expanse RPG?
Jd Smith1
Hero
The setting doesn't really interest me, either, but I have been looking for space ship system that is more factual than is usually presented.
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MNblockhead
A Title Much Cooler Than Anything on the Old Site
I backed the Kickstarter. I like the series (haven't read the books) and enjoy the setting. I think the TTRPG rules capture the cinematic nature of the show. I liked the rule system myself, except that the rules for travel get a bit over complicated. Good if you like the harder-science approach, but most tables are going to hand wave and not take the time to calculate the travel times etc.
The ship combat rules didn't really grab me. It has been awhile since I've played the system or read the rules, and I don't have the book with me, so I can't really point out anything in particular. But then, I feel this with all sci-fi TTRPGs that I've played.
Most of the provided adventures still tend to focus on locations off ship and I really didn't get the feel for how the show presents living, fighting, and traveling in space when running the game.
My main issue with running the game is that I really couldn't get into running a game in that setting. As much as I like the show, it couldn't keep my interest as a TTRPG. Also, I don't like settings with huge fan bases and a lot of lore. In some kitchen-sink fantasy settings it is easier to hand-wave, ignore, and kitbash. But you play The Expanse to play in the world of the Expanse. I could see playing another game based on the Modern Age rule set, but I played a couple one shots with The Expanse and now it is a bookshelf collectible.
The ship combat rules didn't really grab me. It has been awhile since I've played the system or read the rules, and I don't have the book with me, so I can't really point out anything in particular. But then, I feel this with all sci-fi TTRPGs that I've played.
Most of the provided adventures still tend to focus on locations off ship and I really didn't get the feel for how the show presents living, fighting, and traveling in space when running the game.
My main issue with running the game is that I really couldn't get into running a game in that setting. As much as I like the show, it couldn't keep my interest as a TTRPG. Also, I don't like settings with huge fan bases and a lot of lore. In some kitchen-sink fantasy settings it is easier to hand-wave, ignore, and kitbash. But you play The Expanse to play in the world of the Expanse. I could see playing another game based on the Modern Age rule set, but I played a couple one shots with The Expanse and now it is a bookshelf collectible.
aramis erak
Legend
The most realistic RPG ship rules I've encountered are for Albedo - the PDF is on Drive Thru...
DriveThruRPG
www.drivethrurpg.com
Jd Smith1
Hero
I'll check it out.The most realistic RPG ship rules I've encountered are for Albedo - the PDF is on Drive Thru...
It does assume extreme ISP via fusion plant, and has FTL, but it also has computer controlled single pass combat, with the majority of death being from KKMs...DriveThruRPG
RivetGeekWil
Lead developer Tribes in the Dark
Jovian Chronicles is effectively The Expanse. The mecha are extremely easy to ignore, the ship designs are realistic (best part about the setting IMHO), and the spaceship movement rules use overcomplicated vectored movement.
Jd Smith1
Hero
What does that have to do with the spaceship mechanics of The Expanse?
RivetGeekWil
Lead developer Tribes in the Dark
They're better (if realistic is what your want). So just use the Jovian Chronicles (1e Silhouette, not 2e) system instead of AGE if you don't like AGE. The setting for JC is basically The Expanse anyway—intrasolar setting, militarized Mars, unified Earth, spin gravity for ships, no FTL, no aliens. Hell, the original campaign—the Europa Incident, published in like 1991—dealt with finding extraterrestrial multicellular life on Europa.
