D&D 5E Compare Spell Jammer to Starfinder

[Parmandur]

So no real sci-fi elements? Just ships flying to kingdoms on other planets? That sounds disappointing.
With all I know about SJ being Dice, Camera, Action and Giff with guns, is the tone of SJ supposed to be silly?

There are asteroids, spaxe stations, etc. But there is little attempt to make it as hard science as Star Wars, even: very goofy tone, pretty trippy and weird fantasy in tone. More Heavy Metal, less laser guns.

 

[Parmandur]

While this is all accurate, I wouldn't count on new SJ being so silly. I don't think there's a real market for that.

I wouldn't take that bet, as there is definitely a market for silly, to which 5E has always been open for business. Adventure Zone, Acquisitions Incorporated, etc.

 

[Parmandur]

For some period context, this is footage from a cancelled multimedia Spelljammer box set TSR was working on:

 

[Azzy]

For some period context, this is footage from a cancelled multimedia Spelljammer box set TSR was working on:

Oh, that's awful/

 

[Azzy]

Silly? Don't see it. There have been flying ships (actual sailing ships that flew) in D&D before; SJ just categorized them and added space travel rules to D&D. Yeah, there were some strange monsters, but when has that not been a part of D&D? Also some of the ships were very strange: squid-shaped ships, whale-shaped ships, or spider-shaped ships come to mind. The Spelljammer itself was a huge creature that looked like a bigger-than-colossal manta ray peopled with several factions all trying to gain control of it or escape from it. It flew around space as it wanted and had a big city on its back. D&D has always had a claim to the absurd; I remember a gun-slinging, old western-version angel (solar) in one adventure and the silliness never stops there even in "normal" D&D. Spelljamming was what driving the space ship was called and only spellcasters could drive and lost all spells in memory just trying (taking out the party's big guns for ship-to-ship combat). Siege weapons got described fully and some new ones added. So as always, silly is a part of it like silly is a part of all D&D; but silly as the descriptor for it, I think not.

Dude, Spelljammer to D&D's silliness and turned it up to 11. Giant Space Hamsters for goodness sake!

 

[generic]

I prefer Starfinder.

just my $0.02.

 

[Parmandur]

Oh, that's awful/

Awfully fun! I love this, so much.

 

[Parmandur]

I prefer Starfinder.

just my $0.02.

Main problem for Starfinder is that there is already Star Wars, and several RPG iterations of Star Wars.

Spelljammer, at least, doesn't have that problem.

 

[generic]

Main problem for Starfinder is that there is already Star Wars, and several RPG iterations of Star Wars.

Spelljammer, at least, doesn't have that problem.

What problem? This is an irrational train of thought. Spelljammer isn't even an RPG system, it's a setting. What does this even mean?

 

[Parmandur]

What problem? This is an irrational train of thought. Spelljammer isn't even an RPG system, it's a setting. What does this even mean?

I'm saying that a straight Space Opera Science Fantasy is going to be compared to the 500-pound Gorilla of straight Space Opera Science Fantasy settings, irregardless of system.

Spelljammer is peerless as a Setting, a shining jewel of an old school swashbuckling Acid Trip....iiiiiin spaaaaaaace.