Looking for a deep space rpg

[spidey64]

Hey all,

I just finished playing Mass Effect for the xbox 360 and I got the itch to play space opera style rpg.

I thought about SWSA since Mass Effect is basically just built off of the KOTOR engine (which is just a 3D version of the old Baldur's Gate games but that is neither here nor there). I don't really want to try that conversion though so I was thinking about a different setting.

Traveller looks good but I guess there are two new editions coming out soon (Travellers 5 and Mongoose Publishing version) and I don't really know the difference between the two.

Or should I go for another system?

Can anyone make any recommendations?

 

[Mark]

EN Worlder and Publisher Justin D Jacobson of Blue Devil Games has received a great deal of praise on his Dawning Star and Helios Rising. Lots of ENnies nominations and he supports his product lines well. Stand up guy, too. Always helpful on the message boards.

 

[Khairn]

Another vote for Dawning Star.

Great setting, lots of believable (notice I didn't say "realistic") tech information without becoming too sci fi campy.

 

[jdrakeh]

Honestly, there are several editions of Traveller that are plenty good (and all of which are easy to find online). Also, the Citizens of the Imperium forum is full of folks playing everything from the original GDW box set to GURPS Traveller. There's no need to wait for the two new editions (at least one of which is probably a crap shoot where quality of editing is concerned) -- you can play Traveller right now, using one of the many existing editions or systems (in fact, I think that you can grab the original Traveller box set for something like $15 over at Noble Night Games).

If you want to go a route other than Traveller, I've seen numerous GMs use the older D6 Star Wars (also readily available online) as a generic Space Opera game with little deviation from the published core book. I suspect that Star Wars Saga Edtion could be used to similar ends. Full-blown Star Wars d20 seems to be quite a bit less modification friendly, given the heaviness of the rules and their fairly SW-specific nature. Both the Saga Edition and the old D6 Edition escape these traps of narrow game design.

A less obvious choice is White Wolf's Trinity, which is available through RPGNow at a deep discount. This was the first White Wolf game I played that made some much needed reforms to the Storyteller system (it largely spawned the Revised Storyteller system) and that, as a result, really clicked for my group at the time (which wasn't hot on White Wolf games). The core book is 98% metaplot-free and works great as a generic Space Opera game out of the box (this is, in fact, the only way I've ever played it).

I personally have a soft spot for the original Manhunter, though it's largely for the setting fluff and the ship building system (the character and combat rules are mediocre, at best). Still, it's bounty hunters in space and I can't stress enough that the ship building system is great (in fact, that's the sole reason I still own a physical copy of Manhunter).

There are a lot of good, easy to locate, and inexpensive Space Opera games out there. Some of the best aren't in print anymore but, as I note above, they're easy to come by.

 

[Jhaelen]

I'll toss in 'Fading Suns'. It's probably also out of print but had a very evocative setting. It reminded me a lot about Dune. It's very 'opera' and doesn't care about realistic technology at all. All of the high tech stuff (including the jump gates) is from an extinct species/culture that is often beyond the understanding of anyone alive. There's lots of interesting factions and guilds - dark ages style. Religion and superstition colour everyday life and beings from the dark between the stars are truly and utterly alien.

 

[Aus_Snow]

I'll toss in 'Fading Suns'. It's probably also out of print but had a very evocative setting.

Not so much: http://www.fading-suns.com/

Excellent setting, but not a system I'm particularly fond of. Still, definitely worth a look.

 

[Matrix Sorcica]

You can't go wrong with Lightspeed: www.lightspeed-rpg.com
All and every sci-fi thingie you can think of thrown together into one (sort of) coherent setting.

Also, the Traveller underways from Mongoose will be available on the net as a SRD. You can check out the rules already on their site.

 

[MarkB]

Hey all,

I just finished playing Mass Effect for the xbox 360 and I got the itch to play space opera style rpg.

I thought about SWSA since Mass Effect is basically just built off of the KOTOR engine (which is just a 3D version of the old Baldur's Gate games but that is neither here nor there). I don't really want to try that conversion though so I was thinking about a different setting.

I haven't played the game myself, so I didn't pay too much attention to the thread, but I do know that some people have already been working on a conversion over on the WotC Star Wars RPG boards. From a quick glance, it looks like there's plenty of material there.

 

[Psion]

I'm not too familiar with Mass Effect so I'm not sure what exact elements will need targeting. I am an old Traveller fan, but without either of the new editions in hand wouldn't want to recommend one too you. I also think the oft-recommended Classic Traveller, while it does have some charming attributes, is mostly driven by nostalgia and doesn't hold up to well as a modern game. There are a few other editions that do hold up pretty well, though many of those are out of print and hard to find.

One game that I will hold up as modern, highly playable, and currently in print is Thousand Suns. Its written with the same "implied setting" sensibility as the classic traveller books had, but is more modern and streamlined in system. You can get the PDF version at enworld's RPGnow storefront (here) or at yourgamesnow.com (here). You can also get PDF and print editions at IPR (publisher page here).

 

[Ahzad]

I'll recommend Traveller as well, but I'll also toss out the Star Drive setting for the oop Alternity game engine. There was always something about that setting that I liked, and even though I sold off the Alternity books I kept the Star Drive stuff.