shadow
First Post
I have been working on a sci-fi campaign setting for a long time, now I am having a hard time finding the right system that will allow me to run my campaign the way I envisioned it.
The basic theme of my setting is a sci-fi western with mystical undercurrents. It takes place on a dying, desert planet. Hundreds of years ago settlers mined the planet dry for its natural resources. Then following an invasion by an alien race and a subsequent planetary total war, most civilization was destroyed and much technology was lost. Now civilization exists only in scattered pockets with monsters and mutants roaming the wastelands between cities. Although much advanced technology was lost, there exists a level of technology comparable to that of the 1920's and 30's (the pulp era), although it is always fantastic and slightly anachronistic (e.g. diesel powered mechs and airships). Also there exists a strong mystical undercurrent; magic, psionics, curses all exists, but they are rare and subtle (most people don't believe in them).
The players play adventurers who brave the wastelands as mercenaries, monster hunters, and explorers looking for technological relics. I want the tone of the setting to be that of a pulp action adventure. The PCs should be competent and able to take out several mooks without much trouble. Also because of the mystic undercurrents, the characters should have the option (but not be required) to start out with mystical powers.
At first I tried d20 modern rules with this setting only to be vastly disappointed. D20 Modern's action point mechanism allowed the pulp characters, but it had a terrible time with the magic and mysticism that I was trying to establish. The only way to gain mystical powers in d20 Modern is to take a prestige class, which effectively prevents beginning characters from starting out with any special powers. Also the magic and psionics systems are essentially ripped from D&D; Vancian magic is not what I'm looking for. Besides looking for a more flexible system, I'm also looking for unique abilities such as innate magical powers, cybernetics, or access to lost technology (although such abilities should usually come at a price).
Then I tried GURPS. GURPS allowed the flexible character creation that I was wanted. The players were able to create unique characters, but I found the GURPS combat system left a lot to be desired. The combat system worked well for realistic tactical combat, but I found the 1 second rounds were unsuited for fast paced cinematic combat that I was looking for. Moreover, GURPS combat is entirely too deadly; I didn't like the fact that even high point characters could get taken out by one lucky shot.
I've heard good things about the old TSR Alternity system. I've also heard that HERO is very flexible and cinematic (but from what I've seen it seems mainly geared toward four-color superheroes). With all of that said, what systems would you recommend for my setting?
The basic theme of my setting is a sci-fi western with mystical undercurrents. It takes place on a dying, desert planet. Hundreds of years ago settlers mined the planet dry for its natural resources. Then following an invasion by an alien race and a subsequent planetary total war, most civilization was destroyed and much technology was lost. Now civilization exists only in scattered pockets with monsters and mutants roaming the wastelands between cities. Although much advanced technology was lost, there exists a level of technology comparable to that of the 1920's and 30's (the pulp era), although it is always fantastic and slightly anachronistic (e.g. diesel powered mechs and airships). Also there exists a strong mystical undercurrent; magic, psionics, curses all exists, but they are rare and subtle (most people don't believe in them).
The players play adventurers who brave the wastelands as mercenaries, monster hunters, and explorers looking for technological relics. I want the tone of the setting to be that of a pulp action adventure. The PCs should be competent and able to take out several mooks without much trouble. Also because of the mystic undercurrents, the characters should have the option (but not be required) to start out with mystical powers.
At first I tried d20 modern rules with this setting only to be vastly disappointed. D20 Modern's action point mechanism allowed the pulp characters, but it had a terrible time with the magic and mysticism that I was trying to establish. The only way to gain mystical powers in d20 Modern is to take a prestige class, which effectively prevents beginning characters from starting out with any special powers. Also the magic and psionics systems are essentially ripped from D&D; Vancian magic is not what I'm looking for. Besides looking for a more flexible system, I'm also looking for unique abilities such as innate magical powers, cybernetics, or access to lost technology (although such abilities should usually come at a price).
Then I tried GURPS. GURPS allowed the flexible character creation that I was wanted. The players were able to create unique characters, but I found the GURPS combat system left a lot to be desired. The combat system worked well for realistic tactical combat, but I found the 1 second rounds were unsuited for fast paced cinematic combat that I was looking for. Moreover, GURPS combat is entirely too deadly; I didn't like the fact that even high point characters could get taken out by one lucky shot.
I've heard good things about the old TSR Alternity system. I've also heard that HERO is very flexible and cinematic (but from what I've seen it seems mainly geared toward four-color superheroes). With all of that said, what systems would you recommend for my setting?
