Recommended a hard-science space RPG

You know, I realize that I have gotten things backwards:

I need to make a list of sci-fi games supported by Roll20, and review those. It wouldn't help to get pointed to the perfect game, only to find out Roll20 doesn't support it.

Old habits get in the way.

Thanks for all the suggestions!
 

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You know, I realize that I have gotten things backwards:

I need to make a list of sci-fi games supported by Roll20, and review those. It wouldn't help to get pointed to the perfect game, only to find out Roll20 doesn't support it.

Old habits get in the way.

Thanks for all the suggestions!
Currently successfully playing the new Traveller Second Edition on Roll20 with all the tweaks - let me tell you, dynamic lighting is VERY useful for LoS in a gunbattle.

We're playing small-scale Traveller, more akin to Firefly, where there are at most probably 8 NPCs scattered across three fleets fleeing the known space. So far, we're taking heists and missions on 'planet of the week' planets we will never visit again since we're fleeing known space ala BSG.

But you've played it and it wasn't your cup of tea, so... good luck
 


Vaslov

Explorer
Seven Worlds is a Savage Worlds hard scifi game. I drop the psi stuff as i don't care for it. Nice hard science in the world building.

Burning Sands is Dune set in the Burning Wheel rule set. Lots of rules so not for every table.

Shadows Over Sol might be worth looking at. Great hard sci fi. No clue if they have a roll20 support (doubt it).
 


GMMichael

Guide of Modos
I need to make a list of sci-fi games supported by Roll20, and review those. It wouldn't help to get pointed to the perfect game, only to find out Roll20 doesn't support it.

Old habits get in the way.
Yes, they do. Which is why I have to recommend my free game. I've run some Metroid games with it, and it's really easy to set the bar to "hard sci-fi," but you have to provide the fluff, since it's a universal game. Roll20 does a great job of tracking the 3 damage pools each character gets, and you can count actions per round directly in the initiative tracker . It's a modular game, so dropping all the magic is easy. Also, there's good reskinning support for making aliens on the fly.

 

darjr

I crit!
You mentioned Roll20, and I'm never too sure what someone means when they say "Hard SciFi" cause it always doesn't seem to fit.

Burn Bryte was designed by James Introcasso and others specifically as a Roll20 game.

 

aramis erak

Legend
You mentioned Roll20, and I'm never too sure what someone means when they say "Hard SciFi" cause it always doesn't seem to fit.
Several authors, in various interviews, mentioned a SFWA definition from the 1960's... No more than three breaks from known physics. At the time, nuclear fusion power was one; FTL still is, super-high ISP (>10 k sec) and/or reactionless drives. Gravitics generally gives you artificial gravity, inertial compensation, and reactionless drives as one "break"... with lenient reviewers, at least. Most no longer count fusion, as we've got energy release in excess of energy to ignite; we don't have energy recaptured in excess yet, but current reactors are focused upon ignition and sustenance, not energy recapture.

Note that a reactionless drive (or a super-high Isp reaction drive) that generates thrust generates effective gravity via inertia.
One that generates a gravity well in front of the ship (and generates a second a bit beyond before the first decays), such as the Humanx Commonwealth setting's KK drive, generate artificial gravity by tidal force (That is, the ship is pulled based upon the center of mass; those inside experience gravity based upon compariing their centroid to the ship's - if closer to the distorition, down is forward (towards the distortion); if further, down is aft. A perfect midship deck generally feels microgravity...
A reactionless drive that grabs your bubble of N-Space and severs it from the local space potentially doesn't generate a gravity-like force. (An Alcubierre warp drive - which is somewhat low plausibility as FTL, but reasonable as a a high sub-C constant speed drive by this principle. (Which still potentially breaks causality a bit - if it indeed is exempted from dilation.)
 

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