Sci Fi RPG: System help?

[Bagpuss]

Why should being shot with a hi tech weapon be more likely to kill you than being beheaded with a sword? A sword is 100% deadly if it skewers you. You can't get more dead than dead!

Agreed the location, size and depth of the injury is much more important to the chances of survival, than the actual device producing the injury.

 

[Bagpuss]

Then again, I guess the same argument can be made for various sword types, so I'm kinda talking myself out of my own point here. I guess the answer to my question is that real humans only have about 5 hit points, so any weapon has a good chance of finishing them off in one go. The extra damage is just for cinematic effect.

Real humans don't have hit points, there are cases of people being shot over 20 times and surviving as it missed anything vital and there are cases of people dying from a pencil because it happened to puncture a lung or go up someone's nose into the brain.

If you really want realism then you need a more location based damage system like Millennium's End, but realism isn't always a desirable thing in RPGs. Speaking personally I've moved for more narrative games like FATE and Savage Worlds, recently, and moved away from the more simulationist and tactical games, which I use to enjoy.

But I totally agree that there is no reason (in a purely hit point system) for a bullet to be doing 5d6 if a longsword only does 1d8. Chances are if the longsword hits you it will make a bigger wound.

 

[Jan van Leyden]

Feeling a little retro? Than hop over to Star Frontiers, TSR's venerable (1983) SciFi game. Completely free, with lots of add-ons and not so old and dusty as one might think.

 

[GMMichael]

2) Blasters: blasters are ranged weapons with no reload actions, which ignore (armor) protection unless the protection is blaster-resistant. Blaster damage: light blaster d8, medium blaster d10, heavy blaster d12.

Regarding bullet or sword: this discussion is neglecting two very important considerations. 1) How does your system define hit points, and 2) how does your system define damage? You're comparing apples to oranges until you guys get this straight.

But the above quote shows you which camp I'm in: a light blaster does the same amount of damage as a long sword, more or less.

 

[Derren]

As you can see from the responses, many RPGs can handle cybernetics, blasters and monster. So a bit more information would be nice.

Do you looking for hard sci fi or more of a space opera? A toolbox? Or something less far in the future where the modern, real world is still recognizable in the setting? Are fantasy elements a no go or are they ok (including star wars force, etc.)?

 

[TrippyHippy]

Probably ought to mention Cubicle 7's Rocket Age if people are into retro-pulpy sci-fi. Uses the same system as the Doctor Who game, and has very polished production standards.

 

[Jhaelen]

1) Cybernetics.

2) Guns/Blasters

3) Monsters, I suppose. Genetically created monstrosities, xenomorph alien predators, whatever.

Aren't these topics covered by pretty much every sci-fi rpg on the market?

My suggestion would be Eclipse Phase, because it actually covers more topics than most sci-fi rpg's I've seen: Nanotech, transhumanism, etc.

 

[Azgulor]

I've played a lot of sci-fi RPGs over the years, so as others have pointed out, you've got a lot to choose from on the upside.
I've played: Star Frontiers, Traveller, GURPS, Alternity, SpaceMaster, Trinity, Star Wars (WEG), Blue Planet

On the downside, a lot of sci-fi RPGs have specific setting buy-in required or you're doing a lot of work to do your own conversion. Sci-Fi settings tend to be a bit more specific, there aren't as many "genre norms" like there are with fantasy RPGs. So if the setting, really grabs you, pick the rules set that goes with that setting. I had successful campaigns using Star Frontiers & Alternity and have played in successful Traveller games.

Games like GURPS are good in that they give you the crunch and fiddly-bits to develop your own settings if none of the pre-published ones grab you. The downside is, I want to spend more time developing characters, plots, and locales than creating alien species and vehicles. (And for the GURPSians that say, "hand wave that stuff" - if that detail isn't important to me, I'm not playing GURPS in the first place.)

While I'm definitely in my "honeymoon phase" with the game, my recommendation would be Savage Worlds. The Sci-Fi companion isn't even out yet (it's out in PDF next week) but you can easily run a sci-fi game with just the core rulebook. I did a sci-fi survival horror one-shot over the holidays and it was a resounding success. There is enough crunch customization to tweak things to suit your setting desires but it's not so overwhelming that you're spending a lot of time doing it or forced to go with "what the system offers" like you are with most other RPGs.

My 2nd place recommendation would be Mongoose's Traveller, just b/c of the sheer amount of material available (much in PDF format) that you can probably kit-bash what you want together. You probably won't hit all of your requirements in the Third Imperium default setting, but there are some top-notch 3PPs out there offering setting alternatives that might fit the bill.

So, the short version:

1) Savage Worlds Deluxe + Sci-Fi Companion (which will have blasters, mechs, starship combat, etc.)
2) Mongoose Traveller + 3PP supps to season to taste