Solid RPG system for modern/future campaigns?

[whokan]

I would appreciate your recommendations or advice for a RPG system that can handle a campaign that could span swords to lazers, fireballs to nanotech, dragons to star cruisers.

I'm leaning towards GURPS but I'm not sure if it will stand the test of time. I've also looked briefly at Shadowrun, T20, & d20 modern. Is there other game systems you could recommend?

Also, I'd appreciate a link to any threads that have covered this.

Thanks,
jeff
Ketchikan, AK

 

[Umbran]

The Search function is restricted to folks who have paid for a Community Supporter account. So, you could purchase such an account, or ask someone with a CS account to search for you.

I am told d20 Modern/Future is solid - I have only played it a couple of times.

GURPS can do it - but I have noted that when mixing genres in GURPS, one often runs into balance issues - your dragons may not compare to Starships in the way you want.

Dragonstar might be useful to you.

I, personally, like Alternity, but it is out of print. It is more geared to the starships than the dragons, though.

I wold not reccommend Shadowrun for this purpose. Its metaphysic doesn't handle starships particularly well.

 

[smootrk]

Savage Worlds seems ideal to span various genres... and it is cheap to purchase the Core Rules $10 print or pdf. Additional setting books are a bit more costly, but there are 'toolkit' books that can help with various genres.

 

[The_Gneech]

I have yet to see something that HERO couldn't handle, although its current edition has kinda gone crazy with making lots of powers for everything.

Star Wars Saga Edition would work well for a lot of things with a bit of tweaking (see my swords-and-sorcery conversion in my sig for an example).

-The Gneech

 

[Flynn]

If you want to stick with the D20 System, I would recommend checking out Grim Tales, by Bad Axe Games. It can easily handle the range you are talking about. If you decide to try Gneech's suggestion regarding Star Wars Saga Edition, I'd also recommend you check out Fantasy Concepts to help with the fantasy side of things.

If you are open to systems outside of D20, then I'd suggest Savage Worlds or any version of Traveller that you feel comfortable with. Both are easily capable of handling diverse levels of technology, using the same core system throughout. Traveller would take a little more work to use dragons and the like, so my first suggestion would be Savage Worlds.

Hope This Helps,
Flynn

 

[Zoatebix]

Savage Worlds and Grim Tales are seriously well worth checking out, and I did have some fun stealing stuff for my campaign from the Dragonstar books. You might want to consider messing around with all the fan-made stuff for FATE -especially Spirit of the Century- or picking up the FATE-based Starblazer when it comes out.

 

[DarkKestral]

I'd also say d20 Modern's a good system to start with, but it has some issues, so you might need to do some conversion work, but it's the closest system designed for games in a modern day setting to D&D 3.5 if that's all you know, so that might help.

I too would probably recommend at least looking at SW:Saga, especially if you like Gneech's S&S conversion materials, because I think it's pretty telling that Saga's built upon d20 Modern and the original d20 Star Wars in a way that I'm assuming it wasn't just a preview of 4th ed but also for d20 Modern 2.0, should it be coming. And it's got the lasers, laser swords, swords, and bullet guns, so all you really need is the more classic fantasy elements and you'd be good to go. And Gneech has already done some of that, so that'll lower the cost some as well!

 

[Starman]

Spycraft 2.0

It can handle much more than just the superspy genre especially with the various books that tweak the rules in a number of ways. It is just a solid all-around system.

 

[Khairn]

If a D20 system is acceptable, I would go with Grim Tales. Its an outstanding tool-kit system that easily encompasses both fantasy and sci fi.

If you're looking for something other than a D20 system, I've played a few including GURPS, Fading Sons, Alternity etc etc. But my favorite was Rolemaster 2nd Edition. Its now been re-released as Rolemaster Classic, but when combined with SpaceMaster 2nd Edition, it gives you a very crunchy (but modular) system that covers each of those genres with great detail.

 

[Wystan]

Spycraft 2.0

It can handle much more than just the superspy genre especially with the various books that tweak the rules in a number of ways. It is just a solid all-around system.

I will second this, it is a great system, not too far removed from D20 Core style and can handle most any modernish thing thrown at it. It also has a very active Dev community on their web site.