Space: 1999 Coming From Modiphius

The Space: 1999 Roleplaying Game will allow you to join the crew of Moonbase Alpha! Created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson (Thunderbirds, Joe 90, and so much more) in 1975, the British show told the story of a moonbase after a nuclear explosion throws the moon into deep space. The game is written by Andrew Peregrine (Dune) and Modiphius Entertainment, and is powered by Modiphius' 2d20 system.

You can sign up for more information at the Gerry Anderson website.

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[Cruentus]

It's now up for pre-order:

Space: 1999 The Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook

The brand-new Space: 1999 roleplaying game is here! Attention all sections Alpha! Journey into a universe of thrilling cosmic adventures with Space: 1999 The Roleplaying Game! This roleplaying game is a co-production between Anderson Entertainment and Modiphius and brings an imaginative new...

shop.gerryanderson.com

Appropriately enough on Breakaway Day!

Edited to add: $73.00! Yowza! I was thinking about picking it up, but that is a bit pricey!

Wow, yeah, no way. I would have bought this since Space: 1999 is a big nostalgia hit for me, I even have several Eagle Lander models. Maybe when/if it hits clearance sales.

 

[Crusadius]

To be honest I think this price might become the new norm for roleplaying games. Many kickstarters are now getting to this for the physical product level. For me it's $110 AUD but I can get free shipping for over AUD$110 so throw in some dice I guess?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

To be honest I think this price might become the new norm for roleplaying games. Many kickstarters are now getting to this for the physical product level. For me it's $110 AUD but I can get free shipping for over AUD$110 so throw in some dice I guess?

It's certainly not benefitting from the large print runs that other RPG products might. It's great that fans get this game, but the fact that there aren't that many of them drives the price way up.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Nah, it's a fantasy RPG based on a wildly successful series of British fantasy novels. It's multi-genre in the sense that it stretches from witches and wizards to city watchmen. But it's firmly fantasy and doesn't even have specific combat rules, since it's about wordplay.

So, is it any good?

 

[R_J_K75]

Nah, it's a fantasy RPG based on a wildly successful series of British fantasy novels. It's multi-genre in the sense that it stretches from witches and wizards to city watchmen. But it's firmly fantasy and doesn't even have specific combat rules, since it's about wordplay.

Got ya. Im sure there is a TTRPG out there that serves all genres but probably doesn't do any very well

 

[Baron Opal II]

Wasn't there some connection between Space: 1999 and UFO? One is the future of the other, or something?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Wasn't there some connection between Space: 1999 and UFO? One is the future of the other, or something?

No, just some shared assets. There is no evidence that the UFOs exist in the Space 1999 universe. but the Thunderbirds reboot they did a couple of years ago featured a moonbase called SHADO-Alpha.

 

[aramis erak]

I don't see what there is about this to be cynical. Someone got the rights and made a game. That's supposed to be a good thing!

That presumes a good thing was the basis...
I've seen very few who liked the show for the plots, fewer still for the acting...
... but man, the hardware was sweet. Modiphius' prior works are light on the tech, heavy on the characters...
I hated the show, but loved the gear and ships. So I'll wait and see if it's as heavy on the tech as I want...

I barely remember the show (the Dragon's Domain episode scared the crap out of little me), but thought the ships were cool and realistic for the time period (in my boyhood judgement.) I didn't even know the same production house also did Thunderbirds until today.

I didn't until watching the Space Precinct special features disk.
The modelwork sci-fi of Gerry Anderson was incredible - both supermarionation and the minis work for live action.

Also, while not done by Anderson, the special features for Filmation's Space Academy/Jason of Star Command/Ark II note Anderson's influence upon the SFX crews for SA/JoSC.

I could easily see a Mothership or Alien RPG adventure that's the Black Hole with the serial numbers filed off. Despite it being a Disney movie, it's got a whole lot of Alien and cosmic horror in it.

Yeah, Alien has all the needed bits. And an adventure already that has some shared overtones...

Before we get those, we'll get this:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/maestromedia/the-smurfs-roleplaying-game

My first thought, tho', was Star Frontiers.

The Eagle was one of the coolest ship designs from that era. Maybe only surpassed by the Liberator.

Also, huge fan of The Black Hole. Used the design of the masked crew for a long-running NPC in a D&D game. Come to think of it, I was using music from the movie in my game last night!

While I hated the show, even as a kid, for the wooden acting and lame premise (I was reading Analog and Omni magazines regularly)... I loved the hardware. And I even gave it a go back in the spring... still too silly a premise.

I especially loved the Eagle playset... a 0.75m long Eagle... Drawback: Not entirely to scale... Mine had 4 or 5 figures - they all split at the waistline, and there were swappable legs. And the tiny tools that would be no-go today...
I also liked that the playset allowed connecting the cockpit module to the engine module to make a smaller ship.
The other drawback? the cargo box was not removable.

Also, huge fan of The Black Hole.

As am I. I rewatched it recently, even.

I misread and thought it was Space: 1899 and got excited for a while because I had always wanted to read that game.

It's available in PDF... but it's Space: 1889, not '99
plus, there's a worldbook for Savage Worlds. (Red Sands)
And an edition using the Ubiquity engine.

Maybe. Short run RPGs based on a niche IP is something the RPG industry brings out a lot. Dallas, Alien, Blade Runner, Avatar Legends, John Carter of Mars, Zorro, The Princess Bride, Hercules and Xena, Buffy, etc. The list is very long.

Dallas was NOT a small IP. At the time of the license, it had enough eps for a syndication... and would go on for another decade. (14 seasons! back in the 20-25 eps per year days!) It was probably the king of the evening soaps at that time. It had a nielson rating between 7 and 8...

Was Dallas a true TTRPG?

Yes, but it lacked character gen. It did include the main cast. It was simple and straightforward, but lacked a physical combat system. (So, it didn't emulate the show well enough, given the number of altercations Bobby got into.) For the era, it was way ahead of its time, being combat averse in its design, and driving conflicts to the social arena, with the final result by die roll.

It did have suggestions on adventure design, tho'. They also planned expansions... But I don't think they happened. I remember seeing it on the shelves (nice boxed set) in Anchorage's Longs Drugs on C between Benson and Nothern Lights... now it's a Borders....

Yeah, the science on the show is...not its strong suit. The writers didn't seem to know the different between the solar system, the galaxy, and the universe.

Science? We don't need no stinking Science!
A lot of 70's SF was really bad on the science.
It was a good time for SF, but not a time for good Science Fiction. Lots of space opera, tho'.
70's: Space Academy, Jason of Star Command, Star Wars, BSG, Ark II, Star Trek TMP, Alien, Buck Rogers, Silent Running, Dark Star, Westworld, Logan's Run, Zardoz...
I think probably the best Sci-Fi in terms of science was Capricorn 1. Y'know, the movie about faking a Mars landing? Or maybe 1971's Andromeda Strain.

 

[Cthulhugh]

What a great thread! Congrats to everyone for keeping it interesting and civil. A lot of comments getting me really nostalgic for my growing up with shows! And I remembered one show I reaaaly loved called The Starlost. It's hard for youngsters today to appreciate how isolated Sci Fi fans were back in the day. I thought I was the only one in Australia that loved The Starlost. Just saying you were a Sci Fi fan got you looks.

 

[ART!]

In much the same way that 1950s sci-fi movies have a distinctive vibe, 1970s scifi does, too. You have to get yourself in the mindset to appreciate it either, but it helps if you grew up with that kind of thing.

People point to Star Wars as the turning point, but there's a lot there that still has that funky 70s feel - and I'm not just talking about the sideburns!