Space Opera d20: Which game is best?

[Tsyr]

Fading Suns gets my vote, joining the small crowd...

I like Dragonstar, don't get me wrong (not fond of D20 starwars though... the old WEG version is how I will always see a starwars RPG)... but I love Fading Suns. Yes, it's a bit dark... but it's a lot of fun, and very original.

Just wish I could get to play it... or heck, even DM it... can't get my players interested...

 

[evileeyore]

ya I ran a Fading Suns/Star Wars crossover using the GURPS engine awhile back (makes for a Empire Strikes back emotional tone...)...

Was pretty good... I am not sure I like this trend of game companies knuckling under and folding to the big guys (but then I actually liked the system for Fading Suns...)

TTFN

EvilE

 

[BiggusGeekus]

Of the three, FS is my favorite, but Space Opera it is not. I prefer Star Wars to DS. Drow and Dragons are fun, but they're just not the same as telekentically strangling your inferiors. Besides, I have this thing for being able to start a game at 1st level.

 

[DMaple]

My vote goes for Fading Suns as well. Although Star Wars could improve with the 2nd Edition (who am I kidding it has to improve, it couldn't get worse).

You forgot Traveller D20 which will be out in a bit, thats classic space oprea. Fading Suns is what I would think of first when someone uses the term "space opera". Its more like "Hamlet" in space for the mood IMHO.

The advantage with Star Wars is your players have got an instant idea about the setting and what sort of things to expect. With Dragonstar or Fading Suns, they are not sure exactly what is possible within the rules.

Fading Suns has a rich environment to drop the players into but you might find the setting takes time to learn and adjust to.

 

[Horacio]

I love Dragonstar, because is truely D&D in space. Not Space Opera (IMHO) but Space Fantasy.

And I love Fading Suns d20 gloomt and opreseve setting, and trhhe d20 book is very well done, with good rules (social feats, classes).

Right now, I'm using FS stuff and ideas for my upcoming DS campaign.

 

[Psychotic Dreamer]

You could very easily start at Dragonstar game at 1st level. Is it going to be deadly? Maybe. If you have a decent DM he wont be throwing the players up against extremely deadly creatures. The DM will scale the encounters accordingly.

 

[Garmorn]

Dragonstar and Space Opera

First likes make sure that you understand that Dragonstar is not Space Opera like Starwars. The fantasy element makes a big differnce in the feel. You would not have a plot of an evil necromacer trying to take over a planet in SW but can in Dragonstar, nor would Greyhawk fit in SW but can fit in Dragonstar.

Dragonstar is one of the most felible settings I have seen. While this can very easliy be a drawback in that your players will not know what to expect I love it.

It works as well at 1st level as any other D&D setting does. Just be carefull of what you throw at the characters.

 

[Kaptain_Kantrip]

Thanks for the opinions!

I keep hearing about Traveler d20 but it has never materialized, so I'm not holding my breath.

Spelljammer d20 is out in Dungeon #92 (next month?), but considering how much I hated the original (except for the ship maps), I'm not sure how well I'll receive the new version. I'll try to keep an open mind, as Erik Mona suggested. Spelljammer was one of the main reasons I was not excited about Dragonstar, but the core rulebook was so well done it made me overcome my nagging doubts as to the viability of "D&D in Space."

I'm tempted to go with Fading Suns because I like a darker feel and enjoy political intrigue. The social feats sound like something I can use in regular D&D too! FS sounds a bit like DUNE to me, without the sand worms. I think it is not doing so well on my poll because hardly anyone has it or has seen it... Nobody seems to carry the damn thing, LOL. I really want to see it before I buy it (same with anything).

Then again, Star Wars is such a simple concept to grasp by everyone around the gaming table that it really does make everything a bit easier and serves as a sprightlier springboard for adventures... Of course, I would just toss out whatever Lucas "canon" I didn't like. I'm a classic "Rebellion Era" fan, none of this Jar-Jar nonsense... And I'd get rid of the Ewoks, too!

 

[Tsyr]

Like someone joked above, Fading Suns is _VERY_ dune-ish.

The house politics, the everpresent BigChurch(TM), the tech/mystic feel, the abandonedment of technology by the church (Remember the law of the Bene Geserit... I paraphrase here because I'm bad with quotes, but it's something to the effect of "One shall make no machine to imitate the human brain"....)...

Plus, it has a very cool new magic system.

I'm working on using some of the classes and rules in Fading Suns with the setting information provided in that hard-to-find Dune book that was released at a Gen Con a couple years back... Someone got me a copy... I think it's gonna work pretty good for D20 Dune.

 

[Kaptain_Kantrip]

What's the FS magic system like?