"Steampunk" RPG books

[Aethelstan]

I'm look for useful material for a steampunk/Victorian campaign I'm working on. I'm intersted in the following books:
OGL Steampunk
Victoriana RPG
GURPS Steampunk
Steam & Sorcery

What are people's opinion of these books? Can you suggest others?
Thanks

 

[Jack Daniel]

I'm look for useful material for a steampunk/Victorian campaign I'm working on. I'm intersted in the following books:
OGL Steampunk
Victoriana RPG
GURPS Steampunk
Steam & Sorcery

What are people's opinion of these books? Can you suggest others?
Thanks

I have all of those except Victoriana, which I've never bought because it seems pretty expensive for a book with rules that I'll never use. GURPS Steampunk is the same way -- the rules in the book (and there are a lot of them) are absolutely useless unless you're playing GURPS -- but the source material is top-notch, and I bought it for that reason back when there were no d20 Steampunk books. I wouldn't recommend doing it now.

Between OGL Steampunk and Sorcery & Steam, the OGL book is by far the more useful of the two, since it actually gives detailed rules for the creation of steampunk gadgets. Sorcery & Steam does no such thing, which is why I was fairly disappointed in it -- S&S is really just an entire sourcebook full of background/campaign material, while OGL-S is a complete roleplaying game on its own.

That does bring up another issue, though: S&S is meant to be used in conjunction with the core D&D rules, while OGL Steampunk is its own game, with its own classes, races, magic system, etc. and doesn't need any other books. The rules of OGL Steampunk are actually closer to D20 Modern, with the sole exception of the fact that it retains 20-level classes in the D&D style (the kicker is that in Steampunk, each class has 4 kits called "vocations" to further focus the character).

The only other steampunk-oriented book I have is Deadlands d20, which is great for its intended theme, Wild West horror, but kind of light on the actual steampunk material. I'd only recommend it for Wild Wild West type games.

 

[Stormborn]

GURPS Steampunk (and its companion Steamtech) is a really excelent book. I ran my very first campaign using it.

As with most GURPS books its true virute lies in the falvor text, not the rules. It gives a good but brief overview of:
The Steampunk Genre includign themes and ways to adapt
The Time period: 1815-1914 (Including Warfare[and Espionage], Science, Organizations, Politics, Social Classes and Daily Life, and the World of Ideas. Also a grand tour of prominent places in the world)
Various explinations for Weird Science
Three Campaign models are also included:
Etheria - Basically Space 1889-esque colonialism in the solare system
Iron - A Dystopian future, quentisential of classic steampunk
Qabala - A radical one in which Jewish Golems create a magical industrial revolution

There are of course the typical rules set, but the above is useful regardless of the system you are using. I highly recommend it for anyone planning on a Steampunk Campaign. Depending on your setting and style you might want to pick up GURPS Horror and MArs as well.

GURPS Steamtech is most just that, and if you are not planning on using GURPS don't bother picking it up.


Legend and Lairs Sorcery and Steam is just OK in my opinion. Read the reviews here on ENworld to get a better idea.

 

[Wombat]

What, nothing from Castle Falkenstein? That is an excellent resource though, sadly, out of print...

 

[Committed Hero]

What, nothing from Castle Falkenstein? That is an excellent resource though, sadly, out of print...

Actually the GURPS version is still in print.

I'd also mention For Faerie, Queen and Country, which is out of print, and Forgotten Futures which is in print and free. Heliograph, which sponsors FF, also maintains the current edition of Space 1889.

G: Steampunk beats all the other books you mention by a mile IMHO. It is more integrated with GURPS crunch than most of their other sourcebooks (but I'd say less than 20% of the content is GURPS stats and such), but for a comprehensive and yet setting-neutral collection of steampunk ideas it is unparalleled.

 

[malladin]

There'll be a new Steampunk book coming along quite soon. Watch this space...


Ben

 

[Terwox]

The only one I own is Sorcery & Steam... and I really didn't like it much at all. Just a lot of background stuff that, if you're even remotely into steampunk (as I am, I'm only passingly interested in it,) you already pretty much know. Just my opinion though -- and have you checked the reviews section yet?

 

[GlassJaw]

Don't forget EN's Stream & Steel:

http://www.enworld.org/reviews.php?do=product&productid=119333

It's very good.

 

[strongbow]

I really liked Sorcery and Steam. I can confirm that Sorcery and Steam does use the D20 system, so you don't need any conversions unlike some of the other books. It gives advice on how to adapt all the base classes to a Steampunk setting by changing the class skills slightly. It gives rules for firearms, cannons, and grenades that are solid along with some magical types of ammunition. There are a variety of classes in there to adapt to a low magic or virtually no magic setting, depending on your preference.

By the way, if you use a FR map or set the game in the Realms, you have a handy adaption tool. My DM designated the solid black lines as railroads and the dotted black lines as regular roads. Makes for handy travel planning.

 

[darkelfo]

I really liked Sorcery and Steam. I can confirm that Sorcery and Steam does use the D20 system, so you don't need any conversions unlike some of the other books. It gives advice on how to adapt all the base classes to a Steampunk setting by changing the class skills slightly. It gives rules for firearms, cannons, and grenades that are solid along with some magical types of ammunition. There are a variety of classes in there to adapt to a low magic or virtually no magic setting, depending on your preference.

I agree with this. Sorcery and Steam comes highly recommended. Lots of new classes and PrCs, a handful of spells and feats, and lots of cool equipment and gadgets including clockwork toys, steam-powered armor, etc. There are great guidelines for how to incorporate some or all of the material into you game. It really is drag-and-drop ready for your games. Great crunch AND fluff.

Steam and Steel comes in a close second to Sorcery and Steam. It's somewhat thinner, but has a lot of good rules as well including rules for steam-powered bionic arms, etc. I'm using the Inspired Inventor PrC from this book and really digging it.

Finally, no d20 Steampunk without the Iron Kingdoms Player's (Character's?) Guide. That one is LOADED with stuff. Very detailed, though I dislike the setting's emphasis on the inability to make permanently enhanced magic items. All that work and maintenance for a plain magic ax? Other stuff is great, including awesome armors like metal worker's armor with a cool helmet and this light armor Greatcoat with 0% arcane failure and 100% steampunk cool factor.

Anyone have these three books? What others do you recommend?