Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
White Dwarf Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Nest
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
EN Publishing
Twitter
BlueSky
Facebook
Instagram
EN World
BlueSky
YouTube
Facebook
Twitter
Twitch
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
The Call is Out: D&D SciFi Should Be The Next Campaign Setting / Expansion
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Snarf Zagyg" data-source="post: 8225033" data-attributes="member: 7023840"><p>I was perusing the threads about boxed sets and the next book releases, and the same thought kept returning-</p><p></p><p><strong><em>D&D (5e) should release a major campaign setting for SciFi</em></strong>.</p><p></p><p>That's it. Now, I want to be more specific with this- this is not a "Spelljammer Confirmed!!11!!!!" thread. Spelljammer is great. I enjoy Spelljammer. I love all varieties of it, whether jammin', jellin', or mere preserves. But Spelljammer is, essentially, D&D Victorian Naval Steampunk (but phlogiston instead of water, etc.). It's a cool setting, but it's not a science fiction setting.</p><p></p><p>I'm not trying to make any kind of extreme statement here; I think that Hasbro can pump out almost infinite varieties of regurgitated Magic settings and recycled TSR-era settings that would probably last them until 2030. Heck, they would probably make a decent portion of gamers happy if they stop forgetting about the Realms and burying Greyhawk and publish a few campaign books for them.</p><p></p><p>But I'm advocating for something a little more radical. It's been seven years now since the release of 5e. We all love us some fantasy- high fantasy, low fantasy, Swords & Sorcery, Tolkien-esque, anime-flavored, or GOT--humanocentric & gritty ... but we have all the tools to do fantasy already.</p><p></p><p>It's time to boldly go where no official rules have gone before .... to a D&D setting. Man, I love to noticeably split infinitives.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong><em>Why SciFi? Why Now</em></strong><em><strong>?</strong></em></p><p></p><p>Building on what I just said, I think the question as to why now should be obvious. At a certain point, while there can be infinite variations of the fantasy setting, they don't provide much in the way of a general expansion of the 5e rules system to a new genre; something that would open up vast new frontiers. A more interesting question is- why SciFi? </p><p></p><p>I would provide a few simple reasons for it- first, SciFi is a "traditional" genre for RPGs. Yes, CoC has been a major contender for a while that does not neatly fit into the other categories, but various types of SciFi rpgs have always been a strong part of the market.</p><p></p><p>Second, just as 5e is a game that provides a bridge from the past to the future (the link between the history and the future of D&D editions), a nod to past of TSR-era games is long overdue. Sure, sure, we could all preen on about Gangbusters, or Boot Hill, or Top Secret, but three of the early games that should resonate are Metamorphosis Alpha, Gamma World, and Star Frontiers- "classic" SciFi of the TSR era. </p><p></p><p>So by producing a campaign setting that was SciFi, Hasbro could both expand the core rules, allow for a whole new universe of play, and also continue the 5e concept of building to the future while nodding to the past.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong><em>So Which Setting? Why Gamma World Makes Sense, Even Though My Heart Calls for Star Frontiers</em></strong></p><p></p><p>So a quick explanation- for those unfamiliar with it, Metamorphosis Alpha was the precursor to both Gamma World and S3 (Expedition to the Barrier Peaks). This was back in a time when systems were less compatible, but the barriers between worlds were more permeable (leading to, inter alia, the DMG having conversion rules). While MA is a seminal event in TSR and RPG history, we will assume it was subsumed by Gamma World.</p><p></p><p>Briefly, Gamma World is post-apocalyptic (think mutants and collapse of civilization, the exact nature of the lore around the collapse etc. changing of the years and editions) while Star Frontiers is far-future (think FTL space travel and aliens). My hope would be a release of a 5e-based system for Star Frontiers that incorporates Alpha Dawn (original), Knight Hawk (space battles), and aspects of Zebulon's (um ... think of it as Tasha's Guide to Outer Space). </p><p></p><p>I would love to see a resurrection of Star Frontiers, if for no other reason than the IP has lain dormant since the '80s, and it would have the most chance for people to homebrew and expand (you would have an entire universe, and rules for space ships, battles, robots, etc.). Moreover, the basic concepts of Star Frontiers would seem to be tailor-made to the zeitgeist of 5e- it was a system that was always designed more (given the time) for action-adventure than other, more "hard core" SciFi rpgs. </p><p></p><p>That said, Gamma World has the most common currency with people today- it has been updated continuously since being first published, with versions of it going up to d20 (and I believe there are some excellent fan conversions for 5e). </p><p></p><p>So my heart says Star Frontiers, but my head say, "You'll be lucky to get an official Gamma World." </p><p></p><p></p><p><strong><em>Conclusion</em></strong></p><p></p><p>That's it! As much as I want Hasbro to keep on pumping out fantasy settings, I think it's time we start calling out for something really new. It's time for SciFi!</p><p></p><p><strong>STAR FRONTIERS 5e CONFIRMED!!!!111!!!!!</strong></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Snarf Zagyg, post: 8225033, member: 7023840"] I was perusing the threads about boxed sets and the next book releases, and the same thought kept returning- [B][I]D&D (5e) should release a major campaign setting for SciFi[/I][/B]. That's it. Now, I want to be more specific with this- this is not a "Spelljammer Confirmed!!11!!!!" thread. Spelljammer is great. I enjoy Spelljammer. I love all varieties of it, whether jammin', jellin', or mere preserves. But Spelljammer is, essentially, D&D Victorian Naval Steampunk (but phlogiston instead of water, etc.). It's a cool setting, but it's not a science fiction setting. I'm not trying to make any kind of extreme statement here; I think that Hasbro can pump out almost infinite varieties of regurgitated Magic settings and recycled TSR-era settings that would probably last them until 2030. Heck, they would probably make a decent portion of gamers happy if they stop forgetting about the Realms and burying Greyhawk and publish a few campaign books for them. But I'm advocating for something a little more radical. It's been seven years now since the release of 5e. We all love us some fantasy- high fantasy, low fantasy, Swords & Sorcery, Tolkien-esque, anime-flavored, or GOT--humanocentric & gritty ... but we have all the tools to do fantasy already. It's time to boldly go where no official rules have gone before .... to a D&D setting. Man, I love to noticeably split infinitives. [B][I]Why SciFi? Why Now[/I][/B][I][B]?[/B][/I] Building on what I just said, I think the question as to why now should be obvious. At a certain point, while there can be infinite variations of the fantasy setting, they don't provide much in the way of a general expansion of the 5e rules system to a new genre; something that would open up vast new frontiers. A more interesting question is- why SciFi? I would provide a few simple reasons for it- first, SciFi is a "traditional" genre for RPGs. Yes, CoC has been a major contender for a while that does not neatly fit into the other categories, but various types of SciFi rpgs have always been a strong part of the market. Second, just as 5e is a game that provides a bridge from the past to the future (the link between the history and the future of D&D editions), a nod to past of TSR-era games is long overdue. Sure, sure, we could all preen on about Gangbusters, or Boot Hill, or Top Secret, but three of the early games that should resonate are Metamorphosis Alpha, Gamma World, and Star Frontiers- "classic" SciFi of the TSR era. So by producing a campaign setting that was SciFi, Hasbro could both expand the core rules, allow for a whole new universe of play, and also continue the 5e concept of building to the future while nodding to the past. [B][I]So Which Setting? Why Gamma World Makes Sense, Even Though My Heart Calls for Star Frontiers[/I][/B] So a quick explanation- for those unfamiliar with it, Metamorphosis Alpha[I] [/I]was the precursor to both Gamma World and S3 (Expedition to the Barrier Peaks). This was back in a time when systems were less compatible, but the barriers between worlds were more permeable (leading to, inter alia, the DMG having conversion rules). While MA is a seminal event in TSR and RPG history, we will assume it was subsumed by Gamma World. Briefly, Gamma World is post-apocalyptic (think mutants and collapse of civilization, the exact nature of the lore around the collapse etc. changing of the years and editions) while Star Frontiers is far-future (think FTL space travel and aliens). My hope would be a release of a 5e-based system for Star Frontiers that incorporates Alpha Dawn (original), Knight Hawk (space battles), and aspects of Zebulon's (um ... think of it as Tasha's Guide to Outer Space). I would love to see a resurrection of Star Frontiers, if for no other reason than the IP has lain dormant since the '80s, and it would have the most chance for people to homebrew and expand (you would have an entire universe, and rules for space ships, battles, robots, etc.). Moreover, the basic concepts of Star Frontiers would seem to be tailor-made to the zeitgeist of 5e- it was a system that was always designed more (given the time) for action-adventure than other, more "hard core" SciFi rpgs. That said, Gamma World has the most common currency with people today- it has been updated continuously since being first published, with versions of it going up to d20 (and I believe there are some excellent fan conversions for 5e). So my heart says Star Frontiers, but my head say, "You'll be lucky to get an official Gamma World." [B][I]Conclusion[/I][/B] That's it! As much as I want Hasbro to keep on pumping out fantasy settings, I think it's time we start calling out for something really new. It's time for SciFi! [B]STAR FRONTIERS 5e CONFIRMED!!!!111!!!!![/B] [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
The Call is Out: D&D SciFi Should Be The Next Campaign Setting / Expansion
Top