What is a good non-d20 sci-fi RPG?

[Ulrick]

This is gonna be tough question for people to answer.

What is a good, non-d20 RPG, that isn't Star Wars (d6 or d20), or GURPs?

I want to run a game based on Battlestar Galactica, but I don't want to wait for the Battlestar Galactica RPG to come out.

I'm looking for something that can play fast and have that BSG "feel." Which is why I'm shirking away from d20 (players talking about Attacks of Opportunity while fighting Centurions would be a mood-killer). I also think a different ruleset would help my players realize that Battlestar Galactica has a different mood/feel. I don't like GURPS because...I just don't like GURPs for various reasons.

I've considered RIFTS. I've never played it before but it seems like a decent system to run (there's also lots of cood stuff in RIFTS that I could use elsewhere). What about Traveller?

I look forward to hearing your responses.

 

[Umbran]

If I were to try to run such a game, I'd probably use Alternity. But I'm lucky enough to have a copy on my bookshelf, and it is out of print. There's always eBay, I guess.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Avoid RIFTS for rules- the rules are the worst part of the game. Use RIFTS for its campaign setting.

For a good "hard" sci-fi game, its difficult to find one better than Traveller. It is, in almost every sense of the word, the D&D of Sci-Fi RPGs. It is also available in a multitude of systems, including D20 and GURPS.

That said, Alternity/StarDrive, an OOP TSR game comes close to it in quality. As I recall, it's kind of a missing link in RPGs- its still a lot like 2Ed D&D, but it has elements that would later appear in D20.

Prime Directive is a game designed around Classic Star Trek, and is in print in several systems (original, D6, D20, etc).

HERO has a sci-fi setting called StarHero. Personally, HERO is my favorite system, but its crunchiness can be a deterrent.

Mutants & Masterminds, because it is a good superhero game (second only to HERO, IMHO), could be used to run almost any genre of RP. I see it as kind of a rules light amalgam of HERO and D20.

The current version of Paranoia, while seemingly an odd choice, actually works well for what you're planning. The current edition provides rules for running the game as it has been traditionally played for so long, but also as a serious sci-fi RPG. Sub a large starship for the Alpha Complex, and Cylons for Commies, and you're good to go!

There is an old SPI game, long out of print, called Universe. It was nearly as good as Traveller, but it was released without support- as I recall, SPI folded shortly thereafter.

There is a new game by the same name- I have no idea if its related in any way- but it, too, looks to be a good hard sci-fi game.

A new entrant I'm looking forward to buying is Terran Trade Authority, based on the classic future history series by Stewart Cowley. The first book by Crowley, Spacecraft 2000 to 2100 AD, is the only one I own, but the art and storylines simply ROCK! Check it out at http://www.terrantradeauthority.com/

 

[Baron Opal]

I really liked Trinity (was AEon) by White Wolf. The combination of psychic powers, the guilds, advanced timeline, mechanical and biological tech and limited extra-solar travel was really cool. I also folded in some of the info from Dream Pod 9's game... um.... Heavy Gear?

It would be a major hunt for the books, but eBay would help you out for the main book pretty easily, I imagine.

Oh, you wanted something in print? Hmm. I'll have to think about it a bit more.

 

[Corsair]

I liked the Last Unicorn Star Trek rules.

 

[trancejeremy]

d6 Space? It's not quite Star Wars...

 

[Starglim]

Alternity with the Warships supplement should handle it nicely - we've had some discussions about it on A.Net as you'd expect.

The Limited Preview Edition Players' Handbook is available in PDF and has mostly minor differences from the first release, the Gamemaster's Guide and many of the sourcebooks are available in PDF - or they're still easily ordered from places like Noble Knight, AFAIK - and Warships is a free download.

 

[Ron]

Traveller is my favorite sci-fi game but it assumes an age of sails in space setting, which will require some adaptation to the airplane carrier in space setting of Battlestar Galactica. If viper combat is among your priorities, d6 would do it very well, much better than Traveller, GURPS or most sci-fi games. You can go with either d6 Space or an old copy of the good Star Wars game.

However, if you plan to use the upcoming BSG roleplaying game, I would sugest you to check out the Serenity RPG, which is pretty good and use the same system of rules. Not only it would help you to familiarize with the system but, potentially, would facilitate an adaptation.

 

[masshysteria]

I'd recommend Alternity also. While out of print, tracking down most books on eBay isn't too hard. Most of my Alternity library came from eBay.

It has a unified mechanic, like d20, so it is easy to pick-up, learn, and run. It also seems to fall nicely into a rules-medium slot, with enough rules to do what you want without getting bogged down in too much crunch.

The core books give rules for modern to far-future times, so any generic sci-fi setting can be culled from there. Star*Drive is a space opera setting, which you may find helpful. And if you start collecting Alternity books, you may as well pick up Dark Matter because it is great setting as well.

 

[irdeggman]

And yet another vote for Alternity.