Which "Tactical" TTRPG Would Work Best As An X-Com Like?

[Agamon]

Wowzers, Mission X is certainly built on GURPS... "consolidated list of 65-70 skills"

The nice thing about Xcom is how elegant and streamlined the mechanisms are. Not sure if that's important for the OP, but it certainly would be for me.

 

[dbm]

Perhaps having separate chargen rules for soldiers and civilians (scientists, politicians, etc.)?

I think leaning in to templates would be essential here. You could even have different templates for specialisms amongst the soldiers, similar to how modern XCOM has the different types of characters available.

And at a later stage you could make additional templates available when Psionic powers become an option. Maybe special training in super-tech also needs a template, incorporating signature gear for the super-tech?

Perhaps one could steal a concept from Ars Magica. In Ars Magica, each player has two characters that are their own: a Magus and a Companion.

That could certainly be a way of handling both sides of the campaign, depending on how you want to spotlight things. And it would make an interesting twist when inevitably the PCs base gets attacked and those scientists need to pick up guns to help with the defence…

 

[Kannik]

I've had my eye on Mythic Space for a while, which lists XCOM as an influence for rich, tactical combat along with RPG elements.

Another option might be to instead start with a more pure tactical game and "add in" the RPG elements. I've never played Advanced Squad Leader, but from what I gather it's quite thorough with positioning and the like. I think there's also a more squad/unit level version of W40K that might also fit the bill? (When it comes to pure tactical games I gravitate towards vehicle-level and above rather than infantry-level, so I don't know as much about them )

 

[Thomas Shey]

I ran an XCOM campaign with Savage Worlds some years ago. The base management was admittedly an essentially added-on subsystem, and to represent some elements of the game I did a four sets of custom Edge chains, but it otherwise worked pretty well.

If I hadn't gotten obsessed with trying to duplicate the tactical maps from the game (which was doable but a challenge) it'd probably have gone on until the end.

I'm not quite sure what other system I'd use for the modern incarnation of the setting (the old version or Xenonauts would probably work with GURPS or a hack of Eclipse Phase, but I'm not thinking of one that has quite that fine point of vulnerability and action-hero in characters as SW off the top of my head).

 

[RenleyRenfield]

I keep going back to this idea of running a campaign heavily inspired by X-Com and similar tactical RPG video games. To be specific, I mean highly detailed grid based combat missions, with base building, gear upgrading, character advancement and some "story" advancement happening in between. (I know some folks will balk at X-Com and this setup being an actual RPG, but I am not realliy interested in that debate.)

...

Lancer (link)

Why it works better than any of the others for X-Com =

- It is combat that is resolved ONLY via turn-based, hex-grid combat.

- Terrain, LoS, status effects, range, AoE, facing - all matter a LOT.

- It has a tier rank up system

- It is a nuanced package upgrade system. You can fine tune all character configs.

- It has a story mode and a combat mode. With bespoke rules for each, none of which are hard to learn.

- It's all digital and online (and all of that part is free.)

- Most of its weapons and gear fit X-com, especially in later advances when thigs get really 'alien'.


What you will need to do in order to get it to work outside of 'mech' concepts.
- Lancer says it's a mech game, it isn't. Half of the 'mechs' are just aliens and fully bio. You could simply all each mech a armor and weapons kit and it would still be perfectly fine to run with actual characters as the 'mech'.

 

[zarionofarabel]

Literally any system that features grid based combat should do in a pinch. If it's something like 5e, a quick reskin of the fantasy elements to technological elements should work okay. Magic items are now tech upgrades instead.

I also recommend Lancer. Seems like it would straight up be the best fit.

 

[Reynard]

Literally any system that features grid based combat should do in a pinch. If it's something like 5e, a quick reskin of the fantasy elements to technological elements should work okay. Magic items are now tech upgrades instead.

I also recommend Lancer. Seems like it would straight up be the best fit.

I want useful and detailed out of combat systems too. 5E absolutely doesn't have those.

 

[Gradine]

I'm not sure, but the most important thing is to lie about probabilities! Sure I have a 95% hit chance ... miss every time. No, I'm not bitter.

 

[hawkeyefan]

I keep going back to this idea of running a campaign heavily inspired by X-Com and similar tactical RPG video games. To be specific, I mean highly detailed grid based combat missions, with base building, gear upgrading, character advancement and some "story" advancement happening in between. (I know some folks will balk at X-Com and this setup being an actual RPG, but I am not realliy interested in that debate.)

My question is which TTRPG will best support that play loop? I kind of want to go with Savage Worlds, except SWADE is not very granular with gear, meaning the research and upgrade part of the loop is not going to be especially engaging. I am sort of interested in seeing if Starfinder2E would work, but it might be too much.

Thoughts?

Just as a note: merely naming a game won't do me a lot of good. Please explain how you think it would work well. Also, games with fan licenses or even open licenses are a plus.

Band of Blades is a dark military fantasy take on Blades in the Dark. One of its direct influences is X-Com, which is sited as a touchstone in the book.

The playloop is very similar in that there’s a mission that the soldiers go on, and then there’s a management phase to handle the legion’s development. Developing the troops and creating a stable of characters is an essential part of play.

It could be easily reskinned for a different genre.

 

[Reynard]

Band of Blades is a dark military fantasy take on Blades in the Dark. One of its direct influences is X-Com, which is sited as a touchstone in the book.

The playloop is very similar in that there’s a mission that the soldiers go on, and then there’s a management phase to handle the legion’s development. Developing the troops and creating a stable of characters is an essential part of play.

It could be easily reskinned for a different genre.

I own that game but I don't recall it having a strong gridded tactical play element.