Why are sci-fi scenarios so thin on the ground?

[Eyes of Nine]

Long conversations about fantasy magic systems may be why Sci Fi scenarios are so thin on the ground. Everyone just likes to discuss fantasy.

Why aren't we instead talking about rules for Faster than Light travel? As someone up thread mentioned there are about as many different ways authors have handled that (including not handling it) in science fiction forever.

Gaming systems for space opera need to handle FTL in some way or another (or give you rules to handle both ways).

I'd be interested in hearing how other systems handle it.

I'll start off with the one I know:

Classic Traveller: Jump Drives, with the more powerful sending you greater distance.

 

[prabe]

Gaming systems for space opera need to handle FTL in some way or another (or give you rules to handle both ways).

Both ways? Broadly, jumps and ... not jumps, I guess? Either you're here then you're there, or you're here then you're briefly in every place between here and there then you're there?

Or did you mean something else (like plot device/not plot device)?

 

[Eyes of Nine]

Both ways? Broadly, jumps and ... not jumps, I guess? Either you're here then you're there, or you're here then you're briefly in every place between here and there then you're there?

Or did you mean something else (like plot device/not plot device)?

I guess I meant "all ways" like GURPS Space does.

You can do:

• Jumps
• Wormholes
  • Gates planetside
  • Gates in space
• Generation Ship (which I guess technically isn't FTL)
  • Cloning
  • Sleep vats
  • Awake generations
• Magic
• Quantum Pairing
• "Teleportation" ie you die here and are reborn there
  • Cloning (Altered Carbon for example)

There are probably other ways to do space travel. I'm just wondering how SF RPGs handle it. Like - hand wave it? Make it integral like Traveller does - you need to consider the ship you need to get to some planets? Something in between?

 

[prabe]

@Eyes of Nine That's a reasonable start at least. I wasn't picking on you; I presumed you knew what you meant by "both ways" and was curious how you meant it. I've played some briefly, where it was mostly a device to get the PCs from one place to another. I haven't played anything I'd call "hard SF," though. And I don't read as much in the genre as I would in principle like, because reasons.

 

[dragoner]

I do hard sf and they are wormholes - "to the worms in the cheese, the cheese is the universe - creatures of twilight and delusion, we drift toward our unknown ends ". Something like that, originally based off Trav's jump, no week in jump, it is now 1d6+1 days minus nav skill; realistic off how they figure the differing velocities of the mouths can dilate time.

 

[Myrdin Potter]

If you are looking for a complete package of rules and setting and adventures, with the release of White Star Heart of Varrul in print form, there is a great bundle with the White Star rules included. $20 total and tons of content included.

DriveThruRPG

www.drivethrurpg.com

(As noted above in the thread, there is an affiliate link there. I own all of the included books and I find them pretty good.)

 

[Jd Smith1]

If you are looking for a complete package of rules and setting and adventures, with the release of White Star Heart of Varrul in print form, there is a great bundle with the White Star rules included. $20 total and tons of content included.

DriveThruRPG

www.drivethrurpg.com

(As noted above in the thread, there is an affiliate link there. I own all of the included books and I find them pretty good.)

I'm not in need of a setting or rules.

 

[Myrdin Potter]

I'm not in need of a setting or rules.

In the bundle there are adventures included. And the setting also has adventures in it. You can get the adventure links from the bundle. At the price savings there is a lot more content in the bundle but if you want adventures only they are there.

 

[Jd Smith1]

In the bundle there are adventures included. And the setting also has adventures in it. You can get the adventure links from the bundle. At the price savings there is a lot more content in the bundle but if you want adventures only they are there.

I already picked up the adventure pack someplace.

 

[Tun Kai Poh]

I guess I meant "all ways" like GURPS Space does.

You can do:

• Jumps
• Wormholes
  • Gates planetside
  • Gates in space
• Generation Ship (which I guess technically isn't FTL)
  • Cloning
  • Sleep vats
  • Awake generations
• Magic
• Quantum Pairing
• "Teleportation" ie you die here and are reborn there
  • Cloning (Altered Carbon for example)

There are probably other ways to do space travel. I'm just wondering how SF RPGs handle it. Like - hand wave it? Make it integral like Traveller does - you need to consider the ship you need to get to some planets? Something in between?

Some of my favourite space operas don't have FTL. Jovian Chronicles (Gundam with the serial numbers filed off) and The Expanse (before the technological innovations from later books), for a start.

There are plenty of factions that can struggle with each other just within the Solar System...