Space RPGs compared
- Thread starter Murph
- Start date
That's some serious undead thread there.
It's been 20 years since I have.
On par with CT sectors of the era, except that it's 3d space. 1/3 to 1/2 collumn per world, and a few pages of overview each. I used them when trying to run Space Opera....
Murph,
Crickets?
This thread is over six years old and you're surprised there are crickets?
I notice you resurrected several other equally dead threads during you latest visit too.
Regards,
Bill
COmputer crash, and now just re-discovering this forum.
Murph,
Crickets?
This thread is over six years old and you're surprised there are crickets?
I notice you resurrected several other equally dead threads during you latest visit too.
Regards,
Bill
So you really are back! (Welcome, by the way; now just be so kind as to *stay*.)
If my computer cooperates this time. BTW I learned a valuable lesson regarding Windows 7, RAID, and backing up data.
Traveller Had everythng that I could want except for a story. Had to wait for MegaTraveller to get a handle on the big picture luckily, I started playing Traveller in 1984.
Space Opera (FGU) Did not like all the "oids" that could be created. Thought the Starships were brilliant (although quite impossibly designed), adventures were fun but could never find it sated my appetite.
Gurps Hated GURPS as it was horribly complicated for all the goodness of the sourcebooks was wasted on a difficult system.
Renegade Legion/Robotech Never really got into Mecha but concepts did enter my Traveller game in a proto-Slammers way. Also, part of my Imperium was definitely Roman.
Star Wars d6 Star Wars was one of the fun games that inspired many a Traveller game. Even if the adventures were simply they were in good fun.
2300AD Great game with so much promise and yet it failed. For me the first few issues of Challenge, first few adventures (up to about Bayren) and Traveller's Digest article. It all started going wrong when the Kafers were introduced and the edge of Space Exploration in a Hard SF milieu was removed.
Star Frontiers/Star*Drive Found they took the best of D&D and Traveller and created this system but the problem is that these games are oil and water. They can look pretty when they are separate but when mixed doesn't look so hot. So, while I could like many things many things when played just went the wrong way.
d20 x Including Traveller20, never really liked the d20 mechanic for SF. {Sorry Hunter} Found the game worked best as a free fall adventures should not about simply mini/maxing which what D&D type adventures do. The inquiry for knowledge goes against the grain of most d20 type games.
Twilight 2000 Thought the premise was great but the execution in the game format was horrible. As I found it incredibly dense and not subject to an easy learning curve which was against the whole premise of what a RPG should be.
Space Opera (FGU) Did not like all the "oids" that could be created. Thought the Starships were brilliant (although quite impossibly designed), adventures were fun but could never find it sated my appetite.
Gurps Hated GURPS as it was horribly complicated for all the goodness of the sourcebooks was wasted on a difficult system.
Renegade Legion/Robotech Never really got into Mecha but concepts did enter my Traveller game in a proto-Slammers way. Also, part of my Imperium was definitely Roman.
Star Wars d6 Star Wars was one of the fun games that inspired many a Traveller game. Even if the adventures were simply they were in good fun.
2300AD Great game with so much promise and yet it failed. For me the first few issues of Challenge, first few adventures (up to about Bayren) and Traveller's Digest article. It all started going wrong when the Kafers were introduced and the edge of Space Exploration in a Hard SF milieu was removed.
Star Frontiers/Star*Drive Found they took the best of D&D and Traveller and created this system but the problem is that these games are oil and water. They can look pretty when they are separate but when mixed doesn't look so hot. So, while I could like many things many things when played just went the wrong way.
d20 x Including Traveller20, never really liked the d20 mechanic for SF. {Sorry Hunter} Found the game worked best as a free fall adventures should not about simply mini/maxing which what D&D type adventures do. The inquiry for knowledge goes against the grain of most d20 type games.
Twilight 2000 Thought the premise was great but the execution in the game format was horrible. As I found it incredibly dense and not subject to an easy learning curve which was against the whole premise of what a RPG should be.
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Bishop Odo
SOC-12
Beside Traveller, Mechwarrior was a great setting, Good Fluff with some great novels and you could RP a character one week, then have a big Mech battle the next. The Mechanics of the RP system where really poor, we used the Hero systems and a lot of home brewed rules.
Rolemaster and Spacemaster where good rules as well, but the setting was nonexistent. With RM, you couldn’t have lazy group that let the GM, the GM would just get swamped, do everything, just too many charts. With a well trained group, it was doable.
As for rules, for everything, ships, and trade, a RPG gaming is not a war gaming. You have to trust the GM and he has to have fun with story telling and having a good time with friends, with the drama limited to the game table, but then I was always the optimist and a much sought after GM.
Rolemaster and Spacemaster where good rules as well, but the setting was nonexistent. With RM, you couldn’t have lazy group that let the GM, the GM would just get swamped, do everything, just too many charts. With a well trained group, it was doable.
As for rules, for everything, ships, and trade, a RPG gaming is not a war gaming. You have to trust the GM and he has to have fun with story telling and having a good time with friends, with the drama limited to the game table, but then I was always the optimist and a much sought after GM.
Played the Star Wars game, and liked it.
Played the ST game, and didn't like it too much.
Glanced at Frontiers, and decided I was too busy.
Traveller gets my vote.
Played the ST game, and didn't like it too much.
Glanced at Frontiers, and decided I was too busy.
Traveller gets my vote.
Let's see...
Star Frontiers - I liked it, though didn't really care for the personal combat system (It takes 10 bullets on average to knock a person unconcious?). I did really like the space combat system though but the lack of customizability is a weakness.
Gamma World - Okay, though not a fan of the armor system (A lot of weak attacks could overwhelm power armor?)
Twilight 2000 - Liked the system
Robotech - Liked the system as well, though only one stat (PP) was important.
Spacemaster - My favorite Scifi system.
Traveller - I like (Obviously, since I am here), but static characters and the space combat system being unbalanced are flaws.
MT - I like better, as characters are less static. Space combat system is still unbalanced.
Mechwarrior - I love 2nd edition, 1st edition and 3rd have issues.
Paranoia - Great for what it is
Prime Directive - Read through, seemed cool, but never played it.
2300AD - Great setting. Space Combat system is really poor.
Star Wars (WEG) - I played for awhile and really liked. Granted, I didn't like that you had to spend XP to make ships/equipment better.
Star Frontiers - I liked it, though didn't really care for the personal combat system (It takes 10 bullets on average to knock a person unconcious?). I did really like the space combat system though but the lack of customizability is a weakness.
Gamma World - Okay, though not a fan of the armor system (A lot of weak attacks could overwhelm power armor?)
Twilight 2000 - Liked the system
Robotech - Liked the system as well, though only one stat (PP) was important.
Spacemaster - My favorite Scifi system.
Traveller - I like (Obviously, since I am here), but static characters and the space combat system being unbalanced are flaws.
MT - I like better, as characters are less static. Space combat system is still unbalanced.
Mechwarrior - I love 2nd edition, 1st edition and 3rd have issues.
Paranoia - Great for what it is
Prime Directive - Read through, seemed cool, but never played it.
2300AD - Great setting. Space Combat system is really poor.
Star Wars (WEG) - I played for awhile and really liked. Granted, I didn't like that you had to spend XP to make ships/equipment better.
Icosahedron
SOC-14 1K
Skyth, can you define 'static'?
Everyone, what's the best combat system you've found?
Everyone, what's the best combat system you've found?
Hands down, MegaTraveller. It handles everything from people up to land-battleships just fine, and if one uses the vehicle rules, even space battleships (several orders of magnitude larger), with one coherent system.
The actual MT High Guard sucks just as bad as, if not worse than, CT Bk5 for a combat system.
Close second: Prime Directive 1E Tricode system.
sarahnewton
SOC-9
Hi guys,
I haven't posted on CotI for *ages*
I hope you'll excuse an absolutely shameless self-plug - but no one's mentioned Starblazer Adventures, the FATE scifi rpg. I've recently written a far future transhuman setting for it called "Mindjammer" (http://www.mindjammer.com) which might be interesting if you're looking for some high-tech "Culture"-type stuff to pillage for your Traveller campaigns. It's got rules for cultural conflict, cultural manipulations, sentient starships, technological psionics, "Mindscape" virtual consciousnesses...
Apologies for the threadjack - I'll now go back into lurker mode
Cheers!
Sarah
I haven't posted on CotI for *ages*
I hope you'll excuse an absolutely shameless self-plug - but no one's mentioned Starblazer Adventures, the FATE scifi rpg. I've recently written a far future transhuman setting for it called "Mindjammer" (http://www.mindjammer.com) which might be interesting if you're looking for some high-tech "Culture"-type stuff to pillage for your Traveller campaigns. It's got rules for cultural conflict, cultural manipulations, sentient starships, technological psionics, "Mindscape" virtual consciousnesses...
Apologies for the threadjack - I'll now go back into lurker mode
Cheers!
Sarah
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