Best Sci-Fi RPG Of All Time?

jan paparazzi · December 05, 2014, 08:06:05 PM

Quote from: Ladybird;802538Speak for yourself, I only started playing SW this year. My rulebook is only two months younger than my brother.

Good design, though, doesn't age.

Yes, but all first editions are from the early eighties. It's not criticism. Just making an observation.

Bren · December 05, 2014, 10:12:00 PM

Quote from: jan paparazzi;802593Yes, but all first editions are from the early eighties. It's not criticism. Just making an observation.

They are old games*, but they aren’t all early eighties in fact of the games you mentioned only Call of Cthulu is an early eighties game.

TSR D&D: 1974
Traveller: 1977
Space Quest: 1977
Call of Cthulhu: 1981 based on Basic Roleplaying: 1981 based on Runequest: 1978
Ringworld: 1984 based on Basic Roleplaying: 1981 based on Runequest: 1978
WEG Star Wars D6: 1987

* And yes there are some older gamers here.

Mr. Kent · December 06, 2014, 10:01:38 AM

Of those I've played, I'd definitely put Stars Without Number at the top. Somewhere below in vague order would be Classic Traveller and Eclipse Phase.

Simlasa · December 06, 2014, 01:07:30 PM

I liked the little bit of Eclipse Phase I got to play... very much... but it doesn't seem like it would be nearly as versatile in the different sorts of scifi it could present as something like Traveller or GURPS Space or Stars Without Number.

jahud · December 06, 2014, 01:09:54 PM

I like 2300 AD, and I am not sure there is another one like it. It makes sci-fi gritty, exotic and slightly desperate. I don't care much for its rules, so if I were to run it I'd probably Fudge it, Savage World it or Fate it.

I am intrigued by some of the Spacemaster adventures, War on a distant moon especially.

Mr. Kent · December 06, 2014, 01:55:16 PM

Quote from: Simlasa;802735I liked the little bit of Eclipse Phase I got to play... very much... but it doesn't seem like it would be nearly as versatile in the different sorts of scifi it could present as something like Traveller or GURPS Space or Stars Without Number.

Very true. I wish I got to play some form of Star Wars--I'm sure I'd enjoy that a great deal :/

Simlasa · December 06, 2014, 03:45:24 PM

Quote from: Mr. Kent;802760Very true. I wish I got to play some form of Star Wars--I'm sure I'd enjoy that a great deal :/

I really liked what I experienced of the D6 Star Wars, mechanically. Sadly the group I played with couldn't think what to do with it except re-enact the original movie... in a kind of jokey way to boot.

jeff37923 · December 06, 2014, 07:02:54 PM

Quote from: jahud;802739I like 2300 AD, and I am not sure there is another one like it. It makes sci-fi gritty, exotic and slightly desperate. I don't care much for its rules, so if I were to run it I'd probably Fudge it, Savage World it or Fate it.

The current version of 2300AD from Mongoose uses the Mongoose Traveller core rules as its engine.

Spike · December 06, 2014, 07:40:24 PM

What, no love for Legionnaire? None at all?

Fine... fine... How about Shatterzone?

Still nothing?

Well, I'll raise the stakes with Battlelords of the 23rd Century! Surely that will earn mad street cred!

Phooey. I guess I'll punch in with MongTrav, followed by Fading Suns. But I gotta give honorable mention to Living Steel, though I believe it is disqualified on technical grounds on account of it being 'Post Apocalyptic'... after a fashion.

David Johansen · December 06, 2014, 07:59:29 PM

Wouldn't that disallow Silent Death The Next Millenium and Traveller the New Era?

Rhand ain't earth.

Spike · December 06, 2014, 08:41:18 PM

See... no one actually put Silent Death up as a contender. I would have mentioned it in my list of neglected Sci-Fi's, but it had at least gotten mention... and its not much of an RPG, honestly.

I'm still upset that my purchase of some of the supplements (call it the SD:nM version of High Guard...) went instead to some paypal scammers out of the bahamas instead of those guys who apparently own the rights. Not for the loss of money (I would have spent it on Hookers and Blow anyway...), but because now I have no way of getting those books...

David Johansen · December 06, 2014, 09:50:54 PM

Well, there's a new edition coming eventually. Try the Metal Express forums. I tried to pitch an rpg and a skirmish game to Bruce back in the day but he never really got back to me and didn't seem interested. The MX guys are leaning that way but Bruce is still involved so who knows. He's keeping a low profile but he let it slip somewhere, and I was like AHAH!

Anyhow, my point is that post apocalypse in space isn't quite the same genre as post apocalypse on Earth.

Spike · December 06, 2014, 10:13:29 PM

Yeah, I tried emailing Metal Express (thanks for reminding me of the name!) back when my books didn't arrive... they didn't answer, and I eventually figured out what happened to my money by backtracking my paypal... which, btw, I am now refusing to use given how hard they probe to verify identities... way too much work to make a simple purchase!!!

Simlasa · December 07, 2014, 01:11:24 AM

Quote from: David Johansen;802842I tried to pitch an rpg and a skirmish game to Bruce back in the day but he never really got back to me and didn't seem interested.

I remember at one point seeing an ad, in an ICE product, for an upcoming skirmish game in the Silent Death setting... had photos of miniatures even. Never appeared and then the company went South.
Last I heard the new team was coming out with a WWII game... which seemed an odd choice.

Spike · December 07, 2014, 03:51:01 AM

There were plenty of miniatures on offer at teh Metal Express website, but I imagine buying them would be rather like my buying a book/pdf combo. You'll make some scam artist a bit richer, and the owners of ME would never know you tried...