So, I kind of want to play a cheesy 1970s-style Italian sci fi sexploitation movie RPG with poor special effects and the occasional Star Wars ripoff, a la the inimitable Star Crash:
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I supposed I could use Traveller or West End Games' Star Wars for that, but Traveller seems like it would require a lot of work for the starships and character creation to make any sense and Star Wars would have the issue of expectations that the game will be Star Wars (that is, once you break out the Star Wars books and have them at the table it's hard to remember you're not in the Star Wars universe).
Are there any games that are not a square peg for the round hole of Star Crash? It's got to have bad mystical powers like Akton had, robots like Elle, FTL spaceships zooming around, and sexy swimsuit-style spacesuits.
Alpha Blue, maybe?
Quote from: ArrozConLeche;1002966Alpha Blue, maybe?
Never heard of it! I'll have to Googlize it.
Pundit has a long review at his blog: http://therpgpundit.blogspot.com/2016/07/rpgpundit-reviews-alpha-blue.html
The "Strange Stars" PDF's might be what your looking at, or at least worth a look at.
They aren't quite a full RPG I'd say, but are briming with the sort of Sci-Fi flavour you described in your OP, at least IMO they are.
Strange Stars OSR book (http://drivethrurpg.com/product/204693/Strange-Stars-OSR-Rule-Book?filters=0_0_500_0_0) (seems to be a companion for Stars Without Number)
Or just the setting/ideas part of it "Strange Stars (http://drivethrurpg.com/product/142933/Strange-Stars)".
I find that I can run most settings using the basic OD&D rules set. For scifi just make up a few weapon types and damage, aliens with AC and damage, and so on. The ships become space ships and relative costs stay the same. I can throw together a scifi setting with almost zero prep since the rules are so simple. Not much to do, really, and a lot of rules sets would probably work fine.
Is STAR CRASH the old Caroline Munroe movie? (The image in the OP looked sort of like her, but hard to tell.) Been forever since I've seen that one!
Fucking Firefox crash had to retype this.
If you like starcrash you ought to love "Battle beyond the stars". It's a much better movie overall, tho I preferred Caroline Munroe to Cybil danning no matter how big danning's tits were. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_Beyond_the_Stars
It also had more developed characters and better acting plus some neat touches like some of the details on the pirate's world.
Also another cheapie little sf movie was "Galaxina", but watching it is kinda bittersweet. The star was brutally murdered after the movie so seeing her is kind of a downer. Still a fun little sf cheapie tho.
As for a system for any of the above honestly i'd say D6 space. It's all free and word work for these movies as it's a star wars inspired system. The free d6 spaceships book will be a godsend to your efforts. Plus you onky need the one book, not like 7 books like you need for gurps spaceships.http://www.rpgnow.com/browse.php?keywords=D6+space&x=0&y=0&author=&artist=&pfrom=&pto=
But really, check out battle beyond the stars, you'll be glad you did.
Quote from: finarvyn;1002999Is STAR CRASH the old Caroline Munroe movie? (The image in the OP looked sort of like her, but hard to tell.) Been forever since I've seen that one!
The one and only Stella Star:
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HUMANOID is another Italian sf/trash classic you should check out. It's not STAR CRASH, but what is?
I was wondering about a good light sf system too.
Another manifestation of this very particular brand of trippy space opera are the incredible European Metabarons comics. There was a Metabarons RPG from West End in it's dying days that used the d6 Star Wars system.
Machinations of the Space Princess (http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/116412/Machinations-of-the-Space-Princess) (the scifi version of LotFP) was made for just that sort of wild Euro-scifi.
It would be on the short list if I wanted to run something like Barbarella or any of those Gamma One movies... Battle Beyond the Stars... even Jason of Star Command... maybe even some Andersonverse games that mixed Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlett, and U.F.O. into a big swinging cocktail.
Quote from: Simlasa;1003065Machinations of the Space Princess (http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/116412/Machinations-of-the-Space-Princess) (the scifi version of LotFP) was made for just that sort of wild Euro-scifi.
It would be on the short list if I wanted to run something like Barbarella or any of those Gamma One movies... Battle Beyond the Stars... even Jason of Star Command... maybe even some Andersonverse games that mixed Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlett, and U.F.O. into a big swinging cocktail.
Not a perfect game but the alien race creation rules are
awesome and it's worth picking up for those alone.
I have much to Google now, thank you all...i haven't heard of most any of those.
Anyone familiar with White Star? It's just D&D in space, right?
I've never heard of a comic (strip? book?) called Metabarons...nor the game based thereupon.
I'm sort of thinking of maybe doing something interstellar with colonized moon caverns after reading that article. Eh, I get too many ideas for neat games I'll probably never get anyone to play!
For the record, Battle Beyond the Stars is almost a scene by scene remake of The Magnificient Seven and it was written by John Sayles...
Quote from: LouGoncey;1003072For the record, Battle Beyond the Stars is almost a scene by scene remake of The Magnificient Seven and it was written by John Sayles...
Yeah, seen it, Valkyrie spaceship and all.
Quote from: Dumarest;1003067I have much to Google now, thank you all...i haven't heard of most any of those.
Anyone familiar with White Star? It's just D&D in space, right?
I've never heard of a comic (strip? book?) called Metabarons...nor the game based thereupon.
I'm sort of thinking of maybe doing something interstellar with colonized moon caverns after reading that article. Eh, I get too many ideas for neat games I'll probably never get anyone to play!
Metabarons is a comic book series by Jodorowsky, the filmmaker, he was supposed to make Dune back in the 60s/70s but it never happened (there's a documentary about it called Jodorwsky's Dune). After his film career dried up he turned to writing comics and worked on some classics with Moebius and others. Metabarons is my favourite of his stuff, it is his take on Dune, very over-the-top and psychedelic space opera madness.
Quote from: Voros;1003100Metabarons is a comic book series by Jodorowsky, the filmmaker, he was supposed to make Dune back in the 60s/70s but it never happened (there's a documentary about it called Jodorwsky's Dune). After his film career dried up he turned to writing comics and worked on some classics with Moebius and others. Metabarons is my favourite of his stuff, it is his take on Dune, very over-the-top and psychedelic space opera madness.
Interesting. Is it in print? And what's it about? I assume he had to dump a lot of Dune to avoid copyright infringement claims.
It was in print a few years ago when I bought all the books in hardcover reissues. Not sure now.
Storywise...it is so crazy I can barely recall, very convoluted 'plans within plans, wheels within wheels' with incest, a messiah, castration, patricide, psionics and assorted nuttiness.
Quote from: Voros;1003108...it is so crazy I can barely recall, very convoluted 'plans within plans, wheels within wheels' with incest, a messiah, castration, patricide, psionics and assorted nuttiness.
So pretty much the politics forum here...
White Star would be a pretty good framework for this type of game as would the free Star Wars Galactic Adventures.
Quote from: Voros;1003100Metabarons is a comic book series by Jodorowsky, the filmmaker, he was supposed to make Dune back in the 60s/70s but it never happened (there's a documentary about it called Jodorwsky's Dune). After his film career dried up he turned to writing comics and worked on some classics with Moebius and others. Metabarons is my favourite of his stuff, it is his take on Dune, very over-the-top and psychedelic space opera madness.
The scope of
Metabarons is close to Jim Starlin's
Metamorphosis Odyssey/Dreadstar (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/comic-book-legend-jim-starlin-774550) comic books.
Metabarons grew out of Jodorowski's collaboration with Moebius, the
John Difool/Incal Saga (which I still rate much higher than Metabarons).
Metabarons is kind of like the Star Wars Prequels. They detail a part of background history that you never wanted to know, and that spoil the experience by setting in stone stuff that was only hinted at/implied in the original work.
(The Gimenez artwork is gorgeous, though.)
The Metabarons are a warrior caste, a mix of Bene Gesserit and Jedi. In John Difool there only was one Metabaron, THE Metabaron, the last of his order, working as an assassin for the ruling class. He was a single character with a mysterious background ("the last of the Sith"), kind of Darth Vader/Boba Fett without a mask.
The
Metabarons RPG was
Star Wars d6 with another coat of painting. Metabarons = Jedi, laser swords = vibro blades (without the mystical connotation), the Force = psionics, Dark Side Points = Necro Dream points.
It worked very well because it never tried to mimic Star Wars in the way White Star (http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/148169/White-Star-White-Box-Science-Fiction-Roleplaying-Swords--Wizardry)/Between Star & Void (http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/161919/Between-Star--Void) do. It
is its own thing.
Gourgeous, oversized, hardcover book worth getting if you can find it. I am sad that book 2 was never translated. The universe guide, detailing planets and stuff, was completely stat-less.
(The fact that it was oversized drew me nuts when I still had my store. Wouldn't fit any fixture, that beast. Like WotC's Everway...)
Quote from: Simlasa;1003065Machinations of the Space Princess (http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/116412/Machinations-of-the-Space-Princess) (the scifi version of LotFP) was made for just that sort of wild Euro-scifi.
It would be on the short list if I wanted to run something like Barbarella or any of those Gamma One movies... Battle Beyond the Stars... even Jason of Star Command... maybe even some Andersonverse games that mixed Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlett, and U.F.O. into a big swinging cocktail.
Even better is that it has an SRD Doc file.... (https://postmortemstudios.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/motspplan.doc)
Quote from: Just Another Snake Cult;1003060Another manifestation of this very particular brand of trippy space opera are the incredible European Metabarons comics. There was a Metabarons RPG from West End in it's dying days that used the d6 Star Wars system.
One of my great RPG regrets, not buying the Metabarons line when it was originally on the shelves.
Quote from: Dirk Remmecke;1003160The scope of Metabarons is close to Jim Starlin's Metamorphosis Odyssey/Dreadstar (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/comic-book-legend-jim-starlin-774550) comic books.
Metabarons grew out of Jodorowski's collaboration with Moebius, the John Difool/Incal Saga (which I still rate much higher than Metabarons).
Metabarons is kind of like the Star Wars Prequels. They detail a part of background history that you never wanted to know, and that spoil the experience by setting in stone stuff that was only hinted at/implied in the original work.
(The Gimenez artwork is gorgeous, though.)
The Metabarons are a warrior caste, a mix of Bene Gesserit and Jedi. In John Difool there only was one Metabaron, THE Metabaron, the last of his order, working as an assassin for the ruling class. He was a single character with a mysterious background ("the last of the Sith"), kind of Darth Vader/Boba Fett without a mask.
The Metabarons RPG was Star Wars d6 with another coat of painting. Metabarons = Jedi, laser swords = vibro blades (without the mystical connotation), the Force = psionics, Dark Side Points = Necro Dream points.
It worked very well because it never tried to mimic Star Wars in the way White Star (http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/148169/White-Star-White-Box-Science-Fiction-Roleplaying-Swords--Wizardry)/Between Star & Void (http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/161919/Between-Star--Void) do. It is its own thing.
Gourgeous, oversized, hardcover book worth getting if you can find it. I am sad that book 2 was never translated. The universe guide, detailing planets and stuff, was completely stat-less.
(The fact that it was oversized drew me nuts when I still had my store. Wouldn't fit any fixture, that beast. Like WotC's Everway...)
Incal is excellent but I appreciate the gonzo quality and art of Metabarons.
Quote from: Dirk Remmecke;1003160Metabarons grew out of Jodorowski's collaboration with Moebius, the John Difool/Incal Saga (which I still rate much higher than Metabarons).
That reminds me...
Luther Arkwright: Roleplaying Across the Parallels (http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/149843/Luther-Arkwright-Roleplaying-Across-the-Parallels) is another game I think might work for wacky Euro-scifi (seeing as the comics it's based on are themselves wacky Euro-scifi). If I ever get around it I'm going to aim it towards Moebius' 'Airtight Garage' comics... which could easily dovetail into the crazed Metabarons stuff and other weirdness.
It uses the Mythras rules though,... which might attract some and distract some others.
Quote from: Simlasa;1003381Luther Arkwright: Roleplaying Across the Parallels (http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/149843/Luther-Arkwright-Roleplaying-Across-the-Parallels) is another game I think might work for wacky Euro-scifi (seeing as the comics it's based on are themselves wacky Euro-scifi). If I ever get around it I'm going to aim it towards Moebius' 'Airtight Garage' comics... which could easily dovetail into the crazed Metabarons stuff and other weirdness.
Luther Arkwright and The Airtight Garage are both love letters to Michael Moorcock's Jerry Cornelius; I won't generalize them as "Euro SF".
Quote from: Dirk Remmecke;1003424Luther Arkwright and The Airtight Garage are both love letters to Michael Moorcock's Jerry Cornelius; I won't generalize them as "Euro SF".
Meh, that stuff shares a lot of features with the borderline nonsensical, but sexy, adventures of agents like Modesty Blaise, Barbarella, and The Avengers.
Quote from: ArrozConLeche;1002966Alpha Blue, maybe?
That's probably a perfect match!
The Metabarons RPG (I have, yes I do!) is a ridiculously on-point reskin of the WEG Star Wars, so much so that... provided you actually KNOW Metabarons (I didn't when I bought it, since rectified) and you have WEG Starwars, or at least remember it, you pretty much don't need the RPG except to say you have it.
I mean literally, aside from the artwork and the setting details, every aspect of the rules appears to be a straight search-and-swap to rename Starwars 'TM' stuff to Metabarons 'TM' stuff... Which is odd, because I don't recall reading anything vaguely Force-like in the Metabarons comics, but sure as shit, there it is in the RPG (something about Awake vs Dreaming? Great... now what did I do with the book... still in a box????)
EDIT::: Just read the post a few above mine and wanted to point out that the Metabarons, as an order, still seem to be One At A Time, so there only being One Metabaron in Incal (whcih, shamefully, I have not read yet... didn't realize it preceeded Metabarons) is pretty much true of the Metabarons comics... like to become the Metabaron you pretty much get trained by the previous metabaron, ritually mutilated by him and then (I think?) have to fight him to the death... or at least wait until he dies heroically/tragically because Love or some shit.... depending on generation.
So calling it an Order is a bit... hmm... hyperbolic?
Quote from: Voros;1003355Incal is excellent but I appreciate the gonzo quality and art of Metabarons.
Juan Gimenez (http://www.juangimenez.com/) is an incredible artist, one of the best working illustrators today imo. His art actually makes me slow down and absorb it as opposed to so many other comics which I just burn though.
Quote from: Dumarest;1002959So, I kind of want to play a cheesy 1970s-style Italian sci fi sexploitation movie RPG with poor special effects and the occasional Star Wars ripoff, a la the inimitable Star Crash:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]1858[/ATTACH]
I supposed I could use Traveller or West End Games' Star Wars for that, but Traveller seems like it would require a lot of work for the starships and character creation to make any sense and Star Wars would have the issue of expectations that the game will be Star Wars (that is, once you break out the Star Wars books and have them at the table it's hard to remember you're not in the Star Wars universe).
Are there any games that are not a square peg for the round hole of Star Crash? It's got to have bad mystical powers like Akton had, robots like Elle, FTL spaceships zooming around, and sexy swimsuit-style spacesuits.
Machinations of the Space Princess?