[The Expanse] Anyone playing in the setting?

Kiero · February 01, 2022, 05:24:06 AM

With the end of the TV show, I was finally tempted to read the books, and I've been pleasantly surprised by how good they are. Whilst I appreciate the hard sci-fi aesthetic, I was worried the books were going to be full of cod-physics and maths, turns out they're space opera with a Newtonian veneer.

Anyway, I really like the setting, and it's giving me an itch to want to do something with it. Is anyone playing with it? I know there's an official RPG, but the AGE system looks a bit crap, and it's not like there's a shortage of half decent systems out there.

So what are people using?

KingofElfland · February 01, 2022, 01:19:02 PM

Orbital 2100 could do it think. It's Zozer Games and runs Cepheus Engine, which is a Traveller clone.

Batjon · February 01, 2022, 02:19:20 PM

The official game is actually good. I'd use it.

Kiero · February 01, 2022, 03:01:49 PM

Quote from: KingofElfland on February 01, 2022, 01:19:02 PM
Orbital 2100 could do it think. It's Zozer Games and runs Cepheus Engine, which is a Traveller clone.

Traveller has a certain reputation - how heavy is it?

Quote from: Batjon on February 01, 2022, 02:19:20 PM
The official game is actually good. I'd use it.

Are you aware of anyone who's run a lengthy game with it? Any decent writeups of actual play?

squirewaldo · February 01, 2022, 03:14:16 PM

Quote from: Kiero on February 01, 2022, 05:24:06 AM
Anyway, I really like the setting, and it's giving me an itch to want to do something with it. Is anyone playing with it? I know there's an official RPG, but the AGE system looks a bit crap, and it's not like there's a shortage of half decent systems out there.

So what are people using?

The official game is quite good... at least from a one shot I played in a few weeks ago.

KingofElfland · February 01, 2022, 03:50:20 PM

As to Orbital, it uses a trimmed down version. I think they release a free pdf for classic 2d6 Sci-Fi to make Cepheus Engine play more like original LBB classic Traveller. I know their Hostile line is very easy to grasp and go

Kiero · February 01, 2022, 04:37:34 PM

Quote from: squirewaldo on February 01, 2022, 03:14:16 PM
The official game is quite good... at least from a one shot I played in a few weeks ago.

Did you use some published adventure, or something the GM came up with? What were your impressions of how the licensed system evokes the setting?

Quote from: KingofElfland on February 01, 2022, 03:50:20 PM
As to Orbital, it uses a trimmed down version. I think they release a free pdf for classic 2d6 Sci-Fi to make Cepheus Engine play more like original LBB classic Traveller. I know their Hostile line is very easy to grasp and go

Is this it?

squirewaldo · February 01, 2022, 06:21:41 PM

Quote from: Kiero on February 01, 2022, 04:37:34 PM
Quote from: squirewaldo on February 01, 2022, 03:14:16 PM
The official game is quite good... at least from a one shot I played in a few weeks ago.

Did you use some published adventure, or something the GM came up with? What were your impressions of how the licensed system evokes the setting?

Quote from: KingofElfland on February 01, 2022, 03:50:20 PM
As to Orbital, it uses a trimmed down version. I think they release a free pdf for classic 2d6 Sci-Fi to make Cepheus Engine play more like original LBB classic Traveller. I know their Hostile line is very easy to grasp and go

Is this it?

It was a free Quick start on DriveThruRPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/247982/The-Expanse-RPG-Quickstart?affiliate_id=474082

hedgehobbit · February 01, 2022, 06:48:25 PM

If you're going to play in any sort of semi-realistic game set in our solar system, I'd recommend downloading the map from a boardgame called High Frontier. It is an energy map of the solar system where distances are measure in number of burns (i.e. velocity) rather than meters. The map includes just about every solar object we currently know about as well as including information about other navigation hazards like erratic spins, debris fields, and radiation zones. It does almost all the math work for you. It even includes slingshot info.

[The sizes of objects is on a logarithmic scale. A size 3 asteroid is twice as big as a size 2]

Batjon · February 02, 2022, 01:11:53 AM

Quote from: Kiero on February 01, 2022, 03:01:49 PM
Quote from: KingofElfland on February 01, 2022, 01:19:02 PM
Orbital 2100 could do it think. It's Zozer Games and runs Cepheus Engine, which is a Traveller clone.

Traveller has a certain reputation - how heavy is it?

Quote from: Batjon on February 01, 2022, 02:19:20 PM
The official game is actually good. I'd use it.

Are you aware of anyone who's run a lengthy game with it? Any decent writeups of actual play?

Lots of good reports here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/182815575923462

HappyDaze · February 02, 2022, 06:35:04 AM

Quote from: hedgehobbit on February 01, 2022, 06:48:25 PM
If you're going to play in any sort of semi-realistic game set in our solar system, I'd recommend downloading the map from a boardgame called High Frontier. It is an energy map of the solar system where distances are measure in number of burns (i.e. velocity) rather than meters. The map includes just about every solar object we currently know about as well as including information about other navigation hazards like erratic spins, debris fields, and radiation zones. It does almost all the math work for you. It even includes slingshot info.

[The sizes of objects is on a logarithmic scale. A size 3 asteroid is twice as big as a size 2]

That's a pretty cool map. How's the board game play?

Panzerkraken · February 02, 2022, 07:24:31 AM

I have it. It's fun, if you like that sort of thing, and it's scalable from a family dinner-table game to the sort of thing you spend weeks on. The assorted addons can take it from a cooperative building/acheivement game to a full on competitive 4x style with warships, if that's your thing.

estar · February 02, 2022, 08:26:27 AM

Quote from: Kiero on February 01, 2022, 03:01:49 PM
Traveller has a certain reputation - how heavy is it?

You can check it out for free with Cepheus
The original SRD
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/186894/Cepheus-Engine-System-Reference-Document

Lite-rules variations
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/371207/Cepheus-Light-Upgraded

I am focusing more on Cepheus because it more focused on settings other than the Third Imperium. Including a bunch of products that focus on the science fiction subgenre that the Expanse is part of. Like Hostile.

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/377186/Hostile-Rules

And Green Ronin's Expanse RPG is worthy of a look as well. It uses a 3d6 roll high system.

jeff37923 · February 02, 2022, 10:30:58 AM

Quote from: Batjon on February 02, 2022, 01:11:53 AM
Quote from: Kiero on February 01, 2022, 03:01:49 PM
Quote from: KingofElfland on February 01, 2022, 01:19:02 PM
Orbital 2100 could do it think. It's Zozer Games and runs Cepheus Engine, which is a Traveller clone.

Traveller has a certain reputation - how heavy is it?

Quote from: Batjon on February 01, 2022, 02:19:20 PM
The official game is actually good. I'd use it.

Are you aware of anyone who's run a lengthy game with it? Any decent writeups of actual play?

Lots of good reports here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/182815575923462

Oh, please. That is like me saying that there are a lot of good reports about Traveller here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/travellerrpg

How about some source with a little less bias?

RebelSky · February 02, 2022, 03:09:10 PM

Fun fact about The Expanse universe...

The Expanse universe was created by a homebrew sci-fi rpg campaign the writers played using d20 Modern with all the D20 Modern sci-fi books.