"The Orville" is a new science fiction adventure show on the Fox network in America.
It is very similar in tone to 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' - but no 'transporters' or 'teleporters' of any kind (yet...)
If you were going to adapt as a role playing game setting for friends - would you use GURPS, Savage Worlds, or the TRAVELLER system?
In the show their faster than light drive is called a 'Quantum Drive' and its set in the early 25th century - mostly in 2419.
Wikipedia link through: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Orville
- Ed C.
The Orville is basically Star Trek The Next Generation fan fiction. Decent fan fiction, I liked it better than the new Trek show. But it's basically Trek.
I would probably use D6, since I tend to use it for space opera style games
I agree that D6 Space or even the lighter Mini-6 would work just fine. There should be table rules that cover the use of alcohol and cannabis edibles by the players too.
Since the focus of The Orville is parodistic, light-hearted adventure I won"t use a crunchy, simulatory system. So GURPS and Traveller would be out. Savage Worlds just feels wrong.
Far Trek is light enough, and already close enough.
Ghostbusters would require more work.
TWERPS Twek would be so much in the background that you could concentrate on the humor, 100%.
As would RISUS.
And I know one GM who always turns to FATE Accelarated for her comedic Star Trek Classic convention one-shots.
GURPS, the whole focus of the show is about the interplay of the disadvantages of the various crew members. If you were doing a homebrew you could have a random "I'm an asshole because..." table everyone is required to roll on. It's a fun show and I hope it enjoys a long life.
Quote from: Koltar;1002474"The Orville" is a new science fiction adventure show on the Fox network in America.
It is very similar in tone to 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' - but no 'transporters' or 'teleporters' of any kind (yet...)
If you were going to adapt as a role playing game setting for friends - would you use GURPS, Savage Worlds, or the TRAVELLER system?
In the show their faster than light drive is called a 'Quantum Drive' and its set in the early 25th century - mostly in 2419.
Wikipedia link through: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Orville
- Ed C.
I'd use Traveller, and import some bennies-like resource from Savage Worlds:).
Quote from: JeremyR;1002479The Orville is basically Star Trek The Next Generation fan fiction. Decent fan fiction, I liked it better than the new Trek show. But it's basically Trek.
I was okay with a great deal of "Discovery," until they decided the Trek universe needed "shit" and "fucking" in the dialogue, which is so jarring, considering the source material, that I'm putting the show on trial. Maybe I'm just a stodgy old man, but, as a longtime fan, stemming from reruns of TOS in the mid-70s, I'll only put up with so much "reimagining." They've already fucked up the Klingons.
Game systems for Orville: Wouldn't RISUS work for this?
Quote from: cranebump;1002550Game systems for Orville: Wouldn't RISUS work for this?
Is there anything that RISUS wouldn't work for:)?
Quote from: AsenRG;1002587Is there anything that RISUS wouldn't work for:)?
Good point. It's like I just asked if air would be okay for breathing.:-)
Quote from: cranebump;1002550I was okay with a great deal of "Discovery," until they decided the Trek universe needed "shit" and "fucking" in the dialogue, which is so jarring, considering the source material, that I'm putting the show on trial. Maybe I'm just a stodgy old man, but, as a longtime fan, stemming from reruns of TOS in the mid-70s, I'll only put up with so much "reimagining." They've already fucked up the Klingons.
With the F-bomb, it's pretty clear - Discovery is trying really, REALLY hard to be the Anti-Trek, and CBS is trying oh so hard to be edgy.
It's completely bizarre...
Orville is a Star Trek show using a different setting.
Discovery is deliberately and quite loudly NOT a Star Trek show using the Star Trek setting.
Quote from: Koltar;1002474"The Orville" is a new science fiction adventure show on the Fox network in America.
It is very similar in tone to 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' - but no 'transporters' or 'teleporters' of any kind (yet...)
If you were going to adapt as a role playing game setting for friends - would you use GURPS, Savage Worlds, or the TRAVELLER system?
In the show their faster than light drive is called a 'Quantum Drive' and its set in the early 25th century - mostly in 2419.
Wikipedia link through: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Orville
- Ed C.
Ed, you're a GURPS guy, use GURPS. Wasn't there a Gurps version of ADB's Prime Directive? Me, I'd probably use FASA Trek, but since it's more TNG-era maybe I'd use the 2d20 Trek system if I was going to play up the parody/humorous aspect.
I always though Traveller started falling apart a tad as you advanced to Trek tech, but whatever.
See if you can get a copy of Star Trek the roleplaying game from Last Unicorn Games. It's out of print yet might as well use a Trek rpg to run a spoof of Trek imo. Eclipse Phase if you want a Transhumanism element to the gaming table.
I'm lazy and already own and am familiar with FASA Star Trek so I'd probably just use that. Actually this makes me think it would be fun to use Traveller for a campaign with a group of scouts still with the service, out on the frontier charting new worlds and having adventures.
Quote from: Koltar;1002474"The Orville" is a new science fiction adventure show on the Fox network in America.
It is very similar in tone to 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' - but no 'transporters' or 'teleporters' of any kind (yet...)
If you were going to adapt as a role playing game setting for friends - would you use GURPS, Savage Worlds, or the TRAVELLER system?
In the show their faster than light drive is called a 'Quantum Drive' and its set in the early 25th century - mostly in 2419.
Wikipedia link through: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Orville
For the faux Star Trek series?
Why Starships and Spacemen 2e (http://www.rpgnow.com/product/108104/Starships--Spacemen-2e) the faux Star Trek RPG of course.
Take a look at Far Trek (http://fartrekrpg.blogspot.com/), it really ain't that bad.
Quote from: Koltar;1002474If you were going to adapt as a role playing game setting for friends - would you use GURPS, Savage Worlds, or the TRAVELLER system?
I'd use Savage Worlds, mainly because it's become my go-to generic system. And with the Science Fiction Companion, all the hard work's already been done for me. Now I just need to go through the Star Trek Encyclopedia and Chronology of the Future to swipe plots and characters.
Quote from: jeff37923;1002703Take a look at Far Trek (http://fartrekrpg.blogspot.com/), it really ain't that bad.
This is a great recommendation
Its possible that too many of you are focusing on the commercials and promos for the show and not the actual show itself.
The episodes themselves have been pretty normal straight up science fiction with bits of comedy - the characters act like real people - like an average roleplaying group of players.
This video is a condensed version of the highlights from the first Six Episodes. if you don't ,ind the * SPOILERS * it is a good recap of what the show has been like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=528oXc04ICY
- Ed C.
The show is essentially Star Trek: The New Generation plus a little potty humor. Just use whatever you would use for Star Trek and the players will add the potty humor.
Quote from: Koltar;1003312Its possible that too many of you are focusing on the commercials and promos for the show and not the actual show itself.
The episodes themselves have been pretty normal straight up science fiction with bits of comedy - the characters act like real people - like an average roleplaying group of players.
This video is a condensed version of the highlights from the first Six Episodes. if you don't ,ind the * SPOILERS * it is a good recap of what the show has been like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=528oXc04ICY
- Ed C.
Subscribed since episode 1. Still stand by recommending Starships and Spacemen.
Prime Directive?
Quote from: RPGPundit;1004244Prime Directive?
Maybe - but the show has no matter teleporters, no equivalent to 'transporters' at all.
Whenever they interact with a planet its over video screen or they have to use their shuttles.
Each episode has gotten a bit more serious than the previous one.
GURPS version of 'Prime Directive' would make sense - because these characters definitely have quirks and disadvantages.
Unlike
Star Trek Next Gen - these characters act like regular people - not utopian ideal caricatures.
- Ed C.
Quote from: Koltar;1004344Maybe - but the show has no matter teleporters, no equivalent to 'transporters' at all.
Whenever they interact with a planet its over video screen or they have to use their shuttles.
Each episode has gotten a bit more serious than the previous one.
GURPS version of 'Prime Directive' would make sense - because these characters definitely have quirks and disadvantages.
Unlike Star Trek Next Gen - these characters act like regular people - not utopian ideal caricatures.
- Ed C.
Definitely Traveller:).
Quote from: Koltar;1004344Each episode has gotten a bit more serious than the previous one.
GURPS version of 'Prime Directive' would make sense - because these characters definitely have quirks and disadvantages.
Unlike Star Trek Next Gen - these characters act like regular people - not utopian ideal caricatures.
Then it doesn't matter just pick the system of the desired complexity and run the campaign. The Orville specifics are l going to be handled with notes and advice anyway.
Quote from: Koltar;1004344Maybe - but the show has no matter teleporters, no equivalent to 'transporters' at all.
Whenever they interact with a planet its over video screen or they have to use their shuttles.
So what? Prime Directive has transporters, just don't use them. Transporters are a setting detail not a rule.
It is interesting how they decided not to have transporters.
Quote from: RPGPundit;1004693It is interesting how they decided not to have transporters.
Made the last episode, Majority Rules, a challenge for the crew to deal with. They couldn't just beam out of there.
Quote from: RPGPundit;1004693It is interesting how they decided not to have transporters.
"It's not Star Trek; we don't have transporters!" said the copyright lawyers.
Quote from: Dumarest;1004754"It's not Star Trek; we don't have transporters!" said the copyright lawyers.
Maybe - but that also makes for better storytelling.
Also, better for an RPG situation - they don't have a magic-Tech device to pull their asses out of danger. They have to think or fight their way out of trouble and make it back to wherever they parked their shuttle vehicle. Lots of opportunity for role playing.
- Ed C.
Quote from: Koltar;1004827Maybe - but that also makes for better storytelling.
Also, better for an RPG situation - they don't have a magic-Tech device to pull their asses out of danger. Thedy have to think or fight their way out of trouble and make it back to wherever they parked their shuttle vehicle. Lots of opportunity for role playing.
- Ed C.
Of course it does. That's why so many Star Trek episodes have transporter malfunctions or interference preventing their usage.
I seem to recall they got transporters because it was cheaper to do that than to build and shoot ship's boats/shuttlecraft scenes all the time.
Quote from: Dumarest;1004927Of course it does. That's why so many Star Trek episodes have transporter malfunctions or interference preventing their usage.
And now someone had made the right conclusion that not having them in the first place would save lots of plot device time;).
Quote from: RPGPundit;1004693It is interesting how they decided not to have transporters.
They didn't need them. Star Trek only had transporters because the production initially couldn't afford to build a shuttle set and do landing visual effects after all.
I don't know if this has been said or not but D20 future ( a older system ) looks to be flexable enough to do pretty good. In fact now that I think about it, I am going to try the D20 future books and run a level one game.
Actually, I'm gonna change my answer to the only right answer: Star Trek The Roleplaying Game by FASA. I think it's something the producers of Orville and Galaxy Quest understand better than any Star Trek producer since the original series.
Quote from: David Johansen;1020572Actually, I'm gonna change my answer to the only right answer: Star Trek The Roleplaying Game by FASA. I think it's something the producers of Orville and Galaxy Quest understand better than any Star Trek producer since the original series.
Ha, post #13 is vindicated...but really why reinvent the wheel? FASA Trek works fine if you understand the rules.
Fate Accellerated. Without a doubt in my mind.
My first read through of Fate convinced me it could do TOS style Star Trek like nothing else I had ever seen before.
Quote from: CRKrueger;1002608With the F-bomb, it's pretty clear - Discovery is trying really, REALLY hard to be the Anti-Trek, and CBS is trying oh so hard to be edgy.
It's completely bizarre...
Orville is a Star Trek show using a different setting.
Discovery is deliberately and quite loudly NOT a Star Trek show using the Star Trek setting.
OFF TOPIC: The reason is the actually the fact that Star Trek is owned by two companies. Paramount and CBS. They used to be owned together, but broke up a few years ago. Paramount owns the rights to making new series in the 'canon' universe, using the imagery of both technology and aliens. CBS has the rights to redistribute and sell the older series and movies (Up to an including Voyager and Enterprise and the Abrams' series.)
CBS has just enough rights to use the names, but not the look, technology or even the timeline, no matter what they claim.
/OFF TOPIC
I think any game system will work fine, the Orville is a character drama, as a series it tends not to care about the technology or science beyond the basic set dressing or reasons of plot.
Lasers & Feelings
http://onesevendesign.com/lasers_and_feelings_rpg.pdf
Quote from: Dumarest;1020576Ha, post #13 is vindicated...but really why reinvent the wheel? FASA Trek works fine if you understand the rules.
The reason to re-invent the wheel is because FASA Trek has been out of print for over twenty-five years.
I'd probably use some kind of star-trek system. But probably not FASA.
Star Trek Adventures would be a pretty good system for it. Any game that was character-centric would work.
Fate Core - especially the Atomic Robo flavor - would also do well.
Quote from: vargr1;1021007Star Trek Adventures would be a pretty good system for it. Any game that was character-centric would work.
Fate Core - especially the Atomic Robo flavor - would also do well.
Welcome to theRPGsite, vargr!