Anyone have recommendations on space games?

palaeomerus · July 28, 2021, 03:05:04 AM

So Far I have:

Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells
Star Frontiers POD
Star Quest
White Star Galaxy Edition w/ Between Star & Void
Stars Without Number W/ Worlds Without Number
Machinations of the Space Princess
Star Wars WEG 1st & 2nd Ed.
Star Wars D20 2nd Ed.
Star Wars FFG games (EoE, AoR, & FaD)
Hard Nova II
Starships & Spacemen
Tiny Frontier
Worlds Beyond
Traveller (1st ed)
Space Opera still in the old box. Probably best not to open it.

Pat · July 28, 2021, 03:29:45 AM

Could go with the originals, Starfaring and Metamorphosis Alpha. Though the former is going to be very hard to find, and the latter is easy to find but only technically a space game.

GURPS Space is a classic.

palaeomerus · July 28, 2021, 03:35:57 AM

Is Starfaring the Flying Buffalo game from Ken St. Andre?

Pat · July 28, 2021, 03:42:43 AM

Yes. It's a contender for the first science fiction RPG, though it's only borderline an RPG, and was predated by Metamorphosis Alpha. Though I was wrong about availability -- looks like it was added to DriveThruRPG in March.

jeff37923 · July 28, 2021, 06:36:53 AM

Cepheus Engine, which can be called OGL Traveller.

Mongoose Traveller 1e is very good IMHO. They took the best of Traveller 1e and improved the character creation, combat, and starship construction systems without removing the feel of Classic Traveller in play.

Cave Bear · July 28, 2021, 07:37:52 AM

Have you played Mothership? That one's an OSR game set in space with a 70's scifi aesthetic and a really cool character sheet.

HappyDaze · July 28, 2021, 08:50:44 AM

Shatterzone...a 90s child of Masterbook by WEG. Worked well for a Firefly-type game.

Godsmonkey · July 28, 2021, 09:34:22 AM

Mongoose Traveller is a great game, with TONS of support.

I am currently playing Stars Without Number. It's an OSR rule set, with a more open setting than Traveller. However it is VERY influenced by the classic space RPG. SWN also has options for making it more science fantasy like Starfinder. If that's what you're going for.

I've also heard good things about Mothership and Alien, if you are going for a more space horror vibe.

Godsmonkey · July 28, 2021, 09:36:00 AM

Quote from: HappyDaze on July 28, 2021, 08:50:44 AM
Shatterzone...a 90s child of Masterbook by WEG. Worked well for a Firefly-type game.

Of course Serenity RPG is an option if you want to play in an established IP.

Personally, not my thing, but YMMV

RandyB · July 28, 2021, 09:44:31 AM

Quote from: jeff37923 on July 28, 2021, 06:36:53 AM
Cepheus Engine, which can be called OGL Traveller.

Mongoose Traveller 1e is very good IMHO. They took the best of Traveller 1e and improved the character creation, combat, and starship construction systems without removing the feel of Classic Traveller in play.

Seconding Cepheus Engine. Check out Stellagama and Zozer for Cepheus supplements.

JeffB · July 28, 2021, 09:53:39 AM

Pundit has Star Adventurer.

Star HERO

Star Worlds-Mos Eisley Playset (which is a Star Wars/World of Dungeons hack)

SPI's Universe

Chaosium's Ringworld

Alternity

Flipped Bird · July 28, 2021, 10:19:16 AM

If by "space game" you mean one where there are coherent rules for creating spaceships, generating planets, and action in space, there is a science fantasy game called Phantasmagoria that is pretty fun. It's based on the Dungeon Crawl Classics ruleset.

Quote from: Godsmonkey on July 28, 2021, 09:34:22 AM
Mongoose Traveller is a great game, with TONS of support.

Before the plague, my LGS had a very popular Traveller game that had been going for a couple of years. I never bothered putting my name on the waiting list, since there were around a dozen people ahead of me.

Ratman_tf · July 28, 2021, 01:48:25 PM

Starfinder.

David Johansen · July 28, 2021, 01:56:05 PM

I've got one!

http://www.uncouthsavage.com/uploads/1/3/3/2/133279619/gisgrfx.pdf

If 277 pages is a bit much for you, here's a summary:

http://www.uncouthsavage.com/uploads/1/3/3/2/133279619/gis_card.pdf

Oh, and Space Opera is pretty neat. The thing to understand is that it's designed to plug in and use FGU's 1977 Space Marine miniatures game as the combat system. It has stats for lots of stuff drawn from classic sf fiction.

zircher · July 28, 2021, 02:18:10 PM

I'll toss in Uncharted World and and its companion, Far Beyond Humanity. It's a modular system based on PbtA, but does not use unique playbooks. I had a blast running this for my group.