Which overall setting and rules mechanics do you prefer between Coriolis by Free League and Fading Suns 4e by Ulisses Spiele?

Counterquestion: For those of us that haven't purchased FS4 (but are interested in hearing about it), what is the system like?

Quote from: Batjon on December 15, 2021, 10:54:44 AM
Which overall setting and rules mechanics do you prefer between Coriolis by Free League and Fading Suns 4e by Ulisses Spiele?

Setting - Fading Suns.
Mechanics - Don't know because I refuse to get money to Ulisses Spiele at this point. But I can say that I prefer the mechanics of 1st and 2nd edition Fading Suns over Coriolis (not a fan of the engine they use for their games).

Also who the hell comes up with a setting where you can load a special bullet to shoot and heal people?

What is the problem with Ulisses Spiele? I'm in a group right now that is playing Das Schwarze Auge (The Dark Eye). I haven't found anything objectionable in the books (original German version of the game's fifth edition). I don't really know anything about the company, though. There is no German version of Fading Suns, so there could be a vast difference between the company's German and North American divisions.

Quote from: Rhymer88 on December 15, 2021, 02:26:34 PM
What is the problem with Ulisses Spiele? I'm in a group right now that is playing Das Schwarze Auge (The Dark Eye). I haven't found anything objectionable in the books (original German version of the game's fifth edition). I don't really know anything about the company, though. There is no German version of Fading Suns, so there could be a vast difference between the company's German and North American divisions.

For me, I believe they were the ones that fucked up Wrath & Glory, and they also decided to fuck with their Torg Eternity line and declared their would be a "revised edition" before the current one was even finished (largely because they felt they couldn't follow through with Pan-Pacifica without being offensive to someone/everyone/no one all at the same time).

Quote from: HappyDaze on December 15, 2021, 02:50:34 PM

Quote from: Rhymer88 on December 15, 2021, 02:26:34 PM
What is the problem with Ulisses Spiele? I'm in a group right now that is playing Das Schwarze Auge (The Dark Eye). I haven't found anything objectionable in the books (original German version of the game's fifth edition). I don't really know anything about the company, though. There is no German version of Fading Suns, so there could be a vast difference between the company's German and North American divisions.

For me, I believe they were the ones that fucked up Wrath & Glory, and they also decided to fuck with their Torg Eternity line and declared their would be a "revised edition" before the current one was even finished (largely because they felt they couldn't follow through with Pan-Pacifica without being offensive to someone/everyone/no one all at the same time).

Combine those with their complete inability to run a crowdfunding anywhere near efficiently and the fact that they use crowdfunding for every single project.

Coriolis is sort of an attempt to mashup Dune (but maybe earlier pre spice dune) with a less centralized Firefly where instead of Chinese the over culture is some kind of derivative of islam that has been infected by down low starry wisdom type stuff, futurism, mysticism loosely tied to math and stem but informed by philosophy, animism bordering on a pantheism a bit like voodoo powers or post-Disciple saints, and a resurgence of something like tribune-ism, corporations that seems to devolving into guilds, secretive societies, and feudal houses. It is quite vague on a lot of this going more into flavor than details. But think of scum-bags hired to escort a physician on some kind of a mission chased by people who don't like the mission, and meanwhile there are ninjas, psionic dudes, cyborgs, ministers of weird religions, mutants, splices, troubadours, cannibals, zealots, vagrants, and mobsters to bounce off of and a big plot to make up for everyone to unravel.

The system is pretty much setup to run a hex crawl with adventures here and there.
It's a lot like Forbidden Lands or other Free League stuff.

I'm not a fan of it due to its "you fill in the map and stuff" attitude but it is probably worth buying and looking at the main book.

Fading Suns was more of an exploration and chronicling game about emissaries sent with a small trade fleet and escort out to discuss how to stop the stars from dying and it was about cultural contrast as each place you visited had its own flavor. It was sort of like someone sending out emissaries to discuss what to do about the vikings, mongols, or huns except in space where the territories are star systems and mini empires that know of each other but don't mix or cooperate that much. The EVERY PLACE YOU GO IS DIFFERENT is a big part of the game and is quite detailed at times. You are supposed to figure out what they want, what they can do for the Empire and build some sort of accord from there maybe solving a few problems or offering services or gifts to get the local ruler's court's attention. And if you uncover a plot then that adds to it all.

I have no idea what Fading Suns is like today though and wasn't that into it in the heyday so I haven't got much to say but I remember it being pretty specific while Coriolis is more wanting you to fill in details and build the universe they sort of lightly penciled in a few features of to get you started.

I really like Fading Suns setting.
Playing Discord post-by-post campaign, thankfully GM's doing all mechanical bits, aside of PD spending, because I really dislike Victory system, so not having to use it while writing is great.

QuoteFading Suns was more of an exploration and chronicling game about emissaries sent with a small trade fleet and escort out to discuss how to stop the stars from dying and it was about cultural contrast as each place you visited had its own flavor. It was sort of like someone sending out emissaries to discuss what to do about the vikings, mongols, or huns except in space where the territories are star systems and mini empires that know of each other but don't mix or cooperate that much. The EVERY PLACE YOU GO IS DIFFERENT is a big part of the game and is quite detailed at times. You are supposed to figure out what they want, what they can do for the Empire and build some sort of accord from there maybe solving a few problems or offering services or gifts to get the local ruler's court's attention. And if you uncover a plot then that adds to it all.

I must say I never had a feeling playing FS, that Suns Fading itself is like main leitmotive of game. We were playing it mostly as social investigations, with one cosmic-horror interlude.
No small trade fleet as well - we're bunch of freelancers (some of noble or religious background) travelling round Known Worlds by you know commercial flights, dealing with various sensitive cases for more upper echelon nobles or bishops. And tbh Feudal Intrigue in Space seems to me to be leitmotive of games, they are written in such way, and game supports players as members f important Houses, clergy or merchant guild operatives.

I mean this is game, where you can safely make whole good campaign on one planet.

I just remember it as a Marco Polo in space sort of deal.

Totally not the feeling I get from play.
Nor books.

Like - setting of Fading Suns is quite limited - you have Known Worlds - other planets are either lost due to gate-keys being forgotten, or being held by Vau or barbarian enemies of Empire, so you're just stuck between those 60 worlds or something, all sort of known at least to elites you play in game, with Charioters guild making sure the transport lines between planets are well kept

I mean Marco Polo was discovering very new unknown world for Europe - in Known Universe you're like stuck in one space country, and other lands beyond it are basically off-limits.