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Author Topic: Favorite Science Fantasy?  (Read 2938 times)

Spinachcat

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Favorite Science Fantasy?
« Reply #15 on: April 04, 2020, 04:45:16 PM »
Quote from: HappyDaze;1125619
Which rules are you using?

I love Dark Heresy, but the system isn't my friend either. I've used Traveller and Savage Worlds. Traveller works great because combat is so deadly and chargen is easy to convert to Dark Heresy. Savage Worlds does the cinematic version of 40k nicely. I didn't use the gritty rules, because I wanted that Dark Heresy to play more like the 40k novels where Big Damn Heroes lead mooks vs. Chaos.

What I most excited to try is Dark Heresy via Stars without Number combined with Silent Legions, both by Sine Nomine. I think that blend would rock hard for an Inquisitor campaign.

oggsmash

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Favorite Science Fantasy?
« Reply #16 on: April 04, 2020, 04:51:02 PM »
Quote from: David Johansen;1125644
Well, the rules are okay, very over the top cinematic.  I had a PC cut a helicopter out of the air with a sword at one point.  I've got a personal rewrite on my hard drive but I'm not really big on doing rip-offs of other people's properties.  I've got my own ideas and my own games.

  I guess they at least match the vibe i get from the art. I can literally hear a heavy metal guitar looking through the book.

David Johansen

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« Reply #17 on: April 04, 2020, 05:24:41 PM »
The problem with the Modiphius Mutant Chronicles system is that the "Dark Symmetry Points" really force the GM into an adversarial role, which isn't how I usually GM.  But but between "Momentum" hijinks and needing DSP to use npc powers and weapons it just feels like having your hands tied behind your back if you aren't ruthlessly exploiting the tools to generate more DSP.  As a game design it does what it's intended to do but it doesn't do what I want it to do.  Also, I hate talent trees.  What a dreadful way to bog down a system with meta crap.
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oggsmash

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Favorite Science Fantasy?
« Reply #18 on: April 04, 2020, 06:07:33 PM »
Yeah, that made my head ache.  What is with Modiphius?  They seem to have some great licenses (mutant chronicles, Conan, Fallout, john carter of mars, etc; Fantastic production quality books, and that funky system (I think Conan uses doom).   Is Modiphius owned by some dude who won a lottery or has a super wealthy patron?

BoxCrayonTales

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Favorite Science Fantasy?
« Reply #19 on: April 04, 2020, 06:17:33 PM »
I prefer pulpy or 80's style settings where there isn't any metaphysical distinction between magic and tech. That's what I love about the Dark Crystal's setting. It has astral projection, divination, wormholes, axis mundi, genetic engineering, etc and none of it is called out as distinctly magic or technology. There isn't a distinction.

Same goes for the Lovecraft mythos. Memorizing maths lets you travel through space and time!

Spike

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Favorite Science Fantasy?
« Reply #20 on: April 04, 2020, 06:57:17 PM »
Reading the OP I was mildly confused about how to answer. Reading the posts I am now very confused about how to answer. Dark Heresy?  I loves me some 40k, but I'm not sure I'd put that "in Genre"... but then again I'm not sure how I'd parse that Genre entirely, so...

If some form of juxtaposition of magic and technology is crucial (magitech or magic vs tech, as the OP suggests), where do I go?  Honestly, I rather liked the Eberron setting, but that makes me a pretty basic bitch.

If we open it up a bit more, I suppose as settings (not rules) go, I'm rather fond of the World of Darkness, where magic creatures face down assault rifles, etc, but that feels more out of Genre than 40k.

Fading Suns? But the 'magic' and the 'tech' aren't really in opposition or working together.


Fukit: I nominate Deadlands.  Steam-punk demon driven technology, alongside real world industrial age tech,  undead gunslingers and poker card magic.
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Nobby-W

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Favorite Science Fantasy?
« Reply #21 on: April 04, 2020, 07:49:13 PM »
I thought ICE's Space Master was a sort of near miss in this regard.  It did a fairly good job of being not-Traveller, and almost made it as an interesting world.  The major influences seemed to be Dune (especially the David Lynch movie), Star Wars and Blade Runner - which kind of made sense given when it was produced.  

While I was a Star Wars fan as a wee lad, I never got into role playing in the setting, although I may get the WEG reprint.
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Favorite Science Fantasy?
« Reply #22 on: April 04, 2020, 09:51:00 PM »
Have to say, hands down, my favorite Science Fantasy Roleplaying Game is the original edition Gamma World.

Had a splendid Gamma World game with a nearly complete TPK JIm Ward style, last weekend while running an online game at Virtual GaryCon XII. Look for some additional reports by me here in the next few days on the finally released Secrets of Blackmoor DvDs, The last convention I did attend on the first weekend of March, CincyCon, and of course Virtual GaryCon XII, where we spun up an amazing number, 668 online rpg gaming sessions and events with just ten days notice after the live convention in Lake Geneva was cancelled due to various State lock downs, and shelter-in-place orders, that went into effect from the 13th to 20th of March.

From my report over on the GaryCon FB page:

Gamma World AAR 3/28/2020
For those of you that enjoy Gamma World, just remember what Jim says "Jim Ward doesn't kill players, Players kill players!"

..and the players upheld the finest traditions of Gamma World yesterday managing a near complete TPK about an hour into the game...

The Players got in a fight in the desert with another biker gang, They launched a nuclear tipped neutron missile at the other gang and missed. That wasn't the bad part, but it was flashy and spectacular, and they managed to create a horrific radioactive sandstorm, and irradiated some more of the post-apocalyptic Northern California desert for another hundred thousand years or so. No the real problem was they were busy hosing down the other biker gang in the very best traditions of murder-hoboes of the post apocalypse.

They completely obliterated another small biker band with a photon grenade, had run another part of the largest band back into the radioactive sandstorm that they had created.

All that remained was this biker chick with an Uzi, and her side-kick, some floppy looking dude with a rocket launcher, who was taking pot-shots at the players. Well the mutant biker players closed range to use their death stench and other mutant abilities on the chick, and for three rounds she stands at very close to point blank range exchanging gunfire giving as good as she got, wounding two of the players. Now when she and her sidekick are standing alone at last, the player all rush her, to try to finish her and her companion off...

AxiomToday at 9:51 AM
... this cant end well.

GameDaddyToday at 10:00 AM

at point blank range. ...and get this. She literally gets down to 1 Hp and surrenders. She and her sidekick drop their weapons and hold their hands up high. The players like sharks in the water close in for the kill, and refuse to accept her surrender. They all open up at point blank range and every one of them misses. She holds up her hands attempting to surrender a second time and the players completely ignore this.

One the players a mutant biker by the name of Psycho Suzie (on account of the way she treats her boyfriends) rolls right up to them and announces, I'm going to use my pyrokinetics on them. Like the little girl in firestarter, with her mind she can literally light stuff up and bring the burning fires of hell. I'm like "are you sure?" and Psycho Suzie is like "yah, no way I'm going to let her live" and proceeds to turn the two into living human torches.

 The only problem? The sidekick had been launching rockets at the players, and he was still carrying four rockets in a pouch which all simultaneously detonated delivering 20d6 of damage. Somehow every single one of the players had moved in so close they were all caught in the blast radius. Only one biker survived with like 7 HP. everything else ...gone.

AxiomToday at 10:02 AM

errr... again I state, I will have to thank work for making me skip the game. I would have been livid at Psycho Suzie.

GameDaddyToday at 10:04 AM
...she didn't make it. Hahahahaa.... I don't think I could have done better as a GM, giving them the chance to accept her humble surrender. Biker chick fought brave and well until the very end. I couldn't help laughing at the players though.
Do you think that makes me a bad GM?
I'm sorry I'm laughing again....
« Last Edit: April 04, 2020, 09:55:25 PM by GameDaddy »
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Opaopajr

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Favorite Science Fantasy?
« Reply #23 on: April 05, 2020, 12:19:50 AM »
Phantasy Star setting? :o Love the blend, feels seamless while still alien to me.
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VisionStorm

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Favorite Science Fantasy?
« Reply #24 on: April 05, 2020, 03:31:03 AM »
Star Wars d6, obviously. I've recently been trying to start a Star Wars 5e game (sw5e.com), though, to try out 5e rules, but ran into some setbacks. It's not perfect, but content looks good for what's essentially a passion project.

RIFTS was also a great science fantasy setting. Not the best system, but solid world concept. Also gotta mention Shadowrun, since no one else has (tsk, tsk).

Quote from: oggsmash;1125667
Yeah, that made my head ache.  What is with Modiphius?  They seem to have some great licenses (mutant chronicles, Conan, Fallout, john carter of mars, etc; Fantastic production quality books, and that funky system (I think Conan uses doom).   Is Modiphius owned by some dude who won a lottery or has a super wealthy patron?


I sometimes wonder the same thing. I often run into fantastic looking games using some great IP's with that lame system. I once did a search for the system a few years ago to check forums and such for people's take on it and every single time someone criticized it the game's designers seemed to show up out of the woodwork to ardently defend it and insist people give it a chance. It was WEIRD.

Quote from: Opaopajr;1125689
Phantasy Star setting? :o Love the blend, feels seamless while still alien to me.


I've never played a tabletop based on that setting, but Phantasy Star was one of the first RPGs I ever played. It's the quintessential science fantasy world.

GeekyBugle

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Favorite Science Fantasy?
« Reply #25 on: April 05, 2020, 03:35:02 AM »
Quote from: jeff37923;1125577
WEG d6 Star Wars

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I tried to do something similar with D&D when 3.x first came out with an empire where the individual worlds were connected by teleportation circle networks. Different worlds had to be visited first by spelljammer ships and if useful, ended up having a permanent gate set up connecting them to a mainworld. Ended up being a reverse Traveller campaign, so I ditched it but kept the notes handy.


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Spinachcat

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Favorite Science Fantasy?
« Reply #26 on: April 05, 2020, 04:15:52 AM »
Quote from: GameDaddy;1125686
Do you think that makes me a bad GM?
I'm sorry I'm laughing again....

Awesome!!! That's a great Gamma World story!

S'mon

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« Reply #27 on: April 05, 2020, 06:29:29 AM »
Quote from: VisionStorm;1125694

I sometimes wonder the same thing. I often run into fantastic looking games using some great IP's with that lame system. I once did a search for the system a few years ago to check forums and such for people's take on it and every single time someone criticized it the game's designers seemed to show up out of the woodwork to ardently defend it and insist people give it a chance. It was WEIRD.


Modiphius is really weird.

Great IPs, licenced & homegrown.
Great art.
Great presentation.
Bland content.
Terrible home system.

HappyDaze

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Favorite Science Fantasy?
« Reply #28 on: April 05, 2020, 08:02:06 AM »
Quote from: VisionStorm;1125694
RIFTS was also a great science fantasy setting. Not the best system, but solid world concept.

I just received my kickstarter pack of Savage Rifts Adventurer's Edition last week. If you don't mind Savage Worlds, it's 6.5 beautiful books (the last 0.5 is a thin softcover book with bonus content) that only require you to add the SW core rules to have a complete line. Does it have everything that Palladium Rifts had? No, but whether that's a bug or a feature is up to you to decide. For me, it was < $200 (including a core rule book and S&H) for a complete game that I'm hoping to play as soon as the Stay@Home2020 plague ends.

HappyDaze

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« Reply #29 on: April 05, 2020, 08:04:59 AM »
Quote from: S'mon;1125710
Modiphius is really weird.

...

Terrible home system.


The home system has variations with every game line. Some are heavily narrative (Star Trek Adventures) while others are far more traditional (Conan). Still, if the base mechanic of 2d20 doesn't work for you, it might be hard to want to spend any time looking deeper.