It's difficult to really nail down my exact preference. I like 2300's setting, a lot, and it's what I would consider hard scifi as far as game settings are concerned. But I like the trappings of both the Star Wars and Star Trek settings also, as well as that of Doc Smith's Lensmen universe.

Quote from: NicephorusThe whole speed of light thing cuts into what you can do.  Travel to more than one or two new systems in a lifetime is unlikely.  Also throw in that most systems will have no life forms and encountering starfaring aliens and being able to understand them is highly unlikely.

All of this is based on science as we know it now. There are more and more physicists coming up with theories as to how the speed of light barrier can be worked around.

As for life in other systems...well, we don't have any way of knowing how common life is. There could be life just about everywhere, but if it isn't intelligent, there's no way to know until we get there. Read some of Doc Smith's early stuff. At that time, it wasn't even thought that planets were very common beyond our own stellar system, so his early stories were about a galaxy where planets were rare, at best. Now, it seems strange to think that, since it seems every couple of weeks a new planet is found somewhere. Could be the same with life. Matter of fact, it's becoming increasingly common for scientists to believe life is fairly common in the universe, just based on sheer odds - the universe is frickin' enormous. Maybe not intelligent life, but life. It could be of varying levels of development, from single-celled organisms to fully-developed complex ecosystems. As for encountering intelligent life, yeah, it'd be tough to establish communication, but I think it'd be likely that some effort would be made on both sides to at least understand what was being dealt with.

I like my science fiction firm

http://www.kheper.net/topics/scifi/grading.html

Somewhat between hard and soft, but leaning more to the hard side.    Mostly real science but handwave a few points for the sake of plot, FTL or etc.

I'm not so sure you could classify me as either. While space opera and the soft science/fantasy is my usual preference, I think it would be fab to play a game set in Saberhagen's Berserker universe (and that's about as hard science as you get).

Yeah I'm in the Firm camp as well I'ld say 2300AD is firm, with its Stutterwarp being the FTL without time paradox but with a reasonable science explanation, its few alien races being not just furry humans, they are very alien both in body chemistry and culture.

Quote from: VarajI tend to like my science fiction to be hard sci-fi.  If I want soft sci-fi I will just play a fantasy game.  Fantasy doesn't have to be medivial setting but can be future setting.
So what do you prefer?

I agree with most of the above.  But I prefer my fantasy in a medieval setting.

Quote from: VarajSee that usually falls under fantasy.  Star Wars and Fading Suns are great examples.

I agree, I just like "sci-fantasy" since it sounds better than just plain ol' fantasy.  

Quote from: BagpussYeah I'm in the Firm camp as well I'ld say 2300AD is firm, with its Stutterwarp being the FTL without time paradox but with a reasonable science explanation, its few alien races being not just furry humans, they are very alien both in body chemistry and culture.

That's true. 2300 had some of the most plausible "alien" aliens found in any RPG.

Quote from: ColonelHardissonThat's true. 2300 had some of the most plausible "alien" aliens found in any RPG.

2300 AD is a game I really wish I could have played.  I don't know if the rules are good or not, but the setting kicks much ass.

I like all types of sci-fi, from the ludicrisly silly (like Shadowrun) to hard sci-fi.  I don't think I've seen a game that would qualify as truly hard sci-fi, though.  Usually it's more like Traveller.

Quote from: Cyberzombie2300 AD is a game I really wish I could have played.  I don't know if the rules are good or not, but the setting kicks much ass.

I like all types of sci-fi, from the ludicrisly silly (like Shadowrun) to hard sci-fi.  I don't think I've seen a game that would qualify as truly hard sci-fi, though.  Usually it's more like Traveller.

I don't think I'd find a truly "hard" scifi game all that interesting. I'm trying to think of hard scifi novels...off the top of my head, Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars seem to qualify, even if Robinson really accelerated the terraforming process. An interesting setting for a book, not so interesting for a game. I can't think of any others right off the top of my head.

2300's rules were, in my opinion, not that fun. The setting is what made the game.

Quote from: ColonelHardisson2300's rules were, in my opinion, not that fun. The setting is what made the game.

I didn't like the amount of crunch but the starship rules had some nice aspects.  I'll third the aliens - they were some of the most interesting and thought out aliens I've seen in rpgs, books, or movies.

I like something in the middle.

I like tech too be believable but not the primary focus of the game. I don't need it to be explained in detail, just so it fits.

Quote from: McrowI like something in the middle.

I like tech too be believable but not the primary focus of the game. I don't need it to be explained in detail, just so it fits.

I think that this is almost exactly the same attitude I have about scifi games.

It would be possible to run an episodic hard-tech kind of game, i think, using cryo-sleep to break up the episode and allow for a new setup during the game, while still allowing large ammounts of continuity. I'm thinking something like the Alien movies could make a very interesting set of episodes for a long running campaign based on this model.

Quote from: McrowI like something in the middle.

I like tech too be believable but not the primary focus of the game. I don't need it to be explained in detail, just so it fits.

In my opinion tech should never people the focus of a good story.  It is all about the human experience, if if you aren't playing humans.

Quote from: VarajI tend to like my science fiction to be hard sci-fi.  If I want soft sci-fi I will just play a fantasy game.  Fantasy doesn't have to be medivial setting but can be future setting.
So what do you prefer?

What do you concider Simmons books?