How Would you do "D&D in Space" the Right Way?

RPGPundit · September 28, 2017, 01:07:55 PM

I was never completely convinced by Spelljammer. Even less so by the other attempts to do D&D in space. WH40K is also not good for that (though I recognize it works quite good for a wargame-setting).

So what would you think would need to be done to make a really appealing version of D&D Fantasy with space-travel elements? How to set it up?

David Johansen · September 28, 2017, 01:50:43 PM

So not XXVc. ?

Well, there was a Void Jammer article in Dragon back in the day and I liked its more mystical, astral plane ships aspect.

Spell Jammer was self indulgent and silly. I liked the idea that Mind Flayers and Beholders came from outer space.

I think I'd go a little more mystical and Lovecraftian rather than gonzo nuts and bolts. Elven ships filtering down to other worlds on starlight.

I was going to put the void at the bottom of the dungeon rather in the heavens at one point, so the PCs would get to the bottom and find docks and starlight. Maybe the world is broken and looks a bit like Death Star II.

AsenRG · September 28, 2017, 02:02:21 PM

Step one, I choose which edition of Traveller I'm going to use.

Thanos · September 28, 2017, 02:06:49 PM

Was not Star Frontiers basically DnD in space? Can you be a little more descriptive of what you mean by DnD in space?

Omega · September 28, 2017, 02:11:11 PM

Buck Rogers did D&D in space great. That is probably my go-to example of how to convert D&D into a SF setting.

Spelljammer was never quite D&D in space. It was close though. Still a fun game but it just never felt, er, space-ish enough?

Technically Alternity does this too. Just less well it feels and d20 modern feels like it should work. But something also feels off with it.

Dragon*Star and some other tries for some reason felt lacking

Omega · September 28, 2017, 02:12:10 PM

Quote from: Thanos;996591Was not Star Frontiers basically DnD in space? Can you be a little more descriptive of what you mean by DnD in space?

Star Frontiers was its own system and wasnt D&D in space.

Ratman_tf · September 28, 2017, 02:20:07 PM

I wasn't too disappointed with Spelljammer. I'd ditch some of the goofier stuff, like Elven bio-weapons and giant space hamsters, which I did when I ran it.

Thanos · September 28, 2017, 02:49:17 PM

Quote from: Omega;996595Star Frontiers was its own system and wasnt D&D in space.

Based on the way Pundit phrased the question I don't think we're all that concerned with mechanics. IDK. Maybe we are?

Xavier Onassiss · September 28, 2017, 03:04:59 PM

The only way I'd do "D&D in space" is if the players in my SF campaign listed "D&D" as a hobby on their PCs' character sheets and actually wanted to role-play their characters' downtime activity as such.

So they'd basically be playing a fictional game of D&D. In space.

Steven Mitchell · September 28, 2017, 03:12:57 PM

Base it on some of the Poul Anderson stories. I haven't read them in ages, but the ones where "witches" are used to handle various hazards. There's some underlying mysticism in the stories, even if you can also read it (and it's probably meant that way) as mysticism layered on top of long-forgotten tech. Start there, then ratchet up the magic a little, both in the "things that are out there" and how it all works.

Baron Opal · September 28, 2017, 03:29:28 PM

Stars Without Number with Planescape, but with planets instead of planes, and a little Traveller for ships and economic influence.

danskmacabre · September 28, 2017, 08:21:10 PM

Quote from: Baron Opal;996615Stars Without Number with Planescape, but with planets instead of planes, and a little Traveller for ships and economic influence.

I sometimes use a Hulks and Horrors with Stars without Number, which gives it a strong DnD in space feel.

finarvyn · September 28, 2017, 08:21:15 PM

I homebrewed an OD&D Star Wars game in the 1970's that was essentially old-school OD&D with blasters and aliens. I simply threw together a simple "monster" list of aliens, made up some damage values for space weapons, let sailing ships and Viking longships become space ships, and decided to "wing it" from there. Not too fancy, and pretty simple to run.

Bloodwolf · September 28, 2017, 08:29:54 PM

Quote from: Thanos;996604Based on the way Pundit phrased the question I don't think we're all that concerned with mechanics. IDK. Maybe we are?

Star Frontiers was closer to Traveller than it was D&D.
Shit, Traveller had psionics, placing it more akin to D&D than Star Frontiers.
SF may have had aliens and sonic swords, but is wasn't really fantasy in the D&D way.

Bloodwolf · September 28, 2017, 08:35:29 PM

Quote from: Ratman_tf;996599I wasn't too disappointed with Spelljammer. I'd ditch some of the goofier stuff, like Elven bio-weapons and giant space hamsters, which I did when I ran it.

I like Spelljammer. It's easy enough to place far and away from the three big campaigns and do your own thing.
Giant space hamsters aren't much different from giant groundling hamsters (or weasels, or whatever giant animal one can think of).
Fuck the space elves, though.

One of my olden day groups played in the 40K universe before everything was codified (even had squats) using 1st edition warhammer frpg rules as a basis. It was a blast.