Where I talk about running Space Opera with OSR games in general, and my upcoming Star Adventurer RPG in particular!




[video=youtube_share;R6mo3UhT0P0]https://youtu.be/R6mo3UhT0P0[/youtube]

Quote from: RPGPundit;1124970Where I talk about running Space Opera with OSR games in general, and my upcoming Star Adventurer RPG in particular!




[video=youtube_share;R6mo3UhT0P0]https://youtu.be/R6mo3UhT0P0[/youtube]

Take my money!

White Star is the obvious established rival in the OSR 1970s+ TV/film space opera genre. You seem to have forgotten about it!

I don't like the idea of generic alien templates rather than specific aliens - I'd recommend at least providing inspirational sample settings with example aliens & starships.

Oddly enough TSR's Buck Rogers XXVc. isn't space opera, it's hard science fiction.  No ftl, no, antigravity, and the only psi is cats living on Mercury.  The time line on terraforming Mars and Venus and genetically engineering dinosaurs is a bit optimistic.

My personal feeling is that OSR (if you mean a D&D derivative) is a horrible system to base space opera off of. Space Opera is generally bigger than life heroes and is not particularly class nor gear based (i.e. the heroes rarely use gear significantly different than the common soldier... and when they do, its generally something intrinsic to the character).

Honestly, the best version of D&D for running space opera is probably 4E with its express focus on Big Damn Heroes including broad skill competency (a staple of most Space Opera action heroes), Action Points (for those times when the hero pulls off multiple things in a short span of time) and non-physical hit point recovery (so you don't need custom rules if the setting has no magic/sufficiently advanced technology) and the use of inherent bonuses to remove the gear grind typical to D&D systems. Even better would be the 4E derived version of Gamma World.

Now, if by OSR you're including something like WEG Star Wars; that's a different story entirely as it's a system explicitly designed for space opera. About the only house rule I ever make to it is to turn character points into separate pools for advancement and in-game boosts so that you're not continually burning your XP because you need some extra oomph to survive.

Quote from: Chris24601;1124998Now, if by OSR you're including something like WEG Star Wars; that's a different story entirely as it's a system explicitly designed for space opera. About the only house rule I ever make to it is to turn character points into separate pools for advancement and in-game boosts so that you're not continually burning your XP because you need some extra oomph to survive.

Yeah, next time I run space opera I plan to use Mini Six (d6 System, from WEG Star Wars) with bits cannabilised from White Star, Starfinder et al. I ran a couple White Star campaigns but as you say, the D&D base system just isn't that great for space opera.

Quote from: Chris24601;1124998Now, if by OSR you're including something like WEG Star Wars; that's a different story entirely as it's a system explicitly designed for space opera. About the only house rule I ever make to it is to turn character points into separate pools for advancement and in-game boosts so that you're not continually burning your XP because you need some extra oomph to survive.

We played it that all CP are spent on extra dice (to "burn"), and that you earn XP for advancement by burning CP. In effect, "burning" them is what matures them into points spent on permanent increases. This does mean that the character that has purchased a lot of skill upgrades is likely short on on-hand luck.

Hulks & Horrors is a very fun OSR space opera-ish RPG. The PDF is free on DriveThruRPG
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/111781/Hulks-and-Horrors---Basic-Black-Edition

Of particular note are the Spaceship Creation Rules. Totally worth reading if you play any space RPG.

The author J Arcane used to post here, but unfortunately went full nutter from TDS.
http://www.bedroomwallpress.com/

The bedroomwallpress guy is too radicalized to be sending any kind of funds to.

Hulks & Horrors is a free PDF so you aren't supporting his crazy. Its a damn shame J Arcane went nuts. He wasn't a nutball when he used to post here, and he was creating a quite good free World of Warcraft RPG back in the day. His Arcana Rising RPG, which I think is also a free PDF, is a good urban fantasy OSR game too.

Quote from: Shawn Driscoll;1125027The bedroomwallpress guy is too radicalized to be sending any kind of funds to.

This a story you can share or at least post a link (one covering the full story, not the above link) to?

Watched this last night- I like what I'm hearing. I have run a fair amount of and really like WhiteStar (the original "edition") and your upcoming game sounds like it covers similar fictional ground (yay!).

Are you familiar with WS enough(at all?)  to make a compare/contrast?

I'm interested to know what this game is going to do differently from existing OSR SF offerings.

Quote from: Chris24601;1124998My personal feeling is that OSR (if you mean a D&D derivative) is a horrible system to base space opera off of. .....

I agree.

OSR systems can be made to work, But what they do best is the D&D genre.

IMHO, Having Lion and Dragon,  something like OpenQuest d100 would be a far better fit system-wise.

L&D would just be a better game if it was a d100 variant - I think the mechanics would just mesh more with what The Pundit is trying to do.

The Sales would not be the same as the d20/OSR version.

Because, the market is for d20 uber alles...

OK, so you are making a clone of WotC's d20 Star Wars. So, more D&D in Spaaaaacccee.....

You needed more cats in this video.