OMG I had the hardest time trying to learn Eclipse Phase...I really want to like the system. It just confuses me. :p

Gurps Space for starters.  Just go through and check which boxes you want the setting to be and go from there.

I had the same problem when I started gaming... couldn't find a SF game that I liked. Mostly it was the campaign setting/universe, but some of them had mechanics that I wasn't crazy about. Wound up making up my own SF game. Back in those days, I wasn't experienced enough to take an existing system and adapt it to my own campaign.

I'm older and wiser now, so I can pretty much play any SF game.

Everybody seems to have their favorite SF game, so it's more about you finding a game system that you like. Then you need to decide if it takes place in the 'real' universe or in a fictional universe of your own design.

Remember... you don't have to make it all up right away; you and the players can build it as you go along.

Eclipse phase is an amazing setting.  The system leaves much to be desired.

GURPS is 'the' system if you want to only learn one because it can do anything.

Stars Without Number is a good setting, but an excellent system that can be transplanted into any similar setting.  It lacks the versatile of GURPS for non Sci Fi space settings, but it also lacks the complexity of GURPS or the confusion of the Eclipse Phase setting.

I'm late to this party, as usual.  I always found Traveller to be a dead simple system at core:  Roll 2d6  to complete a task.   Success on 8+.  Combat is just another form of Task.  No messy levels, but lots of skills which modify success of a task.

With the advent of Traveller Plus (which was designed for online play and is free to download), it really is versatile enough to use for almost any science-fictional setting with a little work.

You got a third vote throwing in for GURPS...

I'm actually running a game just like this, going the free-form route and it does certainly present some problems.  Usually details you need to come up with on the spot.

With that said, I'd rather enjoy being a character in just such a game as well.  Sadly, the only system so far mentioned I'm slightly familiar with is GURPS.

I feel like I'd have a really hard time developing a sci-fi setting from the ground up, that would be playable in a game.

I can look into eclipse phase, though it doesn't seem quite galactic enough for what I had in mind, and stars without numbers.  Gurps space may also work, but gurps is so involved and requires so many resources to make a full setting that it is a little off putting.  And I'd still have to basically create my own setting and everything that may be allowed in it.

I guess I need to look over these books a lot more and determine my preference.

90% of it you can just ignore.  A lot of time and trouble can be dealt with via the magic of handwavium.  For intance:  You don;t have to develop ships using GURPS Spaceshipps if you don;t want to, just decide how big they are, how 'fast' they move, etc.

Unless a super detailed space combat sim is what you are after (and having mentioned Freeform, that is certainly not sounding like the case).


That's always going to be true.  Unless you grab an already created setting and just riff off it.

Which is what I prefer to do... in fact I tend to grab two or more settings and do a mash-up.  My last space game was Dune + Star Wars + Fading Suns.

If you want a gritty, barebones system, I can’t recommend Mothership enough.  It’s also pay what you want on Drivethrurpg I believe...

Both Eclipse Phase and Mothership are sci-fi horror games. Mechanics are okay, but the campaign setting is not my cup of tea.

Likewise, GURPS is just way too complicated for me these days. Same applies for Space Opera.

It sounds like Stars Without Number is probably the best choice for what you want to run. It has rules for creating your universe.

As an alternative, though, Traveller (any version, really) using Gypsy Knight or Spica Publishing material might give you an alternate campaign setting.

In reply to StarMaster (msg # 16):

You can always change the campaign setting to better suit the game that you want to run.

To me, traveler is similar to gurps.  So many books and versions, it's really hard for someone who has never played it to know which ones are needed, which versions go together, and which are most appealing to players.


I will look over traveler, gurps, stars without numbers, and eclipse phase and decide if any of them could fit a game idea, and if I feel comfortable running the system.

  Mongoose Traveler is by far the easiest one to work with and, while 2E is a bit tidier overall, the two editions are similar enough that the material is largely interchangeable.

  I can't speak for or against the other systems listed, but I'd add Star Trek Adventures by Modiphius to the list. While it defaults to the Trek setting, it wouldn't be too difficult to reskin it for other space opera-ish settings, and the core systems are very easy to work with.

Traveller books are out there, all right, but most all of them except Traveller d20 use the same basic task mechanic I outlined earlier.  That mechanic stayed the same all the way through MegaTraveller, at least.

If you prefer something more generous, look at d6 Epic games like those set in the Honorverse.  (Full Disclosure: I was on the playtest team and contributed proofreading and procedural material to these games.  Didn't make 'em any less fun!)

Looking at the systems I can find so far, I may lean more toward Savage Worlds, possibly using a modified version of their High Space setting.  It seems simple enough to get into and run without my players being far more knowledgeable about the rules than I am, and is the type of sci-fi I was after.  Things like Fragged Empire and Coriolis look interesting but are not the type of sci-fi I was looking for.  And I'd rather avoid the D&D based games, I don't have much success with them on rpol.

Does savage worlds have an audience on rpol interested in that sort of thing?

If using savage worlds count me very interested

Savage worlds always has an audience.  Would you be focusing on the core Sci Fi material, or would specific sci fi settings also be an option?

I'm still looking through them.  right now High Space seems to have the feel I'm after, but I'd probably alter it a bit.  But if I find one I like better, I'll pick it.

or maybe last parsec.

I'm a bit partial to Starfinder if you'd want to run that.

Stars Without Number is also great.

Cypher System is also a good, versatile system for any sort of game, and quick to learn.

I am leaning pretty heavily toward Savage Worlds using the setting last parsec.

The last parsec seems pretty cool from what I've seen, and Savage Worlds is a nice system.