And now a Stargate game, based on 5e

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So, D&Difying Stargate now? Well, I'm not likely to buy that :smile:.

I'm old enough to remember when people complained about everything being a d20 game. Now they're happy when it's a 5e game. Life comes at you pretty fast. :hehe:
Behold the happiness in my post :gunslinger:!
 
The Navy is structured and trained to handle very large, nuclear-powered ships with thousands of crew and dozens of aircraft, as well as fleets of support and battle craft.
The Air Force...well...isn’t.
Also, the United States Naval Academy has had more graduates go on to become US astronauts than any other institution.
 
Cool for 5e fans; maybe something I'd consider getting in PDF just as a reference and idea mine.

If I was going to run Stargate (and I prefer Stargate: Atlantis over SG-1), my first choice for system would be Mongoose Traveller, or the Cepheus Engine. It'd be ideal, for me.
 
Can I just say that I love how in the Stargate Universe, the Air Force is the spacefaring branch of the military? It's never made sense to me how, in most sci fi properties, it's the Navy.

Some of the SG units are made of Marines or Army (SG 3, 5 & 18 are Marine combat teams, and SG 25 is Army). The Air Force is the main branch, but they're not the only branch involved with off world operations.
 
Can I just say that I love how in the Stargate Universe, the Air Force is the spacefaring branch of the military? It's never made sense to me how, in most sci fi properties, it's the Navy.
Because Stargate is near future science fiction. For now space is lumped under various national air forces or is a separate service like Soviet/Russia's Strategic Missile command or the now activated United States Space Force.

Notably Babylon 5 military is called Earthforce and had generals not admirals in high command although it had the naval captain rank. So Earthforce is a hybrid of air force/navy traditions.
 
Cool for 5e fans; maybe something I'd consider getting in PDF just as a reference and idea mine.

If I was going to run Stargate (and I prefer Stargate: Atlantis over SG-1), my first choice for system would be Mongoose Traveller, or the Cepheus Engine. It'd be ideal, for me.

i would also undoubtedly pick something else for a system, but who knows, maybe they will do it up nice. I've heard the modern setting versions of d20 have largely been pretty good.
 
Cool for 5e fans; maybe something I'd consider getting in PDF just as a reference and idea mine.

If I was going to run Stargate (and I prefer Stargate: Atlantis over SG-1), my first choice for system would be Mongoose Traveller, or the Cepheus Engine. It'd be ideal, for me.

Traveller was how I ran it. I initially thought Fate was going to be the game we run it with. My standard practice before running Stargate, however, is to stat up SG-1 in the target system and results in Fate were...surprisingly bad. They didn't map well to the characters from the show at all. So I did a sort of "horse race" in a whole bunch of systems and ultimately it was Traveller that gave me the most satisfying answer. PDQ was a close second I could easily have run it with that, too.

I am still convinced Traveller is the best way to model SG characters.

One of the early versions I worked up for the entire team:

Jack O'Neill 78A87B
Airforce Colonel
Gun Combat(pistols)-1, Gun Combat(rifles)-2, Leadership-2, Recon-1, Streetwise-1, Tactics-1
Team Leader
P-90, Body Armor

---------------------------------------------

Samantha Carter 788CCA
Airforce Major
Enginerring-2, Gun Combat(pistols)-1, Gun Combat(rifles)-1, Leadership-1, Melee(knives)-1, Science(Astrophysics)-2
Team Second-in-command
P-90, Body Armor

---------------------------------------------

Daniel Jackson 779BC6
Archeologist, Linguist
Gun Combat(pistols)-1, Liaison-1, Linguistics-2, Science(archeology)-2
Team ambassodor
Pistol, Body Armor

---------------------------------------------

Teal'c B8C756
Freedom fighter, Former First Prime of Apophis
Customs(Goa'uld)-1, Energy Weapons-2, Melee(Staff)-1, Piloting-1, Streetwise-1
Jaffa
Staff weapon, Body Armor
 
In an unexpected twist, there is now a public Beta playtest for the Stargate game. I'm looking over the document now - do note that you have to both sign up with the forum and join the forum group to get access to the download link. Luckily it's all automated.
 
This goes back a few years but we ran a version in silhouette (first edition). You know the game system for heavy gear, jovian chronicles and Tribe 8... and also those alternate WW2 battle games. Its a great system but... it is not forgiving for death and dismemberment with modern and futuristic weaponry.
 
This goes back a few years but we ran a version in silhouette (first edition). You know the game system for heavy gear, jovian chronicles and Tribe 8... and also those alternate WW2 battle games. Its a great system but... it is not forgiving for death and dismemberment with modern and futuristic weaponry.
That's a perk IMB.
 
Stargate was only ever the first movie for me, sadly (combination of actors, costuming, effects and musical score). The show never grabbed me.

Heh, you and me both. The movie wasn't amazing or anything, but it looked pretty and felt epic and Ra was a cool villain. The show seems to be mostly about the heroes winning by pitting their bare-minimum competence against the villains' startling ineptitude. The most tension-filled episodes are the ones that have no villains and the heroes are dealing with purely environmental hazards.

Even the mooks are better in the movie. Ra's guards looked spectacular, with those fold-away high-tech animal-head helmets. I knew the show was going to suck the moment I saw those ridiculous, over-sized serpent helmets that had tiny visors that opened with a "clonk." :tongue: Yes, sure, I get it, smaller special effects budget, but honestly now...
 
The show had cool concept episodes like the black hole or when the episodes focused on the galaxy being very unknown like where they released the mass murderer.

However the average bad guy focused episodes weren't great. I liked Jackson's death as an ending, after that with the Ancients being humans who became angels (rather than truly alien like earlier episodes suggested, just look at how their architecture shifts) and Earth becoming a major power it got less mysterious and interesting.
 
Seriously, this looks like it's going to fuck you up if you don't get down on your knees and start worshipping it right the hell now:

340


This, on the other hand, looks like it would tip over if you gave it a hard shove:

340
 
Okay read the rules. Basic summary is:
  1. It's 5E based as mentioned.

  2. Main change is that you only go up to level 5, reflecting your trainee time. After that advancement is purely from purchasing feats.

  3. It's far more ranged combat focused than standard 5E

  4. There are non-combat encounters that still have initiative and turn order and "attacks". Such being on trial. Judge might go first, then player 1, etc. Each attack roll would be the character making a point/argument.

  5. Combat initiative can use either DEX or WIS. Non-Combat initiative can use CHA or INT

  6. Every scene or session has a tension die which is meant to reflect the general genre of the episode to simulate the shows serious or silly episodes. The tension die ranges from d4 to d12 and is used to add damage to many attacks and combat feats as well as add to certain investigation type rolls. It also sets how alert enemies are in stealth sections.

  7. In more detail at d4 enemies can be assumed to never get the drop on you, so there is no need to be cautious. Damage is non-lethal until d10. If you go through the rules at d12 TPKs are the most likely outcome as damage is very high.

  8. There is a system called determination points. They have a limited use as a sort of bennies, but mostly they are your "health" in non-combat encounters.

  9. Races are Human, Jaffa, Unas (original Goa'uld hosts), Tokra (nice Goa'uld) and Aturen (new to RPG, a nature loving race). Some of these have very high health compared to the average 5E race. A Jaffe soldier can start with 20+ health at first level.

  10. Classes are diplomat, engineer, scout, medic, scientist, soldier. There are several backgrounds in addition to this that mechanically take the form of +1 to some attribute and an advantage on some kind of check.
 
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Too bad. I think SG would have been a great property for Savage Worlds. Meh, easily remedied with a conversion.

Savage Worlds is what I would use for it, too.

Having said that, though, I never really got into the main series or the Atlantis spinoff. I watched some of the first series, but it just didn't hold my interest. I did live Stargate Universe, though, and was sad to see it get cancelled.
 
@ Séadna Séadna Thank you for the summary. I am surprised they are shoehorning Stargate into 5e when, as many have pointed out, there are excellent systems like Savage Worlds and Barbarians of Lemuria/Everywhen that were designed for this sort of thing.
 
I agree, there are a large number of systems that would evoke the flavor better, but gotta have that 5e audience!

Atuern (new to RPG, a nature loving race)

Aturen. Also, an anagram for nature.

The Aturen live on a moon they call Atura. Atura is the farthest of 3 moons that orbits a Gas Giant planet named Shirkul. It has a diameter of 260,000
kilometers. The orange, pink, and cream colored bands of gas that swirl on Shirkul are beyond compare. They pale only to the magnificence of
the rings surrounding the planet.

The Aturen’s most distinctive features would be that their ears have a slight point to it and they are taller than humans with the shortest being 1.9 meters and can be as tall as 2.2 meters.

space elves?

The Aturen’s past is riddled with savagery and brutality. They were in a state of constant war. Every piece of technology they created was with the purpose of increased death or causing maximum destruction. They did not have any thought to the destruction of their planet. Their need for more power was all that they could think about. Millenia passed of this near constant battle. Atura was once a beautiful moon covered in thick forests and crystal clear oceans, rivers and lakes. As the power struggle continued, only small patches of trees remained of the once vibrant forests. The rivers and oceans were so polluted that nothing could live in them. The race as a whole was on the brink of annihilation and they were taking their planet with them.

It was at the height of the battles, when things were at their worst,

when else would it happen

a young man named Tulrak was quickly rising through the ranks. He wasn’t from the wealthiest family, but that didn’t matter.

of course not, it was already at the worst
When compared with his battle prowess, intelligence, and diplomacy, he was in a class of his own. He became leader of his faction. Realising that the planet they lived on was dying, he tried to persuade the rest of the Aturens to cease fighting amongst themselves and turn their energies toward saving what was left of the planet. By the time he succeeded in getting the wars to end, it was too late. The planet had reached a point that the Aturens did not have the ability to reverse. In a last ditch effort to save his planet, Tulrak went on an epic quest to find a way to save his home. He search all throughout the galaxy, never thinking that it was hopeless. Many years passed, but still he persevered. After much talking and through passionate diplomatic means, one race was convinced to help….the Nox.

The Nox stepped in to save Atura and the Aturen thanks to Tulrak’s determination. The Nox nurtured the Atruens and taught them to be peaceful and to respect nature. They showed them how to reverse the destruction of their environment. Eventually, the rivers ran pure and the forests teamed with life once more. Atura was restored to her former beauty. Tulrak was praised as a Hero and was dubbed The Savior of Atura for his foresight to see what was happening, for his ability to quell the senseless wars, and for reaching the heart the Nox convincing them to help.

Peaceful space elves with a singular savior person who went from total war to total peace and dedicated to restoring their planet. so why would you be involved with this game at all?

Over the centuries, the Aturens evolved to reach a level of enlightenment and now care deeply for the natural world. The Nox decided to share some of their knowledge with them, not all mind you, as the Aturens were still a young race as a whole, and the Nox still remember the destruction that they could cause.
Some intrepid Aturens, being a curious race, started to explore the galaxy, taking with them the knowledge and care for nature that they learned from the Nox. A few of these adventurous Aturens have found their way into the service of Stargate Command in the fight against the Goa’uld.

hey look, societal outcasts. so, lets remove you from society instead of giving a reason for a pacifist (yes, really, they get disadvantage on attack rolls, and won't take any action that does HP or attribute damage, even non-lethal, even against non-living targets and won't use tranquilizers either) space elves to join "in the fight against the Goa'uld" we're going to just make them deviants.

also they get invisibility a number of times per day equal to their prof bonus. So they can also just leave the situation.

Ever scene or session has a tension die which is meant to reflect the general genre of the episode to simulate the shows serious or silly episodes. The tension die ranges from d4 to d12 and is used to add damage to many attacks and combat feats as well as add to certain investigation type rolls. It also sets how alert enemies are in stealth sections.

someone read cortex plus/prime!

I feel like this whole race was written specifically to trigger CRKrueger CRKrueger
 
I agree, there are a large number of systems that would evoke the flavor better, but gotta have that 5e audience!



Aturen. Also, an anagram for nature.



space elves?



when else would it happen



of course not, it was already at the worst


Peaceful space elves with a singular savior person who went from total war to total peace and dedicated to restoring their planet. so why would you be involved with this game at all?



hey look, societal outcasts. so, lets remove you from society instead of giving a reason for a pacifist (yes, really, they get disadvantage on attack rolls, and won't take any action that does HP or attribute damage, even non-lethal, even against non-living targets and won't use tranquilizers either) space elves to join "in the fight against the Goa'uld" we're going to just make them deviants.

also they get invisibility a number of times per day equal to their prof bonus. So they can also just leave the situation.



someone read cortex plus/prime!

I feel like this whole race was written specifically to trigger CRKrueger CRKrueger

Let’s take StarGate and add in a Space Elf race whose background is a metaphor with the subtlety of a jackhammer to the nuts and top it all of with metagame representing TV Show Logic.

Doesn’t exactly scream “Buy me!”.
 
@ Séadna Séadna Thank you for the summary. I am surprised they are shoehorning Stargate into 5e when, as many have pointed out, there are excellent systems like Savage Worlds and Barbarians of Lemuria/Everywhen that were designed for this sort of thing.
One reason is that 5E has a much bigger market than any other game, so you can potentially sell more books. Of course, there is the downside that a lot more companies are competing for the attention of 5E players, but having a recognizable license can help with that.
 
I agree, there are a large number of systems that would evoke the flavor better, but gotta have that 5e audience!



Aturen. Also, an anagram for nature.



space elves?



when else would it happen



of course not, it was already at the worst


Peaceful space elves with a singular savior person who went from total war to total peace and dedicated to restoring their planet. so why would you be involved with this game at all?



hey look, societal outcasts. so, lets remove you from society instead of giving a reason for a pacifist (yes, really, they get disadvantage on attack rolls, and won't take any action that does HP or attribute damage, even non-lethal, even against non-living targets and won't use tranquilizers either) space elves to join "in the fight against the Goa'uld" we're going to just make them deviants.

also they get invisibility a number of times per day equal to their prof bonus. So they can also just leave the situation.



someone read cortex plus/prime!

I feel like this whole race was written specifically to trigger CRKrueger CRKrueger

... why not just make the Nox a playable race? I mean, these guys sound like they are basically Nox wannabes. :hmmm:
 
I'm a huge sf film fan and never got around to the movie and had little interest in the series. Can't imagine such a niche cult show is likely to bring in those not already into the rpg/sf fandom venn diagram.
 
I'm not all that familiar with the show (although, I know about the Wraiths, etc.). I saw the movie back in the day and liked it at the time.

I'm sure it has some decent RPGing potential, as the premise is pretty open after all. But it's not a franchise that I'd be all that interested in. But I'd chomp their hands off if it was something like Farscape. I'd love to see a reboot of that RPG with it's own system. :smile:

Mind you, either of those would be fairly easy to convert to your system of choice (as OP said).
 
Maybe the Nox are too powerful/advanced?
Yes. They're on par with the Asgard, tech-wise.

My wife and I have a tendency to find a sci-fi series and watch all of it (several times, in the case of ST:grin:S9), and we did that with Stargate. I'm in the Traveller or Savage Worlds boat for representing the show, I think that 5e has a bit too much of a gamey feel to it for how the show ran.
 
The Kickstarter's up - with the PDF buyin at $10 I'll probably end up pledging at least that (but I should finish reading the beta first :tongue: )
 
I don’t know if I’ve forgotten or blanked out this atrocity. With so many good systems, better systems, more appropriate systems why would you graft this on to 5(crap)e? Oh yes money. I miss the days when game design involved passion and love for the project in a greater proportion than love of money. I’d just grab a wiki and m-space.
 
Peaceful space elves with a singular savior person who went from total war to total peace and dedicated to restoring their planet. so why would you be involved with this game at all?

From your description, they sound a lot like Vulcans as well.
 
From your description, they sound a lot like Vulcans as well.
I think this is pretty fair, though Vulcans have some philosophical underpinnings that involve them in space travel. The brief bits we've heard don't seem to indicate that for these folks. totally might be more there, of course.
 
Stargate SG-1 is popping up for pre-order at stores now, so I put in my big pre-order with a store that requires payment on shipment rather than at time of order.

The partner really likes 5e rules for whatever reason. If he's interested in rules, I want to indulge that. For me 5e is just sort of inoffensive, not a preference. If it's playable and gets us playing Stargate, then I'm up for it.

Hopefully it won't be a repeat of the experience we had with the AEG version.
 
Hopefully it won't be a repeat of the experience we had with the AEG version.

i’m curious about your experience with the AEG edition. My initial experience with 3.0 was a horrendous one with someone who worked on it, and if it wasn’t for AEG’s Stargate I would never have given 3.x another chance.

If you had to deal with Errata Guy elsewhere, say no more. My own experience with him kept me from interacting with the rest of the fanbase for the game.
 
I've heard some really bad press on the 5e Stargate game.

I really didn't have a problem with the AEG Stargate. In hindsight, I can see it was more complex that it needed to be, but it was a fine playable game, and the AEG/Crafty folks had a better mastery of tuning D20 to do other things that most of the 3pp D20 publishers at the time.
 
i’m curious about your experience with the AEG edition. My initial experience with 3.0 was a horrendous one with someone who worked on it, and if it wasn’t for AEG’s Stargate I would never have given 3.x another chance.

If you had to deal with Errata Guy elsewhere, say no more. My own experience with him kept me from interacting with the rest of the fanbase for the game.

Our experience was one of reading the book and coming to the realization that we would be better off playing something, anything else. The book was overly wordy and padded. It had absolutely no Stargate atmosphere or charm about it whatsoever from our perspective. The system was hyper crunchy in all the wrong ways.
 
Our experience was one of reading the book and coming to the realization that we would be better off playing something, anything else. The book was overly wordy and padded. It had absolutely no Stargate atmosphere or charm about it whatsoever from our perspective. The system was hyper crunchy in all the wrong ways.
I respect that. We were fans of crunch, but even we’ll admit parts of it were bloated and counter-fun.
 
I was looking forward to AEG Stargate when it came out but I'd already tried Spycraft and decided it was overcomplicated and not that fun so when I heard the Stargate was based on Spycraft to no small degree that pushed it way back on my list of games to get. Then I got the chance to play it at a convention and that experience pretty much cemented it for me. I never bought the book since there was so much else to play and as near as I could tell nobody I knew in my area was enthusiastic about it.

I'll definitely take a look at this one, but at this point, I doubt I could get my group interested in it. Such as it is, I hope it's good and hopefully in a few years, I'll get to play it at a convention.
 
I agree, there are a large number of systems that would evoke the flavor better, but gotta have that 5e audience!



Aturen. Also, an anagram for nature.



space elves?



when else would it happen



of course not, it was already at the worst


Peaceful space elves with a singular savior person who went from total war to total peace and dedicated to restoring their planet. so why would you be involved with this game at all?



hey look, societal outcasts. so, lets remove you from society instead of giving a reason for a pacifist (yes, really, they get disadvantage on attack rolls, and won't take any action that does HP or attribute damage, even non-lethal, even against non-living targets and won't use tranquilizers either) space elves to join "in the fight against the Goa'uld" we're going to just make them deviants.

also they get invisibility a number of times per day equal to their prof bonus. So they can also just leave the situation.



someone read cortex plus/prime!

I feel like this whole race was written specifically to trigger CRKrueger CRKrueger
Are those actual quotes from the text of the book? Because, man, is that ever poorly written. I never read the AEG version, but I doubt the fluff was as bad as that.
 
I’m not enough of a fan of Stargate to be that fussed, honestly, but as has been discussed before, I think there might be a rack of licensed games coming for 5E.

While not as overtly aggressive as the whole D20/OGL thing of 20 years ago, the market for 5E is still slowly becoming quite a dominant force in the market place. Notably, they even included the ‘5E Compatible’ as an item in the retail charts this last quarter while, also very notably, Pathfinder has slipped a little in the rankings from its perennial Number 2 (behind D&D) to Number 3 (behind Cyberpunk).

While this could be attributed to incredible sales of Cyberpunk Red, there is also a factor that Pathfinder’s 2nd edition hasn’t quite managed to draw its own fanbase away from Pathfinder 1st edition. To me, this isn’t surprising as Pathfinder fans are fundamentally those that didn’t want to move on from D&D3.5, when D&D4 was released, or move back to D&D when 5E was released. That is, they are a fairly conservative market and may be content with sticking with Pathfinder 1st edition accordingly. However, in the big picture, it suggests that the last bastion of D20/OGL is slowly declining while 5E compatible is in the ascendency.

I don’t think 5E will be as pervasive as D20/OGL was, but it will still be significant. Right now, I see four types of games coming out in the foreseeable future:

- Big IP Licensed games (from TV or whatever), or supplementary settings/campaigns that take the easy option of making themselves 5E compatible.
- Regurgitated classic titles, such as Traveller, Warhammer, WoD or Cyberpunk that mostly try to recapture the same underlying mechanics as the original with ‘modern’ tweaks.
- House systems from specific companies - like Modipius’ 2D20, Fria Ligen’s MY0 system, or generic ‘family' systems like BRP, Fate, Savage Worlds or PbtA.
- New, independently designed games that don’t generally sell enough that anybody cares.

Game designers, take your pick.
 
Are those actual quotes from the text of the book? Because, man, is that ever poorly written. I never read the AEG version, but I doubt the fluff was as bad as that.
There was a hilarious bit in the episode summaries where someone didn’t finish watching an episode and just wrote how they guessed the ending would play out.

it was the exact opposite of what happened.
 
Are those actual quotes from the text of the book? Because, man, is that ever poorly written. I never read the AEG version, but I doubt the fluff was as bad as that.
Those words are not exactly, no. They are my cynical paraphrase of what is there. However the race is accurately described I feel like.
 
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