The Best Choices for a Space Opera campaign in the current year

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Savage Worlds Adventure Edition is in-print. It can be easily ordered from the publisher, Amazon, etc. if it's not in your local stores. It's great for adventure games. The core book says little, if anything, about spaceships, though. There will be a new Science Fiction Companion coming out. Also, it's mostly easy to convert stuff from the previous edition's Science Fiction Companion.

The Savage Worlds hardback was pretty much out of stock everywhere in the UK in gaming shops for a long spell. Not sure why but I guess all supply chains are messed up. Amazon would have been an option, I choose to wait until eventually it reappeared at Leisure Games.

The new hardback is so much nices to use than the old Explorer Edition paperback which felt like it was going to fall apart at any moment.
 
Something I find myself wondering is which of the permutations of Cepheus Engine that have turned up are the most popular? I assume Cepheus Deluxe by Stellagama has a good share of proponents.
Hostile has a looooot of settings for it. I've been fiddling with updating ffilz ffilz character generator and they just have a ton.
 
Hostile has a looooot of settings for it. I've been fiddling with updating ffilz ffilz character generator and they just have a ton.
Interesting. I thought Hostile was a setting. What kind of settings have been released?
 
Interesting. I thought Hostile was a setting. What kind of settings have been released?
I think it's both. It has a mechanics book and a setting book. The mechanics is pretty traveller/Cepheus based. I got this bundle of settings/rules
Here's the companies dtrpg page.
 
Hostile has a looooot of settings for it. I've been fiddling with updating ffilz ffilz character generator and they just have a ton.
This is cool, but please give credit to Paul Gorman. I just took his generator, fixed some bugs, added some options to customize it, and hyped it. robertsconley robertsconley has contributed as much to it as I have by adding Supplement 4. But Paul Gorman wrote the original so I consider it Paul Gorman's character generator.
 
This is cool, but please give credit to Paul Gorman. I just took his generator, fixed some bugs, added some options to customize it, and hyped it. robertsconley robertsconley has contributed as much to it as I have by adding Supplement 4. But Paul Gorman wrote the original so I consider it Paul Gorman's character generator.
I've basically rewritten the whole thing as a learning experience using modules and just playing around more with classes, etc. I'm planning to make inputs compatible so people don't have to learn new things.
 
I've basically rewritten the whole thing as a learning experience using modules and just playing around more with classes, etc. I'm planning to make inputs compatible so people don't have to learn new things.
In your rewrite do you see a way to include function from a different page? I’d love to be able to point people to some custom tables by specifying an option on the”command line” (I.e. in the URL).
 
In your rewrite do you see a way to include function from a different page? I’d love to be able to point people to some custom tables by specifying an option on the”command line” (I.e. in the URL).
What language is this written in and where might one find it?
 
In your rewrite do you see a way to include function from a different page? I’d love to be able to point people to some custom tables by specifying an option on the”command line” (I.e. in the URL).
I'm using modules if that's what you mean? They might have been added since you wrote yours.
 
I'm using modules if that's what you mean? They might have been added since you wrote yours.
What I'd like to have the capability of doing is as a URL parameter like the others, point to a different URL with a custom module to provide some of the functionality. So people can plug in alternate skill tables for example.

The other option is I build my alternate skill tables into the generator and pick them with a URL parameter.
 
What I'd like to have the capability of doing is as a URL parameter like the others, point to a different URL with a custom module to provide some of the functionality. So people can plug in alternate skill tables for example.

The other option is I build my alternate skill tables into the generator and pick them with a URL parameter.
For my own sanity implementing various setting Services I'm building a service creation tool. Right now it's just to do simple stuff so I can focus on the other parts but ultimately it could be more robust and user friendly and do what you suggest. I'd do a setting tool too but that's a ways away right now.
 
I think when I started this thread I was seeking insight into what games were popular and being played in 2022. I wanted to introduce my current group to a currently in-print game they could maybe pick up at a local store. I've since visited several local stores and made the disheartening discovery that looking at those shelves Starfinder is the only option present. Did FFG stop publishing their Star Wars game? I didn't see any sign of it at the places I checked. On the other hand, maybe it's selling so well that my local stores can't keep it in stock...

Another thought I'm considering is whether or not Intrigue + Honor would lend itself to Sword & Blaster settings...

Starfinder is probably your best bet from what I know of, I've played a few campaigns and have had fun with it. I love Rogue Trader to bits, but it's not in print anymore, and the books are pricy on ebay.
 
I like Mothership. It reallt only fits certain grittier, darker styles. If you want an epic starwars, or trek type game its not the one. But if your looking for an Aliens, or Outland type game I think it works very well.
 
Has anybody given Spaceships and Starwyrms a try or at least taken a look at it? It's 5E so I'm a little reluctant to consider it.
 
I will just note that, in reading this thread up to date, I tried the Traveller character creator with the Supplement 4 option turned on. I got a 22 year old PC who had finished a single term as a Bureaucrat, earning the skills Interrogation, Liaison, Shotgun, and Tracked Vehicle. He was promoted to Supervisor and then denied a chance to reenlist. I'm guessing that Shotgun-1 and Interrogation-1 may have been factors in the decision.
 
He was promoted to Supervisor and then denied a chance to reenlist. I'm guessing that Shotgun-1 and Interrogation-1 may have been factors in the decision.

This is why I sometimes prefer the simpler Traveller/Cepheus chargen systems compared to the more detailed ones that specify exactly what happened each term -- it's fun to interpret the results and how the character got there.
 
Oh, man. Space Opera! Let's see...

We find this one to be pretty cool:
Fragged Empire
:shade:
I backed the second edition. Got three corebooks in the mail. Just the right level of crunch and I love the traits and modifications for gear. I also dig the expansions.
I've heard Star Frontiers:New Genesis is full of shit coming soon.
Seriously, someone needs to do a retroclone of Star Frontiers. I had a bunch of the boxed sets when I was a teenager.
Has anybody here tried Star Scoundrels? What was your experiences with it?
I haven't had a chance to get that version of the system to the table, but I have gotten to run and play Neon City Overdrive several times.

Nathan Russel of Peril Planet has several games that use this core system, all iterations of what will eventually be Freeform Universal second edition. They include NCO, Dungeon Crawlers, Star Scoundrels, Hard City, & Tomorrow City. All of them have some rules tweaking to make the system fit the genre a bit more, so you could easily mix and match the stuff you like.

The basic system feels like a meatier version of Risus, if you ever read or played it. You have three core traits you can chose or make up with specific actions you can decide are explicitly covered by your trait, like private eye or soldier. You get to pick a few things you excell at and usually some basic gear. Each trait and part of a trait you can apply to a task add a d6 to your pool. It's pretty strait forward.

I highly recommend going and picking up Nathan's Birthday Bundle. It has Dungeon Crawlers, Star Scoundrels, all four books for NCO, and an assortment of other goodies. Hard City and the soon to be released Tomorrow City are published through Osprey Publishing, so they aren't part of the bundle.

Edit to add: Tomorrow City dropped today. Dieselpunk, anyone?

In a similar vein is Black Star by LakeSide Games. It's more codified. All actions are accomplished by rolling 2d6 and adding modifiers from 10 abilities. There are 10 archetypes and players pick two from the list to get their abilities and access to talents. There are rules for aliens and robots, too. There is also a Companion that expands you options including the addition of psychic powers (mystical powers are in the core). A third party has put out a book for Mecha.
 
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Any recommendations for something that's more Flash Gordon (onward brave hawkmen!) and less hard sci fi that isn't Spelljammer? Less interested in the system, more in ideas from people who are a lot cleverer than I.
 
Any recommendations for something that's more Flash Gordon (onward brave hawkmen!) and less hard sci fi that isn't Spelljammer? Less interested in the system, more in ideas from people who are a lot cleverer than I.
For what it's worth, there's a Savage Worlds adaptation of Flash Gordon, and I want to say there are a few Flash-inspired games that have turned up over the years, but I'm afraid titles are elusive at the moment.
 
For what it's worth, there's a Savage Worlds adaptation of Flash Gordon, and I want to say there are a few Flash-inspired games that have turned up over the years, but I'm afraid titles are elusive at the moment.
Obviously it's not specifically Flash Gordon I'm after but something in that vein.

I'm talking neon, more spandex than the mods in the 80s, robots that run on casettes. An absolute offensively excessive amount of lasers. Soundtrack by Kraftwerk.

That kind of thing!
 
Obviously it's not specifically Flash Gordon I'm after but something in that vein.

I'm talking neon, more spandex than the mods in the 80s, robots that run on casettes. An absolute offensively excessive amount of lasers. Soundtrack by Kraftwerk.

That kind of thing!
Something along the lines of the 1979 Buck Rogers tv series mayhap? Have you looked at Strange Stars?
 
Any recommendations for something that's more Flash Gordon (onward brave hawkmen!) and less hard sci fi that isn't Spelljammer? Less interested in the system, more in ideas from people who are a lot cleverer than I.
https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/107374/swords-of-almuric-barbarians-of-lemuria-edition That would be my choice for setting. (Probably. Unless I decide to fuck up with some people's heads and run Tales of Gor...but I'm afraid it might attract the wrong public in at least two different ways:shade:).

https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/409258/Intriguing-Options-Volume-2-Blasters--Intrigue That would probably be my choice for system.

https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/60955/MARS-Savage-Worlds-Edition That would be a supplemental material. The GM chapter has a cool "create your own adventure for the incoming session" material, which results in somewhat linear...ahem, "threads of events".

https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/150029/realms-beyond-the-perisphere It's got interesting approach to the genre, so may or may not be worth getting. It is for Blade of the Iron Throne, which is fencing-heavy.

https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/179661/sword-planet-a-campaign-guide (PWYW) Definitely worth getting. The price is up to you.

https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/400199/planets-of-peril-sword-planet-fantasy-rpg Also worth getting for supplemental material.

https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/279075/TwoFisted-Tales-Thrilling-Pulp-RPG-Second-Edition I enjoyed the take on pulp, and what are Swords and Planet stories, if not Pulp?

https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/57437/hellas-quick-start-rules Quickstart of one of the best settings...but read it and check whether it's to your liking:thumbsup:!
 
I heard lot of good things about Black Star. Seems like a good choice for a light-hearted Space Opera campaign.

EDIT: and of course, the whole Rocket Age line which is pretty cool.
 
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https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/107374/swords-of-almuric-barbarians-of-lemuria-edition That would be my choice for setting. (Probably. Unless I decide to fuck up with some people's heads and run Tales of Gor...but I'm afraid it might attract the wrong public in at least two different ways:shade:).

https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/409258/Intriguing-Options-Volume-2-Blasters--Intrigue That would probably be my choice for system.

https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/60955/MARS-Savage-Worlds-Edition That would be a supplemental material. The GM chapter has a cool "create your own adventure for the incoming session" material, which results in somewhat linear...ahem, "threads of events".

https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/150029/realms-beyond-the-perisphere It's got interesting approach to the genre, so may or may not be worth getting. It is for Blade of the Iron Throne, which is fencing-heavy.

https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/179661/sword-planet-a-campaign-guide (PWYW) Definitely worth getting. The price is up to you.

https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/400199/planets-of-peril-sword-planet-fantasy-rpg Also worth getting for supplemental material.

https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/279075/TwoFisted-Tales-Thrilling-Pulp-RPG-Second-Edition I enjoyed the take on pulp, and what are Swords and Planet stories, if not Pulp?

https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/57437/hellas-quick-start-rules Quickstart of one of the best settings...but read it and check whether it's to your liking:thumbsup:!
If I was wearing a hat sir, rest assured it would be tipped in your direction!
 
If I was wearing a hat sir, rest assured it would be tipped in your direction!
You're welcome! Swords and Planet is one of my favourite genres since...well, since the 90ies, at least, if not earlier:grin:!

(Swords and Planet, Swashbuckling, Wuxia, True Crime Investigations, Spy/thriller, Swords and Sorcery, SF, Historical, Cyberpunk, Modern Day, maybe a dash of horror...I'm quite predictable, and easy to please:shade:).
 
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