Sci-Fi based BRP game that is not dead?

[vagabond]

My own opinion then and now is that what Chaosium / BRP needs is an in house SF game:

• based on the BGB, and through its subsystenms laying the groundwork for future takes on different sub-genres
  
• with a setting specifically tailored to maximize its appeal, whilst leaving the door open for future supplements
  
• Self contained in a single book, so a single purchase will let people get started.
  

Fond as I am of Future*World neither it, nor even a "modern" reworking such as my own Outpost 19 fits the bill I suspect. Nor will a Ringworld with the serial numbers filed off I suspect. I think better approach is to think about what tabletop RPG's excel at; what their strengths are (teams; action on the scale of individuals; stories focused on characters) and build the initial setting from there and use that as the spring board for the game.

Cheers,

Nick

So, I suspect I need to get started on "Tramp Freighter RPG"

Ian

[pansophy]

To be honest, there is no SciFi setting out there that would keep me or my players interested for more than a year. Don't know why that is, maybe it is the lack of available content. So our workaround currently is to adapt different adventures from different sources to BRP and use them. Works quiet well and as we switch the GameMaster with every adventure, the universe is created by everybody. We came up with some rules before starting this way, so we make sure there is nothing in the game we do not like to see (e.g. Orcs, church, magic, teleportation).

I can say the universe we created this way is very open, vast and full of surprises. Virtually everything is possible, and the best thing is we finally could use all the adventure modules out there and play them.

It does not really matter there is no written background available, the adventure modules created the known background by them self.

You need a common basis though, some ideas and a list of things you want to see and you do not want to see. A good help was the game "Microscope", although we did use it only as a guide how to create the setting, rather than following the rules. It created a nice framework we follow for three years now.

And to be honest: my first sci-fi game was Star Frontiers and the setting information in there was about 6 pages of text. We still managed to play that game for a decade, without buying anything else. Inspiration from books and movies found the way into the setting, and never were we itching for something "canon".

Nowadays my thought is: the more stuff is available, the more you feel missing something. So break free of this habit and use what's already available. Simply bolt it on to your setting and you see how good it actually works.

[Gollum]

I can say the universe we created this way is very open, vast and full of surprises. Virtually everything is possible, and the best thing is we finally could use all the adventure modules out there and play them.

It does not really matter there is no written background available, the adventure modules created the known background by them self.

I fully do agree with that. The universe is so huge, with so many possibilities, that there is no reason to limit oneself to only one SF role playing game background.

The Star Trek series give a good idea of what is possible: discovering new worlds, new forms of life, new points of view on the universe, new challenges...

You want to make a break with star travel and would like a couple of fantasy adventures? No problem! The PC's ship just crashes on a primitive planet with medieval technology... Survival? A desert planet, a wild and unexplored one... or the space itself! There are so many possibilities... Horror? See Alien series. Who know how many monsters the universe can hide... Ghost stories? Here again, a lot of SF movies tell us that... Political intrigue? Just let the PC enter a system with a complex government... Investigation? The future will probably have as many criminals as our present or history... Military action? Here again, opportunities are incalculable...

Actually, you can take any adventure of any role playing game, SF or not, and make it a good SF story with a few changes.

Of course, as you said it very well, you still need a basis to make your universe coherent. At least, at for beginning... Because as soon as the PCs go far enough, the governments, the technology, and even the physical laws can change completely.

They even may be several universes, if you wish, with gates between them (black holes, moving magnetic fields...).

With SF, the only limit is your imagination.

[rogerd]

Check out this new Sci-fi game. Cold & Dark | Wicked World Games It combines all the elements of what a good sci-fi needs to have...IMHO))

I've got it and it's wicked

Not had chance to play a game yet though. Same goes for Alpha Omega too, although a hack is being discussed over on RPG.net

I did have some ideas for a science fiction setting but I ran into the issues of qualities and drawbacks, which D100 doesn't really have, short of doing what RQ did and cloak them under Heroic Abilities / Powers like Dragon Lines / Celestial Empire does. It also picked apart the Cthulhu setting to some extent, adding some B5 elements to it.

Trouble with converting Eclipse Phase though, is how would you let someone create different morphs? It'd be incredibly rules heavy as you customise your empty slots with equipment.

[Gollum]

Trouble with converting Eclipse Phase though, is how would you let someone create different morphs? It'd be incredibly rules heavy as you customise your empty slots with equipment.

I don't have Eclipse Phase, so I don't know how complex it can be. But one of the main purpose of the Basic Role Playing system is to be as simple as possible.

That is even what made me switch from GURPS to BRP. You don't have to calculate the cost of each attributes, advantage, disadvantage, perk, quirk, technique, etc., that you take...

In GURPS, a different morph could be rather complex to design, because you would have to calculate the new cost of everything... But why not making it just simple in BRP? A new character sheet with new stat, and that's all. When the player changes morph, he just takes the new character sheet.

[rogerd]

That is even what made me switch from GURPS to BRP. You don't have to calculate the cost of each attributes, advantage, disadvantage, perk, quirk, technique, etc., that you take...

As much as the Gurps system is cool in some ways it can get a little overly crunchy.

But why not making it just simple in BRP? A new character sheet with new stat, and that's all. When the player changes morph, he just takes the new character sheet.

It's not really simple at all really, even in BRP I suspect. Although you change to a new character, outwardly, it's the stats that are the problem. You'd need to have all that laid out, hard points that can be spent to customise. Not an easy thing. I'm guessing that is sort of why EP is so successful in that way ----it is designed in that manner.

[Gollum]

As much as the Gurps system is cool in some ways it can get a little overly crunchy.

I fully do agree. GURPS is outstanding when you want results in game that sound realistic... But it sometimes take so much time to create the character you want to play, that is, to customize the advantages or disadvantages exactly as you imagine them, that it can limit your imagination to the most usual (but already designed) ones.

It's not really simple at all really, even in BRP I suspect. Although you change to a new character, outwardly, it's the stats that are the problem. You'd need to have all that laid out, hard points that can be spent to customise. Not an easy thing. I'm guessing that is sort of why EP is so successful in that way ----it is designed in that manner.

I suppose the best way to do it could be to create each new morph as a full character, using the optional Point-Based Character Cretion system rather than the random rolls for characteristics (page 19 of the Big Golden Book). That way, all the morphs would be balanced and still different.

[KjetilKverndokken]

Eclipse Phase would not be to hard to convert.

Each Morph has Skill and Characteristic bonuses (Power/equipment mods too) you lay over your base sheet.

I see this as something that could be done over just a day from all the Corebook morphs. It took me just about 5 hours to convert each Alpha Omega species, and the whole genetics chapter - and this is not much different

[rogerd]

I suppose the best way to do it could be to create each new morph as a full character

Absolutely, but need to create the template first. Sort of like how their are different stats for for various different types of vampires.

using the optional Point-Based Character Cretion system rather than the random rolls for characteristics (page 19 of the Big Golden Book). That way, all the morphs would be balanced and still different.

You'd have to have different templates though, with different attributes maximums.

[Gollum]

Absolutely, but need to create the template first. Sort of like how their are different stats for for various different types of vampires.

[...]

You'd have to have different templates though, with different attributes maximums.

OK. Then, as said by KjetilKverndokken, the best way to do it would be to design each template as a set of bonuses and penalties the character's characteristic...

I don't have Eclipse Phase, but to best explain what I want to mean, something like STR-5, DEX+2, CON+3 could for instance correspond to a Hobbit.

Such bonuses and penalties automatically give the characteristic maximum: STR 13 (18-5), DEX 20 (18+2) and CON 21 (18+3). Furthermore, it is easy to apply them to any character. If my STR 14, DX 12, CON 14 human warrior suddenly changes morph to become a Hobbit, his characteristic become STR 9, DEX 14 and CON 17...

[Gatalion]

Are there any BRP rules for starship battles and hyperspace?

[Link6746]

I've never run a sci fi game in BRP, but I think the easiest thing to do would be to give ships their own stats as NPCs or PCs, use an alternative distance (1 KM - 3 KM) for combat power usage per unit (powers being used to simulate special components, but being altered wherever SIZ comes into play), and have the skill checks rely on the pilot, while stats are determined by components. (Sentient/AI'd ships would have their own skills, and use the highest of PC or Ship skill as well as be able to assist)

As for hyperspace, I'd say this would be a skill check with a modifier to the type of difficulty (easy/normal/hard) depending on the ship's computer and hyperdrive. A better setup would make it an easier check, and enable hyperspace to be entered with less limitations as to where, when, and so on.

Furthermore, there should be consequences that could potentially alter the campaign for hyperspace drive failure. In Sci-fi, for instance, hyperspace drives that malfunction have been known to send people to other dimensions, times, unintended places, or leave them in hyperspace indefinitely. Perhaps hyperspace drives that overheat could send someone scattered across the whole universe.

Edited April 30, 2013 by Link6746
hyperspace

[G. K. Zhukov]

Are there any BRP rules for starship battles and hyperspace?

Worlds Beyond (1989; not in print and good luck trying to find it second hand) had a chapter on starship design (including discussion of FTL drive) and another on starship combat.

[Eric L. Webb]

Noble Knight is selling two used copies of Worlds Beyond..$50. If the game really uses BRP as its ruleset i may have to buy a copy....its got starship rules, new alien species and equipment.

[pansophy]

Well, looking at my copy of Worlds Beyond .... I do not understand the hype. It uses "a kind of" the BRP system, and the starship creation rules are very generic. To be honest, they do nothing that a good starship combat game could not do. Go and buy "Starmarda", "Warcosm" or "Full Thrust" for a good set of space combat rules. And these systems come with starship creation rules as well. Trust me, you won't feel a difference.

It's not worth 50$ IMHO. More like 10-15 bucks.

BTW: the "HARP SF XTREME" rules seem to be good for RPG space combat and vehicle creation. Not sure about the price tag though.

I will stick to my minis rules

[fmitchell]

I will stick to my minis rules

Spaceship rules are, ironically, the least important part of a science fiction game for me. You could always transplant something you like: rules for minis, GURPS Starships, the old Star Wars D6 system, whatever. You could even skip ship rules entirely: "You dock at Omicron Persei spaceport; what now?" It's worked for Doctor Who these past 50 years.

The interesting questions for me are a) whether characters are more than coat-racks for their technology, and whether technology is just the stuff we have now iiiiin spaaaaaace or whether it challenges fundamental assumptions about human existence. Heck, in my lifetime I've seen the fall of the Soviet Union, the rise of the Internet/Web, artificial hearts, face transplants, RFID, retina scanners, 3D printers, and computers more powerful than ones I owned in college that now fit in your pocket. I like space opera and planetary romances as much as the next guy, but I prefer visions of the future that actually feel like the future.

[Jeffrywith1e]

Well, looking at my copy of Worlds Beyond .... I do not understand the hype. It uses "a kind of" the BRP system, and the starship creation rules are very generic. To be honest, they do nothing that a good starship combat game could not do. Go and buy "Starmarda", "Warcosm" or "Full Thrust" for a good set of space combat rules. And these systems come with starship creation rules as well. Trust me, you won't feel a difference.

It's not worth 50$ IMHO. More like 10-15 bucks.

BTW: the "HARP SF XTREME" rules seem to be good for RPG space combat and vehicle creation. Not sure about the price tag though.

I will stick to my minis rules

I agree with you about Worlds Beyond. Kind of a meh product. I somehow picked up a copy a while ago. Let me ask you a strange question about your copy... does it have a distinct oder to it? Mine has an almost burnt smell, but not quite. I suspect it's some kind of binding glue or powerful smell from whatever ink was used. Anyway, it's kind of strange.

[seneschal]

Actually, you're getting a whiff of Acturus IV, where it was printed ...

[pansophy]

hahaha, yes. I think it is the ink they used, noticed that as well while skimming through the Pegasus German CoC books.

[MARC C]

Hello all! First post here.

After 30 years of trying out different systems I've come back to elegant d100 mechanics of CoC/BRP. I'm surprised that there is no official Hard-SF offering for BRP. I would certainly like to see something where one can run campaigns along the lines of Culture books by Ian M Banks. While we wait for something official (or a monogram) I would suggest mixing BRP with Eclipse Phase RPG. Both games are d100.

Edited May 19, 2013 by MARC C

[Gollum]

Hello all! First post here.

After 30 years of trying out different systems I've come back to elegant d100 mechanics of CoC/BRP. I'm surprised that there is no official Hard-SF offering for BRP. I would certainly like to see something where one can run campaigns along the lines of Culture books by Ian M Banks. While we wait for something official (or a monogram) I would suggest mixing BRP with Eclipse Phase RPG. Both games are d100.

Hello Marc!

Welcome on board. You made a very good choice. The BRP is, as you wrote it, elegant. Simple, universal and with enough optional rules to satisfy everyone...

There is no official SF BRP background, yet, but you can still find a SF BRP adventure: Operation Ulysse.

Operation Ulysses PDF Chaosium Inc.

Mixing BRP and Eclipse Phase is a good idea. This is moreover one of the great features of the BRP system: you can adapt any other role playing game to the BRP rules very easily, because everything in BRP is rated with percentages; so, it is really easy to guess the stats of any character as soon as you have his description. A skilled amateur? 40%. A quite good professional? 60%. A good expert? 80%. A master? 90%. An incredible champion? 120%.

Have a lot of fun with the BRP, as we all do.

[Eric L. Webb]

theres a dead tree version of Operation Ulysses as well..but they put it in the "Monograph" section, not the BRP section.

[MARC C]

Tx guys very useful links.

As someone around here worked on a Star Wars version for BRP?

[NickMiddleton]

Tx guys very useful links.

As someone around here worked on a Star Wars version for BRP?

Star Wars - Downloads - Basic Roleplaying Central

Nick

[MARC C]

Cheers my friend!