I've been thinking of running an #ttrpg campaign based on #theexpanse universe.
But.
I'm not a fan of the official #rpg
Looking at my options for rulesets I like that are (somewhat) easy to adapt my current options are:
Open D6 (Have played Star Wars D6)
Basic RolePlaying (Love #BRP)
SpaceMaster (Played LOTS of RoleMaster)
With upcoming Mutant: Ad Astra as a possibility.
What are your experience with those? And have I missed something I must know of?
@lordhumlan I think the toolkit in Stars Without Number could be very useful, especially if this is post-Ring opening. I don't know that the system itself is very fitting.
I'll mention my favorite - Cypher System with the Stars Are Fire expansion book. The included setting is very Expanse-like to begin with.
Have no experience with either of those three but will recommend two. First you have already heard of Stars Without Number. There are folks out there who have run it in a single system.
Second is Ironsworn: Starforged. PbtA at its core and a bit of wild card for you. Leans a bit more into the wonders of exploration but still features robust enough social and faction (if stretching it a bit) mechanics for it to fit. Much more narrative than SWN.
@lordhumlan That is a LOT of crunch (including Open D6 when you start trying to do things like space combat, though it is on the lower side). Is that level of mechanical complexity something that you feel is necessary in your vision of The Expanse or are you willing to lean into something more narrative to get more of the story beats rather than pulling the levers and pushing the buttons of the game machine? If it's the latter, that's perfectly reasonable but…
Someone else suggested #Ironsworn: #Starforged (https://www.ironswornrpg.com/product-ironsworn-starforged) and while that is one of my favorite RPGs of the last several years, if not my FAVORITE RPG of the last several years, I'm not sure it really catches that Expanse vibe for me. You would probably want to hack it a fair amount in order to restrict the scope appropriately. It could do it, and it would be great, but I don't think it's quite the right fit. I think a lot of the mechanics would be extremely useful.
If you don't mind spending a few dollars, and by that I mean a fair chunk, I might give it a stab in the #Alien RPG (https://modiphius.us/collections/alien-rpg); the stress mechanic for campaign play would be really good for a lot of Expanse situations. Crunchy but not too crunchy.
@lordhumlan I suppose a lot of it hinges on whether you want to focus on the sort of exploration/unknown feeling of a good chunk of the first season or more of the political machinations and being a pawn in larger wheels within wheels that you find in the later seasons. That makes a big difference as to what would be a good choice.
For instance, I used Those Dark Places for a character in Character Creation Challenge 2024 which turned out extremely well.
TDP is really about getting that ratcheting tension thing going with characters who are probably in over their heads, because that's their job. A group of ice miners who find themselves in control of a fairly powerful warship and on the run? It could work for that.
https://grimtokens.garden/Thoughts/Character+Creation+Challenge+2024+-+Day+13+-+Those+Dark+Places
If that's a little insufficiently crunchy for you, you can pick up #Pressure which uses much the same resolution mechanic but which breaks character skills down further, though in exchange it really is more about long-term play.
https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/459432/pressure-industrial-science-fiction-roleplaying
@lordhumlan Really, I think we have to talk about what kind of experience you want your players to have in the course of the game and whether you want to be a GM or another player who is the facilitator because you know the rules, the latter being which I generally prefer.
Where do you want to go with it?
@lextenebris I want a rulesystem I know and are comfortable with, so I just can wing it as we play 😎
After all, the story is the important part.
@lordhumlan All right, it wasn't clear that you were looking for something that you already had, especially with that last sentence.
Of that lot, Open D6 is probably the best choice. Especially if you have played a fair amount of it in one of its incarnations or another. BRP and SM are both going to bring a lot of assumptions about the way the setting functions through the mechanics to the table, and you're probably going to find that fairly annoying in the long run. Open D6 will largely stay out of the way, letting you focus on bringing a sense of that hard science fiction and as much of the politics as you want into the game.
@lordhumlan It's a cool system, and it can be pretty crunchy but it's not entirely laden with skills so there's not a lot of micro adjustment that has to happen during play. (One of my personal bugaboos.)
If I'm not mistaken, Ad Astra is a fairly soft science fiction setting, right? Post-apocalyptic mutants pushing something more realistic than Gamma World, for sure.
If you don't already have MY0, Ad Astra isn't going to contain the core mechanics; it's pure supplement. If your player can go ahead and toss you the PDF, give it a look before you commit.
Lord Humlan
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Busy Wyvern
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LexTenebris