What is the "best" setting for running a scifi ttrpg for new players?
I'm factoring in:
>Availability of Source Books.
>Premade content for idea thieving and getting a running start.
>Assumed/Required lore/knowledge of the setting necessary for play.
I've heard good things about GURPS and Dark Heresy but I know little about them or any others.
Thanks guys.
Oh and
>General Complexity
Star Wars. I only know FFG's version (which fits your criteria), but I've heard good things about d6 as well.
The setting is good for heroic space adventures and easy to get into because, hey, who doesn't know Star Wars?
>>46645291
Ok I'll lurk the /SWg/ in the meantime.
Hopefully Starwars doesn't tip the scales of *maximum dork* and scare them off.
Bumping for great justice.
>>46645271
okay here's what I know.
FULL DISCLOSURE:
I have not played all these systems.
>GURPS
There are many books that will give you the rules for precisely what you want. There are books for pulp space, cyberpunk, traveller, gurps transhuman space, star trek, all sorts of fucken books.
There is a high secondary market and you can probably get any book of ebay or w/e pretty easy and cheap.
There is tonnes of premade content and SJG regularly release adventures or ideas or supplements.
Gurps is usable for any setting or world depending on what rules you use.
It has a reputation for being math heavy and that's somewhat true. 3d6 + mod is a whole step more than d20 + mod, but unless you are planning on doing silly shit like modelling orbital insertions you can more or less get away with the one page ultralight rules. I've only played in one campaign but I enjoyed it, the rules got fairly intuitive after a while and my GM was pretty tight with the character points.
>Dark Heresy
Warhammer 40k roleplaying game. Kinda like a mix of Cops, a blender and MASH in the batshit 40k universe.
It's pretty fun but needs a fair bit of indoctrination otherwise people get spooked off it because the level of grimderp can get a bit much for people.
The books are pretty good, FFG makes a good product. Combat can be a grind and I think the GM wants a bit of practice so they can evaluate challenges properly, but with a good group it's a grand time. Plenty of prewritten material.
>eclipse phase
Honestly I've never played it. I've read through the book a couple times and while I like the setting well enough I haven't been able to decypher the rules.
Rules are available free online, as are all the setting books. A fair bit of content is arranged quite nicely.
There is more than a little political nonsense and it shows, but YMMV.
>>46645439
Thanks mate.
I had my Eye on DK or Rouge Trader(?) Because a friend of mine has the source books and I've played 40K myself. I would see why the grimdark setting might scare off the uninitiated though.
Never heard of eclipse but free is always good so I'll have a look.
GURPS seems to be running in the "Jack of All Trades" neiche and does it "well enough" any chance of scans for books perhaps?
If you're not afraid of reading, Traveller is for you. But it's pretty spergin, depending on version.
In the end it depends on what is available to me.
Can't play what you don't have.
I'll check my FLGS tomorrow while I'm there incase I actually decide to spend money.
>>46645547
Never heard of it
Can you give me a rundown?
>>46645439
>Star Wars
The FFG game is mechanically sound, but the custom dice make it surprisingly inaccessible. I like the system, feels robust and responsive if that makes any sense.
Avoid the original d20 one. It's shiiiiiiiiiiiiiit. Saga edition is maaaaaaaaaarginally better and is a serviceable game if you must play in the star wars universe with a d20.
Apparently the d6 game is all good but I've never played it. I must admit I'm not that invested in Sturr Wurrs.
>Traveller
Cool system, kinda dull base setting. Notable for having the chance of your character die during character generation. Often the ship is as much a character as any of the players. I've not played it but those who love it really love it.
>Alternity
Really funky d20ish ruleset, somewhat similar to some white wolf games? Roll a d20 as the control dice, roll another die which can be a d4, d6, d8, d12 or another d20. Only had a 2 year lifespan so books are almost impossible to come across. Had a cool enough setting, I've got the whole publishing line but I've never played it.
>BRP
Worlds of Wonder? Future World? I honestly don't know much about the BRP sci-fi systems, but I've played a ton of Call of Cthulhu so I know it's a d100 roll-under system, heavy on the skills and you increase your skills by using them. Pretty sure it's a level-less system.
I'm a big fan of the BRP percentile system and I'm pretty sure I could run a sci-fi game in BRP with very little prep work.
>d20 Future
shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit
>>46645526
Rogue Trader is, imo, the best of the FFG 40k games. Kinda washes out the grimderp with East-India Trading Company shenanigans. Fun if your group is half-way interested in 40k in the first place.
>>46645570
Noted, avoiding the
>shiiiiiiiiiiiit
systems
Thank you for you weigh-in
>>46645526
GURPS actually does everything very well because it can be specialized to your liking. Jack of all trades doesn't do it justice. It can literally do everything very fucking great.
Only problem is that the DM has to have a total grasp of all of the rules he wants to use. And I mean total grasp, otherwise it goes about as well as Italy in a modern war.
>>46645711
I see...
Just offhand, how easy is it to get ahold of the books?
>not just running a medieval fantasy game in a modern setting, unmodified, so the PCs are a bunch of bizarrely dressed hobos with ancient magic and weapons
>>46645974
Tempting.
But I think something a little more on the rails would be better for newbies
>>46645526
>Jack of all trades, master of none, though oftentimes better than master of one.
>>46645271
D6 Space, it's based off of Star Wars D6 with the brand names filed off. Most of the D6 books can be found here and can be legally downloaded and shared for free:
https://ogc.rpglibrary.org/index.php?title=OpenD6
