"The absolute best SF game ever....period..." Topic

Starships, skirmish, VSF, or massive land battles…what's your call? As long as its SF and it includes some form of minis…it can be included in the vote. Obviously it could be conceivable that some folks will have trouble just picking 1, 2, or 3 favs…so lets make it an option to post your top 5. If you post multiple choices please list them in a favorite order if at all possible.

Me?

1) Space Hulk (original + 2nd Ed.)
2) Rogue Trader
3) Space Marine (Epic Warhammer 40k)

Do mine seem a little dated? Yeah, I stopped playing SF about 10 years ago. I have 5150, Ambush Z, and FWC all at home but havent played them yet.

Have at it Mates.

1) For excitement and fun: Starfleet Battles before the 3 ring binder of doom came out.
2) For Realism: Attack Vector:Tactical
3) Ground Combat: Rogue Trader
4) Boardgames: Starfire by Task Force Games and Imperium by GDW

starships: Starmada- Admiralty
ground: Wardogs
victorian: Iron Stars

1 Heavy Gear Blitz or smaller skirmish plain Heavy Gear

2 Warzone – just the rules – the minis not so much

3 Warhammer 40K 5th edition – because the figs are fun to paint and it is what the game group likes to play.

1) For realism: Stargrunt II
2) For fluidity and elegance: Forge of War
3) For speed and scope: Fast and Dirty 4

Space Hulk. It's brilliant, simple, fast, elegant, and perfectly captures a classic sci-fi theme: Elite human warriors exploring a dangerous, deserted spaceship, and encountering horrific alien life forms.

Campaign system: Necromunda
Cinematic chicanery: Rezolution
Equipment working like it ought to (and a good initiative system): Warzone 1st Edition
High-tech handled well (and an even better orders/initiative system and a background which makes sense): AT-43
Stupid fun: Battlefleet Gothic

They're SF, but don't *require* minis, just cooler with them:

starships: Star Fleet Battles
SFRPG: Traveller
quick-play fun: Awful Green Things From Outer Space

Necromunda's campaign system is a lot of fun, thanks for pointing that out Blackscribe.

Full Thrust

NAC vs. FSE (old style vessels, since I still really like those).

Of course, the new sculpts are superb too.

Ground Combat: Future War Commander
Skirmish: Combat Zone
Fleet combat: Full Thrust
Fighter Combat: Silent Death (Nighthawk: Happines is a warm sext splattergun)
SFRPG: 2300AD

G.

For me it is the following….

1. Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader – I have tried many others since (5150, combat zone, Aetherverse, DVG, FAD blah-blah etc), and while not perfect it is still the best. Any rules that allow me to mix sci-fi and 2nd edition Warhammer, how I like has got to be good.

2. Space Hulk – 1st Edition rules, as near perfect as is possible so no need to upgrade, I use 2nd edition floor tiles though.

3. Full Thrust 2 – very good fun and I do prefer it to 2.5.

4. Hammers Slammers/Hammers Anvils – simple and entertaining games in either 28 or 6mm.

5. Kyromek – very, very good sci-fi skirmish game with some nice rule mechanisms, not as adaptable as RT unfortunately or it would be placed much higher.

6. Ogre/GEV – Simple and fun in either board or miniatures versions

7. BattleTech – "The" game for detailed Mech combat

8. Star Fleet Battles – The game for detailed space combat, no longer have a (big) copy now?

9. Combat Zone – I do like this set but the combat mechanism is a pain so hence this position

10. OHMU Warmachine – Does what most of the above 6mm rules will do, and while I own a copy of the rules, I haven`t had a game for many years hence this placement.

AS

Awful Green Things from Outer Space.

All the best,

John.

Space Hulk
Battletech (but only pre clan…after that it gets pretty dull)
Infinity

I have a couple:

West End Game's Assault on Hoth
GW's Doom of the Eldar (that was fun game!)
Squad Leader (before it got crazy)
Victory in the Pacific (just a plain fun game)
The Gamer's Africa (another just plain fun game)

Miniatures wise
All Things Zombie/Chain Reaction
Stargrunt

:) for all the flaws, I still prefer to play battletech and B5 Wars from the AOG days. Centurion is another great time waster for me.

Necromunda is the game for me. I like the campaign and the rule it just plays well and I have always found simple to add more into it.

WH40k Rogue Trader
Warzone 1st and 2nd edition

Honorable mention to Shockforce and Traveller.

Best broad game "Rivets"

I have to say, despite my misgivings to it now, Battletech is still my favorite. I grew up with it- it was pretty much the first miniatures game I ever played.
I think that may be why I'm just so annoyed with it now- it's grown to be something completely and totally different that what I loved as a snot-nosed teenage boy.

CAV ed1 deserves a very high placement as well. I absolutely LOVE the elegant simplicity of that game and the combined arms appeal is also very endearing. This is to say CAV Edition 1, not this latest Edition 2 whatever the heck that it.

Doom, the boardgame holds a candle in my heart too. Great game to play with friends to blow off steam.

Beside all of that, WarMachine holds the top spot with me now. It's not sci-fi per se, so it can't be included with this list. But there you go, to me- It's the best… Period.

FAD4 holds great promise for me as being a really great game. I just need to get all the pieces in place first- miniatures and opponents- and I've a feeling it'll be a fantastic game.

Great thread, Uesugi!

OGRE/GEV.

As we already seem to be expanding into non-minis games….

1) Boardgame. Imperium by GDW.
2) RPG. Traveller
3) Computer Shoot'em up Game. DOOM. First computer game which ever made me jump with fright.
4) Computer RPG. Knights of the Old Republic
5) Starship combat. Starfire.
6) Minis game? I really can't think of any that inspire me, maybe playing Striker with figures was the best?

- Laser burn – probably because it was the first SF wargame i played and has a place in my heart.

- Stargrunt and dirtside – i love being able to have forces in 28mm and 6mm so i can run full scale battles with the same forces i skirmish with.

- Travller and striker (yes i actually quite liked designing striker vehicles!)

- Starfleet battles – before you needed a room t put all the expansions in.

Looking at this list i'm beginning to feel very old school…

When I want to blow up tanks: Ogre/GEV
When I want to blow up spaceships: G.O.B.S.! (but I'm biased… )
When I want to blow up silly aliens: The Awful Green Things From Outer Space
When I want to chew up space marines: Space Hulk
When I want to conquer a radioactive future Earth: Risk: 2210 A.D.
When I want to be Han Solo: Traveller, the original black box edition.

CyberPunk 2020.

1. Heavy Gear
2. Stargrunt II
3. Full Thrust
4. Dirtside

Those seem to be the only games I'll play any more.

Have a top 3 here with the addition of two young one friendly games.
1st Rogue trader 40K
2nd Battletech (but pre clan as mentioned earlier)
3rd Spacehulk Still a very good spaceshipcrawl game

finally two games that are enjoyed with the kids are Space crusade and currently a game called Skank alias warlord 2085 Really liked Necromunda but since moving no one local I know plays it and it was a bit too complicated for the nippers.

Way too broad a category. Full Thrust is a different type of game than Mutants and Death Ray Guns, and both are different from Warhammer 40k, and trying to compare them all is a little goofy.

too many types of scifi games (board, rpg, miniature, etc) to select just one as the absolute best.

Board
1. The Awful Green Things From Outer Space
2. Ogre / GEV
3. Star Ship Trooper

Miniatures
1. Starguard
2. Striker
3. battletech

RPG
1.Traveler
2.Traveler
3.Traveler

Ogre/GEV
Full Thrust
Stargrunt/Dirtside

If we're in a sillier mood 40K Rogue Trader, Necromunda, or Space Hulk.

Hmm this is a tricky one

Stargrunt/Dirtside

The Renegade Legion Series..not miniatures, but good games none the less

I am having fun with Forge of War at the minute

And finally Battletech then Renegade Tech only for the amount of fun it gave our group over many years

Traveller black books FTW! With all the game expansions, it did (and still does) everything I could ask for.

Of course, no one will play with me.

1. Rogue Trader – including The Compendium and Compilation. We also use The Realms of Chaos books The Lost & Damned and Slaves to Darkness.

2. Epic (Space Marine or Net Epic)

3. Space Hulk (a hybrid of 1st & 2nd edition)

4. Necromunda (modified so that it isn't IGOUGO)

5. Full Thrust

6. Stargrunt & Dirtside

The order of preference isn't fixed and changes depending on what I'm into at any given time.

Combat Zone Chronicles, FAD and Future War Commander also deserve an honourable mention.

"too many types of scifi games (board, rpg, miniature, etc) to select just one as the absolute best."

Well, the OP stated anything with "minis" in it, so that was supposed to be the focus. I do, however, appreciate those who have suggested other mediums as well.

I must admit, Green things from outer space was one of the first board games I had ever played. I played it over and over and never tired of it. Bloodbowl was another I loved. I would make up about 16 teams and play complete seasons (solo) and absolutely loved it. I would be truly heartbroken when one of my star players got a broken leg (or killed!). I loved the Space Hulk video game as well (Blood Angels?).

Good posts people. Keep 'em going. You guys are helping to fill out my wish lists for 2010. Cheers.

1) ROGUE TRADER! The best – I loved this system and Space Hulk to me is just the same except in Deep space on ships.

It will be hard to have another like this.

2) WARZONE – great sys but to bad it went through so many hands and bumps, this one could be great in the right leadeeership.

Space Battles – A Sky Full of Ships & Full Thrust.

Post Apocalyptic – Skank Rules & Mutants & Death Ray Guns.

Horror/Zombies – Skank Rules & Fear and Faith.

Pulp – Skank Rules & Astounding Tales 2ed.

We like the fast & light rules.

I have to give myself a head smack and add Starship Troopers to my earlier list.

Skirmish: GW- Spacefarers

Battles: G-Cav – GZG's original set of rules still forms the basis for our current company / battalion (1:1) level games now.

In order of release:

Ogre/GEV, with miniatures, or without.

Battletech, again with miniatures, or without.

OHMU: War Machine, combines mechs and cybertanks.

In no particular order, although the first listed gets played more at the moment…
Space Hulk
Rogue Trader
Warzone

Sci Fi:

ground combat, skirmish – Starguard! Still messy good fun after all these years…

5150 – skirmish system great fun for more space opera style combat.

Star Grunt II- A very realistic morale and command system IMHO. Well worth taking for a spin.

Microscale – Dirtside II. Very cool generic system.

Space combat, fighters – Silent Death: The Next Millennium. OK, so I admit my bias!

Space combat, big dawgs – Easy to learn, easy to teach, easy to play, generic as Hell.

Ye stars and little comets, I've been doin' this for over 30 years now?!! Bwahahaahahaahahaaaa!!!

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

Metamorphosis Alpha and Gamma World

I would say
Epic Armageddon (tabletop)
FWC (tabletop)
Space Hulk (Mini boardgame)
Ogre/GEV (Mini Boardgame)
BFG (Spaceships)
Full Thrust (Spaceships)
Conventional or what? :)

Two of my most memorable games in recent years have been one-shot introductions to rules at GenCon.

One was a large scale BattleStar Gallactica game where the Battlestars were about two feet long. This was done with the Full Thrust rules.

The other was a Star Fleet versus Klingon game using the Squadron Strike rules. The rule were a bit heavy and complex (it was my first time playing the game), but the 3D aspect of the game was really cool. Towards the end of the game the Klingon bird of prey that was attacking my ship did an inverted half loop to move from beneath me to be being over me.

Over all, though, I always keep going back to BattleTech as my favorite SciFi miniatures game. I know that a lot of people find it to be cumbersome and slow, but to each his own. I personally love the game.

Psyched to see people mentioning FAD4. Thanks guys!

Other than my own game, Ive played 5150 more than anything else the past year or two.
Rogue Trader still holds it though. Sorry Ed

Interesting to see Striker on there

STARGUARD 2250AD Best and the first. All others are copies.
Traveller, 3 Books in a box

Starfire by Task Force Games
Space Hulk (1st edition)
OGRE/GEV
Battletech (classic pre-Clan)

I'd have to say OGRE/GEV, Space Hulk, Starfleet Battles (the original minigame, I mean, not the out of control expansions of it) and believe it or not, the old board game Alpha Omega, which had ship combat that I really enjoyed, especially with the Stardate 3000 miniatures. Now I'm really giving away my age.

RPG….
Shadowrun
Star Wars d6
Reich Star

Minis…
40k 2nd ed. (with the vehicle hit charts…)
Silent Death – Star Wars version
Car Wars modified for 25mm

Board Games…
Sucking Vacuum

1. StarGrunt II
2. Centurion \ Interceptor \ Leviathan
3. Space Hulk
4. Awful Green Things
5. Full Thrust

Honourable mention to AT43 for getting me back into 25/28mm sci fi