"Rules for Space Opera Type Gaming?" Topic

Hihowdy all, long-time TMP lurker.

Any suggestions on a rule set for "space opera" type gaming? I am looking for something more cinematic and character-driven.

Some frames of reference would be Firefly/Serenity, Star Wars and Guardians of the Galaxy.

Skirmish level with an ability to accommodate ranged and melee combat, basic magic/psychic powers/"the force" and some ability to incorporate vehicles (but not advanced, complex space battles).

Thoughts appreciated – thanks!

You could look at the old FGU Space Marines game. That actually worked as a Space Opera style skirmish game (Not that I have played it in about thirty years)

Take a look at Rat Trap Productions. Their rules are almost RPG lite. Designed for that level and definitely aiming for a cinematic feel to the game.

Maybe the 5150 series from Two Hour Wargames? You could surely use the mechanics to add in any sort of "magic".

Blasters & Bulkheads (1st edition) is what I'm using for SW and TOS Battlestar Galactica skirmish gaming. Works great.

Savage Worlds

Traveller(Mongoose)

FGU Space Opera(after you do one character it does get easier)

Check Drivethrurpg.com put space opera in their search-there's a lot out there.

Hmmmm, I guess it depends upon what you mean by "cinematic".

For games where you can play solo, or on the fly with a small group, the Mythic Game Master Emulator (GME) will fit the bill nicely. You can ask questions as you go, and get the answers needed to permit game play, without much if any, pre-game prep. There are also rules for special events, and ending "scenes" as well.

Mythic also has some other products to go with it, besides just the GME, e.g. a RPG system, Fantasy and Magic rules (IIRC), and some other stuff as well, so it is certainly worth a look.

I also just ran across a thing which is free, on the net, called "Cinematic Unisystem", but I haven't read up on it yet. Just downloaded the info though.

The above, could be paired with various other rules too, e.g. Traveller, Space Marines from FGU, etc.

I also ran across stats someone had created for the Two Hour Wargames rules, for the Firefly crew. You can probably find it with a Yahoo, or Google search.

Stars without Number is another set to consider.

Finally, check out the free FUBAR RPG rules.

Psychic rules are usually referred to as Psionics, in most of the SciFi rules, now.

Pulp Alley might be worth a look, with the Perilous Island supplement for more in the way of weird powers. It makes good use of melee and ranged combat, and uses Plot Points on the tabletop as part of most scenarios – you can actually have Kirk's ability to seduce green-skinned humanoids win you the game, while Geordi tricorders an alien artefact, the redshirts die in droves, and Sulu gets into a duel. It has some nice-looking campaign rules (in the basic rulebook) that I haven't tried yet, but they look solid.

There is a freebie quickstart set up on Wargame Vault – that and a few AARs should give you a good look at the system.

Maybe Rogue Planet, to add to the other excellent suggestions in this thread? It might go a bit too far to the "make melee useful" side for you, but it does let a figure with a powerfist hit a redshirt with another redshirt. You can also knock holes in walls by throwing redshirts at them, once you've run out of doors to smash (with redshirts).

I'd second the vote for Pulp Alley – a very cinematic game, with the ability to stat out varied and interesting characters.

Here's one of my very favourite AAR's: link

To Be Continued… by GASLIGHT would work as well. This is the pulp supplement for GASLIGHT.

I would suspect just about any pulp game would work for space opera.

WarEngine (Shockforce II) has all that and it's a great system. Savage Worlds Showdown is a great choice too.

I second all of the above and would add In The Emperor's Name, Five Parsecs From Home/Five Core, and USEME Sci Fi.

Thanks for the mention fullerena, and I quite enjoyed you're description of melee combat on Rogue Planet!

Might have a look at the Dr Who Miniatures Game. Might be too basic for what you are looking for, but very versatile.
link

Any suggestions on a rule set for "space opera" type gaming? I am looking for something more cinematic and character-driven.

Some frames of reference would be Firefly/Serenity, Star Wars and Guardians of the Galaxy.

Skirmish level with an ability to accommodate ranged and melee combat, basic magic/psychic powers/"the force" and some ability to incorporate vehicles (but not advanced, complex space battles).

While it is something of my catch-all for Squad-per-side skirmish, Infinity will check most of those boxes. The current-edition rules (and everything else you'd need to play) are free to download from Corvus Belli's website, so you're not losing anything but time to check them out.

Just rename hacking "psychic powers".

Wow, thanks everyone for all the great recommendations!

I forgot to mention in the original post, I also want a game that can be played solo.

After some research on these suggestions, I am most interested in Pulp Alley, Rogue Planet or Blasters & Bulkheads. Any thoughts on how well these three can be played solo?

Thanks again!

FUBAR, Traveller, and especially Mythic can be played solo.

The latter is designed to permit outcomes and surprises/twists in your narratives, on the fly, so you will definitely want to at least consider the Mythic GME, if not their RPG rules, and other fluff.

The GME (Game Master Emulator) is a superb tool for aiding storyline development on the fly. There's enough public info out there on how it works to permit you to try, before you buy, I suspect, if you want to give it a shot.

I haven't seen/tried their RPG and other stuff, so can't comment on it.

As mentioned previously, Stars Without Number is another RPG you might want to consider.

Five Parsecs has received some positive reviews of late, and is fairly new – their world creation and campaign rules sound pretty good (all of the various product options leave me a bit confused though – a little guide would be useful to sorting out what's what with them).

B&B sounded pretty good, recently as well, but I haven't tried them either.

Lots of good on-line reviews in the message archives, so they are worth a look as well.

Mako,

I just did some research on the Mythic GME and it sounds like an interesting supplement to all of my solo wargaming, no matter the genre or system – I will definitely be checking that out.

Thanks for the suggestion!

You can check out a solo gamer's first impressions of Rogue Planet here. The tips I gave for solo play mentioned on the blog can be found in the discussions section of the product page in a conversation with Matt S.

Excellent!

I just bought the PDFs for Mythic GME and Rogue Planet. I have several orders of sci-fi miniatures and terrain on the way. I'll be sure to report back on TMP how it goes.

Thanks again for all the recommendations! I will probably end up trying most of these rule sets at one point or another…