Stars Without Number is a fun system. Traveller can be a bit complex but the character generation is the best.
this post was submitted on 18 Jan 2024
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Questions since you seem to have experience :)
Stars Without Number looks interesting -- been poking the free basic ruleset PDF. I don't like the focus on psionics and teleportation and other sci fi tropes that are not as hard. If one were to run a zero-psi game, would the system still work?
Which "edition" of traveller have you used, and how do you even pick an edition? Are there inter-edition and inter-publisher compatibility?
Psionics is the reason there is FTL in the default setting, and also why it's a post-apocalyptic setting. You don't need psionics to travel, like in 40k, but I reckon removing psionics from the setting is taking away some of its flavor.
But from a gameplay point of view, I really don't think it's a problem. You could probably search the Reddit sub for Kevin's word on it, but from what I recall, it's a non issue, because it's OSR and the game isn't "calibrated" for a particular party, like say DnD3.5.
You could always leave psionics in the background, something dreadful and not known to the public, like in Babylon 5 or Firefly. Even in SWN itself, like I said, psionics is the reason for the whole mess the universe is in, so they're definitely not omnipresent, and more likely to be a trouble magnet, if present in the party.
From my limited investigations, I think the modern version from Mongoose is the one to go with
The character generation system is amazing but from my POV its a bit Star Trek instead of Star Wars or the expanse, if that makes sense?
My only experience of it is listening to bits of it on the Glass Cannon so I may have a skewed perspective
The easiest Traveller version is definitely the one from Mongoose.
Also, you should check out Seth Skorkowsky’s overview videos:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL25p5gPY6qKVUg6ys5N1oRlsBI7DTByyI
I have been playing Genesys, and I LOVE it. I'm not playing in a sci-fi setting, but the whole premise behind Genesys is that is is adaptable to any setting, and from what I have seen of the system, it would be great for something like that. There are tons of rules for vehicle stats, combat, etc. and it has guidelines for how to design and balance your own vehicles.
If you are interested in making and playing in your own setting I would definitely recommend Genesys.
If you are wanting something with an existing setting that matches that vibe, then I'd first check and see if some of the community made settings will fit that, and if not, then maybe look elsewhere.
There are a ton of community made resources for Genesys on DriveThruRPG and also in a dropbox maintained by one of the community members, and that dropbox has some resources for an Expanse setting and other sci-fi stuff that would be a good starting point: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/raqr7usuzwizglm/AACMnwsNyT5DPHyjokWZwQLOa/Community%20Content?dl=0&lst=&subfolder_nav_tracking=1
I would also say you should definitely get the core rulebook AND the expanded players guide, as that has tons of good resources and better guidelines for creating vehicles, as well as other useful things. It's really a fantastic GM toolkit.
EDIT: Also regarding the dice, which can be kind of hard to get, they have an app that you can use, as well as charts for converting normal polyhedral dice to the Genesys symbols, and what I personally do is just use the Star Wars dice, which are the same (with slightly different look to the symbols) and are more available, at least where I am.
I did something like this with Fate because I had specific ideas about my setting and the aliens, corporations, and organizations I wanted in it. I added some of my own mechanics for ships and stuff, giving them their own attribute tracks and letting players make rolls during space battles based on their position in the crew. It worked well enough for what I wanted, which was more of an action, space opera feel, like Outlaw Star. It won't have a lot rules for all the hard sci-fi stuff you may be looking for if you prefer crunch.
Although recommending a generic system like Fate makes me feel like the kind of guy who suggests GURPs every time a question on a recommended system pops up lol.
So, have you tried using GURPS? Hey at least no one has recommended d20 Future yet ;)
I appreciate the recommendation nevertheless. Sometimes it does feel better to roll your own with a basic framework. In so many RPGs, the system and setting are inextricably linked, and disentangling them becomes far to tiresome. (Try playing D&D5e in a non-forgotten realms setting -- as much as you try to avoid references...) Rolling your own lets you start entangled, but in a way that fits your universe.
What're the odds you have some favourite details on what you did that made it feel right for you?
I am that guy that recommends GURPS, which I'm actually using right now to run a sci-fi campaign. 3d6 is a great system, there are tons of sci-fi skills baked right in, Ultra Tech is a great resource for laser guns and robots and all sorts of fun tech, and there are like half a dozen supplements full of ship stat blocks. Yeah the crunch can be a lot, if you want it to. You can also ignore most of it if you want, or slow-drip it to your players.
I think the broad nature of sci-fi means that, when it comes to systems, your choices are to either find a system that fits the exact universe you're running, or build it piece by piece.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned the expanse rpg. Link
I like Green Ronin, in general, and love The Expanse as a setting. However, I want to be in a homebrew setting rather than in The Expanse. I suppose I should have said that in the original post.
The Expanse started as an RPG setting, which is an interesting bit of trivia :)
The Expanse started as an RPG setting, which is an interesting bit of trivia :)
I had no idea! That's so cool!
Anyway, it looks like you wouldn't be interested in Firefly RPG either.