Source
r/rpg•
Master119

Trying to find the right system for a gritty sci fi game.

Trying to find a particular type of system. I looked through the FAQ and it talks about a lot of the fluff of different games but nothing about the crunchy bits.

 

What I'd like to find is a game I can use for either sci fi or low fantasy and has dangerous combat. Not interested in any d20 systems. I'd love something like a high tech Riddle of Steel, but that game seriously lacks any ranged combat setup. I've played through the various 40k games and they're not quite what I'm looking for, but id love something with a similar used future machine oil smelling spaceships feel. The new Star Wars is neat but it's more story focused than I'm looking for right now. I like some story driven systems but it's not what I'm in the market for at the moment.

Posted Dec 31, 2019, 8:15 PM UTC · edited

629
MandoDelorian•

Some that come to mind pretty quickly are:
Stars Without Numer
Gurps
Traveller
Savage Worlds
Mothership

SWN is a d20 based game, but is much more lethal and on lower power scale than D&D is. It has system generation tools and lots of helpful campaign generating stuff along that line that even if you don't end up using the system it's still great for campaign building.

Gurps being one of the DiY any genre you want games, with lots of space and a fair degree of granularity.

Traveller is an old classic that is still contemporary.

Savage Worlds is pulp at heart but you can dial up or down the level of lethality.
Damage dice can 'explode' (roll-up) so it's entirely possible for some no-name mook to just blast a PC right into atoms.

Mothership aims at hard sci-fi inspired by Alien, Event Horizon and Outland.besides being torn to pieces by a horrific alien creature, death can come quickly from being on the wrong end of a gun.

Tastes will vary, but they're all generally well-regarded systems and I doubt you'd go wrong with any of them from a technical aspect.

Cheers~!

19
sdndoug•

+1 for Mothership and Savage Worlds. SW has an optional rule called 'gritty damage' that really allows you to dial up the danger level.

I'd also take a look at White Star. It's a sci-fi adaptation of Swords & Wizardry White box, very rules light. Combat is deadly by default, and there's lots of room to maneuver and houserule things.

3
Master119OP•

I'll do some digging for those. Thanks

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Jonnie_Dames_Rio•

GURPS. Traveler. Mythras with the sci-fi supplement. Unisystem with the sci-fi supplement.

5
finfinfin•

Classic Traveller.

4
Current-Location•

What specifically do you mean by "dangerous combat"?

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Master119OP•

I think the best way to sum it up is that combat should be risky (instead of something you do three times a day at least like it's a 9 to 5 job) and I have a particular fondness for injury mechanics. Unlike dnd's "hit points go up and down but it doesn't mean anything after a nights sleep"

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Drakel101•

You might like the look of Coriolis? I've not played it specifically before but it uses the same system as mutant year zero and forbidden lands and definitely has a gritty feel with high risk combat

3
Current-Location•

Gotcha. I was going to suggest Numenera but it's definitely not that kind of combat. You can definitely throw some very deadly encounters at the PCs but unless you want to get into making an Injury Table similar to a Mutation Table then the system doesn't offer that directly.

Have you ever played Savage Worlds variants? There are Sci-Fi settings and I believe they have rules for permanent injuries. The game system uses Exploding Dice mechanics so enemies can occasionally surprise the players with insane damage too.

Blades in the Dark would maybe be perfect in terms of injuries and trauma, but I don't know if anyone's made a sci-fi variant of it just yet. It's a Powered by the Apocalypse game, but has a TON of extra stuff built on top.

Well shit, that makes me want to build a Shadowrun setting for Blades in the Dark now. That sounds insanely fun.

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throb-goblinFrom the TingleVerse•

I think there is a Shadowrun hack for blades already! I can't remember the name of it, but know I've heard of it. Maybe "Karma in the Dark" or some such?

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Master119OP•

furiously makes notes definitely going to check some of these out. Thanks!

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JaskoGomad•

Scum and Villainy is the best sci fi variant of Blades.

But it, and Blades, are exactly what you don’t want - story focused games. They’re amazing and you should try them but they’re not the answer here.

6
Current-Location•

Good luck! Hope you can find the right system for you and your group.

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Trumps_Brain_Cell•

ICE's Spacemaster/Rolemaster critical tables are the best if you want dangerous combat, also these systems can be slotted into any other system

Edit: For instance an Impact "E" critical strike on a roll of 100

"Blast annihilates foe's entire skeleton. For is reduced to a Gelatinous pulp. Try a Spatula"

A roll of 66 on the crit tables can also be pretty deadly, yes, just 66, 67, you are likely to survive with just a shattered shoulder or something, but 66, "Blast shatters skull into thousands of lost particles. Foe dies instantly. Direct hit. Fine Punch"

3
AmPmEIRDCC, 5e D&D, Black Void•

I'll second Coriolis. It's gritty without being oppressive. It uses a D6 pool based off your stat+skill+gear, combat is scary, the world is evocative, and the book is gorgeous.

Think Firefly, but less western, and less Chinese culture. More Firefly + grit + Middle Eastern/1001 Arabian Nights flavor.

3
Alistair49•

Traveller in its various forms, and the related Cepheus Engine rules could do this. The old classic traveller starter set is free (or was) on dtrpg. Check out

GURPS - definitely can, but may be more crunchy than you’d like.

Mythras can. Check out Mythras Imperative to get a taste, plus supplements like Luther Arkwright and M-space.

Update: the open d6 system is multi genre too. See here https://ogc.rpglibrary.org/index.php?title=OpenD6

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Master119OP•

Mythras looks interesting. I'll have to dig into that. I know several people who've mentioned creating characters I'm Traveler is more fun than actually playing it. Gurps is a possibility. I like the d10 system just never actually played it.

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SavageSchemer•

Unless the Traveller players are people you personally know and trust (ie: they have similar tastes and preferences to you), I'd call bullshit on that claim in a hurry and recommend you investigate it for yourself. Traveller has forty years of fandom behind it, including a sizable and dedicate base that still plays the original edition of the 1977 edition of the game. There's literally not a single game anywhere in this or any other sci-fi thread that won't get compared to and measured against it in some way. You don't get a following or a legacy like that by being "more fun to make characters than play".

Seriously. It's totally cool if you've looked at it and isn't your jam. It's even cool if you think your players / group won't like it. But if that's a conclusion you've drawn based only on what you've heard from the internet, I couldn't urge you enough to reconsider that position and at least give it a look.

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Master119OP•

So the person who said it is a very good friend of mine who I agree with quite a bit. So I may take a second look at it, but if she says something is clunky then I'm inclined to agree.

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Rauwetter•

Eclipse Phase is missing 😉

Generell is is using D100 mechanics, plus a wound system and a crit on doubles digits on the dices.

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Master119OP•

Sounds similar to some of the ffg 40k stuff. I did generally like how the game felt. Definitely adding that to the look into list

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Rauwetter•

That's quite easy, the pdf for the 1st edition can be downloaded here: https://robboyle.wordpress.com/eclipse-phase-pdfs/

The power creep isn't that big as in FFG 40K, even with combat sleeves. For the mechanics tt is more like CoC. Psy is already included, the hacking rules are complex but very realistic.

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Master119OP•

Power creep? What's wrong with a guardsman shooting through the front of a Leman Russ with a standard infantry rifle!? Definitely an issue I've spotted.

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Rauwetter•

I had a tech priest with eight arms and the same numbers of attacks in mind ...

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[deleted]•

[deleted]

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SharkSymphony•

Nobody talks about Star Frontiers anymore.

Fairly straightforward d100 system with a setting that's a bit more space opera than grimdark, but could probably be detuned.

A ship building/combat system is also available, though it's practically a separate game.

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Druuples•

There's a hack for Torchbearer, Colonial Marines, that lets you play as space marines from the Aliens movies.

Super gritty, with high risk combat that doesn't use HP.

https://www.torchbearerrpg.com/?cat=23

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throb-goblinFrom the TingleVerse•

Gurps sounds like it fits the bill! Savage worlds with the optional and gritty injury mechanics would work slightly less well, but would be magnitudes easier to run and make characters in.

Traveller is an interesting choice- if only because you can die in character generation.

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ikonoqlast•

You want GURPS. The system does anything, and it specifically does both low fantasy and science fiction.

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