Looking for a good non-gamist Sci-Fi RPG

[ODDin]

Well, as the title says, I'm looking for an RPG system for a Sci-Fi setting (by Sci-Fi I mean spaceships, distant planets, aliens, things like that) that's not really gamist, but rather allows for a deeper and more serious roleplay. I mean, d20 modern (or future, or whatever) is pretty much gamist, and although I'm not deeply familiar with GURPS or Hero System, and correct me if I'm wrong, it seemed to me they pretty much concentrate on the gamist and technical side of things as well.
If it helps, I'm looking for something more like The Riddle of Steel or World of Darkness (in Sci-Fi, that is).


Michael Pevzner

P.S. I know it's not a post about a game I'm making, but I didn't really know anywhere else to post. Hope it's ok.

[Moreno R.]

Hi Michael!

I am no moderator, but I think that you could have posted this on the "Actual play" forum, with some example of the kind of gaming experience (and "serius roleplay") you are trying to get (this, not only to be in topic in that forum, but to help people give you the right answer for what you are searching for. "non-gamist sci-fi" could mean everything, from a narrativist "sociological sf" game like Shock to a simulativist one).  You could ask a moderator to move this thread there, and then post some examples of what you are searching for.

[Sydsquicious]

Keep an eye out for 'Sign in Stranger' by Emily Care. It's certainly not gamist. However the game is still in development. It is currently available as an ashcan.

[David C]

Why don't you find sci-fi source material that suits your desires, take a WOD character sheet and make it work?

Hero builder and GURPS are actually more gamey than D20 modern, imo.  But that's if you play by the rules, if you just go "I have skill 12 at shooting things, and I shoot that guy" than GURPS can actually be pretty sleek.

Heck, you could just take dice pools and have character concepts. If the captain wants to fly the spaceship through an asteroid belt, you could give him 5 dice at difficulty 6. If the space weasel wants to do the same thing, give him 1 die at difficulty 9...

[ODDin]

Well, I'm mainly looking for a more psychological experience, focusing on the character's personalities and relationships, perhaps with a touch of darkness/horror, but not necessarily. The Virtues/Vices and Morality in WoD or the Spiritual Attributes in The Riddle of Steel are examples of things I'm looking for. Passions/Obssessions in Unknown Armies are also a good thing, but I just really dislike the d100 system. However, I don't want a minimalist game, like My Life with Master, which demands a very strict setting and situation.

Granted, I indeed can take a system and convert it to Sci-Fi, but I just wanted to avoid the hassle.

@Sydsquicious: What does it mean, as an ashcan? (Pardon my ignorance)

[Jeff Moore]

I say try the Serenity RPG based on Joss Whedon's Firefly. It's very accessible.


http://www.serenityrpg.com/


Jeff

[Ron Edwards]

Guys!

Moreno is right. This isn't a First Thoughts topic, and as written, it's not even a topic for the Forge. It is not all right to post a reply to a thread like this. You are expected to self-monitor; when someone correctly says "I'm not sure this is a Forge topic," then wait for moderation and don't create a bigger situation for the moderator (me).

Michael, when you're not sure which forum to post in, the best thing to do is to send me a private message and ask. I've found that nearly every time someone does this, I can show them the right forum. Sometimes, the post isn't right for the Forge. In this case, I would have given you the same advice Moreno did. Please understand that you haven't committed any sort of awful crime, and my moderation right now isn't about punishment or ostracizing you.

Here's the moderation: rather than move this thread, which is really just a poll and not a discussion, I recommend that you start a new thread in ACtual Play and describe any play at all you've experienced with a science fiction RPG. It doesn't have to be much, just a little bit, as long as it's a real play experience. Then you can ask about the variety of SF games and you'll get a lot of useful responses, as well as meeting with the goals of the site.

If you don't want to do this, and would prefer to stick with the question as you've stated it, then I recommend posting at RPG.net, which has a much wider range of discussion than the Forge, and where topics like this are discussed often. In a way, the Forge couldn't exist in its specialized purposes without one or more general sites "around" it, so this option is a good one too.

This thread has to be closed now. No more posting to it, please, by anyone. If anyone has any questions about that, or about any aspect of moderation, please send me a private message, or ask in the Site Discussion forum if you'd prefer a public venue.

Best, Ron

edited to fix a mis-named forum