I just discovered this wonderful place... I'm stuck in a sort of RPG hell without a group to play with, so I'm poking around to see all the awesome going on in here...
While I'm here, I bullet journal. I've designed an RPG to use with your bullet journal (Original version here> http://www.emeraldspecter.com/bujorpg-the-bullet-journal-role-playing-game/ and the new version BETA here> http://www.emeraldspecter.com/bujorpg-2-open-beta/). It is probably THE definition of solo RPG, though I've combined it with self improvement to give it a little "real world XP."
Back to solo roleplaying: has anyone got a Star Trek / space opera style game (like maybe something similar to the Expanse) they are using as a base system? I've been itching to dive into a space story.
http://www.emeraldspecter.com/bujorpg-the-bullet-journal-role-playing-game/
Hey DJ Allen, welcome to the group! I think the two most common "space opera" style games are going to Star Wars (various premutations), and Traveler. Traveler has a wide variety of awesome generators already built into it, making it ideal for solo play. And Star Wars is, well, Star Wars. If you check on the links to the left, one of the options is "Actual Plays" which combines all the ones listed together if you want to check any out.
ReplyDeleteCarsten Rossner has one recently for Star Wars d20.
Che Webster has one for Traveler
Gerard Nerval has one for Star Wars d6
Those are the most recent ones I was keeping an eye one, but there's a number of them out there if you want to see what others are up to.
I will poke around! My drive really has me going more "BSG / Star Trek" rather than Star Wars... but I wouldn't be opposed to Star Wars in the future!
ReplyDeleteI'm a bullet journal guy, to some degree (the basics at least), and I've come across your gamification of real life before. It's pretty neat!
ReplyDeleteAnother guy named Ben Garvey made a similar thing for his kids to gamify getting ready and out the door in the mornings.
I've mostly stuck to fantasy games thus far, but I've heard good things about both Traveller and Stars Without Number. Not exactly space opera, but there's a retro-80s scifi that's been making waves called Tales from the Loop (think Stranger Things but with robots). Not out yet, but I'm also looking forward to Diogo Nogueira's Solar Blades and Cosmic Spells, which is sword and sorcery crossed with space opera with an "old school" feel.
Let us know how it goes!
Have you looked into Stars Without Numbers as a system? It is an OSR style game and also has lots of random generators for sandbox gaming.
ReplyDeleteAlso The Stellar Hack is an OSR-style game based on The Black Hack for sci-fi gaming.
There is also a good Star Trek hack with TOS flavor in the free to get Microlite20 RPG collection.
And welcome to the community!
If you want to give Powered by the Apocalypse a try, check out Impulse Drive and Uncharted Worlds. I'm a big UW fan and ran a mini-arc for my friends a while back. One of my friends is also running an Impulse Drive campaign, so both systems have legs for long term story telling.
ReplyDeleteAlso check some of the system generators and general system neutral stuff in the [nominally older-edition Fate] Diaspora. There's some cool stuff in it, even though I'll likely never use the version of Fate it ascribes
ReplyDeletefree stuff : you can choose a solo engine and Far Trek here:
ReplyDeletelostpangolin.wordpress.com - free resources
I've got some hunting to do! This is great! There are so many of these that I've never heard remotely heard of...
ReplyDeleteMan, I wanted to mention Stars Without Number! So I guess that's a second vote. Especially since the second edition is almost here. :)
ReplyDeleteI'll throw in Ghost/Echo and Daytrippers, both of which reminded me of the sci-fi I grew up reading.
Or Lasers & Feelings, if you want to go lite.
And for something a little more unpolished, you could try #Threeforged 15102, "The End", which I found to be an excellent Star Trek simulation.
The great thing about solo gaming is that you don't need a prepackaged book for a setting - you can easily just pick your basic setting (BSG or Expanse) and flesh it in as you go along. Use some random generators where necessary when you feel like you need a surprise, put your blaster in your grubby paw, and kick some space ass and take some alien names!
ReplyDeleteI've been trying to do some actual plays using rules-light systems, but find that my "original" setting ideas tend to follow too closely what I've seen in movies and TV more than what I've read in books (sci-fi). It makes me feel like I'm ripping off those works. I backed the second edition printing of 'Stars Without Number' on KS in order to kind of put me back in a setting which forces me to rely on my imagination more than my memories. Even though it's still a bit of hand-holding, I can't wait to explore something new and different!
ReplyDeleteAND, I have a Rocketbook Everlast reusable notebook handy, which I definitely want to use more, and you got me researching bullet journaling, DJ Allen! At a glance, your system seems like a perfect match, and I'll definitely be reading through it in more detail this weekend!
Hey DJ - FYI
ReplyDeleteI was on DriveThruRPG today and found a free Star Trek Adventures quick start, which looks promising.
drivethrurpg.com - Star Trek Adventures Quickstart
Looks like the 374 page full game core rulebook is about $16.00.
Also, some character sheet pdfs for either pen and paper or FF.
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/217835/Star-Trek-Adventures-FREE-character-sheets
At first, I thought you had devised a ruleset using the bullet journal, wishful thinking on my part? It is a good way to organize your campaign info, however. And I'm looking into Bullet Journaling as well, so thanks for posting that!
ReplyDeleteDave LeBlanc: I gamified life, but there is no reason you can’t use it to organize stuff... that’s the whole point of a bullet journal!
ReplyDeleteDJ Allen I've tinkered with your idea, I made a super light ruleset inspired by your game, I am at day 3 and it works greatly, My PC (based on Shadow of War) managed to enter in Minas Ithil besieged by an orc army, he purified a watch tower from Sauron's influence and today is trying to capture and interrogate an orc courier. Wish me good luck :D
ReplyDeletelino pang ruleset ?
ReplyDeleteOvy Ortega yep, coming sooner or later :)
ReplyDeleteOvy Ortega I believe you need to use my BuJoRPG and wait for lino pang to give us he lighter version.
ReplyDelete