Licensed Properties and RPGs – Play On Target

Take Traveller, bloat it up a lot, make sure you have tables for as much as you can think of, including double level fatigue and dropping the ball.

This comment also nails it :- “the barely sketched out campaign milieu is a mish-mash of animal-men, vulcans, jedi, lightsabres, space nazis, space commies, martians-from-War-of-the-Worlds and implacable hiveminded insectoids.” http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?461973-Necro-FGU-s-Space-Opera-and-other-runts-of-the-litter

Some very dodgy writing and concepts, but it has a certain charm, and some of the stuff you could have enhanced Traveller with..more detailed character enlistments, some effects of the planet that your character has come from, etc. How to bias stat rolling to make players likely to have higher level stats than the ordinary by using d100 to roll d20, that sort of thing.

Much weapons and gear, too. The middle game I guess you could call it of Traveller and Spacemaster from the time.

Worth a browse for entertainment and occasional useful part.

3 out of 5

A game of leftover heroes who happened to not get wiped out in interstellar battle with the Imperial forces. The Star Teams. Humans, crystal clone, hybrids, polar bear and catpeople.

Some amusing artwork, but a poor game with a really oddball tone. The Luck attribute is interesting in an evolution sense.

Percentile system with a resolution table. Everyone gets a fighter and a proton rifle and a literal in a game sense handful of cash to start…so odd right from there.

2 out of 5

The third of the original Traveller books deals with what you find when you travel between worlds (and subsectors), with rules for planetary creation, technology, law and government. Also vehicles and animals – including how dangerous various space bovines might be.

Plus, psionics and the high prices of the Psionics Institute.

Then at the end it includes the useful disclaimer about being a barebones sandbox for use in exploring an infinite universe. A concept people have certainly run with.

3.5 out of 5

Solid starship and navigation rules with creation and crewing guidelines. With tables, that would be good for solo exploration type play a la Elite. Also financing.

Also vector movement and combat…which has fiddliness that will be no fun some of the time. Lucky the gravity well got me and made that missile miss!

Some 1970s amusement to be had…basic level 1 ship computer can run two programs at a time! Then you have to switch them out. Plus, it is one ton.

Also, a ship must use 5 tons for mail.

In the future, letter writers abound.

Pre-PC tech, advancing not.

And small craft usually have computers not at all.

Going to go through lots of space pens and pencils there presumably.

3.5 out of 5

How to get killed while creating a character and then how to get killed afterwards.

The first part of the original wide-ranging game of science fiction adventure and shenanigans has a lot of military career options. Including the fact that they may draft you.

And a dangerous universe, chance of not making it through one of these careers for any length of time is significant.

Plus, polearms! Fragile lasers and not so impressive automatics.

4 out of 5

Or, from :

b. nurray
c. w. marshall
t. dyke
b. kerr

A FATE based SF game that includes tools and/or advice for a bunch of other types of games of a more wargaming flavour, or higher level conflict with nations and planets. (The one thing that the diaspora universe that these adventures are set in is a bit light on apparently is capitals in titles).

However, the major focus is design a planetary system that has access to interstellar capability and then build characters, Diaspora FATE style to have adventures. From old school flame gun wielders to uploaded cyborgs, but generally more in the middle range.

An excellent sandbox to play with and for 21st century games, actually not too long.

4.5 out of 5