What's the best system for a space opera that isn't grounded too heavily in its core universe's lore...

What's the best system for a space opera that isn't grounded too heavily in its core universe's lore? I lile Rogue Trader but fuck if you can run anything but 40k in it.

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Uncharted worlds is pretty neat looking.

Traveller. It has different types of FTL rules modeled after several types of popular FTL depictions so the GM can pick the type of FTL that they want to be common in their setting, and all of its background "jobs" are generic enough that they can fit in basically any sci-fi setting.

Rules for alien creation are also pretty simple.

While Traveller isn't too tied to the Third Imperium, I would say that some of the rules do have certain assumptions.

Basically, no FTL comms, so information travels as fast as ships can carry it, which is 1 week-per jump. There's also a central government that's way over there, but due to the communications lag they're pretty hands off "Pay your taxes and don't nuke each other" types. Also, said government maintains free trade across all it's starports.
The chargen also tends to produce a group of firefly-esque, washed-up veterans, but that's easily changed.

However, cause Traveller is pretty modular, you can easily change things that don't make sense in your setting. For example, I'm pretty sure the trading rules are designed around the communications and travel assumptions above, but those are easily stripped out if you want to use FTL comms/Different Drive types

GURPS.

I know it gets reccommended for everything, but it really can handle whatever you want to throw into your Mass Effect ripoff. The rules are built so that heroic realism is the default, and the character creation rules easily let you mod in whatever races you decide you want to have.

Additionally, it's got a ton of great resources for interstellar stuff. The books about FTL and interplanetary travel are written by actual physicists. Give it a go, you'll love it.

>However, cause Traveller is pretty modular, you can easily change things that don't make sense in your setting. For example, I'm pretty sure the trading rules are designed around the communications and travel assumptions above, but those are easily stripped out if you want to use FTL comms/Different Drive types

This is true. If you're not doing a trading game, or you just don't care if trade doesn't "make sense" then you can swap out the FTL drive and comms for whatever you like and not worry.
But IMO "no FTL comms, slow FTL" is a good method to make a universe manageable for a GM. Players can't just zip to the other side of the galaxy and negate all your local prep, and you don't have to explain why nobody's heard about what happened last week just a hundred light years over. There are tens of thousands of worlds, but your players can only reach a few at a time, so you have time to figure out what's happening in a world before they get there.

Lasers and Feelings?

>recommended for everything
>almost always moderate to bad choice for anything
This is why GURPS is a fucking meme.

There's a choice: you go with a toolkit game that can be made to fit your space opera setting, or you go with a game that evokes the space opera feel specifically but often has other setting baggage.

But some recommendations: Stars Without Number and Diaspora are good starting points. They both lead deeper in to things that cost significantly more money, though.

There is a Fate Core hack of Mass Effect, but it got C&D'd. If you can find it that might scratch your itch.

>perfectly recites the "GURPS is bad for [setting]" argument that gets endlessly trotted out
>somehow comes to the conclusion that the system is the meme

D6 space

Bump

rogue trader is really easy to run in non 40k settings. Its all heavily abstracted and you just need to say a crew rating represents 10 dudes instead 1000 if you want smaller ships.

Weapon sand armour and such is all relative values for the mechanics.

I think he's more talking about how the skills and perks in the system are extremely lore heavy. I mean, there is an entire weapon category for flamers, which is a weapon not often used in space exploration games save for 40k. It would take some serious dedication to rework the system to fit a more "normal" space setting, and not the 40k one.

eh not really, all the lore heavy stuff is mostly in the fluff descriptions rather than the mechanics them selves.

Flamers in particular is easy, just don't use them. But they'd be their own category in any game regardless of setting simply because they work distinctly to other kinds of guns.

> generic systems are a meme
> recommends a terrible OSR clone and some obscure bullshit in its place
> ends by recommending a generic system after shitting on generic systems earlier in the post

Are you schizo?

Seconding this

I love Rogue Trader and I don't think switching settings but keeping the system is so crazy. Not a great system... but you already know it and run it and your players already have it well in hand. Why switch if you don't have to? People find stupid reasons to reskin Pathfinder and 4e for a reason, and it's out of a desire to avoid the learning curve.

If that doesn't float your boat, I'd go with GURPS. There's an oop GURPS Traveller series that you can download from the mega archive (no longer available to buy). GURPS can handle quite a lot when it comes to psi, superscribed, and Spaceships gives you a great foundation to construct and operate space combat and adventuring. Lots or room to do lots of stuff.

Could always RIFTS with Phase World and the Three Galaxies and such. Can always tack on whatever stuff from whatever book you want from Palladium. Don't really have to worry about central lore and just use whatever sounds good and whatever races you feel like using. Just make sure no one plays a Cosmo-Knight.

>all generic systems are GURPS or at least as bad at GURPS
Are you sure you're not schizo?

Had some pretty fun times with Savage Worlds.

The Sci Fi supplement is pretty nice, and they system as a whole is pretty pulpy - if you're looking for, say, a Star Wars level of realism/grittiness, it's a good choice.

If you trust your players enough (or if you're just feeling adventurous) letting them use the race creation rules to make their own aliens can result in some pretty fun characters.

You just need to make sure you're using the updated shaken rules(s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/peg-freebies/SW_FAQ_May_2015.pdf) and cap the exploding dice.

GURPS

GURPS is only bad if you're a brainlet subhuman

Comment made by brainlet subhuman

Rogue trader is what I used for my mass effect game. It took tweaking but it's perfect. First I changed psyker shit to biotics, and replaced all the perils and esoteric magic just to over charges and potential feedback that can damage players. Being more in tune with fluff than game.

Next I gave the players and most enemies force fields. In lore, the shields and biotic fields are basically oscillating mass effect fields that try to catch projectiles. The shield fails when over loaded with high rate of fire or shot guns spread. This works well with the way force fields are represented in rogue trader. I just made it so shotguns put out a ton more hits at close range.

Armor is a distinct health pool in game, but I just gave appropriate enemies huge armor soak, and less toughness.

Tech powers were just a combo of mechanicus stuff and psyker powers. To balance, I gave them cool downs. Needing to roll a result on a d10 that went down each turn. A higher end talent took the cooldown by 2 each turn, then 3.

Skills were easy to replace and rename, but feats took some time.

Races took me a little time to port over. I used the Ork as a base for krogan, while most other races were just a manner of different stats and features. My one player wanted to be an elcor, and let me tell you it was hilarious. He could pick up nothing, but he carried a massive cannon on his back and was a monster of a biotic. Low low fellowship though.

FATE is worse than GURPS. Savage Worlds would be as good as GURPS were it not for its stupid mechanics (like bennies and overpowered shotguns)

>FATE is worse than GURPS

Impossible, its fans aren't even half as obnoxious.

>muh homebrew is best

lol

fuckin rekt