8
votes
\$\begingroup\$

I'm looking for a Sci-Fi Space-faring RPG that meets the following requirements:

  1. The system is free or has enough OGL rules to be played for free.

  2. The rules should be primarily or solely developed for a Sci-Fi, Space-faring RPG. No sci-fi variation on a generic system — no GURPS, Fate, Hero System, d20, etc.

  3. The game is rules-heavy enough to have detailed rules on space flight and space combat.
  4. The game has detailed character creation and equipment rules.
  5. The setting would be at the point at which space travel was very commonplace, possibly far-future or transhumanist.

Hopefully that's enough requirements listed to narrow down to a best answer; I'd really appreciate any help with such a system.

\$\endgroup\$
0

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
13
votes
\$\begingroup\$

This is the only one I know of that is completely free:

Stars without Number

This was is part of the D6 universal system. However I am adding this because the progenitor system was Star Wars The Roleplaying Game. Of all the D6 games this is the closest to the original sci-fi RPG:

D6 Space

The Cepheus Game Engine is available as a clone of classic Traveller and Mongoose Traveller 1st edition.

\$\endgroup\$
0
7
votes
\$\begingroup\$

My very first RPG, the venerable TSR game Star Frontiers, is (legally) available for free from starfrontiers.com now. Alpha Dawn was the basic space opera game and Knight Hawks was full starship rules. Percentile based stats/skills, lots of equipment.

I've also played a lot of the later TSR SF game Alternity. The fastplays are downloadable for free; the rest you'll need to get used. "Free" is a lame requirement anyway, unless you live in a third world hellhole you can easily choose to skip a movie and save enough money to get a rulebook that's going to be used to run a whole campaign with.

Eclipse Phase is transhumanist with space travel only within the solar system; it's freely downloadable. It's also modern and well supported.

This really isn't a very well focused recommendation question; there's 25 pages of space opera core rules listed on RPGGeek. Just on RPGNow, searching for free sci-fi core rules, there's 194 of them. SF with mechs! With Cthulhus! You need to share what kind of story you want to tell/campaign you want to run to get better answers.

\$\endgroup\$
0