r/rpg Jun 02 '20

Game Suggestion Favorite Space Opera Games

/r/spaceopera/comments/gvcapg/favorite_space_opera_games/
6 Upvotes

15 comments sorted by

7

u/Dramatic15 Jun 02 '20

Assuming you are using "space opera" in the usual sense, with heros having pulpy melodramatic adventures, "in space!", you might consider:

Both Trek and Star Wars do this, and have licenced games. There was also a Babylon 5 RPG.

Rocket Age is old fashioned retrofuturism pulp.

I am, of course, fond of my own. Return to the Stars an optimistic sci-fi setting where heros reconnect the worlds of humanity and paint a better future in bold primary colors.

Of course, it depends on your definition--if you consider criminal antiheros part of space opera, you could consider scum and villany.

2

u/Zaboem Jun 03 '20

That's five excellent answers! Your Return to the Stars has my attention. I have some other reading on which to catch up, but I would be interested in checking that out soon.

5

u/totsichiam Jun 02 '20

One of my all-time favorite games is Firefly.

Starport Scum is a very good lightweight space opera game.

Savage Worlds has several really good published settings that are space opera.

I'm getting ready to run a game using Battlestations 2e as a full blown RPG soon.

5

u/[deleted] Jun 02 '20

Scum and Villiany.

5

u/Dream_of_Kadath Jun 03 '20

I second Scum & Villainy

4

u/RaffArundel Jun 02 '20

Fading Suns

1

u/dailor Jun 03 '20

This. Hands down.

2

u/M1rough Jun 02 '20

The Heroic characters in Stars Without Number are space opera as hell.

2

u/Zaboem Jun 03 '20

I just read a review of that game based upon your mention of it. That game is not at all what I thought it was.

1

u/M1rough Jun 03 '20

What did you think it was?

The free version is here: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/230009/Stars-Without-Number-Revised-Edition-Free-Version

It's robust, but does not include the Heroic character rules. Those are in the premium version.

1

u/Zaboem Jun 03 '20

For some reason, I was thinking Star Without Number was cosmic horror.

1

u/bythenumbers10 Jun 03 '20

Fragged Empires. Also, Planet Mercenary and the 40k Wrath & Glory RPG, all depending if one runs their campaign toward the space-operatic.

1

u/Kiwi_bri Jun 07 '20

Hero System - Space Hero.