RPG: Go Into Orbit With These Space Adventures

Pressure

In Pressure, you’re armed with your tools, training, and resources, and are ready to face whatever dangers await you in space and on Earth. Probably. This game is rules-light and fast to start up and play. So it has a focus on roleplaying, world-building, and cooperation over the minutiae of game mechanics.

Pressure: Industrial Science Fiction Roleplaying is a rules-light, story-focused game of facing the darkness at the heart of humanity’s fragile and claustrophobic existence – both on Earth and among the stars. An entirely standalone title, Pressure also develops and expands upon the mechanics and setting introduced in the Those Dark Places roleplaying game.

Advertisement

As highly skilled agents of Special Operations Squads, players are tasked with cleaning up after the Corporations – investigating links to organised crime, neutralising rogue weapons research, negotiating with rebel leaders on orbital stations, and hunting down whatever that black-budget excavation team ‘awoke’ out in the Procyon Sector…

The universe is a dangerous and hostile place; the Hypercities and the Deep Black alike hide powerful foes. But you have the tools, the training, and the resources to face these dangers… you hope.

Starfinder

The sci-fi sibling to Pathfinder, Starfinder is everything you need to start your own space opera. There’s large number of options in alien species, jobs, ships, and planets, so you’ll have almost endless ways to build your party. And the rules system is easy and familiar to learn – especially if you’ve ever played any of the other big TTRPGs.

Cinematic Space

Cinematic Space is a streamlined, simple, and very quick game that will have you exploring the stars in minutes. The rules are intuitive, and the minimalist design is flexible to fit into any sci-fi world, whether it’s an old-time favorite or one you’ve made up. It’s also a great game for solo players.

Cinematic Space is a rules-lite roleplaying game that takes you to the stars. It’s great for both group and solo play. Characters can be created in minutes. You can play in familiar television and movie universes, or in one of your own. It uses standard RPG dice, and intuitive rules.

Alien RPG

Of course, you may prefer to be consistently stressed out while you’re at the table. The Alien RPG is fast-paced, high-stakes, and unforgiving, and as you progress, your character’s stress and fear are used against them. This is one of those popular-media-linked games that actually does a fantastic job of capturing the tension of the constant anxiety of the franchise it’s drawing from.

This is the official ALIEN tabletop roleplaying game – a universe of body horror and corporate brinkmanship, where synthetic people play god while space truckers and marines serve host to newborn ghoulish creatures. It’s a harsh and unforgiving universe and you are nothing if not expendable.

Stay alive if you can.

Advertisement

Dead Belt

In Dead Belt, you play as a Belter, traveling through The Belt and scavenging abandoned starships. This is a solo game where you’re armed with a six-sided die, some regular playing cards, a few tokens, and tons of prompts to help guide where you go and what you encounter next. It will take all of your luck and skill to deal with the dangers that lurk on these ships. But if you succeed, you’ll walk away with huge bounties.

Not everyone’s got the temperament to be a Belter. Plenty of folks crack when the grav cuts out and the lights go off. Plenty more jump at shadows when their flash starts to flicker. Others are too busy watching their O2 to see opportunities.

But that isn’t you. If you can only rely on your gear, your smarts, and your grit, you’re going to make a stack of cred out here among these hulks. Or you’re going to die trying. Either way, you’re going to do it alone.

No one’s coming looking. No one knows you’re here.

Advertisement

A Lonely Death (In Space)

This solo sci-fi game uses mechanics to walk you through your character’s lonely adventure (and possible death) in space. Things may look bleak. But at least there’s the AI NPC keeping you company.

These solo rules use a simple 2d6 yes-no oracle and a d20 muse to handle questions and answers. In addition, a number of simple techniques are used to give the impression of NPC AI, by creating fast behavior profiles that influence oracle questions and reaction rolls.