Any opinions on translating Elite into an RPG again?
Did anyone ever buy or play the ED TTRPG by Spidermind Games?
- Thread starter Devil's Refugee
- Start date
Any opinions on translating Elite into an RPG again?
I think the big thing for me is that they tried to make this as closely tied to the game (at the time) in terms of mechanics and it just became a bit too complex rather than an adventure. If I were going to make a TTRPG I'd go for a simpler rulebook for a start. Now we've got Odyssey, Colonisation, and Vanguards coming up soon, it's a good time to look this again but unsure just how big the market would be for it.
Yes, I bought it.
IMHO an really well produced, high-quality set of books and box set. All extra books fit neatly into the box such that the box was flush with all of them in to a nanometer.
I never got chance to play it but skimmed through the rules and game data. On the whole it was high quality and very detailed.
I never got chance to play the space combat but it was touted as simple to play and involved a number of ranges away from the ship you're fighting. Reminded me of the West End Games starship combat for Star Wars if you have ever played that.
IMHO an really well produced, high-quality set of books and box set. All extra books fit neatly into the box such that the box was flush with all of them in to a nanometer.
I never got chance to play it but skimmed through the rules and game data. On the whole it was high quality and very detailed.
I never got chance to play the space combat but it was touted as simple to play and involved a number of ranges away from the ship you're fighting. Reminded me of the West End Games starship combat for Star Wars if you have ever played that.
I've got the original core rulebook for SW and this one too
I felt it got bogged down by trying to be a direct variant of the video game. Agree it was very well done though, massive undertaking at the time. Could do with being simpler.
In that case I'd go with SW WEG D6 system. It was simple, almost all of the rules/mechanics can be brought directly to the ED universe and if you have the WEG Star Warriors board game for ship-to-ship fighting you could use that as well. Star Warriors had a quick, easy mechanics and unbelievably slick movement and fighting system.I've got the original core rulebook for SW and this one too
I felt it got bogged down by trying to be a direct variant of the video game. Agree it was very well done though, massive undertaking at the time. Could do with being simpler.
I actually used SW D6 system for several other games back in the day because of it's fluidity. It enabled the game to be more story-focused than rule-focussed (compare and contrast for example the sci-fi version of Role Master called (IIRC) Space Master). The 1987 1st edition rule book for SW was awesome.
Also might want to check out WEG D6 Space - think it's available as a download or print from Drive Thru games.
Exactly this, same feelings. Need to check out the Star Warriors game, didn't play that but for sure the WEG rules just made the stories flow without being hindered with overly complex dice systems.
Star Warriors was really good - there was an element whereby a much superior combatant could end up weaving and slipping into and out of the opponent's grasp when they were a much poorer flier. There were slips, u-turns, several different mechanics you could use to get to different places on the board, And like (almost) everything WEG did had simple mechanics that enabled the game to flow fast without hindering game time. I remember Car Wars used to take an entire evening just to mimic a couple of minutes of combat!
Nice, thanks! Going to have a browse later over a couple of beers, cheers
I have probably ~70% of all the source books - the only once I never got were the ones I just wasn't interested in. I've got the Expanse box set with all modules as well as the Kathol box set and all modules. And ALL the miniature box set and the battle rules. But SW WEG was 'my' thing as I was the GM. Still really proud I've got all the books, some of them are absolutely amazingly written.
Think one of my shelves takes up about 6' of SW WEG stuff...
Yes, I backed it before release and got the whole package. I love it. I still haven't set up a campaign for my players to play, though.
The biggest problem with the game is that it's accurate up to the point in Elite Dangerous when it was developed. This is pre-Thargoid war, pre-Chieftain/Mamba/Krait MK II, and (worst of all) pre-Odyssey. So as the video game has developed, the content in this game has been left behind. Still, I like the way they handled engineering, skills, equipment, and just over all play.
I did briefly play in an online session with people I didn't know. That didn't last long. I couldn't deal with the min/maxers in the group and the GM that knew about 1/10th the lore of the ED universe that I did.
All those other games have issues that made me prefer Elite. Star Wars may have a whole galaxy, but we only see a tiny fraction of systems compared to the Bubble in ED (let alone the rest of the Galaxy). Star Trek has a decent universe - and the Modiphius versions seems to be really good (with lots of maps and source material) - but Star Trek RPGs usually involve players taking orders, being sent on missions, etc. Not much independence or feeling of true exploration.
Traveller... oh boy. Ok, it is a classic. It has a good system. But... I just can't. No matter what version, it's just... boring. It's a major chore for a group of players to have a ship. Travel times/distances are incredibly long. Your campaign will probably end because all of your player characters are growing too old... assuming they don't die from the incredibly deadly combat. I won't fault anyone for loving Traveller. I even backed a project for 28mm 3D printed versions of the scout and freighter (and I don't even own a 3d printer yet) because it was neat. But I just can't get into that game. Further, every single published adventure I've seen is BORING. My real life job is boring enough, I don't need to be bored in game.
For me, Elite took the good parts of traveller (skill system, experienced gained by using skills), added a galaxy with a lot more systems that Star Wars, and has the fast paced travel and independence of Star Wars. The only downside was the freeze in development AND (for me personally) trying to figure out a way to give players a map they could use to navigate around the Bubble (or elsewhere) based on the video game.
Anyway, that's just my opinion.
Really good thoughts, thanks!
Yeah, I had a quick flick through my copy here and it's so out of date compared to how the game has evolved now so makes me wonder whether it's prime time for a revamp or new version entirely.
Don't get me wrong, I never played Elite ttrpg version so I can't comment on it.
But for me Star Wars, Star Trek and even Expanse are much more ingrained in my personal imagination, than Elite.
Elite, I fly spaceships. I don't know how the planets down there look, except for some comically carbon-copied outposts.
I know some few oligarch players like me, and comical behaving 2dimensional NPCs.
With the TV shows, the imagination is much easier. That's why I say Elite is niche.
My wife hates Sci-Fi, she would never play a game like Elite, but she watched every Star Trek episode and every Expanse episode with
me. The stuff is just that much more accessible if you have multiple TV and movie sources.
Hell, I'd even consider Wing Commander a better universe to play in from the point of accessibility,
because it tells this story of good humans against bad space kitten hobos.
That doesn't mean the ttrpg is bad, it's just niche.
There are some web sites out there, by fans of the game, that have added things (Chieftain, more Thargoid ships, etc.) to try and keep it current.
The game could really use an official update to bring it up all the current developments. As far as a revamp... the only real issue is that Odyssey game play is so different from the on-foot experience in the ttrpg. That said, I prefer the way it is handled in the ttrpg so I wouldn't want that revamped.
Oh, from a trying to get players who know nothing about the universe engaged, I agree. The base rulebook has a few good sections that act as primers (salesperson walking everyone through how their new sidewinder works). I knew I was going to have to pull a bunch of information from Galnet for an additional primer. Finally, I was going to need to pick a starting area and use some of the local factions to start.Don't get me wrong, I never played Elite ttrpg version so I can't comment on it.
But for me Star Wars, Star Trek and even Expanse are much more ingrained in my personal imagination, than Elite.
Elite, I fly spaceships. I don't know how the planets down there look, except for some comically carbon-copied outposts.
I know some few oligarch players like me, and comical behaving 2dimensional NPCs.
With the TV shows, the imagination is much easier. That's why I say Elite is niche.
My wife hates Sci-Fi, she would never play a game like Elite, but she watched every Star Trek episode and every Expanse episode with
me. The stuff is just that much more accessible if you have multiple TV and movie sources.
Hell, I'd even consider Wing Commander a better universe to play in from the point of accessibility,
because it tells this story of good humans against bad space kitten hobos.
That doesn't mean the ttrpg is bad, it's just niche.
That said, the combat (space, SRV, and on foot) is going to be a lot like Star Wars for most people. The fast travel as well. In addition, you don't have to deal with all the baggage of that universe.
If you can prime your players and get them involved in the universe AND develop a good story (I was going to go for independent contractors and some espionage), it should work easily. That said, if Star Trek is your thing, the Modiphius material should handle everything quite well. Previous incarnations (Last Unicorn games (I think), and before that FASA) had so many issues with their gaming systems, it was pointless to even try.
Love this subject, thanks for posting. I still haven't gotten these books but my intent is to eventually get them. The first one that came out has lore that is canon (of course some things may have changed, but where it doesn't conflict with in game lore it is canon.) Afterwards they diverged from the source to keep it alive. Unfortunately haven't seen too many advertisements to play. But they do have a discord! So if you are into TTRPG definitely check them out.
As far as game systems I recommend Starfinder. Right now they are in 1e version for Starfinder, which I love, but they are coming out with a 2e which is currently in beta. Starfinder is published by Paizo and are pretty popular. Their lore and classes are pretty unique and they are Sci-FANTASY but they can be adapted to be more SCIENE than Fi.
What is awesome about them is that they already have tons of adventure paths that you can "easily" adapt to the Elite universe. At the very least you can take portions of an adventure path and play them as one-shots.
So Elite might work well as an expansion set to an existing TTRPG
Yup. Would have been nice if they just made a Starfinder 3rd party adaptation guide.