Tabletop RPGs have been a source of creativity, inspiration and camaraderie since the 1970s. They promote teamwork, exploration, risk-taking and the kind of heroics few people will actually see in their real lives. Games like Dungeons & Dragons give players the power to become so many things, from magic-wielding Wizards to lute-toting Bards, but not everyone enjoys playing in a high-fantasy setting.
Some players long to journey through the stars, exploring the universe and discovering new worlds and alien races. Others want to go a step beyond exploration and discovery, perhaps becoming intergalactic smugglers, joining in an epic battle to save a galaxy or even conquering alien races to build a galactic empire all their own. Fortunately, publishers have kept that in mind since the very inception the TTRPG genre.
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Starfinder
In 2017, Paizo Publishing released Starfinder, a versatile game similar to its high fantasy RPG, Pathfinder. Starfinder allows Game Masters and players to create all kinds of sci-fi adventures. Looking for an ongoing space opera in a vast world rife with cybernetic, technological and political struggle? Starfinder can do that. Want to enter into a Starship Troopers-style high stakes war against the bugs? Totally possible. Smugglers, bandits, heroes, soldiers — Starfinder has just about everything potential adventurers might search for in the stars.
Combining futuristic technology with magical elements provide some fantasy flair makes it an easy transition for D&D players who crave galactic exploration. Though its racial and class features can feel limited, especially for players used to having a wealth of options, the game is constantly expanding. Starfinder is always adding new adventures and content, which definitely makes it a worthwhile way to explore the stars.
Star Wars: Edge of the Empire
There are several RPG modules set in the Star Wars galaxy, exploring everything from fighting the Galactic Empire as rebels to the serving in the Clone Wars. One of the most outstanding adventures is Edge of the Empire, which allows players to play through grim and gritty adventures as galactic smugglers, bounty hunters, pirates and more on the outside the boundaries civilization and Empire rule.
With a unique dice system that incorporates the Force, there’s tons of potential for immersive adventures in this beloved universe. Players can take on familiar character types, all while battling intriguing challenges against epic odds. These are the kinds of antics Han Solo and Chewbacca might have gotten up to running spice for the Hutts, or adventures similar to those the Mandalorian undertook while protecting Grogu. With an entire galaxy rampant with political and economic strife to explore, characters in Edge of the Empire fight the system to survive, creating the opportunities for epic roleplaying with epic characters.
Star Trek Adventures
For generations, Star Trek has defined space travel and exploration in ways no other franchise ever has, so it makes sense that one of the most beloved TTRPGs for intergalactic explorers would take place in Gene Roddenberry’s universe. Star Trek Adventures is far from the first game set in the universe, as the very first released in 1978. Still, the franchise has vastly expanded over the decades, evolving in such a way that necessitates a new RPG.
The game uses the d20 system, making it easily accessible to D&D players who want to follow the captain into parts unknown. Character creation is similar, though Starfleet Officers don’t specialize in just one skillset. Starfleet expects the best from their officers, meaning character customization grants a broader range of abilities. For fans looking to boldly go where no man has gone before, Star Trek Adventures is a must-play.
Scum and Villainy
Inspired by that famous line from Star Wars: A New Hope, Scum and Villainy is not unlike Edge of the Empire. Players start out on one of three ships, each designed to tell a different story. Everyone takes on a role within the crew, but there are no captains, meaning all players have an equal stake. The crew must navigate the Galactic Hegemony, finding ways to earn a living, make ends meet and survive.
While that description makes it feel like Star Wars, the game has the potential to become so much more. There are opportunities for Firefly-esque adventures in smuggling, rebellions against the Hegemony and bounty hunting, depending on the players’ ship choice. Once that adventure launches, though, it can go just about anywhere the crew decides to take it, making for versatile and exciting campaigns.
Traveller
Traveller has been around since 1977, and much like Dungeons & Dragons, it’s had plenty of time and room to evolve and grow as a game. Mongoose Publishing recently updated the core rules of the game to bring it into the 21st century, and there nearly two dozen adventure books available to keep the space adventure going for ages.
Exploring all the elements players crave in an epic spacefaring RPG, Traveller is capable of providing opportunities to explore uncharted regions of space, trade operations, smuggling, alien battles and outstanding wars with powerful intergalactic empires bent on universal domination. It has all everything the other space-based TTRPGs offer, but all rolled up into one game. Traveller can explore any territory players and GMs want, making it incredibly versatile.
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