Space: 1889

[copeab]

About a week and a half ago I picked up the Heliograph reprint of Space: 1889. I have since read through all of it (except the Luna adventure). I was aware that it was considered a "great setting, lousy mechanics" game. The mechanics are quite bad so much as inconsistent -- a lot like AD&D 1e which used a different dice mechanic for each system.

It also suffers (like many games of it's era) by setting starting skill levels too low for the most part.

I also have an issue with how close combat works, but that could be moot depending on how I end up handling the mechanics.

My options are:

* Use the mechanics as-is. I think the quick-rolls (mainly used in combat) of 1d6 vs a target number are a bit too simplistic. The dice pool for most other rolls is a little inconsistent (sometimes skill, dice, sometimes attribute dice, sometimes both together) but this doesn't bother me greatly.

* Use my own mechanic. About a decade ago, I was trying to come up with a simple game. Skills and attributes were each rated on a 1-6 scale (like Space: 1889, it turns out). Tasks were resolved by adding the skill, appropriate attribute and any modifiers and rolling this number less on 2d6.

* Use dice pools: Drop the quick roll mechanic and have everything use the dice pool. This would require a bit more work converting the quick rolls over, but the dice pool rolls would remain the same.

* Use another game system: My leading contenders are some flavor of D6, Fudge or GURPS 3E. I'm not considering any other systems (I know there is a Savage Worlds version of the game, but it's not in contention).

[Whome?]

I would say use GURPS 3E. Space:1889 is a wonderful setting. Gurps Steampunk maybe useful to you as well.

[GameBuddah]

I've played in four Space:1889 campaigns, all using GURPS 3rd Edition. You only need the core rule-book. The Space: 1889 background is well thought out, as befits a GDW product, but the rules are lacking. We were able to give the game additional depth using GURPS.

I have the Savage Worlds adaptation of Space: 1889, Red Sands, on the shelf but haven't had anyone express an interest in it.

The best campaign that we played in was a GURPS Space:1889 campaign, where we were martian freedom fighters and American business interests fighting to stop the Belgians in the Coprates valley. Mix Raiders of the Lost Ark, the A-Team, and John Carter of Mars, and you get the idea.

[ak_aramis]

I've run several campaigns of 1889 using the rules in the book...

I like the combat dice mechanic - it really does work better in play than it looks.
For non-combat, I used the (skill)d6 vs TN almost all the time. Up the difficulties by 10 if using (Stat+Skill) vs TN

I'll note that in converting over to other engines, you'll lose the invention mechanics; they are quirky, but really do add a lot of mechanical flavor.

Also, skill levels really are not too low given the assumptions - most PC's will start competent in 2-3 of the 20-some skills... and since skills only really go to level 6, a 4 is bloody good.

[copeab]

Thanks for the comments. One of my potential players, who has experience with the game, has voted for my 2d6 roll idea. Since some of my other potential players have also played the game before, I might see what their preference is.

Even if I go with 2d6, I will leave the research and experiments rules and rolls as they are.

One thing that does bother me is close combat -- 10 yards seems too much, as it covers a lot of thrown weapons and pistol fire. The easiest change to me it just to restrict close combat rules to 5 yards or less.

Also, as a GM who can't seem to run anything without the supernatural in it, has anyone ever tried to add low-powered psionics to the setting?

Lastly, virtually all cloudships and aerial flyers are military designs. Anyone know of a place I can find civilian/merchant ships? They can be lightly armed (like the 50 ton steam launch in the core book. I don't mind designing my own (I've already done two small kites) but no need to reinvent the wheel.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by copeab

Also, as a GM who can't seem to run anything without the supernatural in it, has anyone ever tried to add low-powered psionics to the setting?

When I ran it, I modified the rules to make it a supers game, though rather low-end. The player characters were effectively analogs of the Legion of Super-Heroes. I added a seventh attribute, which I think may have been psychic talent; I allowed 28 points for attributes, rather than 21, and allowed an attribute value of 7 (though I decreed that Social Standing 7 was "royal" and normally off limits to PCs); I provided rules for starting out with one or more marvelous inventions; and I provided rules for unusual abilities, including various psychic abilities. Psychic powers are perfectly in idiom for the Victorian era, after all.

Bill Stoddard

[ak_aramis]

Originally Posted by copeab

Also, as a GM who can't seem to run anything without the supernatural in it, has anyone ever tried to add low-powered psionics to the setting?

Lastly, virtually all cloudships and aerial flyers are military designs. Anyone know of a place I can find civilian/merchant ships? They can be lightly armed (like the 50 ton steam launch in the core book. I don't mind designing my own (I've already done two small kites) but no need to reinvent the wheel.

I've added some very mild psionics, and presumed all humans had a 0 PSI, and all the complications of raising skills above that applied. It doesn't exactly break the setting, but it does feel wrong to me.

As for civil ships - there really aren't many. Almost all the cloudships on Earth are either military, mad science, or zeppelins. Most of the merchant kites on Mars are essentially identical to under-armed military ones.

There are a few examples of merchant kites and screws in Cloud Captains of Mars. Canal Priests has a merchant ether flyer - a liner - and a merchant kite, both with deck plans.

Note also: Caravans implies strongly that most merchant traffic on Mars is surface transport - wagon trains and barges. Likewise, Conklin's, Tales and More Tales all imply the vast majority of merchant traffic on earth is still surface as well. By 1910, the S:1889 Earth should be nearly unrecognizable from just a few radium engine patents and synthetic liftwood.

[whswhs]

I don't recommend using the published rules. I used them, and they were really a pain for my players. Too many systems! And not all of the systems are equally good or even equally understandable.

Bill Stoddard