I've Played 5E Science Fiction

I saw the Traveller 5E Backerkit today, and I did not pull the trigger on that. It is a pricey set of books: $350 for the core books, and $1,000 for the all-in. The cost for these 5E crowdfunding projects is very high these days, and this won't ship until October of 2027. That is a long time to wait for books, nearly a year and a half.

And for $1,000, I can buy nearly every GURPS PoD book ever printed.

I played 5E science fiction: Esper Genesis and the Level Up Void Runners Codex. There is also Ultramodern5, a total conversion mod of 5E into cyberpunk and science fiction. The only thing 5E science fiction has going for it is monster compatibility, which I honestly never use. While the gee-whiz powers (psionic or techno-mage, typically) are cool, I never found 5E science fiction all that interesting. The last best version of "level-based science fiction systems" is Starfinder 1e, which was the last big set of 3.5E level-based science fiction gaming.

So, 5E science fiction has been done a few times, and what Traveller 5E brings to the table is the universe, the ships, and the entire Traveller feeling. I bought the original LBBs at the store. To me, Traveller will always be a game played with two six-sided dice.

All of these games play mostly the same, and you fall into a "space adventurer" motivation. You play to level, and you level to play. That MMO factor is the fun of the game, where you are buying abilities, gearing up, collecting powers, and buying that next feat or unlocking that next power. It is the exact same motivation as 5E; preplanned character power drives you.

All my level-based science fiction campaigns typically start off with a lot of energy but fall apart quickly. I get the first few levels, and the huge mountain to climb quickly discourages me, and I realize that levels are not why I play science fiction.

There is a mental break for me here; levels do not equal motivation in science fiction. In fact, they feel like more of a reason not to play, an unnecessary mountain to climb, an artificial game construct to hold you back rather than enable you. I feel I can't do things because I am not at a high enough level to, and I don't feel this in fantasy.

The original Traveller and Star Frontiers games never had levels, nor did they ever need them. For me, fantasy games are where level-based systems, the almost video-game-like tiered progression, and the hero's story shine. I could make a similar argument that the GURPS-style "no level" fantasy is more compelling and better at supporting stories than the level systems of 5E and most OSR games.

What drives me in science fiction stories is the classic themes of exploration, commerce, war, discovery, mystery, and interpersonal character arcs. GURPS does all these the best, and removes the "level chase" from the equation, leaving me just with characters and story.

There was a GURPS review once where the writer said, "GURPS is a game where your scientist character feels just as powerful as the soldier with the machine gun." That is exactly what I want in a science fiction game! I don't want this "combat progression arc" to hang over my head, and make some characters better than others in combat, or having to bolt-on combat powers to science characters just to give them combat parity.

While yes, that machine gun soldier will be able to kill hordes of alien bugs, there will be moments in this adventure where the scientist's findings will be critical for the success of the mission. Perhaps the scientist will be able to identify the resonance of the colony reactor causing the bugs to attack and devise a solution to dampen it and make the bugs peaceful again. The team will need to reach the reactor via an ATV crawler to set up the dampers; the driver will deal with all sorts of hazards, and the engineer will need to be guarded as they install the system. The doctor will be tending to wounds. Everyone is ultimately critical to the mission's success.

Everyone is important, and no artificial combat balance is needed. No "magic science powers" need to be invented to achieve class parity; adding rules and complexity to a genre that does not need them.

I prefer a more cerebral, story-based game where power and levels are not the driving force behind why I play. I like putting the brakes on progression and enjoying the character build I create, and GURPS gives me the best character building in all of tabletop gaming. Plus, my GURPS character sheets are far shorter than 5E, which can run 12-20+ pages at level ten and higher. Even with special powers and 1,000 points, my character sheets in GURPS run 4-6 pages, and that is being generous with spell lists.

Oh, and we will need VTT or a character creation software written and supported for Traveler 5E, which is the Achilles heel of the system. Without software, forget creating characters; it's always an extra digital purchase and subscription. With GURPS, we have great character creation programs, both paid for and community-supported (please support the GCS creator!)

And GURPS gives me a far better selection of powers. I can use "space magic" or do full psionics. I can do bio-tech powers or space crystals that give superpowers. I can wield divine power systems granted by elder space gods. I have as many powers as GURPS can provide, and those power sources can be anything I can imagine. GURPS, like Champions, is, at its heart, a superhero game, and those are the best for magic and powers.

Nothing beats a point-buy superhero game. I can create any space monster or space power I want. I am not limited by the books, nor do I have to wait for expansions and new crowdfunding books.

And while most 5E games depend on powers for the flashy abilities, GURPS does a no-power science fiction game perfectly. While classic Traveller (and Space Opera) was psionics only, Star Frontiers had no powers. A lot of these 5E science fiction games "bake in" a power system that the game depends on, and it is intrinsic to character balance and gameplay. You are stuck with it if you play that version of 5E science fiction. With GURPS, I can easily have no power systems, one that supports the setting, or all of them.

Trying to mod a 5E game is painful, since you are telling players "don't pick these classes" and playing a game that feels like less than the full experience. Also, balance issues will come up if you use a 5E game that depends on magic for combat mechanics and balance, and you remove it to play hard science fiction.

I can also customize the power system to make it "depend on spice" or "channel the power of ancient aliens" or whatever I want in GURPS, so players will experience a unique and referee-curated mystery of how that power works and is sourced from, if the true secrets are even revealed at all. Once you spoil the secret, the power system loses its mystery, like linking The Force to space bacteria.

I like the concept of Traveller 5E as a "5E sandbox space game," and I wish them well. For 5E players, this is a much-needed break from D&D. I find the price to be very high, and the nearly 2-year wait to be excessive. But GURPS is my science fiction game of choice, and Traveller will always be that lightweight 2d6 system that we loved in the late 1970s.

And GURPS will be the best way to play it.

Or any science fiction game I can imagine.