A surprising telephone number of recently published science - fiction tabletop RPGs contain original setting modeled after definitive scientific discipline - fiction enfranchisement , just as classic phantasy RPGs likeDungeon & Dragonsare modeled afterThe Hobbit , Conan The Barbarian , and other fantasy classic . rooter of scientific discipline fiction franchises likeStar Wars , Mass Effect , Cowboy Bebop , or Aliencan habituate the rules and original stage setting of these followingtabletop RPG systemsto tell stories that are like in theme and feel while going in young , surprising direction .

Fan - fiction - that is , the art of borrow characters and theme from the floor one have sex to create brand - raw tale - is a practice as older as the art of storytelling itself . Dante’sThe Divine Comedywas essentially ego - insert rooter - fiction where he and his favorite papistic poet Virgil go on anAeneid - inspired tour of Hell , Purgatory , and Heaven . Garrett P. Serviss , a sports fan of H.G. Well’sThe War Of The Worlds , indite an un - authorized sequel where Thomas Edison make up a disintegrator ray and a fleet of galvanising spaceships to attain back against the Martian invader . TheStar Trekfancommunity   popularize the graphics of fan - fable piece of writing as an act of taste for cherished franchises , whileDungeons & Dragons , the first act game , was in some ways a arrangement through which players could collectively differentiate narration pep up by their favourite sword & sorcery stories .

Related : Star Trek - Style Tabletop RPGs For Fans Of Peaceful Space Exploration

Madden 26 character and imagery

The following tabletop RPG system were most definitively instigate by people who were lover of sealed scientific discipline fabrication franchises . Their configurations and rules , though original , are design to aid participant say story in the mode of the sci - fi TV shows , picture , and TV games they love . In many room , these original - setting RPGs offer more chances for good storytelling thanofficial RPG adaptationsdo ;   players of these game do n’t have to worry about contradicting the pre - established lore of their favorite dealership , and do n’t have to stick to aspects of the franchise that are clumsy or restrictive .

Galactic 2e (Inspired By Star Wars)

astronomic 2eis a science fiction play game described on itsitch.iopage as " a game of rebellion , relationships and warfare among the star . " Wholeheartedly inspired by theStar Warsfranchise , Galactic 2ehas character playbooks for archetypes such as the " Scoundrel " for Han Solo - type characters and the   " Nova " for Jedi and Sith - eccentric mystic . work up off of the " Belonging Outside Belonging " system used in the biotic community centre RPGsDream AskewandDream aside , players trigger " Weak Moves " that place their characters at a disadvantage into order to gain in - game currency to succeed at natural action after on with " Strong relocation . "

Into The Black (Inspired By Mass Effect)

Into The Black , according toDicebreaker , is " a love letter to Mass Effect without the military trapping , " set in a future world where distance travelers in debt to brawny mega - corporations trawl through the deepness of space to complete mission assignments and exculpate their debts . The three main classes inInto The Blackare Soldier , Specialist and Technican , each with special abilities inspired by the soldier , engineer , and biotic classes from theMass Effectfranchise . auto-mechanic - wise to , Into The Blackborrows a lot from the Old School Renaissance school of RPG intention , peculiarly more minimalistic games likeInto The OddorElectric Bastionland .

Orbital Blues (Inspired By Cowboy Bebop)

Recently funded onKickstarter , Orbital Bluesis a science fiction space western RPG about interstellar   ruffians with a battered starship making a livelihood across the anarchical frontier of forbidden quad . If this assumption sounds familiar , that ’s because it matches the plot of land - line of the TV showFirefly , theGuardians Of The Galaxymovies , and the Japanese animeCowboy Bebop .

Related : Tabletop RPGs With Space Western preferences & musical theme

The simple tale rule ofOrbital Bluesare designed to facilitate gameplay where a crew of misfits pool their skillsets to undertake de jure doubtful Book of Job and gigs , while the grimy forbidden - space setting is themed after Rock’n’Roll and Folk Blues line .

Flick, CJ, and Daisy Mae from Animal Crossing New Horizons

Mothership RPG (Inspired By Alien)

The go - to RPG for players looking to tell sci - fi stories of repugnance and suspense in the style ofAlien , Mothership RPGis   about groups of dispirited - class space traveler trying to come through in the harsh and venomous surroundings of outer outer space , occupy with risky planets , deadly monsters , and eternal dark . The main role stratum inMothership RPG- Scientist , Teamster , Android , and Marine   - correspond to iconic characters fromtheAlienmovies , while the game ’s D100 die - centered rules , readily approachable on thespian graphic symbol flat solid , encourage game session fill with tension , terror , and plenteous amount of money of deadliness .

Next : Official Star Trek Tabletop RPG Adaptations ( & Their Unique Strengths )

Sources : Mothership RPG , itch.io , Kickstarter , Dicebreaker

GTA 6 artwork of Jason and Lucia with guns on a pier.

Sci-Fi Homage Tabletop RPGs

Sci-Fi Homage Tabletop RPGs Galactic 2e Star Wars

Sci-Fi Homage Tabletop RPGs Into The Black Mass Effect

Sci-Fi Homage Tabletop RPGs Orbital Blues Cowboy Bebop

Sci-Fi Homage Tabletop RPGs Mothership RPG Alien