Forum > HARP SF
"Generic" sci fi vs Setting specific
jem:
Hi all,
I am really enjoying the mechanics of the game and have found that the system meets or exceeds all of our expectations. The only issue that seems to be a serious barrier for us is that the setting is so consistently embedded in almost every section of the rules. It is not that the setting is bad at all but we don't want a new setting for our sci fi games, we want to use the excellent HARP rules to play them.
It would be great if the setting specific material could be placed more discretely in an appendix. HARP manages to deliver a "generic" fantasy rpg that one feels comfortable using in a huge range of settings, it is a shame that HARPs sci fi seems to be so setting specific.
I understand that technological assumptions are a big factor in defining a sci fi setting and that it is therefore necessary to narrow the focus from the outset (low tech ala Firefly vs high tech/science fantasy such as Star Wars let alone hard scifi vs space opera). But the setting could easily be an example at the back rather than embedded throughout the book.
Space Master is a fairly generic sci fi game - there is a setting but it is only sketchily present in the core rules and it is very easy to say things like "there are no transhumans in our setting". Privateers introduced a more substantial core setting and because of that it took us much more effort to use it so we fell back on Traveller.
I feel like I would rather have a bigger range of weapons, ships and alternative ftl technologies - preferably with a simple starship construction guide (nothing like as complex as all of the Travellers since High Guard) than have a whole lot of stuff that I have to say "No, ignore all of those races" or "no this setting does not use jump gates", "skip over the first chapter of the book" etc..
If the setting was in an appendix which summarizes how it can be reflected by selecting the appropriate technologies (no blasters, jump gates etc..) and lists the species prevalent there, then the same information could be there for those that want it but it would be much easier to ignore it if you don't want it.
Please understand that I am really thrilled with the game and am eager to continue to use it but I can really see myself having to reedit a document that would be more relevant to the needs of our group. This would, of course, prevent me from buying the hard copy as soon as it is available (as I have fully intended to) as the hard copy would be riddled with material that was essentially useless to me and is distracting for the players.
HARP is a generic fantasy game - HARP sci fi should be as generic a sci fi game as possible.
Jem
allenrmaher:
It is a bit of a no win. One of the most common criticisms of HARP out there is the generic nature of it. I think HARP really starts to show it self off once you see it in a setting like Cyradon that was built for it. I like that TIntamar is there... that way all I have to do is plan an adventure rather than a full fledged campaign world.
jem:
On the contrary - I know plenty of people who play HARP because it is generic and therefore a direct competitor for D&D (but with better rules of course!) - just check out the poll on the HARP forum for settings used. I have used HARP in Greyhawk, Titan, Harn and my own setting and had a great time with all of them.
I don't have a problem with the existence of the setting - I even quite like it, but it would be a shame if the impression players get is "this is the game of Tintamar" as it might well limit its appeal. I accept what you say and I am happy with the setting material being in the book but would prefer it if it was separated out from the core game as a sample setting in an appendix - even if it is still a substantial section of the book. Perhaps another way to do it would be to have boxed "in Tintamar" examples in the relevant rules sections - i.e perhaps if there was a generic description of FTL travel with some ideas for how it might be handled but with a boxed and/or shaded section that descriped specifically how it was done in the sample setting.
Right now there is no real competition for the generic sci fi game and it would seem like the ideal time to pitch HARPSF as a challenger to the mantle of Traveller, Space Opera and Space Master rather than another Trinity or Futures Suns. Lasting appeal does seem to go to games that give players and gms the maximum amount of creative space whilst supporting beginners with ample examples of how a setting could be set up.
Jem
jem:
BTW One setting that is begging to be done in HARPSF is GW's 40k setting. Thanks to HARP there are already racial stat mods for Eldar, Squats and Orks and converting weapons to HARP is very easy. It is a dopey setting in many ways but it IS popular. Now I know that there would be no way for ICE to officially support such a conversion but if the rules remain open to some kind of Fantasy / Sci Fi crossover in setting materials then anyone who likes the setting will immediately see the potential.
Jem
buddha:
--- Quote from: jem on March 23, 2007, 02:42:04 AM ---BTW One setting that is begging to be done in HARPSF is GW's 40k setting. Thanks to HARP there are already racial stat mods for Eldar, Squats and Orks and converting weapons to HARP is very easy.
--- End quote ---
Most 40K fans are already waiting for the Dark Heresy RPG due out in Febuary 2008. It's the first of three planned RPGs in the 40K setting.
I too love HARP for it's genericness. ;)
I've made my own setting for the fantasy campain I run, but for a SCI-FI RPG I want a setting I can modify to fit my own needs, not just a set of rules.
Layoutwise I agree with Jem, keep the rules in one part and make a clear distinction between the generic rules and the setting specific rules.
And if it is implied somewhere in the text that Cyradon might be a planet in some distant quadrant of the Tintamar universe so much the better. I liked that idea in Shadow World / Space Master, and I think it is written somewhere in 40K canon that the Warhammer Fantasy world is somwhere in the Eye of Chaos or whatever that chaosinfested part of the galaxy is called. No need to scatter laserweapons and other high tech stuff troughout Cyradon, just give the players that little link that tells them it is possibel to take your spaceship and go visit a backwards planet where they have yet to invent the steamengine.
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