For April posting daily with random tools, tables and rpgs for Science Fiction at rpg_generators subreddit. Building on previous generator months.
Disclaimer: Rand Roll is an affiliate for DriveThru RPG.
30 Days of Sci-Fi RPG Tools with links
- Day 1 - Spaceship Generator with Deck Maps at Role Generator
- Day 2 - Sectors without Number, System Map Generator
- Day 3 - GameMaster's Apprentice Cards: Sci-Fi & Cyberpunk
- Day 4 - Five Parsecs from Home
- Day 5 - World and Planet Generation Tools
Day 1 - Spaceship Generator with Deck Maps at Role Generator
Starting with the Random Spaceship Generator at Role Generator, which has a deck map different sizes of ships and lots of detail. There's a filter for spaceship type too.
Role Generator has many other generators, including a few more for Science Fiction.
Day 2 - Sectors without Number, System Map Generator
Sectors without Number is a system map generator (mine has 16 systems) based on tables from the RPG Stars without Number. The tool has lots of utility, and can be configured with Name, size in hexes and what to show to players in the Player's View.
The maps have information on systems, black holes, planets, asteroids, factions and other entities. Maps can be edited, saved and exported.
Day 3 - GameMaster's Apprentice Cards: Sci-Fi & Cyberpunk
GameMaster's Apprentice are a deck of cards with all sorts of information on each card to help with GMing or solo gaming. Dice rolls, oracle results, locations, names, atmosphere descriptions, symbols, action/focus/theme words among others.
The first relevant one is GameMaster's Apprentice: Sci Fi (drivethrurpg link), dedicated to Science Fiction themes! (I got the pdf and printed out the cards, sleeving in magic-card protectors for my Scum & Villainy solo game)
The second sci-fi related one is GMA 2e - Cyberpunk, with a slightly different layout and focus for dystopian futures. (I think plan is to eventually update other decks to a 2e version)
Day 4 - Five Parsecs from Home
Five Parsecs from Home is a solo miniatures skirmish game, driven by random tables.
It describes itself as a "rpg-lite solo adventure wargame" and consists of two main parts. The campaign section where you're looking for jobs, keeping an eye on threats, trading, recruiting and travelling the galaxy.
Then there's the battle part, where you're battling foes using miniatures. (I might try it on a Virtual Table Top like roll20)
There's several expansions, a fantasy version (5 Leagues from the Borderlands), a r/5Parsecs subreddit and an actual play by Trevor Duvall on Me, Myself and Die (also available in podcast form)
Day 5 - World and Planet Generation Tools
Unique planets, homeworlds, dead planets, city-worlds, crash-landing worlds, all important for sci-fi games.
A few tools for planets (whole systems is another day) include
- The SciFi World Generator at donjon, creating a map and details of a world (with several filters)
- For a text version Fantasy Name Generators has a Planet Description Generator, giving a few paragraphs.
- At RanGen there's a Planet Generator which gives lots of details, including a filter for scientific names
- Iron Arachne has a Planet Generator with info including terrain highlights, government and culture
- The Planet Map Generator with lots of customisation, and which has a downloadable version.
- For pixelated worlds, Deep Fold at itch has a Pixel Planet Generator
- For something habitable, Springhole.net has an Earthlike Planet/World Generator, giving a text description.
- Never Engine has a pay-what-you-want Planet Generator (drivethrurpg link), a page of random tables.
- For (paid) random tables Ennead games has a Star System and Planet Maker (drivethrurpg link)
