http://www.kalyr.co.uk/weblog/sf-and-gaming/games/game-wish-27-sf-rpgs/ The blogs of Tim Hall Fri, 14 Apr 2017 23:35:42 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=3.7.41 http://www.kalyr.co.uk/weblog/sf-and-gaming/games/game-wish-27-sf-rpgs/comment-page-1/#comment-1194 Thu, 29 Apr 2004 08:41:59 +0000 http://kalyr.co.uk/wordpress/?p=925#comment-1194 In my opinion, the main problem of sf-rpgs is their complexity. In contrast to sf, fantasy scenes are easy to describe: You see a room, 40′ by 60′ and there’s a dragon inside. Anyone can make something of these terse words.
SF adventures on the other hand must take account of the sensory technology the characters have. IR, thermograph, radar, each gives a different view of the surroundings. And don’t forget the killer sensor, the TL-15 Densitometer!
In addition, sf usually can’t explain things away by way of magic. Technology sometimes works as a substitute but depending on the game there are limits to this.
And lastly, sf games need a lot more preparation than fantasy games do. I don’t know about you, but I can’t just create half a dozen planets or starships on the fly. At least not for Traveller.

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