In the realm of tabletop gaming, there's a timeless allure to the simplicity and flexibility of old-school rules. As avid gamers, we know the joy of gathering around a table, dice in hand, ready to embark on epic adventures. But what if I told you that the same rules that govern medieval dungeons can seamlessly transport you to the far reaches of space? Enter the realm of science fiction tabletop RPGs, where the classic mechanics of the original white box fantasy game can be repurposed to create captivating sci-fi narratives without reinventing the wheel. So, how exactly do we adapt the classic, original version of the World's Most Famous RPG to suit a futuristic setting? Let's dive into the specifics: Image courtesy of Dreamstime.com Character Classes In White Box gaming, character classes like Fighting Man, Magic-User, and Cleric form the backbone of the game. While these classes may seem tailored for fantasy settings, they can easily be reimagined for sci-fi adventures....

 Well, folks, the Elf Lair Crew has gone our separate ways once again (we're scattered across three states) and are back home, settled, and (at least in my case) fighting off the old CON CRUD(TM). The con was an absolute blast, with tons of highlights, and I'm not ashamed to say that in a very real way, it may have saved Elf Lair Games.  Resurrecting the Cabal Back in my Eden Studios days (which I honestly still have strong hopes will come again one day - I would dearly love to work on some more Unisystem stuff in the future), I hooked up with two of the greatest guys and game designers you could ever hope to work with: Timothy S. Brannan and Derek Stoelting. Many of you follow Tim's blog, The Other Side .  My main role at Eden was to work on All Flesh Must Be Eaten! sourcebooks, of which I wrote or co-wrote three. Derek also did most of his work on AFMBE, and he was a convention organizer and GM wrangler for cons. Tim was heavily focused on the cinematic end of the spec...

 I recently asked my Friday gaming group what they wanted to see in a sci-fi game that most games they've played don't address. Universally they said they wanted to see some sort of mechanic that reflects just how "f***ing terrifying" traveling in space is. As they put it, it's so much more than just space battles. You can get clobbered by an asteroid that you didn't see coming. You can have an explosive decompression from a hairline fault in the hull that nobody saw. Your computers could blue screen and life support goes out while you're in hypersleep.  Space travel is, indeed, scary just at its basic concept. Hell, in the space of twenty years, the United States saw two space shuttles explode from random malfunctions or faults that were overlooked on inspections. Now think about what happens when you're out there for years! So I started thinking how to mimic that idea in an RPG, and what happened was, I completely overhauled the starship rules in Thi...

 The time approaches, folks! With Wasted Lands not only in the bag but now officially in distribution, we at Elf Lair Games are turning towards our next project, hoping to keep some momentum going. This one will be our science fiction RPG and will complete our trilogy of fantasy, modern, and sci-fi games that allow you to play any game you want in any genre and any style, all with a single system.  Coming in May, all of your games can be Powered by O.G.R.E.S.   So let's look at what Thirteen Parsecs: Beyond the Solar Frontier has to offer.  Thirteen Parsecs: Advetures Beyond the Solar Frontier is a tabletop roleplaying game of adventure and excitement in the wild realms of science fiction. Whether it's a pair of FBI agents battling a clandestine alien invasion in the modern day, a far future war between heroic rebels and evil interstellar empires, a gritty cyberpunk dystopia, or a hard science exploration of the nature of humanity, this came can cover it all! The ...