Been talking to Mason about his upcoming Imperium campaign. One topic that has come up is Sci Fi tropes. Here’s a table I came up with at one point that is useful to think through. Might be worthwhile to ask players which tropes they like or don’t like 🙂
12 Sci-Fi Story Types
Review the list for ideas, or roll 2d6 and to see what story to create in your next adventure. Patrons can give missions for items 2-12.
Patron: Get a job from a patron such as obtaining a macguffin.
Exploration: Salvage of ancient ruins, abandoned ships, exploring dungeons.
Merchant: Trading cargo and working the stock market using trade tables.
Heists: Con jobs or other missions to get an object.
Military: Defend an outpost or fight warlords.
Aliens: Encounter exotic creatures, fight predators, or safari missions.
Cultures: 1st contact scenarios, modern cultural issues reskinned.
Court Intrigue: Interact with nobles/politicians or become one.
Distress Calls: Answer an S.O.S., but no telling what you really will encounter.
Space Battles: Vacc suit fights, bridge action, fleet combats.
Belters: Asteroid exploration, strikes, megacorp intrigue.
Survival: Survive a ship crash, prison, hostile terrain or sabotaged ships.
RPG Space Sci Fi Tropes
Other iconic genre elements I can think of that is great to work in at Con game especially (to make it feel like you placed a Space game):
- Melee combat with futuristic weapons,
- Ranged combat with futuristic weapons
- Fighting alien monsters
- EVA in a space suit
- Piloting a ship
- Solving a cosmic enigma
- Spaceship combat
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