Easy to learn and use, deep enough to cover any need in solo play.

This is a great game that strips the d100 tradition down to the essentials, but also adds some very neat approaches. The system is unified and able to model different kinds of styles and settings, though you as the GM will have to put in some work, which is par for the course with generic systems - for my part, that's my preference, but your mileage may vary.

The conflict resolution system is central addition to the d100 way and does a good job as a general approach to many different kinds of conflict. The fact that the game features a conflict system and not a combat system is a deliberate choice that is meant to reframe your thinking as a GM and with combat being just one type of conflict among many can be a strength or a frustration depending on your preferences. If you crave detailed and "crunchy" combat, this is not the game for you, but if you run a game where combat happens, but is not the main focus, then you have only one system to master, that is quite flexible in terms of granularity of narrative and mechanical detail.

Another strength of this system is the ease with which you can homebrew and make your own additions to the system. You can make a list of skills tailored to your game/setting, for example. Additionally, with it being a d100-system there is not really a reason that you couldn't convert material from other d100 games into Comae.

This game is more than worth the low asking price and it's a great choice of system to introduce new-comers to RPGs, since it's very simple and intuitive to grasp the core mechanic, but it's not so bare-bones as to leave your players "unmoored".

Great simplification of d100 rules, but still missing some explanations. Some simplifications brought out questions and need clarifying

I just stumbled upon this book and am absolutely amazed at what a beautiful creation this is! I've spent much time consuming various sci-fi RPGs over the decades, always trying to find the "perfect" sci-fi system that would allow me to adapt it to whatever type of vibe or sci-fi genre I want. My sci-fi go-to was always Traveller, as it was the closest thing to what I desired and had just an incredible amount of materials available for game masters.

For sci-fi RPGs, what I've always looked for is something that is openended, not locked to a specific setting, flexible for various styles of play, with options for creating any tech level or universe or type of sci-fi worlds that I want, and has a nice system for character creation and development. I want something that sparks my imagination and allows me to build whatever I want for my players. M-Space is this exactly and I think now that I like the use of Mythras/d100's mechanics even better than Traveller's 2d6 system. As a fan of Call of Cthulhu, I have always enjoyed the d100 mechanics and its style of character building.

Something like Stars without Numbers is also great, however to me, skill-based systems always fit sci-fi RPGs much better than class-based systems. And while I love Traveller, the 2d6 mechanics sometimes frustrates me a little, especially with regards to character building and development. In the late 1980s and early 90s I also really enjoyed the SpaceMaster RPG, as that gave me much of what I wanted in terms of character building and development. However SpaceMaster/RoleMaster has an incredible amount of crunch, you really have to love charts, and it can be a bit unwieldy to do things on the fly or to convert materials from other systems to use with it.

In reading through M-Space, this feels like it is that perfect mix of everything! It reminds me a bit of both Traveller and SpaceMaster, and enables me to use materials from both of these systems or really from any other RPG system, even if I wanted to take materials from something like TSR's Gamma World setting. I can easily repurpose my large collection of old original Traveller content, which can adapt perfectly to M-Space with some tweaking of things. With M-Space, I can run a game that takes place in a setting like Frank Herbert's Dune novels, or something more like Star Wars, or Isaac Asimov's Foundation series, or even a setting like Majipoor from Robert Silverberg's Lord Vallentine's Castle. The Mythras-style rules are crisp, clear, and openended enough that I can really use what I like, ignore what I don't want to use, and make this game my very own. The character building and development have just the right feel to me. Combat and conflict resolution has just the right amount of crunch to me, but still with enough simplicity and with an old school feel that I crave.

And for the product itself -- this book is just beautiful with evocative art through, art of a style that has just enough hints to make my mind envision really cool sci-fi settings, but not confining me to someone else's vision or a particular setting. I also really love the size and dimensions of this book! I'm not a huge fan of the bigger US Letter size type hardbacks and have really enjoyed A5 hardback sizes that are more common today, but this particular form factor for M-Space I may like even better! It's easy to hold and thumb through, yet each page has enough space to really pack in content.

In summary, this is just a fantastic looking game with beautiful art and great design. Such a lovely book and I can't believe I did not know about this one sooner! Well done.

This thing is delightful. Great take on BRP-type system and the generic conflict system is brilliant. Please buy it so they'll make suppliments.

If you want to run a game of M-Space, you will have to do the heavy lifting, create a lot of stats and build the entire setting yourself - from the broad strokes of the setting down to how much a set of armour weighs. Items are not even matched to a particular tech level, although those are defined. What is there just really falls far short of both the level of specificity and detail that I expected from a sci-fi game; but even by skimping on details it still doesn't cover the breadth of science fiction styles or subgenres that it can properly emulate. The odd square page dimensions bother me. The internal art does not have a cohesive style. "You only need this book to play" is a joke. In short, this is a toolbox, not a [game + setting] the way many other competing products are. While I was writing this I found the segments of text on tech levels were taken straight from Traveller.

A couple of observations...

First off, this is a very handsome book to look at - especially the print version. Secondly, this is not a complete game but a framework that you are encouraged to expand or reduce as you see fit.

Like most RPG gamers of my advancing years, I have many different games in my collection and I like to thieve the best ideas from the ones that catch my eye, so "the Comae Engine" fits my requirements completely - the extended conflicts, luck options and the NPC generator will be flung at my gaming groups forthwith.

One of the better solo rpg frameworks, right up there with Mythic GME. Combines especially well with d100/BRP games, but should work just as nicely with other games. I especially like how much information and inspiration is delivered by the three dice, which are always rolled together. Additionally, the Story Tokens provide a nice narrative framework and add some tangible gameplay elements, plus some nice narrative benefits as well. The physical presentation is top notch and comes with some impressive, moody art. A great addition for a solo player!

Initial impressions.

Quick easy rules for an oracle replacement of a GM. Can be used as a GM assist as well. The inclusion of a full game replay is a welcomed guide and it is extremely well written. That sets a very high bar for my solo games going forward.

Ordered the POD Hardback at the same time as i ordered Trey.... Lovely book, presentation and art are excellent and very atmospheric. I am a gamer in my late 50's and the D100 system from Runequest, Cthulhu and Stormbringer etc was the first true RPG system i encountered and has always been my favourite... with this in mind, this book is perfect for me in so many ways, i am sure it will get a lot of use in my homebrew stuff, but I can also imagine that it's simplified and unified content will be really useful with M-Space, Cthulhu and my other D100 games (not that they are broken anyway.) Well worth your time and money. (as are Trey and M-Space)

Ordered the POD Hardback.... Lovely book, presentation and art are excellent and very atmospheric. I am a gamer in my late 50's and the D100 system from Runequest, Cthulhu and Stormbringer etc was the first true RPG system i encountered and has always been my favourite... with this in mind, this book is perfect for me in so many ways, i am sure it will get a lot of use with Comae Engine, M-Space and my other D100 games. Well worth your time and money. (as are Comae Engine and M-Space)

A very nice, lightweight system for running Solo RPGs, or as an aid for an overworked GM to offload some of the decision making. The one role system (using 3 distinct dice) is very quick to resolve, and the key tables from the book can be printed 2-up on a single sheet of paper, making for very easy reference at at the table. This does not have any requirement to use the Comae Engine either - I have used this for Year Zero Engine games, as well as The One Ring.

Take the percentile-based core mechanic of the Basic Roleplaying family of games, merge it with the narrative flexibility of QuestWorlds (formerly HeroQuest), and The Comae Engine will spring forth Athena-like from the brow of Zeus. That narrative flexibility makes social encounters as tension-filled and exciting as combat encounters in other games and systems. What you do in the fiction informs the skill(s) used to resolve the conflict, and the pool which governs that conflict's progress should you escalate. Easy to learn, quick in play, and simple to master.

I just wrote a review for TREY, the solo game engine and a lot of that applies to this. I was sceptical, especially as I am very much an old school D100 gamer, but this is the sort of system that brings those old classics into the future without breaking or even replacing them. Glad to see the D100 family is not only alive and kicking, but ever evolving from such a sound base.

Ok. From the perspective of an older gamer, one that has more recently switched to just D100 RPG titles and to be honest, now like my games lite, easy and a little old school, this is a very, very welcome addition and does something that I hold dear. I tend to take other systems and convert them to D100, but it is tedious and often needs specific conversions. TREY allows me to blend, replace or just add to these. From the perspective of a new gamer, I would assume it would be as good a place to start "easy" as any and a good safety net if a new system falls short somehow. It would also be idea l for a very occasional gamer who just want to fill in the blanks and game without drudge. Typical of FrostByte it is wonderful value, very approachable and the art, done by the author is typically Scandi, by which I mean deep, moody, emotive and inspiring, just like Tales From The Loop and Symbaroum (some of my favourite art came from the M-Space Companion).