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White Star: White Box Science Fiction Roleplaying [Swords & Wizardry] $9.99
Average Rating:4.4 / 5
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White Star: White Box Science Fiction Roleplaying [Swords & Wizardry]
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White Star: White Box Science Fiction Roleplaying [Swords & Wizardry]
Publisher: Gallant Knight Games
by Bob V. G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/05/2022 21:49:31

In Carmine (9 pages, free/pay what you want at DriveThruRPG) is a fun sci-fi adventure for Mothership RPG, but I used White Star: White Box Science Fiction Roleplaying (134 pages, same place). To create my solo engine, I changed five lines in Star Dogs Referee’s Handbook (62 pages, same place). I used five first level characters.

So, the mission was to travel to the Initial Point Of Replication (the “IPOR”) to collect a sample of lab-meat tissue. The PCs were dropped off at the Barrenlands and travelled for three nights (because it is sunny and hot during the day). They encountered polyps, Carminian Foxes, trees with attitude, a crashed transport, and a mouth pit. No casualties, yet. At the lab, level one, they encountered a polyp hidden in a hazard suit. The creature blew up and killed my alien PC Alespis. On level two, they encountered a meltmind that had polyps growing out of his face. A polyp attacked my mystic, blew up, and killed my PC. On level three, my Star Knight PC (he was forced out of the order, long story) attempted a saving throw to avoid death by infection. He did it (sigh of relief). My three remaining PCs got the tissue sample and headed back to the drop-off location. At this point, they saw the drop-off ship being attacked by an alien spacecraft. The drop-off ship was destroyed. My team just stood there on the surface of the planet, waiting for destiny to turn them into dust. The alien ship landed and the friendly aliens explained what had happened (they had felt threatened). They let the PCs come on to their ship, they took them where they wanted to go, and the PCs were able to complete their mission. Give this RPG a try!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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White Star: White Box Science Fiction Roleplaying [Swords & Wizardry]
Publisher: Gallant Knight Games
by MATTHEW A. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/15/2021 14:01:33

I've played and ran a few campaigns for this game and I really enjoy it, and my friends really liked it. The only drawback we found was advancing a level didn't seem to pay off, only every other level do you get a new feature. Would like to see that element changed up, honestly. Other than that, this is a super fun system.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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White Star: White Box Science Fiction Roleplaying [Swords & Wizardry]
Publisher: Gallant Knight Games
by David D. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 04/17/2018 00:38:50

An excellent OSR take on space opera.

7 Classes to choose from including 'Robot' and 2 kinds of Alien the 'Alien Brute' and 'Alien Mystic'

Very smooth, but combat focused, OSR gameplay. Check out the 'White Star Companion' for an easy way to make the mechanics less combat focused.

Excellent starship combat system and a large galley of example ships.

Psychic powers included in 2 flavours. Alien Gifts and 'Meditations of the Way' for 'Star Knights'

A very strong 'How to GM Space Opera' section with several example campaign modes

A large bestiary of aliens and adversaries.

An example star sector and intro adventure.

Black and white art throughout. The PDF is bookmarked.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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White Star: White Box Science Fiction Roleplaying [Swords & Wizardry]
Publisher: Gallant Knight Games
by Norbert P. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/09/2018 13:36:45

You want good ol sci-fi in a white box feel....check out White Star....

check out my youtube review: https://youtu.be/O3ack2DaMvw



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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White Star: White Box Science Fiction Roleplaying [Swords & Wizardry]
Publisher: Gallant Knight Games
by David B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 11/23/2016 07:35:00

I got my POD and have had a while to look it over and am please to say that I'm very, very happy with this game. The content, the quality and the layout are all top notch!

Here is a review I did for it on my youtube channel:

https://youtu.be/mSXZAxPyRmM



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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White Star: White Box Science Fiction Roleplaying [Swords & Wizardry]
Publisher: Gallant Knight Games
by S M K. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/27/2016 14:05:30

Fantastic! This will be my space opera go-to for the foreseeable future!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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White Star: White Box Science Fiction Roleplaying [Swords & Wizardry]
Publisher: Gallant Knight Games
by forest r. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/13/2015 14:27:24

I picked this game up on a recommendation from a friend. After looking it over I am glad I did. With the release of a certain movie I have decided to use it for my winter campaign at church (Yes, Role Playing Games have a place in Church.) Once some of my group found out they could run generic versions of a certain group from said movie they were hooked. I am looking forward to running this.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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White Star: White Box Science Fiction Roleplaying [Swords & Wizardry]
Publisher: Gallant Knight Games
by Trevor H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/28/2015 12:09:16

I'm not familiar with Swords & Wizardry, but I bought this based on the reviews. I was expecting a bit more, which I don't fault the publisher. It's got a common theme for space RPGs and the rules and mechanics are simple and familiar based on older RPGs. (I say that because some of the concepts I had already included in my old Star Frontiers games way back when -- one example, Star Knights). Overall the product is a good buy for the money and a great tool to expand upon, especially if you want to keep things simple.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
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White Star: White Box Science Fiction Roleplaying [Swords & Wizardry]
Publisher: Gallant Knight Games
by Paul W. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/06/2015 22:26:53

Fantastic port of Swords & Wizardry. The base campaign is very Star Wars-y, but this toolbox can be used for any fast-action sci-fi gaming using an OSR base. Indispensable in its simplicity.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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White Star: White Box Science Fiction Roleplaying [Swords & Wizardry]
Publisher: Gallant Knight Games
by Jeremiah M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 07/02/2015 00:04:13

Okay, I will go ahead and write review. I covered this on youtube, if you want more rambly version.

First, the only reason I give this a 4 instead of a five is there is no 4.5. I like the game, overall, but I would not say it is for everyone. It is a system meant to be hacked, like the old D&D often was. If you have the bug of a game designer, and you are just looking for a framework to make stuff, this is awesome. It is structured off the old school model of D&D, using a complete compatibility with Swords and Wizardry. It is, by design, stripped down and simplified. The game is a start to a project.. I want to make something and here is my start point.

There are a lot of people that will not work for. Many games come complete with all you need to slip into them. No need to hack a bunch of stuff to fit in. The worlds are detailed in many books, with a lot of lore to learn. I love those games too, but White Star is not like that. You have a basic system to learn, some little bits of lore give you starting point, and you do the rest yourself. If you are not looking for that, this game may not be for you. There are a number of third party people making content for White Star, so you really can fill a lot of stuff it might lack, but the main reason to buy it is to try your hand at making your own stuff. It does that job really well.

Beyond the game design elements, the actual published work is solid. It is well laid out, and has a good amount of art. The art is better than a lot of indie publishers manage. The text is easy to read, and I spotted no glaring errors in the text. It is a professionally put together pdf.

Anyway.... those are my thoughts. I don't write many reviews, but maybe I should do that more.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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White Star: White Box Science Fiction Roleplaying [Swords & Wizardry]
Publisher: Gallant Knight Games
by Keith P. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/23/2015 19:34:37

An outstanding use of the Swords & Wizardry (read: original D&D) rules and mechanics, if the latter had been designed for space opera rather than fantasy.

Like original D&D, White Star's rules are simple and straightforward, and leave considerable room for the referee to tailor elements of the game to meet the needs of his/her campaign. For example, I love the generic races, which allows the referee to plug in whatever classic (or home brew) race of beings suits his/her needs. I also like the way that melee and missile combat rules are carried over to starship combat. The rules also contain an excellent bestiary.

The only two drawbacks are the lack of encounter tables, and cover art that just didn't seem right. But those are not showstoppers.

I would love to see a series of adventure supplements similar to the classic AD&D G- and D-series modules. I would also love to see a POD copy made available for those of us who don't like reading PDFs.

Outstanding game.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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White Star: White Box Science Fiction Roleplaying [Swords & Wizardry]
Publisher: Gallant Knight Games
by Michael M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/22/2015 20:26:56

Great artwork with an amazing layout! The application of Swords & Wizardry Whitebox rules set in scifi format is elegant and familiar. This book is perfect, I need to own a copy in hardback.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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White Star: White Box Science Fiction Roleplaying [Swords & Wizardry]
Publisher: Gallant Knight Games
by Jerry L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/19/2015 00:49:25

White Star euphoria has seemingly overrun the OSR community at large of late... Not a shocker, it is the best retro-clone space rpg currently available. Praise has been littered high and low since its release with little constructive criticism, aside from the omission of encounter tables perhaps. But really, there are more pressing concerns that have not been addressed, such as: Isn't it strange that ALL of the classes in this stand-alone OSR rulebook are considered IP and not Open Content? Wow. That's like the traditional Cleric, Fighter, Magic-User, and Thief never being allowed for use in any publisher's product. How can archetypes so common to the sci-fi genre (such as Mercenary or Pilot) be considered anyone's property anyway? Another issue is that there are only generic monikers for races with no options given to customize them. "Brute" race? Maybe there was a self-imposed deadline (May the 4th, SW Day) to unleash this .pdf a bit sooner than proper development time would allow for? Honestly, with a few more minor tweaks, White Star becomes the be-all-end-all of S&W Space Opera!

Liked: Overall Concept, Layout, Writing, Equipment, Ships, Bestiary Disliked: No Encounter Tables, Classes and Races aren't Open Content, Races need customization Options. All of these things are ESSENTIAL to the core rules before even CONSIDERING releasing a print version!!!



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
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Creator Reply:
\"Isn\'t it strange that ALL of the classes in this stand-alone OSR rulebook are considered IP and not Open Content?\" Actually, this has since been updated and Chapter 2 is now considered Open Content. Thanks for the review!
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White Star: White Box Science Fiction Roleplaying [Swords & Wizardry]
Publisher: Gallant Knight Games
by Matthew W. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/15/2015 13:13:22

Buy this right now. Seriously. Tidy, well written, awesome sci-fi game. This is all you need to adventure in space!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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White Star: White Box Science Fiction Roleplaying [Swords & Wizardry]
Publisher: Gallant Knight Games
by Lawrence H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/12/2015 18:35:35

http://followmeanddie.com/2015/05/05/white-star-white-box-sf-rpg/

White Star: White Box Science Fiction Roleplaying, by +James Spahn of Barrel Rider Games is all the rage at the moment. It has a vibrant and rapidly expanding G+ Community. It also has its own compatibility logo!

Appropriately enough, it was released on May 4th, for Star Wars Day.

I am a big science fiction fan and my first love in reading was science fiction over fantasy. I have played Metamorphosis Alpha, Gamma World, Star Frontiers, Traveller, plus various board games such as Imperium, and several video games. I tended to be the one who ran Metamorphosis Alpha and Gamma World, to give my brother a break from DMing AD&D.

However, my days of playing/GMing science fiction RPGs faded and have not revived like fantasy based RPGs, like AD&D or recently DCC.

I recently bought the Metamorphosis Alpha PDF and printed it out and read it through, with plans of making my own version of the starship Warden, perhaps for a Roll20 campaign.

All the hoopla about White Star is contagious, and I bought the PDF.

I had plenty of interruptions trying to read the PDF. This whole working for a living thing interferes with all my fun.

The art, maps, and layout make it easy to read. The system is designed to be totally compatible with Swords & Wizardry White Box, so any creature or item can easily traverse the two genres. Like the AD&D DMG discussion of combining Gamma World and AD&D, or Boot Hill and AD&D.

The original six standard abilities and 3d6 make it quick to pick up and play.

Rules are presented with a framework, and a clear Rule 0 reference that the Referee can make any changes they want to games in their world.

If you need a lizard man/reptile man in space, you have them stated in Sword & Wizardry already. Take any creature and "re-skin" it by changing its description, and any creature found in S&W is ready to go in White Star.

That is one powerful thing about all the clones and play alikes in the OSR. I have not specifically played Swords & Wizardry, but I "get" it, and since I am used to it, it will not require a lot of effort to run it.

I like how ship to ship combat is a simple abstraction from regular melee combat, with AC, HP, etc. for ships. While certain details are nice, I know that some SF RPG's are so "crunchy" with rules for every little thing, that the rules get in the way of moving on. Combat can take way too long even in some "rules lite" systems. I'll have to whip up a couple ships and have them fight it out.

The rules as presented are a sufficient framework to get playing quickly. This framework is familiar to so many, that it is easy to add house rules, ideas from other games, genres, etc., that one can make White Star their own.

Any SF sub-genre could be crafted with this, a generation ship scenario like Metamorphosis Alpha, post apocalyptic like Gamma World, space opera, exploration, war, space pirates, etc.

Race As Class

One thing that others complained about, and I didn't like at first, until I thought about it, is race as class. In most fantasy worlds with retro-clones or AD&D, demi-humans have level caps. I don't like that. Also with OD&D clones, there is race as class. I don't like all aspects of that in fantasy, or in Science Fiction, but I see it making sense in a planet hopping scenario.

If the humans are the dominant group and the "aliens" are tagging along, the level limits will exist because the aliens don't fit well into the culture, architecture, and design of the human controlled worlds, buildings, and ships. When a handful of aliens are among a huge number of humans, their uniqueness only gives them so many advantages. The hindrances of being surrounded by human sized items, furniture, doorways, etc. will limit how well they can improve their skills among humans. For example, a creature that breathes methane will require special equipment to travel with humans. For aliens that are humanoid to the point of being indistinguishable from humans apart from outward appearance and interior biology, such limits would not be as severe. A ten foot tall alien, however, would have major limitations on space travel.

If the situation is reversed, where a few humans are among a bunch of aliens, surrounded by alien technology, then the humans would have the same issues. I can see someone building a campaign where the humans are a tiny minority in a vast alien empire. If the humans have to have special equipment to breathe while travelling on a ship, it will limit how well and how long they can function outside any special accommodations on the ship added for humans.

Non-humans on their home planet would have advantages that humans would not have.

Humans could have variations leading to sub-species, such as those who inhabited a high gravity planet and get a bonus on their strength when on lower gravity planets and ships.

Rule 0 trumps race as class. If you don't like it, don't use it. Problem solved.

Forget Rule 0, There's A Problem

One minor thing is buying bullets for firearms in preloaded magazines. I don't know why that minor lack of verisimilitude bugs me. Handgun ammunition is usually available in boxes of 50 and shotgun and rifle ammunition is often in boxes of 20. Detachable magazines are usually reusable. In fact, I am not aware of any firearm for which magazines are not reusable. Of course, Rule 0 and all.

High tech firearms in the universe could be different. People are separated from manual drudge labor, to the point of not having to load magazines. What do you do with the empty one? Turn them in for a magazine deposit? Like bottle deposits in Michigan?

Also a pistol with ten rounds - is it small and easily concealable, or bigger and harder to disguise? Is it ball ammo, hollow point, etc? Can I rack the slide to chamber a round and drop the magazine and top it off to carry 11 rounds? It is all too easy to get hung up on little details and need a rule for it. There is always something that we know from our personal experience that makes it seem like a good idea to add complexity to handle it. Rule 0 still accommodates this. If I really wanted to get down to it, I could build rules for different calibers, revolvers vs. semi-automatics, hollow points vs. ball, ceramic/metal/polymer/combination, breech loaders vs. muzzle loaders, etc.

I don't have a problem with how computers and other technology is presented in games, so why should this bother me? For example, I know a lot about computers, but their functions are so abstract in the internals and have changed so much since the first computer my parents bought in the early 1980's that I can handle computers being small and powerful with interfaces much simpler than today. The whole touchscreen "revolution" has changed a great deal about interacting with computers. Voice recognition is better and primitive voice interfaces exist with smart phones, such as, the well-known Siri for the iPhone. The whole exposure to the idea of computers in movies, TV, and the written word have shaped our thinking to allow the devices we use every day to still hold some mystery that makes it easy to ascribe special powers to them.

Aliens & Creatures

Chapter eight on creatures leads with an explanation that specific details about color, activity, and diet is left to the Referee so that their imagination is not restricted.

There are a great many aliens and creatures to fill all the desired tropes of science fiction.

Campaigns

There are several ideas for types of campaigns, plus a campaign based in the Kelron Sector.

Adventure

There is a short sample adventure at the end to get things started. It is an interesting scenario with many familiar ideas from multiple movies, TV shows, books, and stories.

Art

The artwork of the cover and interior is awesome. Maps by Matt Jackson are cool too!

Ideas

Even if you don't specifically play these rules, there are ideas in here that can be used in any variety of science fiction and other genres of RPG's.

Editing

There are a few oddities in the flow of words and a few misplaced commas, and some other minor things. If you plan to print this out, I would wait for the update to the PDF. These errors increase towards the end.

I think that I will buy this in print, hopefully the textual issues are resolved quickly.

Other than the few issues in the text, the layout is well done, and it is easy on the eyes.

Other

I let my reading this jump ahead of reading and reviewing the White Box Omnibus also by James Spahn, that I won on the Happy Jacks Podcast for Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day.

I have heard good things and after reading White Star, I am sure I will find something good!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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