Savage Worlds Sci-Fi Companion and Choices, Choices, Choices...

I've read through my e-copy of the Science Fiction Companion and I've got to say that it is good. If you're looking for a good set of tools to use in your Savage Worlds sci-fi games, don't hesitate in picking this up. Not only are the rules updated to be in line with Deluxe, they are better than the first edition (not that the first SF Companion was bad). There are rules for creating new races, loads of new gear, rules for environmental hazards and salvage/trade, lots of cybergear, rules for robot creation, and a great system for building and customizing starships, mechs, and other vehicles. The bestiary section brings back the critters from the original SFC and adds a few new entries to boot. The only surprising omission was there was nothing about psionics. However, I can see how there really isn't anything you couldn't already do with the core rules as written for just about any psionic power you can think of. There's also the possibility that one could use the Super Powers Companion to further add some "oomph" to psionics if you really wanted to. All in all, I really can't recommend this book higher to anyone running a sci-fi game with Savage Worlds.

Now, this leaves me with a decision to make. I want to focus my energies on a single set of rules to write my sci-fi setting around. However, there are several systems vying for my attention right now:

Stars Without Number (My hacked up version): There's a lot here that I like. There are rules for mutations, cybernetics, armor, weapons, and so forth that even with hacking it up to remove the setting from the rules and bolting on bits and pieces from other games (rework some of the classes, add Alternity-style skills and psionics, gear and other items from D20 Modern/Future, and so on) there's not that much work that needs to be done to make it feel right for me. Plus, since it's an OSR game I can easily use a vast wealth of books to draw upon from D&D sources to virtually any of the retro-clones.

Rogue Space: It's light, easy to play, and fun to run. I would end up having to write up the most info for this game, but the rules are light enough that creating stats for races, creatures, mutations (though I suspect that the fan rules modifying Alternity mutations to the previous edition of RS would still work), and vehicles really won't be much of a chore to do so at all. I do like a little crunch in my sci-fi games though, and I just don't know that RS would have enough to keep me fully involved. I need to spend some time writing up some material for RS to find out...

Savage Worlds: The setting material I already have written was developed with the Explorer Edition in mind. There's not that many huge changes from Explorer to Deluxe, just some tweaks here and there. While I would have to create a lot of material wholecloth, I do have a lot written and there are a lot of licensed and fan resources out there to draw upon. Plus, out of the three, SW comes closest to the feel that I want from the whole package.

Decisions, decisions, decisions....