FTL Nomad: Winning Me Over

FTL Nomad is slowly winning me over as my science fiction game of choice. It is fast, fun, stays out of the way, has tons of options, and has a universal Xd6 dice mechanic where the only modifier is your skill level. And there are no attributes, just skills. The modifiers are minimal (skill only); this is an advantage/disadvantage multi-die system like 5E, with only one target number of 8+.

This is rules-light 2d6 gaming, but it doesn't feel rules-light.

It is just enough game without going so light that it feels inconsequential or too light to care about. There are a few systems that feel throw-away, like they don't have enough genre support or tooling that, once you start playing, you wish you were playing something else. And that something else is usually so full-featured and heavy that getting started is a massive effort you rarely have time for.

There is a companion book that increases the number of skills to 14 or 20 for more in-depth games, but the basic seven-skill game is good enough for most science fiction. In Star Wars-type pulp science fiction, a vehicle character is good at nearly any vehicle, and the combat specialist excels in both melee and ranged combat. In a universe where "anything goes," a pilot shares proficiencies between speeders and starships, that "vehicle control" skill applies to a wide range of things, and "you just don't worry about it."

Having a specific "Model 301 antigrav speeder" skill in a science fiction setting would lead to having millions of skills and a character sheet as long as a typical 5E character, dozens of pages long. In pulp settings, reduce the skill list and focus on broader proficiency categories.

If you want a difference between melee combat and ranged combat, do the 14 skills. If all you care about is "this is a combat character," then stick with 7 skills, and it does not matter. If you are going to have to buy up your melee skills to the same level as your ranged weapon skills, why not combine them? Also, if you find yourself favoring ranged combat skills, you are denying yourself chances to take advantage of melee attacks.

If the soldier is the "combat guy," then he can shoot, punch, kick, use a knife, wrestle, and fire a starship turret just as well as any other combat task. There is an elegance to one combat skill that many games lose once you are buying separate skills for knives and short swords.

The game has archetypes, so it is not "just skills," and these give you special "class benefits" in an area of activities based on archetype. The referee can also use this to cover a wider range of activities, such as a diplomat interacting with others, having the knowledge diplomats would have, exclusive access, and immunities by treaty and roles in society. You can even use these as unlocks for using weapons and gear, such as a soldier or pilot knowing how to drive a tank, where a diplomat or scholar would not.

There is a talent system that allows even more customization beyond this, ensuring you are not pigeon-holed into a specific role. Some of these support combat, social, technical, piloting, and other activities, so you can specialize within a role and get the benefits of a "5E subclass" with a far easier system.

What is interesting is that the game does away with ability scores. If you are super-strong, that would be more of a talent than a high ability score. The standard rack of ability scores gets min-maxed in OSR and 5R games anyway, and it only exists to be gamed for a single or dual benefit. Why not get rid of ability scores and pick a "charismatic" talent instead of gimping an ability score rack for one high CHR stat? The talent is far more flavorful, can be tailored to cover a specific benefit, and it does not introduce a rack of ability scores to track and manage.

Simplify, archetype, collect, aggregate, and focus on iconic roles.

FTL Nomad is a solid, modern, streamlined game that is an excellent alternative for any 2d6 system.