Derelict Delvers, is a new project of mine I've been scratching out the old fashioned way. It's basically "dungeoncrawls in space"--a game set up around the party in a limited environment seeking out monsters, killing them, and taking their stuff.
It's setting is an "Old Universe" where the spread of Empires across the stars comes and goes, and right now its the Dominion of Man, the current up and coming empire. However, this empire is a thing of corporations, of getting the leg up on everyone else.
So ARCHIVE (Artifact Retrieval Control and Historical Investigations Venture Enterprise), licenses people to go to ancient ruins and claim their wonders (tech, data, etc) from the various vermin species, ancient warbots, and pirate bands operating within them.
Now on its surface it is a silly premise, but it can be a quite fun and useful game for humor, excursion play and exploration, as well as player cunningly using their brains to disable traps, face down monsters, and otherwise just let the players have a ball.
At the moment, I've decided to stick with the simple model early AD&D/Basic D&D--modified for the modern age. The basic stats are the same (Str, Dex, etc.) but I'm using 0 as average with the stats being the base modifiers for rolls.
Currently I've got the following "subspecies"
Heavies (High G Humans)
Lifts (Low G Humans)
Augs (Genetically Augmented Humans)
Terts (Normal Terrestrial Humans)
These map pretty closely to Elves, Dwarves, and Half Orcs, though it was only later in writing this up that I realized the similarities.
The classes will be Pilots, Soldiers, Medics, Espers, Hackers, and Scouts each of these have basic skill expertise based on their training, as well as "special" abilities.
For example the Pilot has Good Proficiency level with vehicles of all sorts, and at a certian level the Pilot will get his own ship as one of his "specials."
That's about it so far. I've got notes for how proficiency levels advance (Good, Fair, None) as well
as how the specials work (gained so far at 1st, 5th and 9th levels but I may fill in some more as game development goes on.)
I've also got an idea on Esper powers (and how they take so long to recharge..much like D&D's spells. )
There are solid reasons for the design to encourage a similar "think outside the box" solutions to the limited resources of being delvers.
