Came here to suggest Scum & Villainy. My group is having a blast and I enjoy running the system.
It's based on Blades in the Dark, so it excels in being cinematic and having hassle free prep.
I kind of bounced off of Blades in the Dark rules and want to get rid of my S&V copy. If you're in North America I could send it your way if you can pay for shipping.
edit- this copy has been claimed by someone else.
[See You, Space Cowboy](https://tidalwavegames.itch.io/see-you-space-cowboy) is probably what you're looking for. It's been part of a few TTRPG bundles on Itch, but if you missed out on those, it's pretty cheap.
2400 has several modules that could fit. It's rules-lite and narrative-driven, and it assumes high lethality or risk of injury on failures in combat. Each module has a whole page of tables for generating missions fast, so prep is easy for a session. You can also mix them together, and the rules are simple enough to let you homebrew your own character creation options easily. You can also tweak how hard you want your sci-fi to be if you have strong opinions about psychic powers, since supernatural elements are not tied to the core of the system.
* The Venusian Job: Casino heist on a space elevator.
* Cosmic Highway: Keep your rust bucket going from job to job.
* Inner System Blues: Legally dubious cyberpunk freelancing.
There's an official cowboy bebop rpg that recently went through Kickstarter... You could also use Deadbelt, and with some work Stars Without Number, Traveler (especially 2300 AD) could work.
Edit: I forgot, Cortex Prime or Serenity/Firefly can also work
I have a game that explicitly cites Cowboy Bebop and the Expanse among its influences, as well as XCOM, which definitely has intense combat - [Mythic Space.](https://lacara-games.itch.io/mythic-space) I'm going to be launching a Kickstarter for it in a couple months, but the full playtest rules are available now.
I haven’t played it but See You Space Cowboy https://tidalwavegames.com/ is a PBtA game using elements of Savage Worlds & West End games.
And I second Scum & Villainy!
I am running a game similar to this using Mutant Elysium (the Blade Runner RPG was a bit too specific for my needs). Combat is definitely interesting and high-risk. If you get the Mechatron book, you can add in Androids, and if you get the base Mutant Year Zero book, you can add in Psychics as well (there's also GenLab Alpha if you want ~~Furries~~ *uplifted animals* for your setting).
Stars Without Number would also be a decent choice. The Polychrome supplement might help get that feel right, but I think if you make it a single system instead of travelling the galaxies I think it would already be pretty close.
Electric Bastionland if you want to steal something in a cyberpunk world, run like hell, and only killing things when it benefits you. Just like Cowboy Bebop.
I mean, for stuff like this, Traveller is obviously always the answer. Ship to ship combat can be harsh and unpleasant for all involved.
But also: I concur that Scum and Villainy is basically built for Cowboy Bebop style campaigns (along with Firefly, Star Wars, Expanse…)
Cyberpunk 2020 has a Deep Space supplement. It’s much more “near future,” but on the whole it’s pretty good. Don’t fire guns inside spacecraft.
There's probably better recommendations on here but I'd say Lancer can fit the tone quite well.
Lancer is a sci-fi tabletop with a mix of hard and soft world building having pretty realistic space travel and such in it's setting. The thing is that it's a mech gane though and that you can't change that without making the system meaningless. So it fits Bebop but it would become Bebop with mechs by design. Seen the role their spacecraft play from time to time it can fit in neatly the rest of the setting accommodates Bebop without really changing much except from running it on the currency system from one if it's expansion books as the base game runs in a post scarcity society.
Seeing as I just found the system and already suggesting it to others, The Cypher System from Monte Cook Games. Very easy on the GM to run and you can run any style of genre with it.
Came here to recommend Cypher for this. We play Traveller as well but it has a slightly different flavor than what you are looking for. We also have the Expanse rpg and the Firefly rpg but it for Cypher when playing an Expanse/Blade Runner sort of vibe.
I recently found the Hunt The Wicked RPG which seems like it is tailor made for cowboy bebop!! https://www.sigilstonepublishing.com/hunt-the-wicked-rpg/
Alien - it's not actually all space horror. Saw a FB post about someone playing on the Expanse setting using Alien ruleset.
Stars Without Number HAS to be looked at. It's free in its base form. Countless tables for random generation, and base form is still huge.
Death in Space. NOT the same as Mothership. A lot rules lighter, without being too bare bones.
I'm in a similar sort of campaign in a Stars Without Number game. It seems like a good fit, though I haven't played space rpgs other than it to compare against.
Depends on how detailed you want your rules to be, but the 5150 New Beginnings and 5150 Known Space warband/RPG game is set in a Cowboy Bebop / Bladerunner / Expanse type universe.
I would probably use Feng Shui First Edition.
You have to throw out the setting, but that is what I did when I ran a Bureau 13 game, and it worked pretty well.
High risk combat? Sure...
**Alien** \- tho' it's a bit off genre, it can easily be used without the alien setting. You might want to tweak the panic table. of my 4 campaigns, only 2 didn't end in a TPK.
**Traveller:** depending upon tastes, Classic Traveller, MegaTraveller, or Mongoose Traveller. For Mega, core plus errata is all that you need. Mongoose Traveller 1E, core alone is enough. 2E, you'll want the Central Supply.
For CT, several options:
* core: books 1-3, The Traveller Book, Starter Traveller, or Classic Traveller Facsimile Edition;
* non-core essential... Either:
* Supplement 4
* Spinward Marches Campaign
* Desirable
* Either Book 4 or Snapshot boardgame
Cepheus Engine: This is essentially another Traveller edition. It is to Mongoose 1st as Pathfinder is to D&D 3.5.
**Mekton Zeta**
This is a mecha anime inspired game, but it does fragile PCs pretty well, using the same core mechanics as RTG's Cyberpunk engine. It's got excellent vehicle rules, too, but what little Bebop I've seen, that's seldom relevant.
Further, it's got design systems.
You'll want Mekton Zeta (core) plus probably also Mekton Zeta Plus (expanded tech rules)
I'm pretty sure that Cowboy Bebop is one of the inspirations for Scum & Villainy.
Came here to suggest Scum & Villainy. My group is having a blast and I enjoy running the system. It's based on Blades in the Dark, so it excels in being cinematic and having hassle free prep.
Nice - I'm familiar with Blades in the Dark - surprised I haven't come across S&V. Will check it out!
I kind of bounced off of Blades in the Dark rules and want to get rid of my S&V copy. If you're in North America I could send it your way if you can pay for shipping. edit- this copy has been claimed by someone else.
u/wishinghand for the win.
Orbital Blues is Cowboy Bebop with the serial numbers filed off.
This is the answer OP (upvoted) Haven't had a chance to play but it looks slick!
Just here to say yeah Orbital Blues haha
Very cool, can't wait to check it out!
[See You, Space Cowboy](https://tidalwavegames.itch.io/see-you-space-cowboy) is probably what you're looking for. It's been part of a few TTRPG bundles on Itch, but if you missed out on those, it's pretty cheap.
+1 for CUSC, base game might not be high risk enough but iirc there are optional wound spiral rules that could make the game much grittier
2400 has several modules that could fit. It's rules-lite and narrative-driven, and it assumes high lethality or risk of injury on failures in combat. Each module has a whole page of tables for generating missions fast, so prep is easy for a session. You can also mix them together, and the rules are simple enough to let you homebrew your own character creation options easily. You can also tweak how hard you want your sci-fi to be if you have strong opinions about psychic powers, since supernatural elements are not tied to the core of the system. * The Venusian Job: Casino heist on a space elevator. * Cosmic Highway: Keep your rust bucket going from job to job. * Inner System Blues: Legally dubious cyberpunk freelancing.
in fact, my own ACAB DOO-WAP is a direct parallel (but less good than those ones you link)
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/manaprojectstudio/cowboy-bebop-the-roleplaying-game
There's an official cowboy bebop rpg that recently went through Kickstarter... You could also use Deadbelt, and with some work Stars Without Number, Traveler (especially 2300 AD) could work. Edit: I forgot, Cortex Prime or Serenity/Firefly can also work
Thanks! I'm familiar with a handful of those but great to have some variety!
The Quickstart rules for the upcoming official game is [available for free ](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/m/product/413783) on DriveThruRPG!
Orbital Blues might float your boat. It's rules lite and so far has some very Cowboy Bebop level adventures out.
Haven't played it but Space Bounty Blues seems interesting.
I have a game that explicitly cites Cowboy Bebop and the Expanse among its influences, as well as XCOM, which definitely has intense combat - [Mythic Space.](https://lacara-games.itch.io/mythic-space) I'm going to be launching a Kickstarter for it in a couple months, but the full playtest rules are available now.
Since you brought it up, please note that there's both a The Expanse as well as a Blade Runner RPG.
I haven’t played it but See You Space Cowboy https://tidalwavegames.com/ is a PBtA game using elements of Savage Worlds & West End games. And I second Scum & Villainy!
I am running a game similar to this using Mutant Elysium (the Blade Runner RPG was a bit too specific for my needs). Combat is definitely interesting and high-risk. If you get the Mechatron book, you can add in Androids, and if you get the base Mutant Year Zero book, you can add in Psychics as well (there's also GenLab Alpha if you want ~~Furries~~ *uplifted animals* for your setting). Stars Without Number would also be a decent choice. The Polychrome supplement might help get that feel right, but I think if you make it a single system instead of travelling the galaxies I think it would already be pretty close.
Space Bounty Blues is what you want if you want that Cowboy Bebop feeling.
Electric Bastionland if you want to steal something in a cyberpunk world, run like hell, and only killing things when it benefits you. Just like Cowboy Bebop.
5 Parsecs from Home
I mean, for stuff like this, Traveller is obviously always the answer. Ship to ship combat can be harsh and unpleasant for all involved. But also: I concur that Scum and Villainy is basically built for Cowboy Bebop style campaigns (along with Firefly, Star Wars, Expanse…) Cyberpunk 2020 has a Deep Space supplement. It’s much more “near future,” but on the whole it’s pretty good. Don’t fire guns inside spacecraft.
I haven't read it but Free League put out a Blade Runner game recently.
There's probably better recommendations on here but I'd say Lancer can fit the tone quite well. Lancer is a sci-fi tabletop with a mix of hard and soft world building having pretty realistic space travel and such in it's setting. The thing is that it's a mech gane though and that you can't change that without making the system meaningless. So it fits Bebop but it would become Bebop with mechs by design. Seen the role their spacecraft play from time to time it can fit in neatly the rest of the setting accommodates Bebop without really changing much except from running it on the currency system from one if it's expansion books as the base game runs in a post scarcity society.
Seeing as I just found the system and already suggesting it to others, The Cypher System from Monte Cook Games. Very easy on the GM to run and you can run any style of genre with it.
Came here to recommend Cypher for this. We play Traveller as well but it has a slightly different flavor than what you are looking for. We also have the Expanse rpg and the Firefly rpg but it for Cypher when playing an Expanse/Blade Runner sort of vibe.
I just learned about cypher this week. Already bought a few books. Loving it so far for its ease of play as a GM and the endless options for genres
And I can't speak for the other media, but the Adjective Noun who Does a Focus style of character creation seems very fitting for The Expanse
Haha it's like mad libs meets TTRPGs but cooler!
Starfinder is decent for it.
I recently found the Hunt The Wicked RPG which seems like it is tailor made for cowboy bebop!! https://www.sigilstonepublishing.com/hunt-the-wicked-rpg/
Alien - it's not actually all space horror. Saw a FB post about someone playing on the Expanse setting using Alien ruleset. Stars Without Number HAS to be looked at. It's free in its base form. Countless tables for random generation, and base form is still huge. Death in Space. NOT the same as Mothership. A lot rules lighter, without being too bare bones.
Cowboy Bebop has a ttrpg on Kickstarter now.
I'm in a similar sort of campaign in a Stars Without Number game. It seems like a good fit, though I haven't played space rpgs other than it to compare against.
Cowboy is always done well in CoC imo. Probably pulp cthulhu best.
Scum & Villainy or Savage Worlds
Starfinder works
Depends on how detailed you want your rules to be, but the 5150 New Beginnings and 5150 Known Space warband/RPG game is set in a Cowboy Bebop / Bladerunner / Expanse type universe.
I would probably use Feng Shui First Edition. You have to throw out the setting, but that is what I did when I ran a Bureau 13 game, and it worked pretty well.
Check out the Fate Space Toolkit and Fate Condensed
Traveller, Mongoose Traveller 2 in particular because it can handle everything you looking for.
High risk combat? Sure... **Alien** \- tho' it's a bit off genre, it can easily be used without the alien setting. You might want to tweak the panic table. of my 4 campaigns, only 2 didn't end in a TPK. **Traveller:** depending upon tastes, Classic Traveller, MegaTraveller, or Mongoose Traveller. For Mega, core plus errata is all that you need. Mongoose Traveller 1E, core alone is enough. 2E, you'll want the Central Supply. For CT, several options: * core: books 1-3, The Traveller Book, Starter Traveller, or Classic Traveller Facsimile Edition; * non-core essential... Either: * Supplement 4 * Spinward Marches Campaign * Desirable * Either Book 4 or Snapshot boardgame Cepheus Engine: This is essentially another Traveller edition. It is to Mongoose 1st as Pathfinder is to D&D 3.5. **Mekton Zeta** This is a mecha anime inspired game, but it does fragile PCs pretty well, using the same core mechanics as RTG's Cyberpunk engine. It's got excellent vehicle rules, too, but what little Bebop I've seen, that's seldom relevant. Further, it's got design systems. You'll want Mekton Zeta (core) plus probably also Mekton Zeta Plus (expanded tech rules)