Prime Your Plasma Engines to Blast Off with WayStar RPG

Penny Dragon Games fires up the rocket boosters and takes off for the stars as a follow up to Bergin’s Book of Beasts and its 200+ new beasts and beast-flavored subclasses for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. This new project, called WayStar, presents a complete science fiction roleplaying game based on the popular 5E system. Part of their previous project included a campaign called Firestar Falling involving the crash of an evil meteor and the ensuing peril. Perhaps out there in the vastness of space heroes might discover its origins in WayStar? Let’s get into it.

Space is the place!

The WayStar Kickstarter launches on Aug. 19 with a special 72-hour window giving early backers an opportunity for a free PDF and alternate cover print copy of Steal the Stars. In this space heist adventure pits WayStar heroes against the corrupt organizations of Shiv Space, a remote star system overtaken by a centuries-old penal colony.

But Steal the Stars is only one component of this project, which itself includes character options specific to the adventure. The core of this 5E sci-fi game lies in the Core Rulebook containing flexible character creation with new classes and species along with all guidance you need to bring exciting sci-fi stories to life at your gaming table.

If I’m honest I enjoy science fiction stories much more than fantasy, especially ones involving interplanetary travel. For my sci-fi tastes this is a huge draw of these stories and the ships carrying bold spacefarers to their next destination are a big part of this. Just like in great sci-fi movies, shows and books the characters in an RPG form close bonds with their vessels, which become something of a character themselves. I’m very pleased to see WayStar includes material for ship creation, combat and travel.

Just one of many ships that will feature in WayStar!

In association with World Anvil and Jon Gibbons Art, Penny Dragon Games created WayStar using the 5E system to make onboarding easy since there are so many players already familiar with the rules. The game aims to create an action-packed experience giving players the opportunity to feel like their favorite sci-fi protagonists.

In the classic D&D tradition there are three core rulebooks for WayStar — Core Rules, Creature Codex and Galactic Archives. One thing I like about WayStar is last of those, which is a setting book. If I’m honest I enjoy cobbling together my own RPG settings, often in collaboration with the players, and never really use premade settings. But I always appreciate them as part of any RPG because for me they’re wonderful grab bags.

WayStar’s Galactic Archives contains even more expanded species and class options plus detailed information on star systems, planets, cities, environments, cosmic anomalies, space vessels, space stations and a galaxy load more! (I’m already feeling overwhelmed!) Tons of RPG players out there love richly detailed settings with loads of data and a resource like this sounds terrific. There’s even a metaplot involving the disappearance of a galactic civilization millennia before.

When it comes to the inhabitants of this galactic setting the WayStar Creature Codex book includes over 100 monsters, each with its own stat block, lore block and original illustration along with details on monster behaviors, environments and tactics. In 5E D&D and similar system hacks these are often my starting point for an adventure. I love coming across a tidbit that fires my imagination for an engaging scenario to drop on the characters.

If WayStar sounds like the perfect ion engine for your own games to make the jump to lightspeed then make sure to visit the prelaunch page so you don’t miss the chance for a free PDF and alternate cover print version of Steal the Stars. Charge your particle cannons, prime your plasma engines and prepare your synaptic relays for WayStar right here.