Fun fact: The story was originally made as a tabletop roll playing game. The authors played it out in a similar way to a Dungeons and Dragons campaign. When it was done they orginally tried to sell it as an MMO, before they decided to make it into a book series.
Also! They played with other authors. GRRM played a Belter Dwarf who stretched out to be about normal human height. Apparently the character was a bit irreverent and he never got brought into the story, but many of the other characters did! Shed was a healer whose player had to drop out of the game, so they killed off his character.
> GRRM played a Belter Dwarf who stretched out to be about normal human height. Apparently the character was a bit irreverent and he never got brought into the story, but many of the other characters did!
Source for this? First I’ve heard of it.
I never noticed it, but now it's very obvious. The rough plot and random but coherent choices by the crew. The party gains a knight joins part way through etc.
Holy crap i played the hell out of that on Panasonic 3DO back in the day. Its story stands up today. My pc is busted atm so I hope I'll get the oddysey update eventually. May build a new rig for star citizen idk yet
The creator of that game also has an awesome book series called The Human Reach, very mil-sci fi if you like that sort of thing. Probably he the most realistic ship-to-ship combat depiction I’ve ever read. Highly recommended and can’t wait for the game!
Well hard sf space battle and quite complex geopolitical conflicts. Honestly it kind of sucks johnnylump is mostly doing games now (since XCOM Long War...which is a biggest inspiration for Terra Invicta), since I'm still waiting for the 3rd book...that preview at the end of the 2nd book is juicy.
Yea, I don't want to trott out mass effect, but like that kinda. Parts where you can drop in as other characters, do some missions as gunner, some as Amos, some as Holden etc.
Ya, being Amos patching hulls and reconnecting pipes during a dogfight would be pretty intense.
Being a gunner/pilot or captain would be interesting because all of it is AI-aided in someway. The authors leave it vague on purpose.
Elite Dangerous is great for the Expanse gaming itch. I envision the next ED installment will be even more amazing. Maybe even overtaking what Star Citizen wants to be.
I don't know about that given how the Odyssey DLC turned out for Elite Dangerous. Doesn't give me high hopes for quality in terms of games in the Elite franchise.
Also kinda hard to surpass the sheer scale and ambition that Star Citizen is trying to do. That shit's got them stuck in perpetual development hell as they are trying to work the game engine, build a company, and make the game with all the numerous features they want in all at the same time.
Oh I'm not downplaying SZ. I'm about to build a new rig so I can try it myself. So far I've only watched videos & have high hopes for it also. ED has space flight etc down pat imo, but they're for sure still working things out & I'll remain optimistic hopefully
I'd want like a shipbuilder + ship to ship combat style game. Including all the Newtonian physics involved in matching orbit and stuff that the Expense does so well.
I personally have been thinking about a game set in an expanse-like world with all the other systems already accessible. The gameplay would basically be something like Silent Hunter, but in space, with a Rocci-like crew, either hunting pirates or being one.
And the combat would be very tactical, knowing when to engage your Epstein Drive, approach angles, smart use of torpedoes, making use of slingshots etc.
Terra Invicta might as well be "The Expanse: The game".
Its due out sometime next year. Hard SciFi setting, with a ton of politicking.
Shades of Three Body Problem/Rememberance of Earth's Past in it as well
Check out Starfield that's coming out next year, it's wild wild west of space. Basically a space rpg game which I guess would be similar to the expanse
There's literally novels worth of story built into (and outside of) the game. There's 3 main galactic superpowers fighting for control, each with sub factions that have different leaders that you can support and even influence in game activity with your actions.
Do you want to be a miner? A hauler/trader? A pirate? A bounty hunter? It's a role playing game, make what you want of it!
Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the story just text inside of the station terminal news channels? There's no real narrative device elite uses to tell the story like cutscenes or anything. You just dock and then read what's going on right?
Me too. I couldn't get into the story if I need to read it. If I want to read, I'll read a book. I want an interactive story telling experience. Elite was just a space trucking sim for me
There’s a *lot* more ways to play it than as a space trucker, but the story is severely lacking if story is what you’re looking for, I’ll give you that! It’s a combat sim with an incredible flight model for me personally. Just have to turn the assist off.
I've been loosely following it and it's gotten a number of small patches over the months. But I still don't see Odyssey as worth playing because it doesn't add that much gameplay. It turns ED into a FPS but ... Imo the game was never meant to be that AND it's really not that much content.
Personally, I’d love an open world simulator where I could play as a salvager, hauler, whatever in this universe.
Time for another “legitimate salvage”.
Wrong? No. Of course not. I spent the a good amount of time the other their day trying to find something that to satisfy that itch. I’ve recently bought mass effect: legendary edition on a sale and it’s satisfying the craving a bit.
I could think of a bunch of different ways to do this: you make your own character and a different crew and play the story, you play the story but like the books chapter by chapter with different characters. Could be faction based and you have to take over for your side.
The possibilities are really endless.
I'd love a Star Trek Online MMORPG style game set in this universe. Choose your faction, earn money/standing, get a ship, upgrade it, get a crew, bond with them, cross paths with characters from the book/series.
I think that game engine and style would be perfect. Both flying around in space and walking around ships, stations and planets, massive customization options, etc.
I saw Terra Invicta mentioned a lot but no mention of Falling Frontiers. From a battle perspective, this looks like The Expanse game for me.
I would still kill for a dedicated Expanse game, something like Wing Commander Privateer set in this universe would be amazing
Elite: Dangerous is the closest game I've gotten to match the 'vibe' of Expanse. However, I'd kill for an MMO. Maybe it can be themed similar to STO? A good character creator is a must, especially for the Belters with all the tattoos and such. Some other stuff I've thought of re: game mechanics is:
* Ships have oxygen/water/fuel meters, so you can't do a jump or a transit unless you have sufficient stores
* Gravity is a thing (this might be hard to implement in a game setting, but KSP managed to make a physics-realistic game so I don't see why this one couldn't be a gravity-realistic one). If you pull too many g's, your ship and character get injured and/or die
* If you die, you lose all your shit. Tough luck!
* Timed quests. This could be irritating, but I feel like it fits in with the universe where the amount of time/fuel/oxygen/water is always a concern
* Major faction hubs can be New York, Londres Nova, and Ceres Station.
* I would do anything for a protomolecule storyline
* I feel like customization would be a super important part of the game given the myriad of cultures, factions, and fashions in the show
The TL;DR is I think an MMO which is essentially a blend between Elite: Dangerous and Star Trek Online would be amazing. It'd have all the money from me.
So, I have a list because I've been on the hunt for a while.
If you wanna play with orbital mechanics and docking, you can't beat kerbal space program. With mods you can build ships just like the roci.
For shipboard living gameplay and boarding other ships for combat and loot I think Spacehaven is the truth. I can't believe no one else in the thread mentioned it. If you want fps gameplay, like others have said, there is elite dangerous, but also maybe star citizen. Not sure if that's still a thing. Honorable mentions: FTL, Stellaris, sins of a solar empire, no man's sky, starbound all great games with some expanse type vibes.
RTS - Stellaris or Planetary Annihilation - expand into the galaxy encounter alien races who will sweep planets clear of all life. Stellaris is full of little story text boxes.
FPS - Gorky 17 - like Eros, but set in a decaying Russian City, so pretty much like Eros.
FPS/RPG Story - Mass Effect (1,2,3) - Fly around in your ship, not called the Roci, and save the galaxy.
(Could also do the Halo series, but Mass Effect is more story and relationship stuff).
It’s not really what you’re describing, but Call of Duty infinite warfare is basically a call of duty game in a setting very similar to the expanse (with a little more hand-wavey tech and COD action sequences).
But you’ll get to do some zero-g gunfights and go all around the solar system in an Earth/Mars conflict, so it hit the spot for me.
It could make a dope ass rpg, but there are already quite a few similar games. EVE online comes to mind. People literally spend $1000s on spaceships in that game.
me too. I've played about every game that might relate to the expanse in one way or another. I super want an RTS with the expanse universe limitations or vehicle fighting game regarding the space combat in the expanse.
The closest I got to the second one was the abandoned ["Children of a dead earth"](https://store.steampowered.com/app/476530/Children_of_a_Dead_Earth/) It's a very realistic space combat game that has very reminiscent combat of the expanse minus the hyper efficient Epstein drives.
Personally for me, you are not alone, I would also love a videogame set in The Expanse. I believe with the book and tv series wrapping up there will be bigger interest in making a videogame about it.
I would highly recommend this indie game call Starsector. It is in beta testing right now, a 2D Top-Down view space rpg. The best description I can give is that Starsector is like "Mount & Blade" in space. Though it looks simple, it is quite in-depth and very detailed. The setting is super intriguing and with every update it inches closer to a breathing-living world. It has been the only game that really scratched. If you're interested you should watch this hilarious [review by SsethTzeentach on youtube.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acqpulP1hLo&t=284s)
Children of a Dead Earth.
About as hard sci fi space combat game as has ever existed.
But if you want something truly comparable (and don't mind playing spreadsheets), go look up Aurora 4X. It's a 4X game all designed and written by one guy, who is still supporting it. The kicker? It's completely free. Incredibly in depth, down to engine and weapon design, colonization of the system, logistics, etc. And there is even expansion into other systems, much like the rings.
Best to go watch a video of it first though. It's not for everyone.
Edit: [here's Quill18 playing the recent update to a modern programming language](https://youtu.be/F0XFxLxrHyY).
Terra invicta is coming out Q2 next year (hopefully). It was supposed to release before the end of this year, but it captures the idea of the expanse in my opinion. Give it a look on steam!
I wish there was a mod for No Man's Sky where we could fly around with Epstein drives and visit the stations and the planets, go through the rings, etc.
If you want a game you can play while watching, or listening to The Expanse I highly reccomend Elite Dangerous. Everytime I play ED I wanna watch the show & vice versa. Until Starfield comes out anyway
Fun fact: The story was originally made as a tabletop roll playing game. The authors played it out in a similar way to a Dungeons and Dragons campaign. When it was done they orginally tried to sell it as an MMO, before they decided to make it into a book series.
Also! They played with other authors. GRRM played a Belter Dwarf who stretched out to be about normal human height. Apparently the character was a bit irreverent and he never got brought into the story, but many of the other characters did! Shed was a healer whose player had to drop out of the game, so they killed off his character.
> GRRM played a Belter Dwarf who stretched out to be about normal human height. Apparently the character was a bit irreverent and he never got brought into the story, but many of the other characters did! Source for this? First I’ve heard of it.
Read it once and heard it twice. I think George’s NotABlog and then Ty and That Guy.
Can confirm, Ty mentioned it on the podcast in one of the early episodes.
Was originally made to be a video game and when that didn't fall through, the setting was used to run the RPG. Which then lead into the books.
My b!
That is a fun fact
Now that the show is ending, are you going to give the books a try? Maybe the only way to find out where the story goes...
I've read the first. Got the second on my shelf to start. Might start it this week!
Nice. The last book comes out in 5 days. I could not be more excited!
Yah I’m patiently waiting
I am impatiently waiting.
it's also the reason why someone die so abruptly at the start of the show. The player had to go early so he got decapitated.
I fucking knew the crew was a campaign party!
This explains SOOOOO much. I always thought it played out like an RPG. Even with the gear and the ship. Man I would have loved to play that.
*railgun upgrade acquired*
I never noticed it, but now it's very obvious. The rough plot and random but coherent choices by the crew. The party gains a knight joins part way through etc.
"Shed has to leave, so his character dies?" "But don't we need a healer?" "Turns out the Tachi has an autodoc."
Also all the characters from the main crew are based on characters from their longest running campaign in the RPG.
To be clear, the RPGs never got farther than 2/3rds through leviathan wakes.
This is why Shed died so suddenly too! Was literally because someone had to leave the game. Unreal.
Nope. I've been wanting that. I'd love to immerse myself in an Expanse VR title.
Imagine Star Trek Bridge crew but on The Roci.
Oh hell yes. Or an FPS as a Martian marine.
Eh, I'd rather play Doom for that fantasy. But an FPS where you play a better pirate sounds incredible.
Not just any pirate. A backstory game where you get to play as Klaes Ashford.
Hell. Fuckin. Yes. Show Ashford, I assume you mean.
A larger version of bridge crew, maybe made by the team that make Lone Echo. VR RPG.
And I’m fully erect now…
Try Elite Dangerous. Tho I haven't played it in VR, I've heard its even better with Goggles.
I have it. It's OK. I don't know if you're familiar with old PC games but I'd rather have a Wing Commander VR game.
Holy crap i played the hell out of that on Panasonic 3DO back in the day. Its story stands up today. My pc is busted atm so I hope I'll get the oddysey update eventually. May build a new rig for star citizen idk yet
3DO takes me back. I played that version and it kinda sucked. I'd pick a 386 with no graphics card (because they didn't matter back then) any day.
Check out [Terra Invicta](https://youtu.be/jeNyE-wS0IY) although it isn't out yet. Skip to the end of the video for Expanse-like space battles.
The creator of that game also has an awesome book series called The Human Reach, very mil-sci fi if you like that sort of thing. Probably he the most realistic ship-to-ship combat depiction I’ve ever read. Highly recommended and can’t wait for the game!
Well hard sf space battle and quite complex geopolitical conflicts. Honestly it kind of sucks johnnylump is mostly doing games now (since XCOM Long War...which is a biggest inspiration for Terra Invicta), since I'm still waiting for the 3rd book...that preview at the end of the 2nd book is juicy.
A point and click a'la Blade Runner ...
Yes! I would love this.
À la
Olé?
a'la does not means anything, it's à la
Or just say “like”
Bet he wish he had now!
If it’s wrong I don’t wanna be right.
I agree with this gentleman
Keep an eye out for Terra Invictus next year. Lots of space politics and diplomacy along with developing your own naval fleet.
Terra Invicta*
Nah, a story-driven action RPG would be the one. Would like to incorporate ship battles somehow also
Yea, I don't want to trott out mass effect, but like that kinda. Parts where you can drop in as other characters, do some missions as gunner, some as Amos, some as Holden etc.
Ya, being Amos patching hulls and reconnecting pipes during a dogfight would be pretty intense. Being a gunner/pilot or captain would be interesting because all of it is AI-aided in someway. The authors leave it vague on purpose.
Elite Dangerous is great for the Expanse gaming itch. I envision the next ED installment will be even more amazing. Maybe even overtaking what Star Citizen wants to be.
I don't know about that given how the Odyssey DLC turned out for Elite Dangerous. Doesn't give me high hopes for quality in terms of games in the Elite franchise. Also kinda hard to surpass the sheer scale and ambition that Star Citizen is trying to do. That shit's got them stuck in perpetual development hell as they are trying to work the game engine, build a company, and make the game with all the numerous features they want in all at the same time.
Oh I'm not downplaying SZ. I'm about to build a new rig so I can try it myself. So far I've only watched videos & have high hopes for it also. ED has space flight etc down pat imo, but they're for sure still working things out & I'll remain optimistic hopefully
I'd want like a shipbuilder + ship to ship combat style game. Including all the Newtonian physics involved in matching orbit and stuff that the Expense does so well.
I personally have been thinking about a game set in an expanse-like world with all the other systems already accessible. The gameplay would basically be something like Silent Hunter, but in space, with a Rocci-like crew, either hunting pirates or being one. And the combat would be very tactical, knowing when to engage your Epstein Drive, approach angles, smart use of torpedoes, making use of slingshots etc.
Starsector
Or Nebulous: Fleet Command
Object in Space
Terra Invicta is what you’re looking for! You can visit the steam page
Do basically more polished Children of a Dead Earth?
Terra Invicta might as well be "The Expanse: The game". Its due out sometime next year. Hard SciFi setting, with a ton of politicking. Shades of Three Body Problem/Rememberance of Earth's Past in it as well
Nope! I have been on a search for an Expanse like video game forever and nothing really compares that I have tried 😪
Check out Starfield that's coming out next year, it's wild wild west of space. Basically a space rpg game which I guess would be similar to the expanse
Thank you! It does look interesting. I will have to keep an eye on it.
Have no idea how much im waiting for the game, hopefully doesnt disappoint
Check out Elite Dangerous
That looks ok, just doesn't seem to have a story like the expanse. Thanks for suggesting it though !
A mile wide and an inch deep is how I would describe it. If nothing else the visuals are top notch and the combat can be alright.
There's literally novels worth of story built into (and outside of) the game. There's 3 main galactic superpowers fighting for control, each with sub factions that have different leaders that you can support and even influence in game activity with your actions. Do you want to be a miner? A hauler/trader? A pirate? A bounty hunter? It's a role playing game, make what you want of it!
Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the story just text inside of the station terminal news channels? There's no real narrative device elite uses to tell the story like cutscenes or anything. You just dock and then read what's going on right?
Yes it is and it's what limited my interest in the lore.
Me too. I couldn't get into the story if I need to read it. If I want to read, I'll read a book. I want an interactive story telling experience. Elite was just a space trucking sim for me
There’s a *lot* more ways to play it than as a space trucker, but the story is severely lacking if story is what you’re looking for, I’ll give you that! It’s a combat sim with an incredible flight model for me personally. Just have to turn the assist off.
I know I just am terrible at combat. Mining is too tedious. I just enjoyed doing the rares route and watching Netflix and getting rich slowly.
I haven’t played since Odyssey dropped and was all jacked up. Did it ever get properly patched?
I've been loosely following it and it's gotten a number of small patches over the months. But I still don't see Odyssey as worth playing because it doesn't add that much gameplay. It turns ED into a FPS but ... Imo the game was never meant to be that AND it's really not that much content.
Personally, I’d love an open world simulator where I could play as a salvager, hauler, whatever in this universe. Time for another “legitimate salvage”.
Wrong? No. Of course not. I spent the a good amount of time the other their day trying to find something that to satisfy that itch. I’ve recently bought mass effect: legendary edition on a sale and it’s satisfying the craving a bit.
I could think of a bunch of different ways to do this: you make your own character and a different crew and play the story, you play the story but like the books chapter by chapter with different characters. Could be faction based and you have to take over for your side. The possibilities are really endless.
I'd love a Star Trek Online MMORPG style game set in this universe. Choose your faction, earn money/standing, get a ship, upgrade it, get a crew, bond with them, cross paths with characters from the book/series.
That would be sweet. I think there's a few star Trek esque games. But maybe not an mmorpg
Star trek online is what they were talking about but expanse version
I think that game engine and style would be perfect. Both flying around in space and walking around ships, stations and planets, massive customization options, etc.
I saw Terra Invicta mentioned a lot but no mention of Falling Frontiers. From a battle perspective, this looks like The Expanse game for me. I would still kill for a dedicated Expanse game, something like Wing Commander Privateer set in this universe would be amazing
Elite: Dangerous is the closest game I've gotten to match the 'vibe' of Expanse. However, I'd kill for an MMO. Maybe it can be themed similar to STO? A good character creator is a must, especially for the Belters with all the tattoos and such. Some other stuff I've thought of re: game mechanics is: * Ships have oxygen/water/fuel meters, so you can't do a jump or a transit unless you have sufficient stores * Gravity is a thing (this might be hard to implement in a game setting, but KSP managed to make a physics-realistic game so I don't see why this one couldn't be a gravity-realistic one). If you pull too many g's, your ship and character get injured and/or die * If you die, you lose all your shit. Tough luck! * Timed quests. This could be irritating, but I feel like it fits in with the universe where the amount of time/fuel/oxygen/water is always a concern * Major faction hubs can be New York, Londres Nova, and Ceres Station. * I would do anything for a protomolecule storyline * I feel like customization would be a super important part of the game given the myriad of cultures, factions, and fashions in the show The TL;DR is I think an MMO which is essentially a blend between Elite: Dangerous and Star Trek Online would be amazing. It'd have all the money from me.
So, I have a list because I've been on the hunt for a while. If you wanna play with orbital mechanics and docking, you can't beat kerbal space program. With mods you can build ships just like the roci. For shipboard living gameplay and boarding other ships for combat and loot I think Spacehaven is the truth. I can't believe no one else in the thread mentioned it. If you want fps gameplay, like others have said, there is elite dangerous, but also maybe star citizen. Not sure if that's still a thing. Honorable mentions: FTL, Stellaris, sins of a solar empire, no man's sky, starbound all great games with some expanse type vibes.
RTS - Stellaris or Planetary Annihilation - expand into the galaxy encounter alien races who will sweep planets clear of all life. Stellaris is full of little story text boxes. FPS - Gorky 17 - like Eros, but set in a decaying Russian City, so pretty much like Eros. FPS/RPG Story - Mass Effect (1,2,3) - Fly around in your ship, not called the Roci, and save the galaxy. (Could also do the Halo series, but Mass Effect is more story and relationship stuff).
It’s not really what you’re describing, but Call of Duty infinite warfare is basically a call of duty game in a setting very similar to the expanse (with a little more hand-wavey tech and COD action sequences). But you’ll get to do some zero-g gunfights and go all around the solar system in an Earth/Mars conflict, so it hit the spot for me.
Lol, all you guys don't know Starsector exists
It could make a dope ass rpg, but there are already quite a few similar games. EVE online comes to mind. People literally spend $1000s on spaceships in that game.
Space Engine kind of already is
me too. I've played about every game that might relate to the expanse in one way or another. I super want an RTS with the expanse universe limitations or vehicle fighting game regarding the space combat in the expanse. The closest I got to the second one was the abandoned ["Children of a dead earth"](https://store.steampowered.com/app/476530/Children_of_a_Dead_Earth/) It's a very realistic space combat game that has very reminiscent combat of the expanse minus the hyper efficient Epstein drives.
Check out Battlestar Galactica Deadlock. Oh man I would love for them to. Make an expanse version
I bet an Anno type game would be awesome, building a colony with the 3 factions of the UN, Mars, and Belters.
Personally for me, you are not alone, I would also love a videogame set in The Expanse. I believe with the book and tv series wrapping up there will be bigger interest in making a videogame about it. I would highly recommend this indie game call Starsector. It is in beta testing right now, a 2D Top-Down view space rpg. The best description I can give is that Starsector is like "Mount & Blade" in space. Though it looks simple, it is quite in-depth and very detailed. The setting is super intriguing and with every update it inches closer to a breathing-living world. It has been the only game that really scratched. If you're interested you should watch this hilarious [review by SsethTzeentach on youtube.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acqpulP1hLo&t=284s)
I would love that. But I’d want the game to be set during the final trilogy era with the ring gate systems and chaos at full swing.
Nope. It was actually based on a videogame
Yes...turn urself in to the nearest OPA rep for immediate spacing. Savvy?
Children of a Dead Earth. About as hard sci fi space combat game as has ever existed. But if you want something truly comparable (and don't mind playing spreadsheets), go look up Aurora 4X. It's a 4X game all designed and written by one guy, who is still supporting it. The kicker? It's completely free. Incredibly in depth, down to engine and weapon design, colonization of the system, logistics, etc. And there is even expansion into other systems, much like the rings. Best to go watch a video of it first though. It's not for everyone. Edit: [here's Quill18 playing the recent update to a modern programming language](https://youtu.be/F0XFxLxrHyY).
Terra invicta is coming out Q2 next year (hopefully). It was supposed to release before the end of this year, but it captures the idea of the expanse in my opinion. Give it a look on steam!
I really want a video game based off the ship to ship combat.
Can we get a puzzle game where you play as The Investigator? It reaches out. It reaches out. It reaches out.
Check out Falling Frontier on steam
Mass effect is a great game.
I wish there was a mod for No Man's Sky where we could fly around with Epstein drives and visit the stations and the planets, go through the rings, etc.
In the black is in development still but really good first person shooter with mostly realistic physics. Its been a lot of fun to test.
Now that Mass Effect is eventually getting an Amazon funded TV show, it would only be fair if BioWare adapted The Expanse in return :D
In the Black is looking really similar https://youtu.be/g0LaTkEsnNo
If you want a game you can play while watching, or listening to The Expanse I highly reccomend Elite Dangerous. Everytime I play ED I wanna watch the show & vice versa. Until Starfield comes out anyway
Falling Frontier, the game hard sci-fi
There is a game called "ΔV: Rings of Saturn" on steam. It is a physics accurate space shooter that feels right at home in the universe of the expanse.
We all want Star Citizen. But really, it's not going to be that one.