Looking for Sci-Fi RPGs Focused on Social Interaction, Politics, and Intrigue Over Combat

Traveller is a solid choice if you want to dive deep into politics and trade with less focus on combat. The system allows you to really lean into social intrigue and abstract or downplay combat encounters without needing to change the rules much. It’s great for campaigns centered on diplomacy and faction dealings within its feudal empire setting.

If you want something narrative-driven, Mindjammer is worth looking at. It runs on a Fate-based system and supports stories that revolve around social and political issues rather than combat. Also, Trinity Continuum offers multiple sci-fi subgenres with a focus more on social or mental aspects than outright violence.

Babylon 5 and Star Trek both have official and fan-made RPG adaptations that focus on their respective universes’ social and political drama. There’s also Embers of the Imperium, the Twilight Imperium RPG, which is heavy on politics and intrigue, using the Genesys engine for smooth gameplay. And if you want something unconventional, Citizen Sleeper feels like a tabletop RPG adaptation with rich social interactions built-in, though it’s more inspired by Powered by the Apocalypse mechanics.

You might want to peek at Diaspora. It’s a hard sci-fi RPG built on Fate and has rules around social change and revolution, which fits if you want political turmoil and intrigue at the heart of your game. Also, for a more narrative and less combat-heavy experience, Shock: Social Science Fiction is interesting — it’s a GMless game focused on exploring social ‘shocks’ or issues in a black mirror style setting.

Star Trek Adventures gets my vote as well. It naturally focuses on exploration, diplomacy, and social challenges, with combat often taking a backseat. Another option could be Eclipse Phase, which centers around transhuman themes and features reputation and social status as key mechanics. Both systems support campaigns heavy on political intrigue and negotiation.