Looking to get the wife more in to wargaming - sci-fi?

[warrenpeace]

Yes, right now Pulp Alley is the way to go. It's not about the weapons. It's about story and character and fun events. Pulp Alley abstracts the weapon effects into player characteristics, with other character skills being very important. Wounding is also a bit more abstract, so doesn't seem gory. That makes it good for kids and for people who are not bloody minded wargamers. Nice use of multiple die sizes and numbers of dice to differentiate character skills. No specific sci-fi rules out yet, but players have adapted them for sci-fi, especially retro sci-fi.

A decade ago I would have said Fantastic Worlds from Rattrap Games, part of the .45 Adventure family of games. That's also Pulp, but uses d10 modified by weapon characteristics and other factors. More gritty and gory, since that system actually checks hit location and damage to specific limbs. But I'd recommend buying the Fantastic Worlds book for .45 Adventure anyway, along with any relevant sci-fi books from Savage Worlds or GURPS. Another nice thing about Pulp Alley is that it uses character skills that translate well from and to other role playing scale games like the ones I just mentioned. So other game system books can be gold mines of ideas.

By the way, Savage Worlds is also a great system using multiple die sizes, but it's mostly just the RPG crowd that know anything about Savage Worlds.

Spend some time on the Pulp board here at LAF and you'll see what we mean when we recommend Pulp Alley.

[d phipps]

Yes, ladies have fun playing Pulp Alley. Some photos from one of our Pulp Alley Ladies Nights --- gameshttp://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=88431.0

And THANKS for the encouraging comments from Pulp Alley players! .....

It's about story and character and fun events.

Feedback from multiple people has been that that's a significant part of what makes Pulp Alley more appealing, in that it's a game that has non-combat elements and also creates a storyline as part and parcel of gameplay.

Best pulpy characterful game with easy rules and terrific event cards.

Pulp Alley is perfect.  My wife loved it.  Can use-sci fi setting too!

[baldlea]

No specific sci-fi rules out yet, but players have adapted them for sci-fi, especially retro sci-fi.

The Pulp Leagues book does have an expansion for Sci Fi (and other genres such as fantasy, westerns etc) in Pulp Alley. We've used this and it works really well.

On the wider issue, although she says some of my terrain looks cool when it's set up, generally my missus looks at my figures and thinks I'm a XXXX. She'd certainly never join in.

[Major_Gilbear]

Although I haven't personally played it, you might have a look at 7TV rules as well - I've seen a few game reports that made it look pretty intriguing, and the focus is more... uh, well, like a TV show in a series, rather than the latest modern Hollywood AAA summer blockbuster. In other words, there are narratives and side-stories that may not involve combat, but there are also rewards for doing fun cinematic things too. Rules are also apparently *very* easy to pick up.

And as much I love Necromunda and have a real nostalgia for it, I really wouldn't recommend it for your purposes (nor Gorkamorka for that matter) - waaay too convoluted, and the mish-mash of badly-balanced rules is a pretty difficult sell to somebody who (1) isn't already a wargamer, or (2) isn't *really* into the setting and wants to spend the effort learning about it.

If it doesn't need to be sci-fi, you might also have a look at Malifaux which is nominally Steampunky. It's pretty simple to play, the rules are clear, all models have a card with their stats and skills on (makes remembering things easier), and is more "gamey" than just killing-everything style games. The missions and factions have rather a lot of narrative/character too, which combined with the modest play area (3' x 3') makes it pretty accessible for newcomers.
You will probably need the official models (maybe 6-10 per side) unless you are willing to photoshop your own cards, or you have models that are similar/obvious enough to remember who's who during play. Finally -and this is purely anecdotal- it does seem that Malifaux has quite a few female players compared to other "big" games systems that I've ever come across... The core rules (i.e., everything apart from models stats) are free as well if you fancy a look first (link).

Ask her... don't ask us.  We think like guys, just like you.  She might just want to go to the park and hold hands and walk around a bit.

Good advice in general. Mind you, I imagine that if she's already expressed some willing to play games, that it would be hard to articulate what exactly without some prior experience (which in turn rather defeats this thread in the first place...).