Cepheus Universal is a 443 page game of universal science fiction roleplaying. It is a sci-fi ruleset without setting assumptions and allows the GM to establish their own setting, with its own factions and tech parameters.
This rules-set gives as much attention to the lower tech levels and tech level 16, as much as the more typical tech levels. It includes sections on megastructures, starship defense screens, time travel and both cybernetics and genetic enhancements. This is reflected in the starship construction rules, where you are able to build a 20,000 ton warp drive heavy cruiser, as well as an Apollo lander, or NASA Mars transport, with equal ease.
This is a toolkit of possibilities, and provides numerous quick-play ‘build-it’ sections. These include vehicles, alien creatures, planets, star systems, robots, space suits, conventional firearms, new alien races and capital ships.
From the introduction:
Welcome to Cepheus Universal, a science fiction roleplaying game for adventuring in many different kinds of science fiction settings! It begins with a short introduction to roleplaying, and moves on to characters and character concepts. Following that are the game rules, which use two ordinary six-sided dice. The second half of the book is dedicated to rule systems for designing everything from spacesuits, planets, animals, robots, starships and more. Finally we end with a chapter of guidance and advice on running this game, along with an in-depth guide to creating your own setting, or adapting a favourite science fiction setting for these rules.