I own enough science-fiction and fantasy games to spend more time choosing a system than actually playing one. That has become the problem I need to solve.
For the foreseeable future, I am using the Five Parsecs from Home family for my science-fiction gaming and Five Leagues from the Borderlands for fantasy. I own the books for both lines, they support solo play, and together they cover most of what I am likely to want from small-scale tabletop adventures.
The immediate priority is much simpler: start playing.
Two Related Systems for Two Genres
Using Five Parsecs and Five Leagues gives me a consistent foundation across science fiction and fantasy without forcing everything into the same setting or campaign.
For science fiction, Five Parsecs can support crews, exploration, military operations, planetary expeditions and other small-scale conflicts. The different books allow me to change the focus without abandoning the broader system.
For fantasy, Five Leagues provides the equivalent foundation for adventurers operating in a dangerous region. It can cover travel, local threats, ruins, monsters and an emerging campaign without requiring me to build a large army or prepare an entire world first.
There are other systems I like, and some may still be used for specific settings or projects. These two are becoming the defaults: the games I can reach for when I want to put models on the table and begin.
Starting with Bug Hunt
I am beginning with Five Parsecs from Home: Bug Hunt.
This is the most practical entry point because it works with a small number of models and a clear type of conflict. I do not need to create a full crew, populate several factions or prepare an extensive campaign setting before the first game.
My initial force consists of:
- Three Tau Stealth Suits
- Two squads of two Fire Warriors
- Termagants as the opposition
I am using the miniatures as visual components rather than importing the Warhammer 40,000 setting.
The Stealth Suits become advanced recon exosuits. They are the central characters and the models I am most interested in putting on the table. The Fire Warriors become two small supporting fire teams. The Termagants are native creatures or hostile biological organisms encountered during operations.
That is enough for the first game.
I do not need a larger military force, a fully documented planet or an explanation for every piece of equipment. Those details can emerge after the models have survived an actual mission.
One reason for settling on these systems is that they match how I now want to approach miniature gaming.
I want small encounters that fit comfortably on a 2×2-foot table. I want to use painted models, simple terrain and practical proxies. I want campaigns that can develop from completed games instead of requiring several weeks of preparation before anything reaches the table.
The models are already available. I have dice, measuring tools and enough terrain to represent an abandoned facility, remote outpost or damaged industrial site. Nothing needs to be purchased, printed or painted before starting.
The first table does not need to look like a display board. It needs enough terrain to create movement decisions, blocked lines of sight and a recognisable objective.
The same principle will eventually apply to Five Leagues. I already own fantasy miniatures that can become adventurers, enemies and local threats. I do not need to assemble a dedicated collection before testing the game.
I do not intend to force every science-fiction game into one enormous continuity.
The Five Parsecs books provide a framework that can support different kinds of campaigns using the same general collection. A Bug Hunt operation may focus on soldiers investigating a failed colony. Another campaign might follow a small independent crew. Planetary expeditions and larger conflicts can remain separate until there is a reason to connect them.
The same applies to fantasy. Five Leagues can support a self-contained region and one group of adventurers without requiring a complete history, pantheon or political map.
This keeps each campaign manageable. The setting only needs enough detail to support the current characters, location and threat.
What I Want from the First Game
The first Bug Hunt session does not need to prove that the system can sustain a long campaign.
It needs to answer a few practical questions:
- Is the game comfortable to run solo?
- Does the encounter fit my table and model collection?
- Is the bookkeeping manageable?
- Do the three recon exosuits feel like suitable main characters?
- Do I want to play another mission?
A completed, imperfect game will answer those questions better than another round of preparation.
Once I have played, I can decide whether the force needs adjustment, whether more terrain would genuinely improve the table, and how much setting detail is worth developing. Until then, those decisions are speculation.
The Next Step
The immediate plan is to prepare one small Bug Hunt encounter using the three recon exosuits, four supporting soldiers and a limited group of native creatures.
No campaign map. No expanded miniature roster. No additional purchases.
I will learn the relevant rules, set up a compact table and play the mission to its conclusion. The campaign, setting and future articles can grow from what actually happens there.
For now, this is enough to begin.