How to Use the Rocket Age 5E Core Rulebook for Your Campaign

By Tanuki Games | Published: 2026-10-19

Category: How-to Guides

Learn to run a Rocket Age 5E campaign with this step-by-step guide. From character creation to pulp adventures, get practical advice for your 5e sci-fi RPG.

Quick answer

Use the Rocket Age 5E Core Rulebook to run a radium-punk sci-fi campaign by focusing on its unique species, classes, and pulp adventure framework, all built on familiar 5e rules.

Why Rocket Age 5E feels different from fantasy 5e

Rocket Age 5E transports your group to a 1938 that never was, where rocket ships zip across the Solar System and Martians, Venusians, and humans clash over ancient tech and political intrigue. The core rulebook keeps the 5e engine you know but replaces elves and dragons with seventeen species, seven Martian castes, and weird alien cultures. That shift means your players will need to think about space travel, vacuum suits, and ray guns instead of dungeons and longswords.

The biggest adjustment for most groups is tone. Rocket Age leans into pulp serials: think Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers. Adventures should feel fast, dramatic, and a little over-the-top. The book supports this with rules for chases, vehicular combat, and social encounters that reward bold roleplaying over careful resource management. If your table enjoys cinematic action, this setting will click quickly.

What the rulebook doesn't cover (and how to handle it)

The Rocket Age 5E Core Rulebook focuses on setting-specific rules and options. It assumes you already know basic 5e mechanics like combat turns, saving throws, and ability checks. If your group is brand new to 5e, you'll want a Player's Handbook or basic rules reference alongside it. The book also doesn't include a full bestiary or pre-written adventure; you'll either create your own threats and plots or look for supplemental material. This gives you freedom to tailor the campaign but means more prep work upfront.

How to set up your Rocket Age 5E campaign

1. Choose your starting era and conflict: Decide whether your campaign begins in the classic 1938 setting, during the Solar War, or in a post-war power vacuum. Pick one central conflict—like a Martian coup or a Venusian trade dispute—to anchor the first few sessions. A common mistake is trying to introduce every faction at once; start small and let the world expand naturally.
2. Help players build characters with setting hooks: Guide each player to choose a species and class that ties into your chosen conflict. The seven Martian castes, for example, can create instant internal party tension or shared loyalty. Make sure everyone understands that their character's home world and social status matter as much as their class features. A common mistake is letting players build characters in isolation without connecting them to the setting. Have each player write one personal goal that ties to the central conflict.
3. Prepare your first pulp adventure: Design a one-session adventure with a clear hook, a mid-session twist, and a cliffhanger ending. Use the rulebook's chase and vehicular combat rules early to establish the fast-paced tone. A common mistake is over-preparing lore dumps; instead, reveal setting details through action and NPC dialogue.
4. Run a session zero to set expectations: Explain the pulp tone, the lethality level, and how space travel works in your campaign. Discuss whether you'll use the default 5e progression or adjust it for a faster or slower pace. A common mistake is assuming everyone understands the genre; show a short clip from a Flash Gordon serial or similar media to get everyone on the same page. Write down three house rules your group agrees on during session zero.
5. Keep the action moving between worlds: Use travel between planets as adventure beats, not downtime. Each rocket journey can include a random encounter, a crew dispute, or a discovery that foreshadows the next planet's challenge. A common mistake is treating space travel as a loading screen—make it part of the story.

Product spotlight

Rocket Age 5E RPG: Core Rulebook: The rulebook contains complete 5e rules for seventeen species of the Solar System, including seven different castes of Martians. This variety lets you create a party with genuinely alien perspectives, not just reskinned humans, which drives the pulp-adventure feel.
Rocket Age 5E RPG: Core Rulebook