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 1
1111
In This Issue
S�CEOAMER NUMBER 40 - JUNE, 1981
By request, another Traveller issue.
This one features a Leviathan article by
Traveller designer Marc Miller; a new and
more detailed ship-combat system; and an
eight-page section (which you can pull

Articles
out of the magazine if you like) adapting
Jack Vance's planet Tschai to Traveller.
Included are the planetary map, seven.
ABOARD THE LEVIATHA N *More Miller alien races, encounter tables, scenario
A session with a Traveller ship's crew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 suggestions, and general background in­
TRAVELLER: NEW SPACE COMBAT SYSTEM *Steve Winter formation.
A more playable system for combat in space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 On pages 30-31 you'll find an updated
NON-HUMAN RACES CONTEST WINNERS index to all game articles that have ap·
New alien races for your RPGs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 10
. peared in TSG since issue 1 5. This is a
GAME DESIGN: THEORY AND PRACTICE * Schuessler & Jackson handy tool for anyone looking for infor­
Part XIV: Role-Playing Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 mation about a game ... and if you want
CUMULATIVE GAME INDEX to write a review, it's a quick guide to
A guide to all game articles in TSG issues 15-39 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 games we haven't covered. I'm pleased to
note that we haven't missed too many.

Special Feature: And take a look at the winners of the

Non-Human Races contest. We got some
good ones - and, even if one of the win-�
Adventure Game Supplement ners is really "inhuman" rather than
"non-human," I think you'll agree it
deserved to win.
ADVENTURES ON TSCHAI *Steve Winter and Forrest Johnson
-Steve Jackson
Jack Vance's planet Tschoi: detailedfor Traveller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Computer Gaming
Publisher: Steve Jackson
DEUS EX MACH/NA * Bruce F. Webster Editor: Forrest Johnson

Play-by-phone gaming update . . . . . . . . . • . : . . . • . . . ...........28 Art Director: Denis Loubet

Contributing Editors:
William A. Barton

Reviews David Bolduc

Ronald Pehr
Lewis Pulsipher
DRAGON PASS "' Forrest Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Nick Schuessler
CAPSULE REVIEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Bruce F. Webster
GAMES: The Barbarians, Dawn of the Dead. SUPPLEMENTS: The Blade of Allectus, Business Manager: Elton Fewell
l.S.P.M. V. Tethys. MINIATURES: Citizens, Mercenaries, Patrons. PBM GAMES: Wofan. Circulation Manager: Aaron Allston
COMPUTER GAMES: Micro-80 Pinball Machine, Milestones, Sumer, Who-Dun-I t?, Zork.
Utility Infielder: Elisabeth Barrington
PUBLICATIONS: The Best of the Jouma/ of the Traveller's Aid Society Volume I, High
Passage. THE SPACE GAMER (ISSN 0194-9977,
USPS 434-250) is published monthly by The
Space Gamer, 7207 Onion Crossin g Dr., Austin,

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TX. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to
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WHERE WE'RE GOING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 78760.
All material is co pyright 1981 by The Space
GAME MASTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Gamer. All rights reserved.
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LETTERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
NEWS & PLUGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Subscription rates , as of 4-7·81:
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rates vary by country - please write for your
ART IN THIS ISSUE: Alicia Austin: 14, 16; K.C Ellis: front cover; Don Kratzer: 4; current airmail rate. International ra te s subject
Paul Jaquays: 28; Kerry LeRoux: 30; Denis Loubet: 2, 8,. JO, 11, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, to change as postal rates change. NOTE: All
32; Robert E. Manns: 6; Richard Mather: 39; Will McLean: mailer cartoon; Richard Shannon: payme nt s MUST be in U.S. dollars, made by
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Publishers may wish to write for a copy of our Recommended Artists List. a U.S. bank.
 2

WHERE WE'RE GOING Postal Hassles

As you know, postage rates are contin­

all over the country.
uing to spiral. If this keeps up, we will
I'm glad that this is the Traveller issue. on college campuses
go on sending subscribers their games
There couldn't be a more appropriate Recently it's been in the news a lot -
with no postage fee - but it will have to
time to make this announcement. which is fine with me, because we've
be third class instead of first class. The
We're going to publish CARDBOARD been compiling notes on this since
games will still get there, but they'll be
HEROES for Traveller. last Origins. Lucky timing. As you've
slower. We'll hold off on this as long as
These will be an "approved-for-use­ likely guessed, I'm talking about . . .
we can.
with" product, licensed by Game KILLER.
Designers Workship. The folks at CDW Killer is a "live" game. You don't Mini-Feedback
will check each figure for authenticity. play it on a board, or with pencil and
There will be human and alien figures in paper. You get out and do it for real. Jn If you'll look at the inside back cover
l Smm scale (half-inch bases, fully com­ Killer, you're trying to knock off one of your subscriber mailer cover, you'll
patible with the Traveller deck plans (or all) of the other players by fair means see a feedback page on this issue's con­
produced by CDW and other companies). tents, witl1 a few otl1er questions. This
or foul. Usually foul. Waterguns or dart·
We'll also be coming out with some AFVs guns replace pistols; tokens represent is for subscribers only (nobody else gets
- futuristic tanks and hovercraft - and poison in a drink; an exploding balloon a copy with the mailer cover on it).We're
possibly some small spacecraft. Like the becomes a bomb. And so on. This is NOT hoping for some detailed information
current sets of Cardboard Heroes, these a game for everybody. But if you're about the subscribers' likes and dislikes.
will be done in full color. Look for highly competitive, have no history of
them late this year .. . late fall or early heart trouble, and want to test your Computer Games
winter. reflexes and ingenuity in a way no
As for the three new sets of fantasy paper game can . . . you might try a There is a very good chance that
Cardboard Heroes: they are, finally, out. game of Killer. I know I like it! sometime in 1981 you'll be able to buy
p
We com leted shipping on initial orders Please don't order either the Game computer versions of Raid on Iran and
in early May; if you haven't gotten your Design book or Killer yet. I think next Kung Fu 2100. Look for these as licensed
order, write and let us know. issue's order form will include them. products from a leading computer game
Right now I don't want to take your company, rather than SJ Games releases.
Car Wars and Vampire money until I'm positive about tl1e But we'll be doing a lot of the develop­
release date. ment and playtesting right here.
These two are moving a bit slowly. Therefore, we'd like to hear from
We had wanted to have them out before computer game fans in the Austin area -

NEXT ISSUE
Origins. It looks as though, for all practi­ preferably people who have their own
cal purposes, they'll be an Origins release. computers. We could use playtesters
If they're ready sooner we'll ship them and critics, both for these projects and
sooner, but most people will get their for reviews of other games. Write us at
The July TSG will be a spe­
first look at these for Origins. Denis ilie address on page 1.
cial D&D issue, with an article
is working on final art for both of them.
by TSR head Gary Gygax;
New PBM Section
The vehicle counters for Car Wars are
finished, and look great; a few of them
are shown (actual size) on this page. Five new races of player Starting next issue, TSG will have a
This is only the b&w art, though; the characters for D&D and other new column: PBM UPDATE. This space
game counters will be in full color. FRPgames; will be open to PBM game companies for
news about the companies themselves -
and about the course of the games as
'
well. If you want to get ilie "big picture"
. on StarMaster, or find out about the
..... ..... . ......
. current political situation in Crane I, this
is the place. Companies can also an­

s�
nounce new games, price and rules
changes, and anything else they like.
We'll welcome material from any legiti­
A "Monty Python and the mate PBM company, though of course
Now
Holy Grail" adventure; we'll edit for length and remove any
blatant "puffery." This will be a news
Two other projects may be ready by
Tips for compulsive Thieves; column, not a collection of free ads.
Origins. (Yes, things are stacking up.
Makes life interesting.) The first one is
Job Openings
the game design book compiled from the The review of TRIPLAN­
columns Nick and I have been writing. ETARY we promised this issue,
There seems to be a good chance ihat
We're presently revising, updating, and but couldn't quite squeeze in; within the next 12 months we'll have at
adding new material. This one is about
least two job openings at TSG/SJ Games.
a 95% certainty for Origins. And a number of reviews, This seems like a good time and place to
The other one is a rulebook for a
capsule and otherwise. invite applications. Job Description: game
game that's been played (informally)
development and production and/or
 3
magazine work - and the qualifications
are the same. Salary: Depends on experi­
ence. You will neither staive nor grow
First there was Universe II. Now, prepare to enter -
wealthy. Modest fringe benefits, plus
chance to go to a lot of conventions, etc.
Qualifications: Journalistic experience

UNIVERSE III
and/or game design background and/or
graphics and pasteup skill and/or wide
gaming experience (the more, the better)
plus ability to work under pressure
without going totally crackers. If you're
interested, send a resume. UNIVERSE II was the most highly rated play-by-mail game in
-Steve Jackson the country last year, according to The Space Gamer's 1980 Game

GAME MASTER Survey, ranking above both StarWeb and The Tribes af Crane, and
more than 14% ahead of its closest competitor. Unfortunately,
GAME MASTER exists to answer questions
on your favorite games. If you have a rules
entry into UNIVERSE II is limited by the very nature of the
question or play problem, send it in. Questions game. We are proud to be able to respond to popular demand by
to be answered will be chosen on the basis of
general interest. They will be first referred to offering the same game, through an exclusive licensing agreement
the game publisher or designer. If no response is with Clemens & Associates, Inc., as ...
received, GAME MASTER will offer its own
interpretation of the rule.Sorry - no individual
replies are possible.

UNIVERSE III
Holy War

In the game Holy War, the Field Generator

Ship has the second highest crew point cost (9) I
of any ship in the game, but no special abilities
are listed as is the case for other expensive but
low-weapon-rating ships. There must be some
special game use for the FGS, but what is it?
Universe III is a multi-player interactive computer- and
-Tom Kenessen gamemaster-moderated correspondence game, in which each play­
Bay City, TX
er commands a starship entering a new universe to explore, col­
No reply was received from Metagaming. We onize and conquer new worlds, while contending with other
wrote to Lynn Willis, the game's designer, and
he replied: players and unknown hazards. Although it utilizes the same rules
"Holy War was originally a tactical game and programming as UNIVERSE II, each sector of UNIVERSE III .
also, with a schematically.arranged tactical map
as well. Field Generation capacity in the is new and unique.
tactical game determined the physical relation
Turns are processed as soon as they are received, so that several
of the opposing fleets, so a fleet with a prepon·
derance of long-range weapons (for instance} turns per month are possible. It's up to you, the player.
could use superior FGS capability to literally
put mote space between the sides . . . the re·
vision to a strategic game ... left some.major Our entry fee is $7.00, covering set-up turn for one ship,
glitches ... In looking at the game you'll rulebook, and one additional turn. Each turn thereafter is $3.00
notice it is hardly overburdened with actual
rules ..." per ship or colony. There are no extra charges; your basic turn fee
Therefore, since the tactical rules did not
make it into the final game, the easiest solution
covers whatever actions you take.
is simply to eliminate the FGS entirely.
-SJ
As an introductory special, all entries received before July 15,
Stellar Conquest 1981 will be only $5.00. Your starship will be assigned as soon as
These questions refer to the Perseid War
you send your name, address, and entry fee to:
scenario for Stellar Conquest (written by Steve
Jackson; published in The Dragon No. 36):
(1) Is there any limit to RIU or missile bases
that can be present on one world?

UNIVERSE III
(2) Does the IU/RIU needed to terraform a
planet have to come from that planet?
(3) Can you sacrifice ships to block a
sunbeam?
Ernest Rowland, Jr.
Raytown, MO
Central Texas Computing, Inc.
(JJ No, there is no limit to either of these. 1210 Nueces, Suite 100
(2) Yes. All JU or RIU used for terroforming
must come from the world being terraformed. Austin, TX 78701
Thus, if a world ever reaches habitability zero,
it may not be terraformed.
(3) No. A sunbeam cannot be blocked.
-SJ
 4

Aboard the Leviathan

by Marc Miller
"Yes. Like a large thigh, sewn and re·
inforced."
That slowed tllem down. They checked
the room more carefully, and made sure
When my local group of Traveller play­ without really stopping. Then they got that their weapons were at the ready. I
ers got together again after the Christmas to thinking and called for detailed scans checked what order they would be in as
holidays, it fell to me to referee Levia­ of the main world (Vior) after refuelling they moved through the only oilier exit
than (Traveller Adventure 4) for them. at the gas giant. That showed that the from the room. That passage was also
That was partly because I had already world was 5000 miles in diameter, air­ long and tortuous, and finally led to a
read it through and knew what it was less and waterless. It had no hint of in­ deep shaft with a spiral path cut in its
about, and partly because the other ref­ habitants. Their detailed scans then sides; wide enough for only one person.
erees had been doing more than tl1eir showed some geological anomalies and At this point, tlley encountered some­
share and wanted to get back into play­ they investigated. What they found was a thing in the dark. Shining tlleir lights at it
ing for a spell. group of cave mouths; they left the small gave tl1em a glimpse of a group of scurry­
The adventure started off ordinarily ship that had brought them down to tJ1e ing animals. Grasping for a "particularly
enough with the group vying for positions surface of Vior, but only after Valerie repellent rodent scavenger" I said they
on the crew list of the Leviathan, and had locked the pinnace and pocketed the looked like slimy inside-out rats. The sev­
then planning their journey into the Out­ keys. eral "ughs!" I got from the players showed
rim Void.The first world they set upon Each of the players selected one cave that I was on the right track. They con­
was Vior - and I was caught up short, mouth and checked it out, all the while tinued, now more slowly.
not having prepared too much for the staying in radio communication in case The spiral ended as tile shaft ended. A
night's action. I read over the information something cropped up. Several caves passage took them tllrough tile shaft wall
in the booklet. showed nothing. One did lead deep into and into tile top of a large (I said two or
the interior and showed some footprints three kilometer diameter) cavern witll a
Vior 0805-X500401-1 Non-industrial. in the loose soil. Another also had similar central spike leading to tile ceiling; they
Gas Giant. footprints, but these led outside ...to a were at the top of that spike, witll a spi­
In appearance this world is uninhabit­ deposit of crystallized oxygen snow in ral path leading down its face. The cavern
ed (and uninhabitable); however, a de· permanent shadow. itself was aglow with a pale green light,
tailed survey will indicate geological There was evidence of digging in the and its floor was covered with a mass of
anomalies in one particular region. In­ snow; the footprints around the digging humans. The place was obviously over­
vestigation will reveal several airlock led into one of the caves, and the group crowded.No one below seemed to notice
chambers g iving access to an extensive investigated. They found tllat this cave the arrival of tile group, and in any case,
underground habitat, where the Vior­ and another joined deep within tile moun­ the adventurers were quite secure witll
ans lead a troglodytic existence. In one tain. They followed and found a twisted, their weapons and the one-person-wide
of the worst cases of regression yet tortuous passage which led deeper and path.
found, chronic overcrowding has prod· deeper into the stone of the mountain Working their way down, tlley finally
uced a primitive semi-cannibalistic so­ itself. Finally, they encountered a solid attracted the attention of a few people
ciety. Healthy crew members will be blanket (a quilt) hung across the passage who met them near tile cavern floor.
greeted primarily as a source of food. and solidly blocking it. They approached James and Sonny stepped forward and
The Viorans produce nothing of val­ carefully and very gently poked it aside. tried to communicate with tllem; tile lo­
ue; however, one reason for their over· On the other side was more passage - and cal language seemed to be an archaic dia·
crowding is longevity. After much de· another blanket. They checked that one lect, and it took some work, but tlley did
tective work, assuming the researchers as well, and kept finding more of tile manage to get talking. After several min­
have not been eaten in the mea ntime, same. Thirty-five blankets later, someone utes, tllree stooped, tubercular-looking
this longevity may be traced to the in· checked the atmosphere testers and found locals with bad coughs came forward, and
clusion of a particularly repellent ro­ that tile cave was no longer airless - it after a bit of tension, tlley were allowed
dent scavenger in their diet, with re­ was up to 35% of breathable levels.They to pass. The local spokesman explained
markable anagathic properties. The kept going, less cautiously now, and final­ tllat tlley were air gatherers. They went
planet itself has a number of extract· ly (90 blankets later) found a large room outside and gathered the air snow, carry­
able deposits of various minerals. with several crude vacc suits, some com­ ing it back to sublime and enhance the at­
pletely hand-made, and some many-times mosphere.From this information, ilie ad­
There I was.These paragraphs indicate patched antiques. They also found quite venturers conjectured that similarly, parts
100% of what the adventure says about a few buckets. of the atmosphere that did escape from
Vior. This is what I did ... While checking this stuff out, James this cavern system could well condense
asked Uokingly), "What is this stuff made in the shadow outside, in effect forming
The adventurers looked over the sys­ of?" a crude recycling system. Although tile
tem casually, and for a few minutes I I replied, "Looks like leather." two sides were getting along well, the
thought that they would be moving on "Ha! What kind? Human skin?" travellers still clung to tlleir path, but
 5
kept the conversation going. They discov­ of the slain had disappeared, dragged only to arrive there and find that Valerie,
ered that several chambers off the main away by the front ranks. Several locals with the keys, was taking her time.
one grew fungus, and that volcanic vents could be seen fighting over the flesh in Once aboard the ship, they all filed
brought hot water and some plant nutri­ the background. their reports, turned the rat over to the
ents to this dismal place. The light, how­ At this point, the travellers tried to lab (where it did indeed have high read­
ever, continued to ·be unexplained: it strike a deal, but the spokesman's offer ings on anagathic properties) and began
looked artificial. to eat only one of them was unaccepta­ preparations for their next world survey.
The conversation turned to ages, and it ble, especially because they had expressed
was revealed that the spokesman was at a preference for Valerie. She very em­ Check this narration against the world
least 400 years old. The adventurers used phatically pointed out that she still had description of Vior. The airlocks are tech
private communications channels to dis­ .the keys to the pinnace, and wasn't about level I, taken from an old science-fiction
cuss this new piece of information while to tum them over to anyone else. Instead, story I read long ago.* The cavern is cer­
Sonny kept up the outside conversation. they fought their way out, which proved tainly a troglodytic setting, and there is
Their consensus was that the strange green quite easy, since the locals soon fell to some evidence of overcrowding. There is
light made the locals age so slowly. fighting over the dead rather than obstruct­ also evidence of cannibalism. It was not
About this time, the locals (numbering ing the group's exit. initially clear to the locals that the play­
several thousand) got quite excited and On the route out, Marilyn conjectured ers were healthy specimens, but once
fidgety. Simultaneously, the lights of the aloud that perhaps the inside-out rats evidence of their good health became
cavern got brighter;it almost hurt the eyes, might have anagathic properties. The oth­ clear, the locals saw the potential meal
and helmet visors polarized to cut the ers allowed as how that might be true, and that the group presented. The anagathic
glare. Suddenly, a cascade of inside-out they all looked hard for some rats along properties of the rodents became the fo­
rats poured down the path from above. It the way. The few they did see proved cus of the entire adventure.
forced everyone to leap out of the way hard to catch, and in fact, only Marilyn What did I leave out? The mineral de­
for sheer self-preservation. Fortunately, succeeded in snaring one. That posed the posits, left for the more detailed survey
the locals were making no moves against next problem, as I pointed out that it that will follow when the world is inves­
the travellers; they were too busy grab­ was vacuum outside, and they had no tigated in depth. And that leaves me only
bing the rats and eating them raw and live. container for such a san1ple. Marilyn was ten more worlds to elaborate upon and
Ugh! i y thing into a sam­
forced to stick the slm ten more adventures for the crew of the
Once this meal was over, everyone re­ ple bag and poke it down the front of her Leviathan.
turned to talking. The spokesman did fi­ vacc suit. Rolls for the rat's resistance
nally wipe off his mouth (there was still (and attempts to chew out of the bag) "' Editor's Note: Marc presumably is re­
blood running down his chin from his dis­ kept Marilyn speeding for the pinnace, ferring to "A Pail ofAir" by Fritz Leiber.
gusting meal), and asked, "So, you are
air-gatherers, too, I presume." He acted ,

••••
like he was comfortable with the thought
of other caverns with air-gatherers going

•..... ..
outside much like was done here.
The adventurers first tried to sidestep
the question, but agreed that they did
gather air and that they came from far
away. The leader moved the conversation
on, and after more small talk, offered
some obviously pure water (it tested as
Approved For Use With TRA VELLERrM
such) as refreshment. Cindy stepped for­
ward in friendliness and accepted. She
I ntrod ucing High Passage, a magazine geared toward the devoted Traveller
had to remove her helmet to drink, and
pl ayer.
that caused a great deal of excitement
Each issue of High Passage will contain a complete adventure, new
among everyone who could see. At first,
weapons, animals, ships(complete with history and deck 'plans), equipment
they thought it was because of her long
and a sub-sector of the Old-Expanses.
blonde hair; but that thought was soon
dispelled. The spokesman had had a sus­ The first issue of High Passage will include the adventure "The Solar Flare
Mystery;" wh i ch deals with the forced exploration of a mysterious starsh i p
picion, and now it was confirmed; in this
in the "Dethenes" sub-sector of the Old Expanses, character generation
cavern, only the sick and the old went
out to gather air, and the locals had as­ tables for the Ministry of Justice Special Branch, plans and specs for the
"Sandcrab"A TV inform ation and plans of the old Lightni ng Class Cru iser
sumed that the travellers were similarly
fig hter "Star Dust" technical drawing of Book 1 weapons, a starship decoy
sick or infirn1. Now, everyone realized
drone plus much more.
that the group was a healthy, fleshy, po­
High Passage has been approved for use with Traveller by GOW, and is available
tential meal.
for $3.50 post paid from:
By this time, the group was no longer
on its well-protected perch, but instead in
the midst of a pack of locals. They started
High Passage
closing in and it proved impossible to
5261 W. 90th. St.
keep them back. Finally, Marilyn opened
Oak Lawn, II
fire with her shotgun and felled three of
60453
them. Now they stepped back, and when
James asked, he found out that the bodies
6

TRAVELLER:
New
Space
Combat
System

Obviously, the 30-minute turns are

fudged to fit a 10,000 mile distance scale,
but the discrepancy isn't too much for
by Steve Winter
The space combat system in GDW's game purposes.
Traveller, Book 2, drawing on the classic These scales allow ships maneuvering
Triplanetary, has one of the best vector at the edge of sensor range to be kept
movement systems in use. It is both real­ within four feet of each other, which is
istic and surprisingly simple. Unfortunate­ within the confines of most gamers' table
ly, the rules tend to be a bit sketchy in tops. This sequence doesn't take the initiative
places. The following module was design­ There is nothing wrong with changing away from the Intruder, but it does make
ed to make Traveller space combat both scales in the middle of a battle. If ships the turn more fluid.
more playable and more enjoyable. get too close using a 10/3 scale, switch to It's important to remember that a tac­
4/2 or 1/ 1. If they get too far apart, switch tical tum is IO minutes long. Each ship
Basic Parameters to 25/5 or 100/10. gets to fire energy weapons, launch ord­
nance (or vehicles), attempt repairs and
Using the scale given ( l inch = 1,000 Tum Sequence reprogram its computer once every 10
miles) means many battles will cover the minutes. If a battle is being fought in a
entire floor of a good-sized room. While The "A moves, A fires, B moves, B scale other than 1/ 1, the tum is more
this is visually exciting, it is often imprac­ fires" turn sequence isn't a good one than 10 minutes long and all laser fire,
tical and always unhandy. A smaller scale where running battles are concerned. Too laser return fire, ordnance launch, damage
can make encounters at extreme range often it results in the range changing be­ control and computer reprogramming
much more manageable. tween the Intruder's fire phase and the phases will be repeated several times per
If the distance scale is reduced, how­ Native's fire phase, with the Intruder get­ tum; i.e., if the scale is 10/3 each tum
ever, the time scale must be expanded. ting to shoot at closer range than the Na­ will consist of one Movement Segment
The relationship is given by the equation tive. and three Shipboard Action Segments.
D=T2 To correct this, the sequence should
where D is the distance represented by be changed to: Movement
one inch expressed in thousand-mile seg­ I. Movement Segment
ments and T is the length of the tum in A. Intruder Movement Movement can be simplified by using a
ten-minute segments. In a standard Trav­ B. Native Movement hex grid; just substitute hexes for inches.
eller space combat tum, both D and T II. Shipboard Action Segment Mayday or Triplanetary wou ld furnish an
equal 1. A. Intruder Laser Fire excellent play aid for hexagonal play.
The most useful scales are shown be­ B. Native Laser Return Fire
low. C. Intruder Ordnance Launch Damage
D. Intruder Damage Control
D T E. Native Laser Fire The weakest part of Traveller's star­
1 (1,000 miles) 1 (IO minutes) F. Intruder Return Laser Fire ship combat system is the Ship Damage
4 (4,000 miles) 2 (20 minutes) G. Native Ordnance Launch Table. A starship has a lot more parts
10 ( 10,000 miles) 3 (30 minutes) H. Native Damage Control than those listed on the table. The ex­
25 {25,000 miles) 5 (50 minutes) I. Intruder and Native Computer Re­ panded tables below cover starship sys­
100 {100,000 miles) 10 (I00 minutes) progran1ming tems in much greater detail.
 7
The Hit Distribution Table is used to
determine which section of a ship has
been hit. Roll separately for each hit. The
individual section tables are used to deter­
EXPANDED STARSHIP DAMAGE
mine the specific damage caused by each
TABLES hit.
If a table indicates a system is hit which
doesn't exist on the target ship, the hit is
Hit Distribution Table (2d6) Weaponry Section (2d6) instead taken in the next listed system to­
2 Engineering 2 Fire control ward the center of the table. EXAMPLE:
3 Engineering 3 Fire control A 3 is rolled on the Hit Distribution Ta­
4 Engineering 4 Turret ble, indicating a hit to the engineering
5 Control 5 Turret section. Two dice are rolled on the En­
6 Main Section 6 Bay/turret gineering Section Table, resulting in a 10,
7 Main Section 7 Bay/turret "Screen generator." If the ship does not
8 Main Section 8 Bay/turret have a screen generator, the hit would be
9 Fuel tankage 9 Screen generator taken in the next listed system toward
lOWeaponry 10 Magazine the center of the table, which in this case
1 1 Weaponry 1 1 Fire control is "Life support."
12 Weaponry 12 Critical damage The hit does not shift to another sys­
tem unless the system rolled does not ex­
Weaponry Section Critical Damage ( l d6) ist on the ship. A destroyed system can
l Turret destroyed be hit, but the hits won't have any extra
Engineering Section (2d6) 2 All turrets lock effect.
2 Machine shop/electronics shop/armory 3 Screen generator destroyed If a hit causes critical damage, roll again
3 Gravities 4 Magazine explodes on the appropriate critical damage table.
4 M-Drive 5 Fire control crippled In the damage definitions which fol­
5 Power Plant 6 Bay crippled low, a system described as disabled will
6 M-Drive not function, but may be repaired in space.
7 J-Drive A crippled system will not function and
8 J-Drive can be repaired only at a starport, not on·
9 Life support Main Section (3d6) board. A destroyed system will not func­
10 Screen generator 3 Aux. bridge tion and cannot be repaired. It must be
1 1 Fuel purification 4 Aux. bridge replaced at a starport.
12 Critical damage 5 Bridge Some damage descriptions are self-ex­
6 Galley/lounge planatory. Others follow:
Engineering Critical Damage ( l d6) 7 Bridge
1 Power plant crippled 8 Launch tube
Fuel tankage: Each fuel hit releases 6d-l
2 M-Drive crippled 9 Boat/hangar deck tons of fuel.
3 M-Drive crippled 10 Cargo hold Machine shop/electronics shop/armory:
4 J-Drive crippled 1 1 Cargo hold Machine shop, electronics shop, or ar­
5 Life support equipment destroyed 12 Cargo hold mory hit. (If more than one, deter­
6 Gravities destroyed 13 Stateroom/ship's locker mine randomly.) GM detennines ex­
14 Life support equipment tent of damage.
15 Sick bay Gravities: Floor-mounted gravity plates
16 Cold sleep berth and inertial compensators disabled. If
Control Section (2d6) 17 Lab/air lock M-Drive is used, anyone not strapped
2 Computer - 1 18 Critical damage into an acceleration couch or in a cold
3 Servos sleep berth will take damage equal to
4 Sensors Main Section Critical Damage (Id6) (g's accelerated)d6.
5 Computer ·l 1 Boat/hangar deck crippled M-Drive: As per Traveller Book 2, p. 33.
6 Computer - 1 2 Cargo destroyed Power Plant: As per Traveller Book 2, p.
7 Computer -1 3 Cargo destroyed 33.
8 Computer - 1 4 Streamlining shattered
J-Drive: As per Traveller Book 2, p. 33.
9 Communications 5 Frozen watch destroyed Life support: Recycling and purification
10 Communications 6 Helm disabled system disabled, must be repaired with·
1 1 Computer - 1 in 24 hours or ship's air supply will be
12 Critic al Damage exhausted. See Traveller Book 2, p. 17.
Screen generator: One screen generator
Control Section Critical Damage (ld6) Bridge Table ( 1 d6) (nuclear damper, meson screen, repul­
1 Computer -10 l Computer -3 sor, black globe) takes one hit.
2 Computer -6 2 Sensors Fuel purification: Fuel purification plant
3 Running programs wiped 3 M-Drive controls disabled.
4 Comma disabled 4 J-Drive controls Computer: As per Traveller Book 2, p. 33.
5 Sensors destroyed 5 No effect Servos: One automated servo system (re­
6 Fire control destroyed 6 No effect pair, medical, etc.) disabled.
8
Sensors: Sensors disabled, ship must oper­ determines extent of damage to cargo.
ate blind until repaired. All maneuvers Stateroom/ship's locker: One stateroom
must be plotted one tum ahead. No or ship's locker hit. (Determine ran­
weapons may be fired (except manned domly; if there are 5 staterooms and 1
turrets repelling boarders). locker, the chance ofhitting the locker
Communications: Each hit imposes DM - 1 is l -in-6.) GM determines extent of
to establish radio communication with damage.
base or ship. (A roll of 3+ will estab­ Sick bay: Medical equipment damaged,
lish communications under normal con­ GM determines extent.
ditions.) Cold sleep berth: One low passage berth
Computer: Computer takes indicated disabled, occupant (if any) is killed.
number of hits. Lab/air lock: Lab penetrated, extent of
Running programs wiped: All programs damage determined by GM. If there is .
currently running in the computer's no lab, the air lock is cripplect; a sec­
central processing unit are erased and ond hit causes explosive decompres­
lost from the computer. i' sion, if possible.
Sensors destroyed: Ship must operate side may fire. Boat/hangar deck crippled: All craft on
blind until sensors replaced at starport. Magazine explodes: One bay or turret boat/hangar deck may be damaged by
Fire control: Each hit imposes DM - 1 to magazine explodes, ship takes six hits exploding equipment. Roll ld-2 times
hit with ship's weaponry. from each of 1-6 exploding missiles. times on Small Craft Table for each
Fire control destroyed: Targeting mech­ Aux. bridge: Auxiliary bridge hit, roll on craft on deck. No craft may be launch­
anisms destroyed, no weaponry may bridge table. ed or docked.
be fired. Guided and controlled mis­ Bridge: Bridge hit, roll on bridge table. Cargo destroyed: All cargo carried in one
siles are lost. Galley/lounge: Ship's galley or l_ounge hold destroyed.
Turret: As per Traveller Book 2, p. 33. (determine randomly) hit. GM deter­ Streamlining shattered: Ship may not
Bay/turret: One weapon bay disabled. If mines extent of damage. maneuver in atmosphere.
no bays on ship treat as turret hit. Launch tube: One launch tube disabled. Frozen watch destroyed: Monitoring
Magazine: One bay or turret magazine hit, Boat/hangar deck: Ship's boat or other equipment crippled, all low passengers
missiles inside rendered useless. vehicle damaged. Roll once on Small in one section killed.
All turrets lock: Turrets lock in position, Craft Table (Traveller Book 2, p. 34) Helm disabled: Ship may not maneuver
will not respond to remote targeting to determine damage. or jump.
orders. Only turrets with gunners in- Cargo hold: Cargo bay penetrated, GM M-Drive controls disabled: Ship may not
use maneuver drives unless ft has aux.
bridge or engineer present n i engineer­
ing section. No defensive pilot DMs al­
lowed if ship operated from engineer­
ing section, and maneuvers must be
plotted one tum ahead.
J-Drive controls disabled: Ship may not
jump unless it has aux. bridge or engi­
neer present in engineering section.
Jump must be plotted one tum ahead.

If characters are present in a section

when it is hit, there is a chance they will
be injured. For each character in the sec­
tion, roll 2d-7. If the result is greater than
0 it is doubled and the character suffers
A 48 page booklet detailing the Tancred Sys­
that number of dice damage. Characters
tem in the OutreamerSut>.sectorof Ley Sector,
�
incl ding a complete description of an entire
also can be killed by explosive decom­
civilized planet, ·as well as other significant pression - see Traveller Book 2, p. 34.
installations on other planets. Four special sce­ The section tables can be changed easily
narios are included, making Tancred an excellent to reflect different ship structures. Scout
place to start a Traveller tm Campaign. $5.98
ships, for example, have more tonnage de­
voted to control equipment and living
quarters than to cargo space, so one or
two of the main section cargo hold hits
should be treated as bridge or stateroom
hits. For non-starships, J-Drive hits should
be treated as M-Drive or power plant hits.
These tables were designed for small
ships (5,000 tons and less). If larger ships
are involved, players should consider us­
n
i g High Guard or some comparable set
of rules.
'\

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Traveller Adventure 5 Bullets & Bayonets in the Great War

The Argon Gambit/Death Station A House D ivided

Traveller Double Adventure 3 The American Civil War, 1861-1 865

Assault Striker
Tactical Combat in Europe: 1985 Rules for 15mm Traveller Miniatures

Fifth Frontier War Marooned/Marooned Alone

Battles for the Spinward Marches Traveller Double Adventure 4
Introduction to Traveller Invasion: Earth
Traveller Book 0 The Final Battle of the Solomani Rim War

Deluxe Traveller Library Data

Science Fiction Adventure in the Far Future Traveller Supplement 8

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10
in floral garlands, but for modesty's sake

N o n h u m an Races
will wear a gauzy skirt and poncho in the
city or around aliens.
Mittsuashi move by rolling from one
flat triangular foot to another as they
The contest challenge to "create a spin ; this can vary from the dignified
non-human race" was easily our most suc­ shuffling pirouette of the Well-born, to
cessful one to date. We could literally have the wild cartwheeling-like run of charging
filled an entire issue of TSG with thegood Te and frolicking Kokoro. They are able
submissions we received. to reach great speeds moving in this man­
Therefore, we've chosen two first-place ner. The record at present is held by the
winners - the two entries that were truly late Genji Bunsho Tenki · at 274 k.p.h.
outstanding among a whole stack of good (Any missile or thrown attack on a Mitt­
ideas - and eight second-place winners. suashi that has moved more than 12 hex­
Obviously, we don't have room for them es across the path of the attacker will be
all in this issue; We are running the first­ at -3 adjDX.)
place winners in this issue ; the second­ Fighters will charge attack most of the
place winners will appear in the next time, using one of the following two tech­
few issu�s as a continuing feature. niques: Slashing - the fighter will spin
past his foe, making FOUR separate at­
tacks (or three attacks and one defend),
The first-place winners are Ernest Her­ and if not engaged by a second foe, can
amia (East Providence, RI) and Daniel the other sexes), is located under the arm move two hexes more. The effect of this
Maxfield (Manhattan, KS). Both receive on the- same side as the special nstinct
i attack is as if the foe was hit by a giant
12-issue subscriptions to TSG. The sec­ brain. When forced to stand and fight (en­ buzz saw blade; Throw while running -
ond-place winners, winning six-issue sub­ gaged), they will stand so that this side of the fighter moves up to half his MA; on
scriptions, are Randy Chafe (Bramalea, their bodies is away from the foe. every third hex of that move he may
Ont.); Gavin Gossett (Nashville, TN); Mentally, Te tend to be choleric. Their th row one weapon at plus 4 adjDX and 4
Trevor Graver (London, England); Stefan color is red, and they dress in short skirts . extra hits of damage, but only if the tar­
Jones (Locust Valley, NY); James H. Kel­ and ponchos of that hue, adorned with get is in the path of the charging fighter.
ley (Winslow, AR); Alan Pool (Memphis, martial jewelry . Because of the Mittsuashi sense of bal·
TN); Ron Shigeta (Salem, OR); and John The Atama are 2* meters tall, and ance, and tripod physique, they make all
Vogel (Marlboro, MD). brunette-furred. They tend to be the saving rolls to avoid falling with one less
scholars of Mittsuashi society, and fill die than called for. Also, they will auto·
The Mittsuashi most non-military positions in the govern· matically notice any incline.
ment. They can be fighters or magickers, The arrangement of the six eyes around
The Mittsuashi are a race of trilateral­ and on occasion (10%) one is both. Their the head gives fuj) 360 degree stereoscop­
ly symmetrical, tri-sexual beings that rule attributes are ST 15; DX 12; IQ 1 5 ; MA ic vision horizontally, and nearly the
the islands of Midoritaka. The bodies of 30. same vertically. Because of this, all hexes
the Mittsuashi resemble barrels, triangu­ They tend to be pensive most of the are considered FRONT.
lar in cross section, supported by three time. Their favorite colors are "cool" and The Mittsuashi don't like fightinghand­
long muscular legs, and topped by three "earthen," and they like to dress in long to-hand, and will never initiate it. Should
anns and a long graceful neck support" flowing robes (fighters often dress like he be forced in to it, he will try two or
ing a vaguely tear-drop shaped head. The Te). three times to disengage then go berserk
head s i made up of three small maxillae, The Kokoro are 2 meters tall, and fair­ automatically on the next turn, biting 3
each holding its own brain, ear, nostril, furred. They are the creative element in times a tum, with 2 dice damage each.
and pair of vertically set eyes. The mouth Mittsuashi society-; artists, writers, and When engaged, a Mittsuashi will stand
opens vertically ; a Mittsuashi's head would rearers of children. It is also believed that so that the special instinct side is away
resemble a three-petaled flower if it yawn­ the Kokoro's sanguine nature keeps the from the foe. If he is attacked in any way
ed. This arrangement of the mouth best Te and Atama from killing themselves. on this side while engaged, he will seek to
suits the Mittsuashi's eating habit of pick· (Statistics show that one out of every disengage and flee to a safer position.
n
i g and swallowing whole fresh fruit right three Kokoro-less marriages end in vio­ (The bottom or rear of the one-hex coun­
off the tree. lence). Kokoro are peace-loving and can ter represents this special side. For a fig­
As said before, the Mittsuashi have never bring themselves to do any hurt to ure, place a mark on that side on the base.)
three brains, (one in each maxilla); one anything, even in self-defense. This is not While engaged he will use only two of his
serves solely as memory, one provides to say that they are helpless in a fight; arms, but with the skill of the "two wea­
special instincts according to the sex of they have the ability to make all creatures pons" talent, regardless of IQ and DX.
the creature, and the third brain holds within three megahexes (no saving roll) Because of the centrifugal force they
the reasoning abilities. empathic to the pain they inflict on an­ develop when they spin, and a general
The sexes of the Mittsuashi are: Te, At­ other. (For game purposes, any one that dislike for bearing burdens, a Mittsuashi
ama, and Kokoro. The Te are the largest scores a hit in three Megahexes of a Ko­ will carry only his weapons and personal
of the three, (3 meters tall), and almost koro must au tomaticalJy take the same items totaling no more than 6 kilograms
always are warriors. Their attributes ac­ damage as the creature he hit.) Their at­ evenly distributed over his three sides.
cording to The Fantasy Trip are ST 20; tributes are ST 10; DX 20; IQ IO; MA 25. Any extra equipment and supplies will
DX 14; IQ l O ; MA 30. Their favorite colors are yellows and be carried by a pack animal or slave train­
The reproductive system for Te, (and whites; they prefer to go about clad only ed to follow its master.
 11
"Atamataka" refers to the form of ar­ leave their home with him and go to Cid­ mission, · you will most likely be a status
chery used by the Atama sex (The Te re­ ri. It was humans too, who taught them seeker with no family name. When your
spect archery, but consider it "An Atama about religions. They rejected all but Mittsuashi is rich enough to return home
thing."). The bow is the same as a horse Christianity, Shintoism, and Hinduism, with a ship full of valuables, he may make
bow, and is carried in a holster. Archers since they were the only faiths that fit up his own last name. This name must
depend completely° on their marksman­ their triangular way of thinking. Usually, have three or more syllables, and be regis­
ship in battle, and will carry no other Christianity is the religion of the Kokoro, tered with the government. (Well-born
weapon. Archers are trained to enter a Shintoism the religion of the Atama, Hin­ names have one or two syllables).
trance-like state when they nock an ar­ duism the religion of the Te, and Enok is · So why not roll up one of my three­
row. While in this trance, they get a +3 worshipped by status seekers. legged friends, and take him for a "spin?"
DX adjustment and one extra hit of dam­ The Mittsuashi look on humans as a - Ernest Heramia
age on the foe, and have their MA reduc­ race of cripples at best, and the offspring
ed to I 0. To "snap out" of the trance re­ of disfigured demons at worst, and sel­
quires a 3 dice saving roll against their IQ. dom feel at ease around them. (The ex­
The Mittsuashi have a low regard for ception is the Kokoro. They tend to trust
the weapons of human-kind such as the and want to be friends with everything.)
battle ax; they view them as crude and In a party of adventurers, a Mittsuashi
excessively violent.. They will always pre­ will stay in the background and let the
fer a one-handed. weapon over a two-hand­ others make the decisions. (The excep­
ed weapon, and never use a weapon heav­ tion here is the Atama, who will want to
ier than 2 kg. lead, and will always have an "I-told-you­
As mentioned, the Mittsuashi are tri­ so" ready if his ever-present advice is not
sexual, and can only reproduce with the followed.)
co-operation of all three sexes. Each par­ All Mittsuashi hate evil, but the Te are
ent will choose a child of his sex to raise: fanatical about it. They will go out of
the extra ones are put up for adoption by their way to hunt down the smallest evil
triads whose triad of offspring is incom­ being, and will single-mindedly seek to
plete because of death or misconception. destroy it. When fighting· an evil being a
For the first two months of life, each Te will go berserk automatically, (when
parent will care for its own child; at the the last evil being is killed, the Te will The Men With Heads Beneath Their
end of that period the child becomes sapi­ start mutilating it, instead of attacking his Shoulders
ent, is weaned, and entrusted to the care friends, until he makes the 3 dice saving
.
of the Kokoro, while the Te and Atama roll to snap out ofit.) Tehave been known First mentioned in an explorer's jour·
are at work. to join parties of evil beings for the sole nal in 1599, the men with heads beneath
When the children reach the age of 27, purpose of destroying them. (To do this their shoulders reportedly inhabited "the
they and their parents will go to a seaside they must make a 3 dice saving roll against fastness ofthe Upper Orinoco. "
temple for the Passage Ritual. The Pas­ their IQ every hour of game time to keep 'J;'housands of years ago, an obscure In­
sage Ritual is a combination birthday and from blowing their cover, and they must dian tribe of Venezuela called the "Xac­
funeral; during it the parents bid farewell use some kind of magical disguise, such tapap" stumbled onto a valley that was
to the community, and acknowledge the as Glamor spells, to give them the same before unknown. There they found the
offspring as heir to all their possessions. appearance as their intended victims.) legendary "tree of life," nurtured by the
The children are then welcomed into the The Mittsuashi do not use any form of equally famous "fountain of youth.'.' The
adult community. If a child is judged un­ transportation other than their feet (and water itself was poisonous, but the tree
fit for adulthood by its parent, the parent ships when sailing), because forward mo· filtered out the toxin and bore revitaliz­
will give his possessions (including his last tion without centrifugal force pulling on ing fruit. The spring had outlets all over
name) to someone else of his sex. A per­ them makes them dizzy. So a Mittsuashi the valley, and trees abounded. However,
son without a last name will usually go will never ride a horse, chariot, or any­ the trees had one drawback. Although the
off to a foreign land to "make a name for thing else that goes forward without spin­ fruit stopped the aging process for one
himself," and only then return to Midori­ ning; and any Mittsuashi that doesn't have ·hour, and ended any need for food, drink,
taka to join a triad and mate. Well-horns the Swimming talent will suffer from sea· urination, or sex, it caused sterility and a
are those with very old last names. Most sickness while sailing. (Because of their deterioration of the body. In fact, after
Mittsuashi met outside of Midoritaka will shape they can't drown, but must learn to 50 years of eating the fruit, the tribesmen
be status seekers. swim to overcome their unique form of were mere shrunken skeletons, and led
Mittsuashi government is a democracy, motion-sickness.) rather sedentary lives.
with each sex electing its own officer for Mittsuashi make interesting non-player The tribe did have a huge advantage,
each government position, and then these characters, ll!ld their cities are colorful set· however, as they worshipped a deity that
officers join into triads to administer the tings that challenge the GM to think in happened to exist. Copollonx, god oflife
offices. (So instead of having a Prime Mini­ triads instead of the "Yin and Yang" of and water, was a powerful god indeed. He
ster, they have a Prime Ministering Triad humankind. Te make great monsters; the had been born somewhere out in space,
that must form a unanimous decision on sight of even a small group of Te rolling had journeyed to earth for no particular
each issue.) Well-horns are elected most down a hillside, weapons flashing hypnot· reason, and he liked very much the tribe's
often because they would never do any­ ically in the sun, is enough to give an ore. practice of sacrificing dinosaurs to him.
thing to bring sharrie upon theirlast name. nightmares. As a player character, the At· (There were dinosaurs in the valley, little,
The Mittsuashi believe that once they ama is best, (and the Kokoro if you want tiny, shriveled ones, but dinosaurs, none­
lived with their god, Watakushi Mittsu to live peaceably in a violent world). Un­ theless.)
Desu, but were seduced by the human� to less you are a Well-born on some noble Copollonx invented the system of.spells
 12
and incantations we know today as "voo­ of Spain. (Interesting one, considering no. colonies have no such fruit as the valley,
doo." The tribesmen would take zombies, 4.) but are guarded by zombies.
(other tribes were directed by the god to 10. They worship Satan. (They will be - Daniel Maxfield

CONTEST
the valley), cut off their heads, hollow very angry if you accuse them of this.)
out their chests, and-ride inside. This gave All fruit affected by the water.will rot
them the "heads beneath their shoulders" two hours after picking. Eating one stops This month we have another Traveller­
appearance recorded by Hulsius. The the aging process for an hour, but for ev­ related contest. Take up to three heroes
tribesmen n i the valley were all wiped out ery ten fruits eaten, each constitution (or villains) of science fiction literature
by smallpox by 1842, although many in subvalue is reduced one without warning, and cast them in Traveller terms. Include
Jamaica and Barataria survived to contin­ except physical effect. This process will all important characteristics, abilities, and
ue their religion after fleeing their disease­ stop after reaching 1 or 2, depending on a special behavior notes that a referee would
ridden country. purely random die roll. need to play him/her as an NPC. Sugges­
In the days of my Skull & Crossbones/ For Skull & Crossbones, treat them as tions for a specific adventure, perhaps ty­
Legacy campaign, however, their numbers being skilled in every weapon and Pirate ing in with something already published
had been reduced to 75 sickly tribesmen King in every class (includes gunnery); for Traveller, would also be appropriate.
riding in 75 very powerful zombies, and luck, strength, and agility will range from Each entry may include up to three
they did not like white men. 20 to 24. different persons. Please limit the length
For Legacy, treat them as normal men They are very sly and treacherous, and of each individual description to one
with no constitution subvalue over 2. For are likely to play stupid when met by typewritten page (if only the character is
intelligence and charisma roll normally, white men, in order to observe their in· described) or two typewritten pages (if
·
but keep in mind that these people have tentions. They will kill anyone attempt­ a description of henchmen, special equip­
been alive for thousands of years and ing to leave the valley, and anyone else ment, or a spaceship is also needed).
have had a chance to accumulate informa­ who is useless to them. They are fanati­ Winners will be chosen on the basis of
tion that could make them appear to be cally against knowledge of the valley get­ playability, originality, and accuracy of
superintelligent. When riding their zom­ ting out, and only 4 or 5 primitives have adaptation. All entries become the prop­
bies (99 .99999% of the time), they take ever escaped them in 6,000 years. erty of TSG. First place will win a 12-
on the physical abilities of their corpse, Elsewhere, the Baratarian (South Loui­ issue subscription; second place will win a
i.e., as a normal man gone up two levels siana) and Jamaican colonies are protected 6-issue subscription. Some runners-up
of physical efficiency. to a minor degree by Copollonx, and are may also be printed if space allows. We
· The weapon they mainly use is the occasionally visited by Men-with-Heads­ reserve the right to award fewer prizes if
curare dart, for which no one in the tribe Beneath-Their-Shoulders. They may prove no entries of publishable quality are re­
has a skill level less than 25. helpful in finding the valley, and provide ceived. Entries must be postmarked no
The poison of these darts is not made adventure opportunities themselves. The later than June 30, 1981.
from normal plants, but from plants af­
fected by the fountain of youth, so in­
stead of the normal effect (death), the
victim immediately goes into a coma and IT'S NO SKIN OFF MY NOSE
must check vs. disease resistance or lose a If you don't use the best
strength point permanently. and biggest GAME SHEETS.
Rumors have sprung up during the mil­
lenia, many of which may lure the players
LARGE SIZE GRID SHEETS for
up the Orinoco River:
1 . The men with heads beneath their FRP games, wargaming, SF games, etc.
shoulders have the Fountain ofYouth that
can rejuvenate the aged. (False)
2. They are ruled by Prester John.
CCampaign Map ____ _.
The original game aheet with 1 In. aquare grid
(False)
3. They can bring people back to life. HALF SHEET: 36" x 28" $1.2S
(True, but only their heads and torso. FULL SHEET: 36" x so• $2.SO

Combined with a zombie, this can work

just as well, but intelligence is down a lev­
CCampaign Mex ___ __
Double-aided hex aheet with 16 mm
el plus an additional level for each month
on one aide, 19 mm on the other.
the subject has been dead.)
SPI hex numbering ayatem.
4. They hate Spaniards. (True. They
36" x SO" $3.SO
hate everybody.)
5. The head of one nailed to a bowsprit
will cause bad luck to enemy ships. (False, Overlay 1J)heet _____ .,

but it might cause it to your ship if you Clear plastic sheet for uae over grid aheeta

killed the man in a temple or if he was a 36" x so• $4.so

priest.)
6. They can tum lead into gold. (False) SHIPPING & HANDLING
7. They have fruit that prevents aging. INDICIA ASSOCIATES
Order• to $ 1 0.00 • • • $1.76
(True) P.O. Box 2900
$10.01 t o $ 1 6.00 • • • $2.26
8 . They live in the seven cities of gold. Oakland, CA 948 1 8
$15.01 t o $26.00 • • • $2.76
(So False, you wouldn't believe it!) Over $26.00 • • • $3.26
9. They are in the pay of King Phillip
 13

ACT IV I T I ES
CLAH
REUNIOtl
'Lj'f
....... ... ......

...... � ': ··....

The professor and his team of experts work frantically to perfect the "Ad Astra" project
at the university's science center. Just moments before they are ready to conduct their
final test the outer halls of the building shatter as the. radioactive mutants of a devas­
tated Earth attack!

Can you as the Human player hold off the fearsome attack of the Mutants? Can you
as the Mutant player defeat the humans and their brave little robots before they escape?

You'll only know after you have played your FREE copy of

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to Adventure gaming or an old hand you'll find many exciting titles to select from in this beautiful catalog.

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A � P.O. Box 24767

TA.Y Dallas, Texas 75224

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Order any one ot 1hese fun and exciting games and we II send you both the game ca1a1og and the special version ot
Attack ot the Mu1an1s absolutely FREE.

Swashbuckler s0.oo Demon's Run $800 Asteroid P11a1es s 8.00

The Barbaroans S8.00 Batlle S8.00 Time Wai $14.00
Beachhead $8.00 Fas1 Attack Boats $8 00 Shooling S1ars $16.00

Check or Money Order must accompany all orders. Sorry no C.0.0 s Allow lhree 10 four weeks for delivery.
14

GAM E D ESI G N :
Theory a n d Practice
to include them in the box. Now that such
dice are becoming more common, it is
reasonable to assume that your players
will already possess such dice, or have

Part XIV: easy access to them.

In general, follow the same guidelines

Role-Playing for developing components for an RPG

that you would for any other game - def­

Games
initely including the proof playtesting
stage. Erroneous charts are killers.
The phenomenon of "supplements" -
auxiliary rulebooks for RPGs - should be
mentioned here. There are two kinds of
supplements. The first provides new rules
by Nick Schuessler that are really necessary to play the game
. . . sold as an afterthought. This sort of
and Steve Jackson thing is sloppy, if not downright dishon­
est. The second sort presents some side­
light to the game: a new adventure set­
ting, a set of rules for an unlikely but in­
teresting situation (or one outside the
original scope of the game), or some sim­
ilar set of suggestions for a GM. Supple­
Role-playing game design is a profes­ RPG. As for the rest . . . that spark of ments like these offer the designer a good
sion for a few, and nowadays a pastime "inspiration," "life," or just "fun:" that way to expand on his original conception
for many. RPGs are the biggest thing to can't be added by fomrnla. Get the me· (or publish his own favorite game-world).
hit the hobby in years; TSR is the most chanical details right, and the spark will They are also ready sellers when the orig­
prominent (and certainly not the only) show itself, if it's there. Good luck. inal game is popular.
company to be rocketed to success by a
successful role-playing game . And almost Components Researching a RPG
everyone who plays D&D, or any other
similar game, will have introduced his Component design for a RPG is very This is a matter of the designer's indi­
own modifications. The "personal" rule­ simple. Most of your rules will be narra­ vidual preference. If you want to spend
books of many GMs take up more space tive paragraphs, interspersed with charts hours researching the difference between
than the original rule sets they're based and tables. The customary way to handle a glaive and a guisarme, be warned that
on. this is in three or more large booklets. most people will never care. On the other
Beyond a doubt, RPG design is more Multiple booklets can be handy, since sev­ hand, if your crossbow does no more dam­
of an art than a science. The success of eral players can read the rules at the same age than a dagger-thrust against plate ar­
D&D has spawned many imitators - com­ time. Whatever you do, index them thor­ mor, you may get some complaints. Just
panies working on the theory that if D&D oughly. When you're dealing with a body remember that too much detail will m i ­
could sell, something substantially the of rules as large as that of an average RPG, pede playability. The objective should be
same, in a glossier package , would sell good cross-referencing is a must. to achieve a realistic effect with as few
better. Not so. Like any fad, RPGdom Commonly used charts and tables and as simple rules as possible. Remem­
has seen its share of "quick-and-dirty" de­ should be printed separately for easy ref­ ber that ANYTHING that can happen in
sign - most of which achieved a well-de­ erence. These may be placed on a "GM real life (and some things that can't)
served oblivion within weeks of release. screen," a sheet of cardboard that can be should be covered by a RPG. If the player
But more than one reputable company used to hide the Game Master's notes can say that his character is doing it, your
has seen a carefully-researched effort rel­ from the players. rules must be able to handle it - not nec­
egated to the status of a "resource" book Depending on the combat system used, essarily with total realism, but convinc·
for its less polished, but better-established, you may also include strategic or tactical ingly.
competitors. maps and counters. For most RPGs, play­
It seems to be impossible to isolate the ers will be drawing their own maps, so Character Generation
"spark" that makes a RPG work. But it is put in some blank grid or hex paper.
easy to point at many efforts and say why Two years ago, any game that required By definition, a RPG is one in which
they don't work! This article will discuss "polyhedra" dice (anything except the each player takes the part of one individ­
the known factors that go into a good standard 6-siders) was almost honor-bound ual and controls that individual through
 15
various adventures. The first element of Other descriptions may be used. Some be a quick, simple tactical game in which
any RPG, then, is the system by which a systems divide characters along various the combat abilities of the pieces are
character is created. spectra such as good-evil, lawful-chaotic, drawn from the characteristics of the
Commonly, a character will be defined self-altruistic, etc. The position a charac­ characters. Simplicity is the prime virtue
in two ways. The first may be called attri­ ter takes on the spectrum will determine of such a system. D&D, with a combat
butes: a set of numbers, each of which his relationships to other characters. And, system so rudimentary as to be laughable,
represents a level of ability in one thing. of course, details of a character's weal th, has proven immensely popular. Chivalry
Common attributes are Strength, Dexter­ physical possessions, social status, appear­ and Sorcery boasts a highly realistic com­
ity, Luck, and Intelligence ; many others ance, etc., are often useful. bat system, which plays so slowly as to be
are also used. Each character will have The more detail a character-generation seen only rarely in tournament play. The
some numerical ranking - high, low, or system has, the less manageable and more moral ought to be clear. Realism and de­
average - in each attribute. realistic it will be. Three basic rules: tail are nice . Speed and coi;nprehensibility
The second part of a character may be (a) All characteristics should be easily are much more important.
called abilities. An ability may be all-or­ computed, and a record sheet should be Depending on the game's subject, it
nothing, or it may also have a numerical designed which will allow players to refer may be necessary to have more than one
rank attached. An ability could be con­ to any characteristic as it is needed. combat system. Traveller obviously re­
sidered an attribute which most charac­ (b) The number of characteristics that quires both a man-to-man and ship-to­
ters possess only at a level of zero. Typi­ directly affect normal play should be kept ship system. En Garde simplifies the "bat­
cal abilities would include magic spells; to a minimum. Other characteristics may tle" system to a die-roll chance for the
ability to pick pockets; ability to paint; be supplied for the sake of verisimilitude. player's character to die, be decorated, or
et cetera. Attributes are general-use tal­ (c) ANY TIME there is a question of a flee in disgrace.
ents; abilities are specific-use talents. character's ability to do something, the
These two concepts may be combined answer must come from one of his attri­ Resolution of Actions
in a variety of ways. D&D, for instance, butes or abilities, either directly or as a
uses "levels." A level is a sort of attribute, die-roll modifier. This is the means whereby a GM in
in that each character has one and higher your game will take the character's state­
levels are better. However, a level indicates Combat ment about his actions ("I'm going to
generalized competence. DragonQuest jump over the pit, pi ck up the rifle, and
applies a separate "Rank" to each of a While combat may not be necessary to fire at the dragon") into a game result. In
character's abilities; RuneQuest gives a a RPG, no successful RPG has yet ignored the original D&D, the referee would have
percentile for each ability, with 0 repre­ combat. Games without conflict don't either replied "Okay, you're firing at the
senting no knowledge and 100 represent­ seem to be too interesting. dragon. Roll to hit." or "You can't do all
ing perfect knowledge. Basically, the combat system should that." Either way, an argument might well
• 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
.

SPACE OPERA
.
.
.
. THE COMPLETE S. F. ROLE PLAYING SYSTEM
.
.
.
.
.
. StarShip construction & maintenance rules * equip­
.
: Character generation which includes the influence of conditions ment and systems breakdown rules * StarShip move­

: on the charactef s :planet of origin * many racial types available ment with advanced technology * faster than light

: as Player-Characters and NPCs * over 175 skill areas * advance· travel * non-vectoring sub-light travel * StarShip
: ment of character skills by a logical system which allows for combat * trade & commerce * mapping * planet &
.

: development of chosen skills * characters built with initial skills system generation * economics & taxes & ground
: chosen to fit a given profession * 6 basic character classes in each combat * wounds * medicine * morale * banks &
: of 12 starting areas of service or profession * a detailed psionic loans * StarPorts * NPC races * Bug-Eyed Monsters*
•

: system with over 90 talents * realistic system for learning skills NPC expertise * animals & creatures * rental of ve­

: and psionic abilities * a complete and rounded character with hicles * living costs " everything needed to create
skills chosen in a non-random fashion to meet his or her needs a complete and 'realistic' universe with workable
and complete systems*

Space Opera consists of two 90+ page books, handy

reference sheets, character, ship, and planetary record
forms in a box. It is available from better game and
hobby shops or direct from:
Fantasy Games Unlimited Inc., P.0.Box 182,
Roslyn, N.Y. 11576 U.S.A, $18.00 postpaid.

Also Available: GROUND & AIR EQUIPMENT

heavy military equipment for use with Space Opera.
Including military aircraft, StarFighters, military
vehicles, heavy weapons, and nuclear weapons.
-
- $5.00 postpaid.
-
.
.
-
. Coming This Month: MARTIGAN B E LT
-
-
. Adventure scenario for use with Space Opera.
-
111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111�111111111111111111111111

. ..
16
have ensued. Some later games reduce If your medieval world has bows and ar­ "Flavor" and Objectives
each step (jumping, grabbing the rifle, rows, a good GM will be able to work out
and firing) to a die-roll chance based on gun rules as needed. If you have omitted One design decision that will heavily
the character's abilities; others assign a missile weapons entirely, you have a prob­ affect your final game is the main thrust,
certain number of "action points" to lem. or "flavor," of the game. What do charac­
each character each tum. The action­ ters spend most of their time doing? This
point system is very flexible, if somewhat The Game Master will be the rules section that requires the
slow, and probably represents the best greatest detail and playtesting.
current compromise between detail and In any RPG, the game master (referee, In D&D, for instance, characters spent ·
ease of play. dungeon-master, umpire, etc.) is the last most of their game time exploring rooms,
word. He creates the fantasy world and grabbing treasure, and counting it up. En
Strategic Movement interprets the rules as the players move Garde placed its heaviest emphasis on the
through it. His word is law, and your rules social interactions among the characters
This is usually a simple question. In must make that clear. and NPCs in its swashbuckling French mi­
order for players to get from one adven­ BUT - the better the game, the fewer lieu. Source of the Nile emphasizes ex·
ture t o the next, they Will have to travel rules decisions the GM will have to make. ploration and mapping - everything else
on a map of the game-world. Translate A good RPG will leave the GM free for is secondary. Car Wars puts most of its
the speed they are moving(by typical con­ creation and improvisation. A weak rules emphasis on combat and preparation for
veyance) ni to days of travel and be done set will say, every few paragraphs, that combat. The Morrow Project characters
with it. If the terrain traveled through is "details are up to the referee." A bad rules are looking for their lost project HQ and
a potential adventure site, assign a chance set will not even refer players to the ref­ trying to civilize, or at least tame, the ter­
each day that something interesting willl eree for a decision. ritory they cross on the way.
occur. Large "encounter tables" may be
created to cover the various possibilities. Playtesting the RPG
Should travelers survive the adventures
generated by such a table, they may reach An RPG - especially a big one - is the
their goal and proceed. hardest game to playtest in terms of sheer
time. Balancing this is the fact that RPGs
World-Building are popular, so playtesters are easier to
come by. (If you can't find a good play­
This is the process by which the game test group for your new RPG, that's prob­
master .fleshes out the background of the ably a sign that it is dangerously similar
"game-world" in which the players move and inferior to something already on the
their characters. The GM will create a uni­ market - or else that it's just plain unin­
verse, world, continent, town, or dungeon. teresting.)
The designer must provide the parameters RPG playtesting should go through all
within which his "world" is to be built. the stages described in an earlier section.
· Tue more ambitious the scale of the Additionally, the designer should sit in on
game, the more detail must go into world­ several sessions as a player, with someone
building rules. If a game-world is to con­ else as a GM. The designer should start by
sist merely of an underground dungeon, Players' Objectives running sessions as a GM; then he should
world-building will be completed when a participate as a player while someone else
floor-plan is drawn and the rooms stocked The typical board wargame gives each GMs. If possible, the designer should also
with beasts. {The characteristics of each force a clearly-defined objective. Many play in a "blindtest" game - i.e., the GM
sort of beast must be noted for purposes RPGs have no visible objective at all. is one who learned the game only by read·
of combat.) On the other hand, a town Players simply try to survive, accumulate ing the rules, and ideally, doesn't know
background must include dozens of build­ wealth, and learn about the GM's world. that fellow across from him was the de·
ings and hundreds of people . If a whole There's nothing wrong with objectives signer!
world is being laid out, details of geog­ this loose, but they should still be clear­ RPG rules must be clear. The average
raphy, ecology, and history will have to ly stated. level of maturity of RPG fans is perhaps
be considered (at least briefly) by the GM More definite objectives are possible. not quite as high as that of, say, Napole­
. . . which means that the designer will A character may be retired from play af­ onics buffs. Rule arguments will be loud
have to think of them first. ter reaching a certain "level" - that play­ and intense when they occur. Too many
The more flexible a game system, the er has scored a victory and may start over arguments, and they'll find another game.
better it is. The final test of a RPG sys­ with a new character. Or a game may be So you've got to find ambiguities during
tem is the believability and completeness designed to be completed in a short per­ the playtest stage, no matter how long it
of the "big picture." Bunnies and Bur­ iod of time, with new characters being may take. The alternative is another hack
rows, a RPG about intelligent rabbits {!) created for each session and the winning RPG.
is very limited in scope. Yet almost every­ players being the one who collects the Keep these opposing ideals of flexibil­
thing a rabbit could want to do is covered most booty or knowledge. There is still ity and clarity in mind, whether you're re­
in the rules. In this sense, they are highly room for creative thought about objec­ working your favorite set of rules or try­
complete, and B&B is mildly popular in tives for FRP gaming. In the typical D&D ing to design the new standard in RPGs.
some places because it is believable and game, a character has lost when he dies, Go for originality in concept, rather than
fun. If, reading your rules, a GM can find but can never claim to have won. This is reworking tired ideas. Maybe you'll be
no hnt
i of how to represent something in probably too lifelike to be fully satisfac­ the one to create new worlds for the role­
his game-world, the omission is significant. tory as a game ! players.
 17

Adven tu res on TSC H A I

by Steve Winter a nd Forrest Johnson
In the years 1968-70 Jack Vance a crystal which grows only in the uran­ swords, spears, and so on. In addition,
wrote four books - City of the Chasch, ium-rich soil of the Carabas. A full there are at least two weapons peculiar
Servants of the Wankh, The Dirdir, and nodule yields 282 sequins. to Tschai:
The Pnume. These are two-fisted adven­ A sequin's value is determined by its Hand Catapults. These are , basically
ture stories set on the planet Tschai. color. Immature crystals are clear, and upgraded slingshots, firing feathered
They are full ofaliens and exotica, larded progress through the colors of the spec­ bolts. Treat a catapult as a sporting cross­
with violence and well-nigh choked with trum as the node matures. Once harvest­ bow.
detail . . . in short, perfect for Traveller. ed, sequins do not change in color. Clears, Sand Blasts. A sand blast accelerates
therefore, are the basic value sequin. electrostatically-charged grains of sand to
.. Tschai is 2 1 2 light years from Earth. Values of the other colors are: near-light speeds. Treat as a light machine
It was, amazingly enough, discovered l Milk 5 clears gun, but weight is double.
during the initial period of Solomani 1 Sard (light blue) = 10 clears
exploration. Even more amazingly, one 1 Blue 20 clears
expedition member, Adam Reith, sur­ 1 Emerald = 25 clears
vived and returned to Earth. A second 1 Scarlet = 50 clears
expedition was planned, but the First 1 Purple 100 clears
Interstellar War intervened and the pre­ 1 Bice = Fragment, 1/6
cise location of Tschai, with many other of a clear
records, was lost during the hostilities. The economy is not controlled in any
It is generally presumed to lie somewhere way. Anyone may enter the Carabas,
rimward of Earth. or Black Zone, and harvest chrysophine
Tschai's profile is 967670. It orbits nodules if they can (a) locate the nodules
a K2 star, and has two small moons, among the gullies and rocky hummocks
called Az and Braz by the natives. There of the Carabas and (b) escape or evade
are a number of starports on Tschai - the Dirdir hunting parties from the camp
Hei and Ao Hidis must be reckoned as at Khusz. An average day n i the zone nets
Class A - but none are open to strangers. a group about 400 sequins.
In fact, it is not even safe to orbit the Prices on Tschai are variable. If a buy­
planet. For each day in orbit, roll two er looks wealthy, the price goes up. The
dice; on 8+ someone has fired 1-6 nuclear following is offered as a general guide:
missiles at the ship, a token of Tschai Decent meal: 1 sequin.
hospitality. Frugal lodging: 5 sequins/day.
Tschai is the home world (and presum­ Simple durable clothing: 10 sequins.
ably the only world) of the Pnume, who Sailing ship passage: 4 sequins/day.
still live in secret cities beneath its surface. Caravan passage: 1 sequin/3 km.
About 7 million years ago, it was con­ Unskilled labor: 4-6 sequins/day.
quered by the Shivvan, followed by the Devices of tech level 7 or higher will
Gjee, the Fesa, the Hsi, and so on. Noth­ be of 1alien manufacture, expensive when
ing remains of these races but ruins. available at all. Obvious off-world tech­
The oldest invading race still on Tschai nology will arouse wonder and suspicion.
is the Old Chasch, which has been there
for a mere 100,000 years. There also exist Weapons
colonies of Blue Chasch, Dirdir and
Wankh. An uneasy peace prevails. Gunpowder is rare on Tschai. Aliens
About 50,000 years ago, the Dirdir are often armed with laser pistols. Hu­
brought some Humaniti slaves, probably mans have a fairly standard assortment of
of Solomani origin, to the planet. These

Scenarios
_have multiplied into a hundred diverse
Prospecting. The Carabas s i always
races, scattered over the entire globe.
All intelligent creatures of Tschai, ex­ a likely scene for an adventure.
cept the Phung, Green Chasch and Wankh Many, many adventures are possible Underground. A really ambitious party
speak a common language. Some have on Tschai. Referees should have no trou­ might try raiding Foreverness. In this
other languages as well. ble expanding on these ideas: case, Traveller would take on some of
Exploration. Tschai is carpeted with the aspects of D&D.
Economics improbably ancient ruins. Investigation Leaving. As Adam Reith discovered,
could prove fruitful. Tschai is not a go9d place to park a star­
Off-world currency is worthless on Rescue. A distressingly handy scen­ ship. Spare parts are hard to come by.
Tschai. The basic monetary unit is the ario. Characters will need frequent res­ The natives are not friendly. A safe land­
sequin, a hexagonal disc one inch acr�ss. cues from slavers, from the Dirdir, from ing can be difficult; a safe take-off may
Sequins are obtained from chrysophine, the Old Chasch, from. . . . require heroism.
18

Even ts 8. Wankh
9. Humans
DMs: Kislovan + l
Kachan/Rakh/Vord +2
Charchan +3
There will be 1-6 passengers. If the race is
Parties travelling on Tschai should check the Ocean alien, on 7+ there will also be 1-6 passengers of
following tables daily: 1. Nothing S. Pirates a servant race.
2. Nothing 6. Storm Aliens. 1-6 Pnume, Chasch, Dirdir orWankh.
Steppe Jungle 3. Nothing 7. Settlement If the party is trespassing, they will attempt to
1. Settlement I. Heat 4. Air/Raft 8. Wankh detain on S+, otherwise gn i oring on 4+.
2. Nomads 2. Animal Encounter DMs: Seacoast + 1 Chasms. Thls terrain is completely m i pass­
3. Air/Raft 3. Marshmen Kachan/Rakh/Vord Seacoast +2 able to ground travel. It will take all day to go
4. Animal Encounter 4. Ruins around.
5. Storm S. Settlement City Dirdir Hunting Party. 3-S Dirdlr, attack on ·
6. Ruins 6. River 1. Slavers 5. Servant Race 4+.
7. Green Chasch 7. Swamp 2. Thleves 6. Aliens Green Chasch. The party encounters a tribe
8. Green Chasch DMs: Seacoast + 1 3. Police 7. Aliens of Green Chasch. Roll for reaction at -2.
DMs: Dead Steppe +2 4. Patron 8. Aliens G ullies. This terrain is highly eroded. Halve
DMs: Alien City +2 travel distance today.
Desert Heat. The jungle is even more sweltering
0. Settlement 6. Gullies than usual today. Each character must roll en­
1. Ruins 7. Dirdir Hunting Party Explanation durance or less on two dice or become pros·
2. Chasms 8. Dirdir Hunting Party trate. DMs: Medic, Survival.
3. Air/Raft 9. Prospectors Air/Raft. An air/raft s i flying iii view. It. Marsh men. 10-60 marshmen lie in wait with
4. Storm DMs: Seacoast: -1 will investigate a spacecraft on S+, otherwise their spears and clubs.
S. Animal Encounter Carabas +3 passing by on 4+. Check for occupants: Nomads. The party encounters a nomadic
1. Blue Chasch tribe. Roll for reaction.
Mountai ns 2. Blue Chasch Patron. Someone attempts to hire the party.
l . Animal Encounter S. Chasms 3. Dirdir Check Book 3, p. 22, or 76 Patrons.
2. Settlement 6. Storm 4. Dirdir Pirates. A galley with 10·60 crew attempts
3. Ruins 7. Snow S. Dirdir to overtake the vessel. It will attack on 1 1+ if
4. Gullies 6. Humans the potential v ictim is obviously well-armed,
,DMs: +1 if north of Jalkh or south of Hel 7. Humans otherwise on S+.
Police. Hi local police, armed with cata­

Animal Encou nters pults and swords, attempt to interrogate the

party. Roll for reaction.
Prospectors. The party encounters 1-3
humans who are looking for sequins. Roll for
Steppe reaction.
River. A river obstructs ground travel. Roll
Animal Weigh t Hits Wounds Weapons Armor Reaction 8+ hourly to find a ford.
Ruins. The party frnds a ruined city. Roll
1. 1 Intimidator 400 21/10 11 claws none A7F9S2 for origin:
2.20 Grazers 200 lS/ 9 6 hooves none F6A10Sl -1. Wankh 7. Old Chasch
3. 1 Hunter so 19/ s 1/3 hooves/teeth cloth A8FSS2 0. Wankh 8. Old Chasch
4. 1 0 Pouncers 25 13/ 8 4/3 claws/teeth none A4F6S3 1. Humans 9. Blue Chasch
s. 12 Nighthounds 100 17/12 S/4 hands/teeth mesh A8F7S2 2. Unknown 10. Dirdir
6. 1 Killer 100 22/ 6 8/8 claws/teeth mesh A3F9S2 3. Pnume 11. Dirdir
4. Humans 12. Humans
Jungle S. Unknown 13. Unknown
6. Pnume 14. Pnume
1. 12 Gatherers 6 6/10 3 as body pistol none A6F7S3 DMs: Kachan/Rakh/Vord -2
2.S Grazers 2S 11/10 s teeth none F7A6Sl Kotan +3
3. 1 Filter 1 1/ 0 1 teeth cloth A9F9Sl Kislovan +8
4. 1 Trapper 12 6/10 6 as blade none ASF7S2 A solitary Phung will be present on 8+; an
S. 8 Nighthounds 100 17/12 S/4 hands/teeth mesh A8F7S2 animal encounter will occur on 1 1+.
6. 3 Amphibious hunters 100 18/ 9 s teeth none A8F4Sl Servant Race. 1-6 Pnumekin, Chaschmen,
Dirdirmen or Wankhmen. If the party is tres­
Desert passing, they will attempt to detain on 6+,
otherwise ignoring on 4+.
1. 1 Trapper 12 10/ 7 8 teeth none A4F2Sl Settlement. Here is a town of l 00-600 souls.
2. 10 Flying sirens 3 6/ 1 2 as dagger none ASF2Sl Alien on 1O+.
3. 13 lntimidators 6 S/12 3/1 teeth/hooves none A8F6S3 Slavers. A gang of 2-12 slavers eyes the
4.4 Hunters 2S 10/12 7 stinger none A7F9S2 party as potential merchandise.
s. 10 Nighthounds 100 17/12 S/4 hands/teeth mesh A8F7S2 Snow. Heavy snow delays ground travel.
6. 8 Eaters 3 Sf 3 4 stinger none A6Fl0Sl Halve travel distance for today.
Storm. Swirling winds buffet the party for
Mountain 1 die x 8 hours. Ground and air travel are im­
possible. At sea, the captain must roll 6+ to
1. 1 Grazer 1600 29/ s 17/12 hooves/teeth none F9Al1Sl avoid damage to his vessel. If he mlsses by 2
2. 22 Grazers 6 6/ s 1 hooves none F6Al2S2 or more, there is a shipwreck. DMs: Water Craft.
3. s Hunters 50 18/ 7 2 teeth none A9F9Sl Swamp. The ground here is very marshy.
4.9 Chasers so 16/ 7 3/1 claws/teeth none A5F8S3 Halve travel distance today.
s. 10 Nighthounds 100 17/12 S/4 hands/teeth mesh A8F7S2 Thieves. 1-6 thieves attempt to rob or swin­
6. 2 Intermittants 100 17/ 6 7 stinger jack A7F3S2 dle the party.
Wankh . A Wankh is observed swimming be­
(Note: Nighthounds can occur in any terrain. They are nocturnal, wolf-like creatures closely low the surface with water jets. He will ignore
related to the Pnume. Nighthounds can be recognized by their charac�eristic wailing.) the party in 3+.
 19
Here are the races of Tschai . . . the
Pnume, Phung, Old Chasch, Blue Chasch,

Peop les of Tsc h a i

Green Chasch, Dirdir, and Wankh. A UPP
is given for each. The UPP may be used
directly if it is necessary to generate a
character in a hurzy ; otherwise it may be
used to obtain die modifiers for charac­
ter generation. For example , the Pnume as patrons or as enemies. Hoch Hars. Tech 1. A primitive people
have an average strength of A, so give a Some of the aliens have servant races who live east of Cath and hate all Yaos,
generated Pnume character a +3 modi­ of humans, inbred over the millenia to ostensibly for having destroyed the an­
fier for strength. (A = 10. 10 · 7 = 3.) resemble their masters. There are many cient Hoch Har empire.
If this process results in a characteristic other races of men on Tscahi. The major Lokhars. Tech 4. People of central
less than 1 , raise it to 1 . ones include: Kachan. The men dye their skin black
The given tech level i s the level each Nomads. Tech 1 . Their tribes ride end­ and their hair white, the women the op­
race maintains on Tschai; home planet lessly across the steppes. Some are canni· posite. Many are employed by the Wankh
tech levels are higher. Tech levels vary a bals; all practice banditry. Tribes include as technicians.
good deal because of trade. The tech lev­ Niss, Emblem Men, Yellow-Blacks, Mad Dugbos. Tech 1 . A ragged, gypsy-like
el of the Pnume is unknown because the Axes, and Kite Fighters. people said to have psychic powers.
Pnume are a mysterious race, and it is Marshmen. Tech 0. A dwarfish, yellow Khors. Tech 3 . A strange, slender,
hard to tell the full extent of their re­ people who live among the reeds. They al­ mustard-yellow people living in north
sources. ways attack if surprise is possible, and the Kislovan. Khors wear black gowns and
The listed skills are those a typical in­ enemy is not too numerous. tall hats. They follow rigid customs and
dividual might have - the civilized spe­ Grays. Tech 3 . A widespread, stocky, taboos. In combat, they throw iron darts.
cies have a considerable variety of skills yellow-gray race. Grays tend to be tol­ Thangs. Tech 4. An avaricious people
available. erant, commercially-minded and rather of northwest Kislovan. They consider
Note that some of the listed aliens - fatalistic. cheating and deception normal business
particularly the Phung and Green Chasch Yaos. Tech 6. The most technically practices. Their greatest town is Urmank.
- are not suitable for player characters. advanced humans of Tschai. Yaos are the Kabs. Tech S . A slender, alert people
Also, no Pnume, Chasch, Dirdir, or predominant race of Cath. They are ob­ of southern Charchan. They have brown
Wankh is likely to deal with humans as sessed with elaborate etiquette and punc­ hair, wide cheekbones, and black eyes.
as equal unless he is himself an outcast or tilio. It is dreadfully easy to offend a Their thieves ate deft; their marital cus-
fugitive. Aliens will appear more often Yao. . toms, bizarre and dangerous.

UPP: A78688
The Pnu m e concealed passages and immense cham·
Population: 1 5 0-160,000 bers is a society complete with industry
Tech Level: Unknown and trade. Pnume society is secretive and
Skills: Recon -2, Leader - 1 , Admin. -1 stratified; an individual's knowledge de­
Special: Bare hands treated as club, skin pends on his social standing. The Pnume
as mesh. Because of their decentralized rarely carry (or need) weapons.
nervous system, Pnume cannot be The Pnume are obsessed with history.
knocked unconscious, only killed. They observe everything, frequently seiz­
ing "exhibits" for their museum, Forever­
ness, which details seven million years of
The Pnume are natives ofTschai. They Tschai history. Restraint and unobtrusive­
are about two meters tall and slightly ness are prin1ary Pnume virtues. They
built, though quite heavy (100 kg). Their have one-track minds, and no amount of
white, expressionless faces are the cast reasoning or pleading will sway a Pnume
and color of a horse's skull, with compli­ from its purpose. Captive enemies are
cated rasping and chewing parts beneath. dropped into deep pits, if they are not
A Pnume's legs are jointed the reverse of needed as crystallized exhibits in Forever­
a human's. Traditionally, Pnume dress is ness.
a black cloak and floppy black broad­ Pnumekin, humans living among the
brimmed hat. The Pnume are closely re­ Pnume (UPP: 687744), have evolved psy·
lated to nighthounds (see Animal Encoun­ chologically toward the Pnume. They are
ters) and to Phung (see below). The three introverted, timid, fearful of open spaces,
creatures appear to be physically similar fatalistic and naive. Diko, a hormone sup­
and mutually tolerant, but the exact re­ pressant which prevents the onset of pu·
lationship is unclear. berty, is a regular part of their diet. They
The Pnume live in a· network of under­ scrupulously avoid "boisterous activity,"
ground tunnels and subterranean rivers which includes physical contact, noise,
crisscrossing the entire subsurface of sudden movements and being seen with­
Tschai. Within these dimly-lit corridors, out a hat.
20
This map, from the Imperial archives, is said to have been pieced to­

TSCtt fi l :
gether from smaller maps brought to Earth by Adam Reith. The original
maps were evidently based on a variety of scales and cartographic theor­
ies. Information taken directly from Adam Reith's memoirs is often

The M a p
vague, contradictory, or incomplete. Some geographical features cannot
be located with any accuracy. A comprehensive survey of Tschai is not
available.
The scale is approximately 1,000 km/hex.

Terra i n Key
Desert

Jungle

Mountains

Seacoast

Steppe/Ocean

Old Chasch City

NW(6) NE( l )
Blue Chasch City

Human City

Dirdir City
SW(4) SE(3 )
Wankh City
 21

Travel on Tschai
The chief overland mode of travel is population. through a hole drilled in the skull. A leap­
the caravan - consisting of 10-60 motor The standard riding animal is the leap­ horse is a gatherer, about 200k, with
drays, of which at-least 1/6 mount sand horse, a cantankerous creature which horns and armor as jack.
blasts. Motor cars and trains are common jumps around on its oversized hind legs. Sailing ships are standard for ocean trav­
in certain limited areas. Air/rafts are al­ To control one of these beasts, it is some­ el. Sometimes motor ships are available.
ways scarce, at least among the human times necessary to thrust a control bit

Travel Times (hours perhex)

Steppe Mountain Desert Jungle Ocean

Walking 190 300 220 250
Leap Horse 150 250 200 220
Caravan / ATV 20 35 20 75
Air/Raft 10 14 10 10 10
Sailing Ship 100
Motor Ship 30
 22

The Ph u n g
UPP: EBC542 tion for their behavior is that all Phung
Population: 4-5,000 are totally insane. They usually are seen
Tech Level: 0 dancing in and out of shadows, but are
Skills: Recon ·2, Brawling ·2, Survival ·2 just as likely to leap into a whirling, thrash·
Special: Bare hands treated as cudgel, ing attack as they are to stand motionless
skin as mesh. Phung share the decen· while they are chopped apart.
tralized nervous system of the Pnume. A Phung may pick up a weapon, if
They cannot be knocked unconscious, its use is both obvious and imminent.
only kilted. However, it does not regularly carry wea·
pons, preferring to crush its enemies or
Like the Pnume, Phung are native to tear them apart. They can throw rocks at
Tschai. They resemble the Pnume in build short or medium range for 4 dice damage.
and dress, having a similar, half-human, A Phung is adept at dodging; it is ·2 ver·
half-insect appearance, and wearing the sus any missile weapon.
usual black cloak and hat. However, they A Phung which encounters a Chasch,
are larger than the Pnume, standing over Dirdir, Wankh or human will give some
two meters tall, and they wear high boots. thought to killing the prospective victim
Their appearance suggests a grasshopper with as much artistry as possible. It will
in an assassin's cloak. then confront, terrify and slaughter its
Phung are solitary, living in caves and foe, not always in that order. It appears
ruins. It is not known how they repro· to take more pleasure in its victims' fear
duce. They appear to be intelligent be· than in their pain, and does not care at
ings, but never communicate with other all for its own safety.
creatures and display no rationality or There is no human subspecies associ·
logic . The most widely accepted explana· ated with the Phung.

Old Chasch
UPP: 585778 Once a grand race, the Old Cha.sch re­
Population: 2·3,000 tain only a shred of their fonner magnifi·
Tech Level :8 cence. They manufacture drugs and cloth,
Skills: Liason ·2, Carousing ·2 trading them for perfumes and scents.
Special: None They love to play pranks on humans.
Sometimes they are cruel, sometimes
only mischievous. Stories are told of un­
wary travelers with new features grafted
on their faces and new memories implant­
ed in their minds. Anyone valuing his san·
Tschai fell under the heel of numerous ity is advised to stay out of the low white
off-world n
i vaders before the arrival of domes and parks of the Old Chasch.
the Old Chasch 100,000 local years ago, Old Chaschmen (UPP: 758633) are
But the Old Chasch have the longest res­ slight and stooped with gray wrinkled
idency of all the alien races currently oc· faces, bulging foreheads, puckered mouths
cupying the planet. They spent much of and no chins. They wear false scalps which
that time feuding with their cousins, the jut over their brows and rise to a point,
Blue Cha.sch, and later with the Dirdir, simulating the shape of an Old Cha.sch
but they have been no threat to anyone cranium. Their skills are the minimum
for 20,000 years. necessary to serve their Old Chasch mas­
Old Chasch resemble large silverfish tes as porters, freighthandlers and techni·
with arms and legs. Their skin is like mn­
i cians. They may be the butt of Old Cha.sch
utely-scaled ivory satin. They have fragile jokes, when other victims are unavailable .
bodies and eyes like small silver pellets The Old Cha.sch live in West Kotan.
that move independently. Their only known city is Golsse .
 23

B l u e C h a sch
UPP: 758778 still maintain missile pits to threaten their
Population: 300400,000 old enemies, the Dirdfr.
Tech Level: 1 0 Blue Chasch have a highly developed
Skills: Streetwise 2 Laser Pistol -1, ATV
- , sense of smell. With it they can identify
-1 men and their possessions and can follow
Special: Skin treated as jack a trail if it s
i less than one day old and
doesn't cross water. They use artificial
amplifiers to detect fainter traces.
The Blue Chasch are at once whimsi­
cal, harsh and devious. They love to bar­
gain, but prefer to cheat. They hate bore­
dom. They entertain themselves by, for
Blue Chasch have short heavy legs, a example, putting an enemy in a glass
powerful wedge-shaped torso and chitin­ maze with a tormented Phung.
ous shoulder-plates curving into a dorsal Blue Chaschmen (UPP: 768743) are
carapace. Their skull rises to a bony point, short and stocky with bowed legs and
with a heavy brow over glittering metallic blunt, chinless faces. They wear Chasch­
eyes and a complicated nasal orifice. like skullcaps which rise to a point and
The Blue Chasch invaded Tschai 90,000 overhang the brow, and believe them­
local years ago, fighting their racial kin, selves to be the first stage in the Blue
the Old Chasch. Since then, their tech­ Chasch life cycle.
nology has declined, and they have lost Blue Chasch cities consist of spacious
all zest for space travel. However, they do gardens, with low white domes.

G reen C h a sch
UPP: C7A522 Green Chasch broadsword is too heavy
Population: 80-100,000 for a human to wield.
Tech Level: I The life of a Green Chasch is nasty,
Skills: Survival -2, Hunting - 1 , Broad­ brutish and short. A tribe ofGreen Chasch
sword - 1 , Catapult - 1 , Recon - 1 , Tac­ wi
l l accept terrible losses in combat, re­
ics
t -1 treating only when there is no longer any
Special: Skin as jack prospect of success. Even when the en­
emy is fleeing, the Chasch will continue
to attack out of sheer ferocity. To replace
their losses, Green Chasch pilgrimage to a
breeding area northwest of Jalkh; during
Green Chasch are seven to eight feet this period, they are relatively peaceful.
tall, massive and thick-limbed, with clear­ Except for that, Green Chasch seem to
ly defined glistening green scales. They take no pleasure in anything but slaughter.
have the characteristic jutting brow and Green Chasch are telepathic among
pointed scalp of all Chasch. their own kind, giving them superb battle­
Green Chasch are the barbaric descen­ field coordination. They use colored ban­
dants of hybrid warriors brought to Tschai ners to communicate with outsiders, vari­
by the Blue Chasch to serve as shock ous combinations signifying such things
troops against the Old Chasch. Harboring as willingness to trade, bloodlust or the
a fierce hatred for the Blue Chasch, they desire to pass through quietly. They have
roam Kotan n i bands of 50 to 1,000, raid­ no language. Green Chasch become le­
ing caravans and human settlements. They thargic at night, but will defend them­
fight from the backs of their giant leap­ selves if attacked.
horses with broadswords, picks, cross­ There is no human subspecies associ­
bows and the Tschaj hand-catapult. A ated with the Green Chasch.,

··,
 24

UPP: 787769
The D i rd i r eaten. The victims, often human, are kept
Population: 250-350,000 alive until needed for food. They are con­
Tech Level: 1 1 trolled with electronic pain inducers.
Skills: Hunting -2, Brawling ·2, Survival · l , In their hunting parks and preserves,
Laser Pistol - 1 , Air/Raft · l Dirdir hunt unarmed and on foot. Away
Special: Claws; skin as jack from their preserves, Dirdir hunt from
air/rafts with laser pistols, swords and in­
frared and electronic sniffers. They carry
Dirdir average two meters tall, are slight shields which give the same protection as
. and wiry and move "like lizards on a hot cloth armor.
day." Their hard skin has the appearance The principal Dirdir city is Hei, which
of polished bone. They have deep-set eyes is connected to the (human) island city
in vaguely human faces, and their heads Sivishe by a causeway. At the center of
are topped by antennae which glow when Hei is a glass-enclosed park eight km long,
they are excited. (These antennae are re· five km wide and 300 meters high. It is
moved if a Dirdir becomes an outcast.) surrounded by spires which house the nu­
The Dirdir came to Tschai 60,000 years merous Dirdir clans and castes and remind
ago, during a period of aggressive expan­ them of the hollow-tree dwellings of their
sion. They fight occasional skinnishes with home planet Sibol. The park is a hunting
Chasch and Wankh patrols, but take more preserve built to simulate Sibol's cool des­
pleasure from searching outhidden Pnume ert environment. Inside, human criminals
tunnels and flooding them with poison are hunted in ritual fashion before specta­
gas. tors.
Dirdir are descended from carnivore Dirdinnen (UPP: 777767) are tall, pale
chaser-killers. Their savage heritage is evi­ and completely hairless. They believe men
dent in their ritual hunts. When hunting, and Dirdir are two branches of the same
Dirdir become animals ; reason is subor­ evolutionary stock, and revere Dirdir as
dinated to instinct and aggression . Prey is the higher form.

Th e Wa n kh
UPP: 967778 rectangles, each corresponding to a chime.
Population: 4-5,000 Humans can learn Wankh only with long
Tech Level: 12 and difficult study. No Wankh under­
Skills: Pilot ·2, Navigation -1, Communi­ stands any human language at all.
cations - 1 , ATV -1 In general, the Wankh are so alien that
Special: Amphibious the Pnume, Chasch and Dirdir seem almost
neighborly by comparison. However, the
Wankh are far from being as furtive as
Slightly larger than a man, a Wankh the Pnume, brutal as the Chasch or ra­
has a heavy dark torso, squat head, short pacious as the Dirdir. They come and go
legs and splayed-web feet. In place of openly, not seeming to care if humans
eyes they are equipped with two black stare at them. They prefer understanding
lenses which emit pulses every half-sec­ their enemies to killing them out of hand.
ond. They wear no clothing. (However, the Wankhmen are noiceably t
The Wankh arrived on Tschai 10,000 more quick on the trigger.) Captives are
years ago (13 ,000 Earth years) during a sent to work in the mines; stubborn cases
war against the Dirdir, and built forts may be subjected to the mysterious
on Kachan, Rakh and Vord. They remain "black boxes."
on Tschai to keep watch on the Dirdir Wankhmen (UPP: 777777) are self­
but they have little interest in the affairs centered and ruthless, serving as spies
of men. They are rarely seen outside their and lackies for the Wankh. They hire
stem, black-glass towers. Lokhars to perfonn menial and technical
Wankh architecture is stark and laby­ work. Wankhmen serve their own n i terests
rinthine, based on concepts imcompre· first, and those of Wankh second. They
hensible to humans. The Wankh language are the only humans that can speak
is likewise incomprehensible, pictograms Wankh, and they use this ability ruthless­
conveyed by single chime-like sounds. ly, translating and mistranslating as seems
The written language is a series of shaded expedient.
 25

Air screams around your ships as they enter the

atmosphere. Missile-launchers fire deafeningly to port
and starboard while atmosphere-fighters drop in
shrieking dives from their hangers below. Warriors.
tightly clenching their weapons, check their pressure
suits one last time and climb in grim silence into their
landing shuttles. In the distance five more heavy
cruisers of your empire are firing and unloading their
cargo, their hulls gleaming crimson in the light of the
red sun above.
This is not a drill. Already laser and missile fire
from the mile-wide guardian fortresses below have
turned the sky into an exploding nightmare of smoke.
fire, and fragmented metal. Planes and shuttles twist
and dodge down towards a landscape rapidly
becoming an inferno of flame and radiation.
This is no mere raid. For years your people had
explored nearby systems without violence, trading
technology to the primitive civilizations there in
exchange for raw materials. Some species had even
thought you gods.
Then you met the Aeratang. Merciless, brutal.
they destroyed your exploring ships and began to
slaughter your colonies. But you found their home
planet and launched the greatest fleet your kind ever
built to carry the war to your enemy. To fight for your
very survival.
Will it be enough?

StarMaster offers these features:

Starmaster is a correspondence game of galactic • Design your species as if you could have directed
·
exploration. diplomacy, and conquest allowing for evolution to this moment.
interaction not only between each player and the • Design your homeworld in terms of temperature.
worlds of the galaxy, but between the players them­ atmosphere. and mass.
selves. • Choose your government and social order.
New players begin further out from the Galactic • You decide the production for all worlds of your
Center than established players allowing them to empire, building colonizing ships, merchantmen,
develop themselves among equals. You may lead a warships, warriors, and fortresses.
powerful reptilian race. carving out a vast empire of • Technology increases steadily, permitting faster,
colony and subject worlds; or perhaps an insectoid larger ships, deadlier weapons. and scientific break­
species. engaged in a holy crusade to convert the throughs.
galaxy to the worship of their many-legged god.
The galaxies are dotted with the ruins of Elder civili­
As chosen ruler of your people, you must decide zations lacking the strength to master the stars. Can
what diplomatic and military policies will be followed you lead your world to greatness where so many
in order to lead your kind to dominance among the others fell short?
sentient beings of the galaxy.
The galaxies of StarMaster are a complete fantasy
StarMaster may be entered for $10.00 which includes
environment of solar systems, with geographies rang­ the first three turns. a rule booklet. and all necessary
ing from worlds near absolute zero to worlds where
material (except return postage). Thereafter. turns are
rivers of molten tungsten bubble. with technologies
S2 50 each.
.- spanning from rock-throwing cave-dwellers to ad­
vanced Elder Races with near-godlike abil ities.
Nor is the StarMaster environment limited in
terms of playing area. There are multiple galaxies � - - - - ------ - ---- - - - -
allowing for extra-galactic invasions across the voids.
There -are both natural and constructed gateways to Send 10: ScltubEl & SoN
(and from!) other dimensions and parallel universes. P.0 Box 214848.
StarMaster is limitless in possibilites. bounded Sacramento. CA 95821
only by imagination! It is a game where, literally,
anything is possible. Enter m• in SrorMosrer

Address__________________

t 1 979 Schubel & Son City _______Sta1e ____Zip

__ ____

� - - - - - - - ------- -----
26

Featured Review:

by Forrest Johnson
n
i common with their D&D counterparts. was needed. For example, J played a few
The concepts behind Glorantha are sur­ games before I figured out that the de­
prisingly original and remarkably consis­ struction of a magician's spirit does not
tent. necessarily destroy the magician.
The connecion t to RuneQuest is ob­ About half the units have some kind
vious. The sites of two published RQ ad­ of special ability, and all have individual
ventures, Apple Lane and Snakepipe Hol­ names. The Sartar am1y includes the Wolf
low, can be located on the game map. Runners, the Wind Children and the
DRAGON PASS would provide a fine Ducks. The counters are coded, but it
campaign map for a RQ referee, even if still takes a lot of head-scratching to dis·
he never punched out the counters. cover what some units are supposed to do.
In a comer of the map, there is a row Diplomacy is central to the advanced
of hexes labeled "Plains of Prax." Evi­ game. Each side seeks alliance with "in­
dently, these will interlock with the 2nd dependents," like the Grazeland Pony
edition Nomad Gods map when it appears Breeders or the Dragonewts. A success­
later this year. The rules have been inte­ ful alliance brin� a fistful of units to the
grated - this may confuse players who, lucky player's side. However, the diplo­
for example, search the terrain effects macy rules seem pretty well balanced.

,, V �hart for "chaparral," which is i:ientioned Both sides are likely to benefit from dip­
. ,..
1 -111. - < m the rules, but appears only m Nomad lomacy, but neither side has much chance
't Gods. A third game, called Lords ofFate,
'

•1 • to win an overwhelming advantage.

··
or maybe Masters of Luck and Death, is Some might say DRAGON PASS is too
;rll� supposed to join the first two in 1982. (It well balanced. Despite all the dragons and
better be good; Chaosium has been prom­ superheroes, magicians and exotics, the
ising it since 1975.) net result is often a bloody stalemate, and
In 1975, Chaosium first released White victory occurs when the other side runs
Bear and Red Moon, one of the most elab­ The Game System out of units.
orate fantasy board games ever created. On the other hand, the system encour­
WB/RM quickly became a favorite, de­ At the most basic level, DRAGON ages "super stack" tactics. One stack of
spite its amateur-printed rulebook, dull PASS is a fairly straightforward move­ units may be worth 50 or 60 combat
map and murky rules. ment-combat game. There are three sce­ points, and the game is sometimes de­
Now we see a revised edition, called narios provided for players who aren't cided by a single die roll.
DRAGON PASS. The rulebook is profes­ ready for the magic rules. Unfortunately,
sionally printed. The map is beautiful, the rulebook is not organized to take ad­ Five Years, for What?
hand-drawn in many colors. But, alas, the vantage of this; novices will have to read
rules are still murky. two or three pages of rules to pick out Chaosium has had five years to tinker
one that is relevant to the basic scenarios. with this game. It would be unfair to call
Glorantha ·There are four categories of magic - the result an unmitigated failure. I believe
Spiritual, Physical, Chaotic and Exotic. "mitigated failure" would describe it bet­
DRAGON PASS, like Nomad Gods and Each is applied differently, and the last is ter.
the FRP game RuneQuest, is based on the just a grab-bag category, including all sorts My judgement has notlling to do with
m
i aginary world Glorantha, a place where of peculiar effects. Chaosium has moved tile components, which are superb, or the
Conan, Fafhrd and Cugel could all feel at mountains to get such a complex system game system, which is clever. The prob­
home. Magic flourishes. Elves, trolls and to work at all. But, in many cases, Pike's lem is, the rules are so fouled up that no
dragons are present, but they have little Peak has been planted where Mt. Everest two people are likely to read them the
 27
same way. To support my judgement, I decide for themselves what is reasonable, Exhibit C: The Cryptic Counters. The
present the following evidence: and their opinion may have nothing to do counter coding seems to indicate the Red
with Chaosium's. Emperor has an exotic magic ability, but
Exhibit A: Mix and Match Rules. In he is not listed under "Lunar Exotics."
section 7.4.3, we .read, "Every active unit Exhibit B: The Homeless Horde. In­ The Tusk Riders have a special movement
that was adjacent to an inactive unit at cluded with the game, there are 14 green "ability or restriction," but the rules don't
the start of the combat phase must attack counters labeled "The Barbarian Horde." tell you what it is. Keener Than is listed
an adjacent inactive unit." Below that, Someone just opening the box will have a with "Sir Ethilrist and his Black Horse
7.4.4 says, "Each stack is treated as a hard time deciding which side they're on. Troop," but the commentary and the col­
whole. If any of the units n
i a stack are to They have no apparent connection with or coding seem to imply he belong.s else­
· attack, all of the units in that stack must the red Lunar units or the pale orange where.
take part in the same attack." Sartar units. They are not listed under There are a couple of ways a player
Fine, so far. But 7.5 describes five dif­ "Independents." The color coding sug­ can handle these questions - he can get
ferent kinds of attacks. If the Stonnwal­ gests they are Prax units, but it is not out his ouija board, or he can consult the
kers are attacking stack A by melee, can clear which side (if either) Prax is on. I Ching.
they also attack stack B by magic? Fur­ Some elements of the Horde are listed as These are only a few of the more prom­
ther down, we read that some units are fighting for Sartar in a few scenarios, but inent glitches. For every one above, half a
immune to some kinds of attacks. If Har­ the advanced scenarios do not list the dozen might suggest themselves to a rea­
rek is adjacent to the Twin Stars, neither Horde at all. sonable man, or any number to a nit­
can attack the other, but 7.4.3 requires After some thought, I decided the picker.
them to attack. Horde probably belonged to Sartar. A The rules for DRAGON PASS are no
After that, things get worse. 7.10.3: careful scrutiny of the "Miscellanea" in cleaner than those for White Bear and
"At most three of the major units in each the back of the book reveals a reference Red Moon. After all this time, Chaosium
stack can fight in a melee." 7.10.4: "The to the Horde under "Creation of the Sar­ should know better than to publish a game
attacker can withhold some or all of the tar Anny." Also, in my 1975 copy of which has not been blindtested.
attacking units from fighting in a melee." White Bear and Red Moon I found the
7.10.5 :"A retreated unit is not affected Horde (somewhat different in composi­ DRAGON PASS (Chaosium); $14.95.
by the results of a melee." tion) listed under "Sartar Battalia." Designed by Robert Corbett and Greg
Of course, I am not quoting these rules Unfortunately , there is no "Battalia" Stafford. Box ncludes
i 24" x 34" map,
in full, but I see little attempt to recon­ list in DRAGON PASS. Chaosium appar­ 300 counters, 28-page rulebook, (inade­
cile the apparent contradictions. There ently assumes this matter to be self-evi­ quate) e"ata sheet, one die. 2-3 players;
are no examples of combat. Players must dent. playing time one hour up. Published I980.

.
-

----- - -·-·- - --
 28

Deus Ex Machina

Play-by-Phone Update

By comparison, his estimate for a PBM b) Get an 800 (toll free) or 900 (50
game was $70/year: $ 15 set-up, $52 for cents/call) number. This would prob­
by Bruce Webster game turns ($3/turn, I turn/3 weeks), $3 ably be feasible only for larger finns,
postage. His conclusion was that the idea but would draw a nation-wide group.
as presented wasn't feasible. c) Utilize one of the many national
I must take exception to all three of timesharing services (Micronet, The
Back in TSG 35, I discussed the con­ his estimates. First, it's a little ridiculous Source, etc.). Flying Buffalo has
cept of "play-by-phone" (PBP) games. to include the price of the modem as part already gone this route with Starweb,
In brief, the idea was to set up a PBM­ of the set-up cost. This is not unlike and there are rumors that Empyrean
type game on a computer. The players deciding whether or not to build a Challenge may do the same soon.
would then submit moves and get status drive-in theater on the basis of how many d) Minimize phone connect time (also
updates by dialing the computer and people will go out and buy a car to be suggested by Andrew McGregor). This
using a tenninal or another ' computer able to attend it. Modems are one of the can be done by players who have their
to communicate with it. The advan­ hottest selling items in personal comput­ own computers. The player dials up,
tages included faster tum-around time, ing right now, due to computer "bulletin receives status information in a com­
reduced overhead for postage, paper, and boards," local networks, over a dozen pressed version, and the connection is
handling, and (probably), lower per-turn national timesharing services, and other broken. His (or her) computer then
costs for the player. Some problems I such applications. This proposal presup­ decodes the infonnation and presents
foresaw involved security, dedicated poses that the user has a modem or will i t in a more expanded (and human­
phone lines, and game turn costs. And I buy one and receive benefits from it far readable) fonn. To submit a move, the
asked for feedback from the readers. beyond the game. player runs another program on
Well, a number of you took the time Second, there are two problems his/her computer which prompts for
to write and to give me both positive and with his comparison of game turn costs. all the necessary information and then
negative feedback on the ideas presented. First, $ 1 .50/turn is, as I stated in the ori­ encodes it and compresses it. The
The main lesson I learned from the letters ginal article, too high a cost for a PBP player dials up the game computer, the
is that I should go into more detail the game, though the market will ultimately compacted info is quickly transferred,
next time I write on a subject like this. determine this. Second, even if the and the connection is broken. Since a
Many of the suggestions receiyed (as well game-tum charge were that high, you 300-baud line can transmit 1800
as answers to most of the objections would still be paying only half as much characters/minute, one minute is all
raised) were already in my notes; I just for an equivalent amount of gaming and that should be needed for each call.
hadn't used them due to time and space would be getting far better tum-around Two calls per game turn would add
constraints (read: laziness). Anyway, here to boot. For example, suppose someone $0.44 to the cost of each game tum
are some of the ideas and criticisms wanted to play a given game for 1 0 game (Houston to either coast, night/
received, along with my responses to turns. By Breeding's own estimate, a PBM weekend charge rate). Since the
them. version would take 7 months and would postage charges for a single game tum
cost the player $30 in game-tum charges. of a PBM game come to at least $0.36
Comments Received Dy comparison, a PBP version would take (first class postage from player to
5 weeks and cost only $ 1 5 (assuming moderator and from moderator to
Most of the criticisms received came $ 1 .50/tum). player), the difference in communi­
from David Breeding, who runs the PBM On his last item, phone costs, Breeding cations between the two systems
game The Colonies. His arguments against strikes closer to home. This problem was would be negligible.
the idea centered around the cost to the brought up briefly at the end of the
players, which he estimated ·as being original column, but I shou�d have gone These suggestions ignore two other
$600/year for the first year and $300/ into more detail. There are a number of factors. First, phone costs tend to be
year thereafter. This high cost was due to solutions here, depending on your finan­ "hidden," since we are billed once a
(1) high set-up cost because of modem cial backing and desired scope. These month for all our use, and a lot of players
purchase, (2) high cost per turn, and (3) include: would probably not notice a monthly
high phqne costs. His estimates were as increase of a few dollars in their phone
follows: a) Aim for a local market. If you live in a bills. Second, a number of vary large
large metropolitan area, you could (and not-so-very-large) firms are .develop­
$300 Cost for modem (set-up) probably support yourself doing this. ing data communication utilities for
$156 $ 1 .50/tum, 2 turns/week If players from farther away have the public use. If successful, these could pro­
$83 to $204 Phone , Houston to D.C. bucks to spend, fine. vide low-cost, high quality datalinks . . .
 29
and those who are ready to move into feels that is .shouldn't be possible, while I very feasible alternative to the high-cost,
that market when it opens up will have a felt that it should be under certain slow-tum-around play-by-mail games cur­
definite advantage over those who are circumstances (i.e., intercepting a message rently in existence. The biggest hurdle I
not. and then sending on an altered version). see is the system software required for
Scott Fleming, a computer science The decisions here, though, are game­ modem communications, file manipula­
student at Georgia Tech, wrote with some dependent. tion, security, and so on, but that area in
useful comments. He raised the problem An excellent suggestion Fleming made itself could be a market. For example
of two or more users being on the same was to 'issue a second password to each someone could develop all of the support
system at the same time and trying to use player which allows him/her to change routines to run under a particular system
the same file (for status, moves, et the regular password. Thus if a particular (say, C/PM 2.2 on a Z-80 CPU) and then
cetera). There are a number of solutions player suspects that someone else has sell tl1em to moderators who want
here. The simplest is to allow only one discovered his/her password, then he/she to set up PBP games. Tci be completely
player on the system at a time. The next can change it. honest, it will probably be a few years yet.
simplest is to create two files for each I also received letters from Andrew before the market for PBP games com­
player, one for moves and one for status McGregor, who also came up with the pletely opens up, but those who start
information. During the access ·period data compression idea, Michael Faycheck, now to develop the necessary techniques

(i.e., the time when players can call the and Jon Wooldrige. Wooldrige, who is will have a tremendous advantage when
computer), each player can modify his · currently setting up a PBM game, is very that happens. I will continue to write on
"
move and read from his status file. During interested in attempting a PBP game some the subject from time to time, and I
the update period (i.e., the time when the time in the future and would like to would like to continue to hear from those
computer is acting on all the moves), the communicate with anyone else with of you wiili comments to make. You can
program reads from the move file for anything to say on the subject. You can write to me at the follwoing address:
each player and updates all the status write him at:
files. The problem, of course, is that a Bruce F. Webster
lot of files are created. There are more The Buchanan Company Lunar and Planetary Institute
complex solutions, dealing with tempor­ P.O. Box 195 3303 NASA Road l
ary and master files, multiple master files, Winfield, Kansas 67156. Houston, TX 77058
and synchronization via semaphores, but
I'm not sure this is the place to go into all Closing Comments I'm not sure yet what I'll tackle next
that, so I won't. monili. If there are subjects you would
Fleming also brought up the issue of All the letters that have come in have like to see during ilie coming months, Jet
Player A sending a message to Player B been greatly appreciated. I remain con­ me know � you're the ones I'm writing
and signing it with Player C's name. He vinced that play-by-phone games are a for.

•wkt:m1a :Pr-i:ss
....,. wtJ3u1� <rtt1cs �
We: hear-you. 11f\t tw ·� 11Ut·>you.lon't ilnow tvho tve an
According to the 1980 Space Gamer. games survey, our products and company rated very highly with those of you that know us.
THANK YOU! BUT, almost half of those responding hadn't heard of us. This is bad for both of us - for us because we don't sell you
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TULAN of the ISLES: Based on the same design as CARSE, this is a smaller town for those outlying areas and a perfect companion to
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30
DunjonQuest c3 l .
Earth Game c32.
Elric c32.
The Emerald Tablet c37.

Cu m u lative Game I ndex Empyrean Challenge f33.

Encounters n i the Corelian Quadrant c35.
Encounters in the Phoenix Quadrant c31.

I ssues 1 5-39
Encounters in the Ventura Quadrant·c34.
Engage & Destroy c34.
Escape From Astigar's Lair c30.
The Evening Star c34.
This is our second cumulative index to game Expedition to the Barrier Peaks c30, 36.
artic:les and reviews, covering issues 15·39. Our Expert D&D f38.
first index, covering only numbers 15-29, ap· The Fantastic Wilderlands Beyonde c33.
eared in s i sue 30. The Fantasy Cartographer's Field Book c31.
All articles are listed by game. Some listings Fantasy Modeling c37.
may refer to more than one article; some arti­ The Fantasy Trip (general) x26.
cles may appear under more than one listing. Fictioneers c32.
Many articles of a general nature are not listed Fifth Corps c39.
at all. The index is coded: Final Frontier c32.
Flying Saucers c39.
c = Capsule Review Foes c28.
d = Designer's Article, Food Fight x38.
e = Errata Forest Wars of the Haven c31.
f = Featured Review B-1 Nuclear Bomber c33. Fortress Ellendar c30.
g = Game Bloodtree Rebellion c27. 4tl1 Dimension c35.
m = Mentioned in Game Master The Book of Treasure Maps c29. Freedom in the Galaxy c31; v37.
s = Strategy Article Broken Tree Inn c30. FSI Flight Simulator c31.
v =Variant Bushido c29. The Fury of the Norsemen c38.
x = Mentioned in Contest or Contest Results Campaign Series Grid Maps c35. Galactic Empire c30.
Example: "Pond War g19" means that the Cardboard Heroes c38; d34. Galactic Empires f3 l.
game Pond War appeared in TSG issue 19. Castle Book I c39. Galactic Trader c38.
The Caverns of Thracia c29. Galaxy Invasion c35.
Cerberus c33. Galaxy II c29.
Abyss c33. Chitin: I sl 7; v24. Gamer's Guide c39.
Across the Bright Face/Mission on Mithril c32. Circle oflce c35. Gamesmaster Catalog c37.
Advanced D&D m37;v29. Citadel of Blood c37. Gamma World c32.
Advanced Melee d29; e29; f31; m33. Cities c33. The Gateway Bestiary c32.
Advanced Wizard d29; e29; f3l . Citizens of the Imperium c28. GEV d 1 7 ; m27, 28, 36, 38; s21, 26; vl9, 33.
Adventure c3 l . The City of Carse c35. Global War c34.
Adventures in Fantasy f30. City of Lei Tabor c32. Goblin Lake c28.
Airmail Pilot c36. City of Terrors c33. Condor fl7.
Airraid c30. The City State of the World Emperor c34. Gorp c38.
Air Traffic Controller c34. The Compleat Fantasist c32. GrailQuest c32.
Airwar '80 c37. The Compleat Tavern c39. Gunship 2000 f23.
Akalabeth d39; f36. The Complete Book of Wargames c32. Gunship 2000 miniatures c29.
Alien Invaders c30. The Complete Wargames Handbook c31. Hellfire Warrior c38.
All the World's Monsters vol. III c29. Computer Bismarck c29. Hellpits of Nightfang c32.
Alpha Omega el6. Cosmic Encounter f37. Hero c30.
The American Wargamer c32. Cosmic Patrol c34. Hexagony c33.
Animal Encounters c28. The Courier c34. The Hidden Shrine ofTamoachan c29.
Ants c37. The Creature that Ate Sheboygan s25; v24; x38. High Fantasy f30.
Apocalypse c39. Crypt of the Sorcerer c30. High Guard c28.
Apple Lane c35. Cults ofPrax c27. Hot Spot c29; d27; m34.
Arduin Character Sheets Combined Pak c3 l. Cyborg f25. How to Sell Your Wargame Design c35.
Arena of Death c38. D&D (in general) x33. Ice War d18; f22; s25, 39; v20, 23.
Arena of Khazan c28. D&D Monster and Treasure Assortment c36. Imperium f15; vl 7, 19.
Ares c28. D&D Player Character Record Sheets c35. Inferno c3 l .
Armor At Kursk c37; m37. Darthanon Queen c34. In the Labyrinth d29; e29; f31.
Arms Law c33. Dark Nebula c33. Intruder c28.
Artifact c3 l ; d34; v34. Darkover c34. Invasion: America fl6; vl8.
The Assassin's Quest f33. Death and Destruction c34. Invasion Force c36.
Asteroid c34. Deathmaze c29. Invasion of the Air Eaters d23; s27.
Asteroid Zero-Four c31; m33. Death Test 2 c33. Invasion Orion c32.
Astrogators Chartbook c38. Deities and Demigods c34. The Iron Wind c36.
Atlantic Balloon Crossin� c37. Demons f28; m31. Isle of Dread c38.
Atlantis fl6. Dimension Demons c36. It c35.
Attack Force c39. Divine Right c29. John Carter, Warlord of Mars f24.
The Awful Green Things from Outer Space f26. Double Star c30. The Journal of WWII Wargaming c28.
Azhanti High Lightning f32. Dra'k'ne Station c32. Journey c3 l .
BananaQuest c39. DragonQuest f31; m34, 39. Junta c33.
Barbarian Kings c32. Dragonslayers c34. Keep on the Borderlands c37.
Battle Fleet Mars vl9. Dr. Whoc38. King Arthur c29.
Beachhead c3 l. Duck Pond c36. King of the Mountain c36.
The Beast Lord c30. Duck Tower c29. Kings and Castles c38.
Belter c27. Duel Arcane c39. The Kinunir c28.
Beneath Apple Manor c35. Dune f26. Knights and Knaves c37.
Berlin '85 c30. Dungeon c38. }(njghts & Magic c35.
TheBest of Board Wargaming c39. The Dungeon c3 l . Kung Fu 2100 e31; g30; m32, 36; x27, 29.
Bill Budge's Space Album c33. Dungeon Masters Adventure Log c33. Labyrinth c38.
Black Hole d24; f22; v21. Dungeon ofthe Bear c28. Land of the Rising Sun c36.
 31
Laser Tank c35. Runemasters c33. Stomp! f21; v35.
Legend of Robin Hooci c34. RuneQuest c35; f19. Strange New Worlds f24.
Leviathan c38. Sargon II c32. Streets of Stalingrad c28.
The Ley Sector c36. Sauron fl 7. Strike Team Alpha c33.
Lord of the Rings Miniatures f34. Scouts and Assassins c32. Super Invasion/Spacewar c35.
Lords of the Middle Sea f21. Sector 57 c33. Superman c3 l..
Lords ofUnderEarth c38; d38; e38. Security Station c38. Supernova c36.
Lords ofValetia fl5, 37. 76 Patrons c36. Suvival of the Fittest c39.
Lost Dutchman's Gold c34. Shadows/Annie Nova c29. Swashbuckler c31; m34.
Mage c37. Shooting Stars c37. Sword for Hire c28.
Magic Realm c28. Sigma Omega c28. Sword of Hope c28.
�MATAC c34. SimutekPackage I c36. Swordquest c28; m28, 29.
MAATAC Miniatures c34. Skull & Crossbones c35. Swords and Sorcery f19.
Magic Wood c35. Slag c38. Taipan c32.
Marine 2002 c34. Slave Pits of the UndercitY. c35. Tancred c35.
Mayday fl8. Snapshot f27. Tartars & Martyrs g20.
The Mean Checkers Machine c32. Sorcerer Solitaire c28. Tau Ceti 2015 c36.
Melee m28, 29; vl5, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 23, 24, Space c31. Temple of Ra c28.
25, 26, 27, 28. Space II c31. The Temple to Athena c32.
Mercenary c28; f22. Space and Sport Games c35. Terrorist c3 l .
Merchants & Merchandise c39. Space Battles c28. Three Mile Island c34.
Meta-Trek c37. Spacefarer's Guide to Alien Monsters c34. Time Lag c37.
Mind War f21, 27. ' Spacefarer's Guide to Alien Races c33. Time Traveler c39.
The Mines of Keridav c33. Spacefarer's Guide to Planets: Sector One c32. Time Trek c28.
Miniatures for Traveller c32. Spacefarer's Guide to Planets: Sector Two c33. Time Tripper c3l.
Mission to Zephor c35. Space Future c3 l . Time War f38.
Modron c30. Space Games 3 c30. Titan c33.
Money Madness c39. Space Marines c34. Titan Strike c33.
Monsters! Monsters! c34. Space Opera c33. Tollenkar's Lair c31; d29; e29.
Moorguard c30. Space Quest c33. Top Secret c29.
The Morrow Project f39. Space Warrior c38. The Toughest Dungeon in the World c35.
Mountain of Mystery c3 l . Spellbinder c33; m35. The Tower of Ulission c28.
Mythology c31. The Spellcaster's Bible c3 l . Traders and Gunboats c38.
Network c31. Spellmaker f22. Trajan's Treacherous Trap c37.
The Nine Doctrines of Darkness c31. The Spinward Marches c28. Traveller c28; m39; v15, 18, 20, 32, 35, 36, 37,
Norad c32. Sqwurm c29. 38, 39;x32, 34, 37.
North Atlantic Convoy Raider c35. Starbase Hyperion c34. The Traveller Logbook c32.
Nuclear War c34. Traveller Record Sheets c36.
Odysseus c3 l . Traveller Referee Screen c36.
Ogre dl5; m27, 34, 38; s21, 24; v l7 , 23, 35; The Treasure Vaults of Lindoran c29.
x38, 39. Treasury of Archaic Names c33.
Ogre Miniatures c29. The Tribes of Crane f29.
O.K. Corral c33. Triplanetary ·v39.
Olympica d l 5 ; v20. Tunnels &Trolls c27.
1001 Characters c28. Twilight's Peak c34.
One World/Annihilator c28; d26; m34. TYcoon c30.
Operation Pegasus c35. UFO fl6.
Outlaw c34. Uncle Ugly's Underground Doom c28.
Overkill c3 l . Universe II f33.
Panzer Pranks c28. The Unknown Gods c38.
'
Parsector V c38. Valkenburg Castle c28.
Party Brawl g22. Valley of the Four Winds c37.
Pen-Latol's World c32. The Vanguard Reaches c39.
Pieces of Eight c39. Vector 3 c29.
Pigskin c30. Star Commandos c33. Village Book I c39.
Pinball c36. Starcruiser 30. The Village of Homrnlet c35.
Pirates Cove c36. Starfall c29. Villains and Vigilantes c29.
Planet Miners c32. Starfighter f23. Voyage of the B.S.M. Pandora c38.
Plunder c33. Starfire c30. Warlock (Future and Fantasy Games) c28.
Pond War g19. Starfire II c35. Warlock (Games Workshop) c38.
Portals of Torsh c31. Star Fleet Battles c38; f25; m32, 38; v36. The Warlock Game f16.
Port Xanatath c36. Star Fleet Battles Expansion Kit 1 c37. War of the Ring fl6; v18.
Privateer c39. Starfleet Orion c30. War of the Sky Cities c30.
Professional Wrestling c33. Starfleet Wars c31. War of the Sky Galleons f27.
Quazar f23. Stargate f24. The War of the Worlds f35.
Quest f22. Starmaster c28. The Warp Factor f39; s39.
Queen of the Demonweb Pits c35. Starquest c33. Warp Force One f33.
Quirks c36. Starships c30. Warp War vlS, 16, 19, 33.
Raid on Iran c36; m38. Starships and Spacecraft c32. Warriors of the Green Planet f27.
Ramspeed c34. Starships and Spacemen d20; f18. Westward 1847 c34.
Raumkrieg f19. Starship Troopers v33. White Plume Mountain c37.
The Realm of Yolmi f2l . Star Trek c30. Windfall c31.
Rescue at Rigel c34. Star Trek Maps c34. Winged Samurai c33.
Research Station Gamma c30. Star Trek III.4 c36. Wizard dl5; m28, 3 l ; v2 1 , 23, 26, 28.
Richard Berg's Review of Games c37. Star Warrior c39. Wizards and Lizards c38.
Risk v37. Starwars f16. Wizard's Quest f26.
Rivets s25; vl 7, 26. Starweb c29. The World of Greyhawk c33.
Robots! c33. Stellar Adventure c39. Wreck of the Pandora c31.
Rommel's Panzers c30; m29. Stellar Conquest s25; v25. Zargonians c29.
Round the Horn c37. Sticks & Stones v23. Zargo's Lords c3 l.
32
I suggest changing the "shifting iniative" op­
tional rule to give the high roller the choice of

Capsule
who moves first. Even then, these may be too
simple for the serious wargamer.
- Gregory <:curter

Reviews
DAWN OF THE DEAD (SPI); $8.00. De­
signed by John H. Butterfield. Boxed, with 8·
page 8'/z'' x 1 1 " rulebook, 1 1 " x 17" multi­
color map, 80 counters. 1 to 4 players (basic
design for I or 2); playing time 1 to 2 hours.
THE SPACE GAMER reviews board Published 1981.
games, role-playing games, computer f}E/ftS. This game plays just like a sequence from
Nebula 19, Oregon Trail, Space Ace 21, Space the movie from which it takes its name. The
games, video games, and game supple­
Raid!, The Sword and the Stars, SwordQuest four humans, trapped in a small shopping mall,
ments. We review play-by-mail games ifa (boxed Ed.), Swords & Sorcerers, and Torpedo try to clear it of zombies and close the outer
reviewer is enrolled. We will review any Fire. doors. Meanwhile, the zombies shamble ever
science fiction or fantasy game if the pub­ closer to the humans, trying to ambush, over·
lisher supplies a copy. We do not guaran­ THE BARBARIANS (Yaquinto); $8.00. De­ whelm, and eat them. A human can be '.'in­
signed by Neil Zimmerer. 8-page, 8\12'' x 1 1 " fected" by a zombie attack; then it's only a
tee reviews of historical wargames. TSG rulebook, 200 extra-thick die-cut counters, one matter of time until he, too, becomes a zombie,
may publish a review of a game we are die (of two required), 2 mounted map boards, The best thing about DAWN OF THE
not sent - IF a reader submits a review. "improved album" format with liner box. 2 or DEAD is the beautiful graphics. In some games,
The staff will make reasonable efforts 3 players; playing time 30 minutes to l hour. all the artistic effort is lavished on the cover,
Published 1981. and the game components are cheap and drab.
to check reviews for factual accuracy, but
THE BARBARIANS is actually two games Not so here! The map and counters are well
opnions
i expressed by reviewers are not in one. Sack Rome s i a game of tl1e fall of the designed and skillfully executed. They mesh
necessarily those of the magazine. For Roman Empire while Mongol covers "the Mon­ well with some good points of the rule system
information on writing reviews for TSG, gol invasion of Europe, 1237 to 1242 AD." - for instance, a few zombies are hidden when
These games are quite similar. Both are stylized the game begins, and these are shown in a sep­
see "Writing Reviews for THE SPACE
and use area movement. Sack Rome is unique arate holding area. Movement is by square
GAMER " further on in this section. in that Rome almost always falls to the barbar· grid, and the human movement system is
Games for which reviews have been received ian hordes. To determine the winner, two games excellent. Humans movement uses a modified
or assigned include: Action & Bumper Games, are played with each player taking a shot at action-point system allowing them to trade
Attack ·of the Mutants, Basic Role-Playing, Rome. The winner s i the one to hold Rome the movement for actions, such as closing doors
Breakout, Dallas, D&D Dungeon Geomorphs, longest. and grabbing weapons. No human may move
D&D Outdoor Geomorphs, Dungeon Drawin gs, THE BARBARIANS are clean, quick, and two turns in a row - a design oddity that gives
Furioso, High Guard (2nd Ed.), LS.C. V. Lean­ simple games to play. Though designed for two a nice effect in play. The rules are well organ­
der, LS. P.M. V. Fenris, Monster Mash & Battle­ players (with an optional third player for Sack ized and fairly clear, as any rules this short
ship, Scouts & Assassins (2nd Ed.) Sewers of Rome) they are very easy to run solitaire. The ought to be. On the whole, the game is fun the
Oblivion, S.F. V. Valkyrie , Thieves' Guild, and "improved album" format is super. No more first few times, for those who can get into
Tulan of the Isles. warped map boards due to storing counters in zombie-ing or zombie-hunting.
Games for which we are currently seeking the jacket sleeves. The biggest drawback is that But development should have continued
reviewers include : Amoeba Wars, Asteroid Pi­ these games are too simplistic. Even the option­ longer on DAWN OF THE DEAD. Once players
rates, The C&S Sourcebook, Confli ct 2500, al rules do nothing to change this. grasp the game's essentials (which may take two
Dark Stars, Demon's Run, The Dragonlords, i all, THE BARBARIANS are excellent
All n or even three plays) the human player will real­
The Hammer of Thor, Imperi al Data Recovery beginning war games. They are also pretty good z
i e that an ultra-conservative, ultra-boring
System, Interstellar Skirmishes, IPSP/ISIS Maps, as short fill-in games. To add just a touch more, strategy of "run up, shoot a couple of zombies,
run back" will almost guarantee a win. The
onJy thing that can defeat this is bad luck in
WRITING REVIEWS FOR
the form of a strong hidden zombie and bad die
THE SPACE GAMER rolls. In contrast with human movement, the
Capsule Reviews (5) Summation. Your overall opinion of the zombie movement rules are boring. Normal
Most of the reviews we print will be "cap· game. Who should and should not buy it, and zombies cannot stack, and usually move only
sule" reviews - 400 words or less. We pay $5 why. one square per turn (berserks move two, super­
for each capsule review accepted. We want to zombies a big thiee.) By contrast, human
run a review for every new s·f or fantasy game All reviews must be signed ; the reviewer's movement runs from 1 2 to 20! On any given
or supplement. name will be printed. No game may be reviewed turn, most zombies may not move at all, a few
Each capsule review should be five para· by its designer, by a playtester, or by an em­ will be forced to move one square toward
graphs long and contain: ployee of the publisher. (Designer's articles are any humans they "saw," and 1 to 6 may move
(1) Basic information. Present these facts, in welcome, but must be billed as such!) Final one square in any direction the player likes.
this order: NAME OF GAME (Publisher); note: If you can write a complete review n i less The zombie player has little chance for skill;
price. Designer. (If applicable: "Supplement than the full 400 words, by all means do so. he is reduced to pushing his units wistfully
to ---," "Companion to ---," or similar This review format is designed to encourage about, hoping his opponent will trip over a
note.) Format: list of components, with sizes fairness and to give the reader enough infor­ concealed zombie or do something stupid. If
of maps and rulebooks, number of c.ounters, mation to let him decide whether he wants to the zombie gets one human, he can usually get
etc. Number of players; playing time. Publi· buy that game. Keep that n i mind when you a couple more and win - but if he doesn't
cation date. write. This is a short review, not a complete get a kill in the first ten turns, before the
(2) General description of the game: back­ analysis. For those who want to write longer scattered humans can link up, he's not likely to
ground, the sides, course of play, special fea· reviews, each issue will have one or two - get any at all.
tures, etc. On the whole, DAWN OF THE DEAD
(3) Strong points. Discuss what is good Featured Reviews would be worth the money to somebody who
about the game; n i every game, there IS some­ These will be game reviews 1,000 to 2,000 liked the movie. It also plays much better as a
thing worthwhile . "Fun" is a useless adjective. words long. They should contain all the above solitaire; in a two-player game, the zombie
Be specific. infonnation, plus whatever else the reviewer player will feel like a zombie himself before the
(4) Weak points. Every game has its prob· wants to say. They may be written ni any for­ game is over. If zombie movement had been
lems, too. If the only faults you can find are mat. A featured review may cover either a new slightly higher, or if normal zombies had been
minor ones, say so. If the game is fatally flawed, game or one that has been on the market for allowed to stack, it could have been more inter­
come right out and SAY SO. If you can phrase some time. If TSG has not already printed a esting and better balanced. As is . . . pretty
your criticisms as suggestions for improvement, capsule review, write one and submit it at the counters, nice try.
do so. same time. We may even use both. -Steve Jackson
 33
and players must role-play rather than just roll
SUPPLEMENTS dice.
The major cause of dissatisfaction is the Drag­
�198L
onQuest rules. Too much time is spent flipping
THE BLADE OF ALLECTUS (SPI); $4.95. pages, looking up spell descriptions and percen­
xi •11uvd avoa�
. Designed by Nick Karp. Scenario for Dragon­ tages. Travel times are unspecified, though time
8LL XOU
Quest. 26-page, 8W' x 1 1 " booklet. Referee is central to the adventure. If players are keen,
events channel the characters away from most
and 1-6 players; playing time 4-6 hours. Pub­
of the iland's
s "scenic attractions," and playing
S'IViaw NVtiHVW
lished 1980.
As our story commences, our heroes are ap­ time will be less than the advertised 6-8 hours.
proached by soldiers of a mysteriously vanished Maps aren't placed near their descriptions
duke. Their mission, should they decide to ac­ (more page flipping), and there's the occasional
cept it, is to find said duke, believed to be cap­ typo (p. 1 1 , Section 12, paragraph 2, should
tured by evildoers on a magic island. What is read "At the northwest "). but THE BLADE
· pawn1a1 aq i ouue
o ptrn
• . .

THE BLADE OF ALLECTUS? Ah! That's for OF ALLECTUS should be judged on what it
au1qsnqnd soqo4d Jo ,\11:ido1d a41
the players to discover at their peril, meanwhile does - provides art exciting time for all. If you
3lUOOaq Sa!J)Ua OV . ,\m::>l:ll'i pUll
coping with monsters, magic and political in­ use DragonQuest rules, if you enjoy prepared
s nuaA uo aJOA IaJJO sr41 · r s6 T
trigue. scenarios, THE BLADE OF ALLECTUS should
'l[lS'I lSnilny ll(illUP!W Ul?ljl la)et
The island and inliabitants are clearly de­ please you.
OU pal(.ll?WlSOd ag lSn�'l saµ)U::J l!V
scribed, there's lots of colorful detail, and the - RonPehr ·auo4d 10/puu J!'l?W .\q pam1ou
non-player character s encountered are all part pu-e uasot(O aq mil\ earn 4oea wOIJ
of an overall scheme. Players are equally likely I.S.P.M.V. TETHYS (FASA); $5.00. Design­ IaUII!M auo 'S:l!J)Ua Uil!:!IOJ pUll
.. to be triumphantly victorious or mercilessly ed by Jordan K. Weisman. Approved for Trav­ ! l pue 9 S' ' '
'6 '8 ;u-e sapoo v e:i.rv
slaughtered, but good role-playing increases eller. One 8%'' x 11" information sheet and aJll sapoo s e:i1y ·sap1u:i ue1p-eueJ
the probability of the former. That's what seven 11" x 17" deck plans. Published 1980. a41 pue 'v ' S 'Z an sapoo z earv
makes this scenario worthwhile - both referee The TETHYS is an "Interstellar Para-Mill- ! I pue o a1e sapoo T 11a1y ·sea.ll?
,
:l11l.ll?d:is JOOJ OJI!! P<lP!A!P uaaq Sill(
wa1s.\s apoo d!z sa1e1s pal!Uf1 al£.L

Ki ngs 8 Castles 'T86J JO )Snilny U! UOJ

ua9 1c pJal( illI!MCip wopue1 e IOJ
a1qf3n:i :iq mil\ S:l!J)Ua 1oauoo ITV
·pico sa1n1e!uiw 1arraACJ.L e JO
I f you like a game where strategy takes precedence over l1Jck, where "I ctoi a41 IO (s1aued pua 011\1 ;i.ll?
3131.(l) laS paxoq Sfl?laW UC!lllll"( ,
i magination has as much import as gaming prowess, where armies. e 1uo1; 1aucd pua ue io (prno �<:
cavalry, knights, and fleets are at your command, than KINGS 8 1ar.:e1suoae1a 10 S'T ia,\e1suo:le1a
CASTLES is a game designed for you. A l 7"x22" fou r-colo r map, 50 e JO )j:>eq al() uo puno;) 4sop
ase4omd JO 1001d e i\q paruedmoo
combat cards, a 26 page rule booklet, markers and dice come packag­
·:JC aq ISnlU sap1u;i nv ' Et98l Xl
ed in a zip- locked bag. KINGS 8 CASTLES is available for $10.00 '' )(Il!d .ll?paJ '8Ll S)JOa 'S'UVW 0)
at fine game stores . ase401nd JO JOOid e t{Hfl\ I! J!CW pue
pno ,.SX..£ e 10 w101 .uiua .\pu-ea

Kings a Castles Play-By-Mail ,\pueH e uo (rcuopdo 1aqwnu

auo4d) ssa1ppe pu-e aweu UMO mo,\
One unique quality of KINGS 8 CASTLES is that players move ssanll .\Jduqs 1sa1uoo S!l(l 1a1ua 01
secretly and simu ltaneously by piotting out 'yearly' program s . This ·apew aq 01 amil!J
feature works so welt, that KINGS 8 CASTLES i s availab l e PBM. a41 JO l(IOll\)11? 10/pue SUO!tdposap
aspuoo pue ma10 ..\(ddns 01 pannb
This version (map and rules) costs $7.50
-a1 aq ITTM s1auuy\ j ·no.\ IOJ 1snf
amil!J PII!'l! e JO auo e 'l!II!\Jl 1snr
•Each gome consists of 6 turns or 'years.' o turn being resolved every ·3 weeks at $2.00 ·:ipew aq ffiM a1n:l!J S!l(l JO uo!i
a turn.
-eondnp OU :llOSII! OJ ,\l!AEO p(OW
•Six to eight players (representing kingdoms) compete for world dominance.
a41 pue :ima!J If:ll{J <>A!aoa1 ffiM
•Each turn or 'year' is comprised of 15 movement turns. SJ<lUU!M !IV 'll(il!al( II! SS<l{ lO lUUI)(;
•A player controls up lo 16 forces, each force being allowed up to 15 movement turns a
:iq 1snw amli'!J S!l(.l ·aifS:lp no.\ :is1:i
yeor. iiU!l()AUl! 10 'UOIP!j ;iou;ips '.{Sl?lU'l?J
1a41:1t.(M 'adi\1 JO ao!Ot(O mo.\ aq
A l l of this for only $ 1 2.00 a game. A player wishing to drop from com­ ITTM S!l£.L ·s1e1:iw uc91ew .\q pa1m
petition or being disposed of by opponents will be refunded $2.00 for -oe1nu11w pu11 pa1d{nos 1a1oe1e40
" il1I!Wl?'3 {'l?UOSiad U/\\O IfaljJ <lA!oOaI
each unplayed year.
ffiM s1auuy,\ ·.\ns.saoau S! aoua11ad
-xa ·oN 'II!A\ ueo auo..\uy ·Js:JJUO'.)
And for those who desire an extra challenge, plus the el ement of ..:iwl?N Ul\\O mor, ssan9,, rcnuuu
diplomacy, there i s TOU_RNAMENT KINGS 8 CASTLES... ISilj :11n :iounoUUl? 9NJHSJ'1ff(1d
This ' 1 0 year' version costs $2.50 per turn and players may not drop soaoHd w S1V.13W NVIDIVW

out. However, the winner of each 'TOURNAMENT' game is

awarded $25.00 or credit for another game. lYUW NYl.lltYW

For Information, Send $ 1 .00 To: ltfl�W N I

AtJhena Games 13.l:>YIYH:> 1noA NIM

P.O. Box 9
Ames, Iowa 50010
1531NO:>
8WDN UMO JnOA ssan�
 34
. Pr o c I a i m i ng the a r r i va I of ... tary Vessel" of 1000 tons. It is capable ofjump
and maneuver of 3 and carries a crew of 3 1 in­

lloRDS o f .ALETIA
cluding flight personnel for the six armed pin­
naces. The entire ship interior is drawn ni scale
for use with 15mm miniatures.
While there are no rules supplied with TETH­
YS, Snapshot or Azhanti High Lightning can be
used. The plans are detailed and understandable
U n i q u e cam paign game systems and generally well done, though without color.
S i m u l t a n e o u s m o v e m e n t by The last few plans in my set are faded.
Unfortunately several important pieces of
information are left up to the player. The ten
turrets are not specified as to size or type, no

'i scenarios are provided, there are no High Guard

statistics, and the pinnaces' armament is not
listed. Most passengers will have to rely on low
passage berths, with only one medic ofunknown
skill aboard to revive them.
All in all the TETHYS seems incomplete.
Perhaps, with a lot of work, it could be usable
for miniature play or to provide a platform for
a shoot-out in space. You'd probably be better
off saving up for Azhanti High Lightning.
- Richard A. Edwards

MINIATURES

CITIZENS, MERCENARIES, PATRONS

(Martian Metals); $2.95 each. Approved for use
••• '
'' '''"'""llllltlll1ttu11t11111+11u111u111111u1111111111u111111u11+111111111111""''"'''"11'11t11111111111111111nu1111111t1tt1111111•1u11
11111111111111111"111111111111111"""" 11'11" 1 '11•11• with Traveller. Twelve 15mm miniatures per
pack. Released 1981.
. . . with a hissing shriek a second Rask · Valetia has been endowed with a
Martian Metals has released three more sets
leaped from the outcropping, swinging a detailed and intermixed system of leg­
of Traveller miniatures, CITIZENS, MERCEN­
short battleaxe. Telegar snapped his ends, c u l tures, and rivalries. As a char­ ARIES and PATRONS. These sets of figures are
shield up to catch the blow but the force acter I n this land, you may belong to the basically well-cast (with some notable flaws), as
knocked him flat on his back a second Order of Peregrinators who are sworn to were earlier sets in the line (reviewed in TSG 32).
time. As his shoulders hit he pushed up fight the awesome sorcerer, Korloth, and They provide added variety for those Traveller
and over his head with the shield, flinging his leg Ions, or you may be a part of those players inclined to use miniatures. The MER­
the Rask away before ft could free it's axe savage legions. You may travel as a n CENARIES, mixed with figures from the earlier
TROOPERS and MARINES sets, should serve
for another try. Scrambling t o his feet, adventurer, o r a mercenary, o r even a
admirably for any miniature mercenary actions
Telegar faced the Rask who'd already highwayman. You may even learn the Art
requiring infantry troops only.
recovered its footing. It brandished its Sorcerous, and gain powers unlearned by Unfortunately, most of the figures in these
axe warily. Telegar advanced a step and mortal man . . . sets are rather uninspired. Few of the CITI­
feinted with his sabre tip. You will Jou rney in a land rich in ZENS or PATRONS look very futuristic at all,
... as he pierced the Rask through, the axe mysteries waiting to be u nlocked by ones limiting their use to lower tech level planets -
missed his helm and smashed into the wise enough to seek clues and master unless the fact that you have a figure is more
Dwarf's shoulder. The mail shirt with- riddles. To complement the game we mportant
i to you than how realistic the figure
looks (in which case, figures from any of the
stood the edge, but the shoulder was publish the quarterly magazine VALIANCE
earlier sets would do just as well as these, elim­
broken. which contains the latest Valetian " p ro-
nating
i their necessity at all). One figure in the
Before Telegarcould roll the Rask over clamations", dramatizations of encounter
CITIZENS set even looks like John Steed of
to recover his sabre, the first Rask had by the most resourceful players, rule The Avengers - not exactly who I'd expect to
recovered its breath and its feet. . . modifications, and a continuing history of run into on Arcturus II. One of the PATRONS
This is an actual part of story drama- the world of Valetia. is obviously Darth Vader (as one of the ALIENS
tizing one player's adventures In the A 1 2 turn subscription to LORDS OF in that set was the Alien).
exciting world of VALETIA. VALETIA is $25.00. The rulebook, a If you're into 15mm miniature use in your
LORDS 0 F VALETIA is a unique .play- subscription to VALIANCE, for as long as Traveller scenarios, you'll probably want to
pick up a set or two of MERCENARIES. If
by-m ail campaign. The first pro-cam- you remain a player, and all starting
you're a completist, you may even wish to pick
paign game when it began in 1 976, it materials (maps, supple.ments, etc. . . . ex­
up a set (no more than one) each of CITIZENS
returns to you now after over two years of cept for return postage) are absolutely free
and PATRONS. If you're strapped for cash, for­
re-des i g n . Each turn the Gamemaster, to players. If d i ssatisfied with the initial get the latter two and use your ADVENTUR­
assisted by computer, will examine your materials, new subscribers must return the ERS and other figures n i stead. And hope that
orders and provide you with the most R u l ebook and will then receive a full Martian Metals will turn their efforts to sets
realistic experience possible within a mere refund. such as Asian, Droyne, Zhodani, Centaurs
game! Lords of Valetla Is an adult game op en to and true Traveller beasties and forego more
Imagine a portal which could transport
anyone 18 years of age or older living within the faceless human figures that have as much place
co nt i nental
U.S. Residents of Alaska, Hawaii, in Traveller as a set of clowns and circus artists
you from this world to a fantastic land of
Canada, or h aving APO/FPO addresses will only would.
unparalleled beauty and adventure, an
be accepted on provision that the customer - William A. Barton
island chain sheathed in immense forests realize there may be excessive postal delays to
and i n habited by creatures both strange those areas at times. All funds must be
paid in PLAY BY MAIL
and wonderful. Picture cities of lofty U.S. currency.
WOFAN (The Gamemaster, POB 2878, Ana­
towers and gloomy halls where knights Gamesmasters Publishers Association
heim, CA 92804); S 1 0.00 set-up, including three
and wizards take solemn counci I, and 20 Almont Street
$2 turns. Designed and moderated by Larry G.
bustling streets where vendors and travel- Nashua, NH 03080
Hall. Founded 1980.
ers and rogues ply their trade. Tell us you saw it in The Space Gamer. WOFAN is a multi-player, human-moderat­

f J-fl- l-· + ff- � �,[....-A '?- L {; (r l-

ed play-by-mail game, similar in many respects
I + ' to The Tribes of Crane (reviewed TSG 29). In
 35
fact, it was started in part as a reaction to the From the advertisements, I had expected an
dissatisfaction of some players with what they auto race game, with a map and lots of econom·
felt was excessive interference by the gamemas­ ic decisions. What I found was a computer card
ter in Crane. WOFAN is a simulation of a med­ game, decidedly similar to Touring. The compu­
ieval world on which the nomadic tribes of two ter shuffles, deals cards from tlle deck, displays
warring races strive for power and riches. Each your hand, and decides what cards your oppo­
player controls a tribe and its possessions, and nent plays.
attempts to increase the wealth of the tribe by For once, the imitation is better tllan the or·
increasing its herds, judicious trading, and occa­ iginal game. There are new cards and victory
sional raids against wealthy cities or tribes. conditions, botll of which tend to spice up play. for the TRMO Model I or Ill. 16 K
WOFAN is carefully moderated, and the The computer plays its hand very well. The hi· Lenl II or Modtl 111 BASIC m�ltrs.
all our programs hm
gJlmemaster takes pains not to try to control res graphics are fine - the "Accident" card
the flow of the game. Reports of combat are shows a car wrapped around a lamp post; "Out ACTION SOUNDS&GRAPHICS
given in detail, and include both a description of Gas" shows a driver pushing his vehicle. SPACE

'LOA
of the action and a diagram of troop disposi­ On the oilier hand, MILESTONES is not for ACE
tions. "Special actions" can be used to give spe­ the average wargamer - strategy can be opti· 21
... .. .. ...
.. .. ... .. .. .. .....
cific orders to the tribe or to set out such things mized much too easily. Still, it is a good game .

.
Scifi
as combat tactics or the action the tribe will for people who enjoy solitaire.

zo
Game of
• f ' I. I ' ..

�, ��.. ,. ;.� ��.•

•• ,
take on encountering a particular type of wild - Forrest Johnson 1 1• 1 •
• Tactical
- Spice Combat
animal. Player turns are non-simultaneous, al­
.. �
lowing a player (in theory) to take as many as SUMER (Crystal Computer, 12215 Murphy You design your own space fighter and
then blut off into battle. Human or
four turns ni a month.
Unfortunately; there are some deficiencies
Ave.; San Martin, CA 95046); $19.95. Disk for
the TRS-80, Apple, PET or Atari. One player;
10 Computer Opponents . Fight in 2 or 3
dimensions. Three scenarios: "Smuggler"', =�
-o
�
in the game as it currently exists. The rules for playing time Jess than one hour. Cannot be sav­ "Refuel Option"', and "Phoenix Decathlon"'.
city leaders, which allow a player to rule one of ed. Published n
i 1981.
the cities that dot the landscape, have yet to be This program is similar to the classic Ham­ THE NEW STARSHIP WYAGES Cit
A
�II CD
murabi. Establish taxes. Pay tithes to the Gods. brilliant "trek"' type spacewar. 3 0
distributed, despite several promises to the con­ 1aluywith wraP, around. Mo1ing e.nemy V ..
-
trary. While my turns seem to be processed
promptly, other players have complained of
Make war or peace. Distribute grain to entice
immigrants. Your object is a kingdom of im­
craft, some are 'Cloaked"'. 16 commands.
Rescue starbase Delta from the �ogues.
CC •

month-long delays. This ·kind of problem sug­ mortal size and fame. cat.alog No. 2001 $ 19.95 � lie
llSii D.
gests that the game was not completely thought This game allows many of the complex pop­ --
� �������-- .
out before being opened. It drives the "world ulation/growth/economic factors to interrelate a: ..
conqueror" types crazy, and makes one wonder well. How much grain to save and how much to
whether enough players will join the game to distribute? Speculate in the market or invest in
w •
keep it in existence. (Rumors that the game­ the military? Go to war now or mass a larger ·=
40
master was hospitalized for some time due to army? Even tl1e best planning can go awry if ·

the Gods frown upon you.

an accident may explain some of these prob·
Regrettably the game is done very poorly.
C:J
!ems, particularly since the game seems to be a
one-man show.) There is no documentation, so players must ex·
As a whole, I like WOFAN and enjoy play­
ing it, but it still seems somewhat disorganized,
and does not presently offer the complexity of
TEN-SIDED DICE
play possible in The Tribes ofCrane. Hopefully
Larry Hall can get the problems sorted out over
the next few months. Until then, WOFAN is Not 20-sided with two sets of
still potentially a very good game. numbers . . . actual ten-sided
- David Bolduc
polyhedra dice. High-impa.ct
COMPUTER GAMES plastic. $ 1 .80/pair for opaque
colors; $3.50/pair for gem
MICRO-BO PINBALL MACHINE (Micro-80
colors. '
Inc., 2665 North Busby Rd., Oak Harbor, WA
98277); $12.95. Cassette for the 16K TRS-80.
One player; playing time 5 minutes. Cannot be
DESTINY DICE! 6-sided dice - with a
saved. Published 1980.
grinning skull in place of the "l". Red­
The ball bounces off the snake, hits the pad·
and-white or black-and-white. $1.50/pair.
die, and taps the hunter (who extends his rifle),
before striking the elephant who then overruns
HEX PAPER - 22" x 35" sheets. 16mm
the hapless big game adventurer. Variations on
megahex paper with 19mm megahex
a theme are provided by casting your pinball at
design on back, or Smm megahex design
a variety of point targets in a number of settings.
with Smm regular hex paper on back.
This is a very inexpensive pinball program
6 sheets for SS .00.
with multiple scenarios. The pot is sweetened
by at least two levels of difficulty and sound Please add $1.00 to each order for postage
for all these variants. and handling.
Unfortunately tl1is is the worst pinball sim­
ulator I've seen. There is no degradation of ball
movement secondary to "gravity" effects. Pad­ ZOCCHI DISTRIBUTORS
dles either exist or don't, and players quickly
learn how to keep the paddles in constant ex­ 01956 Pass Road, Dept. SG Disk Owners
istence. Movement of the ball is relatively slow Gulfport, MS 39501 On special request the above games are
milable on cassette (you transfer), same price,
as the program is in Basic. compatible withTllSDOS DiskBasic 48K.
Overall, I'd say this is a good buy for kids. CATALOG . . . 48 pages of games,
For the serious video/pinball fan forget it. game accessories, etc . . . you Add S1.00post9'Jl&&handling, coo add s2.so
- Jon Mishcon Fta.Rn.add4% t.sic. MakeCheck or M.O. P8'f8ble to:
name it, we have it! SPECIAL -
MILESTONES (Creative Computing); cas­ Mention SPACE GAMER when Synergistic Solar, Inc.
sette $11.95, disk $19.95. 48K program for the you write us, and get our catalog PO Box 560595. Miami FL 33156
Apple II. One player; playing time Y. hour. Can­ for only 75 cents.
not be saved. Published 1981.
36
perirnent for a long time just t o understand as "Who did i?" t or "What was the murder wea­ ZORK (Personal Software); $39.95. Disk
basic commands. Further, if a player twice of­ pon?". Each question has four possible answers. for 32K Apple U and TRS-80. One player; play­
fers double the grain, the program scrolls with There are five witnesses and each has three ing time many hours. Can be saved. Published
huge numbers of incoming populace - so many clues. By questioning the witnesses and using a 1980.
that the program bombs by the eighth year. I process of elimination, the correct solution can Pray and your prayers may be answered.
wrote the company for a correction but none be determined. Trapped deep within the complex of the Loud
has been forthcoming. Fans of the board game Clue should enjoy room, the mirror rooms, the coal mine, or the
If you enjoy muJtiparameter city-state type WHO-DUN-IT?. Movement is eliminated, but temple you may have cause to remember that.
games then I recommend you avoid this. Buy ·
otherwise the games are very similar. WHO­ This is not just another adventure.
Santa Paravia instead. DUN-IT? plays equally well solitaire or with The game does play well as a pure adven­
- Jon Mishcon human opponents. The correct solutions are ture. Treas4res cannot just be left anywhere. A
generated randomly, so cases are replayable. sinister lurking figure may pick up such leav­
Deduction, a variant of Mastermind, is also in­ ings. The clues and tools fit together well. There
WHO-DUN-IT? (Instant Software); $7.95. cluded on the cassette. s
i combat with progressive wounding. Best of
16K cassette for the TRS-80. 1-5 players; play­ WHO-DUN-IT? has minimal graphics and no all, adventurers can type full sentence com­
ing time 30 minutes. Published 1979. sound. After playing a fe� cases, I found the mands. If you want to pick up the jewel box
Five dastarclly crimes have been committed. scenarios all blurring together as indistinguish­ and take out the purple diamond please do so.
You choose which case you will investigate and able logic problems. The command structure allows sentences with
whether you will compete against tlie computer I only recommend WHO-DUN-IT? to those multiple verbs and clauses. For the first time
or up to four human opponents to be the first who enjoy mysteries or logic problems. If you your every whim (well almost) is translated into
to solve the crime. While there are five scen­ fit those categories, it may well be worth the action. A real pleasure. Naturally, as one delves
arios, they are all solved using the same tech­ relatively low price. deeper the mystery grows harder. But if you are
nique. Each case cons!sts of five questions such - Bruce Campbell killed, the game does not end. Rather, one is
penalized l 0 points and forced to start over.
Very nice.
Other than the absence ofgraphics, this game
has no weak points I can find. Although S40 is
expensive I believe this is a first rate game and
well worth every penny.
- Jon Mishcon

PUBLICATIONS
THE BEST OF THE JOURNAL OF THE
TRAVELLER'S AID SOCIETY, VOLUME. I
(GDW); $4.98. Edited by Loren K. Wiseman.
Selected articles from Journals 1-4. 4 8 pages.
The Journal ofthe Traveller's Aid Society is
probably one of the most popular of the many
professional magazines covering SF role play­
ing. Every copy of its first year in print has sold
out, and it won the H. G. Wells Award for Best
Role-Playing Magazine of 1979 to boot. As an
aid to Traveller players, the Journal s i next to
indispensible. Now that issues 1-4 are out of
print, GDW has wisely released THE BEST OF
THE JOURNAL, VOLUME I, reprinting se­
lected articles from tl1e magazines fust four is­
sues.
THE BEST OF THE JOURNAL contains
nearly every item from the quickly sold-out
.Journal I - including TDX explosives, the_ Bush
Runner and Tree K.raken from The' Bestiary and
the Computer Programmi ng module, which was
originally omitted. from the Traveller rules.
From Journal 2 comes the Serpent-class Scout
Ship and Underwater Activities. From issue 3,
there si the Asteroid Mining article - in essence
a solo Traveller adventure - and Beakers and
Sea Bears. From No. 4, we have the Trade and
Commerce module. The entire 3-part Robots
feature from the Journals 2-4 Rers Notes,
has been slightly abridged and revised into one
consistent article.
The only problem evident in BEST OF THE
JOURNAL is that all of the articles - except
Robots - have been reprinted exactly as they
first appeared, typos and all. Thus some pro­
grams are still missing from the Computer Pro­
gramming article, no price is set for TDX - and
a "continued on page 31" has been left at the
bottom of an article that actually continues on
the next page. Why the opportunity to add a
price to the zero-G movement package in the
revised Robots feature was overlooked escapes
me. And of course, everyone's favorite article
couldn't be included in the BEST: The feature
on Victoria from Journal 2 .. . or the Advanced
Powered Battle Dress module . . . or the Bes­
tiary integrating Alien into Traveller, for n i ­
stance. Some - like issue 4's Gazelle-class close
 37

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38
escort, reprinted in Traders & Gunboats - have Stardart space fighter, complete plans and stats Dragon article - up to now a player's only re­
reappeared elsewhere, and others are bound to for the Intelligence Cruiser Exocet, an overall course for such a character. And at last we have
resurface eventually. diagram of the Old Expanses sector and a map a standardized concept of what the weapons of
If you missed any issues from The Journal's of the Dethenes subsector, complete character­ the Traveller universe actually look like. Future
first year, I heartily recommend THE BEST OF generation tables for special agents of the Just­ issues promise to depict the weaponry of Mer·
THE JOURNAL OF THE TRAVELLER'S AID ice Special Branch and drawings of all the Book cenary and to feature new weapons as well.
SOCIETY, VOLUME I . One fuearms based on Marc Miller's own sketch­ Like most ventures, alas, HIGH PASSAGE
- William A. Barton es. HIGH PASSAGE also provides a free player does have its flaws. Numerous typos and mis­
directory service (called, appropriately, Free spellings abound. Some are obviously merely
Trader) to aid Traveller players in finding oth­ typesetting errors missed in proofing, but a few
HIGH PASSAGE (High Passage); $3.50. ers in their areas. persistent misspellings, such as "exsisting," de­
Written and produced by Christopher Kupczyk, With a few minorlapses, HIGH PASSAGE s i tract from the magazine's quality. Some of the
Scott Walschlager, Jim Cunningham and Craig a very professional-looking effort, much more drawings and illustrations appear a bit crude,
Johnson. Approved for use with Traveller. 5'h'' so than those of some companies producing too, although some of the flaws on deck plans,
x 8'h'' 56-page quarterly. Published 1981. Traveller supplements. A lot of thought seems etc. were clearly printing errors rather than the
HIGH PASSAGE is a new approved-for­ to have gone into its production. The adventure fault of the artists. And certain missing pieces
Traveller magazine published by a group of is interesting, if not totally original. The various of information, such as the universal ship pro­
Traveller players in Illinois known, collectively, ships and equipment are welcome additions to file of the Solar Flare, serve to mar an other­
as High Passage. If issue one is any indication, the game, and the Dethenes subsector (the first wise thorough work.
HIGH PASSAGE should prove a welcome addi­ of several to come) will open up new ports of Although there s i room for improvement in
tion to the growing family of Traveller-related call for travellers. The Justice Special Branch future issues, HIGH PASSAGE, based on its
supplements. This premiere issue features a gives players a chance to create a secret agent first issue, stands quite high among the many
complete Traveller adventure, the Sandcrab character that is much more plausible than approved-for-Traveller items now on the market.
ATV, a special military deception drone, the those of the IBIS service featured in an old - 11/illfam A. Barton

1MI SPACECAMER
COMPLETE YOUR SET . • •

Did you mss

i an article you wanted to read?
Some back issues are still available:

No. 15. Wizard and O!ympica designer intros; Robotics in Traveller; No. 30. KUNG FU 2100; Painting Fantasy Miniatures Part II; Index to
Floating Hulks; Ogre Update; Ores and their Weapons; computer Game Articles; Game Design Part 4; Programmable Calculators; 10
gaming. pages ofreviews.
No. 16. WarpWar article; Classics Simulated in Melee; Alpha Omega; No. 31. "Sam Beowulf"; 1980 Game Software survey; Game Design
Demons! (Moties in Melee); 1977 game survey results - and a LOT Part 5; Random Maze Generation; 9 pages of reviews.
of reviews. No. 32. Traveller issue . . . Alternate Character Types, reviews of play
No. 17. GEV designer's intro; strategy for Chitin: I; variants for Imper­ aids, scenarios, and variants; also Game Design Part 6; Deus Ex
ium, Melee, and a combination Ogre/Rivets variant; WarpWar fiction. Machina; "Minus Two Reaction;" software survey update; Yaquinto
No. 18. IceWar designer's intro; variant scenarios for Invasion: America Games report; 9 pages of reviews.
and War of the Ring; additional equipment for Traveller; mounted No. 33. Play-by-mail issue . . . Featu1e reviews of four PBM games, a
Melee; "Referee, Declare Thyself!" (role-playing GM technique). Warp War Campaign, Survey of PBM companies; also, Contest
No. 19. POND WAR; variant units and scenarios for GEY; combining Report; Company Report from Schubel and Son; "End Game;"
Imperium and WarpWar; Battlefleet Mars variant; reviews of Swords GEV scenario; Game Design Part 7; Deus Ex Machina; The Good
& Sorcery, Runequest, and Raumkrieg; MicroGame design article. Guys, Part I ; and 10 pages of reviews.
No. 20. Olympica tactics; Psionics in Traveller; TARTARS & MARTYRS; No. 34. Miniatures issue . . . Cardboard Heroes Designer's Notes, LOTR
Reality in Melee; designer's optional rules for Ice War; designer's Miniatures, Painting Fantasy Minatures Advanced Techniques,
article on Starships & Spacemen; "Rip-Off Blues" (wargaming Survey of miniatures manufacturers; !so "The Challenge;" Artifact
frauds). Designer's Notes and Expansion Rules; 3-D Displays II; Game
No. 21. Interview with Dave Arneson;running a MicroGame tournament; Design Part 8; Wish Contest winner; and 8 pages of reviews.
tactics for Ogre and GEV; spaceship miniatures; Black Hole variant No. 35. The 1980 Game Survey; Solitaire Ogre; Notes for Novice DMs;
rules, putting the Deryni into Melee; more reviews. The War of the Worlds featured; Insane Variants on Stomp!; Charac­
No. 22. Ice War tactics; Black Hole physics; PARTY BRAWL; 1978 ter Contest results; More Psionics for Traveller; Game Design Part
SF/fantasy game survey results; Fantasy Trip short story. IX; Deus Ex Machina; and 9 pages of reviews.
No. 23. Invasion of the Air Eaters designer's article; Ogre meets Ice War; No. 36. Computing damage in Star Fleet Battles; The Fire Web, Artifact
Sticks & Stones expansion; Vikings and Valde in The Fantasy Trip. for Traveller; a Featured Review of Akalabeth; Eon Products
No. 24. Black Hole designer's intro; "The Psychology of Wargaming"; . Company Report; The Ten Deadly Sins of Computer Game Program­
Naval Melee; "The Four-Howitzer Defense in Ogre;" variants for ming; Computer Graphics contest winner; and 8 pages of reviews.
Chitin: I, The Creature that Ate Sheboygan, and John Carter of No. 37. Gaming the Alien; Hyborean Risk; Improved Mission Resolution
Mars. for Freedom n i the Galaxy; Troubles in Valetia; Cosmic Encounter
No. 25. Stellar Conquest issue . . • designer's article, tournament tactics, Review; FGU Company Report; Winners of the Weapons Contest;
and variant scenarios; also - strategy in Rivets; benefit-cost analysis Ten Deadly Sins Part II; and 6 pages of reviews.
for Ice War; "Everyday Life in The Fantasy Trip." No. 38. 1980 Game Survey Results; Designer notes for The Lords of
No. 26. Oneworld designer's intro; tactics in GEV; variations on Wizard; UnderEarth; Used ships for Traveller; Selling Your Game Article;
computers in wargaming; Life-sized Melee; and a variant that puts Expert D&D and Time War reviewed; Combination Game Contest;
human forces into Rivets. The Complaints Department; and 7 pages of reviews.
No. 27. Hot Spot's designer's intro; Time Travel; Nuke the Air Eaters No. 39. Computer issue . • . Designer's Notes on Akalabeth, Strategic
(gaming atomic war); Weapons for Hobbits in TFT; Muskets in TFT; Simulations Report, Strategy in the Warp Factor, Computers to Go,
Game Design Part 1 ; 5 pages of game reviews. a TRS-80 Briefing, An update on the gaming world; also Rumor Re­
No. 28. 1979 Game Survey results; Overmen in TFT; A Guide to SF/ liability in Traveller; Scenario for Triplanetary; "Fantasy World;"
Fantasy Game Publishers; Task Force Games report; Writers' and Magic contest results; Simple Traps; and 12 pages of reviews.
Artists' guides; 7 pages of reviews; Game Design Pai:t 2; Deus Ex No. 40. Cumulative Index to Game Articles; Planet of Adventure:
Machina. Tschai; a new Traveller combat system; results of the non-human
No. 29. Fantasy Trip designer's intro; Painting Fantasy Miniatures; races contest; Deus Ex Machina; Aboard the Leviathan; and 9 pages
Fantasy and SF game magazines surveyed; Game Design Part 3; of reviews.
more Deus Ex Machina; 7 pages ofreviews.

Send $2.50 per copy, plus 50 cents per order for postage and handling, If you are a TSG subscriber, you can get discounts on back issues. Use
to TSG, Box 18805, Austin, TX 78760. the order form on the mailer cover of your subscription copy.
 39
The program "Fragment 2"by Joseph Power

�\�� �
presented in issue 38 has a major design flaw.
"Fragment 2" generates all its pseudo-<lie rolls
on a bell curve. This procedure is correct for
generanit g multiple die rolls such as 3d6 or
lOdlO, but is incorrect mathematically for gen­
erating single die rolls such as ld6 or l d l O
whose probability curve is flat, not bell shaped.
When a d6 is rolled manually each side has ex­
actly a 1 in 6 chance of coming up. With the
"Fragment 2" program "rolling" on d6 a 1 or a
C.
6 has only a 1 in 25 chance of coming up.

LETTERS
· This flaw would greatly affect the play of

many games in which single die rolls are com­

•(\[
mon. It can, however, be corrected fairly easily
with the following code changes to "Fragment
2: "

8340 IF N< >1 THEN 8346

8342 R = INT(RND(l)"'S) + 1 / \ •., Go" to !"' tholl '"m<." fo•�""''"
like these lead me to believe that John may not
·
8344 GOTO 8360 have studied the rules as well as he might have.
8346 R = INT(.S+N*(S-1)*.5 t RND(l))+N This is not to say that he is totally off base.
I would like to make some comments on My first reading of the Mythology rules gen­
This code generates the result by a method two reviews which you published. The fust is erated a list of about 1 0 questions which I sent
which gives a flat curve when only one die is an addendum to my own review of Shooting to Y aquinto. They answered promptly and over
rolled and uses Mr. Power's method for multi­ Stars in issue 3 7. As I play this game more, es­ half of the answers were satisfactory. As we
ple die rolls. pecially the advanced rules, one point comes played the game,. more questions arose. We are
I would like to make a brief comment on clear. The scenarios are made for the basic answering many ourselves and I hope to some­
the Game Design article in this issue as well. rules. The use of the advanced "console" takes day compile these and send them n i again. The
Perhaps terrain effects and like matters could up a lot of room and it is often almost impos­ biggest problem with Yaquinto (as you alluded
be presented in the text , but a table is much sible for one player to get hits on the other. to in your review of Time War) is their lack of
more convenient for the play ers in most cases. The result: good games using the basic rules but blindtesting. It's easy for a game author to ex­
Steve Jackson seems to have an irrational bias very overbalanced scenarios when using the ad­ plain a misunderstood rule but something else
against tables as he knocked Differen t Worlds vanced. I recommend setting up your own. AI· to correct it on paper.
in a previous issue for publishing too many so, try building your own ships using a point Even given these problems, I feel that Myth­
tables. I still think tables/charts are the best scale, ology can be an excellent game. I hope Yaquin­
way to present many types of information I would also \vish to comment on John to 'vill attempt to clean it up and issue errata.
which must be referred to o ften during a game Strohm's review of Mythology in issue 31. I If not, I may have to write up a "variant" which
and I hope most game designers keep using have to admit that the rules were not easy to would actually be my own explanation of this
them. understand. However I found no typos on the game's holes.
Randall S. Stukey counters as he claimed and very few in the Gregory S. L. Courter
San Antonio, TX rules. Also, the use of a feast does not cause Mt. Pleasant, Ml

News & Pl ugs

Michael Crane (219 Ridgewood :Qr., North­ Automated Simulations has converted three Metagaming has published the first issue of
field, NJ 08225) offers the amateur zine Crux­ games for the Atari 800 - Invasion Orion, .The Interplay, a digest-sized magazine devoted to
cible, a "vehicle for providing pbm slots for Datestones ofRyn andRescue at Rigel. All three Metagaming products.
games that you generally can't find pbm slots are available on cassette; 32K RAM required.
for." Price: 10/$6.
Avalon Hill has released Conflict 2500, a
Personal Software offers Monty Plays Mo­ Ramware offers Time Lord, an adventure computer space game for the TRS-80, Apple
nopoly, a program for the Apple and TRS-80. program based on the BBC series Dr. Who. 48K and Pet.
in Integer Basic on disk for the Apple. Price:
Upcoming Ares games - Ragnarok, ·Laser­ $29.95. Available from The Software Ex­ Ragnarok Enterprises (1402 21st N.W.,
burst, Retum of the Stainless Steel Rat, Land change. Washington, DC 20036) offers the FRP zine
ofFaerie, Ghostship, and Galactic Trader. Drag­ Abyss, published bimonthly. One-year sub SS;
onQuest supplements: Frontiers of Alusia, Ad­ Upcoming releases from GDW: Traveller single copy S I.
vanced Monsters, DragonQuest World Gener­ Book 6 - Aliens, Supplement 8 - Library Data
ation, Arcane Wisdom, Enchanted Wood, The (A through M), and a Deluxe Traveller set.
DragonQuest Book of Days and DragonQuest Conflict Simulations of Australia (4 Park­
Randomzedi Dungeon Kit. Other planned SPI lands Ave., Chirnside Park, Victoria) publishes
releases: Against Four Worlds, World Illar III, Stock in Avalon Hill's parent company, the digest-sized quarterly Breakout! Subscrip­
the SFRPG Universe and the tactical-armor, Monarch Avalon, Inc., is available for approxi­ tion enquiries should be sent to: Military Sim­
"software-oriented" game Hot Spots. mately $12/share. Contact: Harold Cohen, ulations Pty Ltd, 1 8 Fonceca St., Mordialloc,
4517 Harford Rd., Baltimore, MD 21214. Victoria, Australia.
"
Metagaming has announced a forthcoming
line of "Metagames," l:uger than the micros. FASA is issuing its Traveller ship plans with
Most titles are historical. new covers and 3 or 4 short adventures each. According to the fust issue of Breakout!,
More supplements, and computer play aids, are Airfix is in receivership. Confirmation is not im­
In order to keep up with demand, Clemens planned. mediately available. ·
and Associates has licensed another moderator
for Universe II. The new game will be called Mattel has released a licensed Dungeons & Reliable sources report that TSR has bought
Universe III. See ad, p. 3. Dragons Computer Labyrinth Game. out the Operational Studies Group.
40
Scottsdale, AZ 85252.
July 23-26. GENCON EAST. Contact at P.O.

Calendar
Box 139, Middletown, NJ 17748.
July 31-August 2: MAINECON. Boardgames,
miniatures, FRP. Contact Mr. John Wheeler,
Director, Mainecon, 102 Front St., Bath,
ME 04530.
June 5-7: DALCON '81. Gaming con - several July 9-12: 1981 IPMS NATIONAL CONVEN­ July 3 1-August 2: NANCON 88-N. General
tournaments, dealers, etc. Contact Dalcon TION. Scale model con. SASE to Ed Cam­ gaming con. Send SASE to Nan's Game
'81, 12800 Abrams Rd., Dallas, TX 75243. eron, 29 Mathew St., South Farmingdale, Headquarters, 1 1 8 Briargrove Center, 6100
June 5-7: PHRINGECON 2. SF fan con, includ­ NY 11735. Westheimer, Houston, TX 77057.
ing T&T tournament. Contact PhringeCon, July 11-12: MINNESOTA CAMPAIGN FNE. August 8: DRAGONMEET N. SF&F gamers
·Inc., P.O. Box 128, Tempe, AZ 85281. Contact Mr. Jeff Berry, 343 E. 19th St. Apt. con. Chelsea Town Hall, Kings Road, Lon­
June 1 2-14: MDG MICHJCON 10 GAMEFEST. 4B, Minneapolis, M N 55046. don SW3.
Contact Metro Detroit Gamers, P.O. Box July 16-19: CWA-CON '81. Wargaming & ad­ August 8-9: 5th ANNUAL BANROG AREA
787, Troy, Ml 48099. venture-gaming con. ·Contact P.O. Box WARGAMERS CONVENTION. Contact
June 19-21: STRATACON II. Boardgaming, 10397, Ft. Dearborn Station, Chicago, IL Edward F. Stevens, Jr., 83 N. Main St.,
mni i atures, SF, and RPG. Contact G. 60610. Rockland, ME 04841.
Patterson, 5373 Commercial St., Vancouver, July 17-19: ODYSSEY '81. Con featuring all August 13-16: GENCON XN. FRPG & new
BCV5P 3N4. kinds of gaming. Sponsored by the UNH gaming releases. Contact GenCon XIII, P.O.
June 26-28: GAME CON ONE. Contact Game Simulations Games Club; for information Box 756, Lake Geneva, WI 53147.
Alliance, 481 Ferry St., Salem, OR 97301. contact R. Bradford Chase, UNHSGC, Mem­ September 3-7: DENVENTION TWO. SF con.
July 3-5: ORIGINS '81: To be held in Dunfee orial Union Building, Durham, ·NH 03824. Contact Denvention Two, P.O. Box 11545,
Motel, San Mateo, CA. Contact Origins '81, July 17-20: 9th ANNUAL FLYING BUFFALO Denver, CO 80211 or (303) 433-9774.
P.O. Box 5833, San Jose, CA 95150. CONVENTION. Contact P.O. Box 1467, September 4-7: GLASC VJ. Simulation gaming
con, including monster games. Contact
GLASC Secretary, c/o L. Daniel, 20550

JJJ
Wyandotte St., Canoga Park, CA 91306.
September 11-13: DRAGON FLIGHT. A FRP

/Jg con, to be held n

i Seattle. Contact The Brass
Dragon Society, P.O. Box 33872, Seattle,
WA 98133.
FWXE.,... E. RELE A S E D September 25-27: BABEL CON '81. Star Trek,
-YOU $ 0 THllT w e CAN MIWE: F&SF con. Contact Steve Harrison, Babel
A Df122.LI NG LAS E:R. S "'OA I> Con '81, 1355 Cornell SE, Grand Rapids,
Flt;,HT TO T1fE F/"11sH.'! Ml 49506.
September 25-27: GALACTICON 81. SF con.
Contact Galacticon 81, P.O. Box 491, Day­
tona Beach, FL 32015.
September 25-27: URCON Ill. SF and simula­
tion gaming con. Contact P.O. Box 6647,
Rochester, NY 14627.
September 26-27: GAMES DAY '81. Contact
(SASE) Games Day '81, Games Workshop
Ltd., 17/ l 8 Hythe Road, London NWl0.
November 20-22: CONTRADICTION. SF Con.
Contact Linda Michaels, 27 Argosy, Am­
herst, NY 14226.

CONVENTION ORGANIZERS - let us know

about your con! Free publicity never hurts.

ADVERTISERS
Athena Games .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Automated Simulations . . . inside front cover
California Pacific . . . . . . . . . . . back cover
Central Texas Computing, Inc. . . . . . . . . . 3
Creative Computing Software 37 . . . • . . • • .

Dungeon! Hobby Shop . . 27. . . . . . . . . .

FBI . . . . . . . . . . . . 36. . . • . . . . . . . .

FGU . . • . . 15, inside back cover

. . . . . . •

GDW . . . . . • . . . . . 9• . . . . . . . . . . • .

GPA . . . . . . . . . . . 34. • . . • . . • . . . .

High Passage . . . . . . 5. . . . . . . . . • . . .

lndicia Associ
ates . . . 12. . • . . . . . . . . .

Journal of the Traveller's

Aid Society .inside back cover
. . . • . . . .

Judges Guild . . . . . . . 8. . . . . . . . . . . •

Martian Metals . . . . . . . . . . 33
. . . . . • .

Midkemia Press . . . . . 29. . . . • . . . . . • .

Schubel & Son . . . . . 25• . . . • . . . . . . .

Synergistic Solar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Thrust . . . . . . . . back mai
. . . .ler. • • • .

TSG . . . . . . . . . . . 38. . • . . . . . . . . •

Yaquinto . . . . • . • . 13. . • . . • . . . . . • ·

Zocchi . . . . . . . . . . 35. . . . . • • . • . • .
 . .-
..�·�-·--;:"".',, -.. -
·
rr-� -
.
..
-- �-� .-
...-..- - - -..-
- - - -.--
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-

STEVE J A C KS O N GAMES
i business on hs
i now n
Yes, it had to happen. Steve Jackron - the designer of OGRE, G.E. V., and THE FANTASY TRIP - s i own. A n
independent publisher. Designing the kind ofgames you want to play - and producing them with the quality you 'd expect from far more
expensive packages. Full-color maps and covers . . . illustrated rules . . . multi-color counters . . . at $] per game! Read 011 . . .

THREE NEW GAMES: NO TURKEYS!

RAlD ON IRAN. What if the rescue
Help stamp oul "turkey" games . .. . subscribe to The Space
i ? Special Forces vs.
mission had gone n
Gamer. TSG reviews every s-f or fantasy game published (in·
Iranian "militants" on a map of the US
eluding computer games) - and important modern/historical
embassy. For l or 2 players. Could you
games as well. Your subscription will pay for itself the fust
have freed the hostages?
Lime you're steered away from a turkey - or toward a good
ONE-PAGE BULGE. The biggest "lit­
game you would have missed. TSG also carries variants,
tle" Battle of the Bulge game: l 3 " x 16"
strategy articles, fiction (with related game scenarios) - and
map, 1 1 2 counters, turn record chart, and
much more. Monthly: $2 1 for one year, $39 for two years.
one page of detailed rules. A must for any
NOTE: TSG subscribers pay NO POSTA GE when ordering
WWII gamer. For l or 2 players.
KUNG FU 2100. Martial-arts killers from Steve Jackson Games. Subscribe today - and start savinJd

try to destroy the tyrant CloneMaster in Please send me ( ) RAID ON IRAN ( ) KUNG FU 2100 ( ) ONE-PAGE BULGE
this s-f game. Features an innovative man­ ( ) CARDBOARD HEROES Ser 1 ( ) Set 2 ( ) Set 3 ( ) Set 4. 1 have enclosed $3.50
to-man combat system. I or 2 players. for each item ($3 per item for TSG subscribers). THIS PRICE INCLUDES POSTA GE.
Please allow 4·6 weeks for delivery . . . tltough we try to get ic there much faster. Sorry
- we cannot accept retail orders from outside the U.S. and Canada at p1cscn1. Checks or
AND A NEW PlA YAW:
money orders must be in U.S. dollars on U.S. banks 011ly. Texas residents add 5% sales tax.
For any fantasy or role-playing game...
Name
beauti ful 25mm miniatures that fold out . . . . . . . . . . . • · • · · · · · · • · · · · · • · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · •

e
Addr s
s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . .
of cardboard! Each figure shows front
facing on one side, back on tl1e oilier - City. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . State . . . . . . . . Zip. . . . . . . . .

or right and left sides for animals. All

Iam payi11g by ( ) clteck ( ) 111011ey order ( )credit card. Total e11closed. . . . . . . . . . . .
figures are finely detailed in full color.
Set l : Player Characters. 40 figures. RS (please do not charge 11urchases under $10)
CHARGE ORDE
Set 2: Brigands, Ores, and Goblins. sa
( ) Charge my Vi ( ) Charge my MasterCard
40 figures. Card number . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . • . • . . . . . • . . . . . . . . bxpiration date . . . • . . .

Set 3: Half-Ores, Reptile Men, and Signature . . . . • . . . . . . . • • . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . • . .

Kobolds. 40 figures.
Set 4: Animals. Steve Jackson Games / Box 18957 /Austin, TX 78760
 PLACE
STAMP
HERE

STEVE JACKSON GAMES

BOX 1 8957
AUSTIN, TX 78760

TO ORDER: Indicate what you want - then drop this card in an envelope with your check

•=c
or money order, and return it to the address above. Or charge your order to Vi
sa or
MasterCard.
 the of the Travellers/ A id Society

JQ!J,.��AL
·

drain because of a lack of fresh ideas? Get the

Journal, and stock up. The Journal of the
Travellers' Aid Society is a 40 page Science·
Fiction adventure gaming magazi ne. Each issue
is stuffed full of play-related articles and fea·
tures guaranteed to pull your campaign out
of the b lack hole of boredom. .· ...
.

In addition each issue includes:

Amber Zone: Scenarios for Traveller.
The Best iary : Descriptions of alien animals.
Ship's Locker: New items of equipment.
P LUS - i rregu lar features such as game
variants, reviews, Traveller rules modules, Ques·
tion and Answer sections and Ref's Notes on
playing specific situations.

The Journal of the Traveller's Aid Soci

ety i s
available at fine hobby shops everywhere or by
subscription, $7 for four issues.

Journal of the Traveller's Aid Soci

ety
PO Box 432
Normal, Illinois, 61761.

All cxc1t111g rolc-playi11g boardga11!e where players cake the roles or

wago11 111astcrs lrnd ing w:1g.u11 tr�•i11s across tltc American \Vest. The
game comes with seven ldstoric:1 I sccnal'ios of varying length and is
?byablc ror OllC ro eigh t players.

ORECON TRAIL comes com p lete with a 22 by 28 i11clo rour color

mapboarJ. rules or plo y. pad or clinractcr retcrence sheets/party sratus
sheets, eight p:twUS rur 111arki11g player 1110VCl11CIH, lWO 6-sidcd dice
and OllC 20-sidcd die. Evc1·y1hi11g 11ccded to enjoy a rull role-playing
system wid1 c11cou11 1crs along the rrail.

Highlj• plnyoblc solo 011d i11cludi11g a point scale for vicrory condirions,
OREGON TRAIL is ideal for cournamcnc and club use. This fasr-paccd
new game even includes systems for dealing with the various aspeccs of
rhc hosrilc c1wironmcnt and encounters wirh the \larioos Indian tribes.
Each Indian encounter can be met and dealt wirh in several ways.
depending upon the abilities and choice of the wagon master/player.
Peaceful relations and trade or hostile action ore all possibilirics. Even
weather. di>casc. river crossings and exploring for new mouncain passes
play· imporrnnt p:orts in this game of travel and exploration where
speed must rake second place to concern for survival.

OREGON TRAIL is available from bc11cr shops or direct from:

Fantasy Games Unlimited Inc., P.O. Box 182, Roslyn , N.Y. 11576.
The price for these many hour> of enjoymcm is Sl3.00 postpaid.

Comi11g Soon from FGU:

BUSHIDO: An expanded and revised version or rhi's po pular role-playing g:1mc of lege ndary Japan and rhc Samurai .
WILD WEST: A role-playing gMnc sec in the American West allowing for 45 skill areas and man)' professions.
AfTERMATll: A major new role-playing system scr in a post-holocaust wclrld with many challenges to survival.
ELEMENTARY WATSON: An expanded version of rhis role-playing boardga rnc. Exandcd rules and a crime Ille.
DIADEM: Science Fiction boardgame of conOict between developing StarCultures within the Diadem Cluster.
20 21
This map from the Imperial archives, is said to have been pieced to­
gether from s � aller maps brought to Earth by Adam Reith. The original Travel on Tscha i
�
�n cartogr�pi11_� theor­
TSC H fi l : maps were evidently based on a variety of scales
ies. Information taken directly from Adam Reith s memoirs 1s often
The chief overland mode of travel is
the caravan - consisting of 1 0-60 motor
population.
The standard riding animal is the leap­
through a hole drilled in the skull. A leap.

vague, contradictory , or incomplete. Some ge ographical features c �nnot

horse is a gatherer, about 200k, with
. _ drays, of which at least 1 /6 mount sand hor-se , a c antankerous creature which horns and armor as jack.

Th e M a p
be located with any accuracy. A comprehensive survey of Tschai 1s not
blasts. Motor cars and trains are common jumps around on its oversized hind legs. Sailing ships are standard for ocean trav­
available. in certain limited areas. Air/rafts are a]. To control one of these beasts, it is some· el . Sometimes motor ships are available.
The scale is approximately 1 ,000 km/hex. ways scarce , at least among the human times necessary to thrust a control bit

Terra i n Key
Desert

Jungle

Mountains

Seacoast

Steppe/Ocean

Old Chasch City

NW(6) NE ( l ) Travel Ti m es (hours per hex )

Blue Chasch City Steppe Mountain Desert Jungle Ocean

Walking 1 90 300 220 250
Human City
Leap Horse 1 50 250 200 220
Dirdir City Caravan I ATV 20 35 20
SW(4 ) SE( 3 )
Air/Raft
75
10 14 10 10 10
Wankh City
Sailing Ship 1 00
Motor Ship 30