MrcnTnAwl-l.

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S C I E N C E . F I C T I OAND V E N T U B EI N T H E F A R F U T U R E

K NIGtt r rA LLJi',h3%h="oft
Innocent tradersrunafoulof localpoliticsand arecaughtup in the battlesof the Rebellionitself.Butthat's
lustfor stafters!Theybecomeprisonersof war,thenlugitives.Alongthp wqy,they learnof a fabulouspre-
lm p e r i u m wonders.Canthiscity'streasuresgive lW
l o s tc i t yo f h i g h -te ch one sidetheirdvantage
advantagethat
w i l lw i nt h e R e b e l l i o n ?
E :^ L-+
Ergr rr
SUCCESSIVE
scenanos ,
olus assorted random
nuggetsthattogethermake
this a tense, exciting
MegaTravel ler adventure
I
H e r e ' sa n a d v e n t u r et o k n o c k y o u r
characters'socks off! Start with an or- CINEMATIC N U G G E TF O R M A T
din a rys i t u a t i o na n d g ra d u a l l ye sca l a te Each scenariois composedof several
t h e d a n g e r ,t h e i n t r i g u ea, n d t h e c l u e s
u n t r tl h e o n l ys o l u t i o ni s a t t h e e n d o f a
d nuggets:Somearejustfor atmosphere,
others are idenliliedas key nuggetslhat
mustbe played.
h.lt

l o n g ,a r d u o u sj o u rn e y.B u t th a t so l u ti o n Eachnuggethasa scene(informalion lor

r s i m p r e s s i v ea: f a b u l s u sp r e - l m p e r i a l the playerson whatthey see, hear,taste,
c i t y o f u n d e t e r m i n e d( b u t v e r y h i g h )
t e c h l e v e l .S o m e h o y vl o , ngago,it fell
o f f t h e m a p s ,a n d n o w o n l y a t r a i l o f
E and feel al the starlof the nugget)and an
action(inlormation to refereeon howto run
theactioninthenugget)Eachscenario has
c luesle a d st o i t s l ostw o n d e rs. a releree's summaryon thefirslpage,with
O f c o u r s e ,t h e a d v e n t u r e r as r e p u r - a briefdescription of eachnuggetby num-
s u e d b y a g e n t sf r o m a l l s i d e s o f t h e ber.Thissummary includes a specialsynop-
R e b e l l i o nS. t o p p i n ge v e nl o r a d a y c a n sis diagramshowingvisuallyhowlhe nug-
b e h a z a r d o utso t h e i rh e a l t h . getslit logelher.
K n i g h t f a l l ' s c i n e m a t i cn u g g e ts y s -
t e m c l e a r l yd e f i n e sa n d d e s c r i b e st h e
i n c i d e n t sp l a y e r c h a r a c t e r sw i l l p a s s RebelllonSourcebook
t h r o u g l ri n t h e c o u r s e o f t h e i r e x p l o - The lm per ium
is beingtor napar tby the Rebel l i on;the
rationsC . a r e l u ld e t a i l i n gm a k e se a c h once-stable1000-yearempireis rapidiydecayinginto
n u g g e tc o m e a l i v ef o r t h e p l a y e r sa n d dozensofpettypnncedoms. RebellionSourcebook covers
r e fe r e e . everydetailofthe Rebellion:
thesides,leaders, territories,
Knightfall. A MegaTraveller ad- fighting,
equipm ent.
v e n t u r e 9 6 - p a g e b o o k . G D W ' .0 2 1 9 . RebellionSour cebook.96- pagebook.GDW : Q214.
I S B N :1 - 5 5 8 7 8 - 0 6 2 -$91. 0 . ISBN:0- 943580- 63-$10.
3.

S 973-
l - o o k t i r r ( i D W g a m e sa t ) ' o u r k l c a l g a m eu r h o b b ys t u r e .I f i t d o e s n ' th a v et h e m , i t c a n
s p c c i a lo r d e r t h e m . l V r i t e f < l ro u r f r e e ,f u l l - l i n e( i D W g a m ec a t a k r g .

I t , r ' n r a i l ,s e n d a c h e c k , m o n e v o r d e r , r l r V i s a . / M i r s t e r c a r dn u m b e r a n d s i g n a t u r e .
l ' f e a s ea d d l l l V o I ' o r s h i p p i n g a n d h a n d l i n g .
l l . r p h o n e , ( - 1 0 9 ) { 5 2 - 3 6 J 2b e t u e c n 9 a . m . a n d 5 p . m . C e n t r a l t i m c .
P . O .B o x I 646
Bloominglon,lL 6 t 7 0 2 - 1 6 4 6
 Withthisissuewe beginour thirdyearof YOYAGESSF I3 SURVEYRESULTS
publishingVoyages SF Magazine. NoneOtour
readerswifl arguethat we have come along, /ong WordsTo Game8y.... 3.5
wayfromJumpspace, the amateurpublication
Graohics& lllustration. 3.4
voyages sF evolvedfrom.And,withthisissue,
we moveto a mors mainstreammagazine
appearance, usinga lull-bleedcover.will we ever
be ableto go to a full-color coveil We hops so.
Publishing Voyages SF hasbeena struggl€.
Thereis a lot of competitionin thisindustry,and, SolomaniSpac€Fighters J.U
for smallpublishers, earningthe supportof the C o r s a iCr o n t s n t i o n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.8
wholesaleclistribution networkis neveran easy ElfsctsOf WoundsIn StarWars...... 2.8
task.Anclit's all a lot of work.But we snjoy it. Our
T h s G o - 8 e t w e e n s . . . . . . . . . ........................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 . 6
currentgoalis a full-colorcoverand48pages.You Editor & JamesB. King
T h eH a u n t € cCl a t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 . 5
see,we intendto publishVoyages SF for a long
timeto come. combatErratafor Palladium RPGsystems........2.1 Contributang elen Allison,
JerryCampbsll
Somsof our readerswillbe awarethat
starLancehasmovedon lo the book publishing Ql: ls this issuebetter,thg same,or not as goocl
as our lasf?50% saidYes.50% saiclSam€. Distribution ChantelleKing
scen6.while someol our booksareof interestto
genr€tansbeyondths realmot gaming,our May Q2: hcludingyourself,how manypeoplsreaclthis
Artists an this issue: Rob Caswell(,|7);
issuB?2.0
release,ll's A Gamer's Lafe,is of interestto Jim Garrison (18); Kevin Hodges (28);
gamers.Ws hopeyou'lllookfor thisone.lt's great Q3: Ratingin orderof preterencethe most recent GaryA. Kalin(cover,10, 11, 12, 15);(13);
issuesot ths gaminomagazinesyou react,whers James B. King (16);Phil Morrissey(19);
humor.We areespeciallylookingforwardto our
would you ratethis issu€of VOYAGESSF (1 is Blair Reynolcts(17); Don w. Shanks(24,
JulyrelBase, Heroes Of Yesterdat/ And high)?2.5 25, 26, 27); Richard Tomasic (7, 16);
Tomortow, as it teaturesartworkfrom manyot
DavidL. Transue(17).
thegameindustry'stop illustrators. W€ thinkyou'll
findthisbookquiteusefulin gaming,anda
pleasantbookto own becauseot the fineart Trad6mark tlotlco: Mosl gam6s are trademarks of
quatity. the companles publlshlng lhose gamos Usa of a
a product comm€nl€c up.n r^
-iames8. hTngl l(gdsmarL to ldgntlfy
this magazine should not bs conslruad as amplyhg
the sponsorship of, nor challsngo 10. lhe lradsmark
holder.

Yoyrger SF copyright l99l by Jam€s B Krng All

RecruitingFor Paradise rights ressrved Pflnted in lhe U S.A. Voyagos

publlshsd quarterly by StarLanca Publlcatlons Cover
SF ls

A MegaTraveller
adventure.Theeffectsof hungerand diseaseare prlce ls $2.75 A four-lssue subscrlptlon ls tl00O
prevalenton Roup.For some,theremay be a future...JamesL King ll1 1 00 lo Canada) All funds musl be ln U S. dollars
Mall lo StarLance Publlcatlons.50 Basln Drlve. Masa

i ^ 2OthCentury Air-To-Air Combat wA 9S43

svstem'
I U Effii"-:trrerech/Aerorech Advorllslng: For rat€s and spacs rsssrvalion ot
confirmation, contact Jam€s King at the addrsss
t . PREVIEW:Heroes Of Yesterday And Tomorrow above or call (509) 2@-4497 alt6t 6:00 pm or on

Anadvance
lookatStarLance's product
upcoming release. week60ds

I b
Submlsslons: We welcoms unsolicltsd manuscrlpts

Espionagels Alive And Well In AutoDuelAmerica and art Howsver, balorg submillhg you should

20 Detailson espionageagenciesand roleplayingsecretagents.

RobertL. Col/ns
w.lte and
s€lf-addrsssed.
request a guldslings
stamped envelopo
Includa a SASE or pgst card wlth cor.aspondence
assul6 a r€soonsg.
shesl,
(SASE)
hcluding
Also
to
a

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 THE FLAMINGEYE
A treasuryof backgroundinformationand
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VILANI& VARGR
The firstvolumsin the newserieson the aliens
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MANUAL
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Detailingoperationslor boththe playerand
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101VEHICLES
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6

'FF MrcnTnAYrLtER

RECRUITING
FORPARADISE
JamesB. King

Introduction very well be transportingluxury fooctstuffs)they Perfect For The Job

This adventuretakesplaceon ths planetRoup observethe currentsituationon Rouo. Massivs The PCs are approached by an attractivg
in the ReginaSubseclorof ths SpinwardMarches numborsof pgople ar€ to bo seen everywhere. red-haireclwoman, BeverlyWarren,who intro-
(20o7-c77A9A9-7,S Hi In Wa, A323tm,F9 V). Much of the populacsobviouslylives in dismal ducesherseltas a representative ot the Branstet-
poverty.Many livs in ths streets.Ths effectsol
it coulclbe playedon anolherhigh
Alternatively, ter Foundation,an organizationoperatingacross
populationworld with a few adaptations,though hungerand diseasearo visiblyprevalent,ospe-
much ot the Marches and heactauarteredon
such a world should be sutfering the ills of cially among the sueet people,and depression Regina.The foundationwofts to assistdevelop-
massiveoverpopulation.For additionalinforma- and desperationare easily read in their taces. ing worlds in dealing with unique difficulties
tion on Roup see"Fooclrunner"in JTASVol.2. Quarrelingand fightingar8 rampant,and police, involving their environments.The foundation
The adventureis writtento allowextensiveuse who activelypatrolin groupsof no lessthanfour maintainsofficeson Rouo undercontractwith the
ot lnterpersonaland similar skills.Getling the lroopers,rsspond harshlyto oulbreaksof vio- governmentto assist them in clealingprimarily
playercharactersto Roup is lelt to the clevicesol lence with liberalapplicationol clubs anclstun with the problemof massiveovercrowding.Miss
the playersand/or the referee. batons. Warren offers the group employment in an
Conversationwith citizensrevealsthat the
operationto relocateoff planeta largenumberof
The World Of Roup people ot Roup havs facedseriousshortagesof people. The group are obviously well travelec,
tood andmeclical supplies.Whiletheworld'stood and,moreimportantly,from off planet.
Roup is a water coveredworld with a tainted
naeds are providedfor by processingthe plentilul
atmospher€.The only lanclmassesars the p€aks Miss Warrenwants the group to recruitlabor
sea life into food concentrates,the continuing
ol an extensiveunderwalermountainrange.Built colonistsamong the poor ancllhe homelessof
civil war has resulteclin serious deficienciesin the streets to go to Treece, in the Lanth
upon these peaks are the citieswhich house ths
shippingvolume to Roup, primarilydue to the Subsector, where they will work in mining
teemino masses ot the planet's billions of
citizens. shippingcollaps€broughton by the pulloutof the complexes ownecl by Monteilh Mining and
The atmosDherictainl is a substancathat is a thrse Vilani megacorporations.The lack of Resource Co., which is largely owned by
sufficientshippinghas resultedin an inabilityto
moderate irritant to human lungs. However, St€rnmetalHorizons,LIC(who,incidentally, is ths
processingplants
longtimecitizenshave adaptedto the substance mechanicallymaintaintood contractor who installec,lhe food processing
and c,onot requirefiltermasks,thoughvisitorsto and distribution networks.Food supplies are plantson Roup).The foundationwill pay each PC
oftsn short of adequateand exports of emer-
the planet do require them. Most port anct cr100 per day plus a bonus of Crlo for each
government buildings contain atmospheric gencyralionsto ths ReginasubsectorNavyhave laborer 18 or older signed up by contract.The
'scrubbers"to filterthe air,so filter dwindlec,to nothing. specificsol the recruitingcontractarebe[ow:
masksarenot
requirecl in suchplaces. 1. Laborers and family members will be
The people of Roup are currentlysuflering Rumors transporteclfree ot charge by sub-middle pas-
from food and medicinal shorlages (virtuailyatl The rumorsbelow shoulclbe oresgntedin a sage (aboard decommissioneclmilitary trans-
needs are not being met, but these two are life waythattheyareindicative of the levelof fearand ports) to Hyrkas,a small planet in the Treece
threatening)brought on bi, the shippingcoll?pse despairamongthepoor masses. svstpmwhichis ownpdbv MOntBilh.
that resulted lrom ths vilani megacorporats 1. The governmentis preparinga plan to 2. All family members age 18 or older must
consolidationto Vland-Becauseof the despe- torcetullysterilizsthepoorerclassesot citizens. agr€e to a labor term of ten years (necessary
rationot the people, an oppositionorganization 2. hstead of crematingthe deceased,the becauseof the exhorbitantcosts ot transpor-
callingitselfthe UnitedPeople'sFronthas gained governmenthas sgcretlybegun processinglarge tationto the planetandsettingup householcls).
enoughsupportto challengethe leadership ot the numbersof corpsesintofood concentrates. 3. Insteaclof a wage, all domestic neecls,to
planet'sclictator,who is simplyreferrect to as th€ 3. Ths UnitedPsople'sFront,the only hope ot incluclelood, housing,medical,ec,ucational, child
'Leader.' Ths UPF has continually poor, has becoms a force to bs
calledon thB many ol the care,clothing,and entertainment will be provicled
Leaderto step down anclallowa new government reckoned with. But now, influentialpeople who for allf amilymembers.
into power - the new govefnmentbeing tho UPF have spoken out in support ol the UPF are 4. Upon completionof laborterm,eachlaborer
leacters.Th8 UPF has successfullysmuggled clisappearing. will receiveseverancepay of Cr25,000plus one
weapons anctexplosivssonto the plan€t.As ths 4. Radicalsare abctuctingyoung women off freemiddlepassage.
UPFis largelymadeup of radicalsanctextremists, the strestsand forcetullysteritizing them before Miss Warren informs the PCs that the
it is tearedto just what extremethey wiltgo to in raleasingthem. foundation is wofiing with Monteilh to provide
their stated goal to reducs the populationof 5. The governmentis secretlyfinancingand wofi ancla higher qualityof life lor about 300,000
Roup. aclvisinga rac,icalmov€montthat is murdering laborage citizensof Roup.With the families,they
elcterlyandinvalidcitizens. expect to move 750,000people. lf the players
Arrival 6. LuxuryfoodstuftsarBb€ingsecretlyimpor- expresssuspicionabout the contract,she shows
Aftor the PCs land their vgssel at the small, tecl by the upper classesby way the lmperial thg PCs seeminglyendlessphotos of starving,
open field port and while they tend to the ScoutBase. emaciatedpeople,manyof them young children;
businesswhichbroughtthem to Roup (thsy may near dsad elcterlypeople just lying in the street;
 7
young people murcleredfor a mouthfulof food.
"Now tell me this contract isn't helping these
RecruitingEncounters The players shoulct be moved to aid this
particularlyneedy family. Even if she signs a
Below are three encounters.Apply them in
people,"shesayssternly. contract,the family has immediateneeds. How
orc,er,one eachday.Youmaywishto applyother
MissWarrenprovidesthe PCs with contracts they choose to help should be left up to the
encountersas well, such as strset thugs who
and brochuresto hanclto prospectivscolonists. players.
intendto rob ths characters or the dailyfood truck
when contractsare signed,the familyhas up to
that clropsits load in the streets,creatinga virtual
three clays before they must report to the 2- The Terlorast: Duringlheirrecruiting, the
warzon€ as peopl€struggleto g€t theirshare.
foundation'sofficesfor preparationlor transpor- PCs approachclose to a chemical processing
tation.The brochuretouts the benetitsprovided plantwhichtakesin highlytoxic chemicalwastes
1. Ths Stawing Family: A young mother
to families- whichwill makeHyrkasappearas a whichare generatedby the operationol the food
with three children.all underfive years old and
paradiseto the dssperatomassesol Roup. Miss processingplants.The wastesare solidifiedthen
one only a small infant,approachesths group
warrenstronglysuggeststhat the Pcs claim to fused insideblocksof glass.The blocksare then
with herchildrenin tow, ctrarvn
to ths PCsby their
havebeen to Monteilh'scomplexeson Hyrkas safelystored in containmentfacilitiesunclerthe
dressand the lact that th€y wearfilt€rmasks,as
and vouch for the accuracy of the btochurs. ocsan'ssuflace.
they ars obviouslyfrom off planet.The womanis
Smiling,shs nodds hor head and states,"Yes, it The PCs hear a commotion somewherg
rathersmallish,with long blackhair,and is pretty,
may be tellinga lie, but your recruitmentwill be behinclthem. Severalpeople are yelling.As thg
though dirty. She would likely b€ a beautiful
more effective,and in the end you, Branstettsr, PCswatch,a man runs toward them, chaseclby
womanit she did not bearthe scarsof hungerand
and Monteilhwill bs abls to help morg ot these saveralarmeclpolice troopers.Just before the
want. She and her childrsnare drgsseclin filthy,
poorunfortunatepeople." pursued man reaches them, the iacket he's
tatteredcloths.They are beginningto show the
grimsignsof malnourishment: exhaustion, lossof wearingopens up to reveal a hefty amount of
RecruitingFor Paradise bulk,and thinningarmsand legs.Theyall staroat explosivesstrappsctto his body. At that moment
ThePCsareiust one groupof manywho have the PCsthroughslighllybulging,desperate fullyautomaticweaponsfire pelts ths areawhere
eyes.
beenhirsd by Miss warren. As th8 Pcs go out "Pl€ase,sirs.Plsass,will you h€lp us?" she the troopers are, striking two of them down.
eachclay,havs each player rofl the tollowing task pleads,reachingan empty,tremblinghandout to Whoever is pulling the Viggor is not at all
oncgper hour spent recruitingto determinethe them,holdingthe blearyinfantin the other."w€ concernedabout ths innocent bystand€rs,and
levelot theirsuccess: haven'leatenwell for so long. The truckscome nineother personsare struckby the wild fire.The
througheveryclayctroppingfood in the street,but crowded stleet erupts in chaos as screaming,
Todelerminerecruitmentsuccess: I can't -" The woman'svoice startsto tremble, shouting pooplg attempt to escaps from the
Simple,Recruitingo/Persuasion,Int, absolute-'l and l€arstlooclher syes."l'm alone.My husband sluglhrowers.Many peoplB ars knocked to th9
hr(unskilled OK). ground and trampl€d, some suffering serious
is gone. we hav€ to fight with the street peopls
Referee.'lf the task roll is successful, the task for evBryscrapof tood.I iust can'tget enoughto injuries.The players should be caught in this
result(includingDMs) is lhe actuat number ot leed my chil-" Hervoice falters.Hereyeswiden, onslaughtof bodiss. Have them roll a task to
contractstilled out and signed.On Exceptional herfacetwist€dby despair.In a voicowrackedby avoictbeingknockeddown andtrampled-
Success, multiplythe taskresultby two.A mishap anguish,shs cries,"My childrenarestarvingand I Hopsfullythe PCs intercedeto apprehenclthe
indicates that the recruiter has angered a can'tstop it from happening!Pleaso,pleasehelp man carryingths explosives.It they clo, makg a
prospective contractee.The r€fereeshouldrole- big deal out of the man's fighting to reach the
us!"
playsuchincidentsas desired. smallbox attachedto his belt. lt the PCs let the
man pass,an entorcergets oft a lucky shot ancl
dropsthe man only twentymetersfrom the outer
wall to th€ chemical processing plant. lhe
woundadman rsachosto ths box on his belt ancl
thewhole blockis rockedby a massiveexplosion
(you may wish to expose the PCs to possibls
iniury from debris).At least a dozen people are
killedand four times that many arg injuredlrom
the blast.
As thereare manywouncleclpersons,the Pcs
may choose to apply meclicalskillsin their care.
They will hear much conversation aboul the
amount ol "toxic wastes that woulclhave been
throwninto the air if the terroristshad succeeded
- why,there'sno tellinghow manypeoplewould
havedied!"
The terroristgunmanescapes,slippingawayin
the conlusion.

3- The Old Woman: Up to this point, the

players should have been impressedjust how
desperatelife has becomeon Roup, especially
for the poor. Though they may have been
suspicious of the contract, they should now
believethat it has to be betterthanwhat the ooor
now suffer. This encounler will shatter that
assumption.
On the thirdday, an olderwomanwho wearsa
badgethat ictentities her as a socialwofier stops
to listen to what the Pcs are saying lo some
prospectivecolonists.
"How dare you take advantage of these
8
people!" she cries suddenly."How clareyou lie room. Already seated at the table is Beverly . A halfstandard wageof cr10 per hour plus
and misleadthem! l've been on Hykas. I served warren plus two men who Miss Warrenintro- severancepay of Cr25,000.(No wage.
ten years of virtualslaveryin Monteilh'sminesl" duces as Mr. Panerioand Mr. Gust. Paneriois severancepay of cr25,000.)
People quicklygatheraround.Soon hundredsof Monteilh'stop liaisonon Roup.He is quiteyoung . A five day work week with two days off . (Ten
people are listeningto th€ woman."l signedthis and has a ratherpompous anct self-important hour work weekwith one day off .)
same contractwhen I lived on Enooe.we wera attitude.Gust,an agingman,is ths Directorof tha . An eighthour work day. (Fourteenhour work
poor. They claimedlhey werehelpingus.8ah! My Deot. of Health and Welfare.He is not at all day )
husbanc,ctied there. My two children are still pleasedby the eventsthat have transpirecl. He . lmprovedsafetypracticesand conditions,
slavingaway thers in unsafewofting conditions, tries to shitt all responsibilityto Branstetterand inspectedby an outsideagency. (Limited
working fourteen hours a day, ten days straight Monteilh,vsrballyaccusingthemol th9 treachery safetyconcerns.No outsideinspection.)
bgfore they get iust one day off. oh sure, they that has causedthe rioting,but Paneriocallously . lmprovecldomesticneeds in the way of
provide all these things they claim to, but just remindsGust that he was well awareof all the tood, housing,medical,ec,ucation,chilcl
barely.what they don't point out is that, when specificsof theoperation. care,clothing,and entertainment.(Minimal
your childrenturn 18,they stop providingfor them WhileBeverlyWarrenwas awareof Monteilh's domesticneedsonly.)
- nothing, nol even food. And sinc€ laborers laborconc,itions, she hactconvincedherselfthat . Upon lurningeighteen,childrento havethe
clon't get an actual wage, they can't get their sha was still helpingthe poor of Roup. But now option ol a free middlepassageto leavethe
childrenoff Hyftas anclout of Monteilh'sclutchs. she realizes that the whole ooeration is a planet. (Childrenforced into ten year
Theironly choice is to sign a ten year contract." loathesome plot against the poor. With a contract.)
The woman thrusts an accusing finger at th€ dejscted expressionshe speaks to the PCs.
recruiters,glaring vehementlyat them. "That's "Some moderateswithinthe UPF have comg to The Negotiations
how lhey're 'helping'you. Don'l let them do it! us.Theyhaveexpressec, a belieflhat thBidealsof Obviously,the PCs havetheirwoft cut out for
Don't let them takeadvantageof you!" their current leadershipgo too far - are too them.The firststep is to go to Paneriolor the firsl
The crowd erupls.The word is quicklyspread radical.And they see this colonizationeffort as negotiationtask. Take each of the above items
and within minules thousands of people are one worth pursuinq- if lhe convact can be ona at a time.Use a separatetaskto hammera
rioting.In tens of minuteslens of thousandsare negotiatedtairly.lf we negotiatea fair deal,they dealthroughfor each.Notethat each item musl
riotingand looting.Armoredpolicetroopersturn will usurpcontrolof the UPF and stop fomenting be successfullynegotiatedbetweenboth parties.
out to combat lhe riotersv/ithlive ammunitionas revoll.lt is the streeipooplewho wil;sufferif they lf one agreesto a dealbut theothe!'refusesit, the
the violencecontinuesto escalate. do not." A lookof pleadingand sorrowcloudshel deal'sout the winctowand they must attemptthe
The PCs will certainlywant to get off the face."what w.,,did waswrong.surelyw€ owe it to task againwith a new deal The Diffir,:ulty Level
streats.Whereverit is they go, the refereeshouid thesBpeoplolo offerthema reallife- a tutrirelor shouidrefiecthow rnucilqivoand takethe players
apply several tasks lo avoid violence on the theirlarnilies!" use.For instance,if the the Pcs try to negotiatea
street,as the recruitersmay verywell be attacked PanerioflashesMiss Warren a quick glare, wageof cr7, the taskwill be Difficultwith Panerio
by angrycilizens.lt may be very effeclivoto have then settleshis sterngazeon the PCs."We are but simplewithKobata.Negotiatinga wage of cr5
them witness the brutal murder ot another willingto negotiate.However,theseUPFSrefuse would be Routinelor both. (Statsfor Panerioand
recruitingteamby overzealous streetpeople. to negotiatedireclly with representatives from Gust must be generated.Both should have
Before lhe PCs get to whereverit is lhey're Bransletter,Monteilh,or the government."He Liaisonskillto be negotiators.)
going, they are intercepted by police. All points his fingerat the Pcs. "You will negotiate
otflr/orlders are being escorted (by force if between us. They claim they hav€ a list of A New Contract
necessary)to a militarybasetor theirown satety. demands.W€ willstartthere." When a deal is finallyhammeredthrough,the
The port is a bloody battleground and is The PCs are directeclto an office down a hall UPF leadersare as good as their word. They
completely sealed off due to the assault of wherethey find threemenwaitingtor them.They apparentlywrest control of the UPF from the
enraged radicals.lt quickly becomes apparent arg Mr. Veldman.Mr. Haner,and Mr. Kobala. extremist hierarchyanctusetheirinfluenceto help
that the UPF has chosenthis moment to rise in Kobatawillnegotiatetor theUPF. stop the riotingandlooting.Worclquicklyspreads
rebellion,fomenting the alreadyenragedstreet After introductions,Kobata hands the PCs' that a fair ancl rewarding contract has been
cilizenslo riseup and destroyihe government. chosen spokesmana list of demands.They arg negoliatedanclpeople come flockingto sign up.
shown below.Ths text in oarenthesesis Mon- are not needed,so the
As it turnsout, recruiters
Mediators Of Crisis teilh'scurrentoolicy. D^c .ro r rf ^l . i^h
, v 9 .
T| h| ot vv , ch^l rld h^wo\/oi

Several hours after lhe PCs arrive at lhs base, receivea cash rewarctfor their mecliation,the
they are escorted to an oftice comolex and . No minimumtermof employment.(Tenyear amountto be determinedby the referee. !
ushered into a large but austere conference amploymentterm.)

w
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Set-up and first five turns are July 4-7,1991
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TIITILIGTIT:
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Warhasragedonforyears. Thefrontlinessweepback
"WHATFOOLSWEWEREto al-
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is failing,pieceby piece,as sparepartsand mainte- trumpeting ofthenewageofpeace,
nancetimeevaporate beforethe marchof an endless prosperity, and goodwill.Democ-
campaign. Thefrontlinesarenowheldbyafewgrimand racyhadcometo Europe,andthat
desperate soldiers. meantthat peace had come to
TheU.S.FifthDivision hastenaciously heldthelinein
central Poland.Now,a Sovietencirclement hascutit off Europe,for democracies never
in a regionruledby ambitious warlords,localmilitias, madewaron otherdemocracies.
andbandsof marauding deserters.
Headquarters is 200 "Whatutterrot!
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Characters:Nationalities, new careertypes,skills, mocracies flourishedinGreece, and
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Encounters: Dangerous environments,radiation,
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Equlpment: Weapons, vehicles,
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costs,availability. "Howcouldwe haveforgotten
Danger:Placesto go and reasonsto go there.Plus
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Theboxedset Includesa 288-page basicrulebook,
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l0 r-

20th Century Air-To-AirCombat

USINGTHE BATTTETECH
/ AEROTECH
SYSTEM
The Batt/e- Optional
Tech/AeroTech Air-To-Air
rules covering air
combat is fast
Missiles
Use the AA
moving and
missiles optional
clean. The game
ruleswhen simu-
covers combat in
lating aerialcom-
the 31st century.
With a little help, bat of the late
20th century.
the rules work
Combat with AA
nicely in simulat-
missiles is con-
ing air combat in
ducted like stan-
the late 20th cen-
dard missile
tury. For those
players not inter- attacks per the
AeroTech rules,
ested in modern
but with only a
day combat, the
few changes.M
aircraft stats can
missilescompare
be used for con-
to typical short or
ventional aircraft
long rangemissile
in your Batt/eTech
games. Think of it Ga4tA. Ka/n launchers. Find
the AeroTech
in these terms: -
missile launcher
why design new
data that matches
aircraft when you can choose combat-tested, proven
the AA missile.Conduct combat as normal.Roll for missile
designs? | have incorporatedwhat I feel are correctionsto
hits per the AeroTech rules. The M missiles ars not
some of the rulescoveringfuel and air-to-air missiles.
composedof many smallermissiles.The missilehit table
representsthe distance the target was away when the
Realistic Fuel Weight Compared To Range:
missileexploded.AA missilesdo not havea bomb ratingdue
Comparingthe range that modernfightershave with the
to their small size. Any and all weapons or fuel tanks
amount of fuelthat they carry indicatesthat the Batt/efech
mountedon pylonswill be damaged and rendered useless
formula for finding fuel points is not realistic.Both amounts
whenthe locationof theirsuspensionreceivesdamaoe.
ale givelrbeiow.
1 to 10 Ton Aircraft=l ton of fuel=2,000Points or 650
miles. Flares And Chaff
11 to 30 Ton Aircraft=1ton of fuel=1,000Pointsor 650 to modern
Flaresandchaffarethe countermeasures
miles. air-to-air missiles.Long lastingflares confuse the infrared
seekerassembliesand stripsof chatf (metal)foil releasedin
Scale And Weight Data: cloud confusetrackingradar.The number of each type of
Ten secondturn/Onehex=1,640ft. counter measurssthat is in a dispenser is predetermined
Typicaljetfuelweight:6.55poundsper gallon. beforethe game.Any numberand type that are carriedmay
be firedeach gameturn. Eachflareor chaff fired in a turnwill

US MISSILE AEROTECH EQUIVALENT USSR MISSILE AEROTECH EQUIVALENT

AIM_9 One SRM6-pack M-3 One SRM6-pack
AIM-7 One LRM 1S-pack M-6 One LRM 1S-pack
AIM-54 One LRM2O-pack M-8 One SRM6-pack
AtM-120 One SRM6-pack
30 GallonFuelDropTank:LOADRATING=2O
 u
bea negativemodifierto the missilehitsdice roll.Example:
AnAIM-9strikesa targetaircratt.Theattackis equaltobeing
hit by six short rangemissiles.The targetfires four flares.
Thatwould be a negativsfour for the missilehits dice roll.
Theroll is a nine, reducedto five, resultingin only three
missilehitsinsteadof five.

OptionalAir-To-Air (AA) Missile Movement

AAmissilesmovelikeaircraft. Theirtimeinflightis limited
bscause of thesmallfuelsupplytheycarry.Theymustmove
at theirtop speed each turn, neverless.M missilesmust
trackor be guidedto striketheir target.All missilescan
changefacingby one hexsideper newhex entered.Each
facingchangecostsone hexof speed.Example: A missile
witha speodof 13 hexsper turnmakesone facingchange
for each of four hexs it moves,for a total of eight speed
pointsused.lt stillhasfivepointsto use.

lH Missiles
lRmissiles mustlockon to theheatemissions thatradiate
fromaircraftin orderto trackthembeforethgyarelaunched.
ThelR missiletrackingunit hasa limitedfieldof view.The
targetof an lR missilemustbe in the trackingzoneof the
launching aircratVmissile.Afterit is launched,the lR missile
will"homein"on thetargetaircraftas longas it iswithinthelR
trackingfieldof view,whichis the front60 degreesof the
aircratUmissile.
;ii+ fl , "u''
FadarMissiles
Radarmissilesmustlockonto a radarbeamreflecting off
anaircraftin orderto trackthembeforetheyare launched. launchingaircraft.The launchingaircraftmust keep the
Thetrackingunit has a limitedfield of view.The targetof a targetin itstrackingfieldof viewfor missilesthatneedto be
radarmissilemustbe in the trackingzoneof the launching guided.lf the targetaircraftendsthe gameturnoutsideth€
aircrafVmissile.
Afterit is launched,
somemissiles will"home radartrackingfieldof viewbeforethemissilehits,thelockon
in"on ths targetaircraftas long as it is withinthe missile's is brokenandthemissileis removedfromthemap.Theradar
radartrackingfieldof view.Somemustbe guidedfromthe fieldof viewisthefront60degreesof theaircratVmissile.

AIR-TO_AIRMISSILEAEROTECHRANGETABLE

US BUILT MISSILES
MISSILE RANGE SPEED TFACKING
ArM-sL (1R) 36 Hexs 12Hexs(3turnsin flight) Homing
AIM-7L (Radar) 16OHexs 20 Hexs(8 turnsin flight) Needs guiding
AIM-7M (Radar) 240Hexs 20 Hexs(12turnsin flight) Needs guiding
AIM-544 (Radar) 800Hexs 30 Hexs(26turnsin flight) Homing
AIM-120A(Radar) 100Hexs 25 Hexs(4 turnsin flight) Homing

USSR BUILT MISSILES

MISSILE RANGE SPEED TRACKING
AA-3 (rR) 4OHexs 20 Hexs(2 turnsin flight) Homing
AA-3 (Radar) 40 Hexs 20 Hexs(2 turnsin flight) Needs guiding
AA-6 (rR) 26 Hexs 13Hexs(2 turnsin flight) Homing
M-6 (Radar) 52 Hexs 13Hexs(4 turnsin flight) Needs guiding
AA-8 0R) 26 Hexs 13 Hexs(2 turnsin llight) Homing
L2 I
I

Glarification To Thrust Loss And Bomb Loads

The rule covering thrust loss from externallymounted
bomb foads in the AeroTechrules is technicallyinaccurate.
ln the realworld,the amountof aircraftthrustneverchanges.
Its maximumspeed and the amountof fuel used will change
when carryinga largebomb load (externalstores).
1. Speed restrictions: Aircraft with any externally
mounted stores (bombs,fuel, or missiles)may not use ovsr
thrust.
2. Aircraft can carry external stores up to their gross
weightlimit.Allweaponsand fueldroptanksmustbe added
to the aircraft'sempty weight.The heavieran aircraftis the
more fuel it uses.An aircraftgrossweight is doubleits empty
weight. (This is an abstractway to find gross weight, but it
tends to be fairlyaccuratewhen comparedto actualaircraft
empty and gross weights.)Use the ThrustLossTablefound
in the AeroTech rules to calculatefuel usage.The Bomb
RatingColumnof the ThrustLossTableis equalto the weight
of the weapons or fuel carried.The Thrust Points Loss
Column is equalto extrafuel pointsusedeachturn.Round
all fractionsup to the nearestwhole fuel point.Example:An
aircraftis carryingan externalstoresload with a ratingof 80.
That aircraftwill use an extra2 points(1.6roundedup) of fuel
each turn as long as it carriesthem.
Air-to-air missiles are designed to be carried without
producingdrag on the aircraft.Allcombat aircraftmay carry
up to their maximumlimit of M missilesas statedin their
typical air-to-air combat loads without any speed restric-
tionsor fuelloss.

AV-SLHanierll Basicweight:7 Tons Grossweight:15 Tons

Engine:2 Tons Thrust:5 OverThrust:7
VSTOL:0.7 Tons lntegrity:
Structural 5 Crew:One Pilot
Controls:0.7 Tons Fuel:2.1 Tons (63 BattleTechpoints) 4,200revisedfuel points
Armor:1.5Tons (24 Points) Armorlocation: Nose:4 RightWing:2 Cockpit:4
LeftWing:2 Fuselage:8 Engine:4
NOTES:
1. No weapons mounted internally.
2. Sevenpylonsfor externallymountedfuel and weapons(onlysix when GAU-12/Uis mounted).
3. One GAU-12/U 25mm cannon externallymounted,facingforwardonly (ammofor ten shots).
4. W/Laser target seekerand tracker(no radar).
5. Forty shot chaffflare dispenser.
6. Typicalair-to-air combat weaponsload:
A. Four AIM-9 Sidewinders + Two 300 gallonfueltanks(4,000fuel points).
B. Four AIM-9 Sidewinders + One GAU-12/U25mmcannon.

F-4 Phantom_ll Basicweight:16 Tons Grossweight:31 Tons

Engine:9 Tons (130) Thrust:8 OverThrust:12
Controls:1.6Tons StructuralIntegrity:8 Crew:Onepilot,oneweaponsofficer
Fuel: 2.9 Tons (87 BattleTechpoints)2,900revised fuel points
Weapons: One M61 20mm cannonfacing fonrrardonly with ammo for twelveshots: 1 Ton.
Armor 1.5Tons (24 Points) Armor location: Nose:2 RightWing: 2 Cockpit:6
Left Wing: 2 Fuselage:8 Engine:4
 l3

NOTES:
1.Maycarrythe AIM-120air-to-airmissilein placeof theAIM-7.
2.Fivepylonsfor externally
mountedfuetandweapons.
3.Fourrecesses for AIM-7or AIM-120M missiles.
4.VLaser targetseekerandtrackerandradar.
5.Forlyshotchaff/flaredispenser.
6.Typicalair-to-aircombatweaponsload:
A. FourAIM-9Sidewinder + FourAIM-7Sparrow+ Two300gallonfueltanks(4,000fuelpoints).
B.TwoAIM-9Sidewinder + SixAIM-7Sparrow+ Two300gallonfueltanks(4,000fuelpoints).

F-14 Tomcat Basicweight:20 Tons Grossweight: 37 Tons

-
Engine:14 Tons (180) Thrust:9 OverThrust:13
Controls:2 Tons Crew:One pilot, one weaponsofficer
Structurallntegrity:9 Fuel:2 Tons (60 BattleTechpoints)2,0@ revisedfuel points
Weapons:One M61 20mm cannon facing forwardonly with ammo for twelveshots: 1 Ton
Armor:One Ton (16 points) Armor location: Nose: 1 RightWing: 2 Cockpit:4
Left Wing: 2 Fuselage:5 Engine:2
NOTES:
1.Maycarry the AIM-120 air-to-air missilein place of the AIM-7.
2. Fourpylonsfor externallymountedfuel and weapons.
3. Fourrecessesfor AIM-54,AIM-9, or AIM-120M missiles(no drag).
4. W/Lasertarget seekerand trackerand radar.
5. Fortyshot chaff/flaredispenser.
6. Onlyaircraftto use the AIM-54 Phoenixair-to-air missile.
7.Typicalair-to-air combat weaons load:
A. Four AIM-54 Phoenix+ Two AIM-7 Sparrow+ Two AIM-9 Sidewinder+ Two 300 gal. fueltanks (4,000fuel pts.)
B. Two AIM-9 Sidewinder+ Six AIM-54 Phoenix+ Two 300 gallonfueltanks (4,000fuel points).

E/A-t8l{ornet Basicweight: 11.5Tons Grossweight: 24 Tons

Engine:6 Tons (95) Thrust:I OverThrust: 12
Controls:1.1Tons Structurallntegrity:8 Crew:One pilot
Fuel:1.9Tons (57 BattleTechpoints)1,900revisedfuel points
Weapons:One M61 20mm cannon facing fonryardonly with ammo for twelveshots: 1 Ton.
Armor:1.5Tons (24 Points) Armor location: Nose:2 RightWing: 2 Cockpit:4
Left Wing: 2 Fuselage:8 Engine:6
NOTES:
1.Maycarrythe AIM-120air-to-air missilein placeof the AIM-7.
2. Fivepylonsfor externallymountedfuel and weapons.
3.TwoAIM-9s carriedon the wing tips.
'
4.VLaser target seekerand trackerand radar.
5. Fortyshot chaff/flaredispenser.
. 6.Typicalair-to-air combat weapons load:
A. Six AIM-9 Sidewinder+ Two AIM-7 Sparrow+ Three300 gallonfueltanks (6,000fuel points).
B. Two AIM-9 Sidewinder+ Six AIM-7 Sparrow+ Three300 gallonfueltanks (6,000fuel points).

MIG-21 Fishbed Basicweight:6.5 Tons Grossweight: 10.5Tons

Engine:3 Tons (55) Thrust:8 OverThrust:12
Controls:0.7 Tons StructuralIntegrity:8 Crew:One pilot
Fuel:1,3Tons (39 BattleTechpoints)2,600revisedfuel points
Weapons:One NR-30 30mm cannon facing fonruard only with ammofor 4 shots: 1 Ton.
Armor:0.5 Tons (8 Points) Armor location: Nose: 1 RightWing: 1 Cockpit:2
Left Wing: 1 Fuselage:2 Engine:1
l4

NOTES:
1. Five pylonsfor externallymountedfuel and weapons.
2. Radartrackingonly.
3. No chaff/flaredispenser.
4. Typical air-to-air combat weapons load:
A. Two AA-3 (Radar)+ Two AA-8 (lR) + One 300 gallonfueltank (2,000fuel points).
B. Two AA-8 (lR)+ Two 300 gallonfueltanks(4,000fuel points).

MIGL-2SFoxbat Basicweight: 11 Tons Grossweight: 20 Tons

Engine:ETons (125) Thrust:11 OverThrust: 16
'1.1
Controls: Tons Structurallntegrity:11 Crew:One pilot
Fuel: 1.4Tons (42 BattleTechpoints)1,400revisedfuel points
Weapons:No internallymountedweapons
Armor:0.5 Tons (8 Points) Armorlocation: Nose:1 RightWing: 1 Cockpit:2
LeftWing:1 Fuselage:2 Engine:1
NOTES:
1. Four pylonsfor externallymountedfuel and weapons.
2. Radartrackingonly.
3. Twenty shot chaff/flaredispenser.
4. Typical air-to-air combat weaponsload:
A. Two AA-3 (RadaQ+ Two AA-B (lR) + One 300 gallonfuel tank (2,000fuel points).
B. Two AA-B (lR)+ Two 300 gallonfueltanks(4,000fuel points).

Mlq-"g Basicweight:9 Tons Grossweight: 20 Tons

Engine:5 Tons (85) Thrust:9 OverThrust:13
Controls:0.9 Tons StructuralIntegrity:9 Crew:One pilot
Fuel: 1.6Tons (48 BattleTechpoints)3,200revisedfuel points
Weapons:One NR-30 30mmcannonfacingforwardonlywith ammofor 4 shots:1 Ton
Armor:1.5Tons (24 Points) Armorlocation: Nose:2 RightWing:2 Cockpit:4
LeftWing:2 Fuselage:8 Engine:6
NOTES:
1. Four pylons for externallymountedfuel and weapons.
2. Radartrackingand W/Laser target seekerand tracker.
3. Forty shot chaff/flaredispenser.
4. Typicalair-to-air combat weaponsload:
A. Two AA-3 (Radar)+ Two M-8 (lR).
B.TwoAA-8 (lR) + Two 300 gallonfuel tanks (4,000fuel points).

SIL 19 Eeocer Basicweight: 18 Tons Grossweight:34 Tons

Engine:12 Tons (165) Thrust:8 OverThrust:12
Controls: 1.8 Tons StructuralIntegrity:8 Crew:One pilot
Fuel: 1.7 Tons (51 BattleTechpoints)1,700revisedfuel points
Weapons:One GSh-23 23mm cannonfacing foruvardonly with ammo for 10 shots: 1 Ton
Armor: 1.5 Tons (24 Points) Armor location: Nose:2 RightWing: 2 Cockpit:4
LeftWing:2 Fuselage:8 Engine:6
NOTES:
1. Four pylons for externallymountedfuel and weapons.
2. Radartrackingand VLaser targetseekerand tracker.
3. Forty shot chaff/flaredispenser.
4. Typical air-to-air combat weaponsload:
A. Two M-3 (Radar)+ Two AA-8 (lR) + One 300 gallonfueltank (2,000fuel points).
B. Two M-8 (lR) + Two 300 gallonfueltanks (4,000fuel points). I
 t5

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 "HerossOf YesterdayAnd Tomorrow"is a collectionof full-page
characterstudiesof both fantasyand sciencefiction characters,
usefulas both playerand nonplayercharactersin roleplaying. This
is the kind of book you can browsethroughand say, "Oh!Now
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 Including the works of these fine artists:
Rob Caswell,Liz Danforth,DavidDeitrick,Dan
Engwall,RickHarris,JamesB. King,Alfred
Klosterman,PhilMorrissey,BlairReynolds,Richard
Tomasic,and DavidTransue.

4W

'Heroes Of Yesterday
And Tomorrow' is a July
release from StarLance
Publications.Ask your
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t8
Writing for a quarterly periodical can be Those two books are combined here into one
somethingof an adventureat times, particularly concisestory.lf you haven'tread the aforemen-
when tryingto guessthe publicationdat€of what tioned tales, then by all means, get a copy of
you'vewritten.lf l've guessedright,this shodldbe Legion! The stories are benchmaft workson
in print sometime in late Marchor earlyApril - smallunit engagements(using sF militarytech-
right in time for AprilFool's Day.With the spiritof nology),High/Low-techinterplay,and politicsin
the holidayin mind,lst's kickoff the reviewswilh a general.They'rsjust clarnedgood yams,tool
bitot humor. lf you hav€ reactthem before, get this book
an' Aray. The first sections aG enhTey new
Phule's Company material that answers alot of questions about
'JohnnyChristian's' past.
RobertAsprin.232 pp.1990Ace SF
start with a militaryarm that, like the Army in
Heinlein's Sta.shap Troopers, must take Total War (fire Fleet, Book 5)
anyonewho applies,and can't boot th€m out. set Eclitsclby Davic,DrakeanclBill Fa'vcett.Various )
it up like th€ ForeignLegionwhere an enliste€'s writers.278 pp. 1990Ac€ SF
past is'forgotlen.' Now givethis seryiceafm less \
DavidDrakeis, in my opinion,one of two of the t
functingthan the ConfederateArmy.Looks bad? best combat SF writers,ever.Like LarryNivenand
That's only the beginning.Takethe dregs ot the 8ob Asprin,he's createda 'univ€rse"to writein
enlistees and otficers, the psychos, losers, and invited other writers to create storios,within
pacifistsand klutes, and dump them into a unit
'unotticially' reterreclto as 'Omega Company.'
Hold on, it gets worse! Place in charge of this
WordsTo GameBy the context of that universe.The Fleet is the
harct-pressed militaryarmof humanityin a distanl
future. In this, the fifth book of ths series,
molley cr€M/a millionaire,hot-shot playboywith Fiction Reviews by Jerry Campbell humanityhas tinallydefeateda weassl-likoraca
delusionsof granctuer anc,no rsgarctfor tractition known as the Khalia, who'd almost totally
(the guy goes to ths fielclwith his own butler!). clBstroyed ths Fleet.Now it appearsthat th9 Khalia
lvow you have Phule's (pronounced 'Fool's') as the time of our own self-immolationdraws weren't the snemy after all, merely a low-tsch
Company, th€ lirsl in what is promisedto be a closer,whatit a 'doof opensbetweenth8 worlds, society who'd been given high-tech'toys' and
series of SF humor, in the tradition ol The the linkbeingyour'opposite'in theotherreality? pointed in Earth'sgeneraldirection.(Sounclliko
Stainless Steel Rat_ Excellentinsightson life attera low-levslnukg any ThirdWorld countriesyou know'?)Behindths
For thoso ot you who've spun out reams of exchange,anddamngooclwritingthrougoutmake scenes,pulling the Khalia'sstrings is a human
paper, ctiscarcling legions ot, shall we say...less this one a keeper in my library.lf you took my Trader-Warrior societycalledthe Syndicate;and
than perfect charactetsand wished th€re was earlieradvicoand got a copy ol There will Bs they meanto eitherabsorbor eliminatethe threat
something to clo with them other than NPC Wat, Vol. a, you'll recognizeths background,as they perceiveEarthto be.
cannonfodcter- thisbook'sfor you! Wellwritton, wellas someof the storyitsstf. While many of the storiasin Total War are
light, but ,or. straining for a punchline, this quitegood, many leaveyou wonderingjust what
c,iversion ol Bob Asprin'sout ol Fantasyand into happened. Rough story lines, incomplete
sF is a whole lot of fun. Phule'scompany ar€ no The Stars Must Wait descriptions and abrupt, apparently pointloss
lools, and you won't feellik€ons sitheffor g€tting KsithLaumer.283pp- 1990BaenBooks
endings,leave you with l€ss than a feelingof
your handson this! Some years back, Laumsr cam6 out with a satisfaclion for the book as a whole.still,thereare
collectionol short stori€scalleclBolo, which soon some reallygooctgaming id€as (evenyou'007'
Voyage Of The Star Wolf becamea classicin th€ fi€lcl.A latsreditionadcled playerswill finclmaterialhere!),and the Khaliaars
David Gerrold.276 pp. 1990BantamSpectra the story 'Rouge Bolo' (once a book in it's own a very interestingrace.
right),and was retitledThs Complote Bolo. In
David Gerrolct is the author of th€ War those collectionswas a particularly poignanttale GOLDEN OLDIES
Against Tho Chto.r series.In this book, he called 'Tho Night ol the Trolls'; sort of a
createsyet anotherincrediblystrong,smartalign modern-dayRip Van Winklestory about a man
race to pit Humankinctup against.This time, who hactbeenin susoendecl animationaboardthe Tool Of The Trade
howevar,the alions(known as the Morthan),usgd shiDtor somg 80yoars,who
firsl true interDlanetary Joe Halcteman. 248 pp. 1987Avon Books
to be l/s! The Morthanars lhe producl of n€arly awakensto find the world ha kn€tvdevastatedand A yerybelievable and somewhatchillingtalsol
150Oyearsof geneticanclbiomechanical manipu- tallen into semi-feudalsavagery.In the original mind-control. what if you coulcl creat€ an
lationtechniqu€s.They havedevelopeda culture story, he overcamegreat octds and eventually unobtrusiv€device,shaped,say,likea watch,that
that makesth€ Klingonslook liko SundaySchool launchedthe ship. I'm not toiling you how this would give you total and complete persuasivo
leachers, and a sup€riority attituctethat woulct gxtensive rq,vrite of 'Trolls' encls. I will say, ability over others? People would be literally
md(e th€ most fanaticalof Hiiler's Nazis look howgv8r,that I likedthis versionmuch better,both compelledto do anythingyou tolctthem to do...
ditheringandindecisiveby comparison. for the enclingandfor the additionalmaterial.I atso anyflrlng.That's the ic,eabehind this little thriller,
While decidedly readable,it suftersfrom an enjoyed catching Baen Books with an excep- and the twists the story takes are nothing shortof
occasionallycontusingstory line anct.gimmicks. tionallyrare(for thom)glaringtypot Seeif you can amazing.Scouryour useclbook store for thisons.
that seeminglypop up out of nowhers.The aliens, tindit. Yetanothor'kaepefin my library. )
insights on shipboard lite ancl intra-servics
politicsmor€thanmakeup for theseminorflaws. Polaris
Falkenberg's Legion SheldonPerkins.208pp. 1979Tower Pubns. t'
Jerry Pournsllo.132 pp. 1990Easn Books
The World Next Door My, how priceshave changedin twelveyears!
Brad Ferguson.342 pp. 1990TOR SF Severalyearsback,Pourneilewrote a couple of I'm on my secondcopy ol this book, the firstone
really good combat SF tales called West Ot havinglinallyfallenapart trom frequentre-reads
Admitteclly,my favoriteSF backgroundis the Honor anclThg Mercenary. Theseare set in a
'Post Holocausvcatastrophy' and loanings.The Polarisis a starship,a cruisot
scenario.I think 'future history'wherethe U.S. with a Mro/elot of problems, the largestof which
and U.S.S.R.have
that's why I enjoyed cDw's TWItght m, and alliedin a tenuouspact to enforcepeaceuponthe is an extremelybigoteclCommand Group.The
wny my own novel was set in a similar worlcl,calledThe CoDominium.Mankindsome- prsdiuc,icehere being Terravs. anyoneelse.The
backgrouncl. Alternateuniversesare probablymy how managesto reachthe stars,in spile of the story line is simple, no flashy plot gimmicksor
next favorite plot gimmick, so Fergusonreally CoDominium'ssuppressionof any technolooy 'gge-whiz" techno toys; the attractionof this story
hookedme with this one! The backgroundis:\ /hat that might havemilitaryapplications, and is soon is how Perkinschooses to utilize basic human
if the Cuban missile crisis of 1962 had €nded about the normal human endeavorol trying to flawsand "commonplac€"SF w€aponryanctgear
differently?Thatis, what if, insteadot backingoff, subjugatenewworldsand eachother.The central in some rather novel ways. I really liked the
Kruschevand Castrohad launcheda first-strike? characterof both storiesis a man named John characterdevelopment;the people in the story,
What if that rcally nadhappenect,but in a universe ChristianFalkenberg,who's sort of a soldier's evgnthe "bad guys,' are real people.Downside?
parallel to our own. and ttle are about to blow
soldier;a tacticalgeniuswitha uniquegraspof the Perkinsseemeclto have a real fixation for full
ourselvesup in presenttime? Here's the zinger: forcesthat createhistoryand society. namesancttitleswhenwritingPolaris. I
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a

Mirth Of Yore is a prized collection of 92 fantasy It's A Gamer's Life is a collectionof 6O gaming 'toons,
cartoons,many never before published,by Darin Davis, includingworksfrom Jerry Fuchs,Joseph Pillsbury,and
Jerry Fuchs, Joseph Pillsbury, and Richard Tomasic, RichardTomasic,compiledby JamesB. King.Adventuring
compiledby JamesB. King.lf you'rea fanof fantasy,you'll in the variedrealmsof the hobby gets pretty serious.This
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$7.95.StockNo. 1001.ISBN0-9627030-0-1. $5.50.StockNo. 1002.ISBN0-9627030-1-X.
'r
I he game is as old as nations.lt relieson a
curiousmix of the newesttechnologiesand the
',
oldest senses.lts malhods rub againstths grain
of democracy,yet withoutit democraciescannot
survive."|fl is the businessol espionage,and it's
aliveandwellin AutoDuelAmerica.
The agenciesthat presentlyexist combino
some of the olclwith the new.Inlhe united states,
the NationalSecurityAgencycarriesout most ot
the U.S.'sint€lligenceactivities.(TheCIAis now a
smallpart of the NSA.)Canadahas the Canadian
lntelligence Service, Quebec has ths SCE,
Louisianathe Eureaulor SecretAffairs,and Texas
the Intelligenceand SecurityBranch.(Oklahoma
and Mexicoaretoo lragmenledto havecohesive
intelligenceagenciss.)
Theseorganizationshavein common certain
duties and goals.They are: advisingthe govern-
ment on intelligencerelatingto nationalsecurity;
nqaintainingcooperationbetween departments;
evaluation ancl communication of data; and
carryingout operationsand directiv€s.The last
partis what'sgamable.
Those "Departmentsof DirtyTricks'carryoul
the secret,dangerous,and daringmissionsthat
modern intelligencerequires.Theirwoft is often
violent, ancl their agents can be the victims of
both random and specificviolence.But the jobs
they cloarevital,so they simplygrinandendurs.
Most have some restrictionson their activi-
ties. In democracies,thgse haveto do more with
obeyingthe Constitution. In clictatorships,
restric-
tions coms from politicalfoes afraidof a sscret
serviceable to do anythingto anyone.The most
common rul6 preventsactionsfrom takingplacs
on homesoil.
Personnelare usuallyrecruitedout of college
or graduat€school. only tield agenls who are
expected to engage in combat come trom ths
military,and then only as commissionedofficers
with yearsot servicebehindthem.All fieldagents
go throughspecialtraining.Termsvaryfrom one
to threeyears.
EspionageIs Alive And
Texas is a specialcase in that many of th€
field agents come from ths Tsxas Rangers.In
ac,dition to a great deal of training, thoy have
practical knowledge ot dealing with the public.
Well In AutoDuel America
Howsver, Tsxas agsnts ranks low€st when
comparativestudiesof reportsar€made.
Robert L Col/ns
This lsads us to ihe least glamorous and
most important work operatives do: r€acl and
compils data. This varies from stealingsecret
documents to reading resoarch papers on Thal'swheretield agentscome in. They clo enemy officials,protect friencllyagents: all thg
agricultureto watching the local viscast news. things like recovercrashsddronss,do personal things that are ths stuff of spy stories. Theso
This can preclictwhen ths next war might come surveillanc€, and cultivatedouble agents.These agents often work alone. Most of their time is
ancl why. lt can msan the ditferenco betw8en agentsarebaseclin lield stationslocated in major spent with reports. They are told to avoid
success and failure ol an operation. Without it citiesin foreigncountri6s. violence,but they are the ultimateforce,th€ best
governments are unable lo make foreign policy Stationsagentsspend much of their careers of the best.lf they can'tdo it, it can'tbe done.
clecisions. 'on station.' Thoy have extensivs knowledgeof The new technologiesare a realhelp to field
Gathsring information has become easi€r local customs. Their cover is as members of agents.clones can assurethat thsy don't haveto
than it was duringthe cold war and before.The embassystaftor as employeesot a company's risk their lives.Micros can simulatethe mission
only way to gather data was to go where the data branchoffico. Thoughbetter protecteclthan lield while it's still being plannecl.The same super-
was and take pictures o( compile a report. agents, thoy are in constant danger ol being small cameras usecl fot surgery are also perfect
Technology has now made things easier,with discovered. for conducting surveillance.8ut this samo
satellites,drone aircraft,and compuler nets. But The covert action agents arg lhe mgn and technologyalso creates problems.Documents
thors ar€ risks. Many nets have securg or women who go behindlhe lines to do th€ special and lDs are much harder to forge. Melal and
classitied barriers to penetration. Drongs and jobs that can't be done by station people. Th€y plastiquecletectorsare at every airport.Insteadof
satellitescan malfunction.A probe over enemy get defectorsout, tak6 hard clatasurveys,kidnap men, remote cameraswatch borclers.Information
airspacecouldbe shotctown. on a cube can be disguisecl as a Pre-
 The rarestanclmosl worrisom€situationis ll allthis appealsto you, you may want to set
when an operationdoesn't have approval.The up an espionagecampaign.Running such a

ry reasonsvary, but must be excellent,and that

might not help.Operationswithoutapprovalare
campaigntakes preparation.will the playersbe
on station,or will they be in the field?who's in

& conctuctocl at groatriskto livgsandcareers.

After final approvalis the tinal planningand
charge, a playet ot an NPC? The number of
playersdoing the work won't be more than two.

J
fr
briefing.A tlightitineraryis clra?nup, documents
are made,and an escaperouteis mappedout. It
the'op' rsquirssmovingpeople,descriptionsor
holophotosar€ m€morized.Wh€n th€ brieling
ends, th€ opsrationsDirectorgives a personal
Then again,everyonecould rotate betweenPCs
andNPCsfrom adventureto adventure.
Therewon't be any lack of foes, unlessyou
play the Canadians.Not only shoulct thero be
plenty of action between the North American
7'
'rz brieling,andthe agentis senton hisway. countries,but who knows what ths Aussies,the
Clones are occasionallysent insteadot an Japanese, or the British ars up to (empire,
';',:' agent.ClonBsar€ used on suicidemissions,or anyone?).
missions when sscaps is an option, not a Sinc€f€w agentsmakgarests, few will hav€

dru
ry
requirement.Ths clone is programmed with
instructionsto give himself a massivecoronary,
tor example,if he is capturedor fails.Ot course,if
ths clon€ comss back,who gsts the crgdi?
LegalEntorcemgntPowsrs,and then only at the
s-point levgl.The wealth levelof most personnel
is Averago,but thoss from well-off familiescould
be Comforlable. All agents with military ssrvice
Becaussairshipshavesupercecled airplanss havsat leastthreelevelsot MilitaryRank.Last,th€
many nations no longer use planes to transport agency is a Patron that appearson a roll of 6 or

$
tu
their people. Air Force iets can go to a nearby
porl,whersa commercialtlightis joinec,.Taxiancl
bus ssrvices are also used, especiallywhen tho
missiongo€sto a smalltownorwildarea.
less.lt'sworth 12points.
AgentPCshavestrongDuties(-15 pts.).The
total Enemiesare not too numerous,won'l com€
afterthem untilthey'vedone something,and are
worth -20 pts.
Lt Passing through Customs is thg most
dauntingtask. This is when an aosnt's acting Two Advantaggs/Disadvaniagss PCs
ability, anctthe torgery talents ot tho ctocumen- shouldn't worry about are Appearance and
tation stalf, are put to the test. Usuallythe agont Reputalion.Agentsmust havefairlynormallooks
gststhroughwithno problems. to be abl€to tit into crowdsand allaysuspicions.
lf tho mission is a succsss, going back And only agents with long records will have a
throughCustomsis a biggerconcorn.lt's almost Reputation,and thenonly amongknowledgeablo
certain someone is looking for the agents now. agents.
The authoritiesmay havs dsscriptaons.lf th€ Common skills for agents includg Guns
agents are moving someone,their clocumsnts (manytypes),Driving(various),Survival(various),
may be checkeclmore thoroughly.This is when Disguise, Acting, Area Knowledge, First Aicl
l'-

ru
technology can help. Micros or holos can Climbin0, Tracking, Navigation, Parachuting,
misdirect.A quick clons can be mads or an swimming, Diplomacy,Fast-Talk,La1,vTactics,
MMSD programmed.But as long as human Demolition,Escape,Forgery,Lockpicking,Sha-
beingsman Customsstations,nothingworksliks ctowing,Stealth,and Traps.Other PC skillsmight
programmed cube. a bribeor dirtypicturesl comef rom militaryservicsor collggo.
A GM must usa common sensewhen c,aaling All th€s€ ctangersare tsmp€red by the fact Not€ that the skillslists will b6 quite long, ancl
with high-tech, but intelligence services will that they don't happ€n every day, or even every most skillswill needto be at leastat 13.100-point
alreadyhave the next advancein their hands.lf wesk.A full month can go by bstweenoperations. PCsin thiscampaignmightnot be fsasible.
holo proisctors exist spies are using them to And thsreare alwaysmor€ agentsthanmissions, Now tor a sample aclventure.'Run for the
sneakover boiclers.The same for psn lasers, so no one willwork back-to-back iobs. Bordef is basedon the Sandbaggers episode
stringtape,andeye camsras. Retrainingbecomes very important.Micros 'FirstPrinciples,'by lanMclntosh.
As you may realize,usingmicrosmay lsad to do help, but nothing works liks a workout. Sinc€
players'gaming out the game.'To avoidthis,limit stress anct bumout clo more damage than the
micro uso or apply a lot of the 'unexpectod enemy,no ong staysaroundfor more than three
RunFor The Border
glemenfto the realihing.
years bofors they €ither movo to a station, get
Hele's how a sp€cial operation proceeds. promot€d to a desk iob, or retirg.No one has on€ The Situation
The first step is a decision by the agency's ot those '(inal' retirement plans; thoy tend to Some six hours ago an Air Force high-
operationsdireclor to determine il the need for makeit hardto recruit. altitude spy drone took off from White Sands Air
oneexists.Once that's ctonea proposalis mado All the ctangersso tar cliscusseclare fairly Base, Nera/Mexico. CIA stations in Austin ancl
lo the ag€ncy clireclor.H€ may decicteagainstit. lethal. 8ut there are olher. lsss l€thal. mor€ OklahomaCity havereportectboth countrieswers
It so, the plan is droppect.But if he decides in menacing loes. They are the dreaded 'inter- moving troops along the Red River borcler.The
tavor ot the operalion, he will approach any governmsnt rivals,' the agencies whose furt dronewas sent to investigate.lts tlight path would
officialswhose approval or suppori is neoded.A sometimescrossestho agent's. td(e it north ot La\,vton,around Arc,more,south of
tormalpresentationto thg Presidentis made with Thg worst ot those opponents are agencies wichita Falls, then re-enter the us b€tween
allpartieshaving a say. ll the Presidentapproves likethe FBIWhen it was lirst establishsd, Lubbock and Miclland-Odessa. The drono wenl
the FBI
and ths cabinet concurs, ths mission gets not only chasedcriminalsbut alsotoreignagents down before it could cross th€ borcler ancl
clsarance. Final plans are made, anclpersonnel in ths US. This no doubt continues in AutoDuel crashed somerflherebetween Lubbock and Abi-
areassigned,brieted,andequipped. America.Thisiswheremostot the contlictlies. lene; it was not shot c,own. lts last reported
Assuming tho n6ed is obvious anct no turt position \ivasfifty miles east ot GrahamChapel(40
Otherassistance is easierto get, but in times
battlesoccur, the procsss td(es a moming or ot tighttunds,it oftenhasthe phrase'youowe us miles SE of Lubbockon Texas Highway9E). No
aftemoon.The agent or agsnts ars sent out by ons' attached. Stations ancl covert agents one was on boarcl. The data recorders were
dinner.However, Murphy's Law can ancl does packeclto survivea crashor fire.
somstimgshavetrouble gstting along,but try not
appear at lhese times. Somotimes, gettino to let itoetout.lf it cloessomeonswillgettired. The missionis to go in, recoverthe recorders,
approvalis an aclventureitself! ancl get all data off the drone. lf possible or
22
F
necessary,the clrone is lo be destroyed.The the authorities. (Turningover strangegaclgetsto forthem,butthat'snot too likely.
Texans don't yet know it's crashect.Unfor- ths copsmightget a respitetromthem.) Characterpoints are a\,vardedto each PC as
tunately,thatpartof Texasis banditcountry. Thsrewill be at leastt€n gang msmbersfor follows: 2 points for getting all ths clata out; 1
eachPC.Usethe "TruckStop' map tor the banctit point for getting part of the data out; 1 poinl (for
Working Out The Details baseor c,esignyour own (limit it to two buildings). the forgers)if the documentspass inspection:-2
The first problem is gettingin. Howeverthe Arm the gangwith normalweaponslikeSMGSor for not getting any clataout; -3 il anyono is left
PCswant to do it shouldbe okay,so long as they LAWS.A vehicle ratio of one bike for every two behind;- l for failingto dsstroythe plan€;and +1
head out from santa Fe (a five-houf llight has gang members and on€ car for svery twelv€ (or mora)for makinganctusingallies
beenarrangedby the USAF). maKessense.
Next they must get to ths scsne.Takingl-40
to Amarillothen T-9 to the scene might work,
Yes, the PCs havo explosivssto blow tho
drone. But it doesn't takg much to destroy a
FurtherAdventures
assuming no one asks why thsy're going to drone.(lt's possibleto use fuel or anythingelse Becauss the above aclventureis relatively
Lubbock.A bettertry might be to enterat clovis, trom lhe clrone as weaponry. Givo PCs a easy, it makes a good starting point for a
NM. Eitherway they'll have to convinceanyons character pointil theythinkot it.) campaign.other possibleadventuresinclude:the
they meetthattheirintentionsaregood. lf ths PCshavefreedthe electronicsfrom the body of an agentturns up, and the Pcs haveto
one way to go in would b€ to parachut€in bandits,the next taskis to get out. Depenc,ing on find out who killed him anctwhy; an important
and land within ten miles of the crash site.Ths how they did coming in anclwhat escapeplans ollicial go€s on an unannouncedtrip and meets
vouble with this is gettinga hotd of a ptanethat they made, their escape shoulclbe marginally witha memberof the oppositesex,and theyhave
movesslowenoughto iumpout ot. challenging.Hopefully they have good cover to prevent a snatch or a defection; a woundsct
After they're over the border they should storiesand haven'llost anv documentsor data agenthas to bs smuggledout of hostileterritory;
have some non-lethal encounters,liks prouct duringths battle. and the ever-popular'foreign ofticial wants to
Taxans, small time bandits, lawmen,or smug- lf thingsdictn'tgo w€ll the PCs are in troublo. defect andws haveto go get him' scenario.
glers.Any of these might providean ally,a clue, Gettingout with a partialset ot data might be Inter-gov€rnmsntalrivalry never explodes
or nuisance.Theywill alsotest the PCs abilitiesin easier, but won't make their bossas happy. It into violence; il's always a matter of out-
non-combatsituations. they'recaptureclby the gang,they'llhavetwo to lobbying, out-reporting, or discovering nasty
Once at the scene,the PCswill havea maior threehoursbeforethe gangconvincesthe locals things about your toe and makinosure the right
dilemma: th€ drone looks intact, but closer they have prisoners,and maybe anotherhalf- people find out. A top station agent may be
examinationrevealsthat it's beenstripped.All the houror so beforesomeonscomesto invBstigate. cloubling, but you iust can'tshoot him.You'llhave
datarecorclers aregone! ll at any time they lall into the hanclsof tho to do some legworkand see who's pullingthe
The record€rsand all the slectronicsequip- Texas authoritiesthe adv€ntureis over. They strings.Challengeyour players by giving them
ment on board were removed by a local bandit have been caughtspying,and will no doubt get aclventures requiringsomethought.
gang.They'retryingto ligursout what thsy have, the cteath penalty, or, it th€y'rs lucky, lite Good luck,watchyour back,anclprotectthat
ancl clebatingwhetheror not th€y shoulc,go to imprisonment. The CIAmightmakean exchangs pension!|

Voyages SF 15 ReaderSurvey
Reaclsrsars sncourageclto complete ths survey below. EithBr
photocopy this form or list the articlenumbers,with appropriat€
ratings,on a post card. Rate articles:Excsllsnt-4,Good.3, Fair-2, Trouble On DM-738
Poor-1, Not Read-o.Pleasemail completectsurveyby July '1,199't.
'l
for RoboTech
mini-adventure ll: TheSentin
_ commlink
The BunkerHillClassCruiser
2_ RecruitingFor Paradise
for 2300AD,with completeclass
A starship
3_ 20th century Air-To-Aircombat
vessellisting
4_ HeroesOf YesterdayAnd Tomorrow
Linkup
5_ words To Game By
Cyberpunk
fiction
6_ Espionagsls AliveAnd Well ln AutoduelAmerica
An Obvious And Gurrent Menace
7_ 23OOAD Ship ProfileAnd SizeChart
An adventure
for Merc:2000
8_ lcliots Oon't Drive BattleMasters
HelicopterCombat
9_ R€views
Optionalhelicopter
rulesfor BattleTech,
10 _ Graphicsand lllustration
includingstatsfor moderndaycraft
Ql: ls this issue bottsr than, as good as, or not as good as our last
issue? PlusCommlink,WordsTo Game By, and
Q2: hcluding yourself, how many people reac,this issuo?
Game Reviews
Q3: Ratingin order of preferencsthe most recentissuesof the
gaming maga2inesyou read, where would you ratg this
Don't miss VoYAGES SF #161
issus ot VOYAGESSF (1 is high)?
 23

2300 AD Ship Profile and Size Chart

Don W ,fftanks

T h i s p r o j e c ts t a r t e do u t a s j u s t a s i m p l e modeltailroadmodelets. You can pick up lsnow complele.

a i d f o r m y s e l f t o b u i l d m i n i a t u r e sf o r e i t h e r t h e t o u n d o r s q u a r et u b i n g . J u s t I carvedlhe .4conttclassfrigatc orrt of
playing Slar Ouiser I wasn't going for n r a k cs u r et h a t t h e c o r n e r sf i t i n s i d et h e b a l s aw o o d .I d i d t h e s a m ef o r t h e h u l l o f
m u c h d e t a i l o r i g i n a l l y .j u s t g e t t r n g t h e c i r c l e sf o r t h e p r o p e rs i z e o f t h a t h u l l the Erz'ter.btrt cut up an rndex card to
b a s i ch u l l s h a p ew a s s u f f i c i e n tO. v e r t i m e , s e c l i o nT . h e y s h o u l da l s o c a r r y " l " . a n d m a k e t h e w i n g s . W i t h t h e K a f e r s h i p s .I
m y d r a w r n g sb e c a m e m o r e a n d m o r e o t h e r p l a s t i ca n g l eb e a m sY . ou will also. have only managedto carve oul a Bt'la
d e al i l e d . m o r et h a n l i k e l y ,n e e ds o m em e t a lt u b i n g . c l a s sc r u i s eut s i n gm o d e l l i n gclay.
I n c l u d e di n D i g e s tG r o u p ' sM e g a T r a - ( F o re x a m p l cY: o u a r eb u i l d i n ga m o d e o l f I n t h e b a s i cr u l e s .i t i s s u g g e s t c dt h a t
veller Starship Operator's Manual lhc Ktvtned,t'.Thc crosspicce of the spin y o ( r r . r s eg o l f p c g s c u t t o s r z e f o r e r tl t c t
( v o l . l ) i s a s i z ec o m p a r i s ocnh a r tf o r t h e c a p s r r l crsv o u l db e a s m a l lm e t a l t r r b ea s s h i p so r m i s s i l c sa, n d p i n g - p o n gb a l l s a s
s h r p so f t h a t g a n r e .B r r t t h e y w e r c j u s t r v c l la s t h e n r i s s r i cosn t h e r e a rh r r l l . ) e n e r g ys o l l r c e sM. a k i n g y o u r o w n m o d c l s
b l a c ks i l h u e t t ew
s ith no surface detail. O n e o f t h e s i m p l e sn t r o d e l st o m a k c f o r t h i s g a m ei s a g r e a t i d e a .A n d I h a v e
A f t e rs e e i n gt h a t c h a r t ,t h e f o c u so f m y w i l l b e l h e , 1 n 1 o uc l a s sf r e i g h t e tJ. u s tc u t d o n es o r v i t h s o r n eo f t h e s h i p sp r c s e n t e d
c h a r ct h a n g e dt o t h a l o f e v e n t u apl r r b l i c a - t l t e p l a s t i ct u b r r t gt o t h c s i z - es h o r v no n i n t h i s a r t i c l e .B u l s o m e o f t h e d c s r g n s .
t i o n ,s h o r v i n ga t l e a s ts o m es u r f a c ed e t a i l t h e p r o f i l cs h e e t H . o l l o w o u t o r . r ce n d t o e s p c c i a l l tyh e K a f e r s h i p s .d c s c r v ct o b e
o f t h e m a f t p r e s e n t e dA. n o t h e r h o p e l u i a l l o w f i t t r n ga s m a l lB B p e l l e tT. h i s m a k e s p r o d r r c eidn n r c t a l .W o u l d n ' 1y o u l i k e t o
o u t c o moef t h i s a r t i c l ei s t h a t a m i n i a t u r e s ' A / p h a" b a t t l e s h t p
the bow of the vehicleT . ake a regular haveyour own metal
c o m p a n ya n d G D W r v i l l g e t t o g e t h e rt o h a n d h e l d h o l e p u n c h e rt o a 0 . 0 4 0t h i c k or hrrmanKc'nnefrclasscrtrrset?
ptodrrce a line of Star Ouiser ship s h e e t o f p l a s t i cs t y r c n e .l ' h e n g l r r e t h e 2J00 AD is not being supportedas
m l n l autr c s . r o r r n ds h e e to f p l a s t i ct o t h e o t h e re n d o f much as,4ftga Trarr'//t'ror Spact' /889 arc
T h e s i z e c h a r t d e a l s w i t h d i ff e r e n t the An1ou.This now becomcsthc sternof c u r r e n t l y2. J 0 0 A D p l a y e r sr v i l l h a v e t o
p l a s t i ct u b i n g s i z e su s e d i n m a k i n g y o u r t h e c r a f t .C a r e f u l l ys c o r ea r o u n dt h e t u b c b c c o r n em o r ev o c a la b o u t g c t t t n g p r o d t t c t
o r v nm o d e l sJ.u s tp h o t o c o p yt h e s r z ec h a r t t h e e n g i n ec o m p a r t m e natn d t h e t w o s i d e s r r p p o ri tn t h c f o r m o I m i n i a t r r r e( 2 s5rrrm
a n dt a k el t t o y o u rl o c a lh o b b ys h o p . c a r g od o o r sT. h c n d r i l l a n r o u n l i n gh o l ei n f i g r r r eosr s h i pn r i n i a t r r r c1sy) t. ' 1 .1 6 ( i l ) W
(io to the arca where sheetstyrcne t h e b o t t o mc e n t e ro f t h e t u b ef o r a s t a n d . a b o u tt h i s a n d l e t ' ss e cw h a t h a o n e n sI .
p l a s t i ci s k e p t f o r s c r a t c h b u i l d e r sa n d O t h e rt h a n p a i n t i n gt h e n r o d e lt,h e A n l o u

23OOAD STZECHART
24

KIEV-cls
Destroyer

METERS

Frigats
ACONIT-cls.
SUFFRENcls.Cruiser

Side EI3l
Top

SUFFRENLander(top)
r------- r^r
CAYUGA-cls
CloseEscort -J rJr
t___
Top
TULA-cls.Frigate LC--20ASF CombatLander
ft_J
lL_tl A Top
Side
UU w Bow
gT=|fr!--
u+=----i4l Side

@
Side

THOREZ-clsCourier

t\
R-clsUtilityStarship
STALHAMME

t r i t - I- II h I CIT-lllA-cls lnlerlacelransDort
lL_? V I Top
u-'---T-7- Top
l'/

r-
trl - F
Side
Side

K ILLIECRANKIE-clsIntruderScout
Top
Cut-Away
viewof Grav.Drum

lT\ _ stde
+ \:/'-

EXETERcls.-SDB ANJOU-cls
lreighter

E
Side
 25

RICHELI
EU cls.-Battleshio

METERS

+- bitatmodule
removedfor view.

HAMBURG--clsMissileCrulser
KENNEDY--cls
Cruiser

t TOP
SIDE

SIDE

KRUPPcls.-CargoCarrier BC--4cls. Freighter

Slde Side

CommandModule
withoutenginepods.

v . 1@ 2 1 m d i a .

VersionOne is out of the bookat'100mlengthand 21 in

diameter.lt doesn'tlookquiterightby the paintingsand
drawingsreleasedso far in publication.

VersionTwo is the samelength,but the spin habitatsnow

rotateat 30 metersand comescloserto the box cover
paintingon STARCRUISER.
v.2@30mdia.
26

YPRES-12cls.-Frigate

cls.-DropCargoCarrier
COMMERCANT

/^rr------r,r
<_ Bo*
rE_J
\./trt---'.....-
Top

U.S.S. IWOJIMAcls-A.ssault
SupportShip

carries(3)
FE-,
WP

r-*- *-2
\

Cancarry(2)LC-20s
in external
brace.

KONSTANTINE
cls.-Cruiser
Ft.BLISScls.-Destroyer

Bow on
view

NEWORLEANScls.-Liner HUDSON
cls.-CargoCarrier
 27

KAFERSHIPS

'BETA'cls- Battlecruiser

Top
TypicalBow Soction

o do
nTurrels
Side
BOW
BATTLECRUISER

"Delta"-clsBattleshiP FtrR
t___rP F
t+)
(---t E=::-

Top (AFT)Bow Seclion

-I-'_
| Fztfl
t. I I+--ZLJ
(-----1

ALPHA/ IMPROVEDALPHAcls.Batlleship

Top

'OSCAR'cls-TransPort
'EPSILON'cls-Cruiser wilh (2)
'LIMA'
cls-'Landers

Top

'OSCAR'cls-Transport

Side
Top

'LIMA'cls-
Lander

6n6nd-; Er![trtiD
fuqru-,r
Side
Top
28

Idiots Don't Drive

Battlemasters
Battletechfiction
by
Kevin Hodges

"ldiotsdon't driveBatilemasters." Presumably,the city was completelyempty. commlinksas, seconds later, crazy Bob came
"Whaf.)" But who believesint€lligencereports anway, burning back around the corner at full throtlls
"Battlemasters. You know, big tall things,lots righn lt was our lob to patrolthe city anclmake s c r e a m i n g ," H o l y M o s e s i t ' s a g r a g g i n '
ot guns?" sureth6t9would b9 no resistancewhen HQ was Bat'&y"(*lt'#'.-."The linkwent dead as a streak
"Yeah." moved. of red lit up our inlra screensand the clistinctive
"They don't let idiots pilot them. That's why Th€fivs of us madeup a prettyeffectiverecon off color of a Martellmedium laserunceremoni-
swarm tacticswill neverwofi. You know, some lance, my Hermes ll, Bill in his beloved Wasp ouslyvaporizedour compac,re.
people actuallygo for these swarmtactics...you (affectionately named'Killer'),Janie'sPhoenix Leavingthe restof us in stunnedsilence,Janie
know, Captain Mercer Ravannion'sinfamous Hauik,and a new kid by the nams of Jerome moved her PhoenixHa$/kinto a full run, yelling
'charge palotinganotherPXH-1. In the lead, as always,
of the Horde'? sure, those tacticslook over the comm as she streakedtowardthe alley
greaton paper,but l'll tell you one thing,and this was 'crazy' Bob Hillock driving lhat ridiculous so recentlyvacatedby our illustriousHellbreaker
is from the bottom of my heart, the tactic isn't Hellbreakerscout hovercraft. pilol, 'Computersaystrajectoryangleof 39.4.lt's
worth dr8k. We were doing ths standard grid pattern, got to be an Assassin.Come on guys, movet"
"Oh sure,what about thg successstoriesws crisscrossingthg city with our sensorson full She buzzedpast the dead streetlightsand leapt
hear every once in a while about a light lance active. Granted, the building structureswere over the holes in the pavementwhere some of
oveMhelminga largeropponentbecauseof their screwingwith most of what we had, drastically our straybombs had gotten an intimateview of
'...superior
speed and maneuverability...' well I'vg reducingsensorrange,but that's life in the big the city's sewer system.She must have hit the
got a storyof my own thatyou won't catchon any city folks.Th€ streetswere depressingly empty.I cornerat almost90 kph. She somehowmanaged
House newsnet,it's not gloriousor particularly got the feelingI was searchingthrougha ghost to make the turn and quicklydisappearedfrom
melodramatic. but it tellsthe truth.... town. Even th€ passiveelectricityhactbeen shut sight.
ott, leaving the city in a blanket of uneasy Cursingratherfluentlyin the realization that we
darknsss. were now forced to aclvance,I gava the order.
I was commandinga lightreconlancewo.king We were just passingtha remainsol a mini Jerome hacl a head start with Bill only a few
in conjunction with Lindon's company in the shoppingmall,apparentlyhit in one of our earlier metersbehind.lwas startingfrom a baclposition
Mariktakeoverof the SteinerDlanetof NewDelhi. aerospaceraids,when Janie picked up a small and they, consequently,had a goocl '120meiers
We had been assignectas advancerecon and h€atsourcea coupleblocksup. on me.
deanup crew in the recenfly evacuatedcity ot CrazyBob pulledaheadol us to investigate, We haclnot yet had radio contact from Janie
Salasville;l'llneverforgetthe place. gunningthe engineof his Hellbreaker to closethe but the way the buildings across the street wera
The city offerecl a great tactical advantage distanceon thooffenclingheatsignature. The rest lightingup I coulcltell somethingaMully big was
Decauseof its locationanctthe fact that DataDart of us cautiouslybeganwalkingthat directionas goingon downthere.
communicationshad a maior researchfacility 8ob, now more thanthrseblocksaway,rounded I was attemptingto raiseJanie on the comm
there.Not that we expectedthe retreatingsteinet the corner,out of sight.That'swhenthingsbegan when Jerome hit the corner. There was the
forces lo have left us much of anything of any to getout of hanct. unmistakable blus lightningof a particleprojec-
technicalvalue. Incoherentbabbls started coming over our tion cannon.The bolt caughtthe new boy square
 29
in the head anctin the resultingexplosionthere feet and super-heatectair was being expelled meltedmost of the front of my Hermes.There
couldbe no hope ol survival.Jerome'smechwas from herjumjels in a franticeffortto takeoff. she was a gapingholein my lefttorsowherethe PPc
still moving under momentum,but, without a got maybe thirteenmeters straightup when, in had connected,and the missileshad left the
pilot,much less the controls,it topplecluncere- the most incredible move I'veseena mechoilot actuatorsin my right leg flappingin the breeze.
moniouslyand tumbledanctsliclanother60 or so accomplish,the Battlemaster's left arm shot up Amazingly, I hadmanagedto stayon my feet.
metersand crumpledagainstthe fromtwallof city and grabbed the Phoenix Ha$/k'sright ankle. The Battlemaster advancect towarclme, negli-
hall.Anclin that slow motion semi-awareness of Janie'smechtwistedgrotesquelyas herjumpjets gentlysheddinglaserand chaingun firefrom Bill
battle,I could see the sparksof the melalon the triedin vainto compensatefor an 85 ton anchor. and Janie.Realizing that his firewas havinglittle
pavement,the llashingfire, and ripped support Realizing that if I dicln'tdo somethingsoon her or no effect,Billfiredhis jump jets and llew in a
mountsaroundthe writhingwires,stillalivs,insicle jumpjetswoulclgiveout, I launchedmy mechinto smootharc,cuttinghis iets at the top of the arcto
thelimomech. a tlying tacklecatchingthe Battlemasterin the build up full speedfor a deathfrom above attack
It was a credit to Bill that he didn't sufferthe knees.Bill apparentlyhad gotten the same idea on theunsuspecting BLR.
samefate. He manageclto fire his jumpjetsand and as I crashedheadfirstinto the legs of lhe Janiehad her chainguns set for autofireand
fly over and to the side of the exptosion.Bill's hugemechBillleapedoff the top of the building was stayingrightbehindthe Battlemaster tryingto
improveclview of things from the air apparently and camedown on the massivetorso behindthe divertits attentionwith steady laserand MG fire
gavehim a view of our adversarybecause,as I head. The combined lorce ol our collisions whileBillmadehisdescenl.
saw the brief flash of his own laser,one word causedthe Battlemaster to releaseits grip. The Billcamehurtlingout of the skyand ploughed
cameburstingfrom the comm,"Battlemaster!" resultingcrashwas d€afeningas the Battlemaster intothe Battlemaster's shoulders in a spectacular
39.4degreesat 67 meters,I thought ruefully, tumbledheavilyonto the pavement,pinningmy crash.Twentytons of flyingsteelis somethingto
the precise angle of fire from an ASN-21 rightleg and flingingBill a good eighteenmeters be reckonedwith,evenfor an 85 ton monster,but
Assassin...or a crouchingBLR*1e Eattlemaster. andonto hisback. it seemedthe Battlemaster, after a briel struggle
We were in cleep doo doo. Slowing my mech With the sudden release,Jane shot straight to keepbalance,merelyshruggedit off. Bill had
beforeI reachedthe corner,I huggedthe building into the airandwent downout of sightbehinclthe not so much crashedinto the BLR as bounced
andeasedaroundslowly.what I sawstoppeclmy buildingBillhadrecentlyvacated. off. The Battlemasterreacheddown and latched
heart. Bill'sWasprecoveredquickly,scrambledto its on to the Wasp'swrist. Droppingthe PPc, it
Janiehad apparently come aroundthe cornet feet, and began runningfull-out away from the broughtits otherfist down into the chestof Bill's
at high speeclanctran straightinto the extended Battlemaster.. Aftera momsnlof stunnedrealiza- mech, cavingit in and seriouslydisruptingthe
handon the awaitingBaltlemaster.The impact tion I began screamingafter Bill, struggling gyroscopehousing.
had severelydamagedher left shoulderand, valiantlyto pull my leg out from under the I startec,runningtowardsthe engagedduo but
understandably, left her on her touche. After massivebulkof the BLRandthen,in desperation, stoppedshortaswhat happenednext sent a chill
releasing, by the looks of Janie'smech, a full squeezedoff severalshotsfrom the autocannon down my spine. The Battlemaster stopped
frontalsalvothat had blown oft her rightarm,lhe intothe sideof themotionlesshulk. pummelingmy downed friend and grabbed the
BLRpilot had then held the PhoenixHalvkdown The fall must have temporarilyc,isablect the Waspby theupperlegwithhisfreehand.He lifted
with one hand, ancl,with her thus neutralized, oilot of the Battlemaster becauseit took several Bill,who was punchingfor all he was worth with
blown the head off of the late Mr. Jerome's secondsto finallyrollthe immobilehulkoff of mo hisfreeleft arm,off the grouncland over his heacl.
PhoenixHa$/k.The BLRpilotwasnow movingthe and to sland up. Janiehad recoverednicelyand With what must have been a colossaleffort, the
barrelsof the PPC lowarcls the head of the wasnowonlya few metersawayon the othersicle BLR hurled the struggling mech over lifteen
pinned,franticallysquirming Phoenix Hau/k to of the BLR, cauliously covering it with her metersbeforgatslammedheadlonginto a nearby
finish thejob. remaininglaser.Bill had duckedarounda slreet building.The Waspwent throughthe wall anctlay
Triggeringmy flamer,I haclthe satisfactionof cornerabout '150metersaway and was peering collapsedinside.A coupleof well placed laser
seeingthe top of the Battlemasterengulfedin carefullybackaroundat theinertform. shols from lhe Battlemasterbrought the rest of
orangefire as I brought my autocannonto bear The victorywas short livecl.As I broughtmy the heavilydamagedsix story buildingdown on
on monster,catchinghim in the arm holdingth€ autocannonup to its head.the Battlemaster's left top of Bill'smech,leavingme only a briefglance
particlecannon.Well,now that I had his attention, arm shot out anclgrabbedmy knee.using me as of his left foot visiblyprotrudingtrom the rubble
whatthehellwasI goingto do within leverage,the enemypilot rolledhis mech into a beforethe ensuingdust cloud obstructedall but
The Battlemasterraised the PPC and I only sittingpositionandtriggeredhis PPCpoint-blank sensorvision.
barelydodged enough to avoid gettingmy own at Janie's Phoenix Han/k. The bolt passed Well,callus cowards,but Janieand ltook that
headblown off. The blast insteadcaughtme on betweenher arm and her torso and the ionized as a signfrom God,turnedtail,and ranlikeLucifer
therightsideof my torso and the exptosionspun particlesslammedinto the buildingbehindher, himselfwas afterus.Probably,the only reasonwe
me violentv arorJnd I stabitizediust in tim€ to showeringallof rJswithdebris got awaywas becauscthc dust clouclrnadclaser
receivea full volley ol short range missilesthat Thrownonto my back,again,I twistedout of lirs all but impossible and the fact that lhe
caughtme in a diagonalpatternlrom my rightleg the mech'sgripon my leg anctthreeexplosions Battlemaster pilotno longerhada griponhisPPC.
to my left torso.Torquedin the oppositedirection rockedthe Battlemaster as all threeof us hit the I can't tell you how gladwe were to get out of
of what I had been compensatingfor, I lost nuge mech with three separatemedium laser there. Soon after that fiasco I retired and sold
controlanclhit the pavement. pulses.I followedthis up by mercilessly covering what was left of my mech to my company, and
The torso of the huge mech rotatecttowards the left sideof the BLRin fire from my olympian I've nevergone back to that goclforsaken planet.
me as I scrambleddesperatelyto my feet. I just llamer.Disappointingly, the damagehad little Janiestayedon though,and I heardshe'sgotten
managedto roll aroundthe cornerof the building effecton the Battlemaster's heavyatmorand he herselfa promotionand is runninga light recon
asa rapid-firepatternof laserfirehit the sicleof a gotto hisfeet. companyfor colonelLindonnow.
buildingand melted a stop sign a couple of Youknow,you neverreallyrealizeiust how big I suppose it encled on an uplifting note,
metersin frontof me. a Battlemaster is untilone standsup nextto you. I however,becausea coupleof dayslaterthey dug
The volleywas suddenlycut short as a series backedmy mech up into optimumrangefor my out Bill's Wasp. His cockpit had survived the
of explosions ripped through the alleyway. autocannonand,andhe was rotatingto faceme, collapseof the buildingand Bill, though a bit
Riskingmyselffor a look I bolted back acrossthe hit the mech squarein the centertorso. Yeah,I bruised uo was alive ancl had survived on
alleywitn my aulocannonon full fire. Janie had know.Of allthe placeslcould hit a Battlemaster, it emergencyrationsfor threedays.
takenadvantageot the ctistraction I had causect hactto be the centerlorso. They never caught that Battlemasterthough.
andiammedher remainingfist into the groinarea The Battlemaster completedhis turn and was Somehow he got back to his own lines and
of the Battlemasterand simultaneously triggered now facingrightat me. lt waswith extremeregret presumablyleft with the retreatingSteinerforces.
her arm-mountedmachine guns, temporarily that I realized that optimum range tor my l'll tell you, anyone who can avoid a prolongect
disruptingthe pilot's concentrationand torcing autocannonwas, coincidentally, optimum range pursuitin a Battlemasteris a gocl in my eyes. I
hisattentionbackto her. for his DonalPPC.Yeah,I know that,too. Never. nevereventoundoutwhatthe guy'snamewas.
My cannonfire missedhim completelybut I ever, stand in front of a Battlemasterat close
hadtimeto noticeBill,who hadjumpedon top of range.My foe wastemporarily obscuredin a flash So, that's why swarm tactics will never work
the building behind the Batilemasterand was of brightlight as he simultaneously lired all four againstbig mechs like that, because of the
openingup on its exposed back with laserand mediumlasers. hisPPC.andhisSRMsixrack. peoplewho pilotthat kindof mech.Don't mess
SRMfire. The wide spreadof the damagewas the only withtheelite,chummer.I
Janie had now managedto get back on her thing that saved me as the devastatingvolley
30

perishingin a new lce Age, sparkedby nuclear the life-giving machinery ot the unclergrouncl
Cadillacs and winter. In Cadllacs and Dinosaurs,the homeworld sheltersacceotecla Grith-insDired
ot mankincltlourishesin a newageof life.
view that man
also could exist in ecological harmony. Their
Dinosaurs ECO.ARMAGEDDON
imoortanc€to mankinct'ssurvivalhas colorscl th€
thinkingot the groups that rolurnectto the surtace,
The Roleplaying Game lnsteadof destroyingits worldwith a bang,as and now any plansto expandman's dominionon
in 7U4//ghtmO, mankindurges the world into a the planet are largely vis,ved from the point ol
144pg book.$18. lte zy ot changgwith its scologicalclevastation. ecologicalimpactratherthanprofit.
Unfortunately for mankind,this changetakss the Ol course, the worlcl they found changed
Oesign-' Frank Chadwick. coyer Artlsl Mar'(
form of violently dostructiveecologicaluph€aval some, too. A large number ot once-extinct
Schultz.htenorArtrsts.'MarkSchultr, Steve Stiles,
as the atmospherswarms with th6 greenhouso speciesol animalsanclsaurianshave appeareclin
KirkWescom,SteveBryant.
effect. the ics caos melt and shorelinesrecode the lastsix centuries,whilethe lanctis now marfted
Publlsher'GamaDesigners'Woftshop, P.O.Bos alarmingly.Aclcledto this are tectonic eventsof by volcanoes,shallowseas, anclstrangetropical
1646,BloomingtonlL 61702-1646. colossal size, reshaping the Earth's surtace. vegetation(withtemperaturesto match).Watch-
Mankindbarelyhasenoughtime to constructhuge ing the Rit6 of Springpiece from Walt Disney's
undergroundsheltersin geologicallysgcureareas Fantasia prettymuch describesthe topography,
CadtTlacs to wait out tho changs.This happensin the year flora and some fauna.Fortunatelyfor his suMval,
and Dnosauls is ths latest roleplay-
ing game using the rules from GDW'Spopular 2020. mankinclactuallymeets clinosaurswhen hs has
|ln/ght .m syslem. lt is based on the comic firearmsto protecthimselt.
CHANGES
series Xenozoic Tales, created and drawn by
By ths time men emsrgeftom th8 few shelters PROBLEMS
Mark Schufu. Liks its proctecassot,ftu/ight'.W,
left functioning,six centurisshavepassed.Somo Untortunatelyfor the dinosaurs and other
the game's background is based tirmly in a
ot mankinct'sviews have changecl,thanks to animalsroamingths planet,mankinclhas firearms
post-holocaust era, with mankind strugglingto
secrety associationwith a subterraneanrace to protecthimself. Some go beyond protectionor
suruivein a worlclevenmors insane(to the manon
known as the Grith.The Grithprsdalehumanity, shootingfor ths pot, as animaland clinosaurparts
ths str€€t) than the radioactiv€wastelandsthat anclhavs learnedlo live with natureratherthan becomevaluablecommoditiesand the practiceol
tollow world war lll. But, though the basic ictea
conquerit. Mostof the mschanicswho maintained poachingrearsits heacl.This is one ot the driving
behind both games is similat, Cadi/lacs and
Othosauc holds more hope, and is really more themes of ths comic series'drama, as the hero
which seem to
lights for the survivalot clinosaurs
b€lievabfe.ln ll+r/ight' 2@, everyons should be

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 3t

a fan of the styles of

Alex Raymondand the
immortal wally wood CADILI.ACSAND DINOSAURS:2.6
(one look at his women
confirmsthelatte4. GameComplexity:Medium
Thg art and concept
may be good, but
RULES:2.6
cadi//acs is an incom- Clarittl=2.7 Realism:2.S
pletegams.The book is Flexibility=l Playability:3
divided tairly equally
between background DEVELOPMENT:2-3
and rules, and dossn't Background=3 Technology:2
havethe soaceavailable Scenarios=2
lor the rules lnal 7l+r'-
//ght' .m has. Ths PRODUCTION:2.8
backgroundmaterialis CoverArt:3 lnteriorArt=3.5
good and I'm surethatit
is laithfulto the series,
Layout=2.5 Editing=2
but it is ratherlimitedin Charts=2.5 RecordForms:3
comoarison to the
backgroundsanclcam-
paign settingsprovidecl pagesat $20for the softboundbook. For an extra
in othsr RPGS.Perhaps two doffars, 7h4//ghlistwice the size ol Cad///acs,
a bit more development with a lot more rules. Perhaps Cadl//acsshould
could have besn pro- have been enlargeclto include all the necessary
vidsd by the author,in rules and ths price raisecla couple ot clollars.lt
collaborationwith Mafi woulclhavsbeenworth it.
schulE.As it stancls,the Cadi/lacs and Oinosaurs looks as if it were
campaign setting is hastilywrittenand asssmbled,without aclequate
ratherlimitedto TheCity time lor playtesting(no playteslersare listed)ancl
bea threatto hisown survival. in th€ sea, wassoon, and their outposts.Addi- solving little problems liks those I mentioned.
Of course,there ars other things PC heroes tional developmentwould have requirsd addi- Perhapsan erratapamphletcould be publishedin
cando besidssfight poachers.Littlsof the North tionalspace,butwouldhavabsenworththe price. Challengo Maga:zine, as adventuresfor the
American continenthasevenbeenexolored- the Likewise,the rul€s negdsd more space,and game ars sureto appearthere.I intend to try my
only two maior settlementsmentioned in the perhapsa bit morethought.I couldtindno rulefor hand at writing some aclventuresfor the game
comicseriesareThe Cityin the Sea(formerlyNew the effectol armoron handweapons- surelya myself.I like the icleasand concepts (although
York) and Wassoon (built on the remains ol knife has less effect on a clinosaurthan on a schultz'srabideco-viewol minimalintrusiongets
Washington,D.C.),with wildernessin between. human!Statstor tho M72LAWwereincluded,brut a bit old, like the "save the whales" businessin
There'sa whole conlinent to explore,with the the authordidn't bother to figurewhat happens Star Trek lY: The Voyage Home. I prefer
possibilitiesol meeting other tribes (including whenone hits a dinosaur.As it stands,a directhit consciously-managed wildernessmyself).
reportsof Amerind-liketribes in the interioO,ot with a LAW barelydents a dinosaur.While very on the whole,one thumbup, one thumb down.
tinding technological trsasures still buried in little of a LAW'Sdamagepotentialtranslersto a The game has promise, if GDW can patch the
sheltersover halt a milleniumolcl,of settlement personb€causea man r€allyisn't denseenough holesin it.
wars,of "thrilling adventuresin a world gono - crao,shee/ey
to maks it explode,a multi-ton clinosaurshould
macl!"as the cover states.And tryingto survivein havs the mass to causs a messy inciclentwhen
anenvironment literallycrawlingwithtoothy things the LAW hits. Criticalrulesfor combatwere left
thatinclud€manon thedinnermenu. out, small sections that
Cad///acsnas oossibilities.
Considerthe ideaol could have been added,
havinga bunch of /Verc.'2Mcharacters pressr- ancldid showup in chal-
ved in some sort of cryosuspensionor other lenge u17: The section
stasis dBls ex machna, to be reteasectby a on killing shots should
scavenging party in the year 2600+.or perhapsa have includeclthe sen-
group from 7l*/rght-'.m, (ationalizingthat the tence"lf th€ die rollis less
nuclearholocauslcauseda globalwarmingrathgr thanthe damagevalueof
than a 10,000year lce Age. Sincs the game the shot or the Small
systemsareinterchangable, this is possible(good Arms skill of the liring
luckgetting ammo for those caselsssrifles and character (whichevet
heavyweapons,though...). is less), the animal is
instantly killed." (Bolcl
EVALUATION type indicatesthe words
has possibilities.
As I fust noled, Cad///acs With lett out ol the rule in
a littlebit of work,a good gamemastercan makea Cadi//acsand Dlnosaurs.)
goodcampaignfor this game,and the playerswill AIso forgotten was the
certainlyhave to use their wits ratherthan their section on Target Size,
triggerfingers when confronteclby a multi-ton making hitting a prehis-
monsterfrom the CretaceousEra.Eventhe huge toricmonsterthe sizeol a
.460WeatherbyMagnum rifle, practicattya light truckas difficultas hitting
anti-tankrifle, has only a fifty-fifty chance of a man-sizedtarget.And
stoppinga Tyrannosaurus Rex with a good shot. what does the abbrevia-
Bothinternaland cover art are true comic-book tion "Blk" stand for in all
quality,somethingusuallylackingfrom game art the firearm listings?No
(gamecompaniescan't pay as welt as the comic explanation is evergiven.
industry). Ot course,the majorityof the arhvok is Cadi/lacs and Dlho-
takensvaightfrom Xenozoac Talesrcadiilacs sau6is 144pagesat $18. '/-
and Dinosaurs, done by Markschulu. schulEis 7114hght'2M is 280
32

- how theircharacters
wsre shapedanclknowwhat
EVIEWS
possiblechoicesand directionsthat are open to
Central Casting: ,n"i$,ou'."book,
f;]Sff,*'Ji.l.i,JH[f.1]
l.,lT,il"'X[,JJ,lf, Eye
rheFraminsincrudes
y,"Tf
j3,i,,i.:",:hg3l:?il.'J:FL:
Heroesfor Tomoilow llns*',U,,:l;#;T"",T;lHJ'S1ff
Charactercreationsystemfor "'l'l',ttl,iT.mier
inrhereview,
I rike I iffi".:il!|;:tHn[;JT]|,
thisbook. il"[ffi"ril',|:
sciencefictionRPGs boughtit.Ancrusedir.severar prayersintssrar vrand/vargrregion.As an adcredbonus, color
98 pagebook.$11.95. WaocampaignthatI playin haveussdit alsoanclI deck plansot the GaruClassType A2 Fat T'adel
think it improvedthe playsr charactersa bit. I arelocatedontheinsidecovers.
Oes!?n.'PaulJaquays. Cover Aft.'Paul Jaquays. certainly think it makes it easier to play my I founct Ths Flaming Eye to be a very
lntetfol4rt.'Paul
Jaquays,ZacharyJaquays. "SmugglerTringTo Go Straight."I now knowwhy safistyingproctuct.A lot of useful material is
pubrshe,raskForce
Games,
14s22
carvsrt
st, i:'ffi';1nfi,i:T^1J'rilt::l,lffil,t3!7,'X,
lj:i:,il::,J:,iiff:"ilt"::r:l#:-1:
vanNuyscAgl4ll prayerswirrbe vargr,and
nopecrthat some of the
casting.'He/,oesForromorow
G/enA//isonopportunitiesarerepeated|ypresenteC|where
Vargr PCs can apply the "alienness" of their
Heroes/orromorowwascreatedforthecharacter.|nteractionwithpeop|eo|Varying
purpose ol developing very complete back- rf
forscience
srounds riction
Rpccharacters
rtcan thg Flaming Eye il!ti,|i'fi3":J'Jn'i"'",f\:lil;ln ;if ill
be used tor NPcs as well as Pcs, althoughplayer
characterswirsetthomostoutorrhisbook
Campaign
Sourcebook ilil:iffillH:H1'J::y.:illillilJr'19Jil"1!;
The rule book requiresseveraltypes of clice:
d4, ct6,ct8,d1o,anctoZo.rn"intioo|.;;;;; ;pil; 104pagebook.$12.95(MegaTrav€lle4. the whole point ot the adventure- the costs'
how to adapt what you Sel_9ut-9t^I!s -thorn risks,and dange/ - is to help a singleperson or
favorilegame system.Yo, I yoyl Desqn.. cressman. Oeve/opment J. ontyasmailnumberofpeopte.Totopitailoff,rhe
u:e chl1s to AndrewK€ith,Joo D. Fugatssr., Nancypafter,Biil artworkis norhingshorro, exceilent.
.!?l
generalea charactercomp-letely lhe
ligt Yil:l^.1 Hezettine.cover Aftlst Michaetweavet. /nteior The Ftaming Eys is aweil roundedpackage
just to creats a background.f9l^l?Y1._"fi:Tt"l.
Aftlsts..Robcasweil, Tom peters, BtairReynotds, worthy to be on any Megarrave//eneferee,s.,buy
The charts cover all sorts ot tlrlgs:
lnlelestlns.
Culture ancl Social Status, Parents
JoeD.Fugatesr. list.', prayers wir be preased as weil. The
and NPCS,
speciar
Events
of chitdhood, ancr Pub/isheroisestcroup
occupations Pubrications,515
wiilow, :H"iH?#;S,"-:it": ;
Attilucle/Alignm€ntAll of your dice rolls and woodburnoRg707l' $.i*,i,11".L?it"t
decisions are recorded on the handy form ration, interpersonar,
etc. rf Digesl Group con-
provided.When it is fiiledout, you take fie harcr tinuesto publishsupplementsof this high quality'
dataandwriteoutyourcharacter,shistory. The Flaming Eys containstwo completg, MegaTnve//erisgoing to be high on the popular
nike rhe whote concepi;iihi; ;;i. tt is put linkablecampaign As a companion gameslistforalongtimetocome'
aclventures.
- Jamesa' Klng
togetherweffanctflows in a logicalp/ogression.I volume to Alien volumo 1, vilani and vargl,
also likecrthe fact that you ar€ remindedto use The Flaming Eyg allows th€ effective and
bookmarkstofindyourwaybacktothe|astchartSatisfyingapp|icationofth9in|ormation|oUnC|in

f:^T'#'3;'lHi:il:?',: lliff:f#lii,J;Xlil:*:Ii:ii1liiliiiii;
F"?"J''.Tf;: Mere 2000
and areextremelywell designedand thoughtout,
wouldbotherto evenmakethe suggestionandit's
virtuallyrequiringnothingmore from the releree Background
setting using Twilight:
a nicetouch
one of the nice things aboul Heroesis that you than readingthem beforeplay.Altsrnatenuggets 2000rules
clon't have to follow the chartil you roll something prsssnt sgveral optional scenarios to cover the
120pagebook.$16.
you don't like. Just pick somethingelse or roll
again.The idea here is to build a backgroundfor Design' Loren K. Wiseman. Couer Arltst' Bob
your characterso yog lrnon n*hathe/sh8 is like - Laken. /ntenor Arttsb: Tim Eradstreet. Grant
not to force the characterinto a random mold. I Goleash.
used the book as a catalyst to start the creative
PublisherGameDesigners'Workshop,P.O. Box
luices flowing.There is one possibloclrawback, 1646,BloomingtonlL 61702-1646.
though.You can get reallywrappedup in detailing
your character'sbackground.I think I spent 6-8
hours thinking and witing out the detailecl Merc: 2OOOis an alternatshistorysourcebook
backgroundfor my character. for GDW'S lrirqht-' ,m. h this presentation a
Thare were some things I clidn'tlika. ln ssveral World War lll nuclsarholocaustctoesn'thappen.
placesI creatednumbersand got informationfor a Instead,the politicalsituationclevelopsso that by
term whose definitionwas not as clear as it coulct the year 2000 a serigs ol small wars, political
havebeen.An examplewas this crypticphrase:" uprisings, and terrorist activities are occuring
1028: CultureGoll a d10O+ TekMod)."I linalty continually.Political grudges, borcler disputes,
tound out where to gst my TekModbut it took a and unrest are everywhere.Mercenaries are
while.Actually,lwent backanclreaclthe directions needed constantlyto supplementand support
a littlemore closelythan the firsttime and I found anyonewho needs them anclhas the money to
out what and where it was. Bul Hercescodd nava pay for that support.
helpecta bit more by giving a separatesection Merc: 2OOOuses the nrTight' 2ffi (ules.
devoted to the care and feectingof TekMods, Exceptlor someminorrulesadclitions, gamerules
FutMocts,CuMods,SolMods,BiMocls,eic. Somo are not inclucledin llerc: 2OOO,but requiresthe
of the artwofi was not very good, either. But useot lU4light'2ffi.
Iememberthat the chartsarewhat this rule book is Thorsis a lot to like in this book. The halttone
allabout.Thegood artis just icingon the cake. art by Tim Bradstreetanct Grant Goleash (22
I like Heroes a great deal. Playorscan croate a pieces) is great, although almost a little too c,ark
cletailedbackgrounclfor their characterwithout a for my taste. The maps are done well and the
lot of struggting.lt's easy - just roll the ctic€and cartographerdidn't try to cram too much onto
follow clirections.But refereeswill like this book eachmap (thisprobablyexplainswhy thereareso
also,becausethey can createcletailedNPcs with manyof them - 38 to be sxact).which helps for
little or no fuss. And becausstho playersknow The FlamingEys afl copr. lS Digostcroup Pubns
 Eltll" ^"33
EUlbrr.
My only complaintis that the rules are written
for operatinglightvesselsonly. It your playersget
Tramp Freighters a vesselof mediumsize(as my playersaspir€to),
you'llbe alteringthe rules.
Galaxy Guide 6: Free-tradersin tbe The sgconctportionof the book is a campaign
StarlVars Universe sgt in the 'Minos Cluster,'an lmperialbackwater
wherebolh the Empireand the Alliancehold less
80 pagobook. $13.
sway.Th8 campaign can be playeclin two ways:
Desgn.'Mark Reinhagen,Stewart Wieck. Covel the PCs are not yet members of ths Alliance
Art'Lucastilm Ltd. lntenol Art'Allen Nunis. Rob (which probably means startingwith new charac-
caswgll. ters)or thsy arehuntedtelonswith a high priceon
theirheads(succassfulmembersot the Allianc€)
Pubhsher west End Games, RD3 Box 23.+5, rr/horun to the Minos Clusterlo hide, basically
HonesdalePA 1843'1. losingtheir rebelcontactsfor a while.Eitherway,
the PCs aro fres to conctuctthemselvesas tree
traclersand, just as important,must fend entirely
Tramp Freaghters is a long ailaited (at least for themselves.Events in the campaign slowly
by ms) supplementthat providosrulesthat have bringths needsofth€ Rebellionbackintoplay.
boen negdedsinca shortlyatter the reloaseot .trA. Informationabout larv and ordsr (crime and
waE.' rhe RPo back in 1987.As I statsclin 'Long punishment,the lmperialperspective)and allother
TormStarWars,'in Voyages SF #12, ,StbrWaE sunclryways in which lradersmust deal with th€
neecledtrade rules ancl starship opetation rules lmperialburoaucracyin the clusteris incluclscl(so
with data on the various costs. This book even muchlor avoiding|mperial'entanglements'- yes
gets rid ot that rediculous rule that rsquiros a its true,thesethingssullythe satisfying,carofres
player to €xpend skill points and mon€y to lifa ot a tres traclergvenmolo than clopitates).This
improvestarships(well,the authorssay that rulo is canbe alteredto usethroughoutthe Empire.
ignoredin tho campaignincludodin the book,but I Tramp Ftoaghte.s is a book I have long
doubt many gam€rswould roally go back to tho wait€dfor. I placa its importancoto the succ€ss of
previousrule). my own campaignabove most all other Shr Wars
Rulestor speculativetracling(the risky venture supplsments, includino lhe /mpena/ and Febe/
of buyingand sellingyour own cargoss)and drop sourceboolc. lt gven provid€s some examplgs,
point deliv€ry (hauling for agreed upon te€) ate beautifutlyillustrated,of vessels that the players
provicled,as w€ll as rules for the more lucrativs can usg to c,esigntheir own, most of them
(and far more risky) black market. As PCs are modifiectf.om the standard stock lighl freighter
harctlylikely to hav€ ihe cash to purchasea ship (one of my owfi playersoriginatlypt€tetscl not to
outright and banks shy away from loans for light have a stock light freighterbecauseol too much
freighters,rules for wofting with loan sha.ks are familiaritywith the MilleniumFa/coti.
incluclecl(as a refer€e,this section suls brought a star wa6 gamemasters,you've got to have
smileto my lipsl).Ruloslormaintainin0, moditying, tlis book.
and rspairinglighi freightersround out the rules -Jamesa.Kthg
3
section. Th€se rulss ars very succgssful in
accomplishing what was intended, and still
tl
maintainthe atmosphe(e ot Ste WaE.
o

o
o

clarity.The equipmentdrawings(41 illustrations)

are{inebut a bit plain.They do show all necassary
details,though.I also like the ten briet actventures
provided.There are plenty of ideas to get any
rolereegoingwith littletrouble.
Thereis litflethai I dislikehere.lwish therewas
a littlemore materialto it, but then, I alwayswant
more,more, mor€. Also, I thought ths section
titlecl"The Worlclof 2000" was a bit too briet. 't.25
pagesis not much to givo any detailto the stateof
theworlc,in 20oo.And it is too bad that you need
another$20game to reallyplay this one.
lf you are a referee ancl you alreacly have
|loligft.m, you woutd do well to gst this book.
Theextraequipmentand newrulesareusefulev€n
in a post-holocaust worlcl.lf you would rathernot
dBalwith the resultsof a nuclearVVWlll anctdon't
want to do the woft to r€creatg a new and
beliovablepolitical situation bt n+rhght. m,
thenthisbook is for you.
- C/enA/l'on
TrampFreighl6rsarl copr. lS LucaslilmLtd
 34

Armored Reserves
8Cpg book, 1 sheettull-color counters(180)$15
(ArmoredAssau/t).
Deslgn.'fony Van Liew,KevinBarrett.Cow,Art't
Jim Burns- /nteiol At'ttsts.' Paul Yeh, Darrell
Midgette,Ted Dinwiddie,EricBruns.
P.o. Box 1605,
Pub/Bhervon crown Enterprises,
CharlottesvilleVA 22902.

Insidethis supplementyou will find 30 vehicles

of various kinc,s,4 suits of Powered Armor, 6
Aerocraft,and l0 Scenarios. Also includeclfor your
Infantry Weapons of U.S.S.Hampton readingpleasureis a sectionon optionalrulesfor
ths ArmorectAssault boarclgame:coaxial gun
the World 12pg booklet,6-11x 17dockplansheets.$11.95
(23@AD).
mounts anclskirtinohillsfor bettsr protection when
on the move.
10.tpg book.$12(7b4//ght'.w).
Deson.' J.R. Tenopir, C.W. Hess. Coyer ArtisL' The vehicle and suit renderings are nicely
oestgn. Lot@nK. Wiseman,FrankChadwick.coyer William H. Keiln. lntenol Ansts. J.R. Tenopir, clstailed.You know what these items look like,no
A/ttsl: Sleve Venlers./nlenorAn 3 ts.'KirkWescom. stewartJ.chactwick,williamH. Keith. question about lhal. The presentalion of tho
Stev€Bryant. vehicleinformationis also goocl. Everythingyou
PubhsherSee\erGamingSystems,P.O.Box 519, need to know about thesepiecesof machineryis
Pub/isher Game Designers'Wokshop, P.O.Box Mtn.HomslD83647-0519. thers.The set-ups are short but clearand victory
1646,BloorningtonlL 6'l702-1646. conditions are easily understooct.Each scenario
alsoincludesa diagramto show how to lay out the
U-S-S. Hampton is a set of deck plansin maps provicledin the ArmoredAssaultgame. lt's
Intantry Weapons of the World is a 25mmscaleot an AmericanSpaceForce3700ton abouttime we got this supplement.Some peopls
compendium of small arms lrom handgunsto d€stroyer €scort. Th€ package includ€s ship havea hardtims makingthe vehiclesneedec,tor a
healy machineguns-lt is a handbookbt fwllght' description,shipstatistics,shipstatussheet,class good gam€anctthe ones providectget staleaftera
m znd Editldn, but is usable wil Merc: 20@. historyand a listingof the vesselsot the classand while.Thereis a nicemix of itemshereand a lot to
Cadtl/acsand Dinosaus, and Dar'l(ConsptTacy,as thoir current disposition.Ten paper figures in choosefrom.The scenariosareeasyto set up and
th6s€gamesuss ths Twilight:2000rules.Although 25mm scale are also inclucled,as well a short there is some varietyhere as well. But there isn't
pioco ot fiction sst aboard a Hampton class €nough. I want mors -- MORE! I gst tired of
vgssel. making these vehicles up and I coulcl hanclle
These deck plans are nicBly drawn anc, the anothersupplementot this type. I think the next
detailsare easilydisc€rnsd,but they would bs one ICE produces should incluclea couple of
easierto use if the planswors printedon a single differentmao sectionsto add to lhe others trom
shest and inssrtedin the book insteadof printed ArmoredAssault.
on six smaller shegts. Ths smaller schomatic It you playArmoredAssaultyoushoulclbuy this
drawingsof the vess€lar€ alsowell done,but the mocluls.Youcan use this moduleevenif you don't
paperfiguredrawingsarerathsrpoor.As thersare playthe boardgame.It you play spaceMaster,you
no fsactminiaturesavailablslo( 23@ AD, it's loo haveall you reallyneed for rulgs,and the material
baclthesepaperfiguresaren'tof betterquality. herefits right in. ll you play a difterentgame, you
The qualityot the deck plan dra,vingsmake might tak6 a look at this moctul€anyl'vaybecause
th€m desirablefor play, but the packageis a bit the vehicledra\flingsare good and the information
priceyat $1'1.95.Still,if you'rsa dedicated23mAO provided is detailed enough to allow you to
fan, thB price probably won't bother convertthemto whatyou argusing.
you. - O/enA4t3on
InfantryWeaponsol lhe World an copr - Jamesg. Kthg

svfffg vt $tgsq giliilgs qtv flrLruuvv ill tmtgttta.

mOO, lnis book is still a goocl purchase, as it

includessome changesin the weapon ratingsto
removB inconsistenciesand add realism.A few
new rules are also includecl,and the Gow staff
eveninclucledtheirformulafor ralingweaponsancl
ammo cartridges,in ths eventthatyou wantto use
a weapon or cartridgethat is not includsdin the
book. A price list and availabilitychart is incluclecl,
with separateentries for lv4i/t?ht'Mand Merc:
.m.
This is a very useful book, and not only for
GDW'sgam€s.As allweaponsare illustrat€d, and
very well at that, this book could bs quiteusefulin
any game usingmodernweapons.Becaus€of the
art quality, this book would even be ol intsrest to
nongamingweaponsenthusiasts.
-Janesa. Klng

ArmorgdRoserv€sart copr. lg lron CrownEnl

 # 1 0 1 5- $ 11. 9 5 # 1 0 1 6- $ 11 . 9 5 # 1 0 1 9- $ 1 1 . 9 5
Gazelle-Close Escort SDB& JumpShuttle Subsidized Merchant
Add some Excitementto your Gaming Adventureswith DetailedStarshipDeck Plansin 25mm scale
 (--ln
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