Note to consistancy freaks on Dreadnaught. Yes, I know that a matter /antimatter 8MA drive is impractical (you need to convert 33,000 tons of mass into energy to accelerate only 1000 tons of mass, the photon blast would be ten times the power the sun gives to the earth so if one the millionth of that reaches the vessel as waste SPAEE GAmER heat it would immediately evaporate, etc., etc.) But the other "respectable" drive lying around Issue Number 3. $1 was the Bussard Ramjet (if you haven't heard of it read Tau Zero by Poul Anderson) and that has to be cylindrical. Note the sphere has practically no blind spots. You could have a Bussard "ferry" to cart DN's to the star but that would needlessly complicate the game. Oh, well! •••.• Winchell Chung 1

/

:t.

Diameter: 450 feet Mass: 50,000 tons

A) artif icial gravity and gyros B) ship control C) crew quarters and misc. D) gunnery control E) ammunition F) supplies and life support STELLAR CONQUEST battle scene: G) ice and fuel (auxilia ry shield) Lone Dreadnaught battles an Attack group. H) planetary attack weapons I) matter /antimatter photon drive Winchell Chung jr. J) electromagnetic weaponry K) missile silos L) engineering deck M) planetary attack control N) planetary attack cowling, mirrored for focusing of photon blast 2 3 WHERE WE'RE GOING wants a low price. However, the con­ even if we don't get a single other sub­ sensus se"ms to be that subscribers scriber. At least four TSG's will corne Customer Service: There's no way Ih. SPAEE IiAmER want us to do m.ore, even if the cost is out in 1976. We will also publish at around the fact that we were three a bit higher. $5, with a $4 renewal least one staff game design and one out­ weeks late with TSG #2, four weeks price, is still pretty cheap (try it in side design. That represents the bare late with THE YTHRl, and about a week 1967 dollars), but it will allow us to do minimum we can do in our conservative late with this issue. Business opera­ Number 3 $1 a few more things. Most improvements cash and carry approach to future tions should ideally be invisible to our will corne with a larger circulation planning. The Space Garner is published by readers. Quality output should appear forcing our unit cost down and our in­ Much more likely, even in a very on schedule, plop, plop, plop in your Metagaming Concepts quarterly and is creasing experience with publishing a conservative scenario, is that we will devoted to SF&:F gaming. A six issue mailbox without you having a second zine. We'd like to grow up to the visual roughly double the size of our customer thought as to how it got there, except subscription is $5, renewal $4, in the impact of some of the better-done s-f base and business during 1976. That that you wanted it. We failed that this U.S. and Canada only. Contributions zines with a variety of material. For means we have to put our business op­ fall and excuses don't help. earn 1/2 ~ per word cash or 1 ~ per you garners who aren't familiar with s-f erations of producing and processing on word purchase credit. What has happened is that our work zines, you donlt have any idea how poor­ a more professionally efficient basis in has expanded faster than available time. ly put together some of the gaming zines order to reach the goal of 'invisible' Copyright 0 1975 by Metagaming That accounts for, but doe.sn't excuse, really are. customer service. We'll have to do a late TSG's. THE YTHRI was sub­ Concepts. Printed in U.S.A. Another pricing issue concerns our bit of mental juggling to keep TSG in­ stantially finished in the summer and discounts. No, we aren't giving them furmallya possession of our customers CONTENTS set aside for later publication. When up! It's just that some publishers don't while striving for Vulcan-like efficiency it was pulled out in September we saw offer wholesale terms and shipping ar­ in operations. But, we I re starting to 2 ••• Where We're Going it with fresh eyes and couldn't resist a rangements attractive enough for us to be able to juggle garner and s -f fan Ifew· improvementsD Those 'few· im­ 4 ••• The Escort Illusion carry their games at a discount. This needs in the same zine, so we can pro­ provements rapidly escalated into a Edward C. Cooper is particularly true of SPl and Avalon bably manage efficiency and informality full-blown revision of the game and a 7••• Two Views of the Future Hill boxed games. The lack of favorable too. If it's true that we're all a little rules re-write. It isn't that the game Neil Shapiro discounts plus the mailing and handling schizophrenic under the skin, then may­ wasn't good as it was. Seeing it again 10.. Ignoring Einstein and Newton charge for boxed games is just too be we can put that to work for us in a after a lapse just made some changes Scott Rusch much to allow a discount to our sub­ kind of split-personality approach. Or, seem right to make the game do what 12•. Letters scribers. TRlPLANETARY is another rnaybe there's nothing contradictory at we wanted, only more clearly. 14,. S-F Gaming News IPlugs game we'd like to carry, but our dis­ all in easy-going informality hand-in­ Delay just isn't good for anybody. IS•. TSG #2 Feedback count is just not favorable. Economic s hand with diligent efficiency. Hope so! But, in this instance, the basic game 16 •. Review: Tunnels &: Trolls is the main reason we do not sell some Everyone is sure to note the number system has become even cleaner and Brant Bates games. The other chief reason is that and variety of contributions this issue. simple; optional rules were added; we 17 •. Review: Star Probe some games arenIt well done and we We hoped our reader participation goal got the well-conceptualized Winchell Edward Cooper feel it unfair to offer them as if they would be achieved, but it's the kind of Chung rules cover; and we saw how we 18 .. SF &:F Game Rating s were reasonable quality. Another fac­ thing you don't know 'til it happens. could do two-way die cutting on the 18 •. Review;War of the Worlds II tor is that after we carry a game for a Even though we goofed printing the l~ 12~ counters from the War of the Wizards David Redding while, the volume of orders for it slips rate in stead of 1 12~ Il~, we're sure to game. You end up with a better game, 19 •. Review: Siege of Minas Tirith and it begins to be harder to justify the get a lot of variety, imagination, and more for the same money, from the Larry Pound discount to you. thoughtfulness in material. TSG ~ delay. We'll still try our damnedest 20.. Review: Battle of Five Armies In the feedback this time we ask if your magazine in many ways and weill to be on schedule in the future. A s it Larry Pound you'd be willing to buy some games frorr hang loose as we'd hoped. is, we're very proud of the way THE 21 .. Review: Alien Space us at full or only nominal discount, like There's no editorial this issue. May­ YTHRI turned out. Now we know a Steve West 50/0. If you are, then it means we can be "if you canIt say something nice, cooling -off period makes for better 22.. Eldon Tannish: Part 3 eventually offer very good s -f game s on don't say anything at all" is a sort of games. the market and make TSG truly the only editorial comment all in itself. Edi­ Pricing: With this issue we've de­ Editor: Howard Thompson thing an s-f gamer really needs. When torials will appear in later issues, but cided to go to $5 for six issues of Some interior illustrations by you buy from us by mail, you would get not necessarily in everyone. Weld like TSG, with a renewal for six is sues at Paul Jaquays at least the same price as other mail to make 32 pages or more in 1976 and the $4 rate we'd already announced for dealers and you'd be directly helping a maybe go bi-monthly as early as next Our cover shows nine Attack (ATK) January oneD Current subscribers as strictly s-f&:f operation. We will still fall. Right now, about all we're looking class ships battling an enemy Drcad­ of December 1, 1975, will be allowed to offer out 15'\'0 or so discount for every . forward to is a year-end breather to naught (DN). The DN has so many beam extend their subscriptions for an addi­ game we can buy economically. What let 1976 have a chance to gell in our projectors it emits a plane of energy, tional six issues at the $3 rate until will probably happen is that after we've minds and to catch up on some of the rather than a needle. Most of the ATK' s December 31, 1975, as long as you don't carried a title for a while, the 15'\'0 dis­ really great mail y'all send. See you beams are being dispersed by the DN's go for more than issue number 20. count may slip to 10% to reflect the cost in the new year•••. good gaming! protective forcefield. The stardrive por­ The last issue number of your subscrip­ of handling smaller volumes of more, tion of the ATK' s is detachable for grea­ tion appears in the upper right hand cor­ different game s. ter maneuverability. The Attacks shown ner of the mailing label. 1976: Only a few things are really have probably parked their stardrives a­ We wanted a fairly inexpensive com­ definite for 197b right now.· We can con· round a convenient planet for later re­ munications vehicle in TSG and everyone coveryc tinue TSG at least as good as it is now 4 5

THE ESCORT ILLUSION he is economically prepared to have other colonists venture forth in the forth. (Reprinted from Kelly Moorman's coming turns without crippling his pro­ Interstellar News copyright 1975, with duction. Why with a little bit of risk. a his permission.) player can up the figure of 100 IU's even more. He also has the ability to send One common, recurrent flaw on the constant probes (weak Ileets--mostly part of most Stellar Conquest players made up of escorts!) deep into enemy is to under estimate the value of the territory to keep other players off Escort (ESC). Why is still a mystery to balance, causing them to divert IU's me, though I have come to attribute it from industrial buildup into defense. to two basic oversights. I think players Thus. the off balance player's industrial become too anxious for rapid military potential is never fully realized. buildup and perhaps neglect fine detail To avoid this problem. the ESC must in trying to be farsighted in looking become the workhorse of a player's fleet ahead to future production years. In the until such a time as ATK research (35 case of the latter, it is good to try and IU's) can be pursued without seriously be farsighted in a society level game damaging a colony's chance for survival. such as SC, yet SC is also a game of Even when your first ATK IS are built. much detail. Failure to recognize this it may be wise to hold them in reserve. has cost many a player his position in either building up for a first strike or the game. myself included. trying to convince your opponents you It's interesting to note, in reviewing haven't achieved that level of develop­ past games with other players. there ment yet. appeared to be a distinct lag in produc­ Still. there are those who ask, "but tion around production years four and why the Escort?" To theml ask, "Why five directly associated with over not the Escort?" expenditures for advanced shipping in The Escort is the most versatile of the early stages of the game. Players the three types of ship; possible in spending their IU's for Attacks (ATK) Stellar Conquest. A lot of players dis­ during the first and second production agree. charging that the ESC is too apt years did not have the chance to increase to destruction by ATK's. These players industrial capacity to maximum effic­ have once again failed to see the tactical iency later on. Developing industry too advantages involved. especially in PBM late can be a waste of IU' s that could be games where only another player's spent for better things. Remember, it 'presence' is given arid not how many takes four production years or 16 game ships occupy a star hex. They also turns for new industry to pay for itself have not examined the laws of probabil­ in terms of IU output. With wars possiblE ity as well as they should. as early as production year four or five You have the ideal scout in the ESC many players find themselves over­ traveling solo. ESC's can explore star whelmed by players who invested in systems with the option of holding them industry early. In the early stages of the from other players I development. an option denied the unarmed Scout (SCT), (Two Scouts, with an Escort for game where contact is restricted, and can scout opponents defenses able protection, investigate a new planetc because of the Ship Range Limit (rule to strike immediately at weak spots. An Illustration by. Winchell Chung Jr.) 9.1.1.1), a player who obtains Improved Industrial Technology (IlT) almost SCT can only relay information of Ed Cooper raises the interesting immediately and builds mostly industry promising conquests back to base and wait for warships. The delay often ~ .~~ ViEy-! question of how much an Escort is capable producing significant war \\ '" D allows the defender time to reinforce ',\.-- .,~' -0-1 in Stellar Conquest is really material just when war is most likely. = ..~ his discovered outpost before the attack S(r"~"\·JeT5 worth. The lowly ESC seems to Even though a players initial IU's went force can arrive. The ESC posing 'as Z-..~'l\

here again eliITlinating undue risk. this follow s: TWO VIEWS OF THE FUTURE, area of the sphere which could be either Sure, the A TK or D readnaught (DN) can 8.3340/0 (initial 1/12 probability) STELLAR CONQUEST and STARFORCE nineteen hexes below or above the map. do this, but, let's face it, hardly any +9. 67 % (initial roll subtracted from sels hexes are more conventional, players delegate theITl to such a task. total rolls divided by three STELLAR CONQUEST (hereafter re­ and represent simple planar distance Yet it is a task which has to be done. converted to a percent) ferred to as SC) and STARFORCE (SF) between the gamels star systerns o Another ESC advantage is it's by far +ll. 500/0 (third probability) both approach the idea of a far flung However, the gaITles are attempting the cheapest vehicle space. on a per­ stellar society froITl quite different view two different siITlulations. For SF to forITlance to price ratio. The ESC cost 29.5040/0 (total probability of one of the points. The differences lie not only in have used SC' S conventional hexes is 8IU, the ATK is 20IU. Taking re­ three ESC's hitting the ATK) game ITlechanics but in the underlying would have been terrible. Had SC'sde­ search cost into account your first ATK philosophical assuITlptions without which signers tried to turn their own ITlap in­ costs 55IU, a considerable SUITl. The Note this is only 3.830/0 less than the the games would be nothing ITlore than to a "sphere" then the gaITle would have standard argueITlent against this goes 1/3 probability of an A TK hitting an ESC. pieces of cardboard to ITlove lifelessly wound up being unplayable. something like, "an ATK has twice the This ITleans that the ATK has 1/4 of one about a flat playing surface. SF is designed for the budding Star­ destructive potential of an ESC, two number more chance of hitting the ESC, Before we exaITline the philosophies, Fleet Admiral (or telesthetic, but ITlore possible die rolls for hits cOITlpared to a ridiculously small amount. And now let us take a look at the ITlore visible about that later). Metagaming's SC is one, which justifies the extra expend­ start figuring how many more ESC's you physical structures and rules of the designed to appeal to the Galactic Em­ iture." But, does an ATK really have could buy with the 35IU ATK research gaITles. Both gaITles are quite well de­ peror within us all. twice the potential? Definitely not! cost. 0 r ITlaybe how ITlany extra IU' s signed physically and operate under Most STARFORCE is very tactical in Even if they were right the ATK has a you could buy? Either way the percent­ complex but logical rules. nature. Even though the counters re- . lot more than twice the destructive iles speak for themselves. SC and SF both have very visually ap­ present aggregations of StarShips, in potential because you have two die rolls In conclusion, the ESC possesses a pealing gaITle cOITlponents. In fact, I most scenarios they move as one ship. out of six, cOITlpared to three out of 36 last quality over the ATK. They do make personally think the two gaITles are tied, The objectives are very basic, though for the ESC, to score a destructive hit. better ships for conducting raids-:THold in that respect, for best in the entire cOITlplex in fulfillment. Each player at­ Outwardly it is true your Player Data on you iITlpatient types and reserve your gaITle field. SC' s ITlap shows a "simu­ teITlpts to engage the other in combat Sheet says as ITluch, but fortunately judgement of ITly sanity until I explain. lated IBO type open galactic star clus­ and capture the opponent's star systems Stellar Conquest was designed to let you If you're still not satisfied•.•• ) ter" while SF's main ITlap is one of "74 SF would have been dull if a player has read between the lines. A two out of six It is true that an ATK can destroy 3 star systeITls in a three-diITlensional been asked solely to move his StarForoes chance for the ATK is a 1/3 probability million in population per turn after it has 'sphere' of space." All scientific jar­ along a hexagonal grid towards their compared to a 1/12 probability for a eliITlinated a planet's defenses. But don't gon aside, the ITlaps are eyecatchers. objectives. By having to plot a three­ single ESC. Notice I said single ESC. forget that you get three ESC's for one SC's playing surface is a riot of dimensional course through a ITlentally At a 20 IU cost you can build 2.5 ESC's ATK and each of those ESC's is capable bright and colorful stars scattered onto visualized sphere of space, the player (rounded to three) to one ATK. Therefore of destroying one million in population. a thin, plastic sheet. SF's gameboard gets a feeling unlike anything offered by your true probability would be 3 x 1/12 Total destruction possible is therefore reseITlbles nothing so much as the deep, an other game. When you play STAR­ or 1/4. the same. With the ATK raiding, the purple blackness of space itself, speck­ FORCE, you are as close to actually Further, the saITle numh er rolled with defender only has to roll the correct led with the barest hints of star sys­ astrogating a StarShip through space as two dice is never rolled twice and your number once for the A TK to be destroy­ temso anyone, this poor century, is likely to most frequently rolled nUITlbers are 6,7, ed and the attack defeated. With a Both of these well designed ITlaps corne. 8 (greatest probability). A .fleet of three Squadron of ESC's, the defender has to have the conventional hex grid superiITl­ The SC player, however, has much ESC's, which cost the same as one ATK roll the correct number three tiITles! posed upon them. SF's hexes, called more to worry about than the SF player. ~ research cost included, will have The attacker also has the option to break light-zulus, represent volumes of In STELLAR CONQUEST, you are at­ three chances of destroying the ATK off the engageITlent or continue it, depend space one light year across. SC's teITlpting to explore new star systems, while the ATK has only one chance of depending on his loses in proportion to hexes are planar distances of an Eighth to develop previously explored ones, to destroying one of the ESC's. the defender's. Because of the greater of a light-year. Here we have the first develop technological capabilities with­ It is a fact that for every roll up until mobility of three ships over one, the hint that the designers of these two in your Empire, to build ships and de­ your third or fourth roll your probability attacker can remain in the star system gaITles had two entirely different objec­ fenses even while you are thinking a­ of rolling your desired number increases until the defender is forced to divert tives in ITlind. bout maybe invading an opponent's up to 20/0, less afterwards. Thus, it reinforceITlents to the scene. In most The SF player ITlust relearn how to worlds and, at the saITle time, worrying follows that the greater nUITlber of ships cases, the attacker will still have enough look at a ITlap. in this case the ITlap is if he is going to invade you! If, in ad­ one has the greater your chances of firepower left over to run and raid the not the cOITlplete territory, not by a dition to all that, you would have to . scoring a hit, no matter how powerful very systems where the reinforcements long shot. The flat, SF ITlap is really worry about plotting a course through a the ships in question may be. For ex­ came from! Strategically done, these a sphere and must be visualized as sud visualized sphere you would probably go ample: the first roll of your ESC's is a hit and run warfare tactics can be dev­ within the players' minds. Every hex space-happy, to borrow a term fl;om six, a miss. Now subtract the possibility astating and render the victim a minor on the ITlap has a set number of other TOITl Corbett. This too, is realistic of getting a six, five rolls, from 36, factor for the rest of the game. So, why hexes (light-zulus) either above or be­ considering the iITlplied status of the total nUITlber of combinations with two not the Escort? All things considered, low it. Take the innocent hex numberec player as leader of a I;lUdding EITlpire. dice. This leaves a remainder of 31. Now many otherwise outstanding players are 1214, for example. The hex, as pic­ It is unlikely- that Alexander the Great divide 31 by 3, the possibility of getting a taken in by the Escort illusion. tured on the map, is 1214/0. Light­ ITlapped out every single sITlall unit in tenlrollsof6-4, 4-6,5-5), togeta Zulu 1214/7 is seven light-years above all action in all of his arITlies. No, in result of .0967, or 9.670/0. 9.67 is the Edward C. Cooper the ITlap's surface and Light-Zulu 1214/ STELLAR CONQUEST you would not new percentage of getting a ten on your -7 would be sevep light-years below. want to have SOITle of the tactical de­ second roll. The possibility on the third That particular Light-Zulu is in an tails that are in STARFORCE. Likewise roll will be about 11.50/0. Mathematically, i

8 9

players of STARFORCE have their hand, have telesthetically put the Gate asleep, Industrial output of each colony for a type of warship••• may destroy on the full with tactics and could hardly hope the world below is open for occupation. myriad of things; you may build ships, following basis: to also have the depth of society-realism At no time are StarForces destroyed, more factories, or contribute to your For each Escort, I million popula­ that is present in SC. nor are telesthetics killed (but for one Empire's technological research. You, tion and I IU. And, now, this brings us to our basic scenario which involves a vicious xeno­ leader of your Empire, have to weigh For each Attack ~, 3 million philosophical difference between the phobic race from beyond the sphere). each decision carefully. population and 3 IU. gameso All the systems and races (there are lf you expand too fa st, and neglect to For each Dreadnaught, 5 million I nave already used the word "combat' three; human, L'chal-dah and Rame) are do your technological research you will, population and 5 IU. " in relation to the action in STARFORCE. dependent on their own telesthetics for very likely, be dooming yourself to ear­ In STELLAR CONQUEST we have a Now, there is a lot of fighting that goes transportation, and the telesthetics say ly extinction as your opponent sooner or more recognizable form of warfare .. on in a typical scenario, but it is not that killing is a no-no. Should they be later will swoop down on you with ships People die, whole cultures may be des­ combat as most game players would de­ ordered to kill, they would simply re­ the like of which your primitive tech­ troyed. fine that term. For one thing, no one fuse. nology can only gasp at. Likewise, if I am sure that many players, at this is ever killed and nothing is destroyed. Most of the scenarios are not actually all you do is technological research, by point, are now trying to decide which Redmond Simonsen, STARFORCE's wars, not as we think of them today. the end of the game you will have an game simulation is 'better, ' the clean designer, has postulated a Twenty­ These Twenty-Fifth century societies Empire of genius with only a few Terran­ combat of STARFORCE or the more Fifth Century society of star-goers do not fight for space nor out of irra­ type worlds to your credit and the dumm} usual destructiveness found in STELLAR based on the mental powers of what he tional hatreds. They fight basically to on the other side of the board will walk CONQUEST. I submit that neither one terms "telesthetics." A telesthetic has decide oppo.sing theories of government. off with the honors. is 'better' than the other, not in this the ability to open a "discontinuity win­ I have the impression that, if death were Slowly, carefully, the experienced regard. dow" by the power of her mind coupled likely in their wars, there would have Stellar Conqueror will expand this As mentioned earlier, there are two with that of an intelligent machine race been (be?) less scenarios to play. Wars sphere of influence star by star. All sides in a controversy now going on in referred to as Gnostechs. This dis­ divorced from death, made bloodless the time, he will build his technological the Science Fiction genre. One side continuity window is what most people although still monetarily expensive, seEnl capability and prepare himself for ag­ wants to see clean and neat extrapola­ today would call teleportation. Simply seem to take less of a reason to become gression or defense, whatever he deems tions and recognizable societies based put, a telesthetic ( or telesthetics act­ rrlotivatedo to be best. Perhaps, instead of doing on today's premises, such as STELLAR ing in unison) is the motive power of a STELLAR CONQUEST, on the other the research enabling you to build CONQUEST. Another group feels that Fictio~ Star Ship hand, seems more like the world today. Dreadnaught class ships, you had better Science should show something Thus, in STARFORCE, Einstein is, N ow this is not to say whether that is put those research funds into figuring you have never seen before, make you at most, a fond memory. The Star­ bad or good. It is simply that in how to build a missile base. Maybe, think of something entirely new, as Forces do not travel through space, but STELLAR CONQUEST, things are hap­ rather than buying that Dreadnaught you STARFORCE does, or the trip is not jump in and out of the game's Light­ pening for more immediately compr e­ had your heart set on, you should pur­ worthwhile. Zulus. Thus, they are able to cover hensible reasons. Some players will chase a Colony Transport vessel and em­ Hogwash, or worse. The only way, vast distances at a single" shift." say this is good, others not. Herein, I igrate a few thousand colonists from in my mind, to judge a science fiction The telesthetics, however, are also think, you have a basic schism within their homeworld to that new, green pla­ story or, as in this case, a game, is empathic towards each other. "Every Science Fiction circles. Some people in net circling that newly explored G-Class simply whether it succeeds or not with­ man's death diminishes mell and 11Ask Science Fiction feel that extrapolation star. in its own self-contained prerniseso not far whom the bell tolls, it tolls for must be very tightly organized from the Meanwhile, your evil opponent is Both these games are successes, in my thee" are not empty poetic sayings to a base of today's society. Others feel making his own untrustworthy Empire's book. telesthetic but simple, heart rending that the only good Science Fiction lifts plans. STELLAR CONQUEST does an abso­ reality. Should a telesthetic kill ano­ the reader into wholly new and strange In STELLAR CONQUEST, the players lutely beautiful job of transfer ring to­ ther, it wo~d be almost like suicide. realms. I'll save my own opinion for a are locked into a limited cluster of stars. day's fallible humans to the stars. When' two StarForces meet, the tele..... few paragraphs in order to further des­ The winner is simply the one who, by the STARFORCE does an equally good job thetics aboard broadcast mental ener­ scribe STELLAR CONQUEST. end of the game, has been able to main­ of creating what I think of as a 'new' gies at each other. The loser in this The SC player is presented with an en­ tain control over the most number of kind of human and placing that 'new' contest literally is put to sleep. lf they tirely different playing milleau from the Terran and Sub-Terran planets. These being into a galactic framework. do not recover in time, the opposing SF player. In STELLAR CONQUEST, limited resources lead to war, real and So, I do not think you can judge these telesthetics may randomize their ship laid out beautifully before you, beckon­ bloody war. two games by comparing their under­ and throw it through a discontinuity win­ ing you onward, is an entire unexplored When two opposing Empires meet, they lying" stories" and asking which is the dow half way across the sphere of knONIl cluster of stars. Is the star ahead of meet in a way that would be familiar to better, for they both hang together quite spaeeo you hiding a planetary paradise, or a Patton, or Caesar, Napoleon or Rommel. well within their own standards. Then, once the opposing StarForces heavy mineral hell-hole? There's only They fight, and they fight to the death. Perhaps, however, they will appeal to are wiped out, or thrown away, the in­ one way to find out, to send your scouts Nothing better emphasizes the under­ two different types of people. I would vader fights the star system's protec­ ahead. Once you have found suitable lying differences between STARFORCE hope that this would not be true. After t,ive StarGate (which might also have worlds, or before if you want to risk it, and STELLAR CONQUEST than the fol­ all, they are but simulations of events been fighting alongside the defending you give your Colony Transports their lowing short quote from the STELLA R that have not happened and so I do not StarForces.) A board the Gate are orders as to what star to head for. CONQUEST rules pamphlet: think they should be judged by present more telesthetics, enough that it takes You set up your first colonies and you "The Conqueror may destroy the pop­ attitudes toward such things as war, a superiority of at least three Star­ begin to develop them like mad, all the ulation and Industrial Units of a con­ violence, etco Forces to attack a Gate with any true time continuing to explore the other quered colony/on a one to one basiso •. I know that I am able to play and en­ hope of victory. Once the invaders stars in the cluster. You can use the during the Planetary Attack step. Each joy them both equally. A s to which game 11 10

game I will play when, it depends on my lGNORING EINSTEIN AND NEWTON square object about 10,000-50,000 miles convert them to a new religion, or what­ mood. Should I want to feel like Cap­ OR out requires several radar stations, ever he desires. Meanwhile, the other tain Shapiro directing an armada of "WHAT'S WRONG WITH AN H-BOMB" each requiring ten to twenty times the player s may decide to arm and aid the ships through the hostile reaches of power output of the Grand Coulee Dam! stricken defender. Variants may have space then I'll pull out STARFORCE. One of the problems of many SF war­ Optical and infrared detection is even refugees from one system try to find If I should feel like being Lord Neil of games is that the designers are either more hopeless than radar. Space is someplace else to take over, only to be Games, master and leader of an entire ignorant of, or forced to ignore, the HUGE and ships are small specks in it. pursued by the homesystem winners, race, 'then STELLAR CONQUEST will laws of nature and the potentialities of No board game can really give you the who don't want to be attacked a century be the game of the day. modern weapons. feeling of immensity needed for true later by the same dudes who skipped out If you like Science Fiction, if you like For example, JagdPanther Publication realism. now. Lengthened lifespan, the effects gaming, you need both of these games. puts out a game called THE RIGELLlAN In any case, using extrapolations of of relativity, the difficulty of getting •••• so order now and have yourself a WARS. All the game is is a land war­ modern technology can give you just as people to man your fleet, and new de­ few megacenturies of fun. game system set in space. Movement is good a game as using shields and phasers" velopments in science can all take a so ITlany hexes per turn--no mention of Combat become s a deadly game of hide­ part. You know, it sounds so good I'll Neil Shapiro momentum at all. T here are zone 5 of and-seek with radar, optics, and infra­ have to do it myself. Jackson Hts., N.Y. control, fixed planets (as if they were red devices trying to get past your ca­ T he point of all this is that you can cities), and star systems so close it is moflage and Electronic Counter Measure make quite effective games without laughable. (ECM) to hit you with the sledgehammer having to use ridiculous weapons and Although RIGELLlAN WARS is admit­ blow of a nuke. This situation, not un­ little known (i. e., undiscovered) laws of tedly at the far end of the scale, there like that of submarine hunting, can be a nature. Furthermore, the effort you put are other games which screw up reality very tense and exciting one. A good into increasing the realism of a game just as badly. LENSMAN's tactical sec­ source book for this type of tactical will prove to be effort well spent. tion in the tournament game (where spaCE simulaltion is Robert Sakeld's War and Newton and Einstein can he a great help ships fight llinere' __ i. e., using normal Space. to a designer if he'll cooperate•• physical rules) has no rules for momen­ Finally, have you noticed that almost tum or the effects of gravity, but it does all SF games have Faster than Light Scott Rusch have (poor) rules for planetary motion. (FTL) spaceships or some way to get TRlPLANETARY, the best tactical board them from one star to another quickly? game around, has momentum and gravity. While I would like to see FTL ships in­ Unfo'rtunately, the planets stay where vented (preferably within my lifetime), they are. A s a game can last for months there are few, if any, indications that •• NOTE TO GAME REVIEWERS•• (game time, not real time) this can pro­ they are possible (see Poul Anderson's duce a quite unrealistic situation. After article in the September, 1975 Galaxy A game review submitted to THE all, in three months the Earth moves one for some interesting inforITlation about SPACE GAMER should include: *NOTICE••• NOTICE* fourth of its way in its orbit around the star travel). So",by not design a game sun. Furthermore, as TRlPLANETARY around STL spaceships? *address for ordering CONTRIBUTORS: Some of you have trie-s to reproduce the technology and the Consider the possibilities. You have ~price already been informed that we got mixed solar system of the old Heinlein novels, a g arne like SC, except that you'll need a *designer (if available) up in our compensation policy stated you get further unrealistic situations moderator. In fact, it would be a good *list of components, including whether last issue. We had evaluated

FOUNDATION TRILOGY, just tD name a before any MT may be. Cost per planet shows a scale in which games are rated LETTERS few. I would like tD see les s Df fantasy is its entire industrial output for one by cDmparing price and game playing games and articles. WithDut dispute tD productiDn year (minimum 120 IU fRIU timec Since in some cases games listed The combination of science-fiction and merits or definitions~ I like SF and do fDr each step upgraded. (Eg. an MT can in the survey dDn't have game lengths gaming shDuld prDve irresistible tD any­ nDt like Fantasy, and the latter is al­ becDme ST Dne prDductiDn year, and TR in hours perhaps it's more appropriate Dne like myself whD has been a devDted ready prDvided with hDuse journals. the follDwing prDductiDn year.) that the games be cDnsidered by the addict tD bDth fDr years. That the re­ A s a parting shDt: cDnsider this: a The se capabilities allDw one tD over­ overall rating and price instead since 1 sults have been hithertD barren may be re spected (and fascinating) branch Df SF come, somewhat, the liluck of the draw 1 the enjDyment Df the game (and therefDre an inescapable fact resulting frDm the is alternate histDry; anYDne participating We like it, so I'm passing it alDng in the value Df the game) rests mDre Dn following dilemma: either the future will in a conventional simulation wargame is case Dther s might also. hDw much the pIaye r likes it than on hDw be like the past (in which case why play therefore working with alternate history, IDng he plays it (or struggles thrDugh it SF games, since ordinary games will and thereby SF. Larry H. Hester as the case may be). have the same action?) or it will be ra­ Seattle, WA In this way STARFORCE becDmes .8 ;}:.****~}:.**::':~** dically different (in which case the ima­ JDhn Howard Oxley pDints per dollar while TRIPLANETARY ginative f cDmprehension difficultie swill Halifax, N ova Scotia becDmes 1. point per dDllar. SC shows be formidable). A second, related prob­ ~}:.********** Please send me a subscriptiDn to TSG. .9 and RIGELLIAN WARS (last Dn the lem is player interest: "many people I feel YDU peDple have the right editorial list for popularity) shDws .87. play one type of wargame or other be­ ••• a few comments on DUNGEONS concept and one particularly wise in not But this Dnly serves to jumble up the cause they are interested in the histo ri­ AND DRAGON S. I really feel that for a trying to Dut S&T with a game in each survey even more and shows also that cal period it represents. The SF game prDfessiDnal game publication, the rules issue, etcc, but rather filling in part a the price Df the game is irrelevant. designer must work up his l1historical are really badly Drganized. A few sim­ reporter role in SF gaming. The con­ One can shuffle the columns in any man­ settinglt from scratch, and all too oIten ple indexes would do wDnders. The part tent will have to improve {ic ec a sm.allel ner which suits him. AlsD, DUNGEONS this aspect is weak and unconvincing, of the rules dealing with combat are percentage of letters and larger amount AND DRAGONS CDStS $10.00 and that particularly because an inadequate link just impDssible tD understand; apparently Df thDughtful, infDrmative articles} if perhaps is Dne of the better selling from the present to the future is provided they assume that YDU are familiar with the magazine is to succeed or I am to gan"le s aroundc (how did we get from HERE t6 THERE the system already. A few wDrked DUt review next yearc However you do show SD by far the mDst impDrtant item Dn anyway?). The result is a phenomenon examples wDuld prDbably clarify every­ promise. the survey is the game 'pDpularity as it Mr. Bjorke noted in Issue #2 of TSG: thing. I think that there is a lessDn in shDws hDw mu"ch the people rating it en­ just as there is an inferiDr brand of this fDr all game designers, if YDU want Mark N. Lardas jDyed the hours they spent playing it. science fiction called Iispaceoperalt be­ to make sure that your rules are under­ Ann Arbor, MI Just because a game is IDnger dDesn't cause it is only a cosmetic representa standable, include worked Dut examples. necessarily mean it is better in much tion of some familia r reality, so are the same way that it is nDt necessarily there far too many II space opera gaInes. 11 William B. Brogden Issue #2 is gDDd. And the fact that better because it doesn It cost as muchc SPI's STARFORCE: ALPHA CENTAURI Port Aransas, TX YDU had sufficient subscriptiDns tD I'd guess that a persDn expects a game is a benchmark example of what I would *********** warrant publication .shows that there are that costs more tD be better but even call a successful SF gamec A concise, enDugh peDple interested in SF tD sup- that flops sDmetimes (when you cDnsider credible future representation is appen­ We've been playing STELLAR CON­ pD rt a zine devDted to what is sometimes STARFORCE, for example). Anyway ded to the game, and the 3-D mDvement QUEST which I cDnsider tD be Dne Df the thought of as a fringe Df wargaming. the whole pDint Df a survey is tD see hDw

systeITl captures the l1 vast reaches'! of best game investITlents live ever made. Actually SF gaming is prDbably the field much raters like a game. STELLAR space. SC, on the other hand, faUs intD A note of intet"est you may want tD re­ most suited to development as there are CONQUEST is a gDod game and people a class of games modelled on a resource search or pass on to your readersc We infinite variatiDns possible limited only like it. It fDllows through that RIGEL­ explDitatiDn theme (which invDlves the fDund that after game turn 28, the game to the imaginatiDn, CDntempDraryand LIAN WARS isn't a good game because general objectiDn that a sDciety which became somewhat confined- -everyone historical games have covered almDst peDple don't like it enDugh tD rate it high could eVDlve spaceflight technDlogy wDuld had PFS everywhere wDrth having. AlsD, all periDds and cDnflicts with the major (this is also borne out by reviews of this have mastered the 11£usion torch!' tech­ our prDductiDn was far Dutstripping our variations being those of game mecha­ game: reviewers don't like it either). nique of recycling materials, and there­ needs, Therefore, we develDped level 4 nics, SF has thDusands of possible com· But here's to wishing you well and fore would have no need for resource ex­ technDIDgy. One must have attained level binations for new conflicts in novels and continued success at TSG and YDur plDitation). A s a sample of the class, it 3 in all three fields to be eligible. Only stories already written and much more games line, as it seems you are doing is first rate in concept and execution, RIU's may be spent Dn the re.earch. considering new stories and authors well and are enjDying it in the prDcess, with the technolDgical R&D forming a Items available: appear all the time. The Dnly area in fascinating backbDne for speculatiDn, On­ A. PFS OverlDad: 600 RIU SF which hasn't been developed as well Rick Pavek ly one question: what is the output value AllDws a task force Df 20 DN to simul­ a s it could is the tactical level combat SF Section Editor Df a RIU, besides its capability tD func­ taneously attack a PFS. Task fDrce is such as that seen in Starship TroDpers Pursue and DestrDY Magazine tion Dn nDn-TR planets? IDst in tDtD, but a roll Df 1 Dn the die im­ by Robert Heinlein or Under the Ham= **********':< SD I like your magazine, and I like plodes the PFS. The implDsiDn destrDYs by David Drake. RumDr has it that AH your game. Additional things I would the planet fDr the remainder of the game, has bought the title rights for Starship Nice gDing Thompson, issue #2 turned

like to see: more hard extrapolative tDgether with everything the DppDnent had T rDopers but until there is a game m.e one c c articles on the relatiDnship of the pre- on itc from they by that title it is Dnly rumor. One thing I can't seem tD understand is s ent and future cDmbat; games Dn Halde­ B, TF (Terra forming): 500 RIU But I fo r one will buy the game if it hDw some of YDur readers and readers of man's THE FOREVER WAR, Blish's AllDws ST and MT planets to terraform CDmes out for reaSDns Df tp.e title alDne. The General can have SD many games. CITIES IN Ft-IGHT, DicksDn's TACTICS into TR. All ST must be completed In Steve CDle's letter in issue #2 he When I was playing regularly I never gDt OF MISTAKE, and AsimDv's 14 15 Mark Leymaster, Box 2569, Boston, through the situations. We'd keep play­ SF GAMING NEWS/PLUGS Galaxy II, from Brett Tondreau, ing a given situation over and over until MA 02208. 5536 Kester Ave., Van Nuys, CA 91411. Mark has a computer generated we evolved the optimum strategy. And (The news section is a regular feature of Brett reports his major rewrite of character list for use with Dungeons & then when The General introduced 12 TSG. We will print items on conventions, the Galaxy II computer program about Dragons or Tunnels and Trolls. A ran­ more situations I was sure lid never clubs, services (like PBM game moder­ finished. New games should be able to domly generated list of 10 characters really run out of situations if new ones ating), or products that may be of inter­ begin in the near future. Rules are $2 goes for $1 or custom characters at keep being introduced. But now that my' est to our readers. For best results you first class, $1. 90 third class. Intro­ double the rate. A self-addressed, 35~ pal has moved I've been having a great can prepare your own item with all ductory notes are including a sample stamped envelope will get you some info deal of difficulty really interes­ essential details. Brevity helps.) print-out from a game. Cost per turn ting mildly interested friends in learning and he invites correspondence .. varies according to how much you do. $1 is average, but 50~ to $3 is a realistic these games. My next step is to buy a Royal Armies of the Hyborean Age, by Kelly Moorman, Box 7235, Monroe, range. This is the most detailed compu­ whole new game that these friends and I Lin Carter and Scott Bizar. $6 from LA 71201 offers to moderate Stellar ter game available we know of. can learn together. Fantasy Games Unlimited, Box 182, Conquest by mail. With so many SF wargames showing Roslyn, NY 11576. Kelly has several games going now up (i. e. Lou Zocchi, A-H, TSR) one This is a 64 page 8 1/2 x 11 booklet of and kindly sent the first six issues of can't help but wonder at their quality and wargame rules for the Robert E. Howard his 'rag' Interstellar News which has therefore I feel the game ratings are of Conan stories. Also included are a data news and messages on his gaITles and value but 11 out of 13 getting an overall sheet for reference and a simple map of SC. A sample is 15~ and a SASE will rating of 6 plus makes me again wonder the Hyborean world. The rules are for probably get you info on his rates. It about the objectivity of those responding. miniatures play and seem well organized looks like IN will develop into something Ideally it should be (but can't work) a and detailed. They even include sources of interest to SC fans in general judging matrix evaluation of the relative value of for appropriate figurines. Someone into by the Edward Cooper article they ran each to each other. By the way, base miniatures is welcome to do a review. numbers of respondents would help and let us reprint. The play possibilities of SC are far from exhausted and an SC greatly in evaluating the ratings. Sorcerer, $9 boxed from SPI, 44 East zine is sure to find that out fast. I wonder how much you appreciate 23rd st., NY, NY 10010. Freas' cover. Honest I don't think I This is billed as the game of magical The Battle of Five Armies, by Larry would have opened TSG if it wasn't for conflict and can be played solitaire or Smith, $4.50 from JMJ Enterprises, the cover! You can't judge.•• but a is multi-player. With a multi-colored 7750 Margerum Ave #215, San Diego, TSG #2 FEEDBACK cover does create interest .. map for various magical inter relations CA 92120. and 400 counters SPI is clearly out to This is another game game based on Over a hundred feedback forms from Bob O'Leary establish a place in the growing Fantasy l material in the Lord of the Rings books. is sue #2 were received. Since that s Hyde Park, NY games market. Reviews? A review is carried in this issue. less than half of the number we received *********** for issue #1, we decided our readers The Spartan #9, $3, a four issue sub is Pursue and Destroy, six issue sub don't like the form bound in the maga­ $9, from Spartan, Box 1017, Bellflower, $7.50 from First Echelon Publications, zine. So, each issue will have a sepa­ CA 90706. WANTADS Box 6113, Ft. Bliss, TX 79906. rate feedback and order form. We're Issue #9 is worth alentian because it This is a newer wargaming ITlagazine also going to drop r·..ting the Feedback contains Warlock, a 32 page elaboration I would like to contact anyone interested that will also cover some s-f. Issue #5 Results, Wantads , and Game Ratings. of Dungeons & Dragons. That's a lot at in playing STELLAR CONQUEST in the for December will be an all s-f issue. These are service items, not entertain­ 8 1/2 x 11 pages. They suggest you need ment, and it rea.lly doesn't matter how Ann Arbor, Ml area. Jim DeCook, They are offering a B&W reproduction D &D rules to get the most from their they rate. It'd make as much sense to 2877 Bellwood, Ann Arbor, MI48104. of the cover for $1.50 and it's available expansion. now.. rate the grade of paper or the folding and stapling. Thanks for your feedback. Creative Computing--May/June '75, Third Millenia Inc. , Last issue we We can't go wrong with your king of help. Wanted: SpacegaITlers, wargan1.ers, $1. 50 from ·Box 789, Morristown, NJ Diplomacy players in Ventura County reported that to the best of our knowledg. 07960. 8&11 1,2,3 get in touch. Mark Armstrong, TMI was defunct. Since then we have This issue contains some computer Item Votes /Votes 931 Camellia St., Oxnard, CA 93030, found out that retailer are still having games of interest like Super Star Trek, (805)485-7703. orders filled. We still don't have any ICBM, and Lunar. If you're into comput­ hard info but apparently there is .still News/Plugs 37/1 7.33 er gaming this might be a good issue to some activity. Their games are still SC Update 30/3 7.06 sample to see if you want a one year, Where We're Going STELLAR CONQUEST Tournament and available from Lou Zocchi. 26/2 6.78 six is sue sub for $8. Tannish Match Game Rating Service--For infor­ 28/10 6.22 Diplomacy World, $4 for a four issue D&D, Pudewa mation, send $1. 00 and SSAE to Layout Lou Zocchi, 1513 Newton Dr., Biloxi, 18/4 6.20 sub from Walter Buchanan, RR #3 Box D&D: Waddell Design Specialists, P.O. Box 485, MS. Lou sells almost every wargame, 20/7 6.00 324, Lebanon, IN 46Q:;2. Game Rates Glenview, Illinois 66025. s -f included, in print and puts out a 11/ 6 5.82 This is the leading publication of catalog you can get by request. It makes Editorial 11/7 5.81 interest for Diplomacy gamers. Heavy an excellent refer~nce source and a Letters 13/9 5.77 emphasis is on the well developed PBM Feedback 7/7 5.63 (Subscribers may place ads of 25 words convenient one stop shopping place. You Diplomacy activities. Wantads 7/13 5.32 or less for one issue for 500 may have to wait awhile for it to arrive because they go bulk but it's worth it. Over-all 27/2 6.91 16 17 TUNNELS AND TROLLS: A slightly different types than D&D char­ STAR PROBE REVIEW REVIEW OF SORTS rather unusual items such as bolas, acters. Instead of having clerics, there blow-guns, and bagh-nakhs. are rogues (modeled on the Gray Mouser I could go on for many pages pointing Interested in a game that offers some­ There is so much to say about this and Cugel the Cleaver). Rogues have things different in the way of SF con­ game that I hardly know where to start. out more differences between the two the ability to both fight like a warrior flict situations? Ha s the ultimate in It is true that TUNNELS AND TROLLS games, but the format of the game in­ and use spells like a magic-user. But detail, a game you win more by skill was inspired by DUNGEONS AND structions really says it all. Dt\cD is they are limited in that they can never than luck, a game the avid gamer can DRAGONS, and resembled the earlier very professionally done, with three rise beyond the 7th level, and they must really sink his teeth into? game in many ways, but it also differs booklets and a box, and it costs a small be taught their spells by some well­ STAR PROBE may be just what you importantly in both conception and play­ fortune. T&T looks more like a good disposed magician. Magicians are also are looking for. Played on a map con­ ing style. In many ways T&T is a sim­ fanzine. St. Andre takes a personal tone different from their D&D counterparts taining some 2,000 star systems pic­ pler game. It is certainly not as statis­ with the reade r a S if explaining it to in that they know many mOre spells than tured in a 3D section of space repre­ tically rigorous in its treatment of char­ your face. His explanations are not al­ a D&D magician and can use them re­ senting 150 light years by 100 light years acters and situations as D&D. (Example ways perfectly clear, but if you read peatedly, but in ordinary circumstances by 115 light years. STAR PROBE is armor in T&T has a given weight and carefully and follow things step by step, they cannot fight well; and they may ex­ understanding will come to you because massively detailed game of colonial ex­ does not depend on a character l s size or haust or even kill themselves by using pansion with players competing more body weight.) T&T utilizes ordinary 6­ you will probably duplicate the original too much magic. Then there is a third against the random unknowns of the uni­ sided dice for everything, studiously and thinking that led to the formation of such difference in that T&T allows for a verse than among themselves. Player deliberately avoiding complications like a rule. Whoops, excuse me! St. Andre wider range of possible character types vs. player conflicts are possible, but 20 - sided, 12 - sided, and tetrahed ral i­ insists that he doesn't give any rules-­ including men, elves, dwarves, hobbits, the unadvisable as the possibility of en­ vories. As a game, T&T takes itself just principles and guidelines to base half-creatures (half-g iant, half-troll, countering fearsome life forms and hos­ less seriously, and thereby tends to your own thinking on. One of the big half-orc, etc.) goblins, trolls, orcs, tile natives is all too great. Fighting move along more quickly than D&D. principles of the whole thing is that D. M. ogres, or were-creatures of your choice wars cannot only cripple a player's ex­ T&T also draws more heavily on the decides what is right for his /her own 3. Weapons and Conflict: D&D con­ plorations, but costs him a fortune to imagination of the players and a little dungeon. flict is a blow by blow description of the finance a s welle less on the genius of the Dungeon Master I want to say a word about the art. It battle. T&T conflict is (usually) a me­ Players/explorers begin the game with to make the game work. There are is mostly by a Phoenix fan artist named lee in which all the combatants do their a minimum grant from their respective several major differences between the Rob Carver, and it ranges from the worst, dance around hacking and dodging, governments. F rom this they must pur­ two games, and I want to briefly mention gorgeous to the ridiculous --mostly the and then net the damage to one party or chase such items as naval personnel, some of them in the remainder of this latter. The cartoon to illustrate the the other is evaluated at a given moment supplies and food for the proposed dura­ review. magical spells are very droll, and the (after the dice roll by both sides of the tion of the voyage, specialty teams which 1. There is no sexist bias in T&T. portrait of St. Andre captures his very combat). (Of course, there are many are subdivided in to Contact and Scien­ Female characters come out exactly as soul. The current (2d) edition also has a exceptions to the melee style of combat tific teams, Marine groups, Repair created by the dice- -not reduced in size fine front cover by Liz Danforth, a wherein damage can be done to both Crews, missiles, fuel slugs, etc. Ob­ and strength by an arbitrary fraction femme artist whose pen and ink style re­ sides simultaneously, but the D.M. has viously the explorer cannot purchase all just because they are female. minds one of Aubrey Beardsley, Alicia to set those situations up specially.) he needs. Therefore he rn:ust plan his 2. Character creation: In T &T one Austin, or Cathy Hill. (If none of those T&T fighters (and monsters) get a bonus names ring a bell with you, you I re not a mission carefully and only purchase creates ones characters the same as in in combat for such factors as excess necessities. One of the basic ideas of D&D (by rolling 3 dice) but there are fantasy art fan.) She has also done the strength, luck, or dexterity, which may the game is for him to make the most only 6 major attributes: strength, intel­ art for the supplement (just out from well tip the battle one way or another. Flying Buffalo for $1) and is doing art for out of what little he has. This makes ligence, luck, constitution, dexterity, Generally, monsters are most powerful the game a challenging contest of players and charisma. Each of these attributes Ken's new variant--MONSTERS! MON­ on their first combat turn (1 game turn confronting unknown civilizations and ad­ is very important to the character's a­ STERS! which game uses monsters for representing 10 minutes of game time justing his plans and resources to fit the bilit!es. For example, luck (which re­ protagonists and humans for foes. It's may be subdivided into 5 combat turns specific situation. His success depends places wisdom) determines what a perverse! (of possibly varying lengths of time upon his foresight and planning. character's saving roll will be in any T &T has been sold from coast to coast, though assumed to average 2 minutes». T he victor is that explorer who has dangerous situation, and also whether or but is still most popular in Phoenix, Combat is a straight forward comparison managed to gain the most in terms of not the character will be able to find whe re it ha s become the official game of of numbers rolled (plus adds and modi­ cash and materials through his explora­ hidden doors or objects without the use the organized SF club there. It is very fying circumstances) wherein the person tions while losing the least. This is why of magic. Intelligence (IQ) determines playable, and a lot of fun- -great for or party on the losing end of the com­ wars are avoided, unless the predicted the number of languages a character can stretching the old imagination. I recom­ parison takes the difference in hits. It cash gain will surpass the cash expendi­ learn, and how potent the magic he / she mend it for fantasy fans who are not is not based on the probability of a blow ture. STAR PROBE comprises a five can handle. Dexterity determines whe­ purists, and who do not necessarily be­ scoring a hit and doing damage. Various -year period divided into 60 game turns ther or not one can use certain weapons lieve a game's quality depends on its cost. weapons (sword, crossbow, morning­ with each turn measuring out a period of like the morning-star, and also how ac­ star) are rated for different numbers of Brant Bates one month. It is the first in a trilogy of curate one is with missile weapons, plus dice and require different strengths and Scottsdale, AZ game/rules and lays the path to succes­ being an indicator of general clumsiness. dexterities to use them successfully. sive volumes where players will enlarge Constitution determines how many hits T &T includes 6 pages of weapons tables the sphere of influence obtained in STAR can take before being slain. And charis­ to allow characters to express their in­ PROBE into vast Stellar Empires, with ma is both an indicator of beauty and dividuality and also find the best weapon player s having the freedom to do such leadership. T&T characters are also of for them, and the tables include some things as design their own ships, detail 18

19 adventures with strange lifeforms and A CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE GAME unknown civilizations, explore the re­ GAME REV1EW' ::;11,(,1'. U~ l"l'inforcemenls arrive, it becomes WAR OF THE WORLDS II ~ains o~ vanished empires and engage MINAS TlRlJ II vc ry difficult for the Lord of the Naz­ In cosm1C confrontations of Imperial gul to lead his troops to victory. He WAR OF THE WORLDS II is a half­ Fleet proportions. The SIEGE F MJ.N 1\::; TIRIT1I is the I ust win early or face likely defeat. hearted attempt by one of the "third Perhaps the greatest advance between be st of the Middl· r,:a rth g me s that this To facilitate his attack, Nazgul also world'! war game manufacturers to cre­ STAR PROBE and other games is the reviewer has had th ' pi -asure of playing gets reinforcements, including regular ate a playable SF game on a planetary­ fact the game can be shortened or ex­ STM actually po rtrays the Battle of troops, two oliphaunt Wlits (an oli­ ~ystem scale .. Various starfaring races tended indefinitely according to the Pelennor Fields in addition to the siege phauant is a large elephant), and mdependently approach an uninhabitated, players wants without losing the realism of the city. (For those unfamiliar with Grond the Hammer of the Underworld. resource rich, star system and eventu­ and structure of the game. Another u­ the Lord .££.thc Rings, Pelennor Fields (Grond is a giant battering ram, the ally squabble over it. nique aspect of STAR PRO BE is it pos­ is an open area around the city of only thing capable of breaking the After close inspection of the game, sesses the capability of being played Minas Tirith.) Great Gate of the City.) The game is a r,0u ha ve the feeling you are holding a solo with no loss of flavor of challenge. Minas Tirith, the ITlajor city of Gon­ classic example of a powerful army gotta -beat-the-deadline -or-get-fired" All aplayer has to do is decide on a time dor, occupies only a small portion of attempting to overrun a hard-pressed type effort. T he only thing to brag about period for the game to last, and what the mapsheet used for the game. The defense before aid arrives. 1S the physical quality of the playing conditions will determine if the won. city is represented by three concentric The physical quality of the game is p1eces. They are large, high quality For example, a win can be based on sur­ rings of walls (as described in the trilo­ good. T he map is on beige paper and stock, with rounded corners for easy passing a set number of Megarons (the gy there were actually seven concentric printed in three colors. Unit counters handling. Unfortunately, too small an monetary unit), on discovering a source rings of walls but this number was re­ a re neatly made. Line drawings of allocation of the total budget went for the of fuel or some other item needed by duced for game purposes). Pelennor different weapon types represent differ­ remainder of the game. your government, or cOITlpleting a courSE Fields is a large area with terrain ent units within the army (e. g. clubs, The art work depicting the various of exploration without sustaining losses features that are suitable for defense bows, schmitars). Orcs, troois, starships and planetary ships can best be above a certain percentage. For ad­ and surrounded by a defensive wall, the Easterlings, Riders of Rohan, and described by the comment of a friend vanced solo games, players may com­ Rammas ·Echor. The river Anduin others make up the counter mix. watching a game recently played. "It bme the requirements mentioned or add marks the bound ry for the starting po­ Special leader units exist, and morale looks like the sewage plant and trolley others to determine their chances of sitions of the antagonistic forces. The rules simulate leader values effective­ cars are beating the tinkertoy and turtle winning.. army of Mordor (the black army) com­ ly. Morale is important and, unlike shells. " STAR PROBE has something of inter­ manded by the Lord of the Nazgul be­ some morale rules, the ones in SMT do .The game mechanics are quite simple est to everyone. gins east of the river, while the city of not gum up the game mechanics or add w1th little attention paid to the laws of Minas Tirith and the Gondorian army to play time. physics, economics, or military science. Edward C. Cooper are west of the river. A narrow band An optional scenario includes the use The planets do, however, manage to ro­ Riverside, CA of seven hexes represent the only por­ of the Ring of Power by fecces of tate around the star in epicycle fashion. SF&F GAME RATINGS tion of the river suitable for a cross Gondor. The use of the Ring increases . Complete destruction of the enemy is river assault. On the west bank is the the likelihood of beating off the attack lmpossible, winning is improbable, stale­ Response to the ratings from issue #2 advance guard for the forces of Gondor. by Mordor, so long as control is mate is almost inevitable, and boredom was good. Over 400 separate ratings They, of course, attempt to repel the maintained over the force 'of the ring. is sure to set in. I unloaded the game at now give a reasonable base for com­ cross river assault. If control is lost it becomes more a small fraction of its cost to a rather paring games, especially a.mong better The forces of Gondor are divided in­ difficult for Gondor to defend itself. If dense, now ex-acquaintance and he sure­ known games.. The ratings give hours to three pa rts: the advance guard at the ring is captured by the forces of ly got less than he bargained for. to play an average game, comple~ the river, a defensive group behind the Mordor, an irnITlediate and overwheaim· Rammas Echor, and a garrison in the ing victory is gained by them. the game, phys1cal quality of game com­ David M. Redding ~ All in all, the Siege of Minas Tirith ponents and rating of how you Houston, Texas city. No additional troops can be sent ~iked the game. The overall category to help the advance guard until the is a good game and is faithful to the 1S meant to mclude things like playabi­ black army has landed troops on the trilogy. The rules allow replication of lityand such in relation to players per­ west bank of the river" Likewise, no the events of the trilogy without forcing sonal preferences. The scale is from garrison troops can leave the city until the outcome. SMT can be played in zero to ten. the black forces have penetrated the competition as well as solitaire and is Physical Over RarnITlas Echor" well worth the $5 cost. Game ~ CompleXity Quality ~ The black army is very powerful, SMT is designed by Richard J ordison but face s a couple of problems in and is available from Fact and Fantasy DWlgeons and Dragons 6.60 7.63 7.55 winning the contest. First, the army of Games, Box 1472, Maryland Heights, Stellar Conquest 8.46 5.99 6.95 7.34 Gondor can take advantage of a number MO 63043. Larry Pound Lensrnen 8.33 8.50 7.41 6.70 7.28 of terrain features that will facilitate T riplanetary 3.62 **Note to Buyers of THE YTHRI** 5.33 7.90 7.24 their defense. These include ridges, Starforce 3.63 6.93 7.73 forests and defensive walls. Secondly, Star Probe 7.17 5.86 7.41 In THE SPACE GAMER issue #2 the 5.93 6.81 the army of Gondor has two relief Star Lord 3.64 ad for THE YTHRI mentioned record 4.88 6.36 columns that arrive late in the game. Alien Space 6.64 sheets and 288 play counters. In the 2.63 4.06 The Riders of Rohan under Theoden 5.28 6.35 Si ege of Minas Tirith 3.56 major revisions to the game the record 4.12 6.33 6.20 arrive in the nortl; on game turn 19, 4000 A.D. 2.26 sheets were eliminated and the number 3.79 7.26 while A ragorn arrives with-help from 5.49 of counters was reduced to 242. So, Helms Deep 2.28 4.06 5.14 4.77 the south on turn 21. 0 nce the se Battle of Five Armies 3.00 that's why••. 3.50 4.68 4.74 20 21 GAME REVIEW: THE BATTLE OF free setup by the allies. REVIU\ II. ;,I'ACE A DIVERSION: ELDON TANNISH THE FIVE ARMIES The second scenario is one where (Part lll) the dwarves fight the men and elves. ALIEN SIJ,\(,l. I II "X Itll1g science THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE (This scenariD was alsD drawn frDm fiction gallH' II Jut Hf battles in space. Synopsis: Eldon Tannish is a gifted ARMIES is abattle described by J. R. R. The HDbbit. In the bDDk this battle was The conc~pt 01 lb. Jo!;lune was laken froo"l YDung computer gamer competing in the Tolkien in The Hobbit. The battle DC­ aVDided primarily because of the arri­ the t. v. aho,," t, r 1 rt'k. Many of the North American Convention (NOReON). curs at the fDDt Df Lonely MDuntain, be­ val Df the Drc /worg army and the jDint compon nl .~ rl SlIl1Llar to the things a masters level game tournament some tween tWD ridges prDjecting DUt frDm the ll effDrt Df the allies tD dispose Df the e­ used Dn til· prog ram. fifty years from now. lIThe Game is a mountain. The ridges form a lIV", with vil fDrces.) In this scenariD the men The gam' In ludes eight different supe r - sophisticated cDmpute r moderated the apex Df the "V" at the base Df the and elves attempt tD prevent reinfDrce­ types Df spacecraft, each with its Dwn simulation that pits six to twelve gamers mDuntain. At the apex there is an en­ ment frDm reaching the dwarves under special weapDnry. There's the Rojun, in a fantastic variety of futuristic scena­ tryway leading tD a cavern, called sim­ the mountain. with its Transperenators and Magma rios. Players must master full scale ply "under the mountain. II Finally, there is a scenariD where Beams; the ZerDn has Stalker PDds, stellar empires, limited small unit ac­ The allied army (made up Df men, the dwarves fight Smaug the dragDn. the Ea rth Ship, containing ProtDn Mines tions, and non-combat competitions. elves, and dwarves) must defend the The Smaug cDunter is a 100-100-15 and and Torped es, and many Dther types Df The Game is cDnducted with players in entryway and prDtect themselves frDm the dwarves are represented by 2-2-4 ships. Each ship has blazers, life sup­ separate cubicles, each with holographic attack by the evil Drcs and wDrgs counters (attack, defense, movement, pDrt systems, shields, and each ship dlsplay tanks and hard copy computer (wolves). If by game turn 40, the evil respectively). The DutcDme Df this may move at warp speed (the speed Df terminals for decision inputs. The holo­ fDrces can destrDy all the allied army, battle is rarely in dDubt. light) ex cpt th' RDjun which moves at graph displays game actiDns in symbDlic Dr cDntrDl the gateway and under the The mapsheet is beige with black sub-light ",Jeeo. Ininiature with appropriate alpha numer­ mDuntain and destrDY hali the allied printing and a little bit Df blue. The One of til<' ,,\O...n d rawback s Df the ic reference data. Each gamer also has army, it is a victory for evil. marking s indicating terrain feature 5 gamt=, though, IS '.hat tl has no map. his Dwn pDcket-sized cDmputer (or mak­ The allied fDrces DCCUpy the ridges are sDmewhat cDnfusing, and Dne type YDU need an d.I'",< o( at least eight feet ing notes, doing analysis. and storing at the Dutset Df the game with the of terrain is not explained Dn the ter­ square. Th,' pl,\y~rs move by inches, the standard procedure s and plans each dwarves and men Dn one ridge and the rain effects chart. Unit cDunters are which alsD Illd.y both 'r some peDple. gamer develDps during his career. Per­ elves Dn the Dther. AlthDugh they DC­ white fDr the allies and black (what The game t~ qutte run, even with these sonal computers are regulated in size, cupy a gDDd defensive pDsitiDn fDr self­ else?) for the bad guys. The cDmbat set=backs. lL IS played with pure skill, capacity, and performance so no player prDtectiDn, they have tD be careful that resDlutiDn system requires a lO-sided no die rDlling Lnvolved. ga in s advantage. they dD nDt get defeated in detail as the die Dr a 10 chit system, while mDrale The move's arC' sin1ultaneous, so you In the first tWD installments EldDn halves Df the army are separated by checks require a standard die (neither have to try to ou guess your opponents successfully passes cuts in qualifying some distance. Also, the defensive of which is provided). The morale tOD. TWD tu t'ight peDple can play, the game s to gain final competitiDn. His positiDn Dccupied leaves the middle Df system is very cumbersom.e and in mDre peDple playIng the funner it is. loner style is somewhat out of place in the valley Dpen fDr penetration by the my opinion, detracts frDm the game. The pric s of the games are as fDllows the negotiatiDn-dependent. multi-player Drcs and wDrgs. If the valley is not A morale ch eck is required Df each (there are d iff rent amounts Df ships in environment, but his play is steadily clDsed Dff, the gateway tD under the stack after cDmbat, and as there are each game): improving. He hopes to become a mas­ mDuntain is left virtually unprDtected. many stacks of units, this prDcedure 32 Ship A rmada Size Game ($13.25) ter and be able: to live [rom winnings, The orcs and wDrgs Dutnumber the is time consuming and unwieldy. There 24 Ship A rmada Size Game ($lO. 50) something achieved by Dnly a few hun­ allies, and get additiDnal strength as is an additiDnal mDrale check on the 16 Ship A rmada Size Game ($7.50) dred masters level players. In this fu­ the game progresses. lt is difficult fDr armies as a whole. It appears that dis­ 8 Ship Scout Size Game ($4.50) ture, garners have the same status R!I the allies to ward Dff the increasing regarding the morale system has little The game is by LDu ZDcchi, 1513 N ew­ a tennis or gol[ pro n ow and prize mo­ "strength Df the evil fDrces, particularly influence Dn the outcome Df the game. tDn Drive; Biloxi, MS 39532. nies are substantial. Noted garners al­ if the leader Df the evil fDrces does nDt The game has a few innDvative fea­ so serve as paid consultants for organi­ allDw himself tD be tied dDwn tD a tures. For example, a unit on a slope Steve West zations who've come to prize their sy­ slugfest. By using a pDrtiDn Df his but not on a rDad hex has a chance of Warner Robins, GA nergistic prDblem analytic and decisiDn­ fDrces tD tie down the allies, and anD­ sliding dDwn the slope and being des­ making !kills. ther portiDn to attempt flanking mDve­ trDyed Dr disorganized. Another unique A s we left Eldon in TSG 1/2, he was ments, the Drc /wDrg player can make .. N Dte tD Art C DntributDr s .• feature is a units capability Df rDlling launching a course of action in his first it very difficult fDr the allies. The rDcks down a slDpe on enemy units be­ masters level match that wDuld try to allies, Dn the Dther hand, must insure The mDst easily reprDducible illustra­ IDw them. take advantage Df a cDalition squeeze that they are in a pDsitiDn that will tions are line drawings in black or red All in all, the game if fair, but the being put Dn him. The coalition leader, take advantage Df the terrain tD pre­ inks. The photDgraphy tD make Dff-set tDtal impression is nDt enhanced by the Bulmar DenhDlt, was becDming a stum­ vent flanking effDrts and tD minimize plates fDr reproductiDn sees blue as al­ cDIDrs used for the unit counters or the bling block tD his progress, but Eldon the number advantage Df the Dther side mDst transparent, so avoid blue. Shading way the terrain features are drawn. "felt he could turn the tables as he SD by preventing their full deplDyment. effects, greys, etc. will reprDduce to often did. There are three scenariDs tD THE Larry FDund some degree, but make shadings fairly" *********** BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES. The ChadrDn, Nebraska heavy. Fixatives may be used as long as first represents the battle that the they aren It too II glos syl' which may cause Eldon stDDd immobile frDm exhaustiDn game is named after. That scenario glare blanks in copy. staring intD the hDlographic display. has tWD setups described in the rules. Reimbursement for illustrations varies Frowning lines of concentration and The first is the "historical" setup with the type, size, and our use Df the beaded sweat in the air cmditioned play-J (just de scribed) and the secDnd is a art work. You will get either cash o~ er cubicle rendered his visage gauntly purchase credit for everything we print. 23 22 me in nine to twelve player brawls aged. full-time competitor. wid.l y I You could get brut , I, I,••1 louk an expert deliber­ where I'm worst and I've got to change Tricked! Damn Bulmar's duplicity! He paced slowly, insensitive to the ally II I. I. hr oak a bone. The sen- my style or stand no chance. " Damn the game and his nearly disastrCllS heavy, excited crowds of fans and ga­ H "Why don't you find out?" eagerness. Damn, Damn, Damn echoed rners. Today's match had a capacity II I I" -l to read out impacts I d \t.l to personal computers Eldon ruffled his hair with a towel and in Eldon's skull a s tension failed to drain 45, 000 viewing games on the central a­ l I I walked over to his pants. Inserting the at game's end. He hadn't been tricked rena's sixty-foot holograph. I,s many as for tuJ.! ,Ind analysis. II,,, wllh suils, Alba weighted hers to message plug in his ear and waited for like that since he was green. Turning a twenty million would have watched si­ sim"I,II- gravity and set the tension the ident check. Ten point seven per­ player's own clever plans against him multaneous holocasts to the western 1. 15 sh. '<1 havtl lo fight at 50/0 above normal. cent and a sixth finish made him just was a difficult maneuver with Eldon per­ hemisphere. The Game's va"t fO:llowing SI", was a rated amateur and Eldon would barely still in the game. Bulmar had sistently the perpertrator rather than was greatly helped by action-packed holo n 'cd lhe edge to make the workout com­ trapped him, but had undere stimated victim. graphic recreations generated by com­ petitive. just how much covert activity Eldon had His legs eased drained flesh back into puter. Primitive garners wo lId have tlS Francisco convention? II asked going. the seat without awareness. Initial been stunned to know the feeE a game an Alba. "l'm in, II he said with a surprised shocked rage was peaked and already hero earned for endorsing clothes and llFine here, II Eldon agreed, 'Ineither smile. fading. Eldon was a calm person. But, toiletries. l of uo nc -do an injury. Sure you don't IlLet s go eat, II Alba said, as excited aggressive, competitive anger at self Pausing in an eddy of peop.e near want to spot rne a few points margin? II as she ever got, which wasn't excited at and opponents was not unfamiliar. He Center's main entrance, Eld:>n became "Y n" .huule! b - paying me a fee for a all. They dressed and walked back to knew human nature well enough to rea­ aware of a game I 5 monitor pushing his I ••011," .mil d Alba sardonically. the Garnes center. lize competitiveness and emotional in­ way through the crush. An dimination TI",y circled slowly working for posi­ 111£ you've become predictable, you're volvement were es sential to a master notice so soon! Eldon wordlessly poc­ tion. In, out; thrust, grab, and jab. in bad shape for sure. Have you thought garner. He worked to direct and use keted the message plug and :;trade out­ Th p., I' );rudually quickened as both of a Problem Analysis, 11 she inquired. rather than supress an internal psycho­ side to the pedestrian walk level above earnl'Ylly Het lhemselves to score. They "Not for two years, '1 he t"esponded" logy that could be only slowly changed. the traffic. A gymnasium ill convenient wo rkl'd I hI' wh Ie of the mat for better "It might help." "Mi ght" was the key Anger remained but analytical admi­ walking distance had been a pleasant than 1\ hou r, Despite her cOlnpensation word. Problem Analysis was a full ration for Bulmar's play began to join it. find on his first day in New Lavegas. Alba slill nul-scored Eldon with little analysis of ability and past games done Tricked he was, and beaten perhaps, but Eldon's deep concentration made him troubJ.·. Eldon only studied karate for by The Garnes' computer, but directed learn, improve, and evolve he certainly unaware of the time lapse 0: walking, the cone. l'utration and co ordination. He by the player. You could find out an would do. The game period ended and changing, and sweat-suited jogging. No tried lo Will when he worked out but he awful lot, but you had to ask the right cubicles were emptying, but Eldon re­ one else paced this supper hour with him mostly w,lnt d exercise and competition. questions. mained seated, isolated in thought. on the gym's quarter mile 100f track-­ He raJ"ely worked with someone as ex­ "Well?ll Bulmar had beaten him by predicting legs r\1ythmically pumped Founding feet. pert as Alba and was extending himself Eldon stopped suddenly, deciding. his reaction to a sure trap set by Bulmal Two miles at seven minutes gradually to the ullno ht. l1You l re right, Alba, II said Eldon. III've and his allies. Eldon had apparently increased to a five minute -Jace for the Wilh Alba sitting on his chest for the got to have more to go on and that's turned the tables enough for the style to final two mile s. He believ'~d in mental umpl nlh l.me, Eldon called it quits. probably the best way. I'd better get be predictable, especially when coupled training as one believed in gravity. But, llNow if yuu'll carry me to the showers, started right away if I'm going to get with a loner's game .. Bulmar's trap the strained work of physical exercise I'll b lhrough for sure," quipped Eldon, any sleep at all." . within a trap had sprUng close to the end yielded a kinesthetic joy urdiminished "As .f .l'd be worth hauling your over­ "Good luck," said Alba, patting him on Little reaction was possible. Eldon had by pained straining. muscl .. d arcass anywhere, 11 said Alba the cheek with a quick kiss. "Be sure probably lost and been eliminated from Jogging finished, Eldon Nandered dONl1 as she gut up, but conceded, "You're you cover your diplomatic and leader­ the tournament. to the gym's work out area s. Despite getting belter even if your cunning did ship attributes thoroughly. A pure loner Eldon slowly stood and stretched. So the work at running he warted something slow you. Let'g shower. II has never been winner and you're about be it. 1£ defeat were the golden oppor­ else to concentrate. The floor was llyou still in The Game?'l he asked, as pure as you can get. " tunity to learn and improve, fate had nearly deserted except for isolated ex­ lath ring his hair a few moments later. Eldon went to find a monitor and get handed him a block buster. 1£ he were ercisers. At the far end, dark curly "y h," admitted Alba, "by the skin a cubicle for his Problem Analysis ses­ still in, pos sible, given the wildly con­ hair. Alba? Eldon strode down to the of my Leeth. l'm already farther along sion. He had four hours before mid­ fused fifteen-minute game's end, he'd other end. Sure enough, .\lba was work. lh n I'd expected. How'd you do?" night and needed every minute. Cha'lling have to devise a whole new style of play ing her way through a modified karate "Don'l know yet," he admitted with your style in the middle of a tournament by morning. 1£ Bulmar could read him, exercise" some surprise. "I got my message plug usually destroyed a player's carefully so could others. Changing play style "Hi, Alba," Eldon greeted. and stuck it in my pocket. Bulmar, you balanced play processes. Eldon felt he wasn't his style, but adapting was. A nod was her acknowl"dgement of know Bulmar don't you, he trapped me had to change if he'd become predictable Could he change under pressure despite him. good and I think I'm out." Better start immediately even if he a comfortably maverick loner's role? "Want to work out?" asked Eldon. III don 't know what to make of you,'l couldn't finish high, he wouldn't anyway Calming mental exercises complete, Alba finished her series a·:J.d said, Alba said, "I couldn't have waited to if he could be trapped. he left the cubicle to walk the concour se. "I'll have to go get my suit. Do you have find out. You must have really had your Settling down at a cubiale terminal, He wanted to view results in the garners' one? II ego shaken up to do that." he began setting up an initial run as­ lounge, but elimination or survival was liND, II responded Eldon, "but I can get "Not really" Well, some, 'cause 1 suming his diplomatic skills and reli­ less important than grokking this fresh a center." Technolo gy had affected e­ felt pretty stupid. It just made me re­ ance were upped 50% with all other a­ experience in full. More than anything ven karate. T he suits they needed were alize Bulmar was predicting me. I'm bilities constant. Alba was an excel­ else he'd wanted masters status from intricate webs of padding and sensors. patterning and even if 1 survived, 1 1 m in lent group player and her advice was this tournament. The winnings would go The padding allowed wor.