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V'BI- uito Sample file ★ WYN Ship Names and Painting ★ ‘Gazala as Crusader’— New Scenarios Guides for Star Fleet Battles for Gazala. Clash of Armor ★ ‘Operation Stalker’— A Complete, New ★ Rules for Resolving Large Fleet Module for Delta Force Battles in New Empires Ш 0

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THE HERO SYSTEM is our name for the game mechanics that provide the framework for every role playing game and adventure HERO GAMES publishes. THE HERO SYSTEM insures that all HERO GAMES are compatible. If you play one, you can easily play them all! CHAMPIONS superheroes can take on 100-ton ROBOT WARRIORS in the air or on land! Call in high-tech SUPER AGENTS to battle your DANGER INTERNATIONAL adversaries! And to round out the system, the quarterly ADVENTURER’S CLUB magazine provides rules updates, optional rules, and adventure scenarios. Shouldn’t you spend more time playing and less time learning how to play?

IRON CROWN ENTERPRISES I P.O. BOX 1605 / CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA 22902 PLEASE RUSH M E: (U.S.$) □ ADVENTURER’S CLUB, 1 year’s subscription... .10.°° NAME. (do not add postage & handling) Sample□ CHAMPIONS (superhero role playing)...... 12.°' STREET file □ ROBOT WARRIORS (giant robot role playing)___15."' CITY _ . STATE. .ZIP_ □ SUPER AGENTS (high tech agent role playing).. .12.°' □ DANGER INT. (modern adventure role playing).. .15.°° PHONE#. Orders of $49.99 or less add $1.25 postage & handling, orders of $50.00 or more add $2.50. Orders to Canada add (U.S.) $2.50 on all orders. Send check or money order, no cash or COD. VISA & MASTERCARD orders call (800) 325-0479. VA residents, Canadians and overseas customers call <804) 295-3917. Please make phone orders during normal business hours, 9AM-5PM, Eastern Standard Time, Mon.-Fri. N E X U S m VOL. 3 N 0.2 OPENING TABLE OF CONTENTS I I N CS STARFIRE Starfall—Roy Noyes...... 3 Quickly? Yes, sometimes! In an era Large Fleet Battles—Peter Gumeau and Ken Quinnes...... 4 when men are capable of living in space, Tales of the Legendary Thomas ‘Black Beard’ Calloway smashing atoms into tiny components Fiction and Scenarios—Perrin D. T ong...... 6 and seeing Australian-Rules Football on Steam boats & Space Stations—Steve White cable, it was bound to happen sooner or The Industrial Economic Level in New Empires ...... 11 later. Nexus is out on time. H IS T O R IC A L G A M IN G In the Nexus 16 ‘Opening Lines,’ I indi­ To the Antipodes!—Christopher Vorder Bruegge cated that Mark McLaughlin was the de­ A Deceptively Peaceful Approach to V iceroys! ...... 13 signer of East Wind Rain; however, I for­ Quick-Start Empires—Mark G. McLaughlin got to include Chris Vorder Bruegge as A V iceroys! S c e n a r io ...... 16 the co-designer of this game. Sorry about Viceroys! Errata—Mark G. McLaughlin...... 17 that, Chris. East Wind Rain: An Econom ic C am paign—James C. Gordon ...... 18 Gazala as Crusader—James E. Meldrum Along the same lines, I recently found Scenarios for Gazala, Clash of Arm or ...... 22 a letter in my files from Robert Arm­ strong which names James Stear as co­ DELTA FORCE author of ‘Claw Raffaen’s Fear.’ So I The Armory—William H. Keith, Jr...... 25 want all of you to get up right now and New Weapons and Equipment for Delta Force Operation stalker—Nina Barton write James’s name in your Nexus 16 A Delta Force M o d u le...... 29 Table of Contents. I do like to give credit where credit is due. STAR FLEET UNIVERSE The N ext F ron tier...... 35 It’s good to know that a few of you Building the W YN Fleet—Stacy Brian Bartley...... 36 have finally listened to me—you sent for Shipyard Report: W YN Ship Nam es ...... 37 submission guidelines. For those of you THE ACADEMY who haven’t sent for the guidelines yet M id-Term Review, Term P apers...... 38 (but want to), all you have to do is send Brothers: Fiction and Scenario—Mark J. Kicmol...... 42 us an SASE and ask for Nexus submis­ Comm and the F u tu re!...... 45 sion guidelines. To Ask the Question WHY? ...... 46 We don’t have as many new releases H o w W o u ld Y o u H a n d le? ...... 46 this time around as we did last time. The Heat of Battle—Fleet Captain Mark Schultz...... 47 Those releases which are not already out уътзутаК. язф •е м е щ е T he Second F ederation-K zinti W ar—Alan M. Gopin...... 48 are scheduled to be released sometime be­ The ISC in F & E ...... 49 fore Origins. T a c t i c a l N o te s ...... 49 STAR FLEET COMMUNICATIONS CENTER...... 50 Starline 2200 Miniatures: Orion Slaver Andromedan Conquistador and Python The source fox Nexus subscriptions in Australia is: MILITARY SIMULATIONS PTY. LTD. SFB Tactics Manual 18 Fonceca, Mordialloc, Vic. 3195 Delta Force Companion Tricks of the Trade Nexus is published quarterly by Task Publisher: Allen D. Eldridge Force Games, 1110 N. Fillmore, Ama­ Editor in Chief: Roy Noyes rillo TX 79107. Subscriptions are avail­ Associate Editor: Rick L. Buck Federation and Empire Total War is ex­ able. Editor/SFB: Stephen V. Cole pected to be released sometime late this Subscription rate is $8.00 for four is­ summer, and Captain's Log 5 is cuxxently sues. Overseas subscription rates avail­ Art in this Issue: scheduled to be an early fall release. able on request. Send all correspondence Christopher White: Cover to the address above. Peter Gaut: Page 4,13, 18 For Nexus 18, we already have a couple All material copyright © 1987, Task SampleForce Games unless otherwise noted. Williamfile H. Keith, Jr.: Page 6,9,25, of excellent Starfire scenarios and a Bat- Typesetting on Apple® Macintosh 29, 31 ilewagon scenario lined up. And the Star using PageMaker™ by Aldus Corp. Ken Mayfield: Page 4, 11, 37, 39, 50 Fleet section will feature First Generation Printing by Standard Printing Co. and Francisco Castillo: Page 41,42, 43, X-Ships. For people who play our Southwestern Publications of Amarillo, 44,48 games, this is the place to be. See you Texas. Scott Stanford: Page 46 next issue. Q Deadly Nightside

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The Singing Frog Sanctuary Prodigal's Lantern Mission Karig the Stalker The Bloodmoon School Sagacity The Cock and Bull Gaming Club Nightside inferior Court The Sewers The well of Justice Haansfolk The undercitv The Big Fish Gang The House of infinite Dreams The Steel Man Domdaniel’sGate The Yellow poppy Sutaka's Beasts and Beauties Sample Thefile Shadow Riders

Produced by BLADE a division of Flying Buffalo inc. NEXUS MAGAZINE STARFIRE

Ф8.145) CAPTURED SPACECRAFT (Optional) by Steve White Because of the physical differences be­ tween races and differences in the ways their corresponding technologies are im­ plemented, a captured ship must go by Roy Noyes ferings, and if you have anything to through a complete refit before it may be offer, send it in and we’ll see about used by that race. All ship systems must How about this weather? How about printing it. be replaced, using the normal refit rules these articles? How about those fast Someone recently suggested that we in (D8.141). These systems may be re­ freighters? Well, two out of three isn’t start a Starfire Opponents Wanted bulletin placed with systems of the same type or bad. Since several people have asked me board similar to the one in the Star Fleet with other types [see (D8.141) for any ap­ about fast freighters, let’s talk about section. If you’re interested, let me know; plicable penalties]. proofreading. we could occasionally run one if there’s Note that alien systems removed during It’s normally best to have more than enough demand. this refit cannot be used at a later time by one person proofread each article. In the the capturing race, and are put in storage case of ‘Crasher Force,’ although several or destroyed at the player’s discretion. The ERRATA people (myself included) saw the article capturing player would in effect be get­ during play testing, only one person actual­ ting the hull free, but would still have to ly proofread it. The illegality of the fast (E3.2): At what range can fighters com­ pay for the systems. freighter design was overlooked. municate with their carrier? For those of you who have been won­ The chart on page eight of The Gorm- * * * * * dering, fast freighters are not legal under Khanate War should say ‘SPACECRAFT the current design rules. At the present (including fighters)’ instead of ‘SPACE­ With the radical increase in anti-fighter systems, the common strikefighter be­ time, warships may have no more than CRAFT (not fighters).’ That is, fighters came less useful. A new generation of ten percent of their total hull spaces devot­ may communicate with their carrier as fighters (more accurately called bombers) ed to cargo holds. long as they are in the same system hex Since Nexus 16, I have received a few as the carrier. were designed to counter and overcome suggestions for higher tech level Starfire the new defensive systems. systems. We’re still accepting ideas. In most areas, the rules for Starfire are (E6.2): Do units on standby retain their Mark I Bomber (MK1) fairly simple. We’d like to keep it that inherent scanner capability? by Don Jacques way, so are looking for systems which Yes. Units on standby retain all inher­ Each MK1 costs forty-five MgC and is would be easy to use and mostly agree ent capabilities which are not delegated to available at HT12. The MK1 begins with with current rules. If you’ve come up specific spacecraft systems under the defi­ thirteen pulses of movement This is re­ with a system that enhances Starfire and nitions of those systems. duced by one for each point of external makes some kind of sense, then send it in ordnance carried. The MK1 may carry up and we’ll consider it. Since the Gorms have faster and more to four items of external ordnance. I’m also still looking for new articles. I maneuverable ships, do all ST races have The MK1 carries three internal weapons prefer an article with a scenario included, this advantage? without penalty to movement. One of although I would consider using an excep­ these must be a laser or a gun. The other tional piece of fiction without a scenario. No. The Gorms are the only race with two are load points which may carry any Please write your article with current Star­ this ability. fighter ordnance. fire rules in mind; it will make things so much easier for both of us. Our address is * * * * ★ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ on page one in case you don’t have a copy of our submission guidelines. Have you ever wondered how long a The MK1 was such a splendid success, From time to time, I will include an op­ Terran crew could operate controls design­ that the opposition decided to go one tional rule or two in this column for your ed for eight fingers per hand or walk better. consideration. It will be just that—an op­ around in four-foot-high corridors of a cap­ tional rule—and should not be considered tured Rigelian vessel? Or whether a Tan- Mark II Bomber (MK2) an official part of the Starfire system. (In grian Corsair would have to stand up dur­ by Don Jacques spite of what you may have heard before, ing his entire tour of service upon a cap­ Each MK2 costs fifty-five MgC, and is there are only two sources of “official” tured Orion ship? There are enough phys­ available at HT13. The MK2 begins with Starfire rules. These are: rules printed in ical differences between most races to real­ fourteen pulses of movement. This is re­ the Starfire products themselves and rules istically prevent operation of their ships duced by one for each point of external labeled as “errata” beginning with this col­ and facilities by others. Sampleordnance file carried. The MK2 may carry up umn in Nexus 15.) Steve White has come up with a solu­ to four items of external ordnance. If an item here receives enough positive tion to this problem for those players The MK2 carries four internal weapons response (or a lack of negative response), who wish to address it (and also for those without penalty to movement. Of these, it may be included in a future product. So who just don’t like having their ships let me know what you think of these of­ captured). — Continued on page 12. 3