Stardate Magazine v3 6
Stardate Magazine v3 6
Stardate Magazine v3 6
Vdume l ~umber t3
HERE•s
G M
LIKE IT!
STARdATE
VoluME J NuMbER 6
TAbLE of CoNTENTs
ARTiclEs
Small Campaign BattleTech Blues..•..••••.••.....•.•.• 491 Scream in the Dark .•.••.•..•••..•..•.•...•.••.•.••.• 509
Need info on playing one sided BattleTech? Vampires! A late Halloween special.
-Richard Tucholka
STARDA'IE431
Vol.3, No.5
Publisher
RA . Brazeau
Associate Publisher
AnnZeddies
Editor
Peter R. Rogan
How come nobody's ever done a role- tions like this can also add continuity and Associate Editor
playing game on the movie "Halloween"? Or motivation, and make a continuing storyline Marjorie J. Evans
"Friday the 13th", for that matter? You know, out of a series of monstrous encounters.
Technical Editor
just a bunch of unprepared people with simple You horror-garners in our readership- Robert J. Gray
household items withstanding the onslaught How do you handle these problems, deal with
of some horror - zombies, werewolves, these questions? Is there any one approach Art/Production Director
Gideon
vengeance-seeking spirits or powertool- you swear by, or do you keep switching play
wielding maniacs. There are plenty of games styles by means of exploration, or to keep Art /Production Staff
on the market that deal with horror already, people on their toes? Let us know, if you wiii. J.M. Svaib, Jr.
Linda Plichta
but in true gamer fashion their players are Our next Halloween issue it would be neat to John Anglin
expecting something to happen to them and, look at the various ways a horror campaign is
with any luck (and a non-sadistic gamemas- put together and run, in the U.S. and abroad. Contributing Editors
ter), they're also heavily armed. At any rate, for devoted hobbyists this AlBogdan
Just once I'd like to see an adventure month we're offering up a few goodies for Staff Writers
where the creepiness that crawls in is com- your enjoyment and perusal, and tops among John A. Theisen
pletely unexpected. Alfred Hitchcock's won- them is our first Frank Frazetta cover- his Richard Tucholka
derful movie, "The Birds", was terrifying famous painting of 'The Death Dealer". We Contrib uting Writers
simply because the incomprehensible threat wanted to make a bit of a splash this month, Jack Freeman
was something as ordinary as flocks of spar- seeing as how it's Halloween again, and coin- Clarke Johnson
J.A Nardi
rows, starlings and gulls turned savage. How cidentally the first time Stardate can be found
Blaine L Pardoe
can you defeat something like that? What in your local B. Dalton's bookstore. Josh W. Spencer
sorts of weapons will work against so many At least, for our American and Canadian
(albeit tiny) attackers? _ readers . We have a great many readers in Contributing Artists
J.M. Kuzee
Two things motivate most horror movie. -, Europe and Australia who we'd like to say
Terry Prince
plots. The first is the sheer strangeness or in- 'hello' to as well. We're very glad here in G.T. Washington
comprehensibility of the antagonist, which Utica that you read us, and we hope you like
poses a threat that could not have been antici- what you see. Cover Art:
pated: The Mummy rises from his tomb. An This month, as always, we have quite a 'The Death Dealer" by Frank Frazetta
ordinary man becomes the Werewolf. These good deal for the BattleTech player- a new
PUBLISHER: Reluctant Publishing, Ltd., of 44825 Cass
things should not, can not, be- and yet they Cranston Snord's Irregulars scenario, the Ave., Utica, M148087, (313) 739-1599. All rights on the
are. The second thing is the struggle to defeat third part of the New Avalon Institute of contents of this magazine are reserved. Nothing may be
or kill the menace (if it can be killed at all, or Science Technical Manual, and a Small Cam- reproduced in whole or in part without the prior consent of
the publisher. Using the name of any product without
again), which is never easy. Sometimes the paign generator for lance- or company-sized
referring to trademark should not be taken as a challenge of
movie heroes are armed, but uselessly; the units . Sit down and roll up a little peril on the that status nor should comment on a product be an implica-
monster or whatsis ignores bullets, or tank road. Plus the first part of an exploration of tion of sponsorship of the trademarl< holder.
shells, or poison gases. Sometimes they have Solaris, the BattleMech gladiator world, with
STAR TREK is a registered trademark of Paramount
nothing but their own resourcefulness and a map of the arena and tables to generate your Pictures Corporation, © 1987. STAR TREK: THE ROLE-
imagination, and they must seek a novel and own contests on. And the usual range of de- PLAYING GAME, BA TTLETECH, CITYTECH,
equally strange weapon to use. Offing the partrnents and features, including an "Off The AEROTECH, BATTLEFORCE are registered trademarks
of FASA Corpa'ration. TRAVELLER, TRAV-
horror will take time, experimentation, and Shelf' feature on the supersecret X-29. ELLER:2300 are registered trademarks of Game Design-
probably a few casualties. All this and more. And wait until next ers Workshop, Inc. Oberon & Co. is © Starchilde Studios
A really good horror game should follow month! & Gideon. The Rules of Fizzbin © 1987 Glenn Overby,
the same pattern, and pose the players some- derived in part from audiovisual material © 1968 Para-
mount Pictures Corp. & Norway Corp. BattleMech Tech,
thing to boggle the imagination and test their Pete Rogan, Ed. Off the Shelf, Jaynz Ships of the Galxay, Inventive Ord-
creativity. ("Professor, your microwaves nance, and Scream in the Dark © 1987 Reluctant Publish-
didn't work!" "Yell, urn, yah, I see ... ") The -FLASH - As we go to press, FASA ing. All rights reserved.
problem, of course, is that most horror RPGs Corporation has announced that they have SUBSCRIPTION: STARDATE Magazine is a
are campaigns, and it's hard to maintain a kind acquired the game rights to Star Trek: The monthly publication. Rates as of 1 May 1987 are, in the
of player innocence in the face of repeated Next Generation. Details will follow as U.S.: 12issues US$30. Outside the U.S.: please add US$!
per issue (Canada) or US$1.75 (foreign) for postage costs.
challenges from the unknown. soon as they are available. International rates are subject to change. Please make all
The best kind of horror movies pose a payments in U.S. dollars. Send checks or money orders. Do
mystery along with a terror. Why is Dracula in CORRECTION: Through oversight we failed not send cash. Send to: Subscription Department, STA-
RDATE Magazine. Make all checks payable to Reluctant
London? Why did the Science Officer let the to credit two artists with the work they did for
Publishing, Ltd.
contaminated man back on board the ship? Numbers 4 and 5. Kurt Cagle did the portrai- CONTRIBUTORS: The publisher would be pleased
The 'whys' get tangled up with the 'haws' of tures for Galt's Grenadiers in Number 3, and to consider any previously unpublished articles or artworl<.
getting rid of the whatever-it-is, and oftimes J.M. Svaib, jr., is responsible for the "Jaynz" Please write for a copy of our writer's and artist's guide-
lines.
they are very important to reaching an even- deckplans. ADVERTISING: Rates and information are avail-
tual solution. In a role-playing scenario, ques- able on request. Call (313) 739-1 599-
STARDATE432
Overview: The sole remaining weakness is the Rat's Eye Targeting and
As the Second Succession War continued to rage on and Tracking System. Possessing an enviable track record, the same
certain BattleMech components became increasingly scarce, House manufacturer produced such effective systems as the Eagle Eye SY10-
Kurita was forced to consider a less expensive and more easily 10 (used on the Dragon) and the Cat's Eyes 5 (used on the Panther).
constructed alternative. Unfortunately, Kurita engineers had no new Unfortunately, this particular model has failed badly compared to its
designs ready to fill the gap, until a raid against House Steiner led to more famous cousins. One compalaint describes what happens when
the unexpected discovery and capture of blueprints for a substantially the tracking computer overloads, an infrequent but often catastrophic
altered version of their own Hunter tank. Though the raid proved of event. When it does occur, the main bus bar on the Shillelagh's entire
little tactical importance during the war, the successful theft was to electrical system shorts out, leaving the hapless vehicle without lights,
have lasting consequences. The design created from these prints the ability to rotate the turret or fire weaponry, or air-conditioning for
would be known as the Shillelagh, and it entered into production just the crew compartment. This flaw has led many crews to make dispar-
as the Second Succession War drew to a close. aging remarks about the computer's designers, in terms of a less com-
Though production rates have gradually decreased during plimentary portion of the "rat's" anatomy.
the last few decades, Shillelaghs are still being manufactured within
the Draconis Combine. They continue to serve in second-and third- Battle History:
line armored units throughout House Kurita, and captured Shillelaghs
have been detected afew times among House Davion and Steiner units. The Shillelagh has been most often used in a long-range
Older Shillelaghs are occasionally lll~de available to mercenaries in siege and stand-off bombardment role, something it remains well-
House Kurita's employ. suited for. A lance of Shillelaghs are not to be taken lightly, particu-
Capabilities: larly when facing light BattleMechs. With the variety of equipment
The Shillelagh is a tracked missile tank of average appear- problems it has had, however, the vehicle has developed some reputa-
ance and with the high profile so characteristic of turreted missile tion for being 'junxed,' and not entirely without merit. Shillelagh
tanks. A crew of four is seated in tandem pairs, and the Shillelagh is crews do share a very strong love-hate relationship with their vehicle,
equipped with three crew escape ports, two on the top (in front of and appreciating its speed, protection, and firepower (when everything is
behind the turret) and one underneath(centered between the treads). working), while cursing the computer and continually worrying about
This third access point is unusual for a vehicle of the Shillelagh's excess heat buildup. They realize their vehicle is often the butt of many
tonnage, but was deemed anecessity because this tank proved some- jokes, yet they generally get the job done--and done well-despite any
what top-heavy and does occasionally flip over while travelling on technical problems.
steep inclines (or when hit or rammed).
The Shillelagh has several strong points: the Nissan Variants:
engine's overall reliability and low maintenance requirements; the
vehicle's good speed and endurance; and the respectable Star Slab Several slightly different versions of the Shillelagh have
armor are probably its best features. The Sipher CommSys communi- been manufactured, though none have ever seen widespread use.
cations unit has also worked remarkably well on this vehicle, continu- Modifications usually involve removing the LRM-15 and replacing it
ing to function under the worst of battlefield conditions. with a lighter missile launcher, more armor, and a more effective (and
However, there are also weakneses, and the Shillelagh less hazardous) secondary weapon. Mercenaries, in particular, often
certainly has more than it share. The high-quality Telos SesquiDe- remove the Dragon's Breath flamer and its fuel cannister completely,
caCluster (SDC) LRM launcher mounted in the turret is a very good substituting a small laser or machine gun.
system with excellent accuracy; unfortunately, it is also somewhat Few efforts have been made to replace the Rat's Eye track-
delicate and is often knocked out of alignment by explosive near- ing computer, because it requires re-wiring the vehicle's ~ntire electri-
misses, effectively rendering it inoperative. cal system.
Such a task is a low priority among factory technicians and often too
The front-mounted Dragon's Breath flamer operates well ambitious a project for a field overhaul with limited resources avail-
enough, but the fuel cannister containing its liquid propellant is located able.
dangerously close to the fuel supply. When the Nissan overheats ex-
cessively, the residual heat can ignite the cannister's volatile contents. Notable Vehicles and Pilots:
Since few tactical situations involving a missile tank permit extensive
use of the close-range flamer, the cannister (more often than not) is full There are very few noteworthy vehicles or pilots using the
at the tiffie. More than one unlucky Shillelagh crew has suffered the Shillelagh. Most crews would just as soon remain anonymous.
devastating effects of an internal flamer cannister detonation, and even
the vehicle's strongest proponents admit it is an unsatisfactory second
weapon.
STARDATE433
Overview: of problems; it's internal structure cannot hold much armor and its
Originally an off-the-wall idea of one of the head instruc- small laser will not do much damage to other 'Mechs. However, to
tors at NAIS, this 'Mech came into being as the result of an date, this small 'Mech has accomplished all it set out to do.
accidental discovery by one of Hanse Davion's scouts. This scout, Normally, theM ite is included as part of a regular recon
one Julian Windstorm, found a reference to a storage facility for the lance and moves out ahead as a point man where its speed can be
Hermes Co. on the planet of June, which is close to the Periphery in used to its advantage.
Federated Suns space. Using his own funds, he traveled there and
found the facility after a lengthy search. He then personally took
photos of the facility to Hanse Davion, who immediately sent a
group ofTechs and scientists from NAIS to study what was stored Battle History:
in this facility. As a new 'Mech design, the Mite has seen little action.
When they arrived there, they found over 1,000 Hermes However, during field and battle testing, it got its chance to prove
100 fusion engines and tons of equipment for working on these itself. Mites were attached to the 7th Crucis Lancers, at the time
fusion engines. Since no standard 'Mech uses the Hermes 100 engaged on the planet ofNew Aberdeen, for battle testing. Informa-
engine, the Techs were disappointed at this discovery. However, tion was needed on where thenextKuritapush would take place and
Hanse Davion was elated and issued orders for the engines and where their supply dumps were located.
equipment to be shipped to New Avalon. Previous attempts to insert scouts behind the lines had
Even before arrival of this equipment, Davion issued failed, and so it was decided to try to insert a Mite through a weak
orders to his Techs to start work on a new recon 'Mech using the point in the Kurita lines. A lance composed of an Archer, a Valkyrie,
Hermes 100 engine and so the Mit~ was born. a Locust and a Mite moved to attempt this. The other 'Mechs
Weighing only 10 tons, the Mite cannot even begin to mission was to cover the Mite in case of contact with Kurita forces.
think of standing up to any 'Mech in a fight, but this 'Mech was As luck would have it, word had gotten to the Kurita
designed to spot and run. With its high speed and maneuverability, commander of this attempt and he had assigned a medium lance to
it is a natural scout. Using narrow-band communications and en- intercept and destroy the recon lance. In a small valley, the two
hanced sensor arrays, theMite can get the info, transmit the data, and forces met. The Mite, as it was instructed, stayed out of the fighting
then get out of danger in a hurry. and waited for its chance to slip by and get through. The chance
fmally came and the 'Mech pilot wasted no time. Running behind a
SHD-2K Shadow Hawk, he ran for the other end of the valley. All
Capabilities: four of the Kurita 'Mechs fired on the Mite and the ground behind
Using the same data gathering equipment as the 0 stscout, the 'Mech literally burst into flame as it moved. Yet, not one of the
the Mite has proved to be as good or better at the job than any other 'Mechs hit it and it managed to get out of range and out of sight.
'Mech yet designed. With a top speed of 162.0 kph, it is one of the This Mite spent two weeks behind Kurita lines gathering
fastest 'Mechs ever to be seen on the battlefield. Yet, it has its share information, transmitting it to the Davion forces, and evading Kurita
forces searching for him. At the end of the second week, Davion
forces attacked, destroying several supply dumps that the Mite had
reported on. During the battle, the Mite managed to slip back
through the lines with hardly ascratchonitto show ithadbeengone.
If this 'Mech continues to live up to this example, then the
Mite will definitely add to the Davion force's recon capabilities.
STARDA'IE435
Mass: 10 tons
Chassis: Modified Bergan V
Power Plant: Hermes 100
Cruising Speed: 108 .0 kph
Maximum Speed: 162.0 kph
Armor: 1/Star Slab
Armament:
One Magna Mk I Small Laser
Manufacturer: Corean Enterprises
Communications System: Barret 4000
Targeting and Tracking System: TRSS.2L3
STARDATE437
Statistic RANGE
With 3 external tanks 2300 nm. (est.)
Wing span 27 fl
iP##'iml~ihh\ :': ::::::.\}'}' \t4&if.t: : :: SPEED
Height 14ft. 12,500 ft. 1740 mph (est)
§OO:JW '''tt .·.·.·.·.·.· : •::::: ::::::: :uu?:?P:moo:l#m:r : ::::'::::,: ::::= :•:::::::::::••:::::
WEAPONS
1 Vulcan 20 nun cannon with 1,500 rounds,
4'§~ae
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·.·:.a.•: ..'":·_A
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:;:::::~~:~tim¥~1:mlliwl:!ii.l:i«l'lf«:~~~:·.·: : : ~: : .:,~: : : :. :,: : : ~:· ,: : : : : : ·.: i: : :,:•:.: : : : : : .: : :· · · X-29 (FIGHTER)
A U.S. single seat lightweight fighter. Special Features: APG-68
Radar, all weather avionics, 1XCF pylon: 1000kg, 2X outboard
TOPEND 6 wing pylons at 300kg each, 2 wingtip pylons at 200kg each. Price:
::::•:::M\MPA¢¢mJ§\~ 'ff ':::•::mm:m:t• •J~"B ::::: ::::::::=:• :,,, :::':: ·· $7,000,000 (R\R).RF: +40 IR: +40 Armament: 20mm autocannon
RTURNS Y
Ammo: 150x20mm Tr Move:2784 Com. Move: 1552
:::::MMmYYgg:;gij§J'!YRnQN~ f :••::::::::: d /:/ ,,,,, , Agility:15\7Turn Radius: 150\70 Acc.1350 Fuel Cap:4000 Fuel
MISSILES 2IR\2RG
Cons:3872 WT:7.8 tons TO Run:2000 m Land Run: 1500 m
: m:t 4mmN$itm:::r•:: :iidt: :::r::: : • •'1,AA9~r:::•:::::::: : : : : •:••: , , , •. ,: : Cargo:none Load:2000 kg. Mnt. 60 Crew: 1 Armor: FF(30),
CLTIMB 3
CF(30), RF(30), V(20), J(15) Damage Chart: C
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.srARDATE438
New Avalon
Institute of Science
Mechwarriar Training Manual
BATTLEMEcl-l TAcTics
BattleMech tactics have gradually developed over the past 500 approaching combat unit may be saturated with fire from the earliest
years. The Succession Wars have improved our knowledge of deploy- possible moment.
ment and maneuver, even as they have compelled tactics to conform
to and cope with the loss of technical sophistication. The middle or second sphere of fire consists of all that distance
reached by all the weaponry on the 'Mech. Here is where the majority
It would be false and dangerous to insist, as some have, that there of 'Mech-to- 'Mech combat takes place, in the fluid environs of the
are certain 'established' or 'mandatory' tactics or tactical doctrine. varying reach of whichever weapon systems each machine can bring
This sort of thinking leads inevitably to stagnation, rigidity and loss of to bear. Here too are the infinite opportunities and dangers when skill
innovation. Nonetheless, there are some basic maneuvers and tactics often counts more than weight of fire, as all experienced MechW arri-
that time and experience have distilled from raw combat. This chapter ors know.
of the Manual is intended to introduce students to some of the more
common tactics and unit tactical doctrine now used throughout the The innermost or third sphere of fire is that zone immediately
Inner Sphere. The list is far from complete, but it is sufficient to reachable physically by the BattleMech itself - the kicking and
demonstrate the basics. punching range, where the tonnage of the machine is a vital factor in
inflicting and absorbing damage. This zone includes the use of club-
The tactics to be covered are primarily for lance and company- bing weapons, purpose-built and ad hoc, but does not include 'Death
sized units, with examples drawn from historical battles wherever From Above' attacks, which, like charging, are a special attack and
possible. more a function of movement. Such movement serves mainly to bring
the 'Mech's third sphere quickly into play.
Banshee 540 90 12
Cicada 0 90 5
Commando 0 270 9
\ ,
Cyclops 630 450 7
Firestarter 0 270 6
Hunchback 0 270 6
Javelin 0 270 7
Locust 0 270 8
Spider 0 270 6
Stinger 0 270 7
Wasp 0 270 8
Other factors come into the calculation of combat efficiency Warrior should be aware at all times of the rate of ammo expenditure
besides range. Speed, the presence or absence of arms and hands, the by the enemy, to know not just when they may be running low, but to
weight of armor, the number and type of weapons, for example. One judge by their rate of fire their willingness to fight and their ability to
of the most important considerations is the amount of ammunition pass to the offensive.
carried.
Key to this knowledge is the understanding of how much ~o
Without ammunition, missile racks and autocannon are just so each type ofBattleMech carries as a standard full load. This uppermost
much dead weight. The supplies of such aboard a 'Mech are finite, and limit is the only fixed number that can be relied on in combat, but the
no task in combat aside from heat maintenance is so vital to survival student should be wary of it. Canny pilots will hold their fire and seem
in combat as knowing the state of ammunition remaining at any given to be low on ammo to lure an impatient or overconfident opponent into
moment. As any seasoned MechWarrior knows, ammunition must be killing range. Remember that careful observation and battle intelli-
carefully rationed so as to avoid the twin perils of overheating and gence have no substitutes in combat.
running out of reloads in the thick of an engagement.
The following list gives the maximum number of reloads of each
Knowing how much ammo an opponent has frred is equally type of missile or ballistic weapons in each of the more common
important. Sensors in the 'Mech keep track of ammo expenditure by BattleMechs. Excluded from this list are machine gun ammo loads,
the target it is locked on to, but only in probabilistic fashion, and which for practical purposes may be considered inexhaustible in most
present systems are not as reliable as those of the Star League. A Mech- combats.
Archer 24 0 0
Assassin -o 6
as 12 15 0
·:.- ·.
Awesome na na
B:::nshee 0 0 0
Bmle~aster 0
Blzcl::jack 0 0 45
~ I 0
ee.::n:· n 24 0 20
C:.!:cez
c- na na na
G:::J
Co:runodo 0 40 0
Crusader
Cyclops 12 25 20
• _Dervish
Dragon 24 0 0
Firestarter na na na
Grasshopper 24 0 0
Hatchetman 0 0 20
Hnnchback 0 0 10
Javelin 0 30 0
Locust na na na
Orion 0 24 0
Ostscout na na na
Panther 0 25 0
Quickdraw 12 25 0
Scorpion 0 16 0
Spider na na na
Stinger na na na
Trebuchet 16 0 0
Valkyrie 12 0 0
Vulcan 0 0 45
Wasp 0 50 0
Wolverine 0 15 20
Of critical concern to the MechWarrior is heat management, both Separate publications rate the heat-management capabilities of
ofhisown 'Mechsandthoseoftheenemy.Noothertopicsoconsumes the more common BattleMechs as compared to their movement and
the scientists and Technicians of the New Avalon Institute of Science, combat capacities, all avail able from theN ew A valon library. Students
simply because of its overriding importance. Control of the generation are advised to become familiar with them in the first term, and·know,
and venting of heat is a never-ending tactical problem for pilots, for each 'Mech type, the total number of heat sinks, the total heat-
engaged in what ProfessorTaublus once memorably described as "that generating capacity of each weapon, the heat cost of movement, and
grand thermal ballet." the optimal move/frre/vent sequence for all modes of attack and
defense.
No other topic is as elusive, as well. To factor heat sinks with
optimum weapons-firing data and cross-reference them with move- The third sphere, the range of actual physical 'Mech-to-'Mech
ment rates, as has been done, is laborious and mind-boggling . An attack, is a subject of surprisingly little serious study, though of intense
algorithm exists, devised here at New Avalon, that gives a constant interest. Close combat has always been a part of BattleMech warfare,
real-time projection of heat build-up and venting fully as capable as a but not until recently did anyone analyze the best means of attack and
trained MechWarrior of anticipating needs and budgeting heat sinks, defense, the best places to strike which kind of 'Mech with what kind
movement and combat options. Unfortunately the computer required of blow where, or even the parameters of the decision of when to close
to run it is itself half the size of a 'Mech. for physical combat. Study is incomplete at this time, but is progress-
ing. At present only these general precepts have been determined. handful of 'Mechs and support personnel, all but impervious to any but
the most determined assault.
All BattleMechs possess legs, and therefore the ability to kick.
Kicking is a most useful attack against the legs of an opposing ' Mech, Water bodies are highly desirable terrain for the pure-BattleMech
and can serve to disable the speed of a faster opponent. Most kicking fight, doubling the effective rate of fire of most machines if of the
is done forward, against a foe in the forward arc, but there have been proper depth. But such ideal circumstances rarely exist, and MechWar-
instances of rearward kicking, particularly in four -legged 'Mechs, riors should not forget that even a tactically useless stream, pond or
despite the loss of accuracy. shoreline may still inhibit the movement of any supporting armor or
infantry.Battleshavebeenlostwhen 'Mechshavebeenluredfromone
Arms grant the ability to push and to punch, even without hands water body to another, stripping them of flanking defenses, or placing
and in spite of the risk of damage to arm-mounted weapons . Arms have them under the guns of a prepared position. Too many MechWarriors
been found to be most effective when the force they apply is along their have also fallen to overconfidence in unknown bodies of water,
longer axis, as with a direct-from -the-shoulder-actuator punch or thinking their mounts capable of unlimited movement. Water can be
shove, and not along any of the shorter axes, which tends to produce too deep, run too fast, or hide a bottom treacherous with mud, loose
unacceptable stress in all components. Cracking an enemy 'Mech's sand, or debris from tree trunks to concrete and steel tangles. There are
head with a roundhouse arm swing may well damage the arm as badly many 'Mechs sunk too deep in swamps or lost at sea beyond the reach
as the enemy, and should be avoided. of any recovery force, propelled there by a headstrong pilot with more
battlelust than sense.
The combat potential of hands is mixed. True, they make possible
the utilization of stray trees, steel beams and even 'Mech arms and legs Forests and other biotic growth are often the bane of the mobile
as clubs, but to use these the hand-possessing 'Mech must swing the 'Mech, but their ability to conceal BattleMechs and other forces is
object, and impact invariably stresses arm and hand from actuators to supreme and of great importance. They can screen sensors as well as
armor and skeleton. Only the strongest of 'Mechs will find them of use, the unaided eye, foil aerial observation and block fire. As hasty
and they already possess almost overwhelming advantages in the third defensive positions or covering points for an advance they can serve
sphere. the knowledgeable pilot and commander as well as any kind of terrain
- the more so because they can even shield a force from aerospace-
Jump jets add another dimension, the third, to physical combat, craft attack. Canny defenders will remember the importance of woods
and a unique one. "Death From Above" attacks, like charging, move and deny their use to the enemy. The use of fire is deplorably
the 'Mech into close combat range and produce damage by collision widespread and not too effective, all things being equal. Of greater
with another BattleMech. Unlike charging, the damage produced tends utility is the selective use of demolitions to fell trees to block move-
to be localized to the upper surfaces,pf the target, including the head, ment, or to string cables for the same purpose, or to intensively sow
making even a single attack a potentially .disabling one. MechWarriors mines and vibrabombs in the choicer patches. Attackers should always
are nonetheless cautioned that any attack by collision will damage the anticipate these and be prepared for them, while not allowing their
attacking 'Mech in direct proportion to the ratio of the mass of attacker possibility to paralyze an advance.
and defender, and damage to the attacker will always occur. Such
attacks should be made rarely, judiciously, and with ample firepower Cities, towns and other man-made structures in depth are the great
in reserve for support. killing grounds ofBattleMechs, whether they are attacking or defend-
ing. In the close confmes of a city the buildings provide 'Mechs with
only the illusion of cover and protection, while giving armored
vehicles and even infantry a more even chance to close and damage
Battlefield Environments them, perhaps fatally. Streets are lanes of fire, denying movement and
springing sudden ambushes. Buildings hide assault troops and the anti-
The range of potential BattleMech battlefields is not infinite, but 'Mech boobytrap. Wise commanders with cities under their command
it is great. Combat has occurred on stormy seacoasts with 'Mechs hip- will anticipate that any attack will be with smaller, lighter and more
deep in surf, in frozen arctic mountains and glaciers riddled with maneuverable 'Mechs, heavily supported by other combat arms.
crevasses and icefalls, on alkali deserts thick with abrasive dust as Defense must be as tightly organized as the offense, designed to blunt
barren as a vacuum-scoured moon, and in steaming fetid jungles so the point of an attack and turn each defensible structure into a redoubt.
foul that armor corrodes in a week. No less than the potentials of the Cities are poor choices for battles, but ·they often are vital combat
individual 'Mechs, the terrain of any battle is of critical importance for objectives as crossroads, centers of communication, spaceports, and/
tactical success. or supply centers, and as such they must and will be fought for. Any city.
combat must be considered to be high-casualty and prepared for
Proper "terrain awareness" needs to be developed in aMechWar- accordingly; to go in with too little is to risk losing all.
rior as a virtual instinct, to know where 'the lay of the land' favors an
advance or screens an ambush. Study of the terrain beforehand, The final element of the battlefield environment to consider is the
through maps or aerial or spaceborne surveys, is vital to knowing the climate and the weather. Hot planets, whether jungle or desert, will
advantages and disadvantages of a potential battlefield. slow the pace of combat and lower the efficiency of combat forces,
'Mech and non- 'Mech alike. Arctic climates will provide more effi-
Hills and mountains- terrain elevations of any type, in fact- cient cooling, but the uncertain footing of ice and snow will inhibit
are very important for concealment and defense. A ridge can screen movement again and restrict greatly the operations of supporting
movement beyond it, or be used as a parapet to shield the bulk of a troops and vehicles. Even in temperate climates weather carmot ever
'Mech attacking over it (but remember that it can also block the fire of be taken for granted. Rain degrades sensors even as it restricts vision
torso-mounted weapons). Valleys can be conduits for rapid unobser- -as does fog, sleet, snow and even hail. Precipitation of almost any
ved movement, or traps for the unwary. Elevations are very defensible kind slows movement and can cause loss of command control, forcing
positions, and their seizure should be considered of prime importance, a combat formation to compress itself, slow to a crawl, or risk units
equal at least to any other mission objective. They can easily be becoming lost in hostile territory. Weather can thus inhibit an attack,
converted into strongpoints or veritable impromptu fortresses with a but for the same reasons it can aid a counterattack, permitting units to
assemble with lessened chances of being spotted and depriving a changing and never satisfied when experience and schooling indicate
better-equipped foe of air cover and AeroTech fighter support. Local- probable problems ahead. Seasonal variations, the average tempera-
ized weather hazards should always be included in any briefmg, for ture, the presence or scarcity of water, the contour of the land in the path
there is no 'Mech built that can withstand a flash flood, the electronics- of advance, the nature of the objective and whether any urban combat
destroying force of lightning storms, or tornadoes. will be necessary or can be avoided-these are not the far-off concerns
of the battalion commander, but the real and present tools of the
The competent MechWarrior keeps these priori ties in mind MechWarrior. Victory or defeat, life and death hang on attention to
when reviewing the potential battlefield, aware that they are constantly details like these. They are not, and never will be, small.
\\
'I
I I
II
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~
BASICS~
OUR PRODUCTS IN ADDITION TO OUR
TERRAIN
SYSTEM WE STOCK:
THE BASIC SET ROAD EXPANSION SET TOURNAMENT
112 pieces- Covers a 5' x 7' table top in 20 pieces- Boldly go where no 83 pieces - Combines elements of our • Woodland Scenics Tree K its
gently sloped con tour lines. $174.95* road has gone before! $59.95* basic set and both completer sets to and Landscape Materials
produce the perfect system for the
THE ROUGH ACCESSORY SET TRANSITION ADDITION SET 4' x 6' table top. $159.95* • Plastruct Plastrees and
88 pieces- Adds vertica l slopes to basic 20 pieces - More of the best of Landscape Materials
set. $114.95* of the. rough ten:.1)jn accessory TOURNAMENT ROUGH SET
set! $59.95* 46 pieces- The perfect companion for • Galli a USA Buildings and
THE COMPLETER ACCESSORY SET I the tournament basic- adds vertical Accessories
40 pieces- Contains 36 half pieces to SMALL HILL SET slopes. $84.95*
straighten two table edges, plus 4 25 pieces- A great starter pack • Hovels Bui ldings in 15mm
special bridging pieces for your basic or add-on. $45.95* SUNKEN ROADS SET and 25mm
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THE COMPLETER ACCESSORY SET II 41 pieces- A better starter pack you with its flexibility. $84.95* Stands and Casualty Caps
40 pieces- Contains 36 ha lf pieces to or add-on . $75.95*
straighten two table edges, plus 4 • All sets available in either green or • Howard H ues Paints-
quarter pieces to fill the corners. desert finish with 1" or 2" wide roads including the special "GEO-
$54.95* lfexs with roads are reversib le to pla in HEX" colors
terrain .
--
-~---=-
Prior to the release of BattleForce, FASA published tables of or- 1. Where ground or BattleMech lances contain five units, the
ganization for anum ber of different House and mercenary Batt leMech values are based on the sum of all five vehicles (and then divided by
units, ranging in size from part of a single lance up to entire regiments. four), instead of using the "Extra 'Mech" rule.
These units appeared in various BattleTech scenario books and Mech-
Warrior supplements, and were originally intended just for Bat- 2. In pure (all units of a single movement type) ground or
tleTech. However, for those who wish to use some or all of these BattleMech lances containing six units, TWO separate counters are
fomations in creating BattleForce scenarios, this article contains the used to represent that lance. The lance is divided into groups of three
necessary values for each lance of every previously-published forma- vehicles or 'Mechs. Values are then calculated normally for each
tion ( of"company" strength or larger). Values for certain pre generated counter.
lances are also included.
3. Where AeroSpace Fighter lances contain three units, the
The formations and lances appearing here will only be referred to values are based on the sum of all three vehicles (and then divided by
by name and the publication (and page numbers) in which they four).
originally appeared. For more detailed organizational information or
the exact composition of each lance, <gamemasters should consult the 4. In instances where one BattleMech is included with a lance
respective manuals. of ground vehicles or artillery units, or when one ground vehicle or
artillery unit appears in a 'Mech lance, the closest "Vehicle" or
A NOTE ON FORMATIONS "Artillery" lance is selected as most closely representing the unit, with
In the following rosters, the numeric values given for each the additional notation of: "with 'Mech." The values are based on all
BattleMech, vehicle, and infantry lance are: vehicles in the lance, including the 'Mech.
6. In lances containing more than one 'Mech and more than one
The numeric values give for each AeroSpace Fighter and LAM ground vehicle, TWO separate counters are used to represent that
lance are: lance. The 'Mechs are grouped together as one counter, and all other
ground vehicles are grouped as the other counter. Values are then
calculated normally for each counter.
ST ARDATE 449
units is used to calculate all values, except for movement. After all STANDARD ENEMY FORCES
values are calculated, the minimum movement of the slowest vehicle
is determined (disregarding the infantry). That movement value is then These values are for the lances provided in the "STANDARD
used (it is assumed that the infantry is being transported), and the ENEMY FORCES TABLE," appearing in MechWarrior, page 94.
"Vehicle" lance most closely representing the unit is selected. Appropriate experience ratings should be determined for each lance by
the gamemaster and/or players.
10. Where Sniper artillery units are used, it is assumed for
purposes of calculation that they have their own attack values and
range, but have the same defensive value and movement of the Long
Tom artillery units.
METAllic SMoke
Until the latter part of the 20th century smoke on the battlefield Statistics:
had little direct effect on the firing of a weapon. Little is known Range of smoke weapons depends on the weapon type. Use
about the warfare before this time, but it can be assumed that prior tables describing the type of weapon you wish to use and extrapo-
to 1997, which is the first recorded period in which we have been late. ie. You want to use a smoke grenade. A smoke grenade weighs
able to fmd evidence, that smoke must have been used as a covering about the same as a regular grenade. This holds true with rifle
and signaling device. grenades, shells from carmon, rockets, and dropped aircraft bombs.
It can be assumed that the advent of the use of coherent light
targeting systems created the need for a met~od of eliminating this Duration can be created usinga 1D6. Roll a4 and the smoke lasts
threat. The first actions which used metallic smoke were inconclu- four turns. These numbers can be modified by the GM. If there is
sive. Until the mid-22nd century, the use of metallic smoke was a strong wind blowing, the duration can be reduced by 50%. (This
limited to large scale operations involving massed units. means that the same 4 would be reduced to 2.)
Once gauss and laser weapons came into full acceptance, the
need to defeat these weapons became acute. Smoke was the fastest
and easiest method of defeating the new weapons. The first "heavy"
smoke grenades were large and cumbersome. And then, like today,
the duration was short. Game Statistics:
Effective use of metallic magnetic smoke can cause any number
of problems. It can attenuate coherent light beam weapons (lasers), 2300
it can scramble rader, it can destroy radio communication, and it can Increases all physical rolls by two (2) difficulty levels. All IR
cause gauss weapons to prefire. scopes are useless in smoke. All lasers firing into and out of smoke
Of course, these problems work both ways. Like war gas, are useless. A gauss rifle cannot be fired from inside a smoke cloud.
"heavy" smoke can cause the same problems with your own equip- Smoke covers a 1D10 area and is effective 1D6 combat rounds.
ment. It should be remembered that smoke of this type must be used Referee can modify effect and duration.
with caution because if you get a wind shift you will be in the soup
instead of your intended target. BattleTech
It makes lasers and particle beam weapons ineffective when
Tactical Applications firing into or out of a smoke hex. All other weapons fired into or out
Heavy smoke can be used in any number of tactical applications. of smoke add 2 to the to hit number.
A defending force which is tactically out numbered can use this
smoke to create mass confusion among the attackers. AeroTech fighters when straffing are affected the same as .a
This smoke can also be used to confuse attacking aircraft. Since 'Mech.
this smoke has a very short duration, it is important to use it at the Vehicles are affected the same as a 'Mech.
proper moment. Remember that you will have to rely on other forms Infantry carmot fire into out of or through a smoke hex unless
of communication than radio if you pop smoke on yourselves. adjacent to the target. If adjacent, add +2 to hit.
Another tactical use of smoke can come from attacking aircraft Moving through smoke costs the same as heavy woods for all
dropping smoke bombs on the target. This smoke will eliminate units because of sensor disruption.
many forms of communication, cancel out radar tracking and Smoke occupies impact hex and 6 surrounding hexs. It is a leve
effectively remove all laser and gauss ground fire that could be 2 obstacle. Any specially equipped unit can make smoke. Delivery
directed at the attacking aircraft. is the same as with any projectile.
STARDATE474
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As worlds go, itwasn'tmuch to look at. Discovered early in the first The war-weary population of Solaris realized it was only a matter of
age of exploration, the planet was named Solaris from a work of a time until they would be hit again and the desalinization plants would
forgotten literary master of Terra's late twentieth century. The fic- be damaged or destroyed. Their ace in the hole was simple boredom,
tional Solaris was a planet-wide ocean. The real Solaris was nearly the good engineering, and a wealth of 'Mechs used in heavy industry.
same with a single equitorial continent that stretched 3000 miles. The
shallow, brackish world-sea was unfit for terrestrial life without use of A popular sport played on the 'Mech Proving Grounds was the key.
heavy filtering and high-tech purification methods. Surprisingly, Their yearly 'King of the Hill' game had been drawing thousands, and
Solaris' s atmosphere had that rare quality of being breathable and that, a few long-range thinkers provided Solaris an odd plan that would
coupled with extensive deposits of chemicals, bauxite, magnesite, and insure its safety and necessity to the SuccessorS tates. Within a decade
ilmenite made it a prime manufacturing world. this plan had grown to give the old 'Mech proving grounds a new
vitality and Solaris the 'neutrality' it desired . More than an industry, the
As the Successor States were born and the age of reason began to 'Mech combat games of Solaris were soon recognized and supported
dim, the water purification plants became the primary concern of a in one fashion or another by all the ruling houses. Within a cen~ry
small but technically expert population. Naturally, its wealth of re- Solaris gained a legendary reputation for arena combat not seen since
sources had turned Solaris into a primary 'Mech development, manu- the days of Rome or the pseudo-gladitorial TV Football era of Terra.
facturing, and repair facility early on. In all of known space, the de-
velopment yards on Solaris ranked in the top five for size and One of the Controlling Companies, Taurus Enterprises, keeps the
production capacity. Its location nearly between borders made it a rich rules simple though the politics behind the men and their 'Mechs can
target for its neighbors. In 2928, this strategic importance led House be complex. Though Solaris has changed hands many times the rules
Marik to feint an attack on the purification plants. In actuality, their and the company stays the same. The company likes to think that they
plan was a simple holding action to damage the 'Mech repair and are a protectorate of the current ruling house. The house takes in a fat
building facilities until such a time as they could be occupied. The plan percentage from the games and enjoys the status of "Most Favored"
was successful andsurvivorsofthemanufacturing center recorded that when it comes to parts and repairs.
the aluminum processing complex burned hellishly for a month.
STARDATE 476
.._
_
To the average MechWarrior, Solaris holds a mystique of prestige,
riches, and death. Only the bravest have the small gold emblem of a
Solaris Champion on their 'Mechs and their uniform.
GAMES INTEGRITY
The integrity of the games is a primary concern for Taurus Enter-
WHAT A SPONSOR WANTS prises, the current holding group that manages and provides internal
Sponsorship is a two-way street. After combat he will cover the security for the Arena and Kemplerton, the city/starport surrounding
costs of repair and special entry fees and you will split the profit with the massive structure. In all appearances everything must be fair.
him. This maybe a varied percentage that theMechWarrior will win.
STARDATE 477
------·- ------------------~-------------
- --~
____,...,..
. ----- ~-----------------··
·-- -.
-
---- -- ·- ----- . .. ·---------~- ·-
-- - --···--·
COMBAT LOSS Payback is a minimum of 60,000 C-Bills. A default on such a loan
Whencombatislostor aMechWarrioris forced to back out of a fight requires the MechWarrior to roll on the INDENTURE table above.
his 'Mech becomes property of the victor and a 100,000 C-Bill ransom
is required for release. A sponsor will often cover this by indenturing
theW arrior for his own use. The defeatedMechWarrior, if he survives, SALVAGE
loses a serious amount of reputation as well as his 'Mech. If theW arrior Salvage is an important aspectofthe games. Many 'Mech units send
has sufficient cash reserves he can ransom himself and his battered their best to the games to collect parts and salvage from 'Mechs they
'Mech. The cost to salvage his 'Mech is equal to the cost of repair of defeat. This salvage is often worth more than the prize money involved
the winner multiplied by 10. See REPAIR COST. and is an item that sponsors fight for. The value of salvage recovered
is the simple cost of the damage done to your 'Mech in that particular
arena combat multiplied by 10.
WINNING ARENA COMBAT
The MechWarrior is in the arena for one thing, the glory of victory EXAMPLE: A hot-shot Warrior destroys 2 LCTl-V Locusts while
and what it brings. On the first win the MechWarrior wins a prize of sustaining 12,000 C-Bills of damage. Each Locust would fetch
20,000 C-Bills along with a bonus roll on the table below. On every 120,000 C-Bills as salvage.
successive win after that, increase the winning amount by 2D6 x1000
C-Bills and make the winnings cumulative.
EXAMPLE: If in the second match a win resulted, and the final purse ARENA NOTES
was (35,000), the next wins purse would start at (35,000) + the 2D6 The main arena on Solaris is a spectacular construction with six
x 1000 increase. distinct terrain areas. The total radius of the arena is 20 hexes from
center to grandstand wall. 'Mechs enter from the center of the arena to
designated terrain areas. Any weapons are allowed as long as missiles
WINNING THE CHAMPIONSHIP are provided by Taurus. Any missiles fired into the grandstand area
The winning of the championship and a 100,000C-Bill bonus comes suffer an automatic destruct 2 hexes before they can reach spectators.
only when theW arrior has won 7 out of 10 matches. If sponsored by Damage to the grandstands is very much frowned upon and has the
a high ranking individual from a House, theW arrior has a small chance general result of having the offending Warrior removed from the
to be granted a title. games.
Continuous combat would be boring to the spectators so, in the
Bread and Circus tradition of the arena, varied matches are held. In
these multiple combat situations, prize money is split between the
survivors equally, along with the salvage rights. While most combat
centers around 'Mechs, some events employ ground vehicles. Ground
troops are too easily stepped on to be effective or noticed in arena com-
bat.
SIDE BETS
Use of side bets by a MechWarrior in combat is considered bad luck
by many. Wagering on other games is a risky business covered in the
table below. The gambler wagers any amount earned, saved, or bor-
rowed. Make the wager and roll 2D6 on the table below.
BORROWING
One institution that has survived into theSuccesor States is common
loansharking. The independent Warrior short on cash can easily get
a loan by using his 'Mech as collateral. In this simple process a contract
is signed against theW arrior and he or she gains 50,000 C-Bills to use.
STARDATE 480
REPAIR COST ON A 'MECH
If your sponsor does not fully cover 'Mech repair, roll on the table
below for repair cost before you can enter the arena again. Reduce this
amount by what your sponsor covers.
REPAIR TIME
For a general repair time, considering the facilities available on
Solaris, figure 1 hour per 1000 C-Bills of general damage.
STARDA'IE 481
SOLARIS ARENA COMPLEX
Reinforced Wails
Ground Level (Enlargement) '
Emergency Medical
Level
'Mech Stations
~ Personnel Hov\carts
Unloading Cranes
Ground Level -2
Q>
0 0
fCll
Freight Trucks
/
d
JAYNZ SHIPS OF THE GALAXY
The Bererw. Class free trader was designed by Merchant given him by his grandfather, which influenced his decision to become
Captain Beowulf Leahy during a stint as helmsman aboard the S.S. a merchant. Beowulf Leahy's motto was simple: "A rough, honest
Wells Fargo (an old Mission -Class cargo transport). Leahy wanted to living and your dreams come true." The F arstar' s coat of arms shows
design a ship with transatmospheric capability, efficient power-to- the crew's friendship and respect for each other over the many years
movement ratio, and high warp capability when fully loaded, with they served together. As AlyssaBerena put it, "We are the ship: Llte ship
high-quality crew accomodations. During an unscheduled layover at is our lives. You get 'em both - we're inseparable." The crew of the
Salazaar (where it was determined by Star Fleet inspectors that the S.S. Farstar still serve together, their loan paid off years ahead of time
Wells Fargo was no longer fit for flight), Leahy presented his ideas to due to the royalties they now receive from SynchWarp Enterprises,
a fellow crewmember, Junior Engineer Alyssa Berena, who seemed Inc., the exclusive manufacturers (under license) of the vessel.
intrigued by the idea. They accessed the local datanet and found that
the proposed parameters could indeed be satisfied. The Bererw. Class free trader has been observed by mer-
chants and customers alike as "the perfect adventurers' ship," able to
Finding a sponsor was a bit of a problem due to the 16+ MCr carry a full cargo load quickly (at Warp 6 standard and Warp 7
required to construct a unique vessel. Unbeknownst to Leahy, the rest emergency speeds) to its destination with high maneuve_rability ai).d
of the crew had taken a vote (with the Captain's blessing, since he was transatmospheric capability. As far as merchant vessels go, the crew
retiring) and agreed that with him as Captain and with everyone as quarters are cramped but quite comfortable for a vessel its size.
equal partners, they could provide the necessary down payment by
pooling their life savings and applying for a 20-year loan to pay the rest Though Star Fleet regulations prohibit the unauthorized
of the procurement costs. Leahy had enough credits put aside to mounting of phaser or photon torpedo weaponry onto merchant
guarantee the loan's approval. vessels, the ship is equipped with concealed weapons lockers (one on
the bridge and one in Engineering) in case of urtinvited guests; most
The crew, in honor of the Engineer, named the class after her. merchants stock these lockers with phaser-IIAs, slug throwers and
Construction of the S.S. Farstar began shortly after the loan was shotguns. Current sales projections by SynchWarp show that this
secured, with the ship ready for launching on 2/1912.24. Leahy named vessel is extremely popular in the Triangle and frontier areas of the
the ship after an old (circa 20th-century) Terran science fiction novel UFP, and will continue to be in the years to come.
STARDATE485
p Common Area
Q Mess Area
R Food Processing Facility
DECKPLAN LEGEND s 4-man Transporter
T Air Conditioning/Emergency Standard Gases Room
A Ship's Computer u Sick Bay/Doctor's Office
B Head/Bathroom/Latrine v Water Storage
C Helmsman Station w Water Processing/Pumping Station
D Navigator's Station X Cargo Hold
E Communications Station y Warp and Impulse Engine Area
F Life Support Station z Engineering Stations/Controls
G Engineering Station Aa Retractable Enclosed Catwalk
H Ship's Defense and Sensors Station Ab Basic Food Processing Facility
I Environmental Suit Locker Ac Ship's Life Support
J Briefing Room Ad Ship's Laundry
K Ship's Library Ae Deflector System
L Captain's Office and Stateroom Af Emergency Batteries Room
M Elevator (Personnel) Ag Circuit Breaker and Switching Room
N First Officer's Office and Stateroom Ah Engineering Compartments
0 3-man Stateroom Ai Cargo Transporter
~
~0
0
STARDATE 486
FEdERATiON BERENAClASS FREE TRAdER
Ad
Af Ag
Aa
X X
,_, . Ai
Ah
STARDATE487
Known Sphere of Operation: Coreward and Romulan border areas
Data Reliability : D
Major Data Source: Klingon Sector Intelligence, Triangle Sector
Intelligence
One of the newest ships to appear in the Klingon Empire' s tempted to insult his Klingon opponent in klingonaase, using the
inventory, theD-12 Class uses the KWF-1 warp drive, KIE-2 impulse, Earther phrase "Your mother wears army boots" as a basis. Compli-
and KSL shielding systems to combine the high maneuverability and mentary though it was, he never forgot the line and submitted it as the
warp speed feared in Klingon attack vessels with the firepower of a name for the class. Apparently, someone higher up also felt the same
less-maneuverable cruiser (such as theD-1 0 ). One of the most unusual way and the name was quickly approved.
design features shows the warp engines above and behind instead of
below the ship (as it is on most other Klingon vessels). It is unknown to Star Fleet Intelligence Command just
where the D-12 is being produced and in what numbers; however, due
The weapons systems on the A and B models vary a good to the number of official transmissions being intercepted between the
deal, but the total firepower between the two models differs by Romulan and "Unknown" borders, it is believed this ~lass is be.ing
approximately 10%. While the D-12A uses the efficient KP-5 photon constructed at either theZ'Hai or the Mus taka facility. Neither type has
torpedoes, the D-12B possesses the powerful KP-6, making it the been seen on the UFP border area, which further strengthens this
smallest Klingon cruiser so equipped. All disrupters are mounted in speculation.
banks of two.
It has beenreported that, uponlaunchi!lg, the officers aboard
The D-12 Class Cruiser takes its name from the kh' exrilin, one D-12A decided to join the Imperial Klingon States, putting down
or the"footgearofdeath."When the ship's designer was serving in the a mutiny in favor of the Empire in the process. This report has not been
Imperial Klingon Expeditiionary Forces abroad aD-10 during the ill- confirmed at present, but if it turns out to be true, the IKS may become
fated Organian Campaign, he was on the bridge when, during a more than just a nuisance to the Klingon Empire.
transmission to a Federation adversary, the UFP commander at-
STARDATE 489
There is no doubt that BattleTech leans towards larger YOUR WORLD
campaign action, but what about smaller campaigns? How can you You don'tnecessarily need to design the world beforehand.
play BattleTech on a more limited basis with only a small gaming For the game you assume it is a backwoods world with a lot of very
group (that wants to fight on the same side) or solo? small towns, railheads, and farms. Of some major importance centu-
ries before, it has backslid to the equivalency of the hills of Tennessee.
The following article is an easy campaign helper/generator A good 'National Geographic' map of Romania or some Eastern
that requires a D100 and the BattleTech Technical Readout (FASA European country is great to re-tailor just for the sake of being a bit
8603). different. The odd city names add flavor to the campaign. Find a good
spot and dump your players and their 'Mechs. From this point on
We weTe the [ast oJ Han.son.'s B Battery consult the following charts. Every town is created from a series of
I;JTOu.p ou.t oJ Haber£.an.c(. statLon. that was D100 rolls. This gives you a general scouting of the area and lets
sni-ppec{. to 1hax.£.eT 'L'L'L JoT a dean.u.p. players decide on a course of action. If they decide to recon the areas
:Ihax(er hac{. been. ta~en. by ju.st abou.t 6 for potential military strength before rolling in, consult the charts
0 J the nou.ses \-n. tne £.ast 1 0 years JOT below.
what we n.eveT TeaUy ~n.ew. What we c{.t-c{.
~n.ow was that n.oboc{.y was ever ab£.e to First use a Dl 00 to generate the SIZE OF THE TOWN and
nan.9 on. to i-t Jor [OH.I;J.-'Wnat COt'I'J.tn.an.c{. the SUSPECTED POPULATION, this is what the players suspect is
c{.t_c{.n. 't te[.[. u.s was that som.e I;JU.n.n.ery there until the actual POPULATION MODIFIER is rolled. This final
com.m.an.c{.er c{.t_c{.n.'t nave a wt oJ respect modifier is only rolled after combat and the town is secured.
JoT DTopSni-ps. Anyway, omy a nan.c(.Ju.[.
oJ u.s 1-n. a Jew bu.stec{. ':!'teens cam.e away As you take a town you gain D6 rolls on the HIDDEN
JTom. the crash si-te. Wi-th the captai-n. RESOURCES chart. To take the town is to assume you have secured
c{.eac{. we hac{. bu.t [.t-tt£.e to Ji-n.i-sn the it and it will stay that way.
job an.c{. secu.re DTax£.eT JoT the :Ert-c{.an.i-
Li-I;Jht HoTse. We 9ot ou.r ':!'teens tn. the
best Ji-~:Jhti-n.I;J shape we ~n.ew now an.c{.
staTtec{. the wa~ to the n.ext town..
GENERAL SET UP
Start your group with a small number of 'Mechs. Usually
about four is fine if they are in the 40-50 ton range. The lower the
number, the greater the challenge to the players who will build up their
forces during the the campaign. Add D6 ground support vehicles if you
feel like it and create a handful of NPC survivors from the
STARDATE 493
look ,like the hand was beckoning-it was like, "Come inandseeme!"
... he didn't feel it was obvious enough that there were these people
in distress, so that's where we came up with this crumpled, space-
suited figure inside the doorway, with the guy with the phaser going by.
STARDATE496 ·
Osibisa, it's a- not rhythm and blues-but like a Jamaican steel drum the art?
band, with these flying elephants going through the jungle. I didn't A: I realiy don't understand why there's a schism between
like the music, but I loved the covers. gaming and literary science fiction. It floors me that I can't understand
As far as people in the gaming locker right now, the two why there is, because when you're gaming, you're using your imagi-
people /like the best are Jim Talbot from Victory Games, he does the nation, okay. And what your're basically doing is kinda playing out,
007 Role Playing Game - beautiful stuff. Angus McBride for Iron a little bit more actively, what you do when you read a book, And I don't
Crown. When I die and go to heaven, or when I grow up, I want to be understand, there seems to be a caste system-and I'm not just talking
Anjus McBride, okay? Beautiful stuff. I first saw his work in the Os- about artwork; I'm talking about the whole convention kinda talk out
prey Men-at-Arms books, andjustloveit. Theguy'samaster. When of the sideoftheirmouth about the "garners." 'The garners this," you
I found out-in fact, I think it's part of the reason I've not pushed Iron know. By the same token, a lot of garners are ignorant about what's
Crown a lot to do work ... I just have this tremendous amount of happening in science fiction and literature. Well, you know, they're ig-
respect for this craftsman that does this. nor ant about-1 don't know, everything seems to be so parochial. That
Q: You finish a piece of art. Five years pass since you've don't know what's going on. A person might be Joe Science Fiction
finished that piece of art. You look at it again? Writer and Joe Science Fiction Author, but he doesn't know who Tom
A: Moths fly off of it, it's terrible. I make a jump in my Clancy is, wrote The Hunt for Red October, and these marvelous
ability and rendering about every- 1 like to do it about every year, books, weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. And they don't
usually it happens after a big convention. I go and I scope and I look know who he is, you know. I don't understand why that is.
at everybody's stuff, and I go, "Oh, this is how he did it," and I go back Q: Are you interested in continuing your current career
and I try to apply it. Conventions are also good because they pump me primarily as a gaming artist?
up, and I realize- it's a good time for introspection, and say, "This is A: "Where am I going from here?'' That question is valid,
what I'm doing." But yeah, old stuff just terrifies me. okay. We're at areal pivotal time in our life. We've had some real hard
There are some in particular that were extremely terrible: events hit us in the last year or so, I've had a lot of illness, we had some
Security Station that I did for Metagaming is enough to almost make financial problems, some completely unrelated with our work, that
me lose my cookies sometimes. The Vanished cover for the Star Trek have caused us to reassess how we look at life. W ehave children, we've
Role-Playing Game by FASA was another one that I thought was got an eight-year- old and a six-year-old, and I'm 34, and although that
gonna be oh-so-good, and it was oh-so-bad, especially going back and doesn'tmean I'm old, it doesn't mean that I'm real young either. (Ed.
looking at it later. (Ed. note: The Vanished was originally released note: David's wife, Lori, is also a commercial artist.)
with cover art by Mitchell O'Connell, andre-released with a Deitrick There are a lot of options open to me right now. We're not
cover. The second release was not as extensively distributed.) tied down to a house or a location because we're house-sitting for my
Assault- it's modem combat boardgame for GDW- was parents for the next year, or so, and after that, you know, it's pivotal.
another skeleton in the closet. There are some terrible covers out of I've thought about teaching at the college level, there's an opportunity
the Traveller series, too- K-kree and Vargr are two terrible, terrible, for working for the Department of Defense in a couple of different
terrible, terrible covers. Oh, there 'rea couple of' em floating around capacities. I might stay freelancing, it's just-it depends. We're in a
that I'm afraid someday somebody' s gonna hold up and say: "Did you wait-and-see mode right now.
do this, too?"
Q: Are there any that you are still fond of, after having
completed them some time ago?
A: My very first cover- well, "Kiddie" Traveller was
good-that's the Starter Traveller, the first boxed Traveller set. It
was also the first one that I had to do completely over because the
original art was terrible, they didn'tlike it, so I had to do it over with.
I'm kinda fond of "Kiddie" Traveller, not so much, not so much that
it was that good, I think it was just a lot of collateral things. The fact
that it was my first big game, as opposed to the micros I'd done for
Steve Jackson and for Metagaming. And it was the first time I'd sat
down and really tried to craft something well all the way through.
Q: Among your audience, among garners, do you have
name recognition? And ifso, what do they usually associate you with?
A: I've got bettername recognition amongst them than I do
amongst literary people. Most of my recognition right now is amongst
people- garners, or people who game or know the industry; it's
starting to be some publishers. And then, I've gone to a limited
number of conventions since 1984, and I'm starting to get some
recognition in that aspect, too. Again, like I said, I think there's a little
bit of backlash against the gaming industry from the public. There's
sometimes, you know-that might be a factor or not in getting more
name recognition in New York, or with the paperback people, or what-
ever. As far as what I'm identified with, although I've done probably
more Star Trek work than anything else, most people have called me
a Traveller artist, you know, which kind of surprised me. Like I've
said,I'vedonelots and lots and lots of Star Trek stuff;mostofthetime
whenlintroducemyself,l'll say I do theFASAStarTrek line, and the
kid'll go, "Oh, yeah! The Traveller artist!"
Q: A game is a game; you're playing out the text of a
scenario or relating information in the supplement. Of what value is
STARDATE497
I'll always paint, I'll always do stuff, but it might not be as
intense as it is right now. Quite frankly, too, a lot of it depends on, you
know, what kind of work I come up with in the next year or so. Gaming
art- 1 like gaming art, but in alotta ways there's nota loti cando after
this. I don't know it I'm gonna be able to make much more per piece
than I am now. And unless I can get into, find a project or a company
that does something completely different that I could really get excited
about, I don' t know if gaming is where it's gonna be forever.
I'd love to do a fantasy line. I started doing fantasy stuff, my
first inspiration for art was in 1959- 1 was sitting in the Del Oro
Theater in Grass Valley, California, sitting through six showings of
Sleeping Beauty. That's why every painting I do has magenta and
turquoise in it; 'cause I still remember the fight over the cake and the
dress.
Q: Are you also a writer? Would you like to write?
A: I've got a lot of ideas and I would like to write. I'm better
at plotting something than I am fleshing it out. I think that is because
I spent a lot of time in military writing operations orders and writing
scenarios. I was a battalion staff officer and a battalion intel officer,
and I did a lot of- it was kind of like being a DungeonMaster grown
up, you know. You get to create- these bad guys are gonna fight us,
and we've gotta go down and bomb them, or whatever, and you had to
do that.
I'm a good gamesmaster, too, as my wife can attest to. I've
had some excellent games, usually known for their Alistair MacLean-
ish plot twists and, yeah, I'd like to write, I just- in fact, I started out
as an English major. I wrote a little bit, oh, a couple news releases for
a little paper in my hometown, and I was considering writing-
historically, or whatever- about the time I decided to be an artist.
Every one of my paintings usually has a story behind it, too-I'm
talking about my non-pay stuff. . . . .
I've go tone painting in particular that shows an Indian look,
a very native American-looking guy with a real light rifle and a
motorized hang-glider over the top. And yeah, it's fun, it's got a nice
feel, but what people don' trealize is that character is out of an alter-
nate universe that I've thought up all by myself..I'm a real big
alternate-history nut. To me, that is the highest form of speculative
fiction, taking and devising an alternate history. [H. Beam Piper's]
LordKalvanofOtherwhen, that's a "Walter Mitty" dreamofrnine, that
you can be propelled into another world where history went differ-
ently, and "I know how to do things right."
Q: Do you have any advice for would-be artists in your line?
A: Oh, in art in general?
Q: Well, art in general, or art in the gaming industry?
A: I used to really hate to hear this when people would tell
me this, because I always thought it was a real egotistical thing, you
know: and that is, "Don't do it." I used to think that the guy that said
that thought he was hot stuff, because he was making it now, and none
of us mere mortals were tough enough to make it where he had. But,
upon looking, you know, in retrospective, looking back--okay, I
won't say, "Don' t do it." What I willsay is: "Be as clever as you can
in assessing just exactly the price you're gonna have to pay, because
it's awfully high." It's an extremely- it's a high-intensity, stressful
field to get into. It's extremely competitive, and it's gonna take a high
toll on you emotionally and physically. And mentally. I would rather
jump out of an airplane again, you know. HI-finishing a painting is
as bad as jumping. (Ed. note: David is also a former paratrooper.) The Vulcan
Oil the other hand, there are intangible benefits to this job.
It's true that being a free-lance illustrator and producing artwork is the
hardest work I've ever done in my life. But I have never had as much
satisfaction out of anything I've done as I do when I finish a painting
and I know that it sings. I guess it's a matter of degrees--if you want
your life to be like a mashed-potato milkshake, go to work for ffiM,
you know. But if you want to have some spice in your life, be a free-
lancer; you're either up all the way or you're down all the way.
STARDA TE 4 98
Player Briefing and Character Generation
The Gaspard Cluster has recently been plagued by the three points for level two, six points for level three, ten points for level
interstellar pirate ship Unmemtionable . This is a stolen Imperial four, and fifteen points for level five, the highest allowed in this
Survey Scout, complete with its shuttle and grav rafts. After five suc- module. It is suggested that you roll your character's UPP stats, select
essful strikes on merchant shipping, the Unmentionable was trapped his job, then select his skills. Unused skill points are lost.
by a decoy shipment accompanied by a Gazelle class Close Escort
ship, the Dingo. Only the weapon and manuever drive modifications
to the shuttlecraft Unprintable allowed the pirates to win free. System
naval gunboats surveying the wreckage reported that the Dingo was
destroyed, its particle accelerator barbette removed, and that the ship's
gig was missing. It is not known how the pirates get their information
on which ship to hit. It is known that they prefer to hit ships making a
double jump form port to port with a fuel scoop stopover in an unhab-
ited system. \
You may either roll your own characters, or use the crew
provided for you. Character generation is as follows: each character
rolls 2D6+ 1 for each of the six stats in the UPP. If a player is dissatisfied
with any stat, it may be rerolled, but at a minus one cumulative die
modifier. The first reroll is a 2D6, the second a 2D6-1, etc. You may
not scrap a character and start again. The entire team has 300 skill
points. Split these up more or less evenly among the characters. Each Note that this craft is a converted ship's boat, and as such
character buys skill in some area at a rate of one point for level one, requires an extra computer factor to compensate for the small-craft
STARDATE 499
DM'SDATA Grange is conventionally armed with a single missle laun her,
Because of the uncertain nature of this type of adventure, the it missle factor two.
DM' s information will be presented as deep background material only.
A typical completion of this module would include three sections. The THE TAl-FUN
first would be an investigation in which the players determine that the
Kiang Anu is the ship to hit, and that the Picul system orbit four gas The Tai and the Fun, members of the Red Grange class , are
giant is the scoop point suitable for ambush. The second would be the also equipped with a Shadow missle system, and the ACN anti-
actual combat phase, where they attempt to take over the Kiang Anu. detection system. The ACN system consists of flare shielding and
The third phase would be to defeat the anti-hijack systems aboard and stream collimating for the reaction exhaust, and a surface coating that
return to Trophy with their loot. absorbs, rather than reflects, impinging electromagnetic radiation.
The body shape has no flat surfaces and no sharp edges, preventing the
THE KIANG ANU clean return of the small amount of ranging signal that is not absorbed
The Kiang Anu is modular cargo ship from the New by the ACN surface. Removal of the wings lowers the ship's cross-
Bohemia Shipyards (see ST ARDATE Vol. 3 No.3). It masses out at section and thus its chance of occulting the stellar background. At
266.05 tons, and has jump-2 capability. In its current configuration it anything more than medium range, the Tai-Fun are invisible to any-
consists of a twin-pack modular shuttle with tis docking platform, a thing less than a capital class ship with its associated detectors.
bridge module, and the following standard modules: jump, maneuver,
power, three staterooms, seven fuel, fuel scoop, ten cargo, and a THE SHADOW MISSLE SYSTEM
computer-2. It also carries two new defense modules, each consisting The Shadow missle system consists of a kinetic launcher
of a Red Grange fighter and a docking platform attaching it to any and three types of missle fired as a unit. The kinetic launcher literally
standard eight-ton module. One of the three staterooms has been pushes the missle off the end of the rack, placing a stick of six missles
converted to a dojo, or martial arts practice room. All the modules are in cold trajectory. This stick may be fired off on time delay, target
interconnected with an inflatable Rovar flex-tube that serves as an action trigger, of signal from the fighter. The stick consists of one
inter-module corridor. ACN-treated hound dog, three star bursts, and two midge deployment
missles. The hound dog is equipped with advanced anti-detection
THE RED GRANGE FIGHTER coatings, as are the Tai-Fun, and advanced target acquisition electron-
The Red Grange class fighter is a product of the New ics and optics. It broadcasts a "follow me" signal to the starbursts,
Bohemia Military Shipyards. It masses 7.2 tons, has a body length of
15 meters and a wingspan of 27 meters. When the wings are removed giving them their homing point. This broadcast is shaped to the rear
for stealth operations in vacuum the overall width is 12 meters. The of the hound dog, and as such is not detectable by its target. The hound
Red Grange has one combat chair, ~dis rated agility six, armor class dog does no damage other than simple impact. The starbursts do stan-
fifteen, power six, and fuel two. The batde computer is permanently dard missle damage. The decoys deploy a cloud of 60 mini-missles
prograrruned with TTF-6, COM, MAN-6, and ECM-6. The Red each. These midges have only a rudimentary targeter, but with an
enhanced reactor thrust and electronics they appear to be standard
starburst missles. The net effect is that of seeing four missle batteries,
factor seven, firing from an invisible ship! Due to size constraints, each
fighter can carry only two sticks of these missles.
The Japanese crew of four women and three men are all part
of a professional "family", and as such, share the name "lchi". They
are all fluent in spoken and written Japanese. They all speak Anglic,
but only Ichiban and Ichina can read and write it. They all practice the
martial arts, both in zero-g and under acceleration. They are listed
below, with their areas of expertise. The final portion of their UPP is
their sex and age.
THE SKINSUITS
Each member of the Kiang Anu crew wears as a basic
undergarment a black skinsuit, including gloves and tabi socks. This
suit is a reinforced elastic breathable material, and when used in
conjunction with a flex-helmet and life support vest, serves as a
vacuum suit. The flex-helmet, a transparent flexible bubble-style
helmet, is tucked into the back neckline of whatever outer clothing is
worn. It seals to the neck of the suit with an electrostatic charge, and
can be sealed up in less than three seconds with practice. The life-
Each crew member is also trained in snub pistol-1 and support vest is a body-molded unit providing the wearer with four
wakizashi-2. This latter is treated as a blade skill both for purposes of hours of air, one halfliter of water, and a small zero-g maneuvering unit
hitting and damage. There is no strength penalty for this crew, due to and powerpack. There are pockets on the front of this vest for a
training and the type of blade. communicator, med-kit, small tool kit, wallet, and a self-poweredlight
that will stick to the skinsuit whereever placed.
STARDA'TE 502
flex-helmet, and weapons. From more than a few yards away in
shadow they are effectively invisible. Even in a beam-light only their
faces show.
Give the players the gig only if they ask what became of it.
The gig suffered a catastrophic computer glitch at the onset of
hositilities, and essentially shut down all systems. Roll a secret check
against the highest player computer rating to repair the glitch. Ifsucess
is not indicated, arrange for another glitch of varying severity. If the
pirates get the gig, they must either fly the shuttle separately, or they
must carry the gig in or on the scout. External mounting is only
sucessful if one of the hard-points is used to anchor the gig. Internal
stowage requires that a bulkhead in the garage area be cut away. Either
way, unless they jettison twenty tons of assorted cargo, the scout will
be overladen. Check the jump drives after each jump while so laden
for failure or damage. Note that the gig is the only armored vessel in
the pirate fleet.
STARDATE 503
is the orbital portion. Repair and resupply facilities are available at hope is that another freighter can pick up the contract.
both sites, but cargo sale and purchase are all done at Settle Down
Mercantile Exchange. A shuttle company will move cargo from Settle
Up to Down and back for a fee. There are currently nine ships at Settle KIA NG ANU ARRIVAL
Up in addition to the Kiang Anu. They and their cargoes are listed The Kiang comes in from Kudu, in the Leone Cluster, and
below. docks at Settle Up. Daiichi and lchiama stay on board, while the rest
of the crew comes to Settle Down in their shuttle, the Hai-D ata. They
sell 20T of polymers, 3T of spices, and 17T wood. They purchase 48T
of fuel, 20T of liquor, and 20T of firearms only after determining that
they also cannot fufill the mining equipment contract within the
deadline. They also prepay for the delivery of two air rafts, vacuum
adapted, with armor (Striker value 10) on all surfaces. These will mass
out at 4T each, and cost 1 megacredit each. Pickup is scheduled in
seven weeks.
CREW ACTIONS
lchiscotta, who speaks with a broad Scots burr only when
she is discussing engineering, hires a maintenance crew to assist in the
cleaning and repair of the fuel scoop/purifier module. Helium osmosis
has fouled the phase precession vacuoles, and the scoop fuel purifier
will not function normally until they are flushed. Settle Down does not
have the precession vortex equalizer required for this repair, and
lchiscotta is displaying her not inconsiderable knowledge of Scottish
vulgarity. The scoops can be cleaned and reassembled, but they will
only purify helium-free atmospheres. The only gas giant in the entire
cluster with the required (methane/hydrogen) atmosphere is in orbit
four of the Picul system.
STARDATE 504
research station, followed by a visit to the northern ag station, where the ground, to see what kind of equipment she has. This should give
she spends three hours in consultation with the station management. the pirates a clue as to the kind of computer setup the Kiang Anu has,
but no information about the Tai-Fun is found here. The program for
lchina is exploring the possibility of new pharmaceuticals calculating fuel-scooping sub-orbits is here, and will assist the pirates
being developed here. in setting up an efficient ambush.
All crew members take local accomodations when they are Romantic approaches to the crew will be sucessful most of
planet-side. No watch is left with the Hai-DaJa other than normal the time. The only crewmembers romantically linked are Daiichi and
Settle Down security. Security at Settle Up is taken care of by Daiichi Ichiama. The rest of the crew will approach a liaison in the time-
and Ichiama, both of whom stay on board at all times. honored fashion of sailors on leave, modified only by their cultural
sense of social grace.
After four days the Kiang Anu will leave on schedule for
Pi cui. Violent action against the crew is limited by the law level in
Settle Down. No energy weapons or slug-throwers are allowed within
POSSIBLE PIRATE ACTIONS the city limits. Blades may be openly worn, but are not normally seen
here. The Daisho worn by the crew is certainly a novelty. Ichiban's
Note that all the data given above, while not secret, is not Daikyu required a special bond posting. The jitte pass almost without
headlined in the local new stapes. The pirates should dig it out, but the notice. Injured crew will be replaced by local talent, unless it is Ichina.
digging should be elementary. The computer system of the ship requires a skill in Kanji, the
simplified written form of Japanese. Ichina will have to write an
A request for a tour of the Kiang Anu will be greeted interface for any new crewmember. If a crewman dies here, the Kiang
enthusiastically by the crew. They are proud of their ship and its will stay indefinitely to find the killer.
capabilities. They will not divulge its anti-hijack program, but will
claim there is one in effect. They are more interested in showing off There is room aboard for one passenger, at a premium fee.
the beauty of their ship than its technical accomplishments, w ith the This passenger will be put up with the crew in one of the stateroom
exception of Ichiscotta, whose engines are her pride and joy. modules . He or she will be issued an emergency v ace-suit, but will not
have the freedom of the entire ship. The stateroom has food, entertain-
It is not difficult to sneak into the H ai-Data while she is on ment and sanitation facilities.
KIANG ANU FUEL SCOOP PROCEDURE The entire ship is put into an end-over-end tumble using the
Battle stations are manned throughout an interjump fuel module maneuver jets, and two minutes later, when a one-half G
scoop maneuver. The Rovar flex-tube corridors are deflated, discon- rotational acceleration has been achieved, explosive bolts cut all the
nected, and stowed. Ship's atmosphere is tanked for storage, and vac- rigging cables, releasing the modules to disperse in space. Spare cables
suits are donned. The Tai and Fun are launched, and take positions are in a hidden storage bay disguised as a computer memory module.
flanking at 100 km, one to either side. All running lights are Opening the outer door displays a large breadboard, which must be
extinguished. swung out of the way to retrieve the cabling.
The Kiang Anu with its escort goes into a twenty-four hour
orbit of the gas giant, and the H ai-Data separates for scoop duty. The
round trip through the atmosphere and back to the Kiang Anu takes six
hours, with fuel transfer and purification taking another two hours. To
completely refuel the Kiang Anu takes five trips, but only four are
needed for this ieg, since not all of the old fuel was used coming into
Corridor. Only after breaking orbit and achieving one hundred
planetary diameters distance from the jovian do the Tai-Fun rejoin the
Kiang Anu. Five minutes after docking is completed, jump is initiated.
Note that piracy is a capital offense, and the crew of the
Kiang Anu will bring back with them only the bodies of the pirates.
THE COMPUTER STATIONS ON THE BRIDGE
All the bridge stations are similiar. They consist of an
acceleration chair and an ergometric horseshoe table. The table is a
display screen, displaying in graphic style the data relevant to that
station. Other stations can be windowed in, giving complete inter-
changeability of all functions. Control is via special "mouse" gloves,
part of the crew skinsuit, which makes portions of the screen touch-
sensitive. Two emergency "mouse" gloves, adjustable for any hand,
are stowed in a 'neath-seat locker at the pilot station only.
ANTI-HIJACK PROCEDURES
The computer system is designed with a separate module
between the BIOS and the 1/0 devices. This..translates the built-in
Kanji language data system to the graphic systeili 1.1sed in the control
stations. When the anti-hijack program is activated, the translater is
literally burned out, and even if the BIOS is reconnected to the I/0
devices, only Kanji pictographs in tabular form will be displayed.
There is a spare trans later module stored in lchina' s stateroom, behind
a false wall panel in lchina's clothing trunk.
STARDATE .506
The first clue is that the Kiang Anu is going to complete a circle
route, returning to Beach for a new cargo on order. Reinhardt has a mining colony, wanting the asteroid mining
equipment the Kiang Anu turned down. The Kiang Anu is thus not
going through Reinhardt.
Since the Kiang Anu is carrying war material, it is reasonable to
assume that it is going to Sappho/lnfamy. This requires a double- The fuel scoop is designed for gas giant skimming. It does not
jump there, and a double-jump back, taking eight weeks flight time. have the capability of cutting ice from planetary or lunar surfaces
for fuel.
The pickup time for the armored grav sleds confirms the flight
time. The fuel scoop will not purify fuel from a hydrogen/helium gas
giant. The only methane/hydrogen gas giant in the entire cluster is
There are only two possible bridge systems between Beach and orbit four of the Picul system. ·
STARDA'I_E 507
CLOSING THE GAP
Bob Gray
Q. Can Jump Infantry in Battle Tech jump from a DropS hip Q. Can 'Mechs without complete arms engage in punch
at low altitude and land safely? -John Stanislaw St. James, NY attacks?
A. No, they cannot, because the jump packs are not strong enough A. No. To conduct a punch attack a 'Mech must have both upper
and the infantry would be killed by the fusion blast fro m the and lower arm actuators.
DropShip's engines.
Q. What is the largest starship class that any race can build?
A. They are limited by the engine tables per race in the Ship Con-
struction Manual. The numbers are: for the Federation, Class XX;
Romulans, Class XIX; Klingons, Class XVIII; Gorns Class XVII, and
Orions, Class X
A. Yes, the caster must have a line of sight to the intended target
and must be able to see some part of the target. The caster can obtain
• this line of sight with the aid of a crystal ball, or any other types of visual
devices, magical or non-magical.
You m ay have noticed that there seems to be a rekindling of with garlic, and bury it and the body in two separate spots. The vam-
interest in vampires lately. Hollywood is giving the vampire a new pire could not be buried in consecrated ground. Consecrated earth will
image and a new lease on life. Their literary colleagues are doing the not accept such an evil creature and will reject the body. The Creature
same. Books such as Ann Rice's The VampireLestat and movies such would stay in the grave if the stake was left in the body and the mouth
as "Lost B oys", " Fright Night" and "Vamp"have updated the vampire stuffed with garl~. This way was very important to the Central
legend and brought the vampire into the 1980's. European peasant. Vampires were credited with amazing regenerative
The vampire legend is old, maybe as old as man himself. Ancient powers; it was important to make sure the vampire's body was
Rome and Greece had their tales of vampires. The legend goes back completely destroyed or rendered useless or else it would rise again
as far as ancient Assyria. The tale ofGilgamesh, from ancient Sumeria from the dead.
mentions a blood-sucking creature. Nor is the vampire limited by There are a number of ways that vamp ires can be created. The
cultural boundaries. Every culture has its myths and tales of vampires. corpses of these evildoers were believed to be re-animated by Satan in
In China the vampire inhabits swamps and can be distinguished from order to spread fear and evil among the more God-fearing populace.
mortals by the bowl-like indentation in the top of their heads. This When a vampire kills someone by draining their blood, they create
"bowl" is filled with water from the v ampire' s native swamp . If the another vampire. In the movies you must be bitten three times in order
water is spilled or lost the creature will die. The Mayans worshipped to become a vampire. Piling rocks on top of the grave was also used
a blood-sucking bat diety, and the Aztecs also had bat dieties in their to keep the suspected vampire from rising. Sometimes the hands of the
mythos. person would be bound or cut off to prevent them from unearthing
The vampire, as we know him today, has roots in the tales and themselves. Chopping off the feet would also prevent the corpse from
\ .
myths of Russia and Central Europe. This .is the vampire that Bram walking among the living.
Stoker used when writing Dracula. A diluted version of the Slavic A person who died while serving as a midnight snack would
vampire is what Hollywood used in the vampire films of the '40s, '50s become a vampire, but he would not be as powerful as the vampire who
and '60s. had cre~ted him. To create a vampire equal in power to himself, the
The vampire of old (before Hollywood screenwriters got their attacking vampire would not drain his victim completely; rather, he
hands on him) was m ore powerful than his celluloid counterpart. would open a vein in his own body for the victim to drink from. The
Hollywood robbed the vampire of much of its power. In the movies, blood of the " master" vampire would impart his strength and power to
vampires can move abou t only at night; they must return to their his victim.
coffins at sunrise. N ot so in the legends of Central Europe. These tales As powerful as vampires are, they do have limitations. You will
attributed to the vampire the power to move about during the day, as recognize some of these rules and regulations that vampires must
long as it was cloudy and overcast out, or if he stayed indoors and follow from the movies.
avoided direct sunlight. The vampire could also assume forms other Vampires do not cast shadows, nor will they cast a reflection in a
than human and bat. The vampire could also take the form of a wolf mirror. This is because they have no souls. Vampires carmot enter a
or a gaseous fog. The vampire could survive on blood from any house until they have been invited to do so by the head of the household.
mammal, in a pinch. Human blood is what the vampire needed to They carmot cross running water unassisted, but must be carried across.
sustain his unnatural existence and his power. The vampire according They do not like garlic, and holy symbols would hold them at bay, at
to Hollywood could exist on human blood only. least most of the time.
Even though the Hollywood v ampire was an inferior breed, it still Western Europe and America's fascination with the vampire
sent chills down the spines of those humans unfortunate to run up really began in 1897 with the publication of Bram Stoker's
against it. The v ampire has incredible strength, and the power to masterpiece, Dracula. Dracula captured the imagination of Victorian
mesmerize its victims. The amount of power the vampire has over its England and poularized the vampire in fiction and literature. But why
victim depends on the strength of that person' s will. The vampire of should such an evil creature fascinate us? The vampire is incredibly
legend also has these powers. There are other areas where myth and powerful, and he is immortal, yet despite his power and immortality we
Hollywood agree. The v ampire must spend a portion of time resting pity this creature who carmot truly die. He is condemned to long
on or in his native soil. Hollywood and legend also agree on how one centuries of loneliness. Any humanity he may have had once is lost
goes about destroying a v ampire. There are three surefire methods: over the long years and even though he does not age and die, neither
wooden stake through the heart, "fire", and exposure to direct sunlight. does he truly live; he exists in a limbo. The vampire shows us that there
What do you do with a de ad vampire? Hollywood came up with are worse things than death.
a handy solution: the body turns to dust and blows away in the fmal Now that we've taken an overall look at vampires, I propose to
scene. Things weren't that easy in Central Europe. Disposing of a now look at them in the context of the Call ofCthulhu game. The only
vampire, making sure he would not rise again, was rather complicated. mention of vampires in the rules is a small blurb in the 1920's
Any combination of the following methods could be used: cut out the Sourcebook. It states that the rules are not "hard and fast" and then
vampire's heart, bum it and scatter the ashes, burning the body and proceeds to give some stats for what is really a rather weak monster,
scattering the ashes also works or you cut off the head, stuff the mouth especially for one that has inspired so much terror and so many legends.
S TARDATE 509
What follows is a look at the vampires that I use in my game; they've given in the 1920's Sourcebook. APP ~ 1D6 SAN 0/1D6 * 2/1D6.
kept my players on their toes and I've gotten back a lot of positive Vampires have all the powers attributed to them in the 1920's
feedback on them: Sourcebook plus a few others. All vampires can become gaseous to
Humans are a source of food for vampires and as such they frown slip through very small spaces and can remain gaseous until they must
on the idea of the extinction of the human race. This puts them in direct rest. At any time a vampire can transform into a bat or wolf, and if this
conflict with many of the aims and goals of the alien cults that worship is done they acquire the highest stats for that particular animal. All in
the Outer Gods and the Great Old Ones, and even some of the Outer all vampires are pretty tough opponents but they do have a few
Gods and Great Old Ones themselves. It would thus make sense that weaknesses.
vampires would want to protect their food sources, and would at times The easiest way to detect a vampire is to hold up a mirror to
ally with humans, especially those that are actively engaged in fighting it, vampires do not reflect nor do they cast shadows. While silver is
the creatures, beings and cultists of the Cthulhu mythos. If the Keeper useless against vampires, garlic can serve as a block to some vampires.
can accept this in his/her game then certain powerful vampires might High Lords will be stopped by it for 1D4 rounds; then they will
help characters in a tight spot by physical or magical means or simply automatically overcome their aversion of it. Lords will be stopped for
by providing a badly needed clue. Or, as in my game, they could even 1D6 rounds and then if they can make a POWx3 roll it will not affect
be approached by a vampire to accomplish a task. This, of course, them anymore. Stewards are stopped 1D10 rounds and require a
should not be used too often as it will ruin the whole flavor of the game. POWx1 roll to overcome.
Vampires are divided into three classes, the most important being A strongly presented religious symbol such as a cross will hold
the High Lords. There are a total of 18 High Lords and they take an any vampire at bay and prevent any attacks against the holder including
active interest in the goings on of the world, paying particular attention hypnotic gazes or spells. The presenter must make a POWx3 (x5 if
to anything involving the Cthulhu Mythos. All their stats are much clergy of the paticular religion whose symbol is being used) for the
greater than normal human stats. They can control their hunger and are symbol to hold the vampire at bay. If, while being held at bay, the
thus easier to deal with. High Lords have a special power: they can vampire cannot make a POWx3 roll it becomes enraged and reverts to
match their POW against a victim's POW and if successful (their roll its* APP thus requiring a second SAN check. Holy water will always
is fewer point, under their POW than the victim's) the victim's heart enrage a vampire and cause 2D6 DAM for every 4 oz. used.
will be ripped from their chest to arrive in the vampire's outstretched Sunlight affects the various classes of vampires differently.
hand. They are highly magical and all High Lords have working Direct sunlight will kill a High Lord in 1D10+5 rounds and a Lord in
knowledge fo all spells that are available in the game. They command 1D10+2 rounds. Both will attempt to flee but will be only able to
10 rat packs at any time and all supernatural creatures (i.e. werewolves, deliver physical damage at half their ability. Direct sunlight will pin
ghosts) in the areamustobey them. They can create Lord or Steward and immobilize a Steward and kill it in 1D4 rounds. On cloudy days
vampires by having the victim drink the vampire's blood. In a special High Lords can travel at full power, while Lords can move about under
ceremony with all surviving High Lords present, a new High Lord cover (buildings, caves, etc . . .) but if forced outside they will revert to
vampire can be created. The stats for High Lor~s are as follows; STR animal or gaseous form and attempt to escape. Stewards must sleep
4D6+12 CON 3D6+6 SIZ 3D6 INT 4D6+6 POW 4D6+12 DEX during daylight hours and if woken will function at only half power
5D6+4 APP 4D6+3/1D6* HP 6-21 SAN 0/lDlO * 2/ lDlO. with only physical attacks available to them and if forced outside on a
The next most powerful vampires are the Lord vampires. Their cloudy day will react as a High Lord does to direct sunlight. High Lords
number. is unknown but thought to be in the high hundreds. They can and Lords must sleep 4 hours during a 24 hour period and if woken will
become High Lords if one of the existing High Lords is destroyed, and function at half strength with only physical attacks and defences for
as such, they have been known to plot a High Lord's downfall, usually 1D8 rounds forcertain and every round there after until they can make
by inciting humans against the intended target. They have been known a POWx3 roll. Each vampire has as many sleeping places as he/she has
to occasionally go rogue and ally themselves with the Creatures of the POW points. They don't have to sleep in coffins; a comfy four-poster
Cthulhu Mythos, which is one of the main reasons that the High Lords bed will serve just as well. They can return to their place of death to
have developed their council at which they meet and decide how to acquire more soil to make more sleeping places but can never have
hunt down and destroy the rogue. Lords can create other Lords and more sleeping places than their POW.
Stewards the same way High Lords can, but ususlly they only create There are three ways to kill a vampire. Just causing physical
another Lord for a companion. Depending on how long they have been damage enough to knock down to zero or fewer HP will only cause the
vampires they may know all, some or none of the spells available. vampire to tum gaseous and slink away to sulk until it can rest for its
Lords can command 5 packs of rats at any time and if their POW can alloted time. Direct sunlight has been covered already. The second
overcome the creatures' POW they then can control supernatural crea- way is a wooden stake through its heart. You must then remove its
tures. Lords are extremely cruel and not as concerned about the threat head. Expose it to direct sunlight or bum both parts separately at a
that the Cthulhu M ythos places on their food source. As such they are crossroads. If this is not done the vampire has a POWx1 chance of
far less tolerant of humans than High Lord vampires who look upon rising again after a number of days equal to its POW. The third way
certain humans as necessary allies. The stats for Lord vampires are as is to find and destroy all its resting places. This is done by placing
follows;STR3D6+6 CON3D6+3 SIZ3D6 INT4D6+3 POW3D6+6 religious artifacts (symbol, holy water, wafers, etc) in the resting area
DEX 4D6+4 APP 4D6+3/ 1D6* HP 3-19 SAN 0/1D8 * 2/1D8 or by removing the soil and taking it to a place of worship and leaving
Steward vampires are on the lowest rung of vampire society. it there. vampires cannot enter any places of worship that are not evil.
They are created by High Lords and Lords for the specific purpose of Once all the resting places are destroyed then the vampire has as many
guarding an area or item. They cannot move more than one mile from days as it has POW to return to its place of death and get more soil. It
the area they are watching over, if the item is not overly large or will lose one point of POW per day until it fades away to nothing and
clumsy, they will have the item on them at all times. They are is gone forever.
exceptionally cruel, while High Lords and sometimes Lords will deal
with normal humans, stewards will only attack with the intention of
feeding. While not highly magical, some will know a number of spells Bob & Anne Gray
equal to half their INT if they roll their INTx2. One of the more
common spells that Stewards know is Create Zombie (see Chaosium
Inc.'s Fragments of Fear Supplement). They control2 rat packs but
do not affect any supernatural creatures. Their stats are the same as
STARDATE 510 -
CONNECT!!!
STARdATE MAGAZiNE
4482S CASS AvE., UTiCA, Micl-tiGAN 48087 01J) 7J9- IS99
PLEASE MAkE All clucks pAyAblE To RElucTANT PubliskiNG, LTd.
Excerpts from an Interview with Thelos Auburn, Steiner Court His- when the Marik raiders arrived.
tor ian, August 13, 3025 DBS Broadcast: "Janos Marik had hit Clinton more times since Cranston's unit
"We found out about the plan nearly two months ago when a had been stationed there than it had been attacked in the Second
Marik agent was captured on Skye. I must agree that the plan was a Succession War. The Irregulars are a crack fighting unit and, more
bold one indeed. importantly, they are good friends. Any chance that they are given
"Apparently House Marik was planning on kidnapping my to irritate House Marik in the name of Katrina Steiner, they leap at.
daughter Misha during our yearly visit to Clinton. By holding her "We had been there for nearly a week enjoying the museum and
they were going to exert force upon me to assassinate the Archon and reading facilities when warning of a lone DropS hip landing moved
her Designate. Janos Marik has hatched this kind of plan before, but the Irregulars into action. I have been on many battlefields as an
he's learned that it is nearly impossible to penetrate the security at observer, but few times as a fighter. Once I was sure that Misha was
the Royal Court. I will give him this much, it is a rather unique idea. safe I was granted a historian's dream; Cranston let me pilot a
With my access to the Archon it might just have worked if my Crusader recently recovered from Phecda. To fight with the Irregu-
loyalty were not so strong to House Steiner. . \·, lars was an experience that I was not soon to forget.
"Clinton is where Cranston Snord's unit maintains its museum "The attackers turned out to be a challenge. They were an elite
and where the families of the Irregulars live. During some of my commando unit that Janos had formed specifically for this attack.
work I have come to know Cranston very well and usually plan this They hit the museum area where we were defending with a concen-
trip with my daughter during the summer. When the Archon was in- trated gas, probably meant to stun us without a fight. Cranston had
formed of the kidnapping plan, she allowed the Irregulars a grant of kept us hidden and it was obvious by the attack that the Marik forces
"Leave" back to Clinton. Misha and myself were to continue our thought that there were no BattleMechs on Clinton to defend my
vacation as usual, only the Irregulars were going to be on Clinton daughter and myself.
STARDATE512
"We met them in front of the great museum, missiles blazing and The rules to be used are those from BattleTech.
particle beams howling. It was different, as a historian, to actually Attacker:
be fighting in a battle. In many ways I think that perhaps I have mis- Set up second on any hex within three from the northern edge of
sed my true calling as aMechWarrior...but that must be my uncivi- the north map.
lized side speaking ...
Strike Company Zeta:
SITUATION: CLINTON, THE FERRALD SLOPES, 1300 Command Lance
HOURS (TST) Lt. Ralph Wilson's Batt IeMaster (Piloting 2, Gunnery 3)
Political grabs for power are the mainstay of power within the 1 W arhammer(right PPC inoperative; malfunction during drop.)
Sucession States. Janos Marik experienced several setbacks during 1 Marauder
the Third Sucession War along the House Steiner front. His agents 1 Shadowhawk
had taken notice how close the Court Historian Thelos Auburn and
his daughter Misha were getting to the Archon and the Archon Fire Lance
De~ignate. Thus a plan was formed, a simple one. Capture Misha 2 Thunderbolts
and use her to bribe her father into assassinating the ruling Steiner 2 Von Luckner Heavy Tank
House members.
What sweetened the pot for Janos was that Misha was to be taken Recon Lance
from the Snord Estate on Clinton, site of many embarrassments for 2 Galleon Tanks
House Marik. But unknown to Janos an operative knowing about 1 Patton Tank
the kidnapping fell prey to Steiner agents and revealed the plan. 1 Locust
Instead of Misha Auburn being unprotected, Cranston Snord's
Irregulars were to be dispatched to provide defense for her and for Defenders:
their homes. The defenders are the full company of Cranston Snord's Irregu-
The attackers consisted of some heavy BattleMechs and some lars:
heavy armor. As they moved in the narrow straights of Ferrald the Command Lance
Irregulars came down from the highlands. Joined with them as a 1 Archer(Capt. Snord:Pilot 7, Gunnery 6)
special favor to an old friend, with Court Historian Thelos Auburn 1 Warhammer(Walmer:Pilot 5, Gunnery 5)
piloting a renovated Crusader. Thet faced a unit led by Lt. Ralph 1 Thunderbolt(H'chu:Pilot 6, Gunnery 7)
Wilson, son of the famous Marik General Mike "Jumpin' Jake" 1 Wolverine(Storrn:Pilot 4, Gunnery 5)
Wilson.
The battle was fierce and.Short, with the Irregulars circling the Attack Lance
Marik attack force and battering· it to bits. At the same time the 1 Rifleman(Thomlinson:Pilot 6, Gunnery 6)
Irregulars' light Aerospace fighters attacked the DropS hip that had 1 Hybrid Rifleman(Sneede:Pilot 5, Gunnery 4-see FASA
brought the Marik forces and succeeded in crippling it. module for stats, or equip with Phoenix Hawk)
Although Thelos was verbally reprimanded for piloting a Battle- 1 Shadow Hawk(Snord:Pilot 4, Gunnery 4)
Mech in a combat zone, it has been said that Katrina Steiner gained 1 Crusader(Windall:Pilot 5, Gunnery 4)
new respect for her historian for his actions.
Recon Lance
Game Set-up: 1 Phoenix Hawk(Malvinson:Pilot 5, Gunnery 4)
Lay out the maps as indicated. All full hexes within two hexes 2 Wasps(McDonald:Pilot 5, Gunnery 4)(Malvison:Pilot4,
of the East and West borders are considered to be level one Gunnery4)
elevation. All full and half hexes within one hex of the border are 1 Locust(Neuron:Pilot4, Gunnery 6)
level two elevation. This provides the layout of the long valley of
the Ferrald Slopes. Historian Thelo Auburn( Pilot 4, Gunnery 2)is currently attached to
the Command Lance of the Irregulars.
Victory Conditions:
The Marik Strike Company Zeta wins only by exiting five Bat-
tleMechs or tanks off of the south edge of the map board. Any other
result is a victory for the Irregulars.
Special Rules:
Chemic a! Warfare: The Marik forces have fogged the area with
a stunning gas. While it has no effect on BattleMechs, any cockpit
hit or turret hit requires the player to roll a die. A roll of a 1 indicates
that the player's gunnery and piloting skills are reduced by 2. The
effects of this are cumulative and apply to both sides.
..
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~-<:!>·:~<?.\·~~<>~:;.~~~;:;;~;.;:,:;._:2~-<:!>·:~~·.·~~<>4
GURPS Horror are well done and while there aren't any killer GURPS system seems a little clumsy to me
Steve Jackson Games tomatos GMs should have no problem keep- but ifl owned the system I would buy Horror
u.s. $9.95 ing their players hackles raised. There is even andhaveagrandold time with it. What if you
arandommonstertable! (Where'smybroad- don't own the system? If you play horror
GURPS HORROR is the horror sword?) RPGs such as Call ofCthulhu or Stalking the
gaming module for Steve Jackson Games, The next part of the bestiary is en- Night Fantastic this book will help with fresh
Generic Universal Role Playing System. titled ''Things Man WasNotMeantto Know". an new ideas and in the long run in a campaign
You'll nee the GURPS Basic Set to thor- Anyone familiar with H.P. Lovecraft's what could be more important than that? So
oughly understand the horror module. The Cthulhu Mythos should be able to figure out buy GURPS Horror if you are a horror
module itself is 96 pages long with numerous what type of monsters are being talked about gamer- particularly if you run the game.
illustrations and charts. The cover art by here. Because of the reared "Khoppi rites" the Bob Gray
Michael Whelan is nice and spooky if only the Cthulhu Mythos cannot be mentioned here by
over-large title didn't subtract from it. The name. But if you have no idea what is being ARKHAM HORROR
introduction by Scott D . Haring is interesting hinted at then the ''Things" are well described The Boardgame for Monster Hunters
since he pays homage to Chaosium's Call of and a table is provided for the GM to roll up a Chaosium Inc. U.S. $24.95
Cthulhu RPG, which I feel is the finest RPG description of one of these putrid, dripping,
on the market. Let's see how Horror stacks many-limbed, blob-shaped Things. Devel- Ah, a brand new year at good ol'
up to it. oped for your pleasure is the Lord Beneath the Miskatonic U. Stepping out of the station you
The first chapter is called "Getting Ice and his minions with the basic background can only wonder what the new year will bring.
Scared." It is about something called fright for an adventure. One good thing, though; you know Arkham
checks (can you say SAN check? I thought The last section the bestiary is en- will remain as quiet and boring as it has since
you could). This is a dice roll you make versus fl'i:l~d "Evil People". This covers a lot of what seems like forever. But wait, what's that
your IQ with modifications whenever any- ground, from cultists to evil witches and moving down the street toward the North
thing scary happens. You can develop pho- warlocks to mad scientists and psycho killers. Church?EEk! lt'savileShoggoth! And what
bias if you fail the fright check. There are, of There is a list of psycho killer weapons with, just blotted out the sun? Arrrgh! It's a ghastly
course, modifications to the fright checks and of course, the ever-popular chainsaw· and Flying Polyp! Well, either the town fathers
failures of the fright check make you slide fondue fork. All sorts of good clean family changed the zoning laws while you were
over to the fright effects table to find out what fun. Replay "Friday the 13th" (over and over pursuing Nyarlathotep through Kenya on
happens after. again) and find out how Jason stacks up to a your summer vacation or somebody has
The second chapter talks about the group of kids who aren't idiots. opened agate to the Other Worlds! As the full
types of characters you might want to run in The next chapter (6) is entitled immensity of the horror settles into your now
the game. It includes a list of new advantages, "Worlds of Horror" and provides information slightly shaken brain you open up your travel-
disadvantages and skills for the players. Also on three of the more classic settings for a ing bag and whip out your trusty shotgun and
listed are some advantages, disadvantages horror game. Victorian England, the Roaring handy-dandy book of spells and stride bravely
and skills in other G URPS modules that can fit '20's, and Modem Day. All three are well off into the twisted narrow streets of Arkham
in a horror setting. Thus if horror is the only done with prices of equipment and daily life to combat the frightful foe and close down the
game you wish to play you don't have to being of the most help. There is a nice map of gate(s ). You'll save the town and your Alma
purchase all the other modules. A nice touch, Victorian London. An expanded firearms Master from a fate too horrible to contemplate
that. table is included which is a great help as the and anyway the cafeteria doesn't open for
The next two chapters deal with basic GURPS set didn't have many firearms. another couple of hours and it beats unpack-
magic and psionics. How to learn magic and Also included in this chapter are jobs tables ing.
use magic and psionics is well detailed. Most for each era. Yes, boys and ghouls, it's here, the
of the spells presented are very useful in The seventh chapter gives hints boardgame for monster hunters that is truly
fighting the nasty creatures you will be en- about actually campaigning and playing the fun and challenging and yet doesn't take itself
countering during the game. While I person- game. An interesting concept of a cabal of too seriously. How can it when H.P.'s mug
ally don't like psionics that much they are well monsters is introduced which begs the ques- adorns the $5 and $10 bills? (In game cash,
covered and for the players that do like them tion- could there not be a cabal of people who that is). Butfretnot,G. Washington's face is
they are easy to use. fight the monsters? Anyway, seven leads to still on the $1 bill and not some SAN-blasting
Wenowcometothebestpartofany eight which is an adventure entitled ''The picture of Geraldo Rivera or some equally
horror game i.e. what monsters andnasties are Haunting of Langley Manor". It is a fun and mind numbing picture. Oh yeah, the money is
included? Horror doesn't disappoint. The interesting adventure that has some interest- used to buy items that just might save your
"Hollywood Horror" section contains almost ing twists and turns that are sure to get the character's behind, like a Tommygun or a
every monster you've come to love and more. PCs' blood running one way or another. nice magical item that will aid in combatting
Sidebars talk about exorcism, ghostly and Well, is it worth the money and the unearthly horrors you'll be facing.
demonic magic, special items such as garlic, does it stack up to Call ofCthulhu? Yes and no The game can be played by 2 to 8
and other useful information. The monsters to both questions. Let me first say that the players but with a little random die rolling it
STARDATE516
'Che :Jantastic S"lrt of
:Jl;ank :Ji-a:ulfa...
No- 31
No - 60 S
THE DEATH DEALER
AGAINST THE GOD
15x22
l6x22
No - 69
DARK KINGDOM No- 85
17x23 SWORDs OF MARs
13x]9
Frank Frazetta's famous art works are available now through Frazetta Prints.
Prints are only $4.00 each (+$1.00 postage and handling per five or less), some available for as little
as $3.00! Also available are clocks, calenders, books and T -shirts displaying these works. For more
information or a catalogue write:
Frazetta Prints
P.O. Box R
Marshalls Creek, Pa 18335
can be played solo. You get eight character ering Strength and Sanity points and soon ing Ships and Journal oft he Travellers' Aid
cards which feature an illustration of the braving gates and the Other Worlds on the Society, issue No.4. Finally the booklet' s last
character (4 male and 4 female), the corre- other side. One of the few ways to destroy a page contains a summary of the relatively new
sponding plastic playing peg (for movement gate is by going through it, surviving the Traveller Universal Task Profile.
around the board), the skill levels for the terrors on the other side and then returning to Most of the counters are figures of
characters' Fast Talk, Fight, Knowledge, and Arkham and attacking the gate. The gates human(oid)s, the remainder showing solid-
Sneak scores, and on the sides a place to keep must be shut down before there are too many black illustrations of other things (rnis-
a running totalofthecharacters' Sanity points of them about or Arkham is doomed! If siles?-spaceships?-I give up). In any
and Strength points with some plastic clips players wish to decide on an overall winner event, the inclusion of counters and a storage
provided with the game. The skill levels the player who destroyed the most gates, with bag to put them in is a welcome touch.
range from 1 to 5 and the Sanity and Strength monsters surviving as a tie breaker, is the first In general, tl1e overall appearance
points range from 0 to 7. Players have ten among equals. and packaging is simple but perfectly
points to give to their Sanity and Strength; at Sitting in your dorm room that adequate. There are no elaborate four-color
least three points must be allocated to each. At night boning up on the Bind Monster spell, illustrations; likewise, there is no need for
the beginning of the game each character gets you ponder the evening's events. Not bad them on a set of deck plans (except to justify
a skill card which raises one skill a point knocking out five gates yourself and slaugh- a higher price). I do wish the drawings could
higher. If called upon to make a roll for a skill tering 11 monsters including sending Yog- have been printed on a slightly heavier stock
or against Sanity or Strength points the player Sothoth back to the Abyss. Not a nice place to of paper-my review copy was somewhat
roles 1D6 and tries to roll under or equal to the visit either...ruined your new suit. Earth's creased and dog-eared (presumably, in tran-
level. Dreamlands weren't too bad, though. sit) before I even opened it, let alone after any
Other contents of the game in- Bob Gray wear-and-tear from some heavy gaming ses-
cluded 49 monster counters printed on both Gazelle Class Deck Plans (15mm) sions.
sides. The monsters range from maniacs Seeker, US $6.00 All things considered, ho wever, the
running around town with axes to Cthulhu art is good, the scale right. (Seeker also offers
himself who luckily stays in the location Seeker, the newest company de- a 25mm version for $8.) If referees plan any
where he appears. You should be able to find voted to creating a line of approved Traveller major adventures or extended campaigns
your favorite monster in this batch of horrors. merchandise, now has released a set of quality involving the Gazelle, then they certainly can
The front of the counter contains a silhouette scale deck plans for the 300-ton Gazelle class
use this.
of the monster and movement information. close escort.
The back contains the monster's name, move- Physically, the components consist
mentinformation, strength, SAN loss and any of an 8.5" x 11" 8-page booklet with heavy
incidental information, such as that only · \·paper cover, four blue-on-blue 11" x 17" GRAND CENSUS
magic can harm it or that it moves by flying. drawings, one blue-on-blue 8.5" x 11" draw- Diges t Group Publications, US $7.00
Some of the counters are color-coded to ing, one sheet of 56 half-inch (13mm) die-cut
equate to Other World locations and if a gate counters, andalargeresealable bag. The deck In an era where role-playing sup-
to one of those locations is destroyed all plans, almost entirely derived from those ap- plements have grown enormously and often
monsters of the same color currently on the pearing in Supplement 7: Fighting Ships, are can be purchased almost by the pound, it is
board are removed. drawn by S. R. Greene, with package cover refreshing to find a 48-page supplement that
You get various cards to keep with art by William H. Keith Jr. has so much usable material to offer. Grand
your character, such as Item and Spell cards One large drawing shows top (con- Census, a companion volume to Digest
which help keep the character alive and kick- ventional) views of bot!). decks, and the gig/ Group ' s Grand Survey, is just such a supple-
ing. The set of rules is short and to the point lifeboat using an 8.5mm grid, while two of the ment.
and easy to learn. Another set of papers titled other large drawings show the upper and A Traveller product, Grand
"About your Investigator" gives a broader lower deck, respectively, with a 13mm grid. Census is used to generate additional infor-
explanation of some of the terms used in the The small drawing performs the same service mation on a world's social outlook, its gov-
rules and on the cards. "The Arkham Gazette" for the vessel's 20-ton gig/lifeboat. The ernment and law level, society and culture,
givesgateandlocationtablesforthegameand fourth and final large drawing gives a very technology, and religion-beginning with
willbereferredtowheneveroneofthenumer- nice cross-sectional side view of the escort, just the planetary UPP.
ouslocationsonthemapareentered. The map suitable more as a reference than for plotting Physically, Grand Census is a 48-
is full color with a drawing of Arkham and the movement. Certain drawings (and the cover page 8.5" x 11" booklet with an attractive,
eight Other Worlds that the gates lead to. It as well) also include necessary statistics for lithographed glossy cover. The cover art is an
also has agate appearance table, a doom track the class when using High Guard rules. intriguing montage and the interior illustra-
for Arkham which shows how close you are to Greene's blue-on-blue drawings tions were also done well.
losing and spaces for Item, Spell, and Gate arerenderedcleanlyandgiveapleasantarchi- Still, such a mundane description
cards. tectural feel to the work. The deck plan does not give justice to its contents. Divided
The game is very easy to play and symbols used throughout conform to the into two major sections, the first contains
fast moving yet requires subtle strategies and Traveller standard, with a few very minor valuable information for players on the duties,
cooperation between the players. While there variations. Scale and symbols legend are difficulties, and standard procedures for
is an overall winner, all players are considered prominent on most drawings and easy to read. Scouts. (I thought the essay on sentience was
to have won if anyofthemdo. All the players Speaking of easy to read, the book- particularly interesting, bringing back memo-
are considered to have lost, just as if all fails. let contains information on the Gazelle using ries of a non-fiction essay by John W.
The monsters are moved by reading their the largest print for text I have ever seen in Campbell.)
counters and the gates appear by dice roll. The gaming. (This materal is suitable for the Included in this section, there are
players tear around Arkham fighting mon- sight-impaired.) Long-time Traveller enthu- pages of new gadgets for Scouts--or anyone
sters, looking for spells, buying items, recovc siasts will recognize the background, history, who goes on exploratory landing parties.
and deck descriptions, reprinted from Fight- Fifteen pieces of equipment are illustrated
ST ARDATE 51~
and described, ranging from the portable thought a ring world would be TL 25; but then, This product, which only requires
radiation imaging system ("field glasses") I never thought about it.) an edition of the basic Traveller rules, has
and personal communicator to the Imperial Minor cultural details, the sort that few, if any, obvious weaknesses. I did find
Interstellar Scout Service four-man air/raft make for interesting and flavorful encounters, myself repeatedly looking and longing for a
and 100-ton survey G-carrier. include: unusual habits of dressing, unusual real table of contents (the book has an index,
The second section, for referees, eating habits, specific requirements for living but it is not the same somehow), yet that is a
provides expanded detail for fleshing out a quarters, and a variety of family practices and relatively minor point-presumably, limita-
world (and a new form to record the data on). miscellaneous customs. tions of space took precedence.
The text contains several good examples and Types of 'achievement' technol- In short, any referee who wishes to
is supported heavily by table after table of ogy specifically described include: land include additional realism and detail to the
summarized data. Some related tasks are transportation, water transportation, air trans- Traveller world -generating process should
described, and new modifiers are explained portation, space transportation, energy, com- have-and use-this book. Indeed, Grand
(the social outlook of a society will have a puters/robotic, communications, medical, Census would be a worthy addition to every-
direct bearing on certain aspects of that environment, personal military, and heavy one who plays Traveller.
society's technology) . military. Grand Census was designed by
Of special interest are the technol- Some elements of religion taken Gary L. Thomas, Nancy Parker, Joe D. Fugate
ogy charts, now expanded through TL 21 and into consideration include: God view, spiri- Sr., J. Andrew Keith, Ed Edwards, and Rob
with more entries than those found in any tual aim, frequency of devotion, liturgical Caswell with cover art by Fugate and interior
Traveller rules set. A few appended notes formality, organization structure, and mis- illustrations by Caswell.
address even higher tech levels. (I never sionary fervor.
_=-::::·--
_- _ .-......,
....... '........
--
,-"·---.: --·
STARDATE 519
Computerized text adventure
games have been with us for a long time now.
They existed back when only big institutions
and business could afford to own computers,
and small personal computers were found
only in science fiction. They are a good
example of what a computer can do.
Space Quest
Distributed by Sierra On-Line, Inc.
Available on Amiga, Apple II, Atari ST, IBM,
Macintosh
Priced at $49.95
STARDATE 520
Quest. If you are an above average adventure The Sierra games reviewed were better with
player then expect to finish it in only a few this feature.
nights. If you are average, then count on a few
weeks. Also, if you get stuck a clue book is If you're in the mood for some new
available, but it is priced at $7.95. wave weirdness then you might enjoy this pop
adventure, but be prepared to die.
Tass Times In Tone Town RECOMMEN DED WITH RESERV A-
Distributed by Activision, Inc. TIONS
Available on Amiga, Apple II, Atari ST,
Commodore 64 & 128, IBM and Macintosh Leisure Suit Larry In The Land Of The
Priced at $34.95 Lounge Lizards
Distributed by Sierra On-Line, Inc.
Tass Times is a new wave/punk Available on Amiga, Apple II, Atari ST, IBM
adventure game from Activision. You start and Macintosh
out in the home of your grandfather who has Priced at $39.95
mysteriously disappeared. Eventually you
and your dog Spot discover his lab and use his
equipment to travel to another dimension.
You are in Tonetown, a place that's a bit
sometimes hard to resist experimenting to see --~o.~.
what the program will let you type. I expect
____.
When playing adventure games it's = :::;;;::l:=::l
different from your world: People look a bit everyone has tried a few four-letter words to
odd, dress a bit odd and talk a bit odd. . . see what would happen. Well, the creators of
including your dog who informs you that his this game took this fetish well to heart when
name in this world is Ennio. After purchasing they made this adult graphic adventure game.
cloths and putting on the local colors you It may not have quite an X rating, but it is a
investigate and learn of the evil plot you must solid R.
stop.
You play Larry Laffer, traveling
This game is much more like the salesman and carousing man about town.
typical graphic adventure game in that the Larry has arrived at Lost Wages, Nevada for
animation is rather tame. Spot jumps through one glorious night of fun. As he walks the
a hoop and the eyes of some characters blink, streets (try not to get mugged) he can try to
but otherwise there is little movement. In- pick up women, talk to the bums, drink,
stead, the novelty in this game is its use of gamble ...
icons (little pictures) which you can point at to
do certain commands. Essentially you have The game basically centers around
two ways to enter commands. The first is to the many women Larry can meet and his
type them in as English sentences, and the experience with them. In his quest for happi-
other is to use a joystick, mouse, or the arrow ness Larry discovers only a certain type of
keys to move an arrow around the screen. The women will keep him feeling good. Whether
arrow can chose from a selection of eight it's Fawn, the good looking blond, Faith, the
icons to choose an often-used command, or security guard, Eve, who'sgreatin the hot tub,
you can point at actual objects on the part of or any of the other ladies, it is up to you to
the screen which displays what you are look- discover.
ing at. You can't get too lazy and just point
and choose because not all the actions are As in Space Quest you control an
contained in the icons. animated figure as he roams about the many
screens. At the bottom of the screen you type
commands like . . .well .. .like.. .TALK TO
There are a number of good quali- FAITH. The graphics and animation are
ties in this game. The pictures are good. The excellent. You are often given very well done
sound was exceptionally well done, espe- close-ups of some characters and fun ani-
cially considering the fact that I tested it on an mated scenes.
IBM PC (these computers have very little in
sound capabilities). The game has a number Because of the nature of this game
of hidden areas to investigate, though some the designers added a little censorship feature.
take some time to figure out how to get to When you enter the game you must first
them. answer a few questions before you can play.
These questions were designed to be hard for
I personally didn't enjoy the num- younger people to answer.
ber of times I died while playing. You can die
if you don't dress right, you die by wandering Leisure Suit is an enjoyable game.
around the swamp, and I died a number of It is also easier to play than most adventure
times trying to enter the hideout of the evil games, making it a good first game for some-
Snarl. You have to save the game often when one new to adventures.
playing certain parts, and it would have been
nice to have a slightly better saving utility. RECOMMENDED
STARDATE521
STAR CRUISER US $20.00
A TRAVELLER: 2300 boxed Supplement
This boxed set includes three booklets, two large map-
sheets, a set of spaceship counters, and a ten sided die. This is an
expansion of the starship construction rules from the original game.
It also covers additional rules modifications for ship to ship combat.
FASA CORPORATION There are several historical scenarios drawn from the Traveller:
BATTLETECH MANUAL US $12.00 2300 tirneline. A must for all serious Traveller: 2300.
This long awaited volume in theBattleTech series is long
overdue. It consists of a 102 page manual subtitled "The Rules of GAMES WORKSHOP
Warfare." It has all of the rules from the BattleTech, AeroTech and SHADOW OVER BOGENHAFEN US $12.00
CityTech in a revised edition. The book includes many Mech and A Warhammer Fantasy Supplement
vehicle record sheets for the BattleTech system. I think it is nice to This second module from the Enemy Within Campaign is
have all of the rules in one edition. suited for beginning level characters . It includes a 56 page adven-
ture booklet, eight pages of players an GM' s handouts, a large full
INTERCEPTOR US $25.00 color map of Bogenhafen, a full color floor plan map of the final
This boardgame's full title is "Renegade Legion: INTER- encounter area and a OM's map which doubles as OM's screen. A
CEPTOR, The First Line of Defense." This beautifully done nice quality addition to the Warhammer RPG.
boardgame looks like the first in a series of games and/or role
playing games. It includes 24 3-dimensional playing pieces 1.25" x HERO GAMES
1.5" x .75", two 1.5" x2.75" x .75" 3-D playing pieces, an 8pagerule WRATH of THE SEVEN HORSEMEN US $6.00
book that covers lOpages ofhistorical and background information, A Champions scenario
16 pages of full-color cut-away views of all 14 spacecrafts plus This module is a multi-part adventure pack. It can be used
uniform sketches of the pilots and Legionnaires. It also includes a separately as a campaign or can be used in a present campaign. Each
sheet of 100 full-color stickers to mark each playing piece unit scenario leads to the next so it should be presented in order for
affiliation and to keep track of kills, a sheet of 60 die-cut asteroid smooth playability. It starts in an Incan temple with the discovery
counters, 70 miscellaneous playing and recording pieces, and a 10 of an artifact and goes on from there. It's also compatible with the
sided die. It has a very elegant but simple vector moving rules and Danger International game and Super Agents. It is filled with war,
an unique hit location system which shows patterns of damage from famine, terror and Death. A real "FUN" adventure for the Hero
various weaponry and internal damage allocation flow charts. It is system.
a magnificent game. FASA has another winner\<Jn their hands with
this baby.
LEADING EDGE GAMES
THE SUCCESSION WARS US $25.00 KVISR ROCKS! US $8.95
This boxed game is based upon the BattleTech Houses in A Living Steel Adventure Supplement
the role playing system M echWarrior. It includes a full-color map, This 65 page module details a fast-paced adventure that
play money, two decimal dice, four full color counter sheets, a deck is filled with an entertaining and challenging action scenario. There
of cards and some storage baggies. Each player in the game takes the are detailed rules for Vissers, and guidelines for running Spectral
role of the leader of the clans and allows players to fight in any Pathfinders. There are numerous floorplans and detailed maps for
Succession War. It is a fast game system allowing strategy to be the the city of Vissertown, which are all reusable for future missions. A
deciding factor in victory. nice overall supplement for Living Steel.
MAYFAIR GAMES
GAME DESIGNERS WORKSHOP HARDWARE HANDBOOK US $10.00
DARRIANS US $7.00 ADC Heroes Reference book
ATraveller Supplement This large supplement is loaded with gadgets galore. It
This 47 page Alien Module includes details on Darrian includes new gadgetry rules, robots, conversions of old gadgets to
history and culture. It includes rules for Darrian character genera- the new rules, and loads of other fun items. It includes a gallery of
tion, advanced Darriancharacter generation for High-Guard charac- starships for the 30th century, gadgets as headquarters, the Legion
ters, a world generation system for Darrian worlds, and an Alien Arsenal, and 275 gadgets worth of source materials for the DC
adventure. It has all the information that is needed for adventuring Heroes game system.
in an alien environment.
NEW INFINITIES PRODUCTIONS. INC.
SOVIET VEHICLE GUIDE US $7.00 CYBORG COMMANDO US $14.95
A TWILIGHT: 2000 Supplement This new roleplaying game is the second gaming product
This 48 page module is a companion piece to the first that Gary Gygax 's new company produced. This boxed set (volume
vehicle guide. It illustrates the Soviet and Warsaw pact equipment 1), includes three booklets, a 48 page character generation booklet,
as well as the tables of organization and the order of battle for all a 64 page campaign booklet, and a 16 page adventure booklet. It
Soviet divisions and brigades. It details the T-80 and T-90 main also includes a set of two pre-inked ten sided dice. This game puts
battle tanks, armored personnel carriers and many other Soviet the human against the hostile Xenoborgs who selected Earth as their
weapons and armor enhancements. A good source of information next addition into their galactic empire. An interesting premise for
for the vehicle of WW III. a new RPG game.
STARDATE 522
Wizardry & TECHNOLOGY MANKIND, MAGIC AND METAL
No matter where the adve nt u re leads or the answers to challe nges encountered.
Ra J Partha figures add new dimensio ns of excitement to an~· qu est! Let the
wizardry o f concepti o n and ski ll of tec hn o logy meet that next cha llenge with you.
20-1 0 1 Adve nt urer .....•.. . . $1.25 20-107 Ace Reporter ..... . ... $1.25
20- 102 Adve nturer ... . . . . . . . $ 1.25 20- 108 Ga ng Boss . .... . . . .. . $1.25
20- 1OJ Aviator ... .... . . . . . . $1.25 20-109 Moll ....... .. ...... $1.25 01 -002 Super Hero 5938 Carthage Court t Cincinnati. Ohio 45212
20- 110 Professor . ..... . . . ... $1.25 with Axe (25 mm) Toll Free 1 (800) 543·0272 t In Ohio 1 (513) 631·7335
20-104 Private Investigator .... $1.25
20- 105 Detecti ve ...... .. . . .. $ 1.25 20- 11 1 Gangsters (3) .. . • .. ... $3.50 $3.50 Available at better hobby stores, nationwide.
20- 106 G-Man .. . ... .. . . . . . $ 1.25 20- 112 Police (3) ..... . ... . .. $3.50
"Ba u letcch" i:- a r~gi~h:r~d trademark 1lf F.I\ .S.A. Cnrp.
R. TALISORIAN GAMES. INC. Sentinals, a group of powerful robots. Their mission is to seek out
FIELDTRIP US $8.00 and capture or eliminate human mutants or anyone with a hint of
A TeerUlges From Outer Space module superpowers. This is the second of a series of Marvel Super Heroes
This 36 page "movie" puts the students of Deathbus 13 set in the near future.
against power-crazed aliens, Demon Motorcyclists from beyond
space and time, not-so mad scientists, mad scientists, and Holly- DELTA FRAGMENT US $8.00
wood Soviets and other NPC crazies. A very weird adventure for a A Gamma World module
very weird game. The players must find the secrets of the "Sky Chariot of
The Ancients", and must return the information and anything else
TACTICAL SIMULATION RULES. INC. (TSR) they find back to the Restorationists. However, complications set in,
THE BEST OF INTENTIONS US $5.95 in the name of General Timan. Time is running out and the players
AD & D Immortal rules adventure have to prevent the merger between Timan and the King of the
This scenario involves a search for Mazi.keen, a heir arch, Mountain. It includes a 96 page adventure and rules supplements for
discover his kidnapper and bring whomever is guilty to a court of the Gamma World game.
Immortal Justice. However, it is not as easy as it seems. You get to
go plane-hopping after some Demons to solve this one!
STARDATE524
If your group is putting on an event, we '11 eos, dealers, panels, masquerade, filksinging, Dec 4-6 '87 TROPICON VI, Ft Lau-
list it free of charge. All we ask is the name, art show/auction, media room and gaming. derdale, FL, Holiday Inn Oceanside. SF and
the dates, the location, any notable guests or Memberships: $15 to 5-31-87, $18 to 8-31- gaming con. GoH: George R. R. Martin.
events scheduled, and an address and/or 87, $22 thereafter. For info: Earthcon, P.O. Panels, films, videos, art show, dealers, ex-
phone number for interested people to call. Box 5641, Cleveland, OH 44101. hibits, readings, gaming, banquet, costume
party. Memberships $12 untill0-31-87, $15
You'll get a betterturnoutforyour con if Nov 14 ' 87 PENTACON lli, Fort after. For Info: TROPICON VI, P.O. Box
you send us your notice a minimum of three Wayne, IN, Grand Wayne Center. Gaming 70143, Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33307. Reserva-
months before. More time means more con. AD&D, miniatures, flea market, mifli- tions write: Holiday Inn Oceanside, 3000 E.
people will see it. Be sure to send your con atures painting contest, door prizes. One day Las Olas Blvd., Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 33316, or
listing to: only. For info: NIGA/Pentacon, P.O. Box call (305) 463-8421.
Convention Calendar
11133, Fort Wayne, IN 46856, or call Michael
STARDATE Magazine Durant at (219) 422-9964. Dec4-6 '87 CZARKON 5, Eureka, MO
c/o Reluctant Publishing, Ltd. (near St. Louis) Day's Inn. SF adultrelaxacon
44825 Cass Nov 20-22 '87 SMOFCON 4, Colum- (no one under 18 permitted). Guests: Robert
Utica, MI 48087 Daniels, John Cleve. TM: Andrew J. Offutt.
bus, Ohio, Quality Inn Columbus Airport.
Convention Planners Con. How to run/plan/ Registration: $11 to 11/9/87, $16 after. For
Anyone interested in having a member manage a con in your area. Focus on ideas to info: Czarkon 5, 1156 Remley Ct., St. Louis,
of the STARDATE staff appear at their con- make cons easier on con committees and MO 63130.
vention should contact our Convention Liai- attendees. Registration: $35 . Rooms: $39 flat
son, Linda Plichta, at the same address. rate. For info: FANACO, c/o Liz Gross, 376 Jan 1-3 '88 EVECON 5, Washington,
Colonial Ave, Worthington, OH, 43085. DC. For info: Evecon, P.O. Box 128, Aber-
Nov 6-8 '87 W:NDYCON' XIV, deen, MD 21001; or call (301) 422-1235.
Schaumburg, IL, Hyatt Regency Woodfield. Nov 21 -22 '87 CONQUEST Vll, East
SF and F con. SFGoH: Vernor Vinge. FGoH: Lansing, MI, MSU Student Union Building. Jan 15-17 '88 AMBULATORY CON-
Jane Yolen. EdGoH: Beth Meacham. AGoH: Gaming con. Boardgarnes, RPGs, miniatures, FUSION, Southfield, MI. Southfield Hilton.
Darlene P. Coltrain. Toastmaster: Mike LazerTag, dealer's room, more. Lots ofhotels SF con. GoH: Joe Haldeman. AGoH: David
Resnick. Videos, dealer's room, masquerade, nearby. Registration: $5 Saturday, $4 Sun- Cherry. FGoH: Larry Tucker. TM: Marta
art show, child care. Registration: $15 to 10- day, $7 both days, plus $1 for each event. For Randall. Big do. Much fun. Registration: $11
1-87, $20 at door. For info : Windycon XIV, info: call Kevin Tyson at (517) 332-0283 or to 10/11/87,$15 to 11/25/87.$20 at door. For
P.O.Box 432, Chicago, IL, 60690. Steve Dean at (517) 372-4294, or write Con- info: AASFA/Confusion, Box 8284, Ann
Quest, Box 6164, East Lansing, MI 48826. Arbor, MI 48107.
Nov 6-8 ' 87 SCI CON 9, Virginia
Beach, VA, Sheraton Beach Inn. SF and Nov 27-29 '87 DARK OVER GRAND Jan 15-17 '88 RUSTYCONV, Everett
gaming con. GoH: Larry Niven. AGoH: P. COUNCIL MEETING 10, Wilmington, W A, Everett Pacific Hotel. SF con. GoH:
Craig Russell. Panels, readings, costume DE, Radisson Hotel. Themes: M.Z. Bradley, Phillip Jose Farmer. AGoH: Steven A. Gal-
contest, art show, videos. Registration: $15 to feminism, occult. Members $17, early sellout lacci. FGoH: Betty Bigelow. Art
10-1-87,$18 at door. For info: Sci Con 9, P.O. expected. For info: Darkover Grand Council show,dealers, masquerade, "Galactic Ca-
Box 9434, Hampton, VA 23670. Meeting, P.O. Box 8113, Silver Spring, MD sino", & more. Registration $18 to 12/31/87,
20907; emergency phone (302) 368-9570. $22 at door [limited to 800] . For info: Rusty-
Nov 7-8 '87 ROCK-CO:\ XIV, Rock- con V, Box 47132, Seattle, WA 98146.
ton, IL Wagon Wheel Resort. Gaming con. Nov 27-29 '87 DRAGONMEET
Guests: Gary Gygax, Jim W arc!, Tom Wham, BALTIMORE, Baltimore, MD, Marriot Jan 22-24 '88 SOUTHERN SPACE
Lou Zocchi. Over 40 dealer booths, hourly Inner Harbor Hotel. Gaming con, SF/Fantasy CONFERENCE, Atlanta, GA. Radisson
door prizes, miniatures, boardgarning and and miniatures. Figure painting workshops, Downtown in Atlanta, GA. Talking to soine
role-playing games. Garnes judges wanted. official tournaments, 24 hour a day of the NASA astronauts. GoHs: Charlie
Preregistration: $5 payable to Black Hawk gaming.Membership $15 until Aug 1st, $20 Walker, Doug Chaffee, Art Bozlee, David
Distributors sent to Rock-Con XIV Registra- after. For info: Timothy D. Olsen, Garnes Webb, Gordon Woocock. AGoHs: Maria
tion, 14225 Hansberry Road, Rockton, IL Workshop, 231 Park Ave., Baltimore, MD Baer, Bill Becker, Dr. Thomas F. Boulden,
61072. Forinfo: Rock-Con XIV Information, 21201, or call (301) 752-1493. Jim Davidson, Dee Ann Divis, Jane Gray, Bill
same address. Gunn, Dr. Barry Linder, Mitch Mitchell, Jim
Nov 27-29 '87 LOSCON 14, Pasadena, Muncy. Panels: space art, space politics/po-
Nov 13-15 '87 EARTHCON Vll, CA, Hilton Hotel. SF con. Guests: C.J. Cher- litical training session, moon/mars debate/
Cleveland, OH, Holiday Inn Westlake. Spon- ryh, Tom Whitmore. Members $15 to 7-6-87, briefing, planetary briefing, SDI debate, fu-
sored by NEOSFA. SF con. Guests: R.M. then more. For info: LASFS, 11513 Burbank ture of the Soviet space program, programs
Meluch, Alan Tuskes, Sheldon Jaffrey. Vid- Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91605. for children, & more. Registration: $76 to 12/
STARDATE 525
1/87, $86 after. This price includes Banquet ading, media programming or gaming. more games. Large dealer's area, flea market,
dinner. Seating is limited, so get yourregistra- Guests: Vincent DiFate, L.W. Currey, more. movies, tournaments, door prizes and more.
tion in early. For info: P.O. Box 337, Fair Members $25 to 9-7-87,$35 to 2-1-88, more Registration: $12 postmarked by Dec 15 '87,
Play, SC 29643-0337, or call: (803) 972- at door; limit 750 members. Dealer coordina- $18 at the door. For info: Jaxcon South,
3026. tor: Greg Ketter, Drearnhaven Books. For Department A, P.O. Box 4423, Jacksonville,
info: Sercon 2, P.O. Box 27345, Austin, TX FL 32201, or call (7pm-9pm Eastern time
Jan 29-31 '88 BOSKONE XXV, 78755. only) (904) 772-9040.
Springfield, MA, Sheraton Tara, Monarch
Place, & Springfield Marriott, Rms $68-$90, Feb 19-21 '88 WISCON 12, Madison Mar 18 '88 DRACONJS, Louisville,
Suites $125-$175. GoH: Greg Bear. AGoH: Wisconsin. Holiday Inn #2. GoH: R. A. KY. SF and F con. Guest: Anne McCaffrey.
David Mattingly. SGoS: Ellen Asher. Regis- MacAvoy & George R. R. Martin. SGoH: Stu Members $15. For info: Draconis, P.O. Box
tration: $25 to 12n/87, $40 at door[if avail- Shiffman. Registration: $15 until 1/31/88, 162, Concord, MA 01742.
able-limit 2,000]. For info: Boskone 25, c/o $20 at door. For info: SF3 P.O. Box 1624,
NESFA,BoxG,MITBranchPO,Cambridge, Madison, Wl53701-1624, or call: Day: (608) Mar 18-20 '88 MID SOUTH CON VII,
MA02139. 251-6226, Evening: (608) 233-0326. Hotel: Memphis, Tennessee. Marriott Hotel, rms:
(608) 222-9121. $50 (flat). Art show, banquet, filking, gaming,
Jan 29-31 '88 CIDMERACON V, guests, con suite, masquerade, video room,
Univ. of N. Carolina, Chapel Hill. GoH: Feb 27-Mar 1 '88 CONTACT '87, panels, special events & more. Registration:
Nancy Springer. SGoH: Orson Scott Card. Sacramento, CA. Day's Inn, Rancho Cordova $10 until Xanadu (Nov. '87), $15 through
Costume workshop & contest, Outer Limits [nr Sacramento] CA; rms: $49 sngl. Mar. 1 '88, $20 after 3/1/88, & at door. For
Cantina, & more. Registration: $12.50 in Worldbuilding workshop; theme: Cultures of info: 1229 Pallwood Road, Memphis, TN
advanced, $15 at door, $6 one day, $11 for 2 the Imagination. GoHs: Poul Anderson, Steve 38122, or call: (901) 682-2003 .
days. For info: ChimerCon V, 15-A Univer- Barnes, Greg Bear, James P. Hogan, Joel
sity Gardens, Chapel Hill, NC 27514; or call: Hagen, Ctein, Richard Johnson (NASA). Mar 18-20 '88 TIME-LOOP '88, A
(919) 933-3003. Registration: $35 in advanced, $50 at door. convention to celebrate the 25th Anniversary
For info: Sue Stone, 4733 T St., Sacramento, of DOCTOR WHO. Kansas City, Missouri.
Feb 4-6 '88 LIFE, THE UNIVERSE CA 95819; or call: (916) 731 -8778 (before 9 Hilton Plaza Inn, rms: $60 for sngl & dbl, $70
AND EVERYTHING VI, SF & F. Provo, pmPT). triple, $80 Quad. GoH: John Levene (Sgt.
Utah. Bringham Young University. GoH: Benton), Anthony Ainley (The Master), Mark
Sheri S. Tepper, & Tim Powers. Registration: Mar 4-6 '88 BASH CON '88, Toledo, Strickson (Turlough). AGoH: Lucy Synk.
$10 in advanced, $15 at door. For info: Life, OH. Student Union Third Floor, University of POoH: Ken Keller. Panels, videos, dealers
the Universe and Everything VI, 3163 JKHB, \Toledo Main Campus. The sixth annual room, art show, charity, aution, banquet,
Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah gaming con of the UT Benevolent Adventur- costume contest, trivia contest, skit competi-
84602. ers' Strategic Headquarters (UT-BASH) with tion, autograph sessions, contributor's party.
auction, miniatures painting contest, movies, Registration: $30 to 9/30/87,$33 to 12/20/87,
Feb 12-14 '88 ECLECTICON 2, SF & exhibitors/dealers, and more than 120· other $38 after 12/20/87. One day fee: $15 for
F. Sacramento, CA. Beverly Garland Hotel gaming events. GoH: Steve Jackson. For info: Friday, $20 for Saturday, $12 for Sunday. For
1780 Tribute Rd, Sacramento, CA. GoH: Student Activities Office, UT-BASH, info: Time-Loop '88, P.O. Box 25303, Kan-
Steven Barnes. AGoH: George Barr. FGoH: BASHCON, 2801 W. Bancroft St., Toledo, sas City, MO 64119-0603. Hotel call collect:
Bridget McKenna. TM: Robert Vardeman. OH 43606, or call (419) 537-4654. (816) 753-7400.
DGoH: Robert Louis Stevenson. Dealers
tables, panel discussions, gaming, videos, Mar4-6 '88 CONQUISTADOR V, SF Mar 18-20 '88 DRACON, Louisville,
masquerade, art show. Registration: $15 until con. San Diego CA. Bahia Hotel. GoH: Jerry KY. Galt House. GoH: Anne McCaffrey.
7/5/87, $20 until 1/15/88, $25 at door. For Pournelle. FGoH: Terry Gish. Panels, art FGoH: Julia Ecklar. The dragon Bazaar,
info: Eclecticon 4733 T Street, Sacramento, show, masquerade, gaming, videos, dancing, workshops, gaming, filking, child care, mas-
CA 95819, or call: 1-800-BEVERLY. etc. Registration: $12 to Aug. 15,$15 to Nov. querade contest, panels, art show & auction,
14, $20 at door. For info: ConQuistador P.O. Lazer tag area. Registration: $15 to 9/30/87,
Feb 12-14 '88 CONTINUITY, SF & F. Box 15471, San Diego, CA 92115. Hotel $17.50 from 10/1/87 to 2/17/88,$20 at door.
Birmingham, AL. Holiday Inn Medical Cen- Call: (619) 488-0551. Children are half-price. For info: DraConis,
ter South; rms: $55. GoH: Jo Clayton. P.O. Box 162, Concord, MA 01742.
AGoHs: Val & Ron Lindahn. Tm: Sharon Mar4-6 '88 MILLENNICONMINUS
Webb. Registration: $15 to 11/1/87,$20 to 2/ 13, Dayton, Ohio, Dayton Airport Hotel. SF
1/88, $25 at door. For info: Greater Birming- con. Art show, husckster room, program-
ham SF&F Ass'n, 5304 Dixieland Rd, Bir- ming, filking, gaming, costume call (not a hall
mingham, AL 35210. costume contest), con suite, video room.
Registration: $15 until2-1-88, $18 after. For
info: MILLENNICON, P.O. Box 636, Day-
Feb 12-15 '88 COSTUME CON 6, San ton OH. 45405. Reservations call: 1-800-543-
Jose, CA. Specialty con. Costumers's panels, 7577 outside Ohio, or 1-513-898-1000within
workshops, contests, more. Members $20 to Ohio.
5-25-87,$25 to 9-15-87, $30to 1-1-88,$35 at
door. For info: Costume Con 6, 112 Orchard Mar 4-6 '88 JAXCON SOUTH 12,
Avenue, Mountain View, CA 94043. Jacksonville, FL, Jacksonville Hotel (the old
Hilton). Gaming con. No event fees. Mini-
Feb 12-14 '88 SERCON 2, Austin, TX, atures, boardgaming and role-playing with
Marriott-at-the-Capital. SF con. No masquer- Micro-armor, D&D, Squad Leader and many
STARDA'IE 526