SPAEEIiAmERSICopyright © 1976, METAGAMING CONCEPTS

OJSTDlsr IOI~TQ~l

3

Howard Thompson

something. You would have exper­lenced a few failures and learnedto do You could have gained know­ledge without education. You coul~

have been free instead at an extrain someone else's crowd scene.

Don't be misled. I've got six­teen years of education and amasters degree. It only fitted mefor a bureaucratic, business orgovernment, a pigeon hole. This isall hindsight, coming after yearswasted in classrooms. It took amasters to work off the educationcompulsion laid on me even beforekindergarten. Consider this a voicefrom beyond come back with tales ofthe bramble bushes in a promisedland.

. You bet I'd do it differently!Flrst, I'd drop out of high schoolat the legal age. Then I'd get asmany different jobs and as muchtravel as I could. Hopefully, I'dlearn how to do as well as think.I'd read all r-could and experiencem~ny different people. I'd ques­tlon, work hard, and try to under­stand all I saw.

That may sound drastic, but itcould leave me no worse off than Iam with all those years as an adultin classrooms. If my children wantto quit school, I'll quietlyapplaud. If they quit school andlearn.to thirst for knowledge andexperlence, I'll be proud. It's amore dangerous way of life forsure--less security and certainty.But, as the saying goes, you can'ttake it with you. All you have inlife is what you are and what youcan do.

A job can vanish. Finances cancrumble. If you're only a thinkeryou g? where the tide washes you,'thlnklng creatively all the while,no.doubt. If you are a doer, youbUlld a raft, learn how to swim andare still yourself.

I guess that about says it.Hooray for knOWledge, experienceand doing. A pox on education crea··tive thinking and safe routin~s.Trust yourself to be a winner bylearning and doing. Depend on othe~

to teach you thinking and be aloser'.

By the way, how often do youfeel absolutely bored and wastedsi~ti~g i~ some classroom? If you'rethlnklng It may not be worth it havemore fa~th in yourself, you're pro­bably rlght.

Wh~re We're Going

CREATIVITY - PTUI!: EDITORIAL

A pox on education. With fourpercent of our population in col­lege and each of us spending twelveplus years pursuing the holy grailof knowledge through education it'stime to holler BULL. Knowledge maybe powerful and the truth mightpoint the way to freedom, but oureducatlonal system is a stupefyingwaste of time. This is a warning toall those who still struggle forbetterment in our nation's schoolsand universities.Truth #1: Schools don't exist toimpart knowledge and understandingt? st~dents. Schools exist to pro­vlde Jobs for citizens who can'thack it outside a safe bureaucracy.Schools exist to enrich construc­tion firms. Schools prOVide anothermethod of parceling out "porkb~rrel" dollars. Schools also pro­vlde a few upper-level administra­tive positions for the politicallyand socially faithful. Students aremerely a necessary evil of·educa­tlon. You may learn a lot, but youare taught very little.Truth #2: Creative thinking, educa­tl?n'S chimerical goal, is an easybllnd alley. Our society is gluttedwith those who want to be laudedfor creative thinking. We have aglut of intelligentsia. Fortunatel~

a top electrician earns more than ahumanities PHD, or we'd long sincehave thought ourselves into a crudeif l~terat~ly verbous, Stone Age. 'Sophlstry lS a far easier goal foreducation ~o achieve than develop­lng the abllity to do, to produce.Truth #3: A competent "doer" isworth a thousand good ideas. Oursystem is desperately short ofpeople who know how things work andhow to get things done. For everyten people capable of thinkinggreat thoughts, there's only oneguy who can turn out a useablefinished product. Great thoughtsare worthless without competent im­plementation.The Last Truth: Blame only yoursel£when you flnd you can't do some­thing. If you've got four yearsp~us college and can't manage yourflna~ces, blame yourself. If youend In a "nothing" job, blame your­self. If you've never accomplishedany of your great ideas, blame you~

self. If you're so confused yourationalize happiness for the cageyou've made, blame yourself. Youcould have quit school and done

No.7AUG.- SE.pT.

NEW FROM METAGAMING

WRITE: METAGAMING CONCEPTSBOX 15346Austin, TX 78761

Supplement 4 to the Dungeon &Dragons rules system. In the for­mat of the previous supplementsat 70 pages, 5~x8~.

Covers Egyptian mythology,Gods of India, Greek mythology,Celtic mythology, Norse Gods &Goddesses, Hyborean characters.the Elric stories, and Mexican &Central American Indian Mythol­ogy. The booklet is $5 for TSGnon-subscribers and $4.50 forsubscribers.

STARFAR ING

This game is designed by Kenst. Andre who designed ourMONSTERS! MONSTERS!. STARFARINGis a 54 page. 8~xll rules book.Contents includes Sequence ofPlay, The Universe, Scenarios,Building Ships, Creating Crews &Characters, Weapons & Conflict,Rewards, Stores, Psionic Powers,Hazards, Random Star Locations,Star Types, Star Systems, Planet­ary Types and Life Among TheStars. The rules are $6 for TSGnon-subscribers and $5.50 forTSG subscribers.

STAR EMPIRES

This is the second rules bookfor the STAR PROBE game system.The initial booklet and map isavailable from us for $6 ($5.50TSG subs)and is needed to useSTAR EMPIRES. Allows the game toproceed to the formation ofempires with fleet combats. Thesupplement is $4 for non-TSGsubscribers and $3.75 for TSGsubscribers.

Delivery in 4-6 weeks.

GODS, DEMI-GODS & HEROES

SPAEE GAmERtile

IN THIS ISSUE

#

front cover: Winchell Chung

artists ~ahman Tiff inJacquays Snyder

THE SPACE GAV-ER is published bi-~onthly by Metagaming Concepts, Box 15346,Austin, TX 78761. Copyright @ 1976 by Metagaming Concepts. All rights reserved.A six-issue subscription is $5, twelve issues $9, U.S.A. and Canadian postaladdresses only. Contributions are solicited at the base rate of !¢ per wordcash or l¢ per word purchase credit. Base art rate is $4 per page cash, $8 per~ge purchase credit. News items and product announcements--accepted subject toeditorial discretion.

FICTION

9 ...Game Design Notes .... HT

B•.. The Space Warship •... ScottRusch

4 ... 0rbiting Colonies ..•. CharlesR. Bowles

SPECULATIONS

FEATURE

3 ... Creativity: Ptui: ... HT

28

REVIEWS

22 ....Dreadnoughts for MyLady Neil Shapiro

23 .... SCENARIO: The War forthe Universe.....Dennis

Colodiy

15 ..• Intermediate RulesFor STELLAR CONQUEST ... Elton

Fewell

10 ... STARSHIP & ·EMPIRE .... KevinP. Kenney

11 ... ELDRITCH WIZARDRy ....GlenTaylor

19 Feedback & Games Ratings

20 1977 Metagaming Plans

15 .... THE yTHRI ..... Tim Hawkinson

LETTERS

14 ... STARSHIP TROOPERS .... ToddRoseman

4

SpEculATioNS

ORBITING COLONIES

Visiting and colonizing otherstar systems requires technologythat we do not presently have andprobably will not have for a signi­ficant period of time.

Except for possibly Mars andVenus even the planets of our ownstar system seem too hostile forcolonization even for the distantfuture. The technological require­ments for transport to and mainte­nance of colonies on Mars alone arestaggering. However, establishingcolonies on the moon, in earth or­bit and in solar orbit requires nosignificant technological develop­ment, only national and economiccommitment. With such a commitmentwe could see earth-orbiting colon-

o ies before the year 2000 and solar­orbiting colonies two or threedecades later.

In less than four years theSpace Shuttle is scheduled to gointo service. The Space Shuttle isa significant change from previousspace projects in several ways.First, the shuttle and its boosterrockets are reusable. Only thelarge external fuel tank is expend­able. This cuts the cost per poundof putting a payload into orbitdramatically. Also, the shuttle isthe first manned program to active­ly sell missions to other govern­ment agen~ies, other governmentsand private corporations, domesticand foreign, in an attempt tobroaden the economic b~se for spac~

development. It is also the firstvehicle designed to recover and re­turn'satellites to earth as well asplace them in orbit. The 60,000­pound orbital payload, being uti­lized for multi-national scientificand economic projects from 1980 to1991, will go a long way in layingthe technical experience needed be­fore large, permanently mannedsatellites can be built. Theshuttle will also help convince thetaxpayers and voters of this planetthat space programs are reliable,profitable, but most of all, prac­tical.

Another project seriously be­ing considered could move us rapid­ly into the giant manned-satelliteera. NASA is committing tens ofthousands of dollars to feasabili tv

by Charles R. Bowles

studies on orbital solar power sta­tions. The first working-scalemodel of the Satellite Solar PowerStation (SSPS) is scheduled forlaunch in 1978. The proposed designof the full-sized SSPS calls fortwo adjacent solar collectQ~s, each97 square kilometers with 32 squ­are kilometers of solar cells.Between the two collectors wouldbe a dished-shaped transmittingantenna one kilometer in diameteraimed back to earth. The receivingantenna grid on the ground wouldcover 55 square kilometers. Thestation would deliver to the grou­nd power system 10,000 Mega Wattsor about three percent of the pre­sent U.S. electric generating ca­pacity. Because the earth's axisof rotation is tilted relative tothe sun, an equatorial synchronousorbit would keep the SSPS in sun­light and operating twenty-fourhours a day year round, except fora few hours at the vernal andautumnal equinoxes. Also due tothis equitorial synchronous orbit,the SSPS would appear to be a fix­ed point in the sky and one aimedat a ground receiver would neverneed changing. To prevent atmosph­eric and meteorological interfer­ence the transmitter will probablyoperate in the microwave radiationrange. Although strong securitywould be observed around the re­ceiving antenna, to prevent ani­mals or people straying into thearea, even exposure for severaldays at the center of the receiverantenna would not prove fatal.

THE PO\~R CONVERSION efficien­cy is a critical factor in the SSPSdue to·the fact that most efficien­cy losses result in the buildup ofheat which is very difficult to getrid of in space. Only twelve per­cent of the solar energy hittingthe solar cells would be convertedinto electricity. The efficiencydrop from the time the electricityleaves the solar cells until itenters the commercial power grid onthe ground would be only 40%. Ex­pected technical advances shouldbring these losses, due to atmo­spheric causes and the conversionof electricity to microwave and

back to electricity, etc. down to23%.

That the SSPS can be built andutilized with present technology isnot questioned. The question is thecost. The best estimate of capitalcosts of the SSPS is $1720 perkilowatt with expected develop­ments, but the same source gives apossible low cast of $890 per kilo­watt and a possible high cost of$2940 per kilowatt, all based onthe utilization of the reusablespace shuttle during construction.

A major consideration in costis the expense and availability ofalternative energy sources. The oilshortage, the resistance of thewestern states to having a portionof their mountains relocated dueto oil shale and coal mining and.the increasing resistance to rap1dproliferation of nuclear powerplants all make the SSPS costs ap­near more practical.• A proposal by Physics Profess'or O'Neil of Princeton to bU1ld alarge permanently-manned ~pacecolony to assemble and ma1nta1nlarge numbers of Satell~te SolarPower Stations has rece1ved atte~­

tion and support (A)alo g July 76~Smithsonian Feb. 76 . The concepce11m1nates the cost of resupplyingthe SSPS assembly crew with foodand oxygen and the cost of rotat­ing them back to earth for restand recreation by creat1ng an al­most self-sufficient colony inspace.

THE COLONY would be locatedin space at a point called L5~roughly at the apex of an equ1la­teral triangle with the earth andthe moon at the other two apexes.The proposed colonies came orj~in­

ally in two sizes: both.col?n1eswere a pair of long cy11ndr1calrotating tubes connected by ca­bles. The small cylinders would be200 meters in diameter and onekilometer long holding 10,000 peo­ple, and the larger cylinder ?OOmeters in diameter by three k1lo­meters long holding 100,000 ~eo­

pIe. The cylinders would enr1chmoon soil for raising some crops,homes streets and even raincloud~. The sun would be reflecte~into the cylinder by long adjust­able mirrored panels which wouldallow exact control of the lightand dark cycle.

Although some of the construc­tion materials for the colonywould corne from earth, most of theMaterial needed would corne fromthe moon. lo'~ ter and oxygen wouldcorne fro~ t,e heating and chemical

Speculations 5

treatment ot moon rock, and soilfor crops would come from.moonchst. Theoretic~~l:,. r;e~t1nO" ma­terial to L5 would he fir easierand far cheaper from the moon thanfrom the earth. First, moon rockwould be collected and melted intoa hard block using a solar reflec­tor. Then the blocks would beloaded into a wheeled cart and pro­pelled down a high-speed monorailuntil the cart reached escape ve­locity. The cart would then flipits load skyward, slow down andthen return to the point of originfor another load. The rock payhloads would travel to a point insuace from which they could bet~'1ed to L5.

PROFESSOR O'NEIL offers manyvariations on the two basic colonymodels. When the SSPS concept cameinto prominence, O'Neil modifiedthe small colony design (10,00~people) to allow it to h7l~ bU1ldand support SSPS. He env1s10ned ahigh initial capital investment tobuild the first colony result1ngin a greatly reduced unit cost forthe manufacture of a very largenumber of Satellite Solar PowerStation and more colonies if need­ed or desired.

The entire project could beimplemented using th7 space .shuttle and a high-11ft capac1tymodification of the shuttle boos­ter system. The price ~ag for th7first colony and the f1rst SSPS 1Sgiven by O'Neil as.$160 to $200.billion over a per10d of approx1­mately 25 years resulting in thecompletion of both by the Y7ar2000. This program has rece1vedinterest and even support fromsuch influential men as Senatorr:orris Udal.

In addition to the SSPS,there are many manufacturing pro­cesses that are far easier to doin space, and others that can onlybe done in space. The foremost ad­vantage of space manufactur1ng 1Sthe lack of natural gravity. Inzero gravity mixtures of fluidstate chemicals with different den­sities will not separate into diff­erent layers, bubbles will ~ot.migrate to the surface of l1qu1dsand structures that are far tooflimsy to exist in the earth'sstrong gravitational field can beeasily produced.

Several of the theoreticallymost-promising semiconductors inmicrocircuitry cannot be producedfor experimentation on earth, be­cause the compounds making them upare so different in density thatthey will separate into layers dur-

6

ing the molten-mixing stage beforethey can be cooled. (Microcircui­try may be one of the first spacemanufacturing industries due tothe very high value to weight ratioof the product.) Metal alloys neverbefore possible could be produced 'ln space. On earth, gas bubbles in­jected into molten steel migrate tothe top of the cooling liquid be­fore it can harden. However, inzero gravity the bubbles would notmigrate, resulting in a high­strength light-weight steel whichwould look a little like plasticfoam.

WHY MANUFACTURE the individualcompounds of a SSPS heavy enough towlthstand the g-forces of gettingthem int? orbit when you could putthe part lally-processed materialinto orbit and then finish themanufacturing process to produce afar lighter and flimsier struc­ture? Once the SSPS is in placethere will be no strong forcesapplied to it in the form of windor gravitational forces. Why notmanufacture the solar collector'smetal support frame and the trans­mitting antenna out of metal manu-factured in space many times 'thinner than the thinnest aluminumnow manufactured? A program cur­rently under development toproduce solar cells in a continu­ous ribbon process bffers thepossibility, even probability, ofcutting the cost of solar cells toa small fraction of the formercost. Why not use this ribbon pro­cess in space and reduce thethickness of the solar cells by athousand times? Extruding moltensubstances of any composition intosuper-thin sheets is very diffi­cuI t on earth. If the extrudergoes faster than the mechanismpulling the extruded sheet along,the molten sheet will build upthicker than desired. If the ex­truder goes slower than the mech­anism pulling the extruded sheetalong, the molten sheet will tearand separate. In space the moltenestruded sheet or ribbon willdrift effortlessly through vacuumuntil it has cooled and gainedstrength. Then it will be gentlymanuevered into the desired posi­tion.

THE ABILITY TO PRODUCE andalter g-forces is an importantpart of the advantage of zero-g.By increasing or decreasing thespin of a portion of the manufac­turing facility, the g-force canbe varied from zero to severalg-forces at any point in the manu-

facturing process. Also thereshould be a g-value between 1/8thand 1/4th earth's gravitationalforce, which would be the mostproductive for physical labor. Theforce would be strong enough toallow a man to hold his balancewhile walking, working and lift­ing, but weak enough to allow theman to lift several times his ownweight with relative ease and moveabout doing his job with speed andease.

The void of orbital spacewould be an advantage to many in­dustries both as an infinitesource of vacumm and as an area'without life forms or population.The vacuum is better than any thatcan be produced on earth, and isfree to use in getting rid of un­wanted vapors and liquids withoutinterference from any Environmen­tal Protection Agency. Industrialprocesses such as the final stagesof plutonium manufacture, andscientific research such as theadvanced experimentation withgenetic modification of bacteriaand virus are inherently dangerousto all life forms. Millions arespent on safety systems, backupsystems and more backup systems toprevent contamination. The need formost of these backup systems wouldbe reduced or eliminated by aspace facility in earth-orbitingor luna - orb i ting posi tion. (The TVseries 1999 is based on the use ofthe moon as a dump for dangerousradioactive waste.)

The free energy of spacewould be a tremendous advantage tomost industries. The atmospherefilters out most of the energyfrom the sun. The U.S. Southweston a clear summer midday receivesonly about ll% of the solar energythat an equal-sized area in spacewould receive. Solar cells wouldprovide ample electricity for mostindustrial applications in space.High thermal energy would be pro­vided for melting, fusing, largevolume welding, etc. by a largeparabolic mirror made of thousandsof yards of super thin metal foil.

This free energy would alsosupply food. Soil crops, or hydro­ponics, are the normally proposedways of feeding the population ofspace colonies, but there are manyother possibilities. Plankton andalgae might prove to be the idealintermediate in the food chain •••Algae or plankton could be pumpedthrough fairly small plastic tub­ing extended out into space like amassive spider web. Materials im-

bedded in the plastic dilring manu­facture would filter out or reflectmost of the harmful radiation, butnot the radiation beneficial toalgae growth. Due to the very warmtemperature, and high sunlight ex­posure twenty-four hours a day,algae would give a very high foodproduction rate. (Algae forms acc­ount for 90% of the photosynthesison earth, so why not for oxygen andfood in space?)

In the more distant future thefood may be totally or partiallysynthesized. Photosynthesis resultsin the absorption of light to bondcarbon dioxide and water onto ahydrocarbon chain with the libera­tion of oxygen. Carbon dioxide andhydrogen gas heated over a catyli­tic plate of copper oxide and chro­~iU8 oxide is the way more than90% of the methyl alcohol producedin the world is made. From themethyl alcohol starting point orseveral other starting points vir­tually all the compounds found infoods can be synthesized. The pre­sent complication is the high costdue to the complexity of theprocesses and the large amount ofenergy input. But in space, withthe limitless supply of energy andthe advances of technology withtime, the total synthesis of foodmay become the most efficient andmost economical.

Orbiting colonies may becomethe home of earth's excess popula­tion not due to the need for roomor the problems of industrial po­llution, but because the coloniesmight be the only place the extramouths can be fed.

With so many manufacturing ad­vantages, limitless energy and noabsolute limit on food production,orbital space seems a very promis­ing area for growth. Indeed, withmany prominent politicians alreadyspeaking of the future in terms of"Diminished Expectations," spacemay become the only area open tosignificant economic and popula­tion growth.

WHEN SPACE COLONIES becomelarge enough in size and diversityto be totally independent of earthboth physically and emotionally,they might switch from earth orbitto solar orbit to mine the astroidbelt or even to the orbits of theother planets in our system.

Even on Mars any human popu­lation will probably live abovethe planet. Mars will have no stor­ed energy like Earth has; no oil,no coal, no natural gas and nowater to cool nuclear reactorseven if radioactive minerals were

Speculations 7

plentiful. Solar energy will beavailable only during daylighthours, whereas, orbiting coloniesabove Mars will have solar energycontinuously.

the development of orbitalcolonies within our solar systemis not only scientifically feas­ible and probable, but also a veryinteresting game situation.

The population of these colo­nies will be the more adventurousand the more technically skilled.The colonial founders will feel anallegiance to their former home,be it earth or an earlier foundedcolony, but as time passes and newgenerations are born aboard theorbiting colonies old allegianceswill weaken.

With this view of the futurein mind, the space gamer cancreate his own hypothetical situa­tion for revolt, war or aggressionfor reasons bf mineral rights, un­paid taxes, unpaid loans used tobuild colonies or whatever. Orbit­ing colonies would make a veryinteresting objective for wargames.

Who needs strange creaturesinvading from a distant star sys­tem? Man has always found a reasonfor war. Imagine wars betweenearth and its orbiting colonies ofEarth and Venus against the sur­face and orbital colonies of Marsand the rest of the planets andastroid belt.

Colonies could be soft andeasily destroyed or protected byforce fields making them a verydifficult target. They could havea fixed orbit or a variable orbitor even be able to shift slowlyfrom one planet's orbit to anotherplanet's orbit, makeing themselvesvery difficult to locate.

The movement of the entiremanufacturing capacity of a civi­lization or nation (the equivalentof a nation, anyway) from the or­bit of one planet to another with­in the solar system would provean interesting factor in wargaming.

And for the gamer who musthave interesting conflict, consid­er the devJ)lopment program we havelaid out for our civilization forthe next five to ten decades inorbital colonies. Is it not likelythat other space civilizationsare going through a similar orbi­tal colony growth phase? The ex­ploration of stellar space may

8show that many, even most civili­zations have more of their popula-~tion living on orbiting planets ~than on planets. Orbiting manu­facturing colonies would aadsignificantly to even interstellarwarfare games.

weapons such as lasers will be usedat anything but close (zero to afew thousand miles) range. Lasersare pinpoint weapons, and hitting atiny moving speck tens of thousandsof miles away is quite difficult ifnot downright impossible. The prob­lem is even worse if you're so faraway that you have time-lag prob­lems, not to mention the loss ofpower as distance increases. Closeonly counts in horseshoes, handgrenades--and nukes.

Speaking of the last two, Ican see the need for spreadweapons--weapons that extend a ~il~

ing zone into which an enemy S~lP

can fly. Chemical shells, machlnegun bullets, and shrapnel can beused to damage ships withoutnecessarily killing anyone. Theproblem is that a ship has to carrya lot of them to do any good. Self­controlled mines might carry thestuff; you fire the mines into thepath of the enemy vessel and letthem do the shooting at a closerrange.

Such weapons summon the prob­lem of electromagnetic shields.Most atomic and subatomic particles(except for photons) have someanomaly, such as charge or spin,which would allow a field to tossthem aside. Such fields, if deve­loped, would not only protect~gainst machine gun bullets andshrapnel, but would also protect

THE SPACE WARSHIP:PROGNOSTICATIONS

by Scott Rusch

In TSG #3 I stuck myself outon a limb by calling for morescience in our science fiction war­games. I believe when one makessuch statements one should try toback them up, so here are my ideason the warship of the next few cen­turies.

"more science in

our science

wargames"

First off, I am going to workwith extrapolations of presenttechnology and with devices whichone can reasonably expect will beinvented. There will be no graviticdrives or impervious Puppeteerhulls. There are possibilitiesenough to explore without consider­ing them.

The first problem is the ship'sdrive. Low acceleration (i.e. Ion)or high fuel consumption (i.e.Chemical) drives will probably notbe used. This leaves various fis­sion and fusion engines. The NERVAengine is not efficient enough tobe much good. The DUMBO and gaseousfission engines, on the other hand,will be more useful, as they heatthe fuel better. The DUMBO is, atthe present time, the most practi­cal of the fission engines avail­able. (See Kingsbury's article inthe December 1975 ANALOG.)

As for the fusion drives, theOrion nuclear pulse drive (propul­sion by a series of small nuclearexplosions) or a drive as yet unde­signed would heat fuel as a fissiondrive can do. Both can give us thehigh accelerations needed for war­ships to allow them either toescape slower enemies or to pickthe moment of attack.

THE NEXT CONSIDERATION isweapons. I do not believe energy

• o

against many of the particles putout by a nuclear explosion. Onlygamma radiation would not be affec~

ed, and gamma rays are deadly .Thus, I predict gamma rays, pro­duced by nuclear shells andmissiles, will ~e the killers ofspace warfare. I can think of no­thing that can be carried by aspaceship that will totally stopthem, though a lead "storm cellar"may help.

IN ORDER TO fire on each othe~

however, ships must first be ableto detect one another. How to de­tect something tens of thousands ofmiles distant that doesn't want tobe noticed? Electronic countermeasures are improving greatly inour time, and optical detectionseems unlikely. I suggest the poss~

bility that most battles will befought at a range of only a fewthousand miles apart.

As for ship design, I picturethe control station and some life

GAIlE DCSIGN NOTES

by Howard Thompson

Designing a good game is simple,if you're willing to put in nineparts sweat for every part of genius.Basicarry;-you start with a designconcept and some criteria and/orconstraints for what you would like'the game to achieve. For example,THE YTHRI was conceived as a tactic~

space combat and planetary assaultand conquest game. It was to be afairly simple, 2-player game withshort playing time. TY required somerelation to Paul Anderson's book,The People of the Wind, though therelatlon would be falrly abstract.

Starting a concept with cri­teria/constraints sounds like anacademic course-work exercise with­out real meaning. But, you'll findhaving a central concept an invalu­able backstop when deciding on de­sign detail. As your game designprogresses the initial concept willevolve. Don't be afraid to alterthat initial concept if detail de­sign work and play-testing revealsome initial bullshit.

What should the final game looklike? Well, that depends on what youwanted. But, the rules are going tobe the guts of the game. The rulesshould have: -----

I. A brief introduction thatgives potential players afair overview of the game,

2. A description and identifi­cation of all play compon-

Speculations 9

support ln the "storm cellar"buried deep in the center of theship. (Kir]s:' s bridge should havebeen shot off the Enterprise a longtime a~o.) More life support andliving quarters will be outside the"storm cellar," and the fuel tankswill be yet further out. A launchcannon for missiles and shells willbe mounted in the bow, the drive inthe stern. Landing boats, short­range weapons and detection equip­ment will be in blisters coveringthe outer hull. The ship itself wilLprobably be mirrored or painted inanti-radiation white. A thin shell-­designed to give a small radarcross section and painted dark--willcover the entire ship. The crew willbe as small as possible, and nodoubt a group of these ships willoperate from a commodious mothership. They may also be used on in­dependent missions.

(This is written to upgrade the designquality of games submitted to MetagamingConcepts for possible publication - ed.)

ents that alSO indicatestheir function,

3. A set-up-for-play sectionthat tells players how toset up the game for play andhow to start play, and

4. A sequence-of-game-eventsthat tells how to play inone, two, three type steps,

5. A section describing eachgame event in detail. Ideal­ly this should include:

(a) general statement ofwhat the event is,does, and how con­ducted,

(b) a 'sequence of sub­events if the majorevent has differentactivities that needto be phased,

(c) a statement of speci­fic rules applicableto the event thatcovers necessary ac­tions, prohibitedactions, and optionalactions, and

(d) an example or two,pictures are ideal,that portray thebasics of the event.

A good rule to use for an eventis that an event is a series of pla~

er decisions and actions that logi-

REVIEWS

10

cally related occur simultaneouslyin game time. Sub-events are use~ul

to explain a complex event that 1San indigestible lump as a whole, orwhen a sequence of sub-actions in anevent require some to be done before,others.

6. A section describing how youwin and/or score the game,and

7. All other sections not cov­ered in one thru six. Thesemay be optional rules, etc.But be sure any miscellan­eous rule item doesn'tbelong in one of the othersections. For instance, de­scription of how map terrainaffects play counter move­ment could be classed in thesection describing playcomponents when the map isdescribed, in the sectioncovering events or perhapsin both places.

That is a brief introductioninto the area your rules shouldcover. You may structure them differ­ently, but the same information hadbetter be clearly identified some­where.

Miscellaneous Items: In addi- ,tion to the summary above, oneconcept I've found useful is that ofentities and attributes. For examplein STELLAR CONQUEST the entity classwarsh1ps had attr1butes of speed,range communications, fire powerand r~source cost. The entity colonyhad attributes of population, indus­try, defensive missiles and controll­ed environment technology whereapplicable. The key to defining enti­ties and attributes is to decidewhich items are subordinate to otheritems, similar to using structuredprogramming when writing a computerprogram. ,

Another useful tool 1S tographicallY flow-chart sequence ofgame events: draw a map,of a~ldecision points and act10ns 1n thE

REVIEWS

STARSHIP & EMPIRE:A ,BETTER SPACE WARGAME

STARSHIP AND EMPIRE is a mult~

level combination of many of theideas present in other S-F gamescleaned up and merged into one ofthe better of the current onslaughtof space/naval wargames. It takesthe fleet maneuvering of STARFORCEon a stategic scale, adds a combin~

tion of EMPIRE I's and TRIPLANE-

game. Creatine such a flow-chartwith yes/no criteria defined forevery possible action, you willquickly see where unresolved deci­sion points are.

You must strive to cover everypossible outcome of a decision in~he rules. Even so, you'll missthings. In STELLAR CONQUEST a rulestates the player withdraws shipssurviving a combat to any hex ad­joining the contested star-hex. ~he

rule is very clear, except that 1none case stars occupy adjoininghexes. If there was combat on bothstars, withdrawing ships could con­ceivably bounce back and forth fromstar to star. A rule to avoid thissingle oversight could simply speci­fy withdrawal to non-star hexesonly. ,

As brief as this analys1s hasbeen, it should give budding design­ers an idea of what we look for 1nsubmitted games. It's frustrating toget an innovative and ~ell-written

game in the mail that 1S too poorlyorganized rules wise to play. It ,isn't fair to publish a game that 1Sonly a guide for experienced gamerswho can make their own thing of it.Each game should be able to standalone should be capable of play bya raw: though intelligent novice.

Two last words. (1) Don't takefor granted that readers will under­stand what you mean if you don'tspell it out. (2) Don't be surprisedif you get bogged down, going roundin circles with your game.

One thing that helps when youstart thrashing is to quit and setthe game aside. Leave it a few week~

and in my experience, when you startagain you will find solutions tomost of the hang-ups. STELLARCONQUEST was revised ext~ns1vely

twice. It's no exaggerat10n to say'the game was 80% designed three,times, a fact which acco~nts formost of it'.s success.

REVIEWS

by Kevin P. Kenney

TARY's movement system for tactical'purposes, and then uses a FORMAL­HAUT II--type combat system whilem1raculously sidestepping the prob­lems of each (well, most of them).

The components are of reason­able if not exceptional quality. Ofthe 480 counters provided 60 are

blank, leaving 420 fleet, ship,cargo pod and missile counters allof which have black printing on aone-color background (red, yellow,green and blue). The game suppliesfour strategic scale maps, each16"x16" with a 10 unit cube ofartesian points on it. Each cubecontains 14 stars capable of life­support on one of its planets.(According to the rules the scaleof these maps is such that there isa stellar mass on each coordinatepoint, an obvious attempt to ex­plain why all of the stars shownhave habitable planets.) Also in­cluded is a 22"x35" tactical map,white, on which the only tertain isa single planet. In addition S&Ehas star fleet composition sheets,ship characteristic sheets, a'CRT/ship characteristic card, a sixteen­page illustrated rulebook witherrata sheet and a cover sheet, allin an oversized zip-lock bag. Theentire design displays professionalartwork, from the abstract shipsymbols on the die-cut thinboardcounters to the rulebook cover de­sign. The only lapse of quality isin the planet hex of the tacticalmap, which conjures up visions ofSTAR RA IDER.

AT THE STRATEGIC LEVEL, goodpseudo-3D movement system is used.Simple rules give the feel of poin~

to-point direct jump movement with­out getting bogged down with truedistance charts. Movement is simul­taneous and easy to plot, with somesemblances of limited intelligence.

,(You know where the enemy's fleetsare, but not their composition.)The four strategic maps are usedsingly or together, positioned atthe player's whim. (Yes, even ver­tically!) I'll pass on guessing thenumber of possible permutations,I'm no math major.

All combat is at the tactical level,Movement is still simultaneous, butnow only on a two-dimensional hex­grid. You coast at your previouscourse, unless you accelerate at acost determined by your ship typeand cargo status, This requires theexpenditure of the energy pointsyou are allotted each turn, whichalso powers your weapons andscreens as well as allows you tolaunch missiles. Furthermore, totransfer energy points betweenthese tasks crew units must beavailable. And as a topping thereis a hyperdrive, strategic-movementunit, which doubles the power with­in itself each turn until it causesthe ship to make a jump to an ad­jacent square on the strategic map.

Reviews 11

To k~ep this'from occuring too soonpower can be taken from the unit togive you more than your normalallotment of power for a turn--ifsufficient crew units are available.

COMBAT IS by a differentialsystem-- attack factors minus de­fense factors--with geometricalincrements (2,4,8,16). The range ofa ship's guns is 10 range attenuat­ed hexes. Damage is taken slowly byenergy and crew units: the shipcharacteristic sheets having reason­able space for all such changes (aswell as space in which to plot shipmovement). Torpedoes have some hom­ing capabilities as well as thepower to annihilate the weaker ofthe four ship types, but they arefew and far between and thus betterused to soften up the higher classships for your own lesser ships tohave a chance with. (No more doesthe strongest, undamaged ship inthe game go out because of a singletorpedo volley!) Victory is on apoint ratio system of which it isfairly easy to keep track. Sevenscenarios are provided, includingones only using one of the two gamelevels. The single strategic levelscenario uses an abstracted combatsystem.

One note on the rules. Thoughgenerally clear and complete (afterthe errata sheet changes), the dia­gram of the gravity well effectsexample is deficient, as well ashaving an uncaught error in thetext.Apply a little logic and draw afew extra lines in the diagram andthe situation clears up nicely.

STARSHIP AND EMPIRE is avail­able for $8.75, including postagefrom R-Squared Games, P.O. Box 8314,Salt Lake City, Utah 84108. If you'like TRIPLANETARY, and like longgames, (though short ones are in­cluded) you should try it.

ELDRITCH WI2ARDRY:A SUPPLEMENT TO D & D

by Glen Taylor

ELDRITCH WIZARDRY is the thirdsupplement to DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS,the classic fantasy role playinggame by Gygax and Arneson. Itfollows the precedent set by GREY­HAWK and BLACKMOOR, the first andsecond supplements, introducing newmaterial to the basic game systemfor a more intricate, complex play­ing experience. Like the other sup­plements, the new material in EI'!is organized around the originalformat for easy absorption into thebasic structure of the game.

PSIONIC ABILITIES is the firstmajor addition to EW. Any hum~n ofany alignment or any characterclass, except monks or druids, mayhave psionic ability. If the char­acter's intelligence, wisdom orcharisma is at least 15, he has a10% chance of having psychic poten­tial. If this chance comes out per­centile dice are then rolled forhis psionic potential. This proce­dure governs both the chance ofgaining new psionic abilities asone advances in level and one'spsionic attack strength.

Each of the character classeshas its own list of psionic abili­ties which it may gain. The catch:when you develop the hidden powersof the mind you lose other things,depending on your character orclass.Psychic abilities are assign­ed randomly until someone reachesa high enough level to be sure ofgetting a new ability when he ad­vances. At this point he may choosehis ability. The list of psionicabilities is long and varied, andmost of them are very useful.

Besides regular psionic abili­ties, EW offers psionic attack anddefense-modes of various types.Only very powerful psychic typesmay attack non-psionic creatures.The supplement includes many chartsfor psionic combat. Each attack anddefense mode is a distinct combatability, not just a variation onthe same theme. Psionic energy isexpended each time any ability isused.

In addition to PsionicsELDRITCH WIZARDRY introduces a newcharacter class: the druid, a priestof a neutral-type nature worship.'First introduced in GREYHAWK asmonsters, Gygax and Arneson here ex­pand them into a new clerical sub­'class with thei~ own spells, abili­ties and hierarchy of levels. Alsonewly introduced are two types of

monsters. The first is the demon.There are seven distinct types ofdemons, each progressively morepowerful, chaotic/evil creatures,plus two ultra-powerful demonprinces. All but the weakest arepsionically endowed. The secondtype have psionic attack capabili­ties and/or astral or ethereal ones,such as Brain Moles, Thought Eaters,Su-monsters, and Intellect Devour­'ers. Unlike the monsters in BLACK­MOOR, most of which were aquatlc.most of these can be used in stand­ard dungeon or wilderness settings.'

ALSO INCLUDED in EW is a modi­fied combat system whicn takes intoaccount a player's armor type,readiness of weapons, encumbrance,level of spell being used, whetheror not he was surprised and hisdexterity in figuring at whichpoint in the melee he can attack orcast a spell. Each melee round isdivided into six movement segments,and a pre- and post-movement seg­ment. Some may find these stagestoo cumbersome, but I find themmuch more logical than simply roll­ing a die to see which side gets tostrike first.

Finally, this supplementoffers an extensive section on arti­facts designed to put some of themystery and danger back into D&D.I feel they have succeeded admir­ably. The Artifacts and Relics havetremendous powers unknown to play­ers; they must rely upon rumor ortrial and error. It is nearly im­possible to foist one upon a non­player character and come throughwith a whole skin! There are overtwenty artifacts in the supplement,with their suggested powers listed.In addition, there are tables con­taining a virtual cornucopia ofpossible powers of the things, andreferees can freely add to or alterthese to make their own artifactsand relics. This section shouldkeep players guessing for a longtime to come.

EW also adds an element sorely·neede~-new wilderness encountercharts encompassing the new mon­sters and character classes intro­duced in the previous supplementsand in several issues of TheStrategic Review, TSR's now-defunctmagazlne. New dungeon encountercharts were provided in GREYHAWK,but no new wilderness tables. Thenew tables produce the very desir­able effect of having some types ofmonsters substantially more commonthan others, and since this isachieved by duplication of types onthe same table, players can freelyalter anything witb which they don't

agree, as well as insert their ownfiendish monster types into thecharts.

THE PHYSICAL QUALITY ofELDRITCH WIZARDRY is excellent.The cover is in color, a first forTSR, and portrays a human sacrific&The paper is not the glossy typeused in GREYHAWK, but the artworkis superb, including one very amus­ing picture of--well, see for your­self .

All in all, ELDRITCH WIZARDRYis well worth the admittedly higS

Reviews 13

price of $5.00. It's as good asGREYr~WK, and that's saying a lot.It should put the spice of dangerand unpredictability back into D&D,and partially satiate that hungerfor new material that typifies D&Denthusiasts everywhere. ---

Gary Gygax and Brian Blume de­signed ELDRITCH WIZARDRY with helpfrom many others. It is availablefor $5.00 ($4.30 for TSG subscrib­ers) from Metagaming Concepts orTSR.

Intermediate Rulesfor

STELLARCONOUEST

For some reason we humans areunable to leave things alone. Weare constantly changing, modifyingor rev1s1ng everything. This im­pulse is behind what follows howto improve an already excell~ntgame, STELLAR CONQUEST. When any­one presumes to alter a set ofrules a decision must be made onretaining the game's existingbalance and structure-- not aneasy decis~on to make or implement.The.followlng commentary and inter·medIate rules should demonstrate

reviews 15

GAME PLAY begins with theTerran space fleet attacking theAvalon fleet. The Terrans are threetimes more powerful and inevitablydestroy the Avalon fleet. The Ter­rans, using their transports, landatmospheric units and bounce troopson the planet. They have to capturethe Avalon bases, of which there arefive. When they capture three thegame is over. The degrees of victoryare determined by the number ofturns it takes to finish it. The'longer it takes, the larger the vic­tory for the Ythrian player.

There are two sets of rules abasic and optional set. The basi~rules are for the novice. The op­tional rules are fcir "Beer andPretzel" play by the experts. Theoptional rules include hidden move­ment, ground energy projectors andYthri moral index.

All in all, playability isgood. As the rules note, it is agood idea to make a few alterations'with the rules to suit your taste.But basically, THE YTHRI providesa good scenario, and MetagamingConcepts should be commended foranother great game.

GAME COMPONENTS include: a16-page, 8xll~ rules book; 242perforatian cut counters; a l7x24space map; a l7x18 four-color,Avalon map; and space and planetarycombat tables. It comes unboxed.The rules book has an attractivecover, depicting a space battle overAvalon, drawn by Winchell Chung.

THE YTHRI was designed andpublished by Metagaming Concepts.You can purchase it from MetagamingConcepts, Box 15346 DMA, Austin,Texas 78761.

by Elton Fewellfeature

by Tirn.Hawldnson

THE BIRDS,A game reVIew of THE YTHRI

Seeing as how this game wasapp:oved by R. A. Heinlein himself,It 1S not surprising that the gameretains the same flavor as thenov~l; But SST must be rated highlyon It S own merits. It is a fast­paced an~ well-designed game, withInterestIng special features and abit of a brain teaser as well.

SO FOR THOSE people who readStarship Troopers and said to them­selves, "I know there's a great gameIn there somewhere", go out and geta copy of SST ... on the bounce!

STARSHIP TROOPERS is availablefrom Avalon HIll, 4517 Harford RdBaltimore, Md., 21214, for $10.00"

.plus $1.00 postage.

THE YTHRI is a new game thatsimulates the book The People of theWind by Poul Anderson. Two to fourpeople can play, but it is basical~

a game for two players.For those who are not familiar

with the book The People of theWind, I'll try to describe the basic.plot.

The known galaxy is controlledby two empires, the Terran and theYthrian. The Ythri are bird-likecreatures capable of flight. TheTerrans want the ~thrian empire aspart of their own. In order to dothis they must gather a massiveforce and try to overrun theYthrianoccupied terr i tory. Avalon is on theborder of these two empires. It isa successful cultural mixture ofthese two races.

Forseeing the Terran move,Avalon stocks its defenses with apowerful array of weapons. When theTerrans attack, Avalon gives up astaunch defense. Eventually over­whelmed, the space forces arescattered or destroyed. Unable tocapture the planet without largelosses, the Terrans leave the planetalone. But in a short time theYthrian emp~re surrenders, and theTerrans aga1n turn their intentionto Avalon. This time the brute forceof the Terrans proves too much forAvalon, and the invaders gain a foot;hold on an uninhabited continent.

However, nature is against theTerrans ~oo, and it isn't long be­fore·the~r army succumbs to heavy­metal p01sonlng. This coupled withattacks by wild animals depletesmorale. Unable to escape, theTerrans surrender.

Each M.I. counter represents oneM.I.,·while Bug and Skinny countersrepresent a larger contingent.

The M.I. 's form a formidable.fighting force. There are threebasic armor types: Scout, Marauder,and Command; each with a differentcombat/movement capability. Theprinted attack strength is only forclose combat in the same hex. Butthe M.I. can carry additional or­dinance, in the form of SpecialWeapons and Equipment (SW&E). Suchitems as rocket launches, delayedaction grenades, heavy nerve gasand listening devices can be attac~

ed to inidvidual troopers thru theuse of a pad with a full platoonTO&E provided. Additionally, combatengineers and a special talent areincluded in some Bug scenarios.

THE BUGS are not as wellequipped as the M.I. 's, but have agreater asset. The Bugs can see ex­actly where the M.I. 's are, but theM.I. 's must depend on secondary in­telligence to hunt down the Bugs.This is because the Bugs use ahidden underground movement system.The Bug player diagrams his tunnelcomplex on sheets provided. In add~

tion to his complexes, he places alimited number of demolition charg­es. These charges range from low­powered HE charges to scale sixnukes which affect a total of 37hexes! During the course of thegame, the Bugs use their engineersto extend the tunnel complex, aswell as breach through to the sur­face. In general, the M.I. 's mustpenetrate the underground system toachieve victory, even though theTerrans cannot bring their formid­able weapons to bear. Here, thehand-to-hand combat is critical,and infantry is still the queen ofbattle.

STARSHIP TROOPERS:RECREATING HEINLEIN's BUG WAR

by Todd Roseman

SST is a recent Avalon Hillrelease--which faithfully recreatesthe heroic battles of the TerranMobile Infantry as described in theclassic Robert Heinlein novel ofthe same name. For the three peoplewho have not heard of StarshipTroopers, it is an SF novel chronic­IJ.ng the "Bug War" (2156-2159 AD),during which the Terrans combatedtwo co-belligerent space empires:the Bugs (or psuedo-Arachnids),which lived in the huge undergroundcomplexes of a hive-like society;and the "Skinnies", a humanoid racewhich eventually realized the error'of their ways (after several majorTerran raids) and became Terranallies.

The novel (and game) concen­trates on the Mobile Infantryman(M.I.). Each M.I. fights from in­side a power armor suit. This suitis stronger than a tank, as flexibreas skin and allows the wearer to .travel a mile a minute. Even withthese suits a~d advanced weaponry,the M.I. still fulfilled the age-oMrole of infantry: face-to-face com­bat with the enemy to make himsurrender or die.

Physically, SST is of the samepolished quality !nat has charact­erized recent AH releases. Thecounters corne in seven colors, us­ing both symbols ana silhouettes torepresent unit types. The countersare well die-cut and easy to under­stand, illustrating attack, defenseand movement factors. The gameboardis rather bland, but the nature ofthe combat makes the terrain approp­riate. Additionally, severalscenarios require ignoring certainterrain types.

THE RULES ARE of the Programm­ed Instruction variety, a'laTobruch, which makes learning thegame quite simple despite a numberof intricate rules. The rule bookis well organized with few ambi­qui ties, but included are somerather hokey illustrations.

Eight scenarios are provided,two versus Skinnies and six versusBugs. These scenarios are well­balanced, despite appearances tothe contrary, with the decisionpoint corning late in the game. Be­cause of the complexity involved,the average scenario takes aboutfive hours to play.

SST is on a "tactical" scale,with one hex equalling one mile, andone turn equalling twelve minutes.

14

*INTE~1EDIATE RULES FOR STELLAR CONQUEST*

Rule 5:Ship Attributes and MovementAdd 5.0 thru 5.4.11 refer to interstellar ships only except 5.1.3, 5.3.1,

5.4.6, 5.4.8, and 5.4.10New 5.5 Interplanetary Ships: No interplanetary ship may leave the star hex

where it was constructed.Rule 7: Planetary Attack and Conquest

Rev 7.3.1 A besieged colony may construct and launch only interplanetary war­ships and only in a production year.

Rule 9;Technological Research and DevelopmentRev 9.1.5 Ship Types: The only ships that may be built with Basic Technology

are of weapons grade zero (CT's and SCT's) and of weapons grade one(FRG's and ESC's).

16

that a significant portion of thethought processes was engaged,and that the balance desired wasachieved. Several sections in theoriginal rules appear to containomissions or "unrealistic" values.Most of us will probably havedifferent ideas about the futureand its relation to the STELLARCONQUEST Universe. The follow1ng1S the author's vision, which Ihope is similar to yours.

The most obvious change inthe intermediate rules is in theweapons systems sequence. Severalcosts were revised to conform to aregular pattern of escalatingcosts. In order to save space asystem of weapons grades is imple­mented for all physical weaponssystems except the PFS. In theFire Effects Table an ESC and aMB have the same destruction capa­city, although they are differentweapons systems. Under this systemof classifying them according toweapons grades they are of gradeone.

Interplanetary warships arepart of these intermediate rules.The ship designations are Frigates(FRG), Cruisers (CRU), and Moni­tors (MN). Each of these inter­planetary warships possess thesame weaponry as their inter­stellar counterparts, ESC, ATK,and DN, respectively. The techno­logy and equipment necessary fortravel between stars will be muchmore complex and expensive thanthat needed for travel betweenplanets. As our colonies are self­sustaining it is improbable thatwe require in all cases the moreexpensive ships. However, thelimitation on our offensive abili­ty by going to the less costlyship-type will compel players toutilize this new feature withcaution. The use of interplanetaryships in several tests seem to add~o existing styles of play anddoes not require completely newapproaches. In fact, they fit invery smoothly.

THE DEVELOPMENTAL COST ofthese new ships is set below thatof an equivalent missile base inview of the higher degree of stand­ardization that is achievable inship design. The construction costof these ships is set above thatof the equivalent missile base inview of their mobility within astar system. Taken together, thes~

costs result in a balance of valuebetween these essentially defen­sive weapons systems.

The use of interplanetaryships also requires the use of an

"optional predecessor development"to represent the interchange oftechnology between two similarwarships. If an interstellar war­ship has been developed, logicallythe developmental cost of itsinterplanetary counterpart is cutin half. If an interplanetary war­ship has been developed then thethe developmental cost of itsinterstellar counterpart is reduc­ed by one quarter. The ability toconvert an interplanetary warshipto an interstellar one is alsointroduced. The cost of conversionrepresents the installation of aninterstellar drive unit(Mannschenn, Alderson, Thompson,or whatever) and the necessarymodification. The total cost of aconverted warship will be 25%higher than that of an inter-.stellar ship built directly. Theadvantage of conversion is vari­able and depends upon the use ofstrategy and opportunity. Ofcourse, the developmental cost ofthe interstellar ship must be paidfor prior to any conversion.

In general theory inter­stellar ships must be built inspace while interplanetary shipsmay be built on planet. The rulesfor besieged planets recognizethis in the original version. Re­vising rule 7.3.1, we allow onlyinterplanetary ships to be con­structed and launched during aproduction year by a besiegedcolony.

In addition, a base at animportant location should not berendered useless by failing to im­prove its weapons. A missile baseof one type could undergo conver­sion to an improved type at alower cost easier than construct­ing from nothing. Therefore, theability to improve missile basesis added in these intermediaterules. Note, however, that ahigher total cost will be paid fora conve~missile base thanotherwise. The omission of amissile base with weaponry equalto a DN's is corrected by the add­ition of the Super Missile Base(SMB) .

WHILE RECOGNIZING that in SCship weaponry is different fromplanetary weaponry, there is in­adequate justification for allow­ing one a higher rate of fire(ISW) than the other. ImprovedWeaponry (IW) is therefore substi­tuted and applies to all physicalweapons. The omission of some typeof defensive improvement is recti­fied by the addition of ImprovedDefense (ID). If both players in

1]

combat possess IW the advantage iseffectively neutralized. However,if one has IW and the other ID theadvantage becomes dependent uponplayers use or misuse of these de­velopments.

The PFS under the originalrules is an incredibly inexpensiveweapon to construct in view of theprotection it affords. The inter­mediate rules increase the deve­lopmental cost slightly and doublethe cost of construction. The im­plication in the original rules ­that a PFS is self-sustaining andselective in operation - is notacceptable. An energizing cost isused to represent the necessaryexpenditure of energy a force

'screen requires. To more accurate­ly reflect the impenetrability ofan energized PFS, it is necessarythat the PFS be dropped in theGame Turn immediately before orafter a production year if shipsare to be landed or launched.

In the Ship Movement Sequencethe intermediate rules establishcost change necessary to conformto the pattern of escalatingvalues. Also one new developmentis added. A ship without weapons orcargo should be capable of a higherspeed than a ship with such addedmass. The development SCT+l willallow a player's SCT's to exceedhis regular MA at all times. WithSCT+l at the start SCT's couldtravel up to three hexes while all

·other ships may move two. With SMAand SCT+l SCT's could move ninehexes.

IN THE TECHNICAL SEQUENCE,Advanced Ship Range (ASR) extendsthe operating range of all of aplayer's ships to 12 hexes. USR isreclassified and increaded in cost.The ability to extend one's rangeshould logically precede the abili­ty to operate completely indepen­jent of a base. The cost ofdeveloning such complete indepen­dence should be as gre~t as the

Feature 17

advantage it gives. Therefore, USRcarries a high cost. USC is alsoreclassified as such a developmentwould require a smaller commitmentthan the other Level 3 items re­quire. The escalation in values isviolated slightly between level 2and 3 technology, because of thedegree of advantage given by them.An imbalance in the game would beprobable otherwise. Robotic Indus­trial Technology (RIT) is the newname for RIU. These changes in theTechnical Sequence are admittedlybased on subjective criteria be­cause of the nature of the subjectof speculation.

The new item introduced isIndustrial Transport Capacity(ITC). It seems plausible that ifpopulation can be moved with IU'sthen the IU's could be moved with­out population. As the IU isessential to the existence of thepopulation, then they may not movewithout IU's. ITC allows a playerto construct CT's capable of mov­ing IU's from colony to colony.RIU's may not be moved, as gamebalancing becomes impossible aslong as there are NM planets. Noextra cost is required for con­structing CT (ITC), which are toland on inhabited Barren planets.

All of the changes made inthe intermediate rules are intend­ed to contribute toward a more"realistic" situation.

Although one person's idea ofa more realistic projection of thefuture may be totally differentfrom another's, I endeavored tobase all changes on an objectiveset of values or hypotheses ofwhat interstellar colonization andconquest might actually resemble.However, any change in a set ofrules always seems to generate con­troversy. Before deciding on thedesirability or undesirability ofthese intermediate rules test themseveral times. Only therein liestheir value.

Ship Movement Sequence

Feature 19

CRU -- 25"ATK 12

ATK -- 45"CRU 34

2 5MB AMB 65 80

2 MN CRU 55 70"ATK 55 70

3 "ON 275 2 ON ATK 75 90

"MN 563 IW 1003 ID 1253 PFS 150

GAME RATINGS

GAME RATIN3S

N:lt much roan this issue for gamerating-s. '!here are a lot of new gamesout this fall so be sure arrl let us Jmowwhat you think of then.

&mm ~Fantasy Role Playing Games7.6 Empire of: the Petal Throne7.4 Dungeons & Dragons7.3 Greyhawk6.4 Eldritch Wizardry5·8 Tunnels & Trolls5.5 Blackmoor5.3 Royal Armies of: Hyborean Age4.4 CitadelFantasy Board Games7.0 White Bear & Red Moon6.9 War of Wizards6.8 Sorceror5.6 Dungeon5.6 Siege of Minas Tirith4.7 Battle of: Helms Deep

7.1 Tip for Dungeon Masters

7.0 Race for the Petal Throne

6.9 Starguard: Hit the Beach

6.5 The Ythri: Review

6.4 Vulcan's Forge: Tannish

6.4 TSG # 6 Art

6.3 Stellar Conquest: Gambit

6.2 War of The Worlds: Review

5.8 Rule to End All Rules

5.5 Variation on a Theme

5.3 Star Soldier

5.3 Muggers! Muggers!

(Serious bunch, what?)

ARTICLE

TSG #6 Overall

1 4MA 3MA 30 45 2 AIT lIT 40 552 5MA 4MA 40 55 2 ASR 5MA 50 652 6MA 5MA 50 65 2 USC lIT 60 753 7MA 6MA 60 75 3 RIT AIT 80 953 8MA 7MA 70 85 3 USR 7MA/90 105

AST/3 ITC AIT 100 115

Industrial Output Cost ScheduleMB 4 FRG 6 ESC 8 CT - - 1 SCT(l)AMB 10 CRU 15 ATK 20 CT(CET) 2 SCT(2)5MB 25 MN 30 ON 40 CT(ITC) 3IU 4 RIU 3 PFS station 40

Conversion Cost ScheduleMB to AMB 8 FRG to ESC 4AMB to 5MB 20 CRU to ATK 10

MN to ON 20

....FEEDBACK .... &....

When all results of our "worst"rating were in 4,000 A.D. was the"winner". BATTLE OF FIVE ARMIES rana substantial second trailed bySTAR RAIDER, WAR OF WORLDS II andRIGELLIAN WARS: Readers definitelyappreciated the opportunity to givethe zap when they feel stung. We'llrepeat the voting next year so keepyour eyes peeled for this year'sTurkey.

TSG #6 FEEDBACK

Some of the functions of readerfeedback bear repeating for therelatively large number of newreaders this issue. Feedback formsin subscribers copies are to serveyou in telling us your views andyour opinions. EVERY form mailed inis tabulated for article ratings,game ratings and questions. EVERYcomment and note is read. It'sobvious TSG works on a shoestringbudget. Readers are satisfied bycontent and service, not becauseTSG looks like PLAYBOY. TSG servesa special group of people and wedepend on your input.

WORSTSF&F GAME OF 1975

The way we interprete the ratefor Overall is you're telling usyou like what we're trying to do ingeneral concept. But, you're alsotelling us execution and qualityaround our general themes should beimproved. We're trying and succeed­ing, if slowly. If you'd like tosee better material wpy not send inyour own effort where you think itcould be done better?

RATE

7.3

50

7070

80

90

65

7595

105115

20

35

453465

50

150

608090

100

125

5555277556

100

MB

*CRUAMB

5MA+

lITAITASRAIT

Weapons Sequence1 MB -- 201 MIB I1B 35 50·

Technical Sequence1 lIT 20'1 CET -- 30

operate up to 12 hexes from his nearest colony.USC Unlimited Ship CommunicationRIT Robotic Industrial TechnologyUSR Unlimited Ship Range 7MA orIndustrial Transport Capacity: Allows a player toconstruct CT(ITC) 's which may transport up to 4IU's per ship without population. RIU's may notbe transported. Rule 5.2.2 with appropriate sub­stitutions applies to all times.

Rev 1 lIT W/Pred: 20New 2 ASR Advanced Ship Range: Allows a player's ships to

ATK

AMB

ID

ESC

ON

IW

Rev 2Rev 3Rev 3New ICT

PFS

5MB

FRG

CRU

MN

Add 1 SCT+l Allows a players SCT's to exceed the MA of his other ships by 1at all times. -- 10 -­

Rev 1 3MA W/Pred: 20Rev 1 4MA W/OPred: 45Rev 3 8MA W/OPred: 85

Weapon System Sequence: All physical weapons systems are classified by aweapons grade. Some may be converted to one of a different type or grade, butonly if the systems have been developed. An * denotes an optional predecessorand may be used only if the optional predecessor has been developed. To con­struct a physical weapon it is necessary for an individual colony to "pay" forit alone.MB Missile Base: A planetary defense system of weapons grade

one with a construction cost of 4 and a conversion cost of8 to an AMB.Frigate: An interplanetary warship system of weapons gradeone with a construction cost of 6 and a conversion cost of4 to an ESC.Escort: An interstellar warship system of weapons grade onewith a construction cost of 8.Advanced Missile Base: A planetary defense system ofweapons grade two with a construction cost of 10 and aconversion cost of 20 to a 5MB.Cruiser: An interplanetary warship system of weapons grade 25two with a construction cost of I? and a conversion cost *ATK 12of 10 to an ATK ..Attack: An interstellar warship system of weapons gradetwo with a construction cost of 20.Super Missile Base: A planetary defense system of weaponsgrade three with a construction cost of 25.Monitor: An interplanetary warship system of weapons grade CRUthree with a construction cost of 30 and a conversion cost *ATKof 20 to a ON. *ONOreadnaught: An interstellar warship system of weapons ATKgrade three with a construction cost of 40. *MNImproved Weaponry: A non-physical offensive system whichallows all of a player's warships and missile bases tofire two barrages per ship/base per fire turn.Improved Defense: A non-physical defens~ve.system whichraises all of a player's warshlps and mlsslle bases ofweapons grade one and two by 1 grade for defense and .requires two hits on a grade three target for destructlon.No carry-over between fire turns.Planetary Force Screen: An impenetrab~e shield arou~d aplanet which destroys any ship attacklng or attemptlng topenetrate if energized. A PFS generation station has aconstruction cost of 40 and is automatically destroyed ifthe planet is conquered while the PFS is down. The stationis not subject to attack at any time. To energize a PFS acost of 10 must be paid in each production year. The PFSmust be lowered in either the game turn preceeding or follow­ing a production year if friendly ships are to land or belaunched.

Technical Sequence

3

3

3

3

9.6

Ship Movement Sequence1 SCT+l 101 3MA 20

9.5

9.4

18

20

Planetarr Tactical Combat7.1 StarguardFuture Society Level7.8 Stellar Conquest6.0 Star Lord5.6 Star ProbeSpace Tactical Leval6.8 Starforce6.5 Triplanetarr6.1 The ythri5.5 Alien Space

1977 METAGAMING PLANSAfter publishing MONSTERS!

MONSTERS!, which many are findingsets new standards for lower pricedfantasy games, comes another gameby a non-staff designer. WARS OFTHE NARYM, retitled GODSFIRE afterthe game's purple hyper sun,is amulti-player, society level spacegame. Where STELLAR CONQUEST offer­ed technology and production eco­nomics GODSFIRE offers politicalsubversion and fiscal/monetarymanagement. The impact of govern­ment banking and money managementis crucial to the game.

GODSFIRE will be published inits full, complex form. In thedevelopment version that means two22x34 maps with a unique 3-Dgraphic movement system (no messyextra markers), 600 plus shipc9unters for six players, 15 systempolitical/economic sheets, 6 nat­ional government sheets, moneymarkers, and an 8~xll rules bookletwith full color cover. Due to theexpense the counters are only par­tially die-cut. The size of thegame will push HYMENOPTERA, complexand sophisticated in its own right,back until probably February. Mult~

player, multi-factor complexitybuffs will have two brand new gamessimulating societies with entirelydifferent game systems within twomonths. We promise the wait isworth it. DIPLOMACY nuts should bewarned that GODSFIRE may make youswear off. DON'T send METAGAMINGCONCEPTS money for this game untilannouncement in TSG #8 unless youare ordering it as part of thesubscription renewal bonus. Theprice will be $15, $13 for sub­scribers to THE SPACE GAMER.

The space strategy and politicalsegments of GODSFIRE can standalone with small modifications. Ifthere is enough interest separateversions may be made available. Thepolitical segment can have as manyas 15 players which may have appeal

to some educators or other groups.We had decided to publish two

non-staff designs after THE YTHRI.It meant delay on HYMENOPTERA butthose who've been so patientlywaiting shouldn't mind GODSFIREfirst. GODSFIRE should be ready formailing in mid-November.

All that GODSFIRE news is leadiq to 1977. Publishing two majorgames like GODSFIRE and HYMENOPTERAin close succession is a big jumpfor a firm our size. It is preludeto bigger plans, of course. As youcan see from our Feedback thisissue there are a number of possibleprojects in the mill. TSG has·con­tinued to grow despite almost noadvertising during six months ofearly 1976. This growth shows apotential market several timeslarger than initial anticipations.The keystone of large projects in1977 is TSG subscription renewalsand continued growth. With strongrenewals TSG could reach 2-3,000paid circulation in late 1977. Thatis enough support for severalactivities that are not possible atthe current level. Renewals shouldbe at least fair given that about65% of you more than paid for yoursubscription with the game dis­counts during the last year.

A 2-3,000 circulation may makea MGC/TSG computer possible. with acomputer business operations willbe more timely and accurate. Thecomputer could about half pay foritself with 2,500 subscribers interms of better efficiency andproductivity. w~th 2,500 subscrib­ers the other half of the cost canjust about be coverd by runningcomputer play-by-mail games. Weestimate 25%-50% would be in a gameat anyone time. 25% would be thebreakeven on the other half of thecost.

It ·would take much more than thehobby type computers you may seeadvertised. An IBM system 32 costsabout $40,000 and an IBM system 3runs about $100,000. That IBM 32won't do all we need either. But,you can see the cost magnitude, Wewon't buy IBM anyhow.

MGC/TSG has the expertise on thestaff to avoid most computer pit­falls. The designer of STELTARCONOUEST has 7+ years of profes­sional experience as a programmerand systems analyst plus a businesseducation. Outside staff is alreadyavailable and waiting in Austin forsystems programming and the initialconfiguring process. Several hun­dred hours is already invested ina thorough research and evaluationof vendor specifications and the

new microprocessor technology andperipherals. When METAGAMING spendswhat are ultimately your dollars onc9mputer hardware and software itwon't be wasted. Powerful, cost­effective systems are available forthe knowledgable buyer. MGC/TSGwill have a flexible, expandableprocessing system properly done.

The first computer games will beonly prim~ive forms of The Game inEldon Tannish. METASTAR SYSTEM 80will be a first small step.

NEWS & PLUGSSTAR EMPIRES

"The 2nd part of the Star Probegame system which allows play toprogress to the governing of inter­stellar empires and conductingfleet combats." Rules booklet fromTSR Hobbies Inc., address above,for $4 or from Metagaming Concepts.($3.75 for TSG subscribers.)

THE CHARACTER ARCHAIC"The ultimate in playing aids-­

can be used for D&D and/or EPT.Character record~non-player­character records, encounter recordand more all beautifully illus­trated." $3 from TSR Hobbies Inc,address above. (We don't carry it.)

STAR FLEET TACTICS IA simple tactical combat simula­

tion. Complete package includingtournement rules $3.STARFLEET TACTICS I: PBM TOURNEMENT

Four round modified Swisspairing system. Will take about l~

years to play. Entry fee $10. Entryfee and game $12.50. Entry deadline12/15/76.ADVANCED SC COMPUTER PACKAGE

Semi-computer moderated, 25players per section, PBM SC variantusing previously published"Advanced ~ Methods". Entry fee$10, Includes rules. $8 if youalready have the rules. $1 per movaThese three items from LayoutDesign Specialists, Box 485, Glen­view, IL 60025.

BATTLE DE MOSKOVA WINS CR AWARDThe Charles Roberts award for

best amatuer wargame of 1975 wentto a historical war game. StellarConguest had been nominated. Ourinformation is that only 241 of theestimated 3,000 attendees at theorigins II convention voted.

STARSHIP TROOPERSThis is the Avalon Hill game

based on the Robert Heinlein novelof the same name. It ought to beshowing up on your retailers shelf

NEWS 21

soon. One of the five play-testerswas in Austin so we had a chance toskim through the game but not playit; It is based on a planetary

STARWEBStarweb is a computer moderated

game where players may be a Pirate,an Empire Builder, Merchant,Apostle, Berderker or ArtifactCollector. The game is just beingstarted and will cost $1 per turn.Write Flying Buffalo Inc., Box 1467Scotsdale, AZ 85252. Given thestage of development and complexityof the game it would probably bebest to get information first.

STARFARING"--a science fiction game of

interstellar exploration, growth,and combat! ... --These rules areonly a framework. The game dependson the quality of your imaginationto fill in the details of life inthe starfaring society of 2700 A.D.Available from Flying Buffalo Inc.,Box 1467 Scotsdale, AZ 85252 for$6 or from Metagaming Concepts.($5.50 for subscribers to TSG.)

GODS, DEMI GODS & HEROESThis is the fourth and stated to

be the last supplement to theDungeons & Dragons game system. Itcovers Gods, mythology and Heroesas suggested by the title. FromTSR Hobbies Inc., Box 756, LakeGeneva, WI 53147 for $5 or fromMetagaming Concepts. ($4.50 forTSG subscribers.)

TOPOGRAPHIC MAP OF MARSA map of Mars prepared from the

1972 Mariner 9 photgraphs. About3 feet to a side. Available fromthe U.S. Geological Survey, Denver,CO 80225 for $1. Reference NumberM 25M 3 RMC. A bargain.

SWORDS & SPELLS"Rules for large-scale miniature

battles based on the game Dungeons& Dragons." By Gary Gygax from TSRHobbies Inc., Box 756, ~ake Geneva,WI 53147 for $5. (We don't sellthis one.)

LANKHMARThis game is based on the series

of novels created by Fritz Leiberwho gets design credit with HarryFischer. "The game of swords & sor­cery warfare on the fantastic worldof Nehwon." Fafhrd and The GrayMouser are included characters.This is another TSR Hobbies Inc.game, address above. No price wason the box for the one we have.(We don't sell this one either.)

22

action when the hardy troopers tryto dig out the bugs. Avalon Hillhas opted to create the game at thetactical level which is sure toplease devotees of their popularPanzerblitz game. Hopefully thegame will be well done in the finalversion, graphics are sure to be upto the usual Avalon Hill boxed gamestandard. Price should be the $10standard for other A-H games.

DRAGON PASS- WB & RMGreg Staffords White Bear & Red~ was to have its' name changedto Dragon Pass in the second ed­ition. But, Greg decided to retainthe original name. Our current adsrefer to the game as Dragon Pass.Greg also has a final errata forthe first edition which is avail­able for 25¢ and a SASE. Write toGreg Stafford, Box 6302. Albany,CA 94706. The new edition sells for$10. ($9 for TSG subscribers.)

GALAXY II NEWSIn a recent letter Brett Ton­

dreau related some delays in thegame turns for this computerizedgame. Brett had moved into a newjob. Those interested in the gamecan write Brett Tondreau, 5536Kester Ave., Van Nuys, CA 91411.

NON-RECOMMENDED NOVELSAs popular novels are going

there is increasing tendency for"mainstream" novels to draw on longdeveloped science fiction themes.SHARDIK and THE TOMORROW FILE fallinto this category. If you want toread several hundred pages that istepid, sluggish fantasy saying'bad is evil and good is nice' thenread SHARDIK. If you want a fairnovel that has the obligatory sexof modern novels but is poor sfthen read THE TOMORROW FILE. HT

THE DRAGONThis is TSR Hobbies' 32 pages

slick magazine. The second editionhas a full color cover again with afew color interiors. Most of thematerial is still D&D-oriented andthis issue lacked a-table of con­tents. A fiction piece by GardnerFox was featured. The Dragon isimproving and a sure bet. Six issuesubscription is $9, single issuesare $1.50. From TSR Hobbies Inc.,address above.

STARSHIP & EMPIREThis game was mentioned last

issue and we now have a copy. Thecomponents include 10 ship char­acteristics sheets, four Star Fleetcharts, 22" x 35" black & white map

480 counters in four colors and die­cut, combat results table, and fourstrategic maps with rules booklet.Available for $8 + 75¢ postage fromR-squared Games, Box 8314, SaltLake City, UT 84108. Review anyone?

STAR Cm1HANDThis is rules booklet intended to

allow players to fight ship combatswith ship miniatures. The bookletis available from Lou Zocchi, 7604Newton Dr., Biloxi, MS 39532 for$4. This may be part of a game

- system that will also include theminiature ship figurines at somelater date.

VENERABLE DESTRUCTIONThis is a fairly simple fantasy

board game. It has die-cut countersand a map with rules. AVailablefrom Excalibre Games, 5880 73rd AveNorth Apt. 108, Minneapolis, MN55429 for $5.95. Unboxed.

fiction

DREADNOOGI-ITS FOR MY LADY

by Neil S~apiro

(* NE~L SHAPIRO has recently completed hisfirst ~ovel, an SF ve~ture which will bepublished in late August by Major Booksunder the title COLONY.)

Lady Alice of the Singhe Dynasty,First-in-Council and Ruler of the DozenSuns, rose stiffly from the deeply cu­shioned mattress and ineffectually triedto rub the sleep from her eyes. Shestifled a most unroyal yawn and assumedan expression which she could only hopeappeared more regal than exhausted.

"Now what is it?" she asked her Lordon the Privy Chamber.

The lord, the hereditary Earl ofTauri Two, looked as apologetic as hismuttonchop whiskers and JOCUlarly roundface would allow. He had also the goodsense to avert his eyes away from HerHighness' undraped and almost scandulous­ly curvaceous figure. He silently wishedthat tradition might demand somethingother than a male Lord of the PrivyChamber.

"Quite sorry for disturbing you,Highness," he looked so adamantly at thefloor it seemed his gaze might burnthrough the tiles, "but the Council hascalled an emergency session. Even now aquorum awaits you in the Stellar Chamber~

(DREADNOUGHTS Continued on Pg. 25)

SCENARIO: CAPTAlN MARVELAND DRAX THE DESTROYER VS. THANOS

ORTHE WAR FOR-rHE UNIVERSE

by Dennis Colodiy

Using basic TRIPLANETARY rulesand counters, you can make slightmodifications to create an interes~

ing scenario.I. Characters, descriptions, and

objectives1) THANOS is represented by a

dreadnaught starting onthe planet Mars. Seekingdeification, he possessesthe "cosmic cube" which,when activated, gives himunlimited ordnance (nukes,mines and torpedoes) andnever-ending fuel: In or­der to activate the cube,Thanos must first orbitJupiter. After attainingorbit he realizes thecube's potential and unde~

stands his goal--to de­stroy every planet in theuniverse for his companionand lover, Death. Thanoshas the capabilities ofone overload between eachplanet destroyed. He maynot initiate attack onwarriors, however, he maycounterattack when firedupon. In order to destroya planet he need only hitone planet side with anuke from an unlimitedweapons cache.1.1) To give him time to

reach Jupiter, Thanosalso has a fleet oftwo corvettes on apreplotted suicidecourse for Terra,starting stationaryor in orbit anywherewithin the radarrange of Mars. Eachship that crashes onTerra, without beingdisabled, reduces theplanetary defensesby one.

1.2) Thanos may attackany planet at anytime but Terra. Hemust attack thisplanet last.

2) CAPTAIN MARVEL/RICK JONESare represented by a fri­gate and corsair respect­fully, starting on Terra.These ships do not haveany weapons other thanguns. In order for Marvelto exist in the positive

23

universe, he must sharespace with a Terran boy,Rick Jones. For one to bein this universe the othermust be in the negativezone (except for 2.1).Transfer occurs in the re­supply phase by clashingthe negative bands on therrwrists together, expendingone fuel point. Refuelingtakes place while thewarrior rests in the nega­tive zone. On transferback to the positive, thatwarrior is refueled. Mar­vel is allowed one over­load, as is Rick Jones,between positive-negativetransfer. Marvel's firstpriority is to destroy thesuicide fleet before it de­stroys the Terran defense~

If after the attack he canreach Mars and orbit beforeThanos destroys it, thenhe will have broken thepower of the negative zone(see 2.1). Captain Marvel,by previously earning"cosmic awareness" throughEon, the living planet, h~

become the sworn protectorof the universe. He musttherefore destroy Thanos,although Thanos is heavilyfavored to reduce the sol~

system to dust particles.2.1) Marvel/Rick Jones

can break the powerof the negative zoneif either can orbitMars before Thanosdestroys it. Once~he zone is broken,both Marvel and RickJones can exist inthe positive univer~

simultaneously, ableto go in their owndirections. Then, byexpending five fuelpoints, either warr­ior can perform a"nega transfer" tothe other's positio~

That is, Marvel orRick Jones can re­enter the negativezone and transfer tothe other's positio~

while remaining inthe zone. After agame turn the warriocin the negative mayexpend one fuel poimto return to the po­sitive with the sameposition and courseas the other.

The Enemy, the Scorpii Confederacy,was certainly the aggressor, no doubt ofthat. Right, justice, all were on theside of the Council-of-Stars and theirlovely ruler, First-in-Council, LadyAlice.

It was a shame the Council was sodesperately losing the war. History hasalways been full of shameful facts.

The Council looked up all at once,like an eleven-headed monster, as theirhereditary ruler entered the Stellar Cham­ber. Lady Alice took her seat at the headof the long, wooden table. Overhead, inglorious counterpoint to the plainness ofthe Chamber's furnishings, the ceilingwas a blazing, holographic canopy ofbright stars representing not only thestellar cluster's physical appearence)buteach star was color-coded as to suchthings as spectral class, habitability ofplanets, industrial output of popUlationsand offensive/defensive capabilities. Inaddition, the stars of the Council-of­Stars had been programmed to shine steadi­ly, like beacons, against the starlightflickerings of the others.

"Gentlemen," Lady Alice addressedher advisors, "I assume we once more areon the brink?" She stared impassivelydOlm the table's length. "Your reports,please."

She noted that Lord Kevin of Bootiswas trying to catch her eye. A warm flushspread to her cheeks. He was certainlyhandsome that morning, dressed in the

24

2.11) Should thisneutraliza­tion of thezone occur,then the war­riors may re­fuel by trans­fer to thenegative zone.This procedurEwill cost onefuel point toenter the zoneand another toleave the zoneWarriors maynot altercourse or speedwhile refuel­ing in thezone.

2.2) Captain Marvel, be­cause of his cosmicawareness, can avoidboth mines and torpe­does. He cannot, how'ever, avoid a nukesince it does afterall destroy the hexthat it lands on orpasses through. SinceRick Jones is only amere Terran, he isaffected by all typesof launched weapons,as well as guns.

3) DRAX,THE DESTROYER, wascreated from cosmic dust ~a godlike being, Kronos ofTitan, before the latterwas captured and subduedby Thanos. Kronos, forsee­ing the menace of Thanos,breathed life into Draxthe Destroyer, who existswith the sole purpose tostop Thanos. Drax is repre­sentea-oy-a torch ship inorbit around Ganymede andhas no weapons other thanguns. He is allowed oneoverload maneuver betweenattacks on Thanos (closeenough to have done damage,even if none was taken).The Destroyer is in a con­stant state of combat withno regard for his own safe­ty. For, since he is no­thing but cosmic matter, hecannot die. Destruction or­leaving~e universe(board) will only place himback in orbit around Gany­mede on his next turn. IfThanos has already destroy­ed the planet Kronos hasgiven Drax the capability

to appear on the hex ~here

the planet formerly was.

II. Gravity1) Once Thanos has successfu~

ly destroyed a planet,g~avity no longer existsthere. Otherwise, fullgravity is assumed for allother planets, with the--­exception of half-gravityplanets.

III. Destroyed Planets1) Once a planet has been de­

stroyed, all warriors maypass through the planet hex.with no ill effects. Othe~

wise, passing through aplanet would cause thewarrior's death (with theexception of Drax).

IV. As teroids1) Passlng through an asteroid

hex at a velocity greaterthan one normally movescauses one to determinedamage 'results. Asteroidshave no effect on Marvel(cosmic awareness), Drax(the power of Kronos), orThanos (once he has acti­vated the cosmic cube). Onhis way to Jupiter, how­ever, Thanos is indeedaffected by them and takeshis chances as any other.The suicide fleet is alsoaffected as is Rick Jonessince they are, after all,mortal beings.

V. Planetary Defenses1) Considering the number of

superheroes on Terra, nor-.mal defenses are in affectagainst Thanos, unless th~

suicide fleet is effectiveIf so, depending on thenumber of ships that crashinto the planet, defensescan range from 2:1 to 1:2.Since the suicide fleet isa surprise attack it is notaffected by defenses. Noother planets have plane­tary defenses.

VI. Victory Conditions1) Thanos wins by destroying

the universe and therebyalso winning the hand ofDeath.

2) Marvel/Jones win by stay­ing alive and protectingthe universe by eliminat­ing the threat of Thanos.

3) Drax the Destroyer wins ifhe stops Thano~.

(DREADNOUGHTS from Page 22)

"A quorum, ,. Lady Alice sniffed loud­ly. "Eleven buffoons waiting for atwelfth. "

She clenched her right hand into afist. The gesture activated a digitaltime display which lit redly among thelight blue veins of her delicate wrist,just beneath the rose pale flesh. She re­garded the digits.

"It has been but seven hours sincethe last emergency meeting," she complain­ed, "and only six since I was able tosleep."

The Earl nodded, swallowing his dis­comfort. Once dismissed, he literally ranfrom the Presence, hardly allowing thechamber's doorway time to dilate fullyopen before ducking through it.

Lady Alice touched a sensor imbeddedin the ornate wood of the carved bedpost.Immediately, the sound of rushing waterfilled the room. She crossed to the bath­ing alcove but allowed herself only amoment to bask in the pinpoint spray ofwater, stimulants and perfumes.

A rush of warm air dried her, andshe went to stand before the holographicmirror of her wardrobe. The holo-mirrorflickered again and again, each time sho~­

ing her her own three-dimensional imagedressed in a different garb. She chosethe most austere of clothing; a black andunrelieved full skirt with a tight, tubu­lar top. She pressed the ready button anda dozen servants scampered in with thechosen garment and hurriedly dressed herin it.

Finally, the Earl of Tauri Two re­turned to escort her to the Stellar Cham­ber. She walked down the dark almostEarth-medieval corridors which had beenbuilt more than four centuries ago. Ithad been all of that many years since herremote ancestors first gained mastery ofthe Council's Quadrant of the surroundingstellar cluster.

It was musty, dim. Lady Alice didnot share her Dynasty's love of suchplaces. Yet one more annoyance of herroyal life.

She ruled over two-hundred billioninhabitants of twelve star systems; mostsettled under the Council's four yellowstars, Tauri, Spica, Bootis and Schedar.The Council was only for advice--it wasmandatory that she listen to their ad­vice, but she was never forced to acceptit. So, her decisions, her edicts, hadthe force of law, final and resolute, forher people.

The War too was her responsibility.She would have wished otherwise, hers wasnot a sanguine nature. She was too pessi­mistic, too empathic ever to be an ablegeneral. Yet, she could force herselfwhen she had to; and most days, eversince first contact with the Enemy, shehad to.

fiction 25

Kevin speedily determined that if thefour dreadnoughts were destroyed, theCouncil lacked the ~bility to replacethem handily. In fact, the Confederacy,given notice of the threat, could easilyoutstrip the production capabilities ofthe Council.

If the dreadnoughts could be defeat­ed, it was apparent to Lord Kevin that

the Council of Stars would economicallycrumble, and would have to sue for peace.

On the other hand, undestroyeddreadnoughts might be able to turn thetide in favor of the Council.

He saw that the dreadnoughts werebased on one of Lord Wallen's coloniesthat orbited Wezen. There, at the outerfringes of the Council's sphere of stell­ar empire, they would be able to strikeat either Dubhe or Cygni in the Confeder­acy. Either would be a terrible loss tothe Confederacy as both were populationcenters holding much economic clout. Yet,.each could only stand against a squadronof dreadnoughts if reinforced by themajority of the Confed's attack ships.

Obviously the dreadnoughts meant athree-dreadnought attack on either Dubheor Cygni while the remaining dreadnoughtkept the other colony's forces busy.

He rushed as fast as he couldthrough the Writs until he found the onehe sought. Lord Kevin smiled, this wasthe information that would save the

·26tight-fitting tunic he knew she loved so;the heraldic symbol of his family stretch­ed tight against his muscular chest. Shefrowned quickly at him, then looked away.He should know better, she thought, thanto risk making their liason known in theChamber.

Lord Eric of Spica, the usualspokesman, rose to his feet. His eyeswere even more red than usual, and hisusually hearty voice quavered with emo­tion.

"The Council has met in advisory se­ssion," he began, "and it is my mostunpleasant duty to inform you that," hehesitated, then, "all here assembled,with but an obvious exception, recommendthe immediate arrest and mental-wash ofLord Kevin of Bootis for the crime ofHigh Treason."

Lady Alice blinked. The words hardlyseemed to make any sense. She glancedabout the Chamber and saw what she hadmissed before. Men-at-arms, hidden by thetapestries along the walls and the sha­dows in the corners, stood with drawnweapons all pointed at Lord Kevin'sstrong back.

"Your reasons for such a heinouscharge?" S'he bit off the words one byone, her voice a stranger's to her ears.

"So obvious, it is embarrassing. t1

The speaker was Lord Wallen of Wezen. Hewas a tall, thin-faced man whom LadyAlice had never liked, though now she be­gan to hate him. "When Wezen Four wasordered to use all of its industrial out­put late last year to build even morefactories, I acceeded even though I saidin council that it would be better advise­ed to build missile bases. Only a weeklater, Wezen Four was attacked by a squad­ron of attack ships. The Confeds had avery easy time of it,and so I now findmyself hereditary lord of a capturedpeople."

"Coincidence," Lord Kevin shouted,"pure and simpl e. "

"Coincidence, is it?" Lord Jason ofWolf leaped to his feet. His tired faceshone with sweat, unused as he was to theheat of a yellow sun and the warmth ofanger. "It is only luck that both WolfOne and Four have not also been elimina­ted. Without the natural metals of WolfFour, well, this Council would be in asorry plight. As you ordered, Highness,all of our capital has been placed intoall-Council technological research. Icannot pretend to have the complete pic­ture--perhaps Level Three Technology isas important as you think. Yet, becauseof that capital outlay, as I warned inCouncil, we were unable to complete ourmissile base program. I have just receiv­ed word," he waved a flimsy paper, "thatthe Confeds attacked Wolf Four less thanthree hours ago!"

"The results?" Lady Alice bracedherself.

"The Confeds, thank the First Cause,were destroyed, but at the cost of everymissile base of Wolf Four."

"Grave indeed," Lady Alice agreed."But you have not yet made any case again­st Lord Kevin."

"Do you know what this is, Highness?"Lord Jason waved another, thicker paper.

"Certainly," Lady Alice answeredcoolly, "it is my Writ of Order regardingthe economic program of the Council inrelation to the Wolf colonies."

"No," the Lord from Wolf shoutedtriumphantly. "It is a reproduction ofthat Writ, a copy."

"So?" she asked, already guessingthe answer.

"This copy," Lord Jason informedher, "was found in Lord Kevin's rooms-­and also a concealed sub-ethereal trans­mitter tuned to the Confed frequencies."

"Lord Kevin," Lady Alice regardedher lover, "you can explain this?"

"Lies," Lord Kevin smiled. "You andI, we speak with our hearts. We cannot befooled by mere words, sounds which aredevoid of love and, hence of meaning."

Lady Alice turned to Lord Jason."As most senior member of the Council,"her voice wavered, steadied, "you mayexercise your duty to now order thearrest and confienment of Lord Kevin ofSootis."

Lord Jason raised a gnarled hand,the men-at-arms stepped out of the sha­dows. The chromed snouts of their riflesreflected the holographic light of thestar-mapped ceiling as they escorted aprotesting Lord Kevin from the StellarChamber.

The outer door closed as the guardsescorted their prisoner out. It was nowsilent enough that Lady Alice could hearthe breathing of the assembled Lords-in­Council.

She looked about the long table. Ifshe had her way she would execute themall before harming even one hair on LordKevin's finely featured head. Above herflickered the stars of the enemy whilethe Council stars burned steadily and,within her, there flamed a terrible re­sponsibility. The heat of it all seemedmore than enough to devour the flesh,even the soul, of any young girl.

"Let us plan our war," her voice wascold, as empty as ever were the spacesbetween stars.

The room was lit only by the dimlight from an interiorly lit sculptureset in one corner of the room. From herbed, Alice could just barely see thesilhoutte enter her chambers, pause, andlook about with as yet night-blind eyes.

"Over here," she whispered to him,t1I've been waiting for you."

Lord Kevin stumbled his way to herbedside. Then, his weight beside her, his

warmth, it was like so many times before."I knew you coold not believe them,"

he said, whispering into her ear."How could I?" she asked as he em­

braced her.He laughed as he held her. "Still,

I was a bit doubtful when you seemed togo along with the Juiceless Wolf."

She kissed him. In a moment, allthought of the Council and the StellarChamber was gone. The plastic sculpture,following the programming of its artist,dimmed, brightened, dimmed again as timepassed and the night advanced.

"Alice?" There was no reply. LordKevin gently, carefully, swung himself sothat his legs were off the bed, his feetresting on the floor. He rose as lightlyas a cat, disturbing the mattress aslittle as possible. He held his breath.The only sound was Lady Alice's midnightbreathing, slow, regular and trusting.

He walked to a pedestal table just afew feet away. From a pocket of histunic, discarded over a chair, he with­drew a small, cylindrical devise. Heflicked it on. A beam of partially co­herent light illuminated the papers on .the tabletop without lighting the rest ofthe room at all. He examined the papers.

"Dreadnoughts!" the word was tornfrom him in astonishment. "Four of them!"

He regained his composure, lookedover to see if his startled exclamationshad disturbed Lady Alice. She still sleptsoundly and he returned to his perusal ofthe papers.

He riffled the official documentswhich outlined the new plan of action theCouncil had adopted after his arrest andremoval from the Chamber. It was allthere, spelled out so that anyone--andcertainly the Confed's best agent--couldunderstand it. The Council of Stars wasmaking a final push, a huge counteroffen­sive.

He could now understand that for thelast year, all the capital from everycolony had been put into weapons andtechnological research. True, that hadalready cost the Council one colony, andweakened another important one.

Still, it might prove worth it all.The Confederation Command had plann­

ed on the basis of the Council continuingin a defensive posture. It had been assum­ed that Lady Alice'S worlds would be usingall of their resources for missile basesand the colonization of low-habitabilitybut high-resourced worlds. It was truethat the Confederacy still had a muchhigher offensive potential. But, it wasstill only potential, not reality.

The Confederacy had more attack shipsthan the Council,·greater ship range, andwas very close to a two hundred percentincrease in weapons' effectiveness.

But, the Council had dreadnoughtsnow. T~ey were not potential, they werealready built. Skimming the papers, Lord

fiction 27

28

Confederacy.The dreadnoughts were to make a mass

attack on the Cygni colonies. Dubhe wouldbe attacked by only one ship. The Confed­eracy's drive-detectors could not, ofcourse, detect which was the strongerforce but only that both stars would beunder attack. In a normal situation, theConfeds would have' to protect both starsand split their forces. And, under normalsituations, the star attacked by thedreadnoughts would probably fall.

Not now, however.It remained only for Lord Kevin to

communicate to his masters that it wasCygni which was to be attacked by thedreadnoughts. The Confeds would pull thebulk of their armada to Cygni as Dubhe'smissile bases alone could handle a smallattack.

Protect Cygni and, in a short time,the Confederacy's savage technology couldbe geared to producing more dreadnoughtsthan the Council could dream of. It wasCygni which was the key, the secret therevelation of which would cause the starsto align themselves into new, if politi­cal, orbits.

Kevin looked a final time at LadyAlice's sleeping form. He pUlled a blan­ket up to cover her bare shoulder, thenslipped silently out of the room, smilingto himself. He clutched the papers tight­ly to his chest, being careful that theymade no betraying, rustling noise.

Lady Alice was once more alone. Butthen, she had been so all of her life.

* * *

Lady Alice leaned against the coolsurface of the glass. Her skin trembledwhere it touched that cold expanse oftransparency.

"Complete success," Lord Jason bub­bled happily, "even better than hoped.They protected Cygni all the time we werebusy invading Dubhe. The Dubhe worldshave been completely garrisoned. Our ownpeople are now being moved in to takeover' the colony's production facilitiesand replace those the native guerrillasdestroyed. Four more years and it'll beback to full production, this time pro­ducing for the Council. With our economy0" the rise, the Confeds reeling underthe loss of Dubhe's planets, we'll ownthis whole star cluster in but anothergeneration. "

Lady Alice nodded, "How wonderful,"she said, her voice as thin as a reed.

"Wonderful?" Jason cried, "so muchmore than that! And the Council realizeswe owe it all to you. If it had not beenfor your using Lord Kevin to pUll theConfed's ships to Cygni while we tookover Dubhe .... "

"I do know what my own plan was,"Lady Alice interrupted hlID, "You do notneed to repeat it to me."

"No," Lord Jason made a sound half­way between a cough and a harrumph."Still, it was brilliant of you to lethim get the fake Writs."

Alice sighed. She turned and lookedthrough the glass wall. She shuddered andchoked back the nausea rising in herthroat.

Lord Kevin's form was mostly hiddenby the medical technicians who were dis­assembling the myriad of shining equip­ment hanging over and around his bed.Gradually, as a brain-burner's shieldswere removed, Lord Kevin could be seen.

His eyes stared blankly at the ceil­ing. Whatever light which had once shonefrom behind them was now gone. The machinehad washed from his mind every fact heknew about the Confederacy. Unfortunatelyin order to do this, it had been necessaryto "burn" the rest. •

"Brilliant plan," Lord Jason was re­peating. "Absolutely brilliant of you."

Lady Alice, of the Singhe Dynasty,First-in-Council leaned limply againstthe clear wall. She was the hereditaryruler of more than two hundred billioncitizens of the Council of Stars.

She would have given it all up ifshe had only been able to cry.

Author's Note

The idea for "Dreadnoughts" came a­bout while playing a game of STELLARCONQUEST. I had managed to tip over acounter while I was moving it on the map,providing my grinning opponent with cer­tain information. As it turned out, theinformation led him to believe the oppo­sit.of what was actually happening.

Since that game, I have "accidental­ly" revealed counters both in~CONQUEST and other board games which u~e

limited intelligence. (Though never tWlcewith the same foe.)

While not so very nice on my part, Ithink it does simulate one aspect of warwhich the above story also attempts to-­purposely giving your enemy just enoughfaulty information foe him to hang him­self! Unfortunately, such a tactic doesnot make me very popular.

LETTERS

Dear editor:

I read Mr. Bowles article on lasersin issue #5 with a good deal of interest.It was, on the whole, a very interestingand informative article. I am afraid, how-

ever, that I must differ with him on aminor point. He mentioned using lasers inspace and talked of them moving the effec­tive range of combat out to about 300,000miles. That is a very impressive figure,but I wonder if anyone has sat down andthought about it a little more closely.

First of all, since I am a fan of themetric system, I will use metric measur­ments throughout this discussion. Therange can be rounded to 500,000 km for ourpurposes. I have no doubt that a high­power laser could be built with atheoretical range of half a million kilo­meters, and it could thoroughly destroy atarget at that range if it hit it. But,there is quite a bit of difference be­tween shooting at something and hittingit.

Before we go any further, though,let's decide just what the "it" we areshooting at is. To use something that weare all familiar with (or should be) let'suse a Saturn V rocket. If I remembercorrectly, the Saturn V rocket is just ashade over 100 meters tall, and about 12meters in diameter at the first stage. Inmass it compares very closely with a pre­sent day naval destroyer. It seems to meto make a fairly reasonable target.

Now that we have our target, let's goon to discuss the rest of the problem. Be­fore you can hit something, you have toaim at it. And this is the crux of thematter. Mr. Bowles mentioned using lasertracking and ranging instruments. So let'ssee just what our target tracks like. Thelong axis of the Saturn V is 100 meters;at 500,000,000 meters range, that trans­lates to an angle of 1.1459 x 10-5 degree.That's .0000114590 . Put another way, itwould be like aiming at a dime 90 km away.To illustrate what this means in anotherway: if we were using a laser projectorthat was 10 meter tong and the emissionend was off by 10- meter or 1 micron, wewould miss the target completely. Nomatter how accurate the tracking equipmentwas, the bottleneck developes in theactual aiming of the weapon. I don't seeany way that that kind of accuracy couldbe achieved.

The previous argument assumes thatthe laser beam were a single point thathad to be aimed perfectly. Suppose, how­ever, that our beam were a little largerin diameter. This would mean that we won'thave to aim quite so accurately after all.So if we let the beam diverge a little, wecan be a little less demanding. We'll haveto set up a hypothetical piece of equip­ment to carry the argument on. We alreadyhave a laser projector that is 10 meterslong. We'll say that it emits a beam 1meter in diameter, and also that it has anenergy density of 180,000 joules persquare centimeter. According to /·!r. Eo,.'les'table, this is 3 times the energy needed

LETTERS 29

to vaporize iron and 5 times that requiredto vaporize aluminum. Now that we have aweapon, we'll put it to use and see whatkind of damage we can do to our target.

With no divergence, our energy den­sity when we hit the target would beessentially the same as that which leftour'projector, and we would vaporize a 1meter hole right through the target.Energy density goes down as the inverse ofthe square of the diameter of our beam. Soif we let the beam diverge to 2 meters indiameter, the energy density would be 1/4our original amount or 45,000 joules/sq c~

We can still vaporize his hull if it isaluminum, and melt it awfully fast if itis iron. With a beam 4 meters in diameterwe would have an energy density of 11,250joules/sq cm, and we can still melt hishull if it is either iron or aluminum. Ifthe beam diverged to 8 meters, the powerdensity would be 2812.5 joules/sq cm, andwe can melt the target hull if it isaluminum and warm it up a bit if it isiron. And, of course, this is all assumingthat the target absorbed all of the energystriking it, which is extremely unlikely.

It should be obvious that we can'tlet our beam diverge too much (any at allis too much), and therefore we can't letour aim get too sloppy. So let's get backto that figure of 1.1459xIO- 5 degree forour target. Our hypothetical laser had tobe accurate to within 1 micron in itstracking to hit the target. Let's make thefire control problem even more difficult.500,000 km is 1.67 light seconds. Thatmeans that we have to lead our target by1.67 seconds to hit it. Suppose that thetarget was in geosynchronous orbit aroundthe earth, and we were shooting at it fromout near the moon, (approx. 500,000 km).Our target would be moving at about 3.64kID/sec. That would mean that between thetime we fired our laser and the time thebeam hit (hopefully) the target, the tar­get would have moved about 6 km. So wewould have to lead it by 6 kID, in additionto tracking it to within 1 micron with ourlaser. This is assuming of course thatthe target was not taking any evasive ac­tion. As far as evasive action is concern­ed, the target would only have to move amaximum of SO meters from where we areaiming during that 1.67 sec., and we missit completely.

This all indicated to me that engage­ments taking place at ranges on the orderof 500,000 kID are unlikely in the extreme.5,000 km would be a little more likely,but even that may be too high. At thatrange our Saturn V would be 1.1459xlO-3degree long, ann the laser would have totrack to within .1 mm. This seems almostreasonable, but may still be a little tofar.

If you reduce the range to SOC km.the Saturn V is now 1.1459xlO-2 degree

30 LETTERS 31

long, and the laser has to track to with­in 1 mm. Also, at this range the beamtransit time is .00167 sec., and our hypo­thetical target in geosynchronous orbitwould only move 6 meters. With the kind offire control I would expect to see in thenear future, I don't see how anyone couldmiss at 500 km range.

I have no doubt that when the inevit­able conflicts begin to take place inspace, the laser will be a very much used,and formidable weapon. However, I thinkthat the ranges involved will be more onthe order of 5,000 to 500 km rather than500,000 km.

Norman E. AppersonAPO New York 09755

I have a belated comment on thearticle in TSG #4 entitled The PFS Rip­Off, in which the price of the new SuperMissile Base was stated to be 30 IUs ofoutput for each one. If the ratio ofmissile base cost to war ship cost is ex­amined, the price of the other missilebases is one half that of the ships whichthey counter. Therefore, the price of the'5MB should not be 30 IUs but ~ of 40 or20 IUs.

Donald KaiserLake Bluff, Ill.

I would like to make some comments onyour most recent issue of The Space Gamer.Over all, this was your best issue yet. I'mg~ad that you could add more drawings byWlnchell Chung. I really enjoy his style. Ithink it would be good to devote one issueto all fantasy drawings, or at least addmore fantasy drawing in future issues. Ididn't especially care for the front coverdrawing by Mark Norton. It reminds me a lotof the terrible drawing in the rules bookof the game STAR PROBE.

As I was reading one of the articles,Sumner Clarrens review of those two fantasygames, and while he was talking about allthe different colors it occured to me--whatabout all the color-blind people of theworld? I am not color-blind, but I thinkyou should think about this before you pro­fusely splash your markers and boards witha myriad of colors and use color alone foridentification. You may even lose customersbecause of their problem. I have no solu­tion to this, but its just something tothink about.

To fully comprehend the article "ShipEffectiveness in STELLAR CONQUEST" youwould have to be a math major. I don't knowwhere Mr. McDermott got all those formulas,but it was impressive. I don't know if itis real good to take a game apart so much.I like it better as just a simple game ofchance. In STELLAR CONQUEST, you can onlyuse those charts for very basic odds. Thechance throw of the dice is so diverse thatthose charts are almost useless.

This month's "Eldon Tannish" was thebest one ever. Compared to the last one andthe one before that (which were sleepers),this one was like a thunder bolt out of thedark. I hope you can continue with thestyle you showed in the last one.

Tim HawkinsonWorthington, Mn.

You have a fantastic magazine. Yourarticles are terrific, and always inter­esting.

TSG #6 was, as each issue is, great,to say the least. I was going to commenton your superior art, but as soon as Iopened my envelope that cover picture re­volted me. I don't mean to belittleWinchell Chung's artistic abilities butthis time it just came out gross!! Ofcourse, as always, the rest of his artwas fantastic.

Keep up the good work.Pat BrennanEast Hartfor, Conn.

Sit down, take a deep breath and becalm. I'm about to criticize STELLARCONQUEST.

I have noticed that too many SC gamesgo nowhere. This is due to the PFSllnd theproduction problems. In the early part ofthe game, everyone is too busy establish­ing himself, building up population andkeeping track of production to attack hisenemies. Sending out raiding parties weak­ens his own defenses, and many can't bearrisking all they've built up. Later, when

. your production has expanded to the pointwhere you can risk some of it, everyonestarts building those lousy PFS. You can'tget through it, and it says in the rules"A PFS does not hinder the building play­er's ships or activity"--contrary to whatwas said in TSG #2. When you reprint SC,·include a short scenario as in TSG #2~andeither drop the PFS or include a way toget through it.

SPI is coming out with O·F,REACH bythe end of this month, as you doubtlessknow. While it doesn't sound as action­oriented as the peerless STARFORCE, itstill sounds good.

I must disagree with the fellow thatreviewed STAR PROBE in TSG #3. It is not avery good game. For one thing, the playercan affect what his discoveries will be.He can find many rich planets, but he'llget into much more trouble. It's as if theplayer were creating the systems insteadof finding them! That is totally out ofthe question and quite unrealistic. I'mafraid it spoiled the game for me somewhat.

Scott RuschWolden, New York

Dear Howllrd:F,r I or all, you may be wonderinn

what ha hllppened to CHANGELING #3---theanswer I very little, since my currentsupply of drl is insufficient, i.e. thecover IS till in California with thear~is and won't be here for a while yet,WhlCh has m (among others) a little peev­ed, b~t ir you're at all familiar with thework or Greg Vander Leun, I think you'll.agree the wait is probably worth it (I·hope!) .

For extra booklets (a good idea,since sf wargaming, practically by defini­tion, is a progressive field), may Isuggest a collection of Chung's spacecraftdiagrams? Also, one of the great beautiesof SC is that it's adaptable to manyscenarios---Foundation &Empire, the Lens­men, and lots more, which could be madeinto a whole series of books ...

Come to think of it, the whole war­gaming is somewhat fictional---the Germansbeating the allies at Bastogne, for ex­ample, is hardly an occurence that fitsinto our.present universe, nor is havingXerxes wlpe out the Greeks. Sf gaming isactually a natural extension---rather thanchanging history, it's possible to chang~non-historical events with close-to-equalrealism and the same game concepts, yetwithout causing any conflicts withreality ... as well as creating the complexand fantastic scenarios of games likeSORCEROR (lesee green over yellow, butblue over green )

Surprises? My guess is a fantasygame, or else perhaps putting amateurgames into the zine ... Rich Bartucci' s "MI"being the kind of game I mean. No specialmap necessary, only the counters ... am Iright?

I wonder just how much trouble AHC &SPI could cause for you, actually ... ittook AHC more than two years to produceLUFTWAFFE, and to create original sfgames of professional quality requires notonly the basics of game design, but alsoextra creativity in the direction ofbuilding up the world-system tc be usedafiP making sure it isn't just a copy ofsome other game ...

;.. Well, this letter is awful short, but·the high was 99 degrees today and the den,

·wherein resides my typer, is probably thehottest part of the whole house, and Ijust can't take it any longer ... but atleast now you know what's happening tothe zine you so generously contributed and.plugged ...

Sincerely,K. Allen Bjorke, Esq.

If I may, let me say that your edi-'torial judgement has been excellent sofar, as I have enjoyed every article inevery issue. Things like the laser piecelas~ time are excellent additions to gamereVlews.

However, it is something of a pitythere are not more strategy articles a'lathe recent contribution on SC concerningescorts vs attacks, bonus IU allocationetc. Something like that on say, STARFO~CEor STAR LORD might be good. I'd do one onTRIPLANETARY except I would use a moreclear but a little less realistic movementsystem (I always plot movement so as togive a ship its velocity in one of thehexside directions only. For the actualveloci ty I simply count hexes actuallytravelled through) that would have subtlechanges combat. In any case ...

Do you ever get much chance to~S-F games? Though it's fun to read and ­wri te about them, the real pleasure is theplay, don't you think? I'm engaging in a·'fictionalized" solitaire game ofTRIPLANETARY at the moment. It's a bastard':Iix of the piracy, interplanetary war, and?rospecting senarieos. I say fictionaliz­ed, because rather than just fight a setprice battle, I'm playing the sides morelike in "real life". The reasons for warare more than attempting to fulfill thevictory conditions. So far I've found itfascinating, with events working out in amarvelously fiction-like way similar to anold Heinlein novel.

You expressed a fear of SPI doing aS-F zine. I doubt it, citing the follow­ing:

1) Of the staff of SPI, onlySimonsen is into S-F with bothSORCEROR and STARFORCE as designcredits.

2) Simonsen already handles the bulkof the art work for all of SPI.

3) Simonsen already edits MovesTo me it looks like Simonse~the

rlan, but doesn't have the time. Alsoconsider:

1) SPI has never been much on S-F.I believe STARFORCE was done toappease popular clamor and be­cause of dwindling titles for"straight" games.

2) Despite claims to the contrary,S-F and Moves are pretty muchhouse organs. SPI has the bulk ofwargame titles and is the acknow­ledged design leader, but not sowith Space games. You and TSR(fantasy) are top dogs. They'dsoon run out of SORCEROR &STAR­FORCE pieces. --

Hope it alleviates your fears some.(Watch SPI announce SPACEWAR a magazine oftactic conflict next month!)

August should be a big month OUTREACH&STARSHIP TROOPERS. How I await thelatter (for at least 10 years.)

Somewhere will be enclosed an order.

Take care and I hope to hear fromyou.

Tony WatsonLas Vegas, Nevada