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Having been disenchanted with the Amazing Engine system, I only considered this a valid purchase when I found it for 75% off at GenCon'95. I figured that at that price it would be worth a gamble on what world and starship designs might be inside. Especially since the back cover stated that the Amazing Engine core rules were not included. That however, was a lie.

As I paged through my purchase and the wasted space taken up by the "core rules", I found myself initially unimpressed with the contents. The anthropomorphic alien races lent themselves to the Gamma World rules (one was a Star Fontiers, Dralasite clone), but then I never intended to use the Amazing Engine rules. No starship deck planes, not even any silhouettes. The art was good but did not hint at the gems that lie within the words.

What I found did not justify the $12.95 cover price, but maybe up to $8 of it. The magic system (this is science fantasy) was enchanting. Based on a celestial "music" only some can hear, 3 schools of magic (harmonians, discordians and melodians) perform miracles mundane and awesome. Musical terms like coda, measure, beat and clef help add to the wonderfully unique flavor of this magic system. For me, the starship weapons and defenses proved innovative and logical. The alien races included some surprisingly unique cultural and physical twists on the expected. Lastly the detail of the campaign was thorough and open to many options for players to explore, though I found it uninspiring as it offered few black & white good guys and bad guys. This is a universe for loaners, rebels and opportunists.

For me, this book is an excellent resource for ideas. The "music" based magic system is stand alone and can be adapted to other genre and systems. The differing and opposed schools make for excellent campaign color and adventure possibilities. The politics, history and cultures of the various races are fertile seeds for adventure in any scifi universe. Lastly, the starship options (especially defenses) would be easily recreated in other rules systems. If you're a scifi GM, find this one on sale, read it and keep a pad and pencil handy.

Style: 2 (Needs Work)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

THE GALCTOS BARRIER
Author: C McComb Category: game Company/Publisher: TSR Line: Amazing Engine Cost: $12.95 Capsule Review by Papyrus on 05/26/99. Genre tags: Fantasy Science_fiction Far_Future Space Generic	Having been disenchanted with the Amazing Engine system, I only considered this a valid purchase when I found it for 75% off at GenCon'95. I figured that at that price it would be worth a gamble on what world and starship designs might be inside. Especially since the back cover stated that the Amazing Engine core rules were not included. That however, was a lie. As I paged through my purchase and the wasted space taken up by the "core rules", I found myself initially unimpressed with the contents. The anthropomorphic alien races lent themselves to the Gamma World rules (one was a Star Fontiers, Dralasite clone), but then I never intended to use the Amazing Engine rules. No starship deck planes, not even any silhouettes. The art was good but did not hint at the gems that lie within the words. What I found did not justify the $12.95 cover price, but maybe up to $8 of it. The magic system (this is science fantasy) was enchanting. Based on a celestial "music" only some can hear, 3 schools of magic (harmonians, discordians and melodians) perform miracles mundane and awesome. Musical terms like coda, measure, beat and clef help add to the wonderfully unique flavor of this magic system. For me, the starship weapons and defenses proved innovative and logical. The alien races included some surprisingly unique cultural and physical twists on the expected. Lastly the detail of the campaign was thorough and open to many options for players to explore, though I found it uninspiring as it offered few black & white good guys and bad guys. This is a universe for loaners, rebels and opportunists. For me, this book is an excellent resource for ideas. The "music" based magic system is stand alone and can be adapted to other genre and systems. The differing and opposed schools make for excellent campaign color and adventure possibilities. The politics, history and cultures of the various races are fertile seeds for adventure in any scifi universe. Lastly, the starship options (especially defenses) would be easily recreated in other rules systems. If you're a scifi GM, find this one on sale, read it and keep a pad and pencil handy. Style: 2 (Needs Work) Substance: 4 (Meaty)

THE GALCTOS BARRIER