The Inside Scoop on Gaming

(Disclaimer: if you look at the errata for GURPS Space on the Steve Jackson Games website, you will see "Maps by Robert Knop." This refers to the star map on page 146 of the book. I was also involved in the playtest of this book. This is all a minor contribution, and should not disqualify me as a reviewer for this book.) [Editor's note: works for us...]

GURPS Space, 2nd edition was already one of my all-time favorite gaming supplements. The third edition of GURPS Space is only that much better. At 176 pages, it's nearly 50 pages longer than the previous edition.

GURPS Space really does give you everything you need in order to play a science fiction space-oriented roleplaying campaign. The entire book is generic. It's not designed for any specific world or background, but is set up to support science fiction roleplaying anywhere from the near future exploration of the solar system to a galaxy-spanning culture. It can support either very realistic "hard-science" backgrounds, or loose, cinematic, space opera sorts of backgrounds.

It starts with 40 pages in two chapters about creating a universe, choosing a tone for your campaign, the interstellar governments and organizations that might exist, and on choosing the technology that will be in your campaign, and how it will affect your campaign. These chapters are not GURPS specific at all, but will be of great use to anybody building a science fiction roleplaying campaign. A chapter on characters follows, which includes some GURPS rules (advantages, disadvantages, and skills), five pages on creating variant human and alien races (with four sample alien races), and brief descriptions of a number of very typical sorts of characters one might find in a science fiction campaign. The "gadgets," "weapons," and "medicine" chapters list a startlingly large array of science fictional equipment and processes, from technology levels that vary from the near future to superscience. The "environments" chapter gives rules for playing in various different (surprise) environments, including varying and zero gravity, different pressure, different atmospheric compositions, extremes of temperature, and radiation. The "stars and worlds" chapter is a excellent whirlwind tour of astronomy, quite accurate where it is not speculative. Although well researched, this chapter doesn't seek to be academic, but rather gives the information that people playing in a science fiction roleplaying game would be most interested in. The "civilizations" chapter briefly describes possibilities planetary and interstellar civilizations, installations and starports, and governments.

The bulk of what is new comes in the "Starships" and "Space Combat" chapter. The old starship construction and combat rules from GURPS Space, 2nd edition are gone. In their place is a new system by David Pulver. This system produce starships compatible with GURPS Vehicles, 2nd edition. However, the construction system is greatly streamlined compared to what is in Vehicles. (A sidebar of conversion notes is given for those who want both the additional detail and additional work involved in using GURPS Vehicles.) The space combat system remains slick and abstract, but is far more satisfying than what was present in the previous edition.

If you are interested in space-oriented science fiction roleplaying, get this book-- even if you don't play GURPS. Download GURPS Lite from www.sjgames.com if you want to know enough about GURPS to understand the rules mechanics therein. The quality and completeness of the book is astounding. Don't get fooled into thinking that you need any of the other umpteen science fiction books that Steve Jackson Games publishes in order to play a Space campaign with GURPS. Yes, for instance, the Ultra Tech books have more gadgets and so forth, but the selection of gadgets and weapons available in GURPS Space is excellent, and stands on its own. Although GURPS Space makes reference to GURPS Compendium I, and Compendium I is listed on the back of this book as "required" for its use with GURPS, the book is still quite useful without Compendium I. Some parts of the "Characters" chapter make reference to the Compendium I, but it is not necessary for the bulk of the book. GURPS Compendium II is not required at all, and indeed the hazardous environments and radiation rules appear in GURPS Space, 3rd edition even though they are also present in an earlier form in Compendium II. (Although some GURPS collectors may complain that this is wasted space, I think this is a positive thing. It really does make GURPS Space an all-in-one reference for science fictional space traveling roleplaying.)

If you already have GURPS Space, 2nd Edition, the 3rd edition is worth it for the starship and space combat chapters alone. If these chapters don't interest you at all, then the 2nd edition you already have may be enough for you. There are other changes (such as somewhat expanded gadgets and weapons chapters), but they are not quite as significant.

Style: 5 (Excellent!)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

GURPS Space, 3rd edition
Author: Steve Jackson, William A. Barton, and David Pulver Category: game Company/Publisher: Steve Jackson Games Line: GURPS Cost: 22.95 Page count: 176 ISBN: 1-55634-390-6 SKU: SJGO2295 6005 Capsule Review by R. Knop on 11/27/99. Genre tags: Science_fiction Space	(Disclaimer: if you look at the errata for GURPS Space on the Steve Jackson Games website, you will see "Maps by Robert Knop." This refers to the star map on page 146 of the book. I was also involved in the playtest of this book. This is all a minor contribution, and should not disqualify me as a reviewer for this book.) [Editor's note: works for us...] GURPS Space, 2nd edition was already one of my all-time favorite gaming supplements. The third edition of GURPS Space is only that much better. At 176 pages, it's nearly 50 pages longer than the previous edition. GURPS Space really does give you everything you need in order to play a science fiction space-oriented roleplaying campaign. The entire book is generic. It's not designed for any specific world or background, but is set up to support science fiction roleplaying anywhere from the near future exploration of the solar system to a galaxy-spanning culture. It can support either very realistic "hard-science" backgrounds, or loose, cinematic, space opera sorts of backgrounds. It starts with 40 pages in two chapters about creating a universe, choosing a tone for your campaign, the interstellar governments and organizations that might exist, and on choosing the technology that will be in your campaign, and how it will affect your campaign. These chapters are not GURPS specific at all, but will be of great use to anybody building a science fiction roleplaying campaign. A chapter on characters follows, which includes some GURPS rules (advantages, disadvantages, and skills), five pages on creating variant human and alien races (with four sample alien races), and brief descriptions of a number of very typical sorts of characters one might find in a science fiction campaign. The "gadgets," "weapons," and "medicine" chapters list a startlingly large array of science fictional equipment and processes, from technology levels that vary from the near future to superscience. The "environments" chapter gives rules for playing in various different (surprise) environments, including varying and zero gravity, different pressure, different atmospheric compositions, extremes of temperature, and radiation. The "stars and worlds" chapter is a excellent whirlwind tour of astronomy, quite accurate where it is not speculative. Although well researched, this chapter doesn't seek to be academic, but rather gives the information that people playing in a science fiction roleplaying game would be most interested in. The "civilizations" chapter briefly describes possibilities planetary and interstellar civilizations, installations and starports, and governments. The bulk of what is new comes in the "Starships" and "Space Combat" chapter. The old starship construction and combat rules from GURPS Space, 2nd edition are gone. In their place is a new system by David Pulver. This system produce starships compatible with GURPS Vehicles, 2nd edition. However, the construction system is greatly streamlined compared to what is in Vehicles. (A sidebar of conversion notes is given for those who want both the additional detail and additional work involved in using GURPS Vehicles.) The space combat system remains slick and abstract, but is far more satisfying than what was present in the previous edition. If you are interested in space-oriented science fiction roleplaying, get this book-- even if you don't play GURPS. Download GURPS Lite from www.sjgames.com if you want to know enough about GURPS to understand the rules mechanics therein. The quality and completeness of the book is astounding. Don't get fooled into thinking that you need any of the other umpteen science fiction books that Steve Jackson Games publishes in order to play a Space campaign with GURPS. Yes, for instance, the Ultra Tech books have more gadgets and so forth, but the selection of gadgets and weapons available in GURPS Space is excellent, and stands on its own. Although GURPS Space makes reference to GURPS Compendium I, and Compendium I is listed on the back of this book as "required" for its use with GURPS, the book is still quite useful without Compendium I. Some parts of the "Characters" chapter make reference to the Compendium I, but it is not necessary for the bulk of the book. GURPS Compendium II is not required at all, and indeed the hazardous environments and radiation rules appear in GURPS Space, 3rd edition even though they are also present in an earlier form in Compendium II. (Although some GURPS collectors may complain that this is wasted space, I think this is a positive thing. It really does make GURPS Space an all-in-one reference for science fictional space traveling roleplaying.) If you already have GURPS Space, 2nd Edition, the 3rd edition is worth it for the starship and space combat chapters alone. If these chapters don't interest you at all, then the 2nd edition you already have may be enough for you. There are other changes (such as somewhat expanded gadgets and weapons chapters), but they are not quite as significant. Style: 5 (Excellent!) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)