Points in Space Volume 1: Starport Locations is the first volume in a series of electronic book (in PDF format) for the "All-Systems Library" from Cumberland Games & Diversions. Produced by veteran writer S. John Ross, the first volume details fifteen locations you might find in any starport, space station, or L-5 colony of your favorite science fiction (preferably space operatic) roleplaying game. Because the "All-Systems Library" supports "good stuff only" (as the author calls it), the book wastes no space with game mechanics or anything rules-related. Yet, that doesn't mean the material is generic - far from it. Instead,
Points in Space concentrates on providing the GM with interesting and well-detailed locales that he can easily insert into his own game.
Starport Locations consists of two books. The first, known simply as the Main Book, describes fifteen locales in copious detail. Although only 40 pages in length, those pages have none of the wide margins and poor layout we've seen in many recent products. Instead, it shows a "writer's sensibility" - concerned with the interplay between space usage and legibility. Consequently, those 40 pages pack a lot of information without hindering your ability to read the text. In fact, the layout, with its clear two-column presentation and appropriately boxed text was very easy on my eyes. I sped through the pages without any difficulty. Of course, the breezy style and wonderful content probably had a lot to do with that as well.
The Main Book's fifteen locales show a great deal of diversity. Everything from hotels to restaurants to docking bays are provided here, along with the unforgettable Laxa's Holoporn Theater. Run by a bizarre race of aliens called the Mexlar, the Theater is more than just an opportunity for the GM to inflict jokes of prurient interest upon his unsuspecting players (although it does that quite nicely as well). It's also the center of the aliens' enclave on the space station, making it - believe it or not - an important cultural locale as well.
These sorts of unexpected details, which can be found throughout, are what truly make Starport Locations a valuable addition to any gamer's library. Ross has managed to create fifteen unique locales that are generic without being bland. Each has its own unique flavor and feel. It'd be very hard to confuse Whomar's Casino with Ela's Tomb or the Holoporn Theater. While not all the locales would be suitable for every campaign, that's not a serious drawback. Even in the case of the more unusual locations, there are always small details and character descriptions that are easily mined for ideas. Indeed, that's what really raises Starport Locations head and shoulders above other books of this type (of which there are sadly too few): density of nifty ideas. There's a lot of thought and creativity in the Main Book; I found myself jotting down ideas as I read through its pages. I suspect my experience won't be unique. Each locale also includes a small but detailed map of its environs, making it easy to visualize it - another nice touch.
The Main Book concludes with details of the card game "Face of Emoch," named for the mad god of the alien Kromes. Playable by two to six people, the object of Face of Emoch is not unlike poker but it includes a few unusual twists, most having to do with the pieces of the eponymous Emoch's face one possesses. The deck consists of 54 cards that are attractively illustrated with portions of the mad god's face. When printed onto cardstock, you have everything you need to play. The game is simple enough that it's possible to use in a gaming session and holds enough complexity that it's more than a one-shot wonder. That in itself is a nice change of pace, since most in-character games don't hold much interest in the long run.
The second book in the set is the 103-page Map Book, which includes 1:36 scale tactical scale maps for each of the fifteen locales described in the main book. The larger maps are overlayed with a hex grid, which makes them very useful for games like GURPS, but not for games like Classic Traveller or Star Wars, which use a square grid. It's a minor point, to be sure, but worth mentioning. Of course, the detail on these maps comes close to making up for this small shortcoming.
Together, the two books are an important product. Firstly, they take full advantage of the PDF format, using a layout and presentation that, frankly, you're not likely to see in a printed book. The Cumberland Games & Diversions website even includes a tree sample of the books, so that you know what you're getting before you use your credit card to purchase them. More important than the format is the approach to the material included. The author employs an avowedly "media SF approach," one that treats Security Station Blue Six or the Purple Fountain Club like film sets for RPGs. Rather than being an excuse to provide endless stats for how much damage the plasteel walls can take before breaching, they're filled with people and objects for the characters to interact with. When a brawl breaks out in Ela's Tomb, you know the location of all the chairs - as well as the patrons across whose backs you'll break them. This approach is both cinematic and refreshing, one that appeals to GMs like me, who think roleplaying has a lot more in common with television and film than literary bunkum.
The Main Book sell for $9.95, the Map Book for $7.95, while the two together cost $12.95. This is probably more than many gamers are willing to pay. As a group, we are quite cheap and have grown used to prices having been fixed in 1986 and not keeping pace with inflation. Considering that there is no art in the book, I understand that perspective, even if I don't share it. The quality of the material in Starport Locations compares very favorably with that in non-electronic game books. In many cases, it's much better and has greater utility over the long haul. I can easily see reusing some of the locales included in this volume of the series.
That said, I'd recommend downloading the sample to see if it's to your taste. If you're keen on the cinematic idiom and think roleplaying is about interesting NPCs and flavorful locales, Starport Locations is probably for you. If you're more interested in the vacuum velocity of an unladen star cruiser or the megajoules of energy generated by a plasma rifle, you should give this one a pass. For the sake of future installments in the series - as well as the future of SF roleplaying - I certainly hope there are more of the former than the latter out there. We need more material like this and I encourage you to support Cumberland Games & Diversions in bringing the fun back to science fiction gaming.
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