"Glisten:Jewel of the Marches", is the fourth volume in Steve Jackson Games's "GURPS, Traveller:Planetary Survey", series. This is a series of 32 page A5 size books providing information and adventure hooks for a single planetary system in the Traveller Universe. As with previous volumes an attempt has been made to keep game mechanics out of the book.
This book deals with a planetary system that consists entirely of asteroid belts, which creates an entirely different gaming environment from those presented in the previous volumes. I feel that the book handles this environment well, and uses it to provide many different potential locations for adventures to occur, ranging from gleaming arcology cities and artists colonies to naval bases.
As with the previous volumes the book details the systems history, its present circumstances, important locations, the nature of its government, its relation to the rest of the universe, how to create local characters and adventure hooks.
Unlike the previous volume, "Glisten" does not feel cramped, and is not dominated by side bars. In fact there are only six. The first, which covers the Glisten systems main holiday, in honour of a major figure in the Traveller universe (Empress Arbellatra, who ended the first Imperial Civil War), is accompanied by one of the best character portraits I have yet seen in a roleplaying suppliment, it is in the style of a 19th century portrait, unfortunatly I am not sure who painted it.
Illustrations are mostly by Jesse DeGraff and for the first time in the series do a good job
of illustrating various adventure locations.
The adventures section provides a large number of plot hooks, which are attached to different character types, ranging from tourists to scientists. One hook which offers GM's great opportunities to drive PC's crazy is "I love the night life...", in which the PC's are bodyguards to a spoilt teenager who wants to experience the "real Glisten".
The section dealing with variants presents three possibilities, two are based on different outcomes for a particular historical crisis, leading either to a corporate government or for a workers government. The third variant ties in with "GURPS:Illuminati", on the surface things are unchanged, but behind the scenes is a maze of conspiracies and hidden organisations.
There are however some problems, the map on the front inside cover, which is of the systems main spaceport is labelled, "Banf Spaceport", however throughout the text it is referred to as "Banfi Spaceport". The data table which accompanies the back cover map showing the worlds within 6 hexes of Glisten, is missing three worlds (Robin, D'Mara & Keltcher) and an error dating back to "Behind the Claw" is repeated (the planet Noctocol is shown at 10% its actual size).
Despite the problems I recommend this book for anyone running a sci-fi campaign that involves an asteroid settlement.
Go to forum!
(Due to spamming, old forum discussions are no linked.)