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After the success of the Spinward Marches, GDW created a second full sector for use by Traveller Games Masters and players, called the Solomani Rim it was the region of space near Earth(Terra), a sector that was divided between the Imperium and the decidedly fascist Solomani Confederation.

GURPS Traveller Rim of Fire, is Steve Jackson Games's adaptation of that original sourcebook material. It uses a similar format to the preceding GURPS Traveller Sector Book, Behind the Claw.

The text is divided into five sections. The first as in Behind the Claw, covers the organisation of the Imperial Government in the sector and the Mega/Major/Minor Corporations that operate in the sector, some of this information is repeated from Behind the Claw, though oddly the MegaCorporate insignia are different from Behind the Claw. Sidebars cover the recent history of the region from 1102 to 1120 and give information on mercenary groups, historical societies and how citizens of the Imperium become part of the Imperial Nobility.

The other states in the sector (Solomani Confederation & Vegan Autonomous District), and minor races (Dolphins, & Gurungan) are covered in the second section of the book. Unlike Behind the Claw, templates and advice on player suitability are provided for these races. The section closes with some sample Solomani spacecraft.

The third section of the book covers the early history of the region from the Interstellar Wars to the Solomani Rim War, with a sidebar giving advice on how to set a campaign in the Interstellar War Period.

The system descriptions which make up the fourth part of the book are handled differently than in Behind the Claw. Each subsector has a map, two data tables, the first giving information on the system mainworlds while the second provides navigational information and the planetary descriptions.

The subsector maps use a different format from those in Behind the Claw, subsector capitals are indicated with a grey and black 'target', amber zones by a black ring around the world, while red zones are a grey ring around the world. The GDW practice of indicating planets with populations over 1 billion by writing the planets name in capital letters has been revived. For some reason no map key is provided in this book, caused this reviewer some confusion and is definitely a minus.

There are two other problems with this section, the first relates to layout, it would have been better for the GM if the subsector maps and the world/navigation data tables had all been placed at the start of the subsector information. The second lies in the world descriptions themselves, while the author (Jon F. Zeigler) has rightly tried to concentrate on detailing, "important or unique worlds...", there are several descriptions that effectivly read ' is an outpost of/controlled by/settled from ', it would have made for a better book if the controlling worlds had been described and the outposts mentioned within the description for that system.

The final portion of the book is set aside for GM only information, plot hooks and sidebars covering how to use this material with other books in the series (First In, Far Trader & Star Merc) as well as one on how to deal with Virus (aka GDW's Reset Switch) in the context of GURPS Traveller.

This book gives the impression of being assembled with care, unlike Behind the Claw. The illustrations have been put together with some thought, in the subsector information section, it is actually possible to pick which world the illustration refers to. I'll give this one a four out of four in terms of its value for money, since none of the problems I've identified are fatal and four out of five in terms of the information conveyed, the sidebars on how to use First In, Far Trader & Star Merc being particularly useful.

Here's hoping any future Sector books will be up to this standard.

GURPS Traveller: Rim of Fire
GURPS Traveller: Rim of Fire Capsule Review by Graham Donald on 23/09/01 Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty) A well written and useful suppliment. Product: GURPS Traveller: Rim of Fire Author: Jon F. Zeigler Category: RPG Company/Publisher: Steve Jackson Games Line: GURPS Cost: Page count: 144 Year published: 2000 ISBN: 1-55634-436-8 SKU: SJG2095 6615 Comp copy?: no Capsule Review by Graham Donald on 23/09/01 Genre tags: Science Fiction Far Future Space	After the success of the Spinward Marches, GDW created a second full sector for use by Traveller Games Masters and players, called the Solomani Rim it was the region of space near Earth(Terra), a sector that was divided between the Imperium and the decidedly fascist Solomani Confederation. GURPS Traveller Rim of Fire, is Steve Jackson Games's adaptation of that original sourcebook material. It uses a similar format to the preceding GURPS Traveller Sector Book, Behind the Claw. The text is divided into five sections. The first as in Behind the Claw, covers the organisation of the Imperial Government in the sector and the Mega/Major/Minor Corporations that operate in the sector, some of this information is repeated from Behind the Claw, though oddly the MegaCorporate insignia are different from Behind the Claw. Sidebars cover the recent history of the region from 1102 to 1120 and give information on mercenary groups, historical societies and how citizens of the Imperium become part of the Imperial Nobility. The other states in the sector (Solomani Confederation & Vegan Autonomous District), and minor races (Dolphins, & Gurungan) are covered in the second section of the book. Unlike Behind the Claw, templates and advice on player suitability are provided for these races. The section closes with some sample Solomani spacecraft. The third section of the book covers the early history of the region from the Interstellar Wars to the Solomani Rim War, with a sidebar giving advice on how to set a campaign in the Interstellar War Period. The system descriptions which make up the fourth part of the book are handled differently than in Behind the Claw. Each subsector has a map, two data tables, the first giving information on the system mainworlds while the second provides navigational information and the planetary descriptions. The subsector maps use a different format from those in Behind the Claw, subsector capitals are indicated with a grey and black 'target', amber zones by a black ring around the world, while red zones are a grey ring around the world. The GDW practice of indicating planets with populations over 1 billion by writing the planets name in capital letters has been revived. For some reason no map key is provided in this book, caused this reviewer some confusion and is definitely a minus. There are two other problems with this section, the first relates to layout, it would have been better for the GM if the subsector maps and the world/navigation data tables had all been placed at the start of the subsector information. The second lies in the world descriptions themselves, while the author (Jon F. Zeigler) has rightly tried to concentrate on detailing, "important or unique worlds...", there are several descriptions that effectivly read ' is an outpost of/controlled by/settled from ', it would have made for a better book if the controlling worlds had been described and the outposts mentioned within the description for that system. The final portion of the book is set aside for GM only information, plot hooks and sidebars covering how to use this material with other books in the series (First In, Far Trader & Star Merc) as well as one on how to deal with Virus (aka GDW's Reset Switch) in the context of GURPS Traveller. This book gives the impression of being assembled with care, unlike Behind the Claw. The illustrations have been put together with some thought, in the subsector information section, it is actually possible to pick which world the illustration refers to. I'll give this one a four out of four in terms of its value for money, since none of the problems I've identified are fatal and four out of five in terms of the information conveyed, the sidebars on how to use First In, Far Trader & Star Merc being particularly useful. Here's hoping any future Sector books will be up to this standard.

GURPS Traveller: Rim of Fire