The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Introduction

The Jovian Chronicles setting by Dream Pod 9 is designed to combine the setting elements of hard science fiction and Gundam-like anime. In this setting, humanity has colonized the solar system, but not without past problems. After a century of time since the first colonies were established, economic collapse isolated humanity from each other, with many people fleeing a war-torn Earth to the relative safety of the colonies. During this time, mankind struggled, and soon the infant colonies became powerful nations in their own right. When contact between the colonies and Earth was restored, commerce, diplomacy and technology opened a new political playground and the universe of Jovian Chronicles began.

I have followed and played the Jovian Chronicles game since its second release by Dream Pod 9. The game's first release was under Ianus Publishing using the Mekton rules published by R. Talsorian Games, known to longtime fans as the "green books." The current release of the game uses Dream Pod 9's own Silhouette rules. Along with adopting a new rules set, Dream Pod 9 has also evolved the setting, creating greater complexity and more source material.

The recently released Jovian Chronicles book, Nomads Planet Sourcebook, is the publisher's most recent addition to the setting, providing background into the setting's Nomad colonies. The book seeks to define a complex culture of Nomads within the Asteroid Belt in the 23rd century, providing background on their history, society, settlements and lifestyle.

Presentation

First off, Dream Pod 9 has always done an extremely good job on presentation. Still, this book is among their top in presentation. When I first opened the book and started leafing through the pages; I couldn't help but get excited about the book and the Nomad setting.

The contents are laid out in nice, logical order, clearly breaking up the book's contents. What I particularly like about Dream Pod 9's books is the ample use of subtitles. Most pages have a minimum of two to three subtitled sections, all referenced in the Table of Contents. This makes the book an easy reference book for the GM that just got thrown a tangent by their team of players or the player that wants to check a subject at the game table. At the same time, this book reads well chapter by chapter, making it a nice read.

This book also has some fabulous artwork. With the release of the SolaPol Sourcebook last year, Dream Pod 9 tried to take the imagery for Jovian Chronicles in a different, grittier direction. Since that time, Jovian Chronicles's artwork has evolved slowly. With this book, some of the best-combined styles come together very well. The well-respected styles of Ghislain Barbe combine with the talents of Patrick Boutin Gagne, Bobbi Burque, Marc Ouellette and Vankhimi Darkim to provide an imaginative setting. Inside, the character illustrations have the same grittier appearances first demonstrated in the SolaPol Sourcebook. The technical drawings of settlements and ships are well thought out and illustrated. In addition, a map of major asteroids and their orbits is a great piece for a navigational aid prop in roleplaying sessions.

Overall, the presentation in this book is superb. The illustrations and corresponding layout really help enhance the book's contents, readily sparking this critic's imagination for roleplaying.

Content

First, this is a very word rich book. Fortunately, this book is also very well written and explains the Nomads in a concise and easy-to-read manner.

The book's contents are divided into six main chapters: Introduction, Nomads Overview, Nomad Clans, Stations, Game Resources and Technology. What I found particularly special about this book was how all these chapters are geared toward gaming. Some of Dream Pod 9's earlier releases have seemed a bit removed from the game, making it difficult for the GM to integrate the ideas into a campaign for lowly adventurers. This sourcebook really sets out from the beginning to show how to use the Nomads and their world in a Jovian Chronicles adventure. Subtitled areas offer usefull advice on how to utilize the source material in action, intrigue or dramatic settings.

Space stations and vehicles are a vital part of most space adventuring, and the book satisfies this requirement, providing general data and background on a number of space stations and vehicles commonly used and operated by Nomad Clans. Seeming to draw off a lot of research into different design solutions, the stations are a strange collection of man-made structures clinging to asteroids or fragile frames held together by their own angular momentum. The Nomadic vehicle collection are more antiquated and patchquilt designs, helping make a more gritty setting.

There are also plenty of other game resources, including an extensive potpourri of career archetypes, short adventures, NPCs and instructions on how to build your own Clan. This last item is perhaps the most fascinating and promptly inspired me to create my own Clan. The steps are clearly laid out but leave a lot of room for being creative. Once I dove in, I felt inspired to go back and reread chapter three, trying to tie my new Clan into the canonical Clans.

Conclusion

This is a great sourcebook for the Jovian Chronicles setting. The source material is useful and very game-centric. If you are a fan of hard science fiction or Gundam anime roleplaying, you owe it to yourself to take a look at the Nomad Planet Sourcebook.

Nomad Planet Sourcebook
Nomad Planet Sourcebook Capsule Review by Fezzic on 20/11/01 Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty) If you are a fan of hard science fiction or Gundam anime roleplaying, you owe it to yourself to take a look at the Nomad Planet Sourcebook. Product: Nomad Planet Sourcebook Author: Francis Bedell and Paul Lippincott Category: RPG Company/Publisher: Dream Pod 9 Line: Jovian Chronicles Cost: $19.95 Page count: 112 Year published: 2001 ISBN: 1-894578-58-9 SKU: DP9-323 Comp copy?: no Capsule Review by Fezzic on 20/11/01 Genre tags: Science Fiction Space Anime	Introduction The Jovian Chronicles setting by Dream Pod 9 is designed to combine the setting elements of hard science fiction and Gundam-like anime. In this setting, humanity has colonized the solar system, but not without past problems. After a century of time since the first colonies were established, economic collapse isolated humanity from each other, with many people fleeing a war-torn Earth to the relative safety of the colonies. During this time, mankind struggled, and soon the infant colonies became powerful nations in their own right. When contact between the colonies and Earth was restored, commerce, diplomacy and technology opened a new political playground and the universe of Jovian Chronicles began. I have followed and played the Jovian Chronicles game since its second release by Dream Pod 9. The game's first release was under Ianus Publishing using the Mekton rules published by R. Talsorian Games, known to longtime fans as the "green books." The current release of the game uses Dream Pod 9's own Silhouette rules. Along with adopting a new rules set, Dream Pod 9 has also evolved the setting, creating greater complexity and more source material. The recently released Jovian Chronicles book, Nomads Planet Sourcebook, is the publisher's most recent addition to the setting, providing background into the setting's Nomad colonies. The book seeks to define a complex culture of Nomads within the Asteroid Belt in the 23rd century, providing background on their history, society, settlements and lifestyle. Presentation First off, Dream Pod 9 has always done an extremely good job on presentation. Still, this book is among their top in presentation. When I first opened the book and started leafing through the pages; I couldn't help but get excited about the book and the Nomad setting. The contents are laid out in nice, logical order, clearly breaking up the book's contents. What I particularly like about Dream Pod 9's books is the ample use of subtitles. Most pages have a minimum of two to three subtitled sections, all referenced in the Table of Contents. This makes the book an easy reference book for the GM that just got thrown a tangent by their team of players or the player that wants to check a subject at the game table. At the same time, this book reads well chapter by chapter, making it a nice read. This book also has some fabulous artwork. With the release of the SolaPol Sourcebook last year, Dream Pod 9 tried to take the imagery for Jovian Chronicles in a different, grittier direction. Since that time, Jovian Chronicles's artwork has evolved slowly. With this book, some of the best-combined styles come together very well. The well-respected styles of Ghislain Barbe combine with the talents of Patrick Boutin Gagne, Bobbi Burque, Marc Ouellette and Vankhimi Darkim to provide an imaginative setting. Inside, the character illustrations have the same grittier appearances first demonstrated in the SolaPol Sourcebook. The technical drawings of settlements and ships are well thought out and illustrated. In addition, a map of major asteroids and their orbits is a great piece for a navigational aid prop in roleplaying sessions. Overall, the presentation in this book is superb. The illustrations and corresponding layout really help enhance the book's contents, readily sparking this critic's imagination for roleplaying. Content First, this is a very word rich book. Fortunately, this book is also very well written and explains the Nomads in a concise and easy-to-read manner. The book's contents are divided into six main chapters: Introduction, Nomads Overview, Nomad Clans, Stations, Game Resources and Technology. What I found particularly special about this book was how all these chapters are geared toward gaming. Some of Dream Pod 9's earlier releases have seemed a bit removed from the game, making it difficult for the GM to integrate the ideas into a campaign for lowly adventurers. This sourcebook really sets out from the beginning to show how to use the Nomads and their world in a Jovian Chronicles adventure. Subtitled areas offer usefull advice on how to utilize the source material in action, intrigue or dramatic settings. Space stations and vehicles are a vital part of most space adventuring, and the book satisfies this requirement, providing general data and background on a number of space stations and vehicles commonly used and operated by Nomad Clans. Seeming to draw off a lot of research into different design solutions, the stations are a strange collection of man-made structures clinging to asteroids or fragile frames held together by their own angular momentum. The Nomadic vehicle collection are more antiquated and patchquilt designs, helping make a more gritty setting. There are also plenty of other game resources, including an extensive potpourri of career archetypes, short adventures, NPCs and instructions on how to build your own Clan. This last item is perhaps the most fascinating and promptly inspired me to create my own Clan. The steps are clearly laid out but leave a lot of room for being creative. Once I dove in, I felt inspired to go back and reread chapter three, trying to tie my new Clan into the canonical Clans. Conclusion This is a great sourcebook for the Jovian Chronicles setting. The source material is useful and very game-centric. If you are a fan of hard science fiction or Gundam anime roleplaying, you owe it to yourself to take a look at the Nomad Planet Sourcebook.