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The Galactic Underground is a companion book for the Battlelords of the 23rd Century sci fi RPG published by SSDC Inc.

The book has a page count of 111, and includes a handy 1 page Index at the last page. And considering the eclectic nature of the information contained in the book, it’s good to be able to look something up quickly.

The Galactic Underground ( referred to from now on as GU ) is presented as a collection of various articles, discussions and options which can be included in any Battlelords game. And seeing as how the GU covers a broad the range of subjects, for the purposes of this review, I’ll be examining the contents one chapter at a time.

Chapter 1: Race Expansion. The GU gets started by introducing a few new races which can be added to the Battlelords universe. These are: - The Goola-Goola, essentially space dwarves with a penchant for ruining a perfectly good piece of technology in a misguided attempt to make it better. - The Kizanti, a race of teleporting assassins. - I-Bots, androids with various programs that can be used as PC’s.

The chapter continues with a discussion on the life and outlook of two of the more martial races in the game. The Eridani Swordsaint, something like a samurai klingon, and the Phentari, humanoid, predatory squids who are willing to use every dirty trick in the book to defeat a foe. These essays do help bring into focus these two races, even if it doesn’t do much to dispel stereotypes players may have about them.

Chapter 2: Character Background and Features. This is a collection of new options which can be used to further detail a character. Things like variant eye or skin color for a different species for instance. Some of these alternatives have some significance to a particular race. An example would be a particular eye color being associated with royalty. There are also expanded random background tables for players to roll on to determine events or twists of fate in the characters past before the game begins. Some of the results can be beneficial and others, quite the opposite. Not a crucial addition to the game, but some players may enjoy the added randomness to character creation.

Chapter 3: Skills Expansion. Here, the GU presents an updated skills list which can be used instead of, or along with, the one presented in the Battlelords rulebook. It covers each and every skill in the game and offers suggestions for salaries earned by characters proficient with them. Each skill is given a short description, and can also be found on a master skills table which lists all the pertinent information.

Chapter 4: Matrix Expansion. This chapter covers the funky psi power in the game. It begins with a discussion on finding a mentor. An interesting option which opens up a lot of possibilities role-playing wise. The chapter then goes on to introduce a long list of new powers, categorized by type. Empathic and telepathic powers, energy control powers and bio manipulation powers. Next is a section on matrix manipulation technology and artifacts of power.

Chapter 5: Standard of Living. In this chapter, the book deals with some more mundane aspects of a character’s life in the game setting. Things like credit cards and bank loans are covered. Rules for figuring out what kind of neighbors the PC’s have. All items whose value to the game is debatable at best. None the less, I must admit to having found use for this section in the past. If nothing else, it gives the PC’s a guide to emergcy funds they can draw on when they can’t pay off the local crime boss… The chapter and the book cap off with a few pages dedicated to humor. Things like “20 ways to liven up a boring Sunday” and the “Battlelords famous last words” don’t take up too much room in the book and are worth a chuckle or two.

At the end of the day, this isn’t by any means a necessary book to have. However, there is enough variety in here to make sure it probably has something for every Battlelords GM.

Galactic Underground
Galactic Underground Capsule Review by Alex Hanna on 30/09/02 Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 3 (Average) An odd but useful grab bag of information. Product: Galactic Underground Author: Lawrence R. Sims, Benjamin Pierce, Doug Nelson Category: RPG Company/Publisher: SSDC Inc. Line: Battlelords Cost: $14.95 US Page count: 112 Year published: 2000 ISBN: 0-9679400-7-9 SKU: SSDC301 Comp copy?: no Capsule Review by Alex Hanna on 30/09/02 Genre tags: Science Fiction	The Galactic Underground is a companion book for the Battlelords of the 23rd Century sci fi RPG published by SSDC Inc. The book has a page count of 111, and includes a handy 1 page Index at the last page. And considering the eclectic nature of the information contained in the book, it’s good to be able to look something up quickly. The Galactic Underground ( referred to from now on as GU ) is presented as a collection of various articles, discussions and options which can be included in any Battlelords game. And seeing as how the GU covers a broad the range of subjects, for the purposes of this review, I’ll be examining the contents one chapter at a time. Chapter 1: Race Expansion. The GU gets started by introducing a few new races which can be added to the Battlelords universe. These are: - The Goola-Goola, essentially space dwarves with a penchant for ruining a perfectly good piece of technology in a misguided attempt to make it better. - The Kizanti, a race of teleporting assassins. - I-Bots, androids with various programs that can be used as PC’s. The chapter continues with a discussion on the life and outlook of two of the more martial races in the game. The Eridani Swordsaint, something like a samurai klingon, and the Phentari, humanoid, predatory squids who are willing to use every dirty trick in the book to defeat a foe. These essays do help bring into focus these two races, even if it doesn’t do much to dispel stereotypes players may have about them. Chapter 2: Character Background and Features. This is a collection of new options which can be used to further detail a character. Things like variant eye or skin color for a different species for instance. Some of these alternatives have some significance to a particular race. An example would be a particular eye color being associated with royalty. There are also expanded random background tables for players to roll on to determine events or twists of fate in the characters past before the game begins. Some of the results can be beneficial and others, quite the opposite. Not a crucial addition to the game, but some players may enjoy the added randomness to character creation. Chapter 3: Skills Expansion. Here, the GU presents an updated skills list which can be used instead of, or along with, the one presented in the Battlelords rulebook. It covers each and every skill in the game and offers suggestions for salaries earned by characters proficient with them. Each skill is given a short description, and can also be found on a master skills table which lists all the pertinent information. Chapter 4: Matrix Expansion. This chapter covers the funky psi power in the game. It begins with a discussion on finding a mentor. An interesting option which opens up a lot of possibilities role-playing wise. The chapter then goes on to introduce a long list of new powers, categorized by type. Empathic and telepathic powers, energy control powers and bio manipulation powers. Next is a section on matrix manipulation technology and artifacts of power. Chapter 5: Standard of Living. In this chapter, the book deals with some more mundane aspects of a character’s life in the game setting. Things like credit cards and bank loans are covered. Rules for figuring out what kind of neighbors the PC’s have. All items whose value to the game is debatable at best. None the less, I must admit to having found use for this section in the past. If nothing else, it gives the PC’s a guide to emergcy funds they can draw on when they can’t pay off the local crime boss… The chapter and the book cap off with a few pages dedicated to humor. Things like “20 ways to liven up a boring Sunday” and the “Battlelords famous last words” don’t take up too much room in the book and are worth a chuckle or two. At the end of the day, this isn’t by any means a necessary book to have. However, there is enough variety in here to make sure it probably has something for every Battlelords GM.