The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Galactic Underground 2 is a companion book to the Battlelords of the 23rd Century sci fi RPG published by SSDC Inc.

Like the other products in the game line, GU2 is a soft cover book and features a lot of largely decent black and white art.

The GU2, like the first Galactic Underground supplement, doesn’t cover any one theme in the game, but rather is a collection of various rules additions, options, discussions and articles that pertain to a myriad of subjects in Battlelords. It’s presented almost like a magazine that a citizen of the Galactic Alliance, the game’s default setting, might pick up and browse through.

It’s a 95 page book with subjects broken down as follows:

The book starts with 2 pages of short news articles about the goings on in the Alliance. These serve as ready made plot hooks which can easily be fleshed out by a GM into his next campaign.

The second chapter introduces six new alien races which can be used as PC’s. They are;

-The Andromeni, an energy based life form that takes over the bodies of the deceased. -The Ashanti, four armed warrior race currently applying for admittance into the Galactic Alliance. -The Fott, a race of, get this, genetically engineered, man sized redneck rabbits. Nuff’ said. -Furbl, cute and fuzzy species that was, until recently, thought to not have achieved sentience. -The Gemini, a rock like species of space druids. Also seeking membership to the Alliance. -The Ikrini Geomancers, a contemplative race who can manipulate kinetic force. -The Jezzadeic Priest, a minotaur like race of mystics.

As you can no doubt see, some entries are worth a closer look at than others…

Next is a 20 page look at how the different races of the Alliance perceive one another. It’s a quick guide to the general attitudes that are prevalent in Alliance society. It’s not a section of the book that brings anything new to the game, but it’s a fun read. It’s also useful for new players to the game, as it gives them a quick pointer to the relations between the various species.

The next 12 pages are a description of new matrix powers. Mainly those used by the races introduced in this book. Also discussed are the outlooks on said powers by the three main matrix using races, the Chatilian, the Zen and the Mutzachan. They each have a different approach of dealing with the reality of their powers and the effect it has on their respective societies. From there, the text goes on to describe some options for creating matrix controller mentors.

The following six pages are dedicated to Battlelords humor, a feature that reoccurs in almost all Battlelords products. Good for a chuckle, but not really useful for the game.

The last two sections of the book deal with 1) Badges of Courage which PC’s can earn through heroic actions and 2) various small rules expansions touching on experience points and hirelings.

Like the first Galactic Underground, GU2 is a mixed bag, value- wise. Some information in here can really enhance a Battlelords game, while other sections of the book are almost a complete write off. But also like it’s predecessor, it does contain something of interest for everyone.

At the end of the day, I DO recommend the book. Just don’t expect it to contain anything crucial.

Galactic Underground 2
Galactic Underground 2 Capsule Review by Alex Hanna on 30/09/02 Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 3 (Average) Useful but not crucial addition. Product: Galactic Underground 2 Author: Lawrence R. Sims, Ben Pierce Category: RPG Company/Publisher: SSDC Inc. Line: Battlelords Cost: $11.95 US Page count: 95 Year published: 1994 ISBN: SKU: ODS 601A Comp copy?: no Capsule Review by Alex Hanna on 30/09/02 Genre tags: Science Fiction	Galactic Underground 2 is a companion book to the Battlelords of the 23rd Century sci fi RPG published by SSDC Inc. Like the other products in the game line, GU2 is a soft cover book and features a lot of largely decent black and white art. The GU2, like the first Galactic Underground supplement, doesn’t cover any one theme in the game, but rather is a collection of various rules additions, options, discussions and articles that pertain to a myriad of subjects in Battlelords. It’s presented almost like a magazine that a citizen of the Galactic Alliance, the game’s default setting, might pick up and browse through. It’s a 95 page book with subjects broken down as follows: The book starts with 2 pages of short news articles about the goings on in the Alliance. These serve as ready made plot hooks which can easily be fleshed out by a GM into his next campaign. The second chapter introduces six new alien races which can be used as PC’s. They are; -The Andromeni, an energy based life form that takes over the bodies of the deceased. -The Ashanti, four armed warrior race currently applying for admittance into the Galactic Alliance. -The Fott, a race of, get this, genetically engineered, man sized redneck rabbits. Nuff’ said. -Furbl, cute and fuzzy species that was, until recently, thought to not have achieved sentience. -The Gemini, a rock like species of space druids. Also seeking membership to the Alliance. -The Ikrini Geomancers, a contemplative race who can manipulate kinetic force. -The Jezzadeic Priest, a minotaur like race of mystics. As you can no doubt see, some entries are worth a closer look at than others… Next is a 20 page look at how the different races of the Alliance perceive one another. It’s a quick guide to the general attitudes that are prevalent in Alliance society. It’s not a section of the book that brings anything new to the game, but it’s a fun read. It’s also useful for new players to the game, as it gives them a quick pointer to the relations between the various species. The next 12 pages are a description of new matrix powers. Mainly those used by the races introduced in this book. Also discussed are the outlooks on said powers by the three main matrix using races, the Chatilian, the Zen and the Mutzachan. They each have a different approach of dealing with the reality of their powers and the effect it has on their respective societies. From there, the text goes on to describe some options for creating matrix controller mentors. The following six pages are dedicated to Battlelords humor, a feature that reoccurs in almost all Battlelords products. Good for a chuckle, but not really useful for the game. The last two sections of the book deal with 1) Badges of Courage which PC’s can earn through heroic actions and 2) various small rules expansions touching on experience points and hirelings. Like the first Galactic Underground, GU2 is a mixed bag, value- wise. Some information in here can really enhance a Battlelords game, while other sections of the book are almost a complete write off. But also like it’s predecessor, it does contain something of interest for everyone. At the end of the day, I DO recommend the book. Just don’t expect it to contain anything crucial.