The Inside Scoop on Gaming

There's no other way to say this: somehow, TSR has managed to produce a rather nice baseline setting for its new SF game, Alternity. Don't get me wrong. The Star*Drive setting isn't anything ground-breaking or innovative, but it is a fairly well-conceived milieu that is at the same time full of detail and flexible enough to accommodate a variety of campaign styles. Even more importantly, the detail included in this 256 page hard cover volume manages to avoid many of pitfalls common to other SF settings, which makes it well worth a look even for those who don't plan to play Alternity.

Before I discuss the contents of the book, I'd like to briefly comment on its layout and design. First off, let me join the bandwagon of those who are grateful to see the return of the hard cover gaming book. In my book, Star*Drive scores quite a few points simply on this basis. I know that hard covers make game books more expensive, but I think the added durability and attractiveness are worth a few extra dollars.

In general, I was very pleased by the layout of the book. It was clean and easy to read, with two column text and sidebars and maps where needed. The slick pages and color interior was unnecessary but a nice bonus for my money. Overall, the art was serviceable, although none of it stands out in my mind as being especially impressive. I did, however, like rk post's cover painting and thought it added some much needed moodiness to the book.

That said, let's turn to the meat of the book.

Chapter 1: The Star*Drive Campaign
This is the obligatory chapter you'd expect to find in most SF games, describing the events that led to the creation of the game setting. Star*Drive's future history is pretty bland for the most part, but it's not abominable. In many ways, the history included in the book is just a convenient timeline pointing out when a few major events (first contact, invention of FTL travel, wars, etc.) took place. The rest is not very well fleshed out. This may not be a bad thing, however. Far too many SF settings include so many details in their histories that it's inevitable that they'll be proven foolish here or there. Star*Drive's history avoids that, largely by concentrating on the present time rather than the past.

Nevertheless, Chapter 1 is weak and may put off those who are looking for a richly detailed future history full of sociologically insights into the human condition. On the other hand, if you're simply looking for a framework in which to set a large number of possible SF adventures, this history should serve your needs.

Chapter 2: The 26th Century
This is the chapter that first hinted to me that Star*Drive was an above average generic setting. Chapter 2 details some of the technology and "special effects" of the setting. That is, it narrows the field of possibilities that Alternity offers. We learn about the kinds of weapons and armor available, as well as the nature of FTL travel and communications. In short, it includes everything a GM needs to know about kinds of equipment a PC is likely to own or encounter.

This in itself is hardly worth praising. However, this chapter also provides a discussion of how technology affects 26th century society. Things like trade and commerce, banking, and the average lifespan of humans are all discussed. Also detailed are the religions of the setting, something many SF milieus ignore completely. Again, none of this material is earth shaking, but it is nice to see its inclusion.

Chapter 3: The Stellar Nations
Chapter 3 is wonderful. Nationalism has been an important force in human history for many years. Why should it cease to be in the future? Star*Drive asks that same question and answers that it will be. The 26th century remains a time in which mankind remains divided along national lines. Chapter 3 details a dozen of them sufficiently to use as background for player characters. This is perhaps not an innovation, but it is a rarity. Too many SF settings ignore the issue entirely or blithely assume that nationalism will disappear in the future. Star*Drive does not -- to its credit.

Admittedly, some of the stellar nations are a bit too caricatured for my liking. The gun-crazy Austrins, for instance, (whose flag is a modified Confederate battle flag) seemed a bit two dimensional and ill-conceived. Nevertheless, I remain impressed by the diversity to be found in the stellar nations and am glad to see their presence.

This chapter also describes the Concord, the alliance formed from among the various stellar nations. The Concord is a new and somewhat unstable organization that is not a true interstellar government like the federations of so many SF settings. It's a bit more like NATO or other defense alliances whose members are often at odds. This makes it a vastly more interesting setting for adventures.

Chapter 4: The Verge
This long chapter covers the worlds of the frontier, those not controlled by the Concord or any of its constituent nations. These worlds are all described in enough to detail to suggest several adventures. GMs with this chapter should be able to keep their campaigns going for months without having to rely on any other resources. While all of the worlds are not as well detailed as others, this is only to be expected. Whatever the weaknesses of some worlds, they are made up for by others that are more fully detailed.

Chapter 5: Hero Creation
The final chapter of the book shows how the Alternity character creation rules can be customized specifically for use in the Star*Drive setting. It's a useful chapter that should serve its purpose well. Beyond that, it mostly contains advice about character creation and integrating a hero into the setting.

Star*Drive is a good generic setting for an Alternity campaign. As I stated earlier, it is not groundbreaking or innovative, but it is a workmanlike example of a setting that can potentially be all things to all gamers. In addition, Star*Drive has enough detail and flavor to be more than just a decent framework (which it is) for those who don't want to create their own setting. TSR promotional literature once compared Star*Drive to the Forgotten Realms of AD&D. I don't think that's a fair analogy, as Star*Drive is much more than just a loose background with little of its own color. It's actually rather interesting in its own right.

Star*Drive reminds me a little of what I once thought about Traveller's Third Imperium: a fascinating place that allows gives me enough room to set my own adventures. A Traveller for the 21st century, then? Perhaps. Somehow, I doubt that TSR would be unhappy with that.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Star*Drive Campaign Setting
Author: David Eckelberry and Richard Baker Category: game Company/Publisher: TSR Cost: $29.95 Page count: 256 ISBN: 0-7869-0738-X Capsule Review by James Maliszewski on 08/03/98. Genre tags: none	There's no other way to say this: somehow, TSR has managed to produce a rather nice baseline setting for its new SF game, Alternity. Don't get me wrong. The StarDrive* setting isn't anything ground-breaking or innovative, but it is a fairly well-conceived milieu that is at the same time full of detail and flexible enough to accommodate a variety of campaign styles. Even more importantly, the detail included in this 256 page hard cover volume manages to avoid many of pitfalls common to other SF settings, which makes it well worth a look even for those who don't plan to play Alternity. Before I discuss the contents of the book, I'd like to briefly comment on its layout and design. First off, let me join the bandwagon of those who are grateful to see the return of the hard cover gaming book. In my book, StarDrive* scores quite a few points simply on this basis. I know that hard covers make game books more expensive, but I think the added durability and attractiveness are worth a few extra dollars. In general, I was very pleased by the layout of the book. It was clean and easy to read, with two column text and sidebars and maps where needed. The slick pages and color interior was unnecessary but a nice bonus for my money. Overall, the art was serviceable, although none of it stands out in my mind as being especially impressive. I did, however, like rk post's cover painting and thought it added some much needed moodiness to the book. That said, let's turn to the meat of the book. *Chapter 1: The StarDrive Campaign** This is the obligatory chapter you'd expect to find in most SF games, describing the events that led to the creation of the game setting. StarDrive's future history is pretty bland for the most part, but it's not abominable. In many ways, the history included in the book is just a convenient timeline pointing out when a few major events (first contact, invention of FTL travel, wars, etc.) took place. The rest is not very well fleshed out. This may not be a bad thing, however. Far too many SF settings include so many details in their histories that it's inevitable that they'll be proven foolish here or there. StarDrive's history avoids that, largely by concentrating on the present time rather than the past. Nevertheless, Chapter 1 is weak and may put off those who are looking for a richly detailed future history full of sociologically insights into the human condition. On the other hand, if you're simply looking for a framework in which to set a large number of possible SF adventures, this history should serve your needs. Chapter 2: The 26th Century This is the chapter that first hinted to me that StarDrive* was an above average generic setting. Chapter 2 details some of the technology and "special effects" of the setting. That is, it narrows the field of possibilities that Alternity offers. We learn about the kinds of weapons and armor available, as well as the nature of FTL travel and communications. In short, it includes everything a GM needs to know about kinds of equipment a PC is likely to own or encounter. This in itself is hardly worth praising. However, this chapter also provides a discussion of how technology affects 26th century society. Things like trade and commerce, banking, and the average lifespan of humans are all discussed. Also detailed are the religions of the setting, something many SF milieus ignore completely. Again, none of this material is earth shaking, but it is nice to see its inclusion. Chapter 3: The Stellar Nations Chapter 3 is wonderful. Nationalism has been an important force in human history for many years. Why should it cease to be in the future? StarDrive* asks that same question and answers that it will be. The 26th century remains a time in which mankind remains divided along national lines. Chapter 3 details a dozen of them sufficiently to use as background for player characters. This is perhaps not an innovation, but it is a rarity. Too many SF settings ignore the issue entirely or blithely assume that nationalism will disappear in the future. StarDrive* does not -- to its credit. Admittedly, some of the stellar nations are a bit too caricatured for my liking. The gun-crazy Austrins, for instance, (whose flag is a modified Confederate battle flag) seemed a bit two dimensional and ill-conceived. Nevertheless, I remain impressed by the diversity to be found in the stellar nations and am glad to see their presence. This chapter also describes the Concord, the alliance formed from among the various stellar nations. The Concord is a new and somewhat unstable organization that is not a true interstellar government like the federations of so many SF settings. It's a bit more like NATO or other defense alliances whose members are often at odds. This makes it a vastly more interesting setting for adventures. Chapter 4: The Verge This long chapter covers the worlds of the frontier, those not controlled by the Concord or any of its constituent nations. These worlds are all described in enough to detail to suggest several adventures. GMs with this chapter should be able to keep their campaigns going for months without having to rely on any other resources. While all of the worlds are not as well detailed as others, this is only to be expected. Whatever the weaknesses of some worlds, they are made up for by others that are more fully detailed. Chapter 5: Hero Creation The final chapter of the book shows how the Alternity character creation rules can be customized specifically for use in the StarDrive* setting. It's a useful chapter that should serve its purpose well. Beyond that, it mostly contains advice about character creation and integrating a hero into the setting. StarDrive* is a good generic setting for an Alternity campaign. As I stated earlier, it is not groundbreaking or innovative, but it is a workmanlike example of a setting that can potentially be all things to all gamers. In addition, StarDrive* has enough detail and flavor to be more than just a decent framework (which it is) for those who don't want to create their own setting. TSR promotional literature once compared StarDrive* to the Forgotten Realms of AD&D. I don't think that's a fair analogy, as StarDrive* is much more than just a loose background with little of its own color. It's actually rather interesting in its own right. StarDrive* reminds me a little of what I once thought about Traveller's Third Imperium: a fascinating place that allows gives me enough room to set my own adventures. A Traveller for the 21st century, then? Perhaps. Somehow, I doubt that TSR would be unhappy with that. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Star*Drive Campaign Setting