The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Jovian Chronicles is already an advanced ruleset. It is one of the most serious representations of space-based gaming I have ever seen. The game actually accepts the laws of physics, for instance. No warp drives, no hyperspace jumps, no silly spacecraft that function just like jetfighters. Jovian Chronicles is real, hard sci-fi.

And they put out ADVANCED rules for it? What are they, sadistic?

Well, let's thumb throughout the book. Part One - the history of space. How man got to the planets of the Solar System. Not bad. Simple enough, just some more history for the game universe. Nothing bad here.

Next, character creation. Some advanced options and rules. Perks and flaws - I know these from other games, nothing threatening. Career packages? Hmm. Ah, they are character archetypes- things like Entertainer and Security Officer. Quick starts to the game if you don't want to spend the time creating a character, just a character history. Nice.

Next, some details on the militaries of the Solar System. Ranks, awards, daily life for each.

Then, a grand tour of the Solar System, detailing each of the planets and the peoples and governments on them. Some of this feels repeated from the main book, but we'll let that slide for now. Lovely color plates in this section, showing some of the peoples of the world and some of their militaries. Also includes information about diplomatic relations between the factions, which is very important in these tense times. The mistrust between the Jovian Confederation and CEGA is not the only source of tension around, y'know.

Then, we hit the advanced rules. Finally! I've made it through 70 some odd pages, dreading the moment that these would arrive, and now, we have them. Let's dive right in.

First, rules for addiction. Drugs. Not so tough rules, but they do broaden the avenue of roleplaying quite a bit. Lots of people have characters that are borderline alcoholics anyway; here are the rules for handling them. It is all handled in a serious fashion, too.

Next, atmosphere rules. The need for oxygen is pretty strong, you know, and these rules handle that need. I would not recommend spending much time in vacuum; holding your breath won't make much difference.

Next is the rather hefty rules for gravity and dealing with low-gravity. Things like combat take on a new meaning when firing your gun sends you hurtling backward.

Next is the advanced rules for tactical games - atmospheric skimming, special terrain rules and the like. Overall, this isn't too bad. Advanced Rules has been somewhat of a misnomer - these are just deeper rules, for handling all sorts of little things that can come up in JC games.

Finally comes the Mechanical Design section. This is what a lot of people have been waiting for, the "build your own" area of the book. This mammoth section allows you to create just about anything to drive, fly or float in. The creation system is somewhere between "complex" and "challenging", and requires a small investment in time to put together a complete vehicle of any sort. Still, this is what some players live for, and this absolutely gives them a TON of options to play with.

Last but far from least is the Bibliography. Given that Jovian Chronicles does its best to remain real and plausible, the books that were researched for this material are recommended reading. Any player who enjoys the "hard" sci-fi of Jovian Chronicles will possibly have read some of the fiction listed here, but it is still a good list of future reads.

The interior layout and artwork are the likes that could only come from Dream Pod 9. It beats many other games, hands down.

Overall, this book should be thought of as optional, but recommended for JC players. It does add some things to the game, but players can live without it - so long as they can live without the Mechanical Design section, which makes it a "must-have" for a number of gamers. It will add depth to your games with its added handling of the Solar System as well.

Style: 5 (Excellent!)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Jovian Chronicles Companion: Advanced Rules & Background
Author: Marc A. Vezina, Phillipe R. Boulle, Elie Charest, Tyler Millson-Taylor Category: game Company/Publisher: Dream Pod 9 Page count: 152 ISBN: 1-896776-17-5 Capsule Review by Robert E. Allen III on 08/30/98. Genre tags: none	Jovian Chronicles is already an advanced ruleset. It is one of the most serious representations of space-based gaming I have ever seen. The game actually accepts the laws of physics, for instance. No warp drives, no hyperspace jumps, no silly spacecraft that function just like jetfighters. Jovian Chronicles is real, hard sci-fi. And they put out ADVANCED rules for it? What are they, sadistic? Well, let's thumb throughout the book. Part One - the history of space. How man got to the planets of the Solar System. Not bad. Simple enough, just some more history for the game universe. Nothing bad here. Next, character creation. Some advanced options and rules. Perks and flaws - I know these from other games, nothing threatening. Career packages? Hmm. Ah, they are character archetypes- things like Entertainer and Security Officer. Quick starts to the game if you don't want to spend the time creating a character, just a character history. Nice. Next, some details on the militaries of the Solar System. Ranks, awards, daily life for each. Then, a grand tour of the Solar System, detailing each of the planets and the peoples and governments on them. Some of this feels repeated from the main book, but we'll let that slide for now. Lovely color plates in this section, showing some of the peoples of the world and some of their militaries. Also includes information about diplomatic relations between the factions, which is very important in these tense times. The mistrust between the Jovian Confederation and CEGA is not the only source of tension around, y'know. Then, we hit the advanced rules. Finally! I've made it through 70 some odd pages, dreading the moment that these would arrive, and now, we have them. Let's dive right in. First, rules for addiction. Drugs. Not so tough rules, but they do broaden the avenue of roleplaying quite a bit. Lots of people have characters that are borderline alcoholics anyway; here are the rules for handling them. It is all handled in a serious fashion, too. Next, atmosphere rules. The need for oxygen is pretty strong, you know, and these rules handle that need. I would not recommend spending much time in vacuum; holding your breath won't make much difference. Next is the rather hefty rules for gravity and dealing with low-gravity. Things like combat take on a new meaning when firing your gun sends you hurtling backward. Next is the advanced rules for tactical games - atmospheric skimming, special terrain rules and the like. Overall, this isn't too bad. Advanced Rules has been somewhat of a misnomer - these are just deeper rules, for handling all sorts of little things that can come up in JC games. Finally comes the Mechanical Design section. This is what a lot of people have been waiting for, the "build your own" area of the book. This mammoth section allows you to create just about anything to drive, fly or float in. The creation system is somewhere between "complex" and "challenging", and requires a small investment in time to put together a complete vehicle of any sort. Still, this is what some players live for, and this absolutely gives them a TON of options to play with. Last but far from least is the Bibliography. Given that Jovian Chronicles does its best to remain real and plausible, the books that were researched for this material are recommended reading. Any player who enjoys the "hard" sci-fi of Jovian Chronicles will possibly have read some of the fiction listed here, but it is still a good list of future reads. The interior layout and artwork are the likes that could only come from Dream Pod 9. It beats many other games, hands down. Overall, this book should be thought of as optional, but recommended for JC players. It does add some things to the game, but players can live without it - so long as they can live without the Mechanical Design section, which makes it a "must-have" for a number of gamers. It will add depth to your games with its added handling of the Solar System as well. Style: 5 (Excellent!) Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Jovian Chronicles Companion: Advanced Rules & Background