The folks at Cubicle 7 Entertainment were kind enough to send me a review copy of Starblazer Adventures (SBA) for my blog on gaming for younger players. I found that the game has a lot to offer and is a very good option for introducing new players to role playing.

Starblazer was a comic published in Great Britain through the 1970’s and 1980’s. It functioned as a short story vehicle, presenting complete stories in each issue. Characters might recur from time to time but there was no single Starblazer universe. Examples of the comics are found in the SBA rules. They seem to include space opera, hard science fiction, mystery in space, and two fisted adventure.

The SBA rules clock in at more than six hundred pages. There is an index and the pages are formatted well. Readers quickly discover that a lot of the pages contain art and sometimes short story pieces from the Starblazer comics. Nevertheless the rules initially appear hopelessly intimidating. This turns out to be far from the truth and we’ll return to this issue later.

The SBA ruleset is a modified FATE system. Better writers have discussed this at some length but I’d like to summarize, especially as to how the rules may come across to a younger or newer player. Briefly, characters have three major qualifying features. The first is Aspects. These are personal qualities describes in a single sentence or phrase. They are chosen by the player and a fairly extensive set of explanations and examples are provided. In general the key appears to be to choose an aspect which is descriptive and could provide for fun and excitement in a game.  One example provided notes that “strong” is a boring aspect, while “strong as steel” is better and “I am Mandriod!” is best of all. Other examples of exciting aspects include “Something to Prove” or “Unspoken Love.” As one can see some aspects may be a bit obscure as written and the player must elaborate the details.

Characters are also assigned Skills. Skills in the FATE system are quantified as text as well as numerically. A “great” pilot has a +4 modifier to piloting while a “fair” pilot only receives +2. Players can choose to have a character with many lower level skills or fewer skills including some exceptional ones. The skill list is not extensive but seems to cover the territory and once again there are a multitude of explanations and examples.

Finally, a character has the opportunity to possess a number of Stunts. Stunts are unusual abilities or qualities that may be brought into play by expending a Fate Point, of which one has a finite but refreshing number. Examples of stunts include “Network of Contacts,” “Razor Tongue,” and “Danger Sense.” Readers may not be surprised to learn that the stunt list is long and contains numerous examples and explanations.

Character generation also includes a process for determining the individual’s past training, their family, and how they have interacted with the other players prior to beginning the game. Less creative players may make use of randomized tables to determine social status, home town, and a variety of other details.

The system for resolving events is fairly simple. Two dice are rolled and generate a number from negative five to five. The player adds any bonuses from skills, aspects, or stunts and tries to surpass a target number. In a contest between two entities the difference between the rolls provides the severity of the damage inflicted upon the loser. The same nomenclature that describes skills is also applied to tasks. A task may be of “fair” difficulty and require a total result of two for success. A harder task would be “great” and require a four. Of interest this system can cover a surprising variety of situations. Purchasing a sword requires a “fair” result or better on your Resource skill. Purchasing a grenade requires a “great” result. Fail at a purchase roll and you have to wait a period of time before making any purchases whatsoever- I suppose you’ve run out of money!

The rules expand in detail regarding dealing out and absorbing damage, character advancement, and the intricacies of movement and combat. Suffice it to say that examples and helpful explanations abound. Chapters also describe starships and space combat, planet generation, alien races, and robots. Plot seeds are also included and there is quite a bit of advice offered throughout the book in a style that I found helpful without being chatty.

I found SBA to be a terrific value for anyone interested in science fiction role playing. In addition it may be the best introduction game I’ve run into so far (with the possible exception of Zorcerer of Zo, ironically another FATE product). Several factors play into this. The most obvious is that the rules are well written and come with plenty of explanations. I think I also like the FATE system as a method to bring in a new player to gaming. Certainly we know that popular collectible card games have introduced young people to resolving conflict with quantified abilities. Nevertheless, a “strength of sixteen” may be a little abstract for some beginners. Aspects, skills, and stunts allow a player to translate their character’s story into game terms easily. Finally, the FATE system seems approachable to a less experienced game master. Imagine some parent with an interest in science fiction wants to run an RPG for their kids. I think FATE has a lot to offer such an individual. This is not to suggest that SBA is only suited for beginners but those folks shopping for a beginner’s game would do well with it.

There are a few issues with the game. The sheer size of the rules is intimidating. As I discovered this is the result of the authors’ goal to be comprehensive and clear and I think they succeed at this. That being said a new player might still find six hundred pages to be initially frightening.

The lack of a clear and familiar game universe is also going to cause some people to disregard SBA. That’s a shame and the authors go to some effort to provide adventure generators and plot ideas to get games going. I think any game master with a fair background in science fiction could run a great SBA campaign. That being said there will be some people who say “Starblazer, never heard of it,” and pass it by, to their loss.

Finally, some subgenres of science fiction may be less well suited for SBA. Weapons are fairly similar in description and effect and the person who is looking for extensive game detail regarding some esoteric sniper rifle will be disappointed. You could certainly use the FATE system to describe hacking and virtual reality activity but again I’m not sure the rules are well suited for it.  

In conclusion I was very impressed with Starblazer Adventures. It’s almost unbelievably comprehensive. The writers raise the bar for clarity and rules explanation. The system seems compatible with most science fiction subgenres. Further, it’s simple enough for beginners and has great role playing potential for more experienced players. I’d highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in science fiction role playing.