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After a brief introduction to the game, its organisation, and the setting, one gets right into character generation. Attributes are rated from 1 to 6, differentiated by Physical attributes (Strength (Str), Agility (Agl), and Endurance (End)) and Psychological attributes (Intellect (Int), Charisma (Chr), and Social Level (Soc)). There are three method of determining attribute values, distributon (assign values 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6), free purchase (from 21 points), or semi-random generation (roll 1d6, increase values if numbers if total less than 18). There are 24 principle skills, associated with an attribute. These are as what can be expected for the setting. Several are "cascade" skills, which includes a range of specialisations. The character receives the value of one of the specialisations, and half that value for everything else. Using the example from the book, "Marksmanship is a cascade skill covering pistols, rifles, and bows. Caruthers has a Marksmanship skill level of 2; his weapon of choice is the rifle. He has a Marksmanship skill of 2 firing a rifle and of 1 firing pistols and bows."
Skills are obtained by defaults, careers, and purchases. Defaults are based on the first skill linked on each attribute and are one level less, except for Strength, which has two defaults. Characters (not "each player", as the book suggests) may have one career, and skill general skill points, or two careers and two general career points. Careers have prerequisites and often limits on attributes, for example Merchant is Soc 4- , Chr 3 +, or even the sex of the character. The cost of General skill points varies on the level of the attribute. Characters also start with an initial fortune, based on a random roll and social class. Careers can also come with associates and income. The careers are enjoyable appropriate for the setting, including a variety of government jobs (army, navy, foreign office, colonial office), exotics (game hunters, explorers, dilenttantes, adventuress, reporters), services (actors, servants, tutors, groundskeepers etc), mercantile careers (inventors, merchants, mechanics, engineers, etc), professionals (detective, doctors, scientists), and criminals (master career, poacher, smuggler, thief, anarchist).
The Victorian age chapter provides information about the British Empire, starting the political scope, including commerce, and the justifications of nationalistic imperialism, and relations with the other major powers. There is a table of "Victorian values" which produce both virtues and vice within the same character. For example, the value "Honesty", can lead to "personal integrity" as well, as "naivete and disdain dealing for alien codes of behavior". Players are expected to be attentive to, but no slavishly follow, these values when representing their characters. Further detail is given to government and politics, and followed with a great deal on the Victorian society, strongly differentiated by the class levels, providing accurate and evocative descriptions. There is also a good overview of the standards of the British army, remarkable women of the Empire, and a summary of the the Chivalric Orders.
The Referee chapter is primarily advisory, and looses a great deal of the formality and conciseness. There is a handy table of NPC motivations, followed by a dozen NPCs, which are well-described, and diverse in their backgrounds and professions. This is followed by two core mechanics; a skill dice/attribute method and a quick roll method. In the former, a number of dice equal to the skill level or attribute are rolled, as appropriate, added together, and compared against a fixed target number. The alternative system is simply to roll below the skill level or attribute, modified by difficulty. The former method is recommended for PCs, or for critical actions, the latter for NPCs or as a quick-roll resolution. Neither system includes a method of incorporating skill and attributes simultaneously. This is followed by a summary of adventure design, concentrating on driving situations and plot, without displaying any special. Successful completion of adventures should come with rewards; money, awards and renown, experience, knowledge, and souvenirs. For each major event or episode, a character receives one experience point. To increase a skill level, a number of experience points is spent equal to the new skill level, followed by a confirmation die roll. A separate experience point category system is used for close combat.
A hefty Equipment chapter covers scientific, tools, travelling gear, fuel, explosives, firearms, melee weapons, armour, heavy weapons, and various transports. Items are described in a short paragraph, along with weight, and price according to the Victorian era. A rather delightful inclusion is good quality line drawings for almost every item. Like most roleplaying games of the era, there is an pretty interesting weapons and armour to general items ratio. This is followed by a much shorter Science chapter which covers research and inventions, and especially ether flyer design. The inventions are interesting insofar it is a list of items that "may be invented by the players" (read: "characters", although as a player I would love to invent a weather control ray, transparent aluminum [sic], and gravity control. This said, there are dozens of possible inventions arranged in different categories (ether, geology and mettalurgy, combustion, electricity, power, precision machinery, transportation, flight, optics). As the subsequent chapter on Science explains, invention is a great theme of the game. Characters have the opportunity to engage in research projects, based on their skill and attrributes, providing research target numbers which allow the development of specific equipment of variable reliability. The chapter concludes with the six-step process for Ether Flyer Design, a relatively simple process, but with plenty of descriptive text for these magnificent machines.
The Combat chapter outlines the expected rules components. Conflicts are resolved in thirty-second rounds, with four actions per round, unless they are in close-combat, where the number of actions is their Close Combat skill or Agility attribute. Actions include move, charge, attack, prepare weapon, reload, dodge, etc. There is no specified order of action declaration, and they are resolved as if simultaneous. In all attacks, a number of dice dtermines whether a hit occurs, if it is equal to or less than a modified target number. This number of dice is based on attributes and the weapon. The target number is based on the skill of the attacker. Effectively, this a third type of resolution method which the game introduces. The fact that it is the only one which uses both attributes and skills simultaneously (and therefore is much better than the others), still brings no credit that there are three completely different methods. If a hit is scored, the defender rolls to avoid serious injury via a single die saving throw, with a modified target number based on armour. A failed roll causes damage, which varies according to weapon (e.g., an axe is 1 + Strength). Wounds are a big deal in Space 1889; character's can take an average of the Strength and Endurance, meaning an average 3 hit points per character. When zero hit points are reached, the character falls unconscious, and when the sum of the Strength plus Endurance is reached, the character is dead. There is a variety of rules for special situations, such as firing into melee, grappling, strength requirements for melee weapons, shield use, etc.
Appropriately, there is a fine selection of heavy weapons as well, with a variety of special case rules for ammunition, deviation, burst area, and saving throws. You really don't want to be hit by these; the shot is pretty deadly in its own right, but it's the sheer area of effect and range that causes the greatest concern. Also, as a key component for the setting, combat between aerial flyers receives several pages of detail, a summarised version of boardgame Sky Galleons of Mars. Combat is still carried out in 30-second turns on this scale. Each ship is provided a movement in hexes (200 yards), hull size, a position (abstract altitude, but roughly 200 yards per "level"), with alternative movement rules for "kites" (large aerial sailing ships), shooting according to combat arcs (stern, bow, portside, starboard), and a hit location chart for ships, and damage according to location. Weapons have a penetration value which is compared against ship armour. There are special rules for ramming, grappling, and towing. As a whole, it's a simple system that fits in quite well with the rest of the combat system. For some unknown reason, big guns and aerial flyers is followed with special combat rules for animals: In summary, animals keep attacking if wonded, those with horns can block (and riposte!), they can engage in multiple attacks per action (but only against multiple opponents), but can suffer instant kills.
Several pages are dedicated to exploration and transport with discussions on maps, information the price and distance of various forms of land, water, and aerial transportation, and the various sorts of hazards that will get in the way. This is sensibly followed by encounters, with selections based on encounter types and terrain, with recommendations of variation, along with the requsite 'mandated encounters', for plot purposes, invented encounters, and random encounters. "Weather" (as in, "there's too much of it") also is a special encounter. A couple of pages is also thrown in for good measure for "exploration", including the financing of such adventures, notes on the Royal Geographical Society, and the inevitable problem of getting lost. Following these earthy issues is the chapter on Space Travel, with a "realistic" depiction of ether i.e., realistic for what was the argument at the time for luminiferous aether. Likewise is the description of the solar system; Mars has ancient canals and Venus is a swampland inhabited by dinosaurs. Space travel, with ether flyers, requires pilots to plot a course through the etheric oceans, facing challenges such as etheric turblence and meteor showers.
Luna, Venus, and Mars are described in significant detail. The Luna chapter includes a sample scenario, which includes an encounter with some not-very-friendly alien Selenites. Mars receives significantly more background material, including descriptions of the decaying civilisation of the native Martian cultures (especially the High Martians) and the city-states of the Canal Martians, along with the influence of imperial powers on the region, especially the British who have the upper hand. Mars, of course, has the canals to explore which are given extensive description and engineering information. In addition, Mars has the magnificant natural resource of "liftwood", a sap which has the ability to defy gravity, and "Bhutan spice", a narcotic, a varient of rubber, called "gumme", and of course fabulous minerals. After all, what's an imperial adventure without natural resources to exploit? A small collection of some indigenous fauna is also provided, along some adventure seeds. In contrast the lush lands of Venus has been dominated by Germans. Venus, due its foliage, is a botantists dream, although exploration and exploitation is a somewhat more difficult compared to the dry and clear landscape of Mars. The indigenous sapient population of Venus are the paleolithic lizard-men, of varying disposition to humans. There is a summary of the main creatures of Venus, although disappointingly there wasn't much on the flora of the land.
Overall, Space 1889 is a excellent product. It has taken an excellent setting and melded with some of the most surreal speculations of the day. The product and artwork itself strongly contribute to the game as well. The scope that the material covers cannot be faulted, and nor can the signal to noise ratio - there really isn't much fluff and filler in this book. The layout and organisation of the text could be improved however, and most unfortunately, the game system is well-below optimal. The "third system", as suggested for combat is the best option, and should be used in preference to any other. Putting this aside Space 1889 is truly a great adventure game and thoroughly enjoyable to play.
Style: 1 + .3 (layout) + .7 (art) + 1.0 (coolness) + .6 (readability) + .7 (product) = 4.3
Substance: 1 + .9 (content) + .9 (text) + .8 (fun) + .4 (workmanship) + .3 (system) = 4.4
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