Space 1889: Science Fiction Role Playing in a More Civilized Time

by Frank Chadwick

Book Overview

SPACE 1889: * Drift stately canals of Mars. Escort caravans through the desert domains of the steppe nomads. Fight the winged warriors and the cloud ships of the Martian Sky Lords. * Undertake a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0943580803
• ISBN13: 9780943580807
• Release Date: January 1988
• Publisher: Game Designers Workshop
• Length: 216 Pages
• Weight: 1.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 11.5" x 0.8" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Space 1889: Roleplaying in a less time-consuming time!

This game has its faults as do all. Contrary to the other complaints here, the quality is just fine. Yes, it is a mere soft cover with no color pages, but at least SOMEBODY bought the rights and reprinted it. Did you? The game focuses more on plot than creating a rule for every possible situation. This is part of what makes it a good game. You can make characters and run a game in a reasonable period of time. It would be nice to see it updated for a universal system, like GURPS or d20, only because it would be easier to convince others to play then. If you enjoy gaming in a setting that is not dark & evil, Space 1889 is a good choice.

Elegant Simplicity

Back before the angst ridden tales of supernatural creatures became the rage of RPGs, there were tales of great adventure and romance and danger. Space 1889 is one of the finest of the games to have come from that "golden age" of RPGs. However, it fell by the wayside, following the dismantling of it's original producer, GDW. Now however, thanks to Heliograph, you can take up this game of bold adventure and exploration again.I suppose there are many people who like lots of rules and methods in their games. Lots of complicated stats, in depth character creation with attributes, skills, advantages, disadvantages, etc. Space 1889 allows you to create an exciting character with a minimum of systems. This is a stripped down, streamlined, fast playing, action packed game system. Grab you saber, buckle on your pistol, load your carbine, and mount up, we're heading out into a world filled with opportunities for the greatest adventure you can have around a table!Character creation is easy. Combat is fast paced. It's all very intuitive, easy to remember and implement. This is a classic game and it is great to see it ressurected. In a sea of d20 deluge, I am thrilled to see this classic product make a resurgence. It's biggest weakness is it's niche setting, but if you are looking for the ultimate steampunk game, look no further. If you want it simple, fast and fun, here it is.I wish this were like the original, with a hardcover and color plates, but I am just glad to see it back. I never owned it in it's first incarnation, but I did have the pleasure of playing it. Now, I finally own it, and it is a prize in my RPG collection.

Great world, slightly awkward game mechanics

I was lucky enough to find a copy of the original rulebook at a convention several years ago and have managed to aquire almost all the supplements and books that were issued. I think the game world is very creative, interesting, and adds new dimentions to the swashbuckling type RPGs, which are becoming more and more rare as D20 infects the gaming industry. Rants aside, I found the game system in this book to be rather weak when compared to other systems. That's certinally not a problem, there's more then enough source material in this book and the others to keep a group entertained for years. Personally, I very easily adapted this world to GURPS and had a great time GMing a campaign on Mars. Please don't think I'm making a negative review, I'm not. I love having this book. It's a very creative world and lends itself to many fun campaigns, but experienced role-players should be aware that the author concentrated more on background then on game mechanics. It's a great setting, lots to explore, just do it with a different gaming system then the one printed in the book.

Very charming and original idea for an rpg

I bought an original hard copy print of this book a little while after it went out of print. I think it's great that Heliograph has decided to resurrect this fine game. It has a decidedly victorian atmosphere, very remniscent of jules verne novels and movies based on such. I do wish however, that the background information had been expanded upon by a dozen or so more pages. Your imagine will have to fill the void where Chadwick left off. Hopefully, if Heliograph does not want to 'update' Space 1889, somebody else will.