Strangely enough, I don't think I ever really read the rules to Space 1889, let alone ever tried to get my group to play it. Heck, it's not like the John Carter books were on my list of things to read - knew about them and had no interest at all.
Why I spent 30 bucks on this in the late 80's I really have no idea. 25 years on the bookshelf and I looks like I just bought it.
Maybe I should read it some time (there's a recent Savage Worlds adaptation of this if I recall correctly)
I've played the SW version. Not a good experience. Found the setting hard to engage with. Didn't like SW rules at all.
ReplyDeleteThe sourcebook is shiny, though. *shrug*
I loved the campaign setting but not the rules. The setting plays fine with any system I'm comfortable with.
ReplyDeleteCan you name the branch of the British Army the gent serves in?
ReplyDeleteGiven the blue coat, artillery, if I remember right. Engineers may also have had blue coats, but it's been a long time since I was painting the period.
Deletepioneering steampunk stuff but like many gdw products detailed interesting setting, terrible mechanist mechanics/adventures emphasizing military action - would be more fun if dnd - a very nice rpg book
ReplyDeleteI found the system hard to get my head around, but I used the game in a (sadly brief) GURPS Voodoo / Space:1889 game.
ReplyDeleteWe enjoyed the game, but it was set up to let a couple of my friends get some gaming in, and their schedules broke down and changed a lot shortly after we started, so the game went into hiatus. But the world was instantly engaging to everyone. The system, not so much. But there is still a lot of Space:1889 stuff out there - check out http://www.heliograph.com/space1889/
My all-time favourite setting but the rules never grabbed me. Reading them again recently not as clunky as I remembered, but still too different for my tastes. Chronicle City City is soon to be Kickstarting an edition that uses the Ubiquity rules engine from Hollow Earh Expeditions (a good fit)
ReplyDeleteAlso I'd add it's not really streamline, it predates that. It's more War Of The Worlds/scientific romance meets The Man Who Would Be King with a dash of John Carter
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ReplyDeleteDamn autocorrect! STEAMPUNK not streamline!
ReplyDeleteI was really into this setting and have a lot of the supporting materials, though I never actually ran it as a GM. I did have a great time playing in a campaign of this run by Doc Grognard.
ReplyDeleteThe associated airships minis/boardgame was fun, with issues.
I ran several battles with the associated miniatures rules, Soldier's Companion, which are fun but weird in places, and was part of an early internet pre-kickstarter crowdfunding effort that got the Rafm miniatures line rounded out with Martian colonial troops and more natives in general. Still have a lot of those awaiting painting.