Space Gamer #39

Space Gamer #39 (cover-date May 1981) is another heaping helping of history as it happened – and the articles are fun to read, too!

In addition to the regular game reviews, news, and letters, this issue includes "Fantasy World" (a short story by noted sci-fi novelist Timothy Zahn); a way to determine the reliability of rumors in Traveller; contest-winning magic items; simple-but-effective traps for beginning GMs; strategy tips for the wargame Ice War; a scenario for Triplanetary; and Part 13 in the series "Game Design: Theory and Practice," co-written by Steve Jackson.

This issue also has a number of pages devoted to its theme for the month: computers. These articles include designer's notes for Akalabeth (written by that game's creator and the Ultima series mastermind, Lord British); a featured review and strategy for the tactical computer game Warp Factor; a company report on Strategic Simulations by its founder, Joel Billings; and a look at the state of computer gaming (circa 1981).

Whether you're a fan of old-school gaming or a historian of our hobby, each issue of Space Gamer is the perfect passport to the past!

45-page PDF Stock #30-2339, $3.00.
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Munchkin Marked for Death

Munchkin Marked for Death is a double-duty booster set! This pack contains 17 all-new cards, including Anvil, Recalculate Your XP, and the horrifying effervescence of the Soap Golem . . . plus two almost-new cards. And they’re balanced to let you use them as a quick rigged demo for your friends, to get them into the madness that is Munchkin!

Note: This is NOT a collectible or randomized set. Every Marked for Death pack is the same as every other.

19 cards and a rulesheet, in a finseal pack. Stock #4210, UPC 837654320525. $4.99.

+6 Bag o' Munchkin d6

He Who Toys With The Most Dice . . . Wins!

We refuse to write a complex description for dice. These are 6-siders, and there are six in the package. They are the color of coffee with just enough cream, if you like too much cream in your coffee like SJ does. They have the Munchkin head in place of the 1. Buy them. Kill monsters and take their stuff.

Six 6-sided dice. Stock #5514, UPC 837654320501. $4.99.

Munchkin Boxes of Holding

Have you been going through half a dozen game boxes to dig out all your Munchkin cards? How about getting it down to two special card boxes? The Munchkin Boxes of Holding are sturdy cardboard, sized to hold 500 Munchkin cards apiece! One is labeled Doors, and one is for Treasures.

Bonus: The set includes two new Munchkin cards that aren't available anywhere else!

Two fold-up sturdy cardboard boxes and two cards. Stock #5518, UPC 837654320730. $9.99.

Cthulhu Pin (Black)

The Cthulhu cult is growing. Show your allegiance by wearing one (or more!) of these stylish Cthulhu Pins. We have multiple colors:

• Black with green Cthulhu
• Purple with green Cthulhu
• Green with black Cthulhu
• Green with yellow Cthulhu

(Any correlation between the colors of the Cthulhu Pins and the various colors of Cthulhu Dice is purely coincidental. Or is it? Has the Cthulhu Cult has infiltrated further than we thought?)

Send us pictures of where your Cthulhu Pin has been! E-mail them (or links to your gallery) to cthulhu@sjgames.com, or post a link on Twitter – we're @sjgames.

Black pin with green Cthulhu. Stock #9013a, $3.99.

Cthulhu Pin (Purple)

The Cthulhu cult is growing. Show your allegiance by wearing one (or more!) of these stylish Cthulhu Pins. We have multiple colors:

• Black with green Cthulhu
• Purple with green Cthulhu
• Green with black Cthulhu
• Green with yellow Cthulhu

(Any correlation between the colors of the Cthulhu Pins and the various colors of Cthulhu Dice is purely coincidental. Or is it? Has the Cthulhu Cult has infiltrated further than we thought?)

Send us pictures of where your Cthulhu Pin has been! E-mail them (or links to your gallery) to cthulhu@sjgames.com, or post a link on Twitter – we're @sjgames.

Purple pin with green Cthulhu. Stock #9013b, $3.99.

Cthulhu Pin (Green)

The Cthulhu cult is growing. Show your allegiance by wearing one (or more!) of these stylish Cthulhu Pins. We have multiple colors:

• Black with green Cthulhu
• Purple with green Cthulhu
• Green with black Cthulhu
• Green with yellow Cthulhu

(Any correlation between the colors of the Cthulhu Pins and the various colors of Cthulhu Dice is purely coincidental. Or is it? Has the Cthulhu Cult has infiltrated further than we thought?)

Send us pictures of where your Cthulhu Pin has been! E-mail them (or links to your gallery) to cthulhu@sjgames.com, or post a link on Twitter – we're @sjgames.

Green pin with black Cthulhu. Stock #9013c, $3.99.

Cthulhu Pin (Yellow)

The Cthulhu cult is growing. Show your allegiance by wearing one (or more!) of these stylish Cthulhu Pins. We have multiple colors:

• Black with green Cthulhu
• Purple with green Cthulhu
• Green with black Cthulhu
• Green with yellow Cthulhu

(Any correlation between the colors of the Cthulhu Pins and the various colors of Cthulhu Dice is purely coincidental. Or is it? Has the Cthulhu Cult has infiltrated further than we thought?)

Send us pictures of where your Cthulhu Pin has been! E-mail them (or links to your gallery) to cthulhu@sjgames.com, or post a link on Twitter – we're @sjgames.

Green pin with yellow Cthulhu. Stock #9013d, $3.99.

Space Gamer #41

Space Gamer #41 (cover date July 1981) is your guide to the hallowed halls of the hobby's history – and the articles are fun to read, too!

In addition to the regular game reviews, news, and letters, this issue is devoted to Dungeons & Dragons. Articles supporting this theme include thoughts on the beginnings of TSR, Inc., by Dungeons & Dragons co-designer Gary Gygax; alternate races and non-humans (including contest winners); and a silly (and perhaps familiar) adventure for heroes.

There are also articles for those who play other games, including systemless insight for playing thieves; a list of "don'ts" for GMs; tips for players of The Fantasy Trip; and Part 14 in the series "Game Design: Theory and Practice," co-written by Steve Jackson.

Whether you're a fan of old-school gaming or a historian of our hobby, each issue of Space Gamer is the perfect passport to the past!

45-page PDF Stock #30-2341, $3.00.
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GURPS Classic: Atomic Horror

Watch the Skies!

Alien invaders! Giant lizards from another age! Flesh-eating zombies! Colossal insects! Mad scientists! Blobs! Only you can defend humanity, civilization, and the American Way from these terrible horrors.

GURPS Atomic Horror contains everything you need to roleplay the science-fiction and horror movies of the 1950s. The campaign can be as scary as The Thing, as dramatic as The Day the Earth Stood Still, as strange as Little Shop of Horrors, or as goofy as Plan 9 From Outer Space -- the choice is yours. Characters can be square-jawed scientists and military men, heroic explorers, misunderstood teenagers, cold-war spies, G-men, gangsters . . . or just ordinary folks caught up in unearthly weirdness.

GURPS Atomic Horror contains:

• A comprehensive guide to '50s politics, society, and attitudes suitable for any campaign -- not just science fiction/horror.
• Five new alien races, completely described and ready to invade the Earth. In fact, some of them are already here!
• Guidelines for creating more than a dozen different kinds of movie monsters, from gill-men to carnivorous plants to living human brains in jars.
• Alternate-world campaign ideas, like a '50s where the Nazis won World War II, or a futuristic '50s where our own flying saucers conquer space.
• A detailed filmography listing dozens of '50s science horror films, from the classics to the turkeys.

  (Note that this is an e23 reprint of a GURPS Third Edition product.)

131-page PDF. Stock #30-6065, $9.00.
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Space Gamer #40

Space Gamer #40 (cover-date June 1981) once again proves that old-school is cool – and the articles are fun to read, too!

In addition to the regular game reviews, news, and letters, this issue reaches for the stars, with a special Traveller theme. Articles include "Aboard the Leviathan" (notes about a Traveller session written by Marc Miller, the game's creator); an alternate space combat system; contest-winning nonhuman races; and a meaty section on a detailed world ready for Traveller action. Also included is a cumulative game index for issues 15-39 of Space Gamer; a look at a (hypothetical) "play-by-phone" business model; and Part 14 in the series "Game Design: Theory and Practice," co-written by Steve Jackson.

Whether you're a fan of old-school gaming or a historian of our hobby, each issue of Space Gamer is the perfect passport to the past!

45-page PDF. Stock #30-2340, $3.00.
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Pyramid #3/23: Action Adventures

Full throttle – and beyond! This month's Pyramid – the PDF magazine for roleplayers – injects adrenaline into your veins with "Action Adventures." Our most adventure-filled issue ever gives four scenarios, providing fast-paced frantic fuel perfect for your favorite action-tied RPG system – especially GURPS Action! This issue includes:

• "Blowups Happen," an adventure that begins with a light-fingered maid and ends with heavy-duty explosives. Written by Stephen Dedman – co-author of GURPS Martial Arts Adventures – this scenario includes full stats for GURPS and is perfect for GURPS Action. Get your "bang" skills ready!
• "Night of the Megacarp," a modern-day tale that comes straight from the direct-to-DVD section of your imagination. Can humanity survive nature's revenge? It comes with GURPS stats for the main threat and Action info, but the core is fine for civic-minded heroes of any system.
• "Operation Sun Dog" reopens a long-closed chapter of World War II. A mission to a former Nazi base isn't what it seems, and a straightforward operation becomes a fight for survival. It includes a description of the base, recommendations for Action, and enough systemless details that the players will treat every cough with suspicion.
• "Calamity Road," a lighthearted outline that provides the challenge and the challengers, then sits back and lets the parts collide on the open road. No stats here -- just the recipe for a raucous race. Let the green flag wave!
• "Chase Cards," a ready-to-use reference that makes running GURPS Action chases quicker and easier.

In addition, this Pyramid includes all the extras that make a death-dealing desperado smile: Murphy's Rules with Greg Hyland, Steven Marsh's Random Thought Table, and other odds and ends. Cover your ears; this issue goes to 11!

40-page PDF. Stock #37-2623, $9.00.
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GURPS WWII Classic: Motor Pool

By Land, Sea, or Air . . .

World War II raged from the deserts of North Africa to the jungles of the South Pacific, the mountaintops of the Alps to the beaches of Normandy, to the high seas, the undersea depths, and the skies above it all. And everywhere were the machines of war -- the bombers, fighters, tanks, jeeps, ships, submarines, landing craft, and more, thousands of designs built by dozens of different countries.

GURPS WWII: Motor Pool is the definitive sourcebook for it all. Using the WWII Modular Vehicle Design System from the GURPS WWII Core Rulebook (itself derived from GURPS Vehicles), Motor Pool has complete stats for combat vehicles of all types, from all theaters and combatants, in mankind's greatest conflict.

No matter what type of GURPS WWII game you're playing, Motor Pool has the info you need to ramp up the action!

(Note that this is an e23 reprint of a GURPS Third Edition product.)

131-page PDF. Stock #30-8011, $9.00.
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Space Gamer #38

Space Gamer #38 (cover-date April 1981) goes for the gold – literally, judging by its bright-orange cover! The articles are fun to read, too.

In addition to the regular game reviews, news, and letters, this issue includes the results of the 1980 game survey, where Space Gamer readers shared their thoughts (and Space Gamer shares its thoughts on those thoughts); designer's notes for the crossover wargame/RPG Lords of UnderEarth; rules for used spaceships in Traveller; information on how to generate random dice rolls via a computer program; and Part 12 in the series "Game Design: Theory and Practice," by Steve Jackson. Historians may also enjoy longtime gaming stalwart Aaron Allston's review of the Dungeons & Dragons Expert Set. This issue also takes advantage of its proximity to April 1 by taking itself less than seriously: "The Complaints Department" describes what "really" goes on behind the scenes at Space Gamer, and the short story "The Double-Timing Double-Crossing Pick-a-Past Paradox" gives some insight into one possible problem with time travel.

Whether you're a fan of old-school gaming or a historian of our hobby, each issue of Space Gamer is the perfect passport to the past!

45-page PDF Stock #30-2338, $3.00.
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GURPS Traveller Classic: Alien Races 3

The Hivers Should Worry You . . .

Openly cooperative, apparently pacifistic, reportedly cowardly, the starfish-shaped Hivers don't seem to be empire-building material -- but they hold one in a secure grip. They won the only interstellar war they've fought after losing every battle, but with this most alien of the major races, looks almost always deceive. Inscrutable, patient, and subtle, the Hivers puzzle their neighbors more than they worry them. It should be the other way around.

The Droyne Should Awe You . . .

An insectoid race scattered across the Imperium like so many gypsies, the seemingly insignificant Droyne often fall beneath the notice of Humaniti . . . and most Humans are foolish enough to think it's their own choice. A series of puzzles in their history and culture suggests that huge secrets lurk behind the compound eyes of these tiny sentients . . . and that the most awesome of the major races may come in the smallest package.

Ancient Answers Await!

Alien Races 3 offers an expose on the Ancients themselves, and examines in detail the biology, homeworlds, culture, and society of the enigmatic Hivers and cryptic Droyne. Included are racial and career templates, sample equipment and starships, Ancient artifacts, and much more.

This book also includes a set of 36 Droyne "coyns" and instructions for predicting the future and making decisions, Droyne style.

Two new minor races are presented here as well:

• The Inheritors, a race of fluorine-breathers living on the shell of an ancient Dyson sphere and "improving" on the technology left behind;
• The Lithkind, a nocturnal species for which mating means death and death means rebirth, and who treat the opposite sex as taboo!

(Note that this is an e23 reprint of a GURPS Third Edition product.)

148-page PDF Stock #30-6608, $9.99.

Space Gamer #37

Space Gamer #37 (cover-date March 1981) is three dozen pages of old-school insight – and the articles are fun to read, too!

In addition to the regular game reviews, news, and letters, this issue includes "Troubles in Valetia" (a history of a troubled play-by-mail game in the form of correspondence); a collection of interesting sci-fi weapons; a company report from Fantasy Games Unlimited by its founder Scott Bizar; alternate rules for the sci-fi wargame Freedom in the Galaxy; a slithering cinematic sci-fi scare with stats for The Fantasy Trip, Dungeons & Dragons, and Traveller; a sword-and-sorcery variant for the game Risk; the other five sins of computer-game writing; and Part 11 in the series "Game Design: Theory and Practice," co-written by Steve Jackson. (Steve Jackson is also the author of the featured review about the classic Cosmic Encounter.)

Whether you're a fan of old-school gaming or a historian of our hobby, each issue of Space Gamer is the perfect passport to the past!

37-page PDF Stock #30-2337, $3.00.
Buy Now!

GURPS Traveller Classic: Star Mercs

Prepare for War . . .

. . . with Star Mercs. Everything you need for a star-spanning, military-oriented campaign in the Traveller universe is here!

• Experience combat (and a soldier's life) in the 57th century.
• Learn how to recruit, organize, and equip a mercenary unit.
• Familiarize yourself with the Imperial rules of war.
• Get the edge with discourses on strategy and tactics.
• Arm your troops from a comprehensive list of weapons and other tools of the soldier's trade.

Star Mercs also includes deck plans for the 800-ton Broadsword-class mercenary cruiser, templates for military and mercenary soldier characters, sample missions, and a variety of units and NPC personalities your mercenary group might encounter, including the famed and feared Imperial Marines. Face front, soldier!

This is the Big One!

(Note that this is an e23 reprint of a GURPS Third Edition product.)

131-page PDF. Stock #30-6604, $7.99.