Game type – Roleplaying (RPG/TRPG) (paper & pencil)
Format – PDF (90.7mb) (Reviewed) & Print version available
Book Title – Mindjammer (2nd Edition)
System – Fate
Author – Sarah Newton (Mindjammer Press) 2014
Page Count – 500
Full Colour front and back cover, along with star map inside. Black & white images within, with black on white text pages.
Price (as of todays date) – $27.99 (download) or PDF & Print bundle for $54.99
“Were we on the brink of extinction? I’d say so, yes. Three or four centuries ago, no one had any interest in anything. It was like everything worth knowing had already been known, everything worth doing already done, and a million times over. We were happy enough,
with our drugs and our slaves, and our endless diversions. But we were on our way out: something had gone, some zest, some spice, that made it all worthwhile.
Now you get to live as long as you want, as long as you don’t get killed. Life is dangerous again. And, somehow, that suddenly makes it all worth living.”
— Kasim Kasah, Technopsi Redactor-in-Chief,
Ministry of Evolutionary Planning (Mysore Vallis Chapter), Europa
Can I just start off and say, what a sexy book, and that is just the PDF, I can only imagine how good the print version would be. Absolutely gorgeous. The quality just leaps off the page and invades your eyeballs. It deserves to be on your shelf with the rest of your collection, especially if you are a sci-fi fan.
The ENnie award-winning 1st edition, which was a supplement to Starblazer Adventure game, has now been updated and expanded upon using the Fate Core rules, to give it a standalone book. This book is all that you will need to begin your adventures in the second age of space, as all the information and rules you will need are clearly explained within this book. It is a compelling space opera, with Mindscape and implants using shared consciousness. The center of which sits Old Earth (Earth’s new name), and Manhome is the place in space where Old Earth sits, the old solar system. The human race is now transhumans, with many lost or rediscovered colonies on distant planets.
The book is set out in a modular form, so you can pick and choose what you want to use as you play the game. You are basically ready to begin playing as soon as you finish the second chapter, (fourteen pages in.) After this everything else expands on the rules and explanations. Everything is written very clear and precise, with examples and explanations given as you go through. Every now and again you will come across a little box highlighting a possible plot hook that could be used. A lot of depth resides within these pages.
There is so much thought and energy given to this book, that you can see Sarah has spent so much of her time on how it all works and fits. Even the more futuristic elements have been given a lot of thought at how they should all work, with a lot of background grounded in the real world and possibilities. There are explanations on these subjects without loosing the reader in over the top tech jargon. The book has clear tables that are also given space at the end of the book so has to put them all in one place. There are also blank character and work sheets, along with information on how to create and run games, planets, vehicles, aliens, even solar systems and mapping. There are rules for playing a sentient space ship if you so desire. Also at the end is a glossary of the terminology used within the setting. The only thing that you will need to buy would be the Fate/Fudge dice set, which is basically your average six-sided dice but instead of numbers one through six, it has two sets of – symbols, two sets of + symbols, and two blank faces. However you can get away with normal six siders as Sarah explains within the book.
Another cool touch I noticed, but didn’t see any mention or table within the book, is a unique writing form within the book which follow along with the title and chapter headings. With quick comparisons you can soon pick up the characters and use within your games.
This is such a well written and thought out role-playing book, that it does need to be seen and read by other gamers. In fact I must confess to having had this PDF for some time now, before it was even released, but I just didn’t want to rush through the book, just to take my time and savour every word. It was a joy to read. Just sorry for taking so long to get this review out to you all.
GAMING TALES 