Topic: Spacemaster 2nd ed products...

[ReaperWolf]

Hey guys,

I recently got an amazing deal on the Spacemaster 2nd ed. Compendium (the one with all the Laws in one book + map).

I have a complete collection of Privateers but this is the first Spacemater 2nd ed. product I've owned in 15 years. Inevitably I'll score copies of the Companions I and II and Aliens & artifacts, these turn up all the time on ebay and Amazon.

What I'm wondering is what (if anything) do the Armored Assault and Star Strike products add to the game? Are the rules for ground and air/spacewarfare that much more complete? Do the rules and combat tables add to the experience or are these just spiffy wargames?

>>ReaperWolf

[PhillipAEllis]

It's been a while since I last played (as a player) Spacemaster (I've never GMed it, so can't comment there), but my party's GM used the two to simulate the relevant contests, and essentially allowed us to survive when ships etcetera blew up (tho often slightly crispy on the outside). You could try it that way.

[markc]

 I personally love Star Strike and Armored Assault and use them with SM:P. IMHO that can add a lot and the cost of the PDF's is nto that much. IMHO AA has added a lot more to my game than the SS book.


 Also good luck on the old SM2 products as some of them can be pricey, as in the $180+ range.


MDC

[Wolfhound]

I really liked Star Strike and Armored Assault also.  They not only help with the tactical end of ship and vehicle interaction as well as giving more options to the GM/players for powered armor and such in some situations, but can be used almost as stand-alone games themselves (kind of like War Law if you are familiar with that product). 

[ReaperWolf]

So my question is are these separate games from the rpg, like how Battletech and Mechwarrior were separate?

>>ReaperWolf

[Wolfhound]

No, they were not separate games in and of themselves. 

But they could be used nearly on their own (for larger scale tactical space or ground combat) without the Roleplaying aspect if desired.  Although they are intended as supplemental products for the original Spacemaster game in the Imperium setting. 

But it would not be too difficult to convert them for use with Spacemaster Privateers as well, since the biggest difference is the skills system and setting/background info. 

And likewise with a little bit of work it would also be possible to use them with HARP SciFi if needed (although you would probably be further ahead in that case to use the HARP-SciFi Xtreme product instead, as it is similar (although not with the level of detail, in the same way as HARP doesn't have the level of detail that Rolemaster does, but allows for faster play due to similar but simpler mechanics).

[JimiSue]

I'm not too familiar with Armoured Assault, as I've not had to use it in play. But Star Strike offers quite a lot, if you have the kind of game that isn't planet-bound. You will find in it different rules systems from a very basic game that doesn't need anything else, through to a hybrid of that basic game and some element of skills, through to the version that is fully compatible with the SM2 rules. It provides rules for ship to ship attacks (including critical tables), guidelines on how to build your own ships, as well as some stock vessels (note there are also three separate ship books as well - I forget what they are and I'm 4500 miles away from my books at the moment so I can't check but I think they are Imperial vessels, military vessels and adventurer class vessels).

I personally have modified some of the formulas for ship building though so as to provide a more cinematic experience for the players - some of the things that the ship must have are so large that it's very difficult to build a ship at the kinds of tonnage a group is going to need. I also have different races in my gaming universe have a limited ability to create superior versions of some basic systems, allowing for volume and mass to be traded against cost (e.g. a system comprising several asteroid belts populated by a people who make their living mining, would require the development of sophisticated sensory capability; a warlike people might have perfected the design of defensive shields or laser cannon, and so on - effectively doing something similar to the tech levels in SM:P).