Customer Reviews

Soldier's Companion (Space 1889 Sci-Fi Roleplaying)

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I have to confess that even though I have owned several of the Space 1889 books, as well as, several game sets and pieces, I've never actually played it. That's the marvelous thing about Space 1889, it is such a rich fantasy environment that you don't have to play it to enjoy it. Just running all the scenarios, characters, and details through your imagination can be satisfying in itself. There is also enough concentrated information on 19th military and colonial life that it is a rich resource for constructing your own independent stories.

First of all, the entire role-playing series is based upon Thomas Edison discovering a way to navigate the ether currents in the late 19th century, making space travel possible for the Victorians. This causes a rush by the imperial powers of Europe to establish possessions on Luna, Venus, Mars, and Mercury. While the United States has no official imperial ambitions, it also establishes a diplomatic, scientific, and trading presence on the new worlds.

The elaborate detail of these books is amazing. You learn so much about 19th century military organization, uniforms, weaponry (both regulars and colonial forces.) All the major powers of Europe, North and South America, and Asia are covered along with native peoples such as the Dervishes, Arabs, Abyssinians, Boers, Zulus, Sudanese, American Indians, Khmers, Afghans, etc. Then the fictional alien races such as the humanoids of Mars, the lizard men of Venus, and the selenites of Luna are covered in equal detail.

This book is actually divided into five sections: I. The Rules of War (miniature rules), II. The Road to War (specific campaign rules), III. The Sinews of War (military equipment, including aerial and naval vessels), IV. Army Lists (order of battle for all armies in the solar system), V. Charts and Miscellaneous (charts, designer's notes, and an excellent bibliography for further research.)

If you enjoy the Soldier's Companion, then you will also want to obtain Conklin's Atlas of the Worlds, which gives maps and facts about all the geography, flora, fauna, civilizations, and colonial possessions on Mars, Venus, Mercury, and Luna.

If you have any interest in the classic Role Playing Game SPACE 1889, the Soldier's Companion is as full of useful background information as a high quality sausage is full of meat.