The Space Gamer received three Origins Award nominations for Best Professional Roleplaying Magazine (in 1981, 1985, and 1986). The Space Gamer won an Origins Award for Best Professional Roleplaying Magazine of 1982.
Space Gamer began life as a paper magazine published by Metagaming Concepts in 1975. Steve Jackson Games took over publication with issue #27 (dated March/April 1980), and ultimately published 50 issues (plus six issues of spin-off magazine Fantasy Gamer). Issue #76, September/October 1985, became Steve Jackson Games' last issue before the rights to the name went elsewhere. Space Gamer covered all aspects of hobby gaming: RPGs, wargames, card and strategy games, and more. It also featured industry news and reviews. Although Space Gamer is still a great read in its own right, today it's also a fascinating look at an earlier era of hobby gaming.
All the issues of Space Gamer that were published by Steve Jackson Games are available digitally at Warehouse 23, including a bundle of all 50 issues.
Today's featured issue from the vault:
Space Gamer #39 (May 1981)
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!
See the sample!
 #27 - #36 |  #37 - #46 |  #47 - #56 |  #57 - #66 |  #67 - #76 |
