Space Gamer #38 (April 1981)

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!

See the sample!

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!

Space Gamer #40 (June 1981)

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!

See the sample!

Space Gamer #41 (July 1981)

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!

See the sample!

Space Gamer #42 (August 1981)

Space Gamer #42 (cover date August 1981) boldly goes where few mags have gone before – and the articles are fun to read, too!

In addition to the regular game reviews, news, and letters, this issue features old-school sci-fi action, including a retrospective of Star Fleet Battles (by its creator, Steve Cole); ruminations about Metamorphosis Alpha; two new nonhuman races for Traveller; plus a computer-programming article about how to make those sci-fi battles feel a bit more like your favorite TV show. It also includes advice for why it's good to have mixed-monster adversaries in your fantasy gaming, as well as a tongue-in-cheek "glossary" of gaming-industry terms (did you know "The Game Master will determine . . ." means "Sorry, we couldn't think up a rule for this"?).

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!

Space Gamer #43 (September 1981)

Space Gamer #43 (cover date September 1981) brings you another bulging binary booklet of bygone brilliance – and the articles are fun to read, too!

In addition to the regular game reviews, news, and letters, this issue includes "Sword's Man," a short story by noted sci-fi author Timothy Zahn; expanded combat rules for Traveller; a discussion of the 1980 Origins Awards nominees and winners; new magical swords for Dungeons & Dragons; two more nonhuman sci-fi races; a historical accounting of variants for the classic game Diplomacy; some new tools and traps for Killer; and more.

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!

Space Gamer #44 (October 1981)

Space Gamer #44 (cover date October 1981) provides a plethora of pages presenting past pearls – and the articles are fun to read, too!

In addition to the regular game reviews, news, and letters, this issue includes rules for radiation in Dungeons & Dragons; detailed rules for tanks and hovercraft in Traveller; a humans-versus-aliens scenario for Killer; a discussion of demographics in fantasy worlds; and a company report for T-Rex, maker of miniatures. For historians (or time-travelers planning on becoming stuck in 1981), this issue also comes with a computer buying guide, describing the then-current state of the art.

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!

Space Gamer #45 (November 1981)

Reading Space Gamer #45 (cover date November 1981) is like opening a perfectly preserved time capsule of the hobby's past – and the articles are fun to read, too.

In addition to the regular game reviews, news, and letters, this issue offers insight into the creation of Car Wars by Chad Irby (including useful hints); designer's notes for Grimtooth's Traps; a description and overview of GameMaster, an early play-by-modem computer-gaming company; a guide for how to write a good game review; and strategy tips for the classic play-by-mail game Starweb (much of which can apply to many different strategy games). It also includes more tongue-in-cheek gaming industry "definitions" – for example, a "classic" is "a game remembered a year after it was written"!

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!

Space Gamer #46 (December 1981)

Space Gamer #46 (cover date December 1981) uses its jump drive to head into yesteryear – and the articles are fun to read, too!

In addition to the regular game reviews, news, and letters, this issue is devoted to Traveller. There are a bevy of reviews for Traveller products, rules for terrorists in that system, and a full adventure entitled "Flare Star."

There is also support for Killer (including a game report by Michael Stackpole); an extensive review of the classic computer game Wizardry; and thoughts on using a computer to enhance tabletop gaming.

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!