First, let me say that there are MANY STAR FRONTIERSTM (SF) sites on the internet.  Each of them has something to add to the SF phenomenon.  I am not even going to try to "compete" with them.  If you are looking for good stuff, then TWO sites are the "Granddaddys" of SF.  If it exists, it can be found here:

The OFFICIAL STAR FRONTIERS SITE: http://www.starfrontiers.com

The sister site: http://www.starfrontiers.org

Even my small contribution to SF can be found at http://www.starfrontiers.org/maps.asp.
Most of the other sites can be reached from the sites above.

SF was originally published in 1982.  It was to be TSR's Premier Science Fiction game, probably intended to compete with Marc Miller's very successful TRAVELLER®.  At the time SF was released, TRAVELLER® had already been out for several years.

Here, I am only comparing the "Alpha Dawn" of SF with the 1st Edition of TRAVELLER® which was out at the time of it's release.  "Knight Hawks" was released later in 1983 (one year after Alpha Dawn).

Both, TRAVELLER® and ALPHA DAWN had strengths and weaknesses.

To give a comparison, I list a couple of the Strengths/Weaknesses below.

"S" stands for a strength
"W" stands for a weakness
 

Unfortunately, after just a couple of years, TSR dropped SF & GAMMA WORLD® and no longer supports them.  TSR at this period of time also dropped several other games, preferring to focus on AD&D® and Buck Rodgers, XXV®.  Enough said.  Let's just say that TSR made GREAT GAMES which they no longer supported and was bought out by Wizards of The Coast (WoTC).

Being a "die-hard" TRAVELLER® fan, I initially bought SF so I could use the maps and counters which came with the game for TRAVELLER®.  However, as of 2000, I have placed TRAVELLER® in the mothballs of my RPG collection and switched to SF!

WHY WOULD I DO THAT???

SIMPLICITY and EASE of PLAY.

For me, a RPG is supposed to be for one thing...TO HAVE FUN.  When a game is no longer is fun, then I move to another game.

I like rules to be simple and straight-forward.  If you discover something that is not covered in the rules, then you can make a house rule to cover it. TRAVELLER® became increasingly complicated; almost to the point of being totally unplayable.  It was no longer "fun" because of the complexity of the rules.  There were times that I would pour over rules, make calculations, etc... for minutes at a time.  While I was working my tail off, the players would get bored, just waiting for me to answer a "simple" question.  More time ended up being spent pouring over rules and figuring things out, than in play.

NOT FUN for me and the players.

However, SF is fast-paced, accessible and playable. Star Frontiers can STILL be found at quite a good bargain.

Most RPGs involve combat. Without combat or a chance for your character to die, it just isn't as much fun.

The SF combat system is extensive and complete. It is certainly one of the key aspects of the game; only character creation seems to be of equal importance. Also, pretty much all "saving throws", chance to hit in combat, etc. is done using percentile dice! For example, You may have a 78% chance to hit, or your character could slip and is about to fall off a 100 meter precipice; your chance to prevent yourself from falling is 45%. I like this better than rolling a d20, or whatever.

FUN FUN FUN!   EASY EASY EASY! :)

http://www.starfrontiers.org/btp/bpale.html

I play a Mentalist character named "Buck". The picture on the right was created using "Heromachine". This picture took me about five minutes to complete.

However, I will always have fond memories of TRAVELLER®, and my many adventures in the Imperium. I will most probably continue to play "T1 & T2" (1st & 2nd Editions).

STAR FRONTIERSTM can be purchased from eBay and consists of:

1. "Alpha Dawn"- This is the meat of the core rules.  Everything except rules for starships are covered here. It has a beautiful game map and counters for playing pieces.  (Common)

2. "Knight Hawks"- This is required for Starships and Starship combat.  Knight Hawks can be played as a "stand-alone-game".  It has a game map and counters for playing pieces. (Common)

3. "Zebulon's Guide"- This is an outstanding expansion to the SF universe.  It contains new alien races, skills, equipment and more.  HOWEVER, it changed the basic format to the rules of the game.  It became more complicated and you sometimes had to convert characters to the "new" system.  Most people use the new equipment, skills, etc. and just continue using the original rules. It is a "Must have" if you get the other parts of the game. (VERY RARE)

4. Modules- TSR published several modules for SF.  They were all high-quality products (for the time period). I will not add any synopsis or further explanation. (Some are Common - Some are Rare)

If you want, you can go to the OFFICIAL STAR FRONTIERS site and download the rules FOR FREE!

What does X-COM have to do with Star Frontiers?

I am currently designing a Star Frontiers Campaign setting based on Microprose's X-Com (computer game), Which I am calling "XCom: The Alien Menace" using the SF rules. In this campaign, the players would be members of X-COM and sent on missions to recover landed or downed alien spacecraft, destroy alien bases found on Earth, or sent on an emergency mission where the aliens are terrorizing a specific location.

I plan on having elements of the first X-COM (UFO Defense), and the second X-COM (Terror From the Deep).  The characters could go anywhere on Earth to battle the alien menace.  This could even include other planets as research allows!

The campaign would start with the same basic equipment that is in the X-COM game.  The GM would then introduce new items as they are researched.

Characters could be pilots of X-COM craft, soldiers, scientists, etc.. Naturally, the game would center around the soldiers since they see the most action.  However, a PC scientist could also have fun researching various alien technology, dissecting alien corpses, etc.

All of the basic rules are already covered in the SF Alpha Dawn rules. I just have to come up with the various alien species, artifacts, etc.

Stay tuned to this page and check.  I have ALOT of work to do on this!

Many of the graphics that I will use were handmade by me.  If you have any for me to use, please send them!

If you have any ideas or suggestions for X-Com: The Alien Menace, please email me!

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