For space travel games that do not contain information relative to making one's own atar systems, this third Little Soldier booklet will prove a worthy asset. There are two basic sections. The first is a listing of one hundred planets (numbered to allow for percentile randomness, but unalphabetized, allowing for confusion in finding a specific planet) taken from SF literature written over the last thirty years. Ed Lipsett, the author, has admitted taking slight liberties with the descriptions that the planets will better fit in with a highly sophisticated futuristic space travel network. Each planet contains the following data: name, book title and author from which it was inspired, publisher, the predominant planetary life form's physical and mental characteristics, culture, technology level, imports and exports, and specific notes on the planet or exotic beings one might find there. Additionally, figures are listed for the types of spaceports available, the population, per cent of planet surface covered by water, the atmosphere, and the gravity of the planet.

As an example of this, I will use Arrakis, since many of us are by now familiar at least in passing with Frank Herbert's Dune trilogy (Ace 1965). The reader will be able to make his own judgement concerning the coverage of the source Arrakis is populated with humans, who receive the following character bonuses: +6 to desert survival, +2 to reflexes, +1 to knife combat, and +3 to discipline. The culture of the planet is highly tribal in nature, has fierce discipline in terms of custom and lifestyle, and produces superb soldiers. The technology is advanced, especially regarding desert survival, and technological products are imported for this purpose. The major export is melange, an addictive drug having rather important universal properties. The planet is entirely desert and has a creature called a sandworm which almost defies the imagination in terms of size, as they can eat almost anything, helicopters and small buildings included. With special training and tools, the worms can be ridden. Finally, Arrakis has relatively advanced spaceports, NO planetary surface water, earth gravity and atmosphere, and a population of about ten million.

If you have ever been at a loss for a quick environment, you'll see the value of the Spacefarers Guide. Beneficial to any game that does not provide planets or a system for generating them, the book also fulfills the reader's desire to look at how SF writers have been predicting future civilizations. But this is only the first feature of the Guide.

The second is a group of nine tables which will randomly generate planets within a star system. The charts are for stellar type, number of planets, special planetary types, normal planetary types, moons, atmosphere, hydrographies, gravity, and technological level. I took about two minutes and generated the following: a type M red sun with a surface temperature of 3,300 degrees, circled by seven planets, the first of which had the following characteristics: similar to Pluto, two moons, no atmosphere or life, .9 gravity, and 20% water. Granted, it's a boring planet, but after another five minutes I found life, though unintelligent, on the seventh planet. This one was like Venus, had six moons, low oxygen atmosphere, 30% water, and a horrendous gravity of 3.3-- definitely not the place to hold a swim meet.

In conclusion, I am totally ambivalent about the book as an addition to one's role playing library--the consumer will best understand how it will conform to his hobby needs. 1 am a bit leery about paying $7.95 for a playing aid when entire games go for less, but it is pleasureable to read the planetary data and clink around with generating one's own univerae. As with Shamens and Treasure, the Spacefarers Guide is available from the Little Soldier, or from Lowry Enterprises.

Prism Reviews

Introduction
Space Patrol
Dragons
The Book of Shamans
The Book of Treasure
Spacefarers Guide to Planets: Sector One