The Near-Future History of SPI

Main Designer: David James Ritchie
TSR/SPI, 1983

Components

1 16-page rules booklet
1 22"x34" map of North America
200 Die-cut backprinted counters
This game appeared in Ares 14.

Although this is actually a TSR/SPI title, and is set in the 25th century, which would place it somewhat further in the future, certain aspects of The Omega War might be transposed into an earlier time.

The Omega War period for North America could fall somewhere between the mid-21st century and the beginning of the 22nd. Placing it at that date would necessitate a revision of the nuclear war premise. The nuclear-devastated areas could be reconceived as urban sprawl. Some regionalization/fragmentation scenario (perhaps as a result of economic and/or ecological collapse) could be invoked, rather than a nuclear war, as the agent of transformation.

In my discussion of Objective: Moscow, I had suggested the possibility of the division of the world into several power blocs as of about 2020. It was suggested that the game be reconfigured to simulate a struggle between Chung-kuo, Nippon, the Islamic Unity, Europa, Russia, and the U.S.A. (which had by then entirely absorbed Canada). The main premise there had been a U.S. invasion of Europe.

The failure of this massive effort rebounded against the U.S., allowing something vaguely resembling the Invasion: America scenario. The invasion of North America was only possible as a result of some kind of massive civil conflict in North America itself, with various political factions, which could be partially portrayed through either Minuteman: The Second American Revolution, or After the Holocaust (with nuclear-devastated areas again reconceived as urban sprawl). Something reminiscent of The Omega War situation as I am attempting to reformulate it here could occur, let us say, around the late 21st century.

What in The Omega War are the World Union forces could correspond to the forces of the World Organization for Resource Development, which is interpreted to have been formed as an anti-American body (united in its opposition to America) from all the other power blocs.

The Nomads and Clanholds would be interpreted as rural, regional governmental structures, while the Mutant Legions would be autonomous armed forces of the cyberpunkish urban sprawl. The Rebel Partisans would be seen as the remnants of the central U.S. government forces.

It is probable that many of the most talented and individualistic Americans, with their inherent frontier mentality, would sign on to the ARES Corporation effort to expand into the Solar System, especially if the American promise were being choked off on Earth, under the pressure of the mostly Old World power blocs. The Revolution of the Martian Free Traders (as in Battlefleet: Mars) thus forcefully re-invokes the American idea, as it is being brutally suppressed, on Planet Earth itself.

The Omega War would then be a portrayal of this hypothesized final stand of the American idea on a retrogressive Planet Earth.

What the reviewer says:

“Despite the futuristic trappings, this is a conventional conflict with a few nuclear and teleportational side-notes -- basically, a war which could be carried on with present technology.” --Jeffry Tibbetts in The Grenadier 20.

Collector’s Value

Boone quotes low, high and average prices of 3/20/9.38 at auction and 5/15/10.50 for sale.

Other Games by DJ Ritchie

Albion: Land of Faerie; Arena of Death; Attack Force; the Battle of Austerlitz; Barbarossa; Cromwell’s Victory; Korea; Target Libya (SPI/TSR); Arctic Storm; Lost Victory; Victory in the West (GMT).