Star Probe (1974) and Star Empires (1977)

[Crimhthan The Great]

Are any of our Traveller fans familiar with these TSR games?

[mormonyoyoman]

Played one of them once, ages ago, but remember nothing about it nor which one it was. Must not have impressed me.

[True Black Raven]

I've never played them, but I would love to get a look at them, but not at collector prices.

[The Perilous Dreamer]

Star Probe

Star Empires

[The Perilous Dreamer]

Star Probe and Star Empires

[The Perilous Dreamer]

Star Probe & Star Empires Pilfering

[The Perilous Dreamer]

This review was posted at Grognard.com.

From: Carl Anthony Watson <[e-mail]>

Subject: TSR's Star Probe/Star Empires



STAR PROBE/STAR EMPIRES Game System



This was a pair of rulebooks offered by TSR in the mid '70s for playing

large scale science-fiction campaign games. A third book was mentioned to

be in preparation, but this writer has no knowledge of it ever seeing

print. (I'd welcome any information anyone has on that third volume.)



STAR PROBE (John M. Snider, TSR, 1974, 36 pgs, 19" x 21" black and white

mapsheet)



Star Probe is a game of space exploration, with each of one to six players

selecting a home world and racial type, and outfitting an exploration ship

with crew, specialist teams, supplies, fuel and weapons to explore worlds

and add them to their empires. Mechanics are fairly simple, if a bit

confusing -- there are a number of charts and tables that could have been

better constructed. Turns are 1 month and the suggested game length is 5

years. Upon arrival at a system, the player determines its type and

usability, makes contact with the natives if present and possibly resolves

battles with hostile creatures or locals. Most of the game is managed on

a record sheets where players keep track of their ship's complement of

science teams, marine groups, and the expendable exploration modes.

There is a set of rather rudimentary spaceship combat rules that need to

be used with player-provided hexsheets and counters or miniatures.

Victory is measured by the economic value of the systems surveyed and

presented to the "Board of Review". The game is quite playable solitaire,

since there is minimal player interaction.



Star Probe came out at just about the same time as the first edition D&D

rules, to which it physically bears considerable resemblance - same

typeset, unappealingly presented tables, and cartoonish art (though the

booklet's line art pictures do possess a certain charm).



STAR EMPIRES (John M. Snider, TSR, 1977, 72 pg)

Continuing on from the basis laid by Star Probe (the exploration of SP

would serve to define the initial positions in the new game), Star Empires

shifted the scale to the clash of entire stellar societies. The rules

book is essentially a set of modules for use in a large scale campaign

game; it seems quite easy to pick and choose among them or to customize

them to suit individual group tastes. The standard items for this sort of

game are all covered: determination of the economic value of star

systems; rules for production and researching of new technologies;

descriptions of types of ships, weaponry and ground units; rules for space

combat between fleets played out on battle boards; intelligence and

espionage operations. The game is replete with big charts and tables (the

flow charts for technological research are convoluted wonders). No map or

counters are provided, though the players could use the Star Probe map or

make up their own easily, and instructions are provided for preparing unit

counters.



As a game design, Star Empires looks both forward and backward. With its

complicated processes, factoring in of the effects of government and

racial types, and the myriad of options for just about everything, Star

Empires anticipates some of the better computer games on the same topic

(I'm thinking specifically of Master of Orion and Master of Orion II). At

the same time, it is something of a pinnacle in the type of complicated,

record-intensive, on-going, multi-player SF campaign game that was popular

with some gaming groups in the late '60s and early '70s, before companies

like GDW, Metagaming and SPI began producing more traditional and less

unwieldy SF wargames.



Tony Watson

[The Perilous Dreamer]

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