Commentary And Review on Skyward Steel: Naval Campaigns for Stars Without Number From Sine Nomine Publishing

 You can get this essential book right over
HERE

This is one from way, way, back when Stars Without Numbers first came out yet lately the book seldom seems to get mentioned. Except lately as part of the great deal that I mentioned HERE . Better take advantage because that deal is running out quick.
This is one of the best books besides the rule book to use with the game.It clocks in at only 59 pages  and yet is solidly done and very handy.
According to Drivethrurpg: The captain standing on the bridge, wreathed in smoke and the cries of the dying. The chief engineer, struggling to force that last precious burst of power from the fusion plant. The Marine sergeant holding fast in the hatchway, death to the alien boarders. The cold-eyed admiral, choosing the slain by the turn of a word and her orders to her bait.

Join the Thousand Lights of the Stellar Navy in this supplement to the FREE Stars Without Number role playing game. Take on the roles of the men and women of the Fleet, the sky-borne protectors of the homeworld and its shield against the outer night. Whether a grizzled rating, dauntless officer, or elite Deep Black espionage operative, Skyward Steel offers both GMs and players the tools to embrace both the duties and the terrible freedom of these guardians among the stars.

Skyward Steel includes a host of useful tools and information for both GMs and players:

• The history and roles of stellar navies in the Stars Without Number universe, including details on planetary invasions and military space stations.
• Details on the ranks, pay, and organization of stellar navies.
• Guidelines on running sandbox naval campaigns, and how to give the players freedom without compromising the military theme of the campaign.
• Rules for recreating the climactic naval battles beloved of military sci-fi, with every PC involved in the desperate struggle to overcome the overwhelming foe.
• Sixty adventure seeds, two for every world tag in the Stars Without Number core book.
• Details on the workings of the Deep Black interstellar operations teams and their perilous covert ops missions.
• New Background Packages for naval characters, and a selection of Training Packages available to every class.
• New ship hulls, weapons, fittings, and personal equipment for naval and covert ops characters.
• Details on building planetary navies for a world and determining naval budgets and operations costs.
  
  Using Skyward Steel With Your Old School Space Opera
  Campaign
  

If you need to handle anything from EE Doc Smith style action all the way through Babylon Five situations this is your book. 
Essentially this is the sandbox of space book for running all of those dirty behind the scenes operations that get talked about but never seen in the older ACE science fiction novels. 
Basically this is a complete system for all types of naval combat in 59 pages. The End. 

'Sixty adventure seeds, two for every world tag in the Stars Without Number core book.' this gives more adventure fill from the main rule book and connects the rule book with the books that followed in the wake of this book. I'm not saying that this is crucial but its very helpful for later adventure design if your using the SWN universe. The Deep Black espionage operative backgrounds, class, and details are some of the reason why I grabbed this book. This book gives a bare bones 'Section 31' style aspect to the 'Thousand Lights of the Stellar Navy'. If your expecting AD&D paladins in space this isn't those unless you want them to be. This book gives all the gory details for creating space naval and marine adventures, ships, and fleets to burn entire worlds beneath your guns.
The book falls someplace the action of the navies of Robert Heinlein's Space Operas  And H. Beam Piper's Space Vikings.  If this sound like your sort of campaign then by all means check it out. Want To know more? Then grab copy of Skyward Steel!