OSR Commentary - A brief Overview of the Advantages & Disadvantages of the Cepheus Engine rpg System

 The Cepheus Engine is an open-source, 2d6-based Tabletop RPG core system derived from the Open Game License (OGL) System Reference Document of 1st Edition Mongoose Traveller.

Advantages

• Open-Source Freedom (OGL/ORC): Because Cepheus Engine was designed as a legal, open version of Classic/Mongoose 2d6 sci-fi mechanics, third-party publishers and Game Masters can write, publish, and sell modules, supplements, or settings without licensing headaches or corporate control.

• Massive Backward Compatibility: Decades of legacy materials written for Classic Traveller, Mongoose Traveller, and MegaTraveller—including adventures, starship maps, deck plans, and planetary systems—can be run using Cepheus Engine with minimal on-the-fly conversion.

• Rich, Dynamic Lifepath Character Generation: Instead of picking a basic class at Level 1, characters play through pre-adventure "careers" (Navy, Scout, Merchant, Free Trader, etc.). This generates a fleshed-out backstory, skills, equipment, contacts, and personal history before the first session even starts.

• Predictable Bell-Curve Skill Checks: The core resolution mechanic (2d6 + Skill + Characteristic Modifier vs. Target Number, usually 8+) uses a bell-curve probability. Small +1 or +2 modifiers feel impactful and statistically reliable compared to the swingy variance of a 1d20.

• Grounded, High-Stakes Combat: Combat is fast, lethal, and tactical. Weapons are dangerous, and damage traditionally degrades physical attributes (Strength, Dexterity, Endurance) directly. This discourages reckless violence and encourages strategy, negotiation, and smart planning.

• Built-in Sandbox & Campaign Mechanics: The system offers robust procedural frameworks for sandbox play—including star system generation, speculative trading/commerce, ship maintenance costs, and planetary exploration.

Disadvantages

• Front-Loaded & Lengthy Character Creation: The lifepath system takes time and can feel overwhelming to players looking to jump straight into action. Random lifepath events can also result in asymmetric starting power among party members.

• Grit Over Power Fantasy: If your group prefers heroic power-scaling (like D&D or Pathfinder), Cepheus can feel unforgiving. Characters do not gain large health pools or massive powers over time; a single misplaced gun-shot can cripple a veteran character regardless of how long they’ve been played.

• Math Heavy Sandbox Systems: While procedural rules for fuel costs, ship mortgages, trade margins, and orbital mechanics add realism, they can feel like "accounting: the RPG" if the GM or players dislike spreadsheet management.

• Ecosystem Fragmentation: Cepheus Engine is not a single unified book; it functions as a core SRD that spawned multiple divergent rulesets (e.g., Samardan Press Core, Cepheus Light, Cepheus Deluxe, and Sword of Cepheus). Finding the exact variant or rule version a table prefers can require research.

• Limited Built-In Setting Material: Unlike games with a single dense lore-book, base Cepheus Engine is setting-agnostic sci-fi. GMs must supply their own world building or adapt existing third-party campaign settings.

Lamentations of the Flame Princess and the Pulp Pedigree - Observations on Original Dungeons & Dragons 1974 game, Original Traveller, and Lamentations of the Flame Princess rpg

 Alright let's pick it up from here. One thing that I noticed about Lamentations of the Flame Princess and original Dungeons & Dragons is the fact that both games pull quite heavily from thier respective  Pulp pedigrees. And this isn't a bad thing at all. With original Dungeons & Dragons this is evident right from the get go. 

Because Lamentations pulls so heavily from it's Mentzer Dungeons & Dragons legacy the proof of the game is within it's editing by James Raggi the IV. And it's world setting is laid out within it's adventures. John Q Public within thier December 2019 Amazon  review sums up nicely some of the advantages of LoFP;"What you get is a clear and focused restatement of the Basic D&D rules focused on what those rules do best: survival horror. But unlike the high fantasy safari of Dungeons & Dragons, LotFP Weird Fantasy concentrates on desperate treasure hunters hailing from a grimy replica of our own planet in the Renaissance/early modern period, where magic is a dreadful aberration and ne'er-do-wells who rob tombs and chance brushes with unknown horrors are shunned.

"The "D&D" you get is a finely-crafted rendition of the classic game: 7 classes include the Cleric, Fighter, Magic-User, Specialist, Dwarf, Elf, and Halfling. Saving Throws are divided into 5 categories, and magic involves spellbooks, memorization, casting, and forgetting. Attacks are resolved with a d20 roll compared with a range of Armor Classes, modified by Dexterity. XP is earned almost entirely by recovering treasure from dangerous adventure sites.
Each place where Weird Fantasy differs from Mentzer's Basic D&D really doubles down on the game's weird survival horror vision. Characters have 3 Alignments as in Basic—Neutral, Law, and Chaos—but it represents your character's role in a cosmic conflict regardless of their moral outlook. Certain classes are polarized by Alignment: Clerics must be Lawful, and Magic-Users and Elves must be Chaotic. Furthermore, the rules otherwise treat Elves as inhuman monsters, making them vulnerable to holy water and certain spells cast by Clerics." 

"Another big player-facing difference is that only Fighters get better attack bonuses as they increase in level. This helps really set them apart from the other classes. The Specialist, which is the Weird Fantasy alternative to the Thief class in D&D, has a unique skill system that gives players the option to create a wide variety of characters by specializing in different adventuring skills."

Original Dungeons & Dragons plugs into the same flexibility of system as LoFP but in a different direction. This is evident within OD&D 1974's wargaming roots and implimations of system. 
And here's where Traveller comes in once again. Traveller's 2d6 original 1977 system was also born out of it's era and wargaming roots to a certain extent. It's very nature allows it's flexibility and service ability as a game. 
The players of these games can literally with a few rolls come up with a workable campaign on the fly. And these campaigns plug into the literary source material and this is something we see in original Dungeons & Dragons as well as Traveller. Both games ply from thier sources one being Sword & Sorcery and the other being Space Opera respectively both being sources from different aspects of the Pulp magazine era. And LoFP also pulling from the Weird Fantasy era of the you guessed it the Pulps. 
Why!? Because there's something very compelling about the Pulp asthetic as a role player and gamer. And this is one of the reasons why we keep coming back to the table top because it's within these rpg systems mathematics and make up. 

Possibilities & Glory - Observations on Original Dungeons & Dragons 1974 game, & Original Traveller Rpg

If there's a game that is loved around the table top then we begin looking deeper into it. And with Gencon on this weekend it's no wonder that once again Original Dungeons & Dragons '74 is on the table top. So let's pick it up right from here on the blog. 

And weirdly enough there was a lot of push back on this last blog entry because of the mention of Lamentations of the Flame Princess Rpg and it was mentioned because it's a B/X clone. Original Dungeons & Dragons 1974 has own distinctive flavor all it's own. And a bunch of fans & players which is right in line with observations made in the Original Dungeons & Dragons wiki entry going back to the early days of Space Gamer magazine;" Tim Waddell reviewed the original Dungeons & Dragons in The Space Gamer #2.^[7] Waddell commented that "The most stimulating part of the game is the fact that anything can happen. Nothing is impossible."^[7] Andy Pudewa also reviewed the original Dungeons & Dragons in The Space Gamer #2.^[8] Pudewa said that "As a game, D&D is a fantastical outlet for the imagination. It has the quality of being infinitely flexible, and with it comes the reality of impossibility. [...] There are drawbacks to the game however; as there are in any game. D&D cannot even begin to get interesting in less than 20 hours playing time. Hundreds of hours of work must be done ahead of time by the referee, and it takes a fairly long time to prepare on the part of the players."

My point here is the wide openness of the original Dungeons & Dragons system in lue of the more restrictive rpg systems of fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons of today. And please don't give me the fact that it's the same game. These are very different animals deriaved from different branches of the Original Dungeons & Dragons tree. Original Dungeons & Dragons is in a word infinitely flexible gaming. Or is it just one little aspect of the 'grand game'. And I personally think that this goes back to the wargaming roots of original Dungeons & Dragons. 
And other original Seventies era games such as Marc Miller's original Traveller rpg. And these two games can and have worked closely together in the past at the table top. An interesting insight was had by one of my players while searchingt through the Original Dungeons & Dragons forums on Traveller from 2010 member Slade wrote; "For what it's worth I believe En Garde! is to Traveller what Braunstein is to OD&D.

En Garde! is the char gen framework that inspired the char gen mini-game in Traveller." 
This style of mini game gives the characters background, skills, and gravitas that we see in both the Pulp stories of the 1930's through 1970's. A call back to the skilled and above average heroes of old. And this is something that both original Dungeons & Dragons and Original Traveller have in common. 

The possibilities that you can and will be able to do anything campaign wise with these two games is pretty mind blowing. And continue to play them since 1970's until now is pretty mind blowing. It's almost like that ulitity is design into these products. Endless possiblities in a hand full of dice! But how do they work together?! Next time we dive head first into these systems together! 

Lean & Mean - Observations on Original Dungeons & Dragons 1974 game, Original Traveller, and Lamentations of the Flame Princess rpg

 When it comes to original Dungeons & Dragons there's a bit of a sense of romance about the grand game. And while some players have dismissed the OD&D game. For myself it remains a timeless classic and this is because for me as a player there's something that sparks interest from the ground up.
Being on the otherside of the screen for me as a player has been a bit well, different.  

And one of those things that hits different is the fact of not how limited in scope Original Dungeons & Dragons is but how without all of the 'gaming dogma' the game handles itself like a well playing machine if you know what your doing with it as a DM. 
And the 'Reviews from Rlyeh blog hits this pattern on the head in thier Original Dungeons & Dragons 1974 review;  " Nicely though, the Foreword to ‘Volume 1: Men & Magic’ prefigures the famous ‘Appendix N’ in the Dungeon Master’s Guide for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. It suggests Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Martian stories, Robert E. Howard’s Conan tales, Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser adventures as inspiration. These suggestions point to a more pulpy inspiration, but what is curious is an absence from the list—J.R.R. Tolkien. So no The Hobbit and no The Lord of the Rings. Their later inclusion as inspiration would arguably make Dungeons & Dragons a much drier game, but their influence is very, very much in evidence here in terms of the Classes and Races available to play, and then equally, if not more so, in later editions of Dungeons & Dragons"

 1974 Original Dungeons & Dragons feels far more wide open to me as both player and DM in a way. This is something that we see in original Traveller as well. The inclusion of too many gaming details and elements seems to take away from the actual play. And the reason for this maybe that too much gaming crunch and lore can actually hinder play. 
And yet there's something more of the wargame here as well as the blueprints for the grand game. Because at it's core that's what original Dungeons & Dragons is, the blue print and the grand game itself. 
The fact that original dungeons & dragons has such a 'nuts & bolts' approach to it's material means that literally other material can be used and you won't break original Dungeons & Dragons. 

And this in point of fact goes back to both Appendix N and original Traveller's Pulp roots. In Tales to Astound a wordpress blog this exact observation has been made back in 2015; "For years I was one of those people who had a “dissatisfaction with picaresque stories.” And for this reason, as Maliszewski properly guesses, I saw “D&D as lacking in some way.”

Unexpectedly, as I dig into (and enjoy immensely) the Lamentations of the Flame Princess game I’m running for my friends, I’m really coming to enjoy the pulp tales. I’m no longer dissatisfied with them, and really loving the rules for doing what they’re doing." What's interesting to me as both player & DM is the how and why everything always comes back down to the Pulps source material made these games great. And another reason why I think Lamentations of the Flame Princess needs more credit then it gets within the OSR. 

IBIS: Profit & Peril - The Dragon Magazine Issue #35 & The Cepheus Engine rpg

 Tonight from the archives, I've grabbed my copy of The Dragon issue #35 tonight. And if your into old school Traveller or Cepheus Engine then this is one of the issues that you want. This issue has the excellent IBIS: Profit & Peril by Kenneth Burke. This article goes into an alternative PC creative path for the Interstellar Bureau of Internal Security, known as IBIS.

The IBIS is going to make an excellent NPC is going to make excellent antagonists for my players PC's. I'm not going to give them any backstory per say because they are agents acting for powers unknown. The article goes into the background systems to deal with their skill path;"In addition to the other branches of Traveller military service, characters may join the Interstellar Bureau of Internal Security, known as IBIS. This is the Imperium’s combination secret police force, intelligencegathering agency, and law-enforcement organization; it is answerable to no one but the Emperor himself. The missions IBIS sends its members on are dangerous, but the rewards for success are great While IBIS has a lot to offer potential members, it also has a serious drawback—an IBIS member cannot leave the service until (a) he is ordered to, (b) he serves for 20 years, or (c) he is dead." 
The IBIS is going to be acting against the PC's and their interests. Could they be more then they seem?! Easily if their looking after the interests of the Imperium. 
For the Clement sector, the IBIS article could be used as stand in's as agents of the Chinese Communist Party. They are often acting to sabotage the colony efforts of the PC's in the Earth  Sector & its sub sectors. 

The whole idea here is to use the unknown to shake things up coming up. There are of course other options but the idea of agents of an unknown power could provide some very interesting variations and NPC options. 

Agents Within The Blood Soaked Alleyways of SANCTUARY! A Cepheus Engine Rpg View Into Chaosium's Thieves World rpg Campaign Box Set

 "Skulk through the night on the heels of Shadowspawn . . . delve into the twisted tunnels of the Purple Mage . . . attend the court (or perhaps the harem) of Prince Kadakithis . . . dodge the keen-eyed Hell Hounds with Jubal's Hawkmasks . . . drink your ale and guard your purse at the Vulgar Unicorn . . . boldly walk the streets of the wildest, most varied, and most downright fascinating city in fantasy literature — SANCTUARY, the Thieves' World!"

* The Players' Guide to Sanctuary — the creation of Sanctuary; Thud and Blunder, Sanctuary chronology; 'Hakiem' and 'The Hell Hounds'; a stroll through the city; a captured llsigi document; magic, working ladies, and oaths; glossary /pronunciation guide; a map of the known world; a city map. * The Game Master's Guide to Sanctuary — palm-greasing and arrest procedures; a secret Carronnian report; city gods and religions; main city encounters; encounters for the Jewelers' Quarter, Processional, and Westside; 18 tables of specific encounters, descriptions/encounters for The Maze, Bazaar, Street of Red Lanterns, Downwind; business generators and tables by area; 6 area maps, 15 floorplans of typical buildings (including the Vulgar Unicorn); scenario suggestions.
* The Personalities of Sanctuary — story/character index; system notes as applicable and character stats for 9 RPG systems (minimum of twenty characters each, each system divided to Prince and Retinue. Transients, and Residents); general descriptions of other characters.
* Wall Map of Sanctuary. Referee Maps of The Maze, The Maze underground."

While doing some research last night for Sword of Cepheus, I ran across a little tid bit about Thieves World on Wayne's Books last night on Thieves World; "One of the first "Shared World" fantasy settings -- now commonplace -- was Thieves' World. Contributors to the first two volumes included Lynn Abbey, Poul Anderson, Robert Asprin, Marion Zimmer Bradley, John Brunner, Christine DeWees, David Drake, Philip Jose Farmer, Joe Haldeman, Janet Morris, Andrew Offut, and A.E. van Vogt.

The darkly grim city of Sanctuary was an immediate hit with readers. The series with its roots in fantasy roleplaying in turn inspired the Thieves World Sanctuary Adventure Pack. In keeping with the spirit of the montage of authors of the series, Greg Stafford, et al at Chaosium worked with with some of the brighter lights of the RPG industry (Dave Arneson, Steve Marsh, Midkemia Press, Marc Miller, Steve Perrin, Lawrence Schick, Ken St. Andre, and many others) to make the Thieves' World RPG compatible with 9 RPG systems: AD&D, Adventures in Fantasy, Chivalry & Sorcery, DragonQuest, D&D, The Fantasy Trip, RuneQuest, Traveller, and Tunnels & Trolls.

Truly a Rosetta Stone of early roleplaying.

-Wayne" This isn't the first time that Sanctuary has been mentioned on this blog. Back in February of this past year of Covid we were going to do something about one of the bloodiest fantasy cities in Sword & Sorcery. But what if Thieves World actually was a failed colony in Sword of Cepheus or Barbaric?! 

You've got all of the makings of a Sword & Sorcery fantasy city already done. But with Cepheus Engine there in the mix & Barbaric lurking in the background. Thieves World would be an easily slip into the background of some sector. 

A quick palace coup & then the agents come into help stabilize the royals & the  government of Sanctuary. Then things start to get interesting as they realize the extent of the riches of the world. Resources, mineral rights, and more on an Earthlike world with vast psionic & magic potential?! The mind boggles at the possibilities. Sanctuary needs to make a reappearance at the table top coming up! 

Review & OSR Commentary On Infinite Stars (Issue 2 - Nov 2011) Omer Golan-Joel, Richard Hazlewood, & Brian Pichelman The Free Fanzine For Original Traveller & Stars Without Number rpg

 I'm a bit Kickstarted out at the moment & since the last review of   Infinite Stars (Issue 1 - Aug 2011) We decided to go ahead with a review of Infinite Stars (Issue 2 - Nov 2011)  by Omer Golan-Joel, Richard Hazlewood,  & Brian Pichelman . Because this fanzine is a solid resource for both old school Traveller & Stars without Number the articles can be used for other OSR games as well as we shall see. 

'Expanded World Creation Rules for Stars Without Number' By Richard Hazlewood continues its course by giving expanded guidelines for world creation in SWN & they will work with Stars Without Number Revised. The 'tag' system & other general SWN system is put to good use in the article as SWN & Traveller's heart & soul are actually exploration as much as the trade aspect. This is a solidly done article. We jump over to another 'Dawn Sector' expansion with 'Dawn Sector: The Bladish' By Brian Pichelman. These guys are alien lobster men.  Did I mention they like war & are extremely tough?! Oh and dangerous! All perfect stuff for SWN Revised actually. 
Is the second  issue worth the free download from 2011?! Actually, yes on two fronts.

The material so far can easily be converted over to Cepheus Engine rpg but its more then that. 'A Less-Travelled Road: In Defense of Dying in Traveller Character Generation'  By Omer Golan-Joel gets into the heart of the old school aesthetics. The idea of the consequences of character generation  being build into the game itself. 'Outer Veil: Freeman's Belt – Part I'  By Richard Hazlewood gives us yet another adventure or campaign component in the form of some solid science fiction and note; "  The background for this story is based on the Outer Veil setting developed by Omer Golen-Joel and published by Spica Publishing and is used with permission of the author. In no way should the events or specific descriptions in this story be considered “official” or “canon” to the published setting. Any differences between the official published material and this story are the fault of the author. I would also like to send a special thank you to Omer for allowing me to play in his sandbox" 
What does this issue actually say for itself as a fanzine?! That the parts are sometimes greater then the whole in this case the issue in question brings  new ideas, options, & characteristics to Cepheus Engine PC's. It's still relevant even in today's OSR marketplace. All of this material can easily be converted over to Cepheus Engine rpg easily giving the DM even more toys for the toybox. 

 

 

Infinite Stars (Issue 2 - Nov 2011) By 
 Omer Golan-Joel,
Richard Hazlewood, 
 & Brian Pichelman Is Available Right Over Here. 

Review & OSR Commentary On The Free Infinite Stars (Issue 1 - Aug 2011) Fanzine By Omer Golan-Joel & Co. For Original Traveller & Stars Without Number Free Edition

 


 

There are times when I've heard from DM's that they wish that there was a fanzine dedicated to Stars Without Numbers rpg & Cepheus Engine? Well there was but it was originally dedicated to Stars Without Number & original Traveller. Come with us now down the dark corridors of time to 2011 &   Infinite Stars (Issue 1 - Aug 2011). 

Infinite Stars (Issue 1 - Aug 2011) by Omer Golan-Joel & Co. for original Traveller & Stars Without Number rpg first edition.  According to the editorial of issue#1; "The moment has finally arrived. After some considerable birth pains and a lot of delays caused by our Real Lives(TM), you are finally reading the first ever issue of Infinite Stars. This free fanzine is intended to serve as a platform for opinions and material for Stars Without Number(TM) , Traveller(TM) and other sciencefiction role-playing games. Our door is open to anyone who wishes to see his or her material or opinions published for these games, as long as it is reasonable, and, of course, as long as it does not infringe on the intellectual property rights of the original authors of these games. This first issue unveils some of the main serial sections of this fanzine: The Manufactory which is concerned with technology, ships and equipment; A Less Travelled Road in which we discuss Classic Traveller; Dawn Sector which is a fan-made sector for Stars Without Number; and Personnel Files in which we present character generation options, and, later on, we will provide NPCs as well. In future issues, we might start additional sections such as The Menagerie which will discuss alien life-forms, and Visitations which will provide short adventures."  But is the first issue worth the free download from 2011?! Actually, yes on two fronts.



Richard Hazelwood has a very streamlined ship manufacturing process article in the Manufactory which is still solid even for Stars Without Number Revised. 'A Road Less Travelled: A Fresh Look At Traveller' by Omer Golan-Joel & its opinions can be covered over to Cepheus Engine rpg a retroclone of classic Traveller. 'Dawn Sector: The World of Flicker' By Brian Pichelman covers a brand new sector & is extremely useful for the DM looking to have a sector that isn't well known among the sci fi 2d6 fandom. 'Personnel Files: More Options for Stars Without Number Characters' By Omer Golan-Joel brings new ideas, options, & characteristics to SWN PC's. It's still relevant even in today's OSR marketplace. 
 

Why?! Because much of the material is usable with the  Cepheus Engine rpg & its still a solid fanzine. Yes there's several 2d6 fanzines on the market for Cepheus Engine but what makes Infinite Stars unique is the combo of old school Traveller & Stars Without Number rpg in equal measure. 
You can find 

 Infinite Stars (Issue 1 - Aug 2011)
Fanzine Available Right Here 

Cepheus Engine Rpg Friday! OSR Review On 'The Gladius Battalion Handbook' By Ian Stead, Tim Price, & Ade Stewart For The Cepheus Engine rpg or The Classic Traveller rpg.

 "The Gladius Battalion is a general-purpose military company, contracted to provide training for local forces, security for rear areas, important installations, checkpoints, convoy escorts, as well as bodyguards for key personnel or VIPs. They are normally hired by groups and organizations who don't want to tie up their own personnel, whose loyalty is presumed to be without question, on the more dull and mundane military security jobs; freeing up larger numbers of their own personnel for the more specialized and important missions.'

"Units like the Gladius Battalion, are found everywhere, doing everyday mundane but essential security tasks, rather than the exciting "strike from space!" operations so beloved of the entertainment channels."

There are times when a DM needs a good set of mercenary NPC's & this is one of those times. Fortunately Moon Toad Publishing is there to step into the breech with 'The Gladius Battalion Handbook' By Ian Stead, Tim Price, &  Ade Stewart for Cepheus Engine rpg  or  the Classic Traveller rpg. 'The Gladius Battalion Handbook' book has everything you need on a mercenary unit to employ as hired help or hindrance for your Cepheus Engine powered adventurers! 
While Drivethrurpg has their big Christmas in July sale 'The Gladius Battalion Handbook'  wasn't in the sale   instead this came up through our MeWe & Facebook Cepheus Engine rpg groups.  There are plenty of other excellent Cepheus Engine rpg  powered game supplements  such as Michael Brown's offerings, Independence Games , & many more including Stellagama Publishing. 

So we leap back into 'The Gladius Battalion Handbook'   and right away we get history, background, & more of this mercenary organization. There's something of the Hammer's Slammer's series or H. Beam Piper's Space Viking's influence in 'The Gladius Battalion Handbook'  . That's not a bad thing at all because it speaks to the science fictional roots of the product. 

We get treated to the inner workings of 'The Gladius Battalion' and their strengths, weaknesses, equipment. The book reads like a brochure for a real mercenary out fit & not one that we'd want to tangle with. 
'The Gladius Battalion' isn't necessarily the bad guys but these are the guys that you send in to handle H. Beam Piper's Space Vikings because the local interstellar warlord & his forces can't handle the military might of the invaders. Need a palace rebellion put down? Call in the 'The Gladius Battalion' to handle the rebels. Because in 30 pages you get everything you need to present, polish, & handle your own take for your came of the  'The Gladius Battalion'. Everything is professionally presented up to & including Moon Toad Publishing's usual spec's & easy to read material. 

Be warned  'The Gladius Battalion' isn't a push over organization by any means. These are professional soldiers & mercenaries capable of taking on experienced groups of adventurers. So you can use these forces sparingly or even to get your own adventurers out of trouble. Or maybe the PC's are even vets who mustered out of the  'The Gladius Battalion'. 


The bottom line is 'The Gladius Battalion Handbook' By Ian Stead, Tim Price, &  Ade Stewart for Cepheus Engine rpg  or  the Classic Traveller rpg worth it?! In my humble opinion? Yes there's tons of uses for a gun ho, sharp, & well versed mercenary outfit for a science fiction campaign. Bare in mind that I bought this product with my own hard earned money not that Moon Toad Publishing wouldn't have given me a complementary copy. No I grabbed 'The Gladius Battalion Handbook'  because its going to fix a nice little hole that's sitting in our own on going Cepheus Engine rpg campaign. 

You can buy 'The Gladius Battalion Handbook' By Ian Stead, Tim Price, &  Ade Stewart for Cepheus Engine rpg  or  the Classic Traveller rpg Here 

OSR Commentary The Philosophy of Play & Learning - Cepheus Engine & Original Traveller rpg

 Learning to say,' I don't know everything as a dungeon master' is OK & important. There are still system kinks & ideas that even after all this time I've learned from fellow dungeon masters or even non gamers. I think that the most important thing in gaming is being able to say, 'I'm still learning & that I don't know everything'. Being open to others & new ideas is as important as actual play. The idea that one person can master every facet of table top role playing is absurd. Sometimes the only way to learn some of the 'tricks' or techniques for gaming is from older gamers.

The reason why I know so much about Traveller is because of my adopted uncle who was my DM back in the Eighties. His love of the game was infectious & his collection of books massive or least that's how it appeared to a very young me. Sharing his love of the game with us kids was very important & led to a love affair with this system going back decades. Now this is being expressed through play in DM Steve's Cepheus Engine rpg campaign by myself & his other players.

And my own explorations into this system are on going. There are players that I know who can rattle off rules & systems within 2d6 easily. That's no myself even as a DM. Can I construct a star ship? Yes, & it will work for an adventure or play. A tank or a mecha?! Yes. But there's gonna be a ton of rules, settings, etc. that I don't know about. Part of the unwritten philosophy of the OSR & Cepheus Engine. Gerry Miller JR captured this so well in our Cepheus Engine Facebook group;

"Anything in Traveller, any edition, can be converted to Cepheus Engine. I prefer Cepheus Light & Cepheus Modern and how it simplifies the game. I think Cepheus Light gets as close to Classic Traveller as any derivative version, including The Mongoose editions. The biggest thing is CT is deadlier its armor as a modifier to hit system is brutal. All of the newer derivatives use armor as point damage reduction once hit. That kinda loses something of old grit for smooth simplicity and less die modifiers to track. I have converted Classic Traveller campaigns over to Cepheus Light, The PC's, Ships, NPC's etc.. Prior to The Cepheus Light Character generator I would use the CT character generator and just convert them. Classic Traveller is still very payable you just have to home rule the old computer rules a bit on starships. The nostalgia of that game lives in my heart forever. I have homerules for both versions and I like to beef up PC's a bit. YOU CAN ALMOST DO ANYTHING WITH THIS 2D6 ENGINE"

"If you scroll and look at the PDF files on this page you can see i have files explaining my conversions and attempts on homerules. It is a great system and I like tinkering with the mechanics to make things fit and work. I truly think you can almost do anything with this system. That is what Traveller was originally meant to be a simple 3book outline for GM's to create whatever they wanted to create." 

The Cepheus Engine Facebook & even the MeWe Cepheus Engine rpg groups are some of the best on social media. These groups are by fans of the game & creators of the 2d6 system. There's a huge amount of experience there. My  suggestion is to take advantage of it. 

This blog is called Sword & Stitchery now I don't often take the time to talk about the cross over with sewing machine repair or the sewing hobby. But that cross pollicization is there within our respective  hobbies.  Each time another sewing machine repair business goes out or the owner dies. I will often hear its better for my own sewing machine repair business. Nothing could be further from the truth. Each & every time another sewing machine repair technician passes on. The total accumulated knowledge, wisdom, & experience  of a lifetime is lost. Its lost to the community of hobbyists,  sewers  & the hobby is poorer for it. 
This is the same with gamers & our own hobby. How often do we hear of another designer, writer, or  gamer's passing & the devastation such a loss causes to a group of players. The loss of a life time experience & the wisdom of the table top is lost to all of us. 
This blog entry should not end on such a morbid note. Let's get back to the fact that dungeon masters should be open to continuing to learn even if its a system that they've been playing for a life time. 
The fact is that its only recently that I've gotten back into the foray with both original Traveller & Cepheus Engine. Remember it takes a lifetime of play & the play is the thing. 

Quick Review & Commentary On The Rediscovery of Man: The Complete Short Science Fiction of Cordwainer Smith Part of the Appendix S & N

 If there is one Appendix N or S  author who doesn't get the recogniation he deserves, It's definitely Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger, aka Cordwainer Smith whose Human Instrumentality stories were among some of the most unique pieces of science fiction produced during the Golden Age. Take one part Chinese or Japanese mythological tale, wrap it in a healthy dose of 16,000 years in the future 'peek a boo', & then give it the biting sarcasm of a psychological warfare officer from WWII. And you just might scratch the surface of Cordwainer Smith. 

Cordwainer Smith's Science Fiction writings  have been  highly influencial on both orginal Dungeons & Dragons & the orignal  Traveller rpg. These stories  have also influenced numerous Empire of the Petel Throne dungeon masters. 

"According to Frederik Pohl

In his stories, which were a wonderful and inimitable blend of a strange, raucous poetry and a detailed technological scene, we begin to read of human beings in worlds so far from our own in space in time that they were no longer quite Earth (even when they were the third planet out from Sol), and the people were no longer quite human, but something perhaps better, certainly different" 

The Rediscovery of Man: The Complete Short Science Fiction of Cordwainer Smith published in 1993 is the collection that your going to want to get if your a fan of his writing. Why?! Because it actually contains the following; "Includes 33 stories that represent Cordwainer Smiths entire SF works except for the novel Norstrilia. These stories are "classics" of the field such as "The Dead Lady of Clown Town," "The Game of Rat and Dragon," "Scanners Live in Vain," and "A Planet Named Shayol." Appearing for the first time in print are "Himself in Anachron" and the completely rewritten adult version of his high school story "War No. 81-Q." Introduction by John J. Pierce."

 Cordwainer Smith's Influence upon M.A.R. Barker's Empire of the Petal Throne stories  rpg  comes not from the good professor but many who run the game. The Human Instrumentality's efforts to shake up humanity & many of the events sorround  the Human Instrumentality organization remind one of the efforts of adventurers within The Empire of the Petal Throne. 

With the release of the Worlds without End rpg  & the Stars Without Number Rpg that preceeded it Cordwainer Smith's writing has become even more influencial. His writing takes a stab at the adventure plot idea covering  the vastness of both culture, , the rise & fall of Empire, and humanity among the vastness of the  stars.The Human Instrumentality  material here is vivid, rolling, & very well done in a style of writing that is unique. Interstellar regimes come & go, pockets of humanity continue along their paths out among the stars, & thousands of years pass on admist the ending of a story. 

Smith's work definitely hits spot on for Kevin Crawford's Worlds Without Number. The Human Instrumentality is a nice instellar empire to visit but you wouldn't want to live there. Humanity is a dour breed whose roles in life are genetically pre programmed. Underpeople animals that have been uplifted of a sort do many of the mundane jobs. And the Earth gets sold to an Australian boy one night & then things get weird from there. 

If you want to get into Cordwainer Smith's  science fiction. Then The Rediscovery of Man: The Complete Short Science Fiction of Cordwainer Smith is the work that you want to grab. Yes the book clocks in at six hundred & seventy one pages of science fiction Smith goodness but here's what it contains:

Stories of the Instrumentality of Mankind

No, No, Not Rogov! ( read the beginning below)
War No. 8 1 -Q (rewritten version)
Mark Elf
The Queen of the Afternoon
Scanners Live in Vain (read the beginning below)
The Lady Who Sailed The Soul
When the People Fell
Think Blue, Count Two
The Colonel Came Back from the Nothing-at-All
The Game of Rat and Dragon
The Burning of the Brain
From Gustible's Planet
Himself in Anachron
The Crime and the Glory of Commander Suzdal
Golden the Ship Was-Oh! Oh! Oh!
The Dead Lady of Clown Town
Under Old Earth (read the beginning below)
Drunkboat
Mother Hitton's Littul Kittons
Alpha Ralpha Boulevard (read the beginning below)
The Ballad of Lost C'mell
A Planet Named Shayol
On the Gem Planet
On the Storm Planet
On the Sand Planet
Three to a Given Star
Down to a Sunless Sea

Other Stories

War No. 81-Q (original version)
Western Science Is So Wonderful
Nancy
The Fife of Bodidharma
Angerhelm
The Good Friends

This review comes with a warning! Don't make the mistake that I made back in '93 in the U.K. and grab the U.K. title with the same name. 

If you want a sample of Cordwainer Smith's  science fiction here's two of his best Under Old Earth & A Planet Named Shayol. 
There's also the Cordwainer Smith website maintained by his daughter here.