OSR Review & Commentary On The Free Cepheus Engine rpg Fanzine & Supplement - issue #007 of the Cepheus Journal

 "Welcome to issue #007 of the Cepheus Journal. Since this is issue 007 we decided to make this a spy themed issue.

To that end this issue of Cepheus Journal is taking a hard look at superspies and espionage. Norton Glover provides a short  set of rules for dealing with intelligence networks, a realistic upgrade for starting your adventures when compared with “So you are in a bar when…”, while Ewan Spence outlines how to make characters in the modern CIA’s Special Activities Center Special Operations Group. Those of you who game in the relatively near future can look to a passel of gadgets and upgrades that would make Q slightly queasy as Mr. Glover makes his second appearance with Zaibatsu Retrogenics. Peter Simon writes about the motivations for betraying secrets. There is also short spy adventure for a medieval setting by our own P-O Bergstedt."

There are also a number of SF articles in this issue. Joseph Jaquinta brings us a brace of articles on Lagrange points and the humble spaceship door. Timothy Collinson supplies us with some alien cephalopods to come through those doors and Neil Lucock a shuttle to put them on. We also have the first part of  Jo Jaquinta’s story “Raider’s Lament”.

So while everyone has been arguing and whatnot over the last couple of weeks. We've decided to dive back into Cepheus Engine's favorite fanzine Cepheus Journal issue #007! This issue is all about spies, super spies, and more. The first article up is From the Editors By Paul Drye which goes over this issue's premise in spies, super spies, and space. There's a general overview of the contents of this issue and then we head deep into the bowels of 2d6 action with Beyond the Iris Valve by Joseph Jaquinta.This article goes into the placement of doors, airlocks, etc. within Cepheus Engine starship plans and their alternatives. There's some solid ideas here for 2d6 play and plans. 'Eroctopi' By Timothy Collinson gives a band new alien race and yes there's a spy theme here. A new alien species is always welcomed in Cepheus Engine! Lagrange Rendezvous by Joseph Jaquinta gives a hard look at Lagrange points & their uses in exploration, Cepheus Engine, and more. Again this is really useful for Cepheus Engine style games. Raider's Lament is a rather bawdy little story and adventure idea By Jo Jaquinta. Again there's some great ideas here. And then we get 'The Chort' By Neil Lucock; "The Chort shuttle is a popular option in the luxury cruise market. In systems near nebulae and with interesting Gas Giants or other attractions, the typical cruise of 5 days allows 20 passengers to enjoy fine food and entertainment while admiring the view from the panoramic windows on the upper deck." This is a fine addition to the Cepheus Engine family of space craft. 
'Why do people betray secrets' By Peter Simon is a good overview of the betrayal of secrets in intelligence agencies and their uses in 2d6 games. And then we come to 'Zaibatu Retrogenics' By Norton Glover. And again I'm so glad these are not real! Norton Glover is at it again with his 'Intelligence Networks' article & its all good stuff here. But then we're given into the tender mercies of 'CIA Special Activities Center' By Ewan Spence. And here things start taking a dark turn for your 2d6 games. 'From Visby with Love'  By P­O Bergstedt is a jolly little romp of a Sword of Cepheus or Barbaric adventure & its damn good. 'Who Goes There' By Brett Kuger  introduces us to Unit Chief Sir Bravan Nickols whose perfect to head the cell of your latest Brit esponisage cell or organization in your 2d6 games.  All in all this was a very satisfying issue of the Cepheus Journal but don't take my word for it! 
Down load The Free Cepheus Engine rpg Fanzine & Supplement -  issue #007 of the Cepheus Journal Here! 

My Thoughts on the Fate & Future of Flying Buffalo After The Passing of Rick Loomis

Steve Crompton  whose been involved with the rpg hobby for a very long time & has a long history with Flying Buffalo. I've been racking my brain about the fate of the table top rpg company Flying Buffalo after the passing of Rick Loomis recently. I didn't want to seem tacky or disrespectful during this very difficult time for the Loomis or  Flying Buffalo family.
  Steve Crompton has been a friend, writer,  one of the many artists whose work that I've admired on many Flying Buffalo products. He just posted this statement  on Facebook as well as the Mercenaries, Spies, & Private Eye Kickstarter page; "I just posted this on the MSPE Kickstarter and I have edited it here to give you all an idea of Flying Buffalo's plans going forward... Steve Crompton - Manager Flying Buffalo

By now many of you may have heard the sad news that Rick Loomis, President of Flying Buffalo and a gaming industry legend, passed away on Aug 23rd, just a few hours before his 72nd birthday. Rick created and ran Flying Buffalo for almost 50 years, and was also President of GAMA (Gaming Manufacturers of America) on several occasions.

Rick's loss leaves a huge hole in our hearts and Flying Buffalo. Rick was our mentor, our friend (a brother for his sisters) and the intermediary between the high-flying goals of the creative team and the real world. He helped us stay on track and reminded us of the limits of our budgets. Rick also made sure that whatever we created would be something that players would want. And many, many times he made suggestions that made a game more playable or an adventure more usable. We will miss Rick every single day, and we plan to honor his wishes and hopes for the future of Flying Buffalo going forward.

So What Happens now?
Rick's sisters and the entire Buffalo team are committed to continuing to process and ship out your Kickstarter and other orders. In fact just today I did another 25 orders and they are now in shipping, ready to be packaged up. And tomorrow we'll be taking 40 finished orders to the post office. As of now, we only have about MSPE 175 orders left to ship out of the original 675 we started with. And we will continue to ship out your orders until all of them have gone out.

Are You going to Keep publishing?
Down the road there will also be new products for T&T, MSPE, Nuclear War, and Catalyst books like new Traps and Citybooks. They may not come as quickly as we'd like right now, as there is a lot to do in regards to taking care of Rick's estate and Flying Buffalo. But rest assured, we are soldiering onward. That's what Rick wanted us to do - and we plan to do just that. So you don't need to worry - your items will be shipped out.

Please feel free to post you comments below and if you want to contribute to help with Rick's Medial bills, funeral arrangements and other outstanding bills that have accrued due to Rick's illness you can contribute to his https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-gaming-legend-rick-loomis

Thank you all for your concern, your patience and your belief in Rick's dream - Flying Buffalo."

My thoughts go something like this Steve Crompton's had years of experience with his own company, comic book properties, etc as well as being heavily involved with Flying Buffalo since the very beginning of the Nuclear War card game. I've met Steve at several GenCons back in the 90's. He was/is a very nice guy & very capable so there isn't really any argument from me for a better manager for  Flying Buffalo. I wish to say nothing but good luck, my prayers, & great thoughts for Flying Buffalo moving forward into the future. My deepest condolences to Rick's family and friends. I heard the news and thought of all the laughter I shared with friends while playing Nuclear War. Thank you, Rick for publishing that game and for the time we spent playing it. But I'm grateful for the fact that Flying Buffalo will be moving forward into the future with a steady & faithful hand at the helm of the company.

Flying Buffalo's Website is Here.