OSR Review & Commentary On Hacker By Paul Elliot for your 2d6 Science Fiction or Cyberpunk style rpg

 "You need a set of hacking rules for your futuristic RPG setting.

HACKER is system-neutral – a fast and unobtrusive set of cyberspace rules that recreates the colour and danger of a classic cyberpunk ‘consensual hallucination’. In the words of William Gibson, it is a ‘graphic representation of data … lines of light ranged in the non-space of the mind, clusters and constellations of data.’

In these rules, we call it Cyberspace. But it might be the Matrix, the Netrix, or just the Network. Take your pick. Just don’t call it the Internet. Or the Web"

So I got a copy of Hacker by Paul Elliot from an update from the Zaibatsu rpg. What followed were thirteen pages of common sense and well thoughtout hacking in Cyberspace rules and clear decking rules for any 2d6 Traveller or Cepheus Engine rpg driven games. Hacker does that by give us clear and precise rules for hacking into the computers and systems of Zaibatsu and Hostile. But really these rules could easily be appiied to any 2d6 Cyberpunk style rpg. Hacker's font and layout are clear and well done. 
Now the weird part of this is that I've been meaning to get back to Zaibatsu for sometime. The game mechanics of Hacker rely on the Hostile and Zaibatsu 2d6 systems. This means that Hacker has it's own internal system with the following;"Your roleplaying game will have its own dice, attributes, skill levels and so on. We can’t guarantee compatibility. So, at key moments we just ask you to ‘make a computer skill roll’, whether that’s 3D6 roll under 12, or roll 2D6 to get 8+, or to make a percentage roll against Computer Programming 56%, or whatever. You get the idea." 

Hacker is a step sideways for Zaibatsu and Hostile. There are already solid systems for cyberspace within Zaibatsu? Hacker presents a faster alternative & solid alternative. The rules in Hacker are built for convience & not to slow down your games. There are even two example runs through Cyberspace  with the Hacker rules. 

What Hacker gets right is the William Gibson Neuromancer style experience of Cyberspace. Hacker is a lean & mean set of 2d6 rules for the Cyberpunk 2d6 player out there. 

Review & Commentary On The TSAO: Signal 99 Adventure By Richard Hazlewood From Stellagama Publishing For The Cepheus Engine RPG & The Classic Traveller Rpg

" In this adventure, the characters are crew members or passengers on a starship. As they emerge from jump in the remote system of Parvati and begin moving towards the mainworld, they pick up a distress signal, a Reticulan (grey alien!) “Signal 99”, from a nearby ship. The ship is in danger and in need of rescue.

As the characters race to save the dying ship, they discover the true nature of the Reticulan vessel. However, there are other parties interested in the fate of the stricken vessel, and not necessarily interested in helping…

The damaged ship is a dreaded Reticulan Abductor. The hated Reticulan Empire used these large vessels to capture subjects for their nefarious experiments. As the characters explore the ship, they will discover that there are many human subjects aboard the ship in low berths – what the Reticulans planned to do with them is the subject of horror stories. This should be especially disturbing to the characters, as the Reticulan Empire recently signed a treaty with the human United Terran Republic that specifically outlaws abduction and experimentation on humans. There are a number of Reticulan survivors as well. Also aboard the Abductor are a group of insect-like Zhuzzh, known throughout the galaxy as hard-nosed scavengers and pirates. The characters will discover the Zhuzzh as they are removing the frozen humans from the Abductor and transferring them aboard their ship. Their ultimate purpose is unknown, but the Zhuzzh do not want to share their “salvage” with others.

The characters will have to make some tough decisions. Will they try to save the surviving Reticulans, including children, or let them die and save just the humans? Will they go after the Zhuzzh vessel when the salvagers flee or stay and save more survivors from the ship? There are no ideal answers to these dilemmas. Driving this tension and action is the impending explosion of the Abductor’s damaged power plant. No matter what they do, the characters will not be able to save everyone – they will have to save as many as they can and then flee for their lives."


Claustrophobic, tight, dangerous, & very horrifying are not things that reviewers tpyically write about when their reviewing an adventure.But that's exactly the sort of adjectives that one can use for TSAO: Signal 99 by Richard Hazlewood.  TSAO: Signal 99 seems like a pretty straight forward adventure believe me its not & its a pain in the arse. I mean this in the best possible sense of the word for a table top rpg adventure.  TSAO: Signal 99 for the Celpheus Engine rpg is going to test the players to their absolute limits if played right. This is not an adventure for the unwary or the easily frustrated. The adventure itself isn't difficult but its adventure elements are! 
Take your average Sixties or Seventies action film with tight locations, add in elements of a savagely hated empire, mix in a whole lot of suspense and you've got  TSAO: Signal 99 

via GIPHY

So why is  TSAO: Signal 99 so nasty & dangerous?! Because  TSAO: Signal 99 is about choices & having PC's live with the consquences. The  insect-like Zhuzzh who are notorious pirates, scavengers, & smugglers are right in the thick of things inside what turns out to be a a badly damaged Reticulan Abductor. And that's only a quarter of what's happening. There's a ton of lever pulling, & button smashing in this adventure & its easy to see when & where PC's are gonna die. There is a ton of water under the bridge between the humans & the Reticulan Empire. If you want a really nice primer for your games of the TSAO universe with a nice slice of its history then I suggest the TSAO: A Primer to These Stars Are Ours!. Its free & it contains everything needed to started down the deep rabbit hole that is the TSAO setting. 
But for anyone wanting to run or DM  TSAO: Signal 99 don't skim go for the whole  burrito  with the These Stars Are Ours sourcebook. There's a lot going on in TSAO: Signal 99. The best way of handling  TSAO: Signal 99  is to be prepared for many of the eventualities that could arise from things going sideways in this adventure. 

 TSAO: Signal 99 is a good adventure & infact excellent but its not one for the inexperienced DM at all. This is a solid adventure in fact for the original Traveller rpg. Why?! It actually not only touches on many of the themes of the original Traveller rpg but it does so with style. But  TSAO: Signal 99 takes its adventure 'P''s & 'Q''s from both war films & action flicks with a lot of gerne promises form these sources. In other words  TSAO: Signal 99 is a module for experienced Traveller or Cephues Engine rpg players only. Both in its run & what it does. What it does is take the full measure of the players & then  shoves them through the adventure gaunlet. There's lots of problem solving, old war issues, & more that need the expert touch. Can I see running this with a merc outfit or a group of military veterans who are on vacation?! Absolutely! 
Would   TSAO: Signal 99 make a good campaign rider adventure?! Abosolutely!  TSAO: Signal 99 make a good beginning adventure? Possibly for the sort of Traveller rpg or Celpheus rpg players who have ton of experience under their belt! Would I run  TSAO: Signal 99? And buy it?! Absolutely! Solidly written very well done, and a top brass spit & polish add on to the Celpheus Engine Rpg..  TSAO: Signal 99 is a great adventure that I've had the pleasure of reviewing! 

Review & Commentary On The Liberty Ship Supplement By Omer Golan-Joel and Richard Hazlewood From Stellagama Publishing For The Cepheus Engine RPG & The Classic Traveller Rpg

" Necessity is the mother of invention, and war brings about many necessities. In the 2230's, Humanity fought a war for its liberty and survival against the mighty Reticulan Empire. Faced with a numerically superior, technologically advanced foe, Terran forces required highly efficient logistics to fuel their war effort and turn back the tide. Such logistics necessitated simple, cheap, efficient freighters and troop ships to carry war materials and troops between the stars. Hence, the L’Ouverture-Class Liberty Ship was born – an economic wartime freighter. It lacks any frills or bells and whistles. It comes to work, to carry freight and troops. That's it.

Once the War ended, the Terran Merchant Marine sold many of these ships – no longer required for military logistics due to widespread demobilization – on the civilian markets. Many serve as independent or corporate merchants. However, a few star-pirate gangs acquired such ships for cheap and modified them to serve as their bases of operation.

This booklet details five variants of the Liberty Ship – a 1,000-ton freighter intended for use with the Cepheus Engine rules and other Sci-Fi 2D6 SRD-compatible rules."

There are days when fulfilling the social contract weighs heavy on my mind, the idea of the unspoken agreement between a publisher & a reviewer. Well there are times when putting a game down such as Celpheus Engine allows me push it to the back of the lizard brain. And this is where the Celpheus Engine rpg's These Stars Are Ours campaign setting is for me. The setting is at the back of my lizard brain, why?! Because its something that I've played in a million times especially back in the days of the 90's original Traveller rpg & the star ships like the  TSAO Liberty Ship were our home in the deep darkest cold of space. 
Back when television shows like Space Above & Beyond were on we were playing game campaigns set in some very edge of space backwater where our PC's were party of the military of some small speck in the vastness of the Traveller universe. And products like the  TSAO Liberty Ship were what kept us coming back to the table again & again. But there in lays the problem there were no products like the  TSAO Liberty Ship. 
There weren't any products like this one, this book goes out on a limb to provide an in universe cut of the pirates, scum, and the militaries that hunt them. 
This is a universe that has recently within its history escaped the grasp of the Reticulans. The wounds of that history are still fresh under the scabs of those who serve aboard the Liberty & ships like her. 

If you want a really nice primer for your games of the TSAO universe with a nice slice of its history then I suggest the TSAO: A Primer to These Stars Are Ours!. Its free & it contains everything needed to started down the deep rabbit hole that is the TSAO setting. 

The  TSAO Liberty Ship contains everything that you need to run a complete fleet action style campaign using the infamous Celpheus Engine rpg & the stellar ship. I say infamous because it has it all of the death of PC's that the original Traveller rpg had. We get not one but three variations of the TSAO Liberty Ship. And what is it about the Liberty that I love?! The damn ship looks like a  ‘U.S.S. Saratoga’, from the TV show Space Above & Beyond as well as something that might have dropped outta of the clasic Aliens film. Remember when Traveller seemed totally aligned with the movie Aliens?! This is a retired warship & as such you'll have to buy one from the second hand governmental local bodies, or perhaps even find one floating in space. You get not one but three variants of the class plus access to high definition plans for the TSAO Liberty Ship. 

 I'm in love with these ship class & there are several reasons for this! One these ships are perfect overlaps for the SPACE PATROL from the TSAO universe & as perfect pirate bases capable of moving along the edges of the universe to pray on unsuspecting caravans or fleets of trade ships. 
There's something utterly satisfying about contemplating the kinds of mayhem & weirdness that one can put the TSAO Liberty Ship supplement. And this dear readers is one of the hallmarks of a great supplement. 

Could the TSAO Liberty Ship supplement be used with Cepheus Light rpg system?! In heart beat answer? Yes! That makes the ulility of the the TSAO Liberty Ship supplement worth the four dollar price tag! 

The TSAO Liberty Ship book & materials have all of the hallmarks of a classic! Easily readable, solid production values, nice cartography, good writing, & the damn supplement is incredibly useful! Five outta of five stars! 

Review & Commentary On TSAO: 50 Wonders of the Reticulan Empire By Omer Golan-Joel For Cepheus Engine rpg & Your Old School Space Opera

 "The Reticulan Empire is the richest, most powerful political entity in known space, outshining even its mighty Chiwak rivals. Millennia old, it has reached a mature and stable Tech Level 13. This technological know-how allows the Reticulans to produce marvels of advanced science beyond anything the Terrans can reliably manufacture. This booklet provides a sample of 50 technological and psionic wonders developed and used by the Reticulan Empire, from compact handheld laser "blasters", advanced cybernetics and gravitics, to the arcane psionic devices that unleash the power of the Reticulan mind."


In old school Traveller originally societies beyond Tech level 13 were rare in the games that I played back in '81 or so..  Cepheus Engine rpg's TSAO: 50 Wonders of the Reticulan Empire is very interesting to me as a dungeon master is because of two things. One it gives a huge amount of insight into the Greys of the TSAO setting's psychology, how their mental processes work, and what the various Grey & human factions of the setting's technologies work. Both on a mental level & the in universe setting practicalities. What this basically means is that you begin to see the art,literature, etc. of the Gray interstellar empire through the lens of the setting's society. 



Traveller in the three little black books was a thinking man's game on two levels. Tactically from the point of view of the DM & from the players who were dealing with the unknown on so many levels. 
Cepheus Engine rpg's TSAO: 50 Wonders of the Reticulan Empire  takes its cues from those classic books & doesn't update them but expands on them for the Cepheus Engine rpg. This gives the Riticulans perspective & lens into their culture,motives, & agendas. Something that was lacking in some early Traveller products. 

The far superior products were those that gaves slices of insight, motives, and even bits & pieces for the dungeon master to use. This is one of the hallmarks of the little black books of Traveller. 

This is where the 'toy box'  of  TSAO: 50 Wonders of the Reticulan Empire isn't so much important as the application of those toys for the various 'dungeons' of the the Reticulan Empire's ruins, wrecks, & various adventure opportunities that TSAO: 50 Wonders of the Reticulan Empire  presents for the players & the dungeon master. Even though there are far more bells & whistles that the  Cepheus Engine rpg seems to present. There's far more bubbling here below the surface in TSAO: 50 Wonders of the Reticulan Empire.You've got the far reaching implications of  the Reticulan Empire's human population to contend with. The humans are starting to exploit & be exploited by their former  Reticulan masters because of the lure of technology. This is an all too common theme that we've seen throughout real world human history. 

And this very fact can be exploited as a theme to various adventures using TSAO: 50 Wonders of the Reticulan Empire. Why? Because good science fiction OSR adventure can deal with this maturely & within spades. TSAO: 50 Wonders of the Reticulan Empire is a thinking man's book as well as a great toybox of wonders,weapons, & wickness.  But its a very good toybox that takes a solid approach to the themes that we see in the TSAO settting. 

Gray Alien by Yasir999 - Own work not found within  TSAO: 50 Wonders of the Reticulan Empire  but a highly influencial piece of artwork on my campaigns.

 TSAO: 50 Wonders of the Reticulan Empire doesn't take the guess work out of using  the Reticulan Empire's interests within a Cepheus Engine rpg game campaign. Instead it presents a very comprehensive overview & review of the factions, politic, motives, history, culture, & more for the use of  the Reticulan Empire's techologies. Use this book sparingly and make some of the weirdness & mystique a thing to behold even to the Reticulan PC's within a party. Is  TSAO: 50 Wonders of the Reticulan Empire  you should pick up. Yes this a classic Cepheus Engine rpg book with all of the trappings, editing, and solid design that you've come to expect from Omer Golan-Joel.