I was looking on Ebay and I saw the original Box set for Star Frontiers and I was wondering if it's a fun game and worth picking up?

I know that WOTC it back and is selling it online on Drivethrurpg and you can no longer get it for free.

One one hand getting it online can be a bit expensive, but I would have the print version (no interest in .pdfs) and WOTC would not get a dime.

On the other hand I could get it cheaper on Drivethrurpg, get it printed but WOTC would get money from me.  Which I do not want to do.

So my questions are:

1) Is it worth picking up?
2) Should I get it on Ebay or Drivethroughrpg?

Thanks

Never heard of it. Who makes it? You didn't mean Star Frontiers?

I'll bet you meant Star Frontiers. I played it once and mechanically it didn't capture my interest. But I also disliked the setting's tone, the aliens, and the fact that when it was first released (which is when I played it) there were no rules for starships. Oh, also the art sort of turned me off.

OTOH I love Classic Traveller, if that helps you determine whether my tastes and yours coincide.

If I'm playing a space game I want a spaceship. Star Flumpers explicitly says you can't have one. Maybe they just didn't want to write travel rules. There is a Star Frontiers Remaster for free if you just wanna check out the content. https://starfrontiers.us/node/162 nope looks like they got the wotc pinkerton treatment. It's still out there though.

Quote from: Hixanthrope on April 29, 2023, 01:42:03 PM
If I'm playing a space game I want a spaceship. Star Flumpers explicitly says you can't have one. Maybe they just didn't want to write travel rules. There is a Star Frontiers Remaster for free if you just wanna check out the content. https://starfrontiers.us/node/162 nope looks like they got the wotc pinkerton treatment. It's still out there though.

There was an expansion called Zebulon's Guide which did add rules for spaceships. (I think it was Zebulon's, maybe some other book.) Unfortunately, the skill requirements for flying one were ridiculously high, so your average party still couldn't do it.

As others have said you probably are talking about Star Frontiers.  It had an original box set and later they referred to it as Star Frontiers Alpha Dawn, because they quickly came out with another box set called Star Frontiers Knight Hawks.  Knight Hawks was completely a ship expansion.  It had complete rules for space ships of all sizes, fighters, shuttles, freighters and every type of capital ship one could want including science vessels.

The mechanics of both were not really for me but the overall tone and style I really liked.  It was '80s science fiction.  Kind of a blend of space pulp and a little gritty science fiction.

Quote from: Theory of Games on April 29, 2023, 12:02:19 PM
Never heard of it. Who makes it? You didn't mean Star Frontiers?

Yes, apparently I was a victim of an incorrect spell checking.

Yes, Star Frontiers originally published by TSR.

Corrected the spelling on the original post

Quote from: Greg Bruni on April 29, 2023, 03:08:34 PM
As others have said you probably are talking about Star Frontiers.  It had an original box set and later they referred to it as Star Frontiers Alpha Dawn, because they quickly came out with another box set called Star Frontiers Knight Hawks.  Knight Hawks was completely a ship expansion.  It had complete rules for space ships of all sizes, fighters, shuttles, freighters and every type of capital ship one could want including science vessels.

The mechanics of both were not really for me but the overall tone and style I really liked.  It was '80s science fiction.  Kind of a blend of space pulp and a little gritty science fiction.

So would you say it is worth picking up?

Star Frontiers is a neat little game.  There's a few places it could be better.  The setting is under cooked and even with all the modules doesn't really get enough development.

The aliens are fun and reasonably playable.  Not just your average cat headed guys but not sentient colours and pixellated nanomolecular gesalts either.

It's a bit Buck Rogers and a Bit Star Trek.  I've got a friend who merged a ton of Star Trek and Star Fleet stuff into his version of the setting.  I keep trying to convince him to rub off the serial numbers and publish but to no avail.

Anyhow, it's very much a game from TSR's map and counters game period.  So there are movement and vehicle rules and counters and a big city map.  The first adventure involves a firefight with pirates on a space liner and then a crash landing on an alien world.  So, the alien world gets development but not the broader setting.

The second game, Knight Hawks adds space craft.  You have to be very high level characters to use space craft.  The rules are servicable, a hex and counter war game that doesn't do much to bring the player characters into it.  I've played a few games with my friend and hsi broken house rules of which the less is said the better.  Knight Hawks does bring a bit of history and context to the setting through the scenarios.

The thing you really want is a compilation of the Dragon Magazine articles.  Including the Tanks A Lot article that adds military vehicles.  There's around four alien races added that later appear in Zebulon's Guide.

Zebulon's guide is the last thing the game needed, a new system that uses a complex universal table.  It does do some things with the skill system and IRRC adds psychic powers to the game.

So, I guess the question is whether you're looking for an old school map and counter sf game.  It's solid enough.  There's a few things I'd change.  I'd do all the skills as 1/2 stat + 10 x skill rather than the fixed values and treat the subskills as task difficulty modifiers.  I'd rule that taking 50% of your stamina in a single hit incapcitates to speed up combat a bit.

Generally I'd suggest Traveller or Spacemaster or Starcluster or Galaxies In Shadow but I do like Star Frontiers.  It's solid, tight, and fun, but the setting is pretty minimal.

There may still be a fan archive that lists where everything you need can be found.

I got a used copy of Alpha Dawn and Knight Hawks out of nostalgia. It's an interesting system, and a fun setting, but there are other sci fi RPGs I'd rather play.

I'd say get it if you've got money burning a hole in your pocket, but it's not a must have.

Quote from: Ratman_tf on April 29, 2023, 04:22:04 PM
I got a used copy of Alpha Dawn and Knight Hawks out of nostalgia. It's an interesting system, and a fun setting, but there are other sci fi RPGs I'd rather play.

I'd say get it if you've got money burning a hole in your pocket, but it's not a must have.

Money burning a hole in my pocket? No.

Looking to relieve the past magic I felt in gaming? Yes.

I like Star Frontiers.  Keep in mind I am old-school.  The premise is that it is set towards the center of a galaxy, so stars are a lot closer together, and the distances between star systems is much shorter.  There are four playable species.  I actually have little experience with RPGs, but I enjoyed playing Star Frontiers.  I would try it.  And even if you don't like it, you have a nice piece of collectible RPG history, or could resell it for a good price.

Eh, I don't know.  While I've fond memories and whatnot, there are games out there with much better systems in place (if that is your thing) with much better settings in place (if that is your thing).  But, it's your cash at the end of the day and "my opinion and etc., etc."

I played Star Frontiers when it came out in the eighties.  It was the right game for me as a teen.  Races were interesting and it really fueled our imagination.

Five years ago I was trying to make the decision about rekindling the fun or try Traveller.  When I looked at Star Frontiers again, it seemed too juvenile for me. So I let that memory lay in a good place.  The same thing happened when I tried to reread the first Dragonlance novel - Dragons of Autumn Twilight -  too hokey, so I left it unfinished before I ruined the childhood memory.

I went with 2e Mongoose Traveller and it was a great decision.  Ran a 3 year campaign.  What a great system too.

Star Frontiers Alpha Dawn was the original, I think.  As said above, Knight Hawks gave rules for starships.  Zebulon's Guide to the Frontier gave more gear and deeper setting info, I think.  The modules that I read were really simplistic and seemed like they were written for kids when I look at them now.

Interestingly, I went to Total Confusion in Feb. in MA and got into a Star Frontiers game because nothing else really appealed to me in that time slot.  It went alright with that GM, but I couldn't see a long running game.

I loved it as a kid, but would give it a pass now.  Good luck.

You might consider DwD Studio's FrontierSpace -- an homage to Star Frontiers.

It's a decent if crunchy (to us) system. And the writer is going to be publishing spaceship creation rules soon. Ignore the "d00lite" designation.

Player's Handbook
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/222633/FrontierSpace-Players-Handbook

Referee's Guide
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/225299/FrontierSpace-Referees-Handbook