Publisher: Sine Nomine Publishing
Introduction
Skyward Steel is a supplement for the science fiction roleplaying game Stars Without Number, written by Kevin Crawford and published by Sine Nomine Publishing. The book focuses on naval campaigns, where the player characters are part of a starship crew that engages in space battles, exploration, diplomacy, and intrigue. The book provides new rules, options, and tools for running naval campaigns, as well as several sample factions and scenarios to inspire the game master.
Content
The book is divided into six chapters, each covering a different aspect of naval campaigns. The chapters are:
- Chapter 1: Naval Characters. This chapter introduces new character creation options for naval campaigns, such as backgrounds, skills, foci, and equipment. It also provides guidelines for creating and managing a starship crew, as well as rules for naval combat and damage.
- Chapter 2: Naval Campaigns. This chapter presents the core concepts and principles of running a naval campaign, such as the types and roles of starships, the importance of factions and politics, the challenges and opportunities of space travel, and the effects of technology and culture on naval warfare.
- Chapter 3: Naval Factions. This chapter details six sample factions that can be used as allies, enemies, or rivals in a naval campaign. Each faction has its own history, goals, assets, and secrets, as well as a list of potential plot hooks and complications. The factions are: The Perimeter Agency, The Iron Pact, The Star Khanate, The Mandate Remnant, The Orion Arm Confederation, and The Free League.
- Chapter 4: Naval Missions. This chapter offers a variety of naval missions that can be used to generate adventure ideas or fill in gaps between major events in a naval campaign. The missions are categorized by type (combat, exploration, diplomacy, espionage, etc.) and difficulty (easy, moderate, hard), and include brief descriptions, objectives, complications, rewards, and consequences.
- Chapter 5: Naval Worlds. This chapter provides a method for creating and describing worlds that are relevant to a naval campaign, such as starports, orbital stations, asteroid bases, and planetoids. It also includes tables for generating random features and events for each type of world.
- Chapter 6: Naval Scenarios. This chapter contains four ready-to-play scenarios that can be used as standalone adventures or integrated into a larger naval campaign. Each scenario has a premise, a background, a map, a list of key NPCs and factions, a sequence of scenes, and possible outcomes. The scenarios are: The Ghost Ship, The Lost Colony, The Rogue AI, and The War Zone.
Evaluation
Skyward Steel is an excellent supplement for Stars Without Number that expands the scope and depth of the game. It adds new options and challenges for both players and game masters who are interested in exploring the vastness and complexity of space. The book is well-written and organized, with clear explanations and examples. The book also has a lot of flavor and creativity, with rich details and illustrations that evoke the atmosphere and style of classic science fiction. The book is compatible with the core rules of Stars Without Number, as well as other supplements such as Skyward Steel: Starvation Cheap (which focuses on planetary warfare) and Skyward Steel: Polychrome (which focuses on cyberpunk settings). However, the book can also be used with other science fiction roleplaying games with some adaptation.
Conclusion
Skyward Steel is a highly recommended supplement for anyone who wants to run or play in a naval campaign for Stars Without Number. It provides everything you need to create exciting and memorable adventures in space. Whether you want to fight pirates and raiders, explore strange worlds and anomalies, negotiate with alien races and factions, or uncover ancient secrets and mysteries, Skyward Steel has something for you.
Skyward Steel: Naval Campaigns for Stars Without Number on DrivethruRpg
