Welcome to my Science Fiction role-playing game site. Here you will find links to my involvement with the PBEM SF Game, Universal Space Intelligence (USI). You will also find some original material for SPI's Universe RPG as well as links to other sites that feature Universe and GURPS Space material. Some of the Universe Material was developed through the Universe Development Group. As new UDG material becomes available, I hope to feature it here, along with many other SF home brewed game enhancements. Enjoy! Last Updated 1/13/07

U.S.I.

My good Friend Malina finally convinced me to have a go at USI, a freeform PBEM Role-playing/Group Writing game. I created new recruit Sephu Oinspa, jumped in with both feet, and haven't looked back since. Sephu is now Captain Sephu Oinspa of the USI Bateman, and I'm still having a great time there nearly every day.

This is a link to the USI FRONT PAGE, and this is the link directly to my character Sephu, and his associated NPCs. A more detailed biography for Sephu is here.

UNIVERSE

Universe Development Group (UDG) projects

• Electrocells-V2(UDG) - A guide to power in the 24th century. This is a Web Version of the .pdf file (V1) created in the Universe Development Group. A zipped file for offline viewing is available here. Version 3 is a hyperlinked PDF with the long appendix on Spacecraft power dropped.

• Universe CGI World Maps (UDG) - Files and Guidelines for creating Computer Generated Graphics for Universe World Maps. A zipped file for offline viewing is available here.

Home Brewed Game Enhancements

• Space Craft Construction - a Javascript application for calculating new space craft costs, based on section [31.3] of the GM's Guide.

• Delta Vee Hex Map - is a PDF hex map suitable for use with Delta Vee. A PNG version is also available. Be sure to adjust the PNG to paper size prior to printing.

• New Technology Tables - An updated version of technology tables posted to the Yahoo Universe Group. These tables form the background upon which all new equipment that will appear on this site is derived.

• Universe Thoughts BLOG - In an effort to spare the YUG (Yahoo Universe Group) from some of my overlong rants, anything I'm unable to discuss in brief, I post here instead.

• End of Aging Essay - More properly an entry for the Universe Thoughts BLOG, the need for tables forced me to create this as a separate document. It addresses longevity in the character creation process, and as an option between play sessions.

• Robotic Subsystems - Detailed Rules for robotic behavior and malfunction.

• UNIVERSE INFOTEK SUPPLEMENTS - In Progress
  • UNIVERSE: INFOTEK - A supplement expanding computers and other information technologies.

  • UNIVERSE: REMOVABLE MEDIA - A supplement for removable media.

  • UNIVERSE: DATA - A supplement for all forms of information and data.

  • UNIVERSE: MEMORY IMPLANTS - A supplement for storing information in body implants.

  • UNIVERSE: ANIMATONS - The next infotek supplement, currently in progress.

• Cyberboard Delta Vee - The digitization of Delta Vee using the free windows program, Cyberboard, which brings old "map and counter" games to the Computer, and PBEM environments. Currently in testing.

• Star Trader - An Early Web Version of Star Trader, as it is in preparation for the Universe RPG SourceForge Project.

Links to Other Universe Sites

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• Free Rules, Forums, Misc.
  • Universe RPG Yahoo Group - The Main Forum for All things Universe with membership hovering around 200.

  • Universe RPG Development - (UDG) Yahoo Group - A group dedicated to the creation of new material for Universe.

  • John Rouch's Universe File Archive - An archive of all the files that have ever been uploaded to the main Universe Group. Many of these files are only available here. John's site also hosts UDG Supplements.

  • James Goltz Universe Site - A multi faceted site, including the excellent online Universe Character Generator, Online World Creation and Browser, and many interesting essays and game systems. Requires Login.

  • Universe RPG SourceForge Project - James P. Goltz efforts to create extremely useful hyperlinked versions of core Universe texts. Working Copies of the GM's guide, The Adventure Guide, and Delta Vee are already up, and more are in the works. Jim's SourceForge project also hosts UDG supplements.

  • John M Kahane Universe Site - an excellent site with many resources for Universe. Especially see the FAQ section, regarding the history of the game - site down as of 3/17/05

  • Ian Taylor's Universe Site - Ian's links to free Universe Resources created by him, including essentially every original resource for Universe in .pdf format - site down as of 4/11/05

  • Steve Clark's Universe Page - A brief history and compendium of published works.

• Online Universe Campaigns
  • The Littlefish Campaign - By GM James P. Goltz - An ongoing campaign set in a "universe" where the Earth has fallen victim to a cataclysmic impact. The PBeM description for this game is here. My character is Frank Early.

  • The Littlefish2 Alternate Ending - When James Goltz was no longer available to complete the Littlefish Adventure he had started, I created an alternate ending in the Littlefish2 group, so we could at last finish the long adventure. This project is still in progress.

  • Terran Fringe Campaign - By GM L. Jim McAdams - An ongoing campaign using the First Contacts Game Supplement as a basis for the background. The PBem description for this game is here. My Character is Sgt Dovid Drey.

  • Terran Fringe Ezboard forum - ezboard forum for discussion of the Terran Fringe Campaign, and related issues. Managed by L. Jim McAdams - site down as of 6/20/05

• Other Universe and SPI Sites
  • Ian Taylor's Imprint site - A site that not only includes excellent PDF copies of every Universe publication ever made, but also includes all of SPI's Ares Magazines in PDF format on CDRom, all of the original Traveller Books on CDRom, and now all of Twilight 2000 first edition materials on CDRom. The Universe Main Group File section is full of files Ian has made available for free to the group, and his new stuff is even better.

  • Decision Games - Keeping the ancient art of designing table top war games alive, Decision Games holds the copyright to many old SPI games, including the SF classics of Battle Mars and the Starforce Trilogy.

  • Hexwar Games - Another gaming group that is keeping SPI games alive into the 21st century. This company offers several SPI War Games in an online format.

  • SPI Compendium - The SPI Compendium is intended mainly as a reference for collectors of and enthusiasts for SPI games. Includes a link to the "A Farewell to Hexes" article written by Greg Costikyan, recounting the end of SPI.

  • Strike Force One - Game impresario and teacher Alan Emrich provides rules, counters, and tables on his site for SPI's introductory war game, Strike Force One.

  • Boone's SPI Lists - Mark Boone's incredible lists of all things related to wargames include this page for SPI games. His many other lists may be accessed via his index page.

GURPS SPACE AND OTHERS

• GURPS Stuff by Scott Maykrantz - has many excellent unofficial supplementary materials.

• DM's Gurps Page Another site featuring many unofficial enhancements for GURPS and GURPS Space.

• Ian Edward's Universe Setting - Universe presented in GURPS mechanics. These are .doc files.

• Christopher Thrash's Site - These are some essays and workups written for GURPSnet, the Traveller Mailing List, and others (including complete mathematical derivations, if appropriate) - Great Stuff.

• Spearweasal's Space 2250 - An excellent Gurps Space Campaign Setting.

• Dreambird's Lair - Dreambird's Lair is a collection of roleplaying aids for GURPS. The equipment lists are especially useful, but the whole site has a lot to offer.

• Serena Dawn Site - Home of the extensive Alien Fusion setting, as well as many other interesting Sci Fi Settings.

• The Shakaroo Project - Steven R. Hoag's on-line project for creating a Sci-Fi background usable with any game system.

• The Universe - Not associated with SPI's "Universe", The Universe is John Wallman's PBEM Mega-game set in the far future. The site includes the following introduction: "This is a persistent science fiction game environment, based around a variety of game rules from the highest level macroeconomics, down to combats between individuals in deep space." This site also contains links to many useful gaming resources.

• Vanguard Games - Vanguard Free Roleplaying (VFR) is a free science-fiction role-playing game about characters in the vanguard of a technologically advanced civilization that is moving into space. Includes reaction mass propulsion for space craft - based on campaigns set in 2140AD.

• Rachel's Pages - Science, Science Fiction, and Roleplaying! Rachel Kronic has an excellent site, which details her own SF RPG setting, Spheres, as well as a plethora of links, information, and opinion. Rachel also runs a Yahoo Group dedicated to realistic portrayals of spacecraft, and other SF images. Excellent!

INTERSTELLAR TRADE AND ECONOMICS SITES

While doing research on Interstellar trade for the Diaspora setting, the following sites have proved most useful.

• The 11 Billion Dollar Bottle of Wine - Greg Costikyan's article that originally appeared in Ares Magazine, is now available on his site.

• Interstellar Trade - A Primer - R.M. Robinson article on Interstellar trade. Be sure to follow the link to page two at the bottom of the page.

• Adventure Cargo and Interstellar War - Two unfinished articles by S. John Ross written for Gurps Space. Many more game aids and articles are available at S. John Ross's The Blue Room.

• 2300 AD Collective - A collection of good supplements for another out-of-print hard SF RPG, this site includes supplements for Colony Building and Cargos for Free Traders that are useful.

• Trade in Traveller - Mike Bourke's very useful essay on trade in traveller.

• GURP's Traveller Far Trader Conversion - Terry Mixon's version of converting Classic Far Trader into GURPS statistics, which SJG got around to doing themselves later on. Includes recomendations from Jim MacLean, the original designer of Far Trader.

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