StarMaster

[Starkadder]

Any chance that this game will be back and running again???
Wishfull thinking....

The next generation of Starmaster II is SuperNova: Rise of the Empire, go to http://www.rollingthunder.com/supernova/

Perhaps I am wrong, but don't think we are talking about the same Starmaster game.

Starmaster had a fictional story element, that the game masters would write up each turn for each of the players, along with the normal gameplay mechanics.

If SuperNova provides that same service, I would be interested in it, but I have never heard of a RollingThunder game that does.

Played Starmaster II, and got turns but there wasn't all that much of a storytelling aspect - most of the story came from the interplay of the players.

Sounds more like Hyperiums, than Starmaster. Thanks.

[GrimFinger]

What was Hyperiums?

[Jman]

I came into the game very late. Was stationed in Hawaii and a friend played it. He convinced me to give it a try. My people were amphibians. I joined the Lyrian Star Imperium and was just starting to get somewhere when the game was shut down. I had only gotten in about 7 turns when they shut it down. I kept all my Star Master stuff for many years because in the letter informing players that they were shutting the game down, they said it may start back up in the future. Alas, it never did and when I got married. I threw a lot of stuff in the garbage. My Star Master stuff was included. I still miss the game to this day. Even though I only had about 7 turns and I never got into a battle. I tired playing several other play by mail games, but none of them captured my imagination like Star Master did and I quit playing them after only a few months. If Star Master came back today, I'd sign up for it in a heart beat.

One of the big baddies in the game that I remember was the "Illian Swarm".

[GrimFinger]

I came into the game very late. Was stationed in Hawaii and a friend played it. He convinced me to give it a try. My people were amphibians. I joined the Lyrian Star Imperium and was just starting to get somewhere when the game was shut down. I had only gotten in about 7 turns when they shut it down. I kept all my Star Master stuff for many years because in the letter informing players that they were shutting the game down, they said it may start back up in the future. Alas, it never did and when I got married. I threw a lot of stuff in the garbage. My Star Master stuff was included. I still miss the game to this day. Even though I only had about 7 turns and I never got into a battle. I tired playing several other play by mail games, but none of them captured my imagination like Star Master did and I quit playing them after only a few months. If Star Master came back today, I'd sign up for it in a heart beat.

One of the big baddies in the game that I remember was the "Illian Swarm".

What made the Illian Swarm such big baddies?

Also, what - exactly and specifically - was it about StarMaster that captured your imagination, unlike any of the rest of them?

[Nazareth]

Can't speak for Jman, but if I remember my Starmaster days correctly and it was a very long time ago under Schubel & Son, what captured my imagination was your ability to choose your type of home world and design your race, ideally to take advantage of the environment you chose. Your race could almost be anything you could imagine. There were a few restrictions plus advantages and penalties for choosing various characteristics. For example, if you chose claws as your appendages, you might receive a disadvantage in construction. You could choose the number of limbs, mode of movement, scales, skin, etc. You got to choose your gov. type. Some choices effected your ability to research, build, combat, etc.

I'm sure Jman's memory is better than mine and can correct and/or add to this somewhat. Not sure what fired Jman's imagination, but would interested in hearing it. Hopefully my memory isn't too far off the mark.

nazareth

[Starkadder]

What was Hyperiums?

Hyperiums is a long running online 'social' space war game. It is a nice game and I play with a good group of people in our alliance. But it is strictly a war game. There is no story, no exploration, and no wonder to it. Which is what the real StarMaster brought to the field.

You can play the permanent Hyperiums game for free, or donate for more features.

---

Can't speak for Jman, but if I remember my Starmaster days correctly and it was a very long time ago under Schubel & Son, what captured my imagination was your ability to choose your type of home world and design your race, ideally to take advantage of the environment you chose. Your race could almost be anything you could imagine. There were a few restrictions plus advantages and penalties for choosing various characteristics. For example, if you chose claws as your appendages, you might receive a disadvantage in construction. You could choose the number of limbs, mode of movement, scales, skin, etc. You got to choose your gov. type. Some choices effected your ability to research, build, combat, etc.

I'm sure Jman's memory is better than mine and can correct and/or add to this somewhat. Not sure what fired Jman's imagination, but would interested in hearing it. Hopefully my memory isn't too far off the mark.

nazareth

Know nothing about Schubel & Son. When I joined StarMaster it was run by Allen Pitt and Richard Lloyd under the KSK Concepts banner. Received a letter from Allen Pitt around Jun 1994 advising that they had no real plans to restart StarMaster because of the work involved and the need to automate more of the book keeping functions. He also advised, that him and Richard were playing a World War II PBM game run by Steven Phillips.

The Illian Swarm were the badass vampiric villain race of StarMaster. They were a NPC race, but they may have had a paying player run them for the gamemaster. You can read about them in the player turns for the Eudorian Conflict in the attached files earlier in this thread.

Tried finding my LSI newletters again, but since I have taken them out, they are probably buried under other papers.

[GrimFinger]

I came across a StarMaster morsel, this night. I wonder if any of these names will jar any PBM memories in the minds of PBM players of old.

There were different dimensions, apparently - 3rd Dimension, 4th Dimension, etc.. What was the game's take on dimensions? Was each dimension a separate set of players who were otherwise playing their own game of StarMaster in their own area of space, but perhaps there was a way for empires from one game/dimension to interact with or attack players in other games/dimensions?

Names of player empires included: Valkyrian Empire, Chronometric Humans, and the Red Gammau Cybernauts.

[Starkadder]

I came across a StarMaster morsel, this night. I wonder if any of these names will jar any PBM memories in the minds of PBM players of old.

There were different dimensions, apparently - 3rd Dimension, 4th Dimension, etc.. What was the game's take on dimensions? Was each dimension a separate set of players who were otherwise playing their own game of StarMaster in their own area of space, but perhaps there was a way for empires from one game/dimension to interact with or attack players in other games/dimensions?

Names of player empires included: Valkyrian Empire, Chronometric Humans, and the Red Gammau Cybernauts.

Allen Pit and Richard Lloyd who were the game masters would be the perfect people to know, even Kevin Novack who played the Lyrian Star Imperium might have some idea.

What little play I did, did introduce other dimension travel. I found aliens (NPC race) rounding up native aliens (NPC race) and taking them back to their home dimension. But never had the chance to investigate more because the game ended, so I don't really know the mechanics of dimensional travel. The only major player empires that I knew of were the Lyrian Star Imperium and the Vekkans (with their Huntress). Of course the Illian Swarm were a major problem for many other player empires.

[P5-133XL]

I was just going through my old games and found both Starmaster and Starmaster II. Doing an internet search got me here. I played a couple of turns and quit. I seem to remember it was rather expensive, for me, at the time but just my style.

I do seem to have all the documentation, all the forms, computer printouts, a bunch of event cards ...

I suspect it is all quite rare and very interesting to the right person. I'm thinking of selling it.

[GrimFinger]

Can you take a picture of them, for us? Just spread them out on a table, and photograph it, if you get a spare moment and feel so inclined.