StarMaster

[P5-133XL]

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.

Already done that, but the only camera I have uses actual film. It will take a week to get developed and transferred to a digital format.

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If you are interested, it appears I played 13 turns in early 1984. I have The original race description I created and registration sheet; Galactic update news letters; Computer combat results sheets; Computer print out of the ship file library giving all the specs to all the ships I could get; all the filled out turn sheets; trade sheets; life form evaluation and comparison sheets; planet production sheets; diplomacy turn sheets; Game master remarks; special action forms; system discovery forms; lots of questions to GM with their answers. Player information sheets giving details, beyond the official manuals, about things like combat, trade, colonies, diplomacy, meta engineering. A couple of inches of stacked 8x11 sheets of paper for it appears I pretty much kept everything.

My point in supplying this is that it is far more info than I can conveniently take pictures of and supply here. I took pictures of empty forms because of the intention of selling it, but it strikes me that perhaps, what you are looking for here perhaps would be some filled out forms or the detailed player information sheets that give detailed info on subjects beyond what the manuals give. Is there anything specific you want?

I did some extensive scanning for you guys:

StarMaster.pdf (Aprox. 100+ scanned pages, 76+MB)

It isn't everything but you've got at least a sample of most things...

P.S. I tried to attach the file but it was too big and your forums choked on it. So I have a link to the scans stored in a dropbox.

[GrimFinger]

Any comments from the game moderators would be of particular interest, as would your original race description. Any or all of it would be interesting, of course. For all that I know, you may well have the most complete collection of StarMaster material around. I would like to see the front covers of any of the company-produced material. Special actions seemed to be one of the things that made the game hyper-popular, during its heyday.

I'm interested in all of it, but if you want to make PBM gamers' mouths water, scatter it out on a table, and take a few photos of it. It's the not knowing what all is there that will keep them curious for all eternity.

[P5-133XL]

Did you download the pdf from the link? What you are asking for exists there. I know it is a big file, but if you want details then ...

By the way, I could scan in more if someone wanted more.

[GrimFinger]

Did you download the pdf from the link? What you are asking for exists there. I know it is a big file, but if you want details then ...

By the way, I could scan in more if someone wanted more.

I just got home a short while ago. I'll check it out either later tonight or tomorrow. Thanks much!

[GrimFinger]

Did you download the pdf from the link? What you are asking for exists there. I know it is a big file, but if you want details then ...

By the way, I could scan in more if someone wanted more.

I downloaded it and browsed quickly through it. This is the equivalent of a gold mine.

StarMaster was one of the truly legendary PBM games of all time. It was before my time, as a PBM gamer. I've never encountered such a treasure trove of StarMaster material before.

A huge personal thank you to you for your effort in giving us such a wonderful glimpse back in time!

We would love to have more. I hate the thought of such a true classic of the play by mail genre being effectively forgotten, as far as the details of the game are concerned.

- Charles -

[Starkadder]

Looks like Schubel & Sons ran it early on, then probably sold it to the former game masters who ran it till the end. Since I saw Richard Alan Lloyds name on one of the Galactic Updates concerning the transition from Starmaster to Starmaster II. It became back to Starmaster later it seems.

Great material, though I wish he had the battle action and special action reports for his empire.

[P5-133XL]

I wasn't involved in anything big or a major battle. I was a small new race that only played for 13 turns and was just exploring the local vicinity. I can only supply what happened to me. It is still useful for showing the mundane normal character of the game. I did include multiple special action forms in my scans and they include the results for those actions. I did encounter an Absorton ship. There is a computerized battle report that I partially scanned (Dated Jan 4th 1984, very few items are dated). The computer green bar paper is hard for me to scan since they are much bigger than 8 1/2 x 11. I was tech 45 they were tech 533. I lost two destroyers but using a special order was able to approach, enter and take some tech from the globe ship in aprox. turn 7 according to the GM remark.

Do note that some of the questions I asked are answered and signed by the GM. I notice a Patty, a Tim, a Teri, and a Tate. I also have a question about fees charged where the answer was signed by Patty Schubel.

My StarMaster game (circa early 1984) was definitely run by Schubel and Sons. I still have an envelope that the turns came in. I have both the StarMaster and StarMaster II rule books, but the replies in game itself seems to all be labeled StarMaster. There are pencil notes, I made, as to point costs for race design in the StarMaster II manual so I know I had it at the time. Personally, I do not remember which I was playing other than I was thinking StarMaster which could apply to either.

The name on the scans is not mine. I had a partner and we shared expenses In the questions and special action action forms, you can see both sets of handwriting. However, I now have all the documentation.

P.S. The registration page in the original StarMaster rule book was removed but is intact in my copy of StarMaster II. The registration form sent to Schubel and Sons does not match the form in the back of StarMaster II booklet. From this, and the supporting documents that just say StarMaster, I conclude that I was playing StarMaster rather than StarMaster II.

[Starkadder]

Based on what you said, it sounds like KSK Concepts bought the rights for StarMaster from Schubel & Sons, sometime around 1985 - 1986. Me and Jman joined the game in that time period, while stationed in Hawaii.

Don't think StarMaster will ever come back, or even that someone else would make something similar. Even if you automated everything that you could, it is the writing that is going to kill you. Don't even want to think how much time the gamemasters spent writing out that major battle between the Lyrian Star Imperium and the Vekkans, at the Vekkan homeworld (see earlier posts for the download).

But I have my fingers crossed.

[P5-133XL]

Based on what you said, it sounds like KSK Concepts bought the rights for StarMaster from Schubel & Sons, sometime around 1985 - 1986. Me and Jman joined the game in that time period, while stationed in Hawaii.

Definitely StarMaster:

Scan complaining about StarMaster billing
Original StarMaster Advertisment.

I would be amazed if a nationally scaled GM moderated game could be a profitable enterprise in the United States today. I considered StarMaster to be expensive back then and it would only be more so today. Perhaps, if the moderators were in a foreign country where hourly rates were much lower but then they'd be dealing with language and culture issues that would complicate the situation enormously.

P.S. Your forums choked on the adding of attachments (still too big, though they are not particularly big this time). It also would not allow me to post two images (only one allowed per post). So I did two links.

I'm really trying to make it so my posts in your forums are independent from my files. That way I am not required to host things on a forever basis and if the files disappear on my end, they do not disappear from here.

[GrimFinger]

P.S. Your forums choked on the adding of attachments (still too big, though they are not particularly big this time). It also would not allow me to post two images (only one allowed per post). So I did two links.

I'm really trying to make it so my posts in your forums are independent from my files. That way I am not required to host things on a forever basis and if the files disappear on my end, they do not disappear from here.

I tried changing the forum settings. See if the changes help, any.