James Nicoll Reviews

The Solar System turned out to be a lot less friendly than we expected. Dreams of Martian canals and Venusian jungles died in the harsh light shone by Mariners and Veneras and Voyagers. But what we did get was an array of worlds of awesome majesty, one that’s enough to scare off 99% percent of would-be explorers — but not you. Using the Cepheus Engine core rules or other similar game systems, the Into the Dark setting book lets you play OSR SF adventures in the near-future of the Solar System as we understand it now. Europa. Titan. Pluto, points beyond? They all will kill you if you make one mistake, and they won’t even register that you’re there when they do it. You’re going to go anyway.

Look for more World Building Consortium products soon! Pre-made settings ​“with a difference” for OSR games of all types.

The Everland, home of the Eld-Folk since time immemorial, a deep green world of ancient mystery and sacred shadow. A thousand years have passed since the world of Men and the world of the Folk collided in catastrophe. The wyr-powers of the Kyn and the other Folk have preserved their verdant homeland from the ravenous greed of Humanity since the Melding, but those powers are now under siege. As the hunger of Men turns once more to the Everland and its rich bounty, the leaders of the seven nations of the Folk gather in Sheynadwiin, the Kyn capital, to seek a way of surviving the growing storm.Born into a town dominated by the creeds of the accommodationist Shields, Tarsa’deshae, a headstrong Kyn warrior, awakens to the long-suppressed wyr-ways after an act of courage goes horribly awry. Exiled from the only home she’s ever known, and struggling to understand her new calling as a Wielder, Tarsa is swept into a dangerous world of political and spiritual intrigue, where the old ways of the Greenwalkers clash with those who would surrender to the new ways of Men. As the Everland faces the ever-encroaching threat of Humanity, the Redthorn warrior arrives at the Sevenfold Council in Sheynadwiin to help find a way to heal the ravages of her wounded world.…

Destiny sees what others don’t.

A quiet fisher mourning the loss of xer sister to a cruel dragon. A clever hedge-witch gathering knowledge in a hostile land. A son seeking vengeance for his father’s death. A daughter claiming the legacy denied her. A princess laboring under an unbreakable curse. A young resistance fighter questioning everything he’s ever known. A little girl willing to battle a dragon for the sake of a wish. These heroes and heroines emerge from adversity into triumph, recognizing they can be more than they ever imagined: chosen ones of destiny.

From the author of the Earthside series and the Rewoven Tales novels, No Man of Woman Born is a collection of seven fantasy stories in which transgender and nonbinary characters subvert and fulfill gendered prophecies. These prophecies recognize and acknowledge each character’s gender, even when others do not. Note: No trans or nonbinary characters were killed in the making of this book. Trigger warnings and neopronoun pronunciation guides are provided for each story.

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M‑SPACE is a d100-based rules system for science fiction roleplaying published by FrostByte Books. Everything needed to play sci-fi games is included here. With this book, a pencil and some paper, you will be able to create imaginary universes and play characters from a variety of cultures and careers. They can pilot starships, meet strange alien lifeforms and visit fantastic worlds.

Five Adventures for Basic Roleplaying, including:

MISSION TO EPSILON: The Intergalactic Federation encompasses a region of space hundreds of light years across.

Flare Teams are rapid response units of the Intergalactic Federation. Patrolling assigned sectors of IGF space in small starships, they respond to distress calls and render whatever assistance is possible. Their mandate includes humanitarian relief, technical assistance, emergency medical care, rescue, law enforcement, and military duties.

You are part of a Flare Team. You travel light and are trained to deal with nearly every conceivable situation. You might go long periods without receiving an emergency call — but when your subspace radio detects a call your Team must respond immediately.

However, resources of the IGF are spread thin. A Flare Team is always on its own, and is expected to overcome whatever challenges it may encounter. Teams know that there is no back-up — assistance from the IGF might take months to arrive.

Who knew being a heartless killing machine would present so many moral dilemmas?

Sci-fi’s favorite antisocial A.I. is back on a mission. The case against the too-big-to-fail GrayCris Corporation is floundering, and more importantly, authorities are beginning to ask more questions about where Dr. Mensah’s SecUnit is.

And Murderbot would rather those questions went away. For good.

Murderbot wasn’t programmed to care. So, its decision to help the only human who ever showed it respect must be a system glitch, right?

Having traveled the width of the galaxy to unearth details of its own murderous transgressions, as well as those of the GrayCris Corporation, Murderbot is heading home to help Dr. Mensah — its former owner (protector? friend?) — submit evidence that could prevent GrayCris from destroying more colonists in its never-ending quest for profit.

But who’s going to believe a SecUnit gone rogue?

And what will become of it when it’s caught?