This setting appears to be defunct. That's a shame because all the material is fantastic. Read the other reviews.

However, much of the material here relies on a storyline that will likely never be told. The website has been down for close to a year and the blog Rocketship Empire HQ hasn't had a new entry since Mar 09.

I would like to believe that this system will take off again someday, but won't hold my breath.

If you don't mind spending a bunch of time creating the timeline and further setting material then buy this, if you don't have the time then don't spend your money one this.

This is a heartbreaker for me. I really loved the idea of this game setting, but it no longer is supported by the author. The homepage has been closed for about a year now. The blog site is still open Rocketship Empires HQ, but hasn't had a new post since Mar 09.

What material there is is superb. However, much of the present material relies on other products that should have been made, but weren't, and probably never will be.

This system is presently without support. I can't recommend it for that reason alone.

I would give it five stars other wise.

However, there is a lot missing from the overall system and what has been produced its' value hinged on later products that probably will never be finished.

There has been no operating support site for this game system for close to a year now.

At present this system seems to be defunct. There is no website for Storyart at all, and hasn't been for close to a year. That's a real shame because this is a great concept. Ed Kaan has a blog site but it doesn't seem to have had any new blogs since Mar 09.

I know that Ed was having health issues. I hope he gets better.

I would give this system a full 5 stars if I knew it was going to be supported. Right now I can only give it one because there is still a lot missing and it doesn't look as if it is ever going to be finished.

I got this product becuase (1) I'm in a pulp phase (2) Space and Sci-Fi RPG's rock (3) Space and Sci-Fi RPG's with WWII fighters rocks even harder!

I read through the reviews as well befire ordering and I must say the complaints that I read a no big deal to me. This is a great setting and I've spent the better part of the day reading all the materials and already have some great ideas for my games. The worst review it got referenced a dearth of information on certain aspects... I think he missed the point completly, did he actually read the book? RE1963 is chock full of detail where it needs it and is sparse where it needs to be since it is a SYSTEMLESS setting. There are some holes in the setting but thats fine that helps me integrate it into anything I want.

The other reviewers commented on spelling and grammar issues, yes there are many that I've found in the book but again I got this for the setting not as a spelling primer. It completely serves the purposes of my purchase and has entertianed me and will be sure to entertain my gaming group once I get this up and running.

I enjoy how this setting takes the familiar WWI and II battles into a space opera setting. This book (check out the equally good Rocketship Empire books) puts the players in the Spanish war setting among the Spanish arm of the planets. There are a lot of plot hooks and ideas. My only complaint, and it's a small one, is that the book needs a "Recommended Reading & Viewing" section. I would recommend viewing some of the DVDs in the Young Indiana Jones series as some of them take place in this setting and time. Then read some Hemmingway.

Interesting setting, visually attractive book. However, the grammar is painful.

This book is probably better described as a ship supplement for the first setting book in RsE, that being IN FURY TRIUMPHANT (IFT). This product has three parts; the first is "rubber science" descriptions, second is ship descriptions, and third is a story set in the authors RsE universe.

The "rubber science" portion is OK, nothing really outstanding here other than a means to gain insight to how the author views RsE. I am of a torn opinion here...the RsE setting encourages the GM/Director to take control and this part seems in a way to try and constrain me. As a Director I read and acknowledge, but will probably use it only sparingly.

The second portion, the ships descriptions, are really the heart. All the ships are related to adventures in the Spanish Civil War, described in detail in the product IN FURY TRIUMPHANT. You really need both products together to get maximum milage from this section.

The third part of the product is a story. Frankly, I could of done without it and would of rather seen more ships.

Production values continue to improve. In this product StoryArt finally dropped the colorful (i.e ink-hogging) banners across the top of the pages. Don't miss them, and my printer/wallet appreciate it too!

Overall I have to withhold a star for the inclusion of the story. Just not what I was looking for. However, I still recommend a BUY because even without the stroy, the price makes it very affordable and useful for RsE adventures.

In Fury Triumphant (IFT) is the first setting book for Rocketship Empires 1936. The focus is on the Spanish National Corridor and the Spanish Civil War. If you are not a history major you don't have to worry because IFT uses our history as jumping off point and explains how it works in the RsE setting.

IFT is marketed as a "systemless" design and the writers have done a good job of giving the user enough background without limiting them through use of a particular setting. IFT tries to be apolitical, but that's a little hard to do when one faction is so closely aligned with the Nazi's! One part I really appreciate is that the writer left some parts open for the Director/GM to complete. Let's one take ownership of the setting!

Production values are good. Earlier StoryArt products were a bit uneven in the publication editing but you can already see improvements. Bodes well for the future of the publisher. If I have a (minor) complaint here it is that much of the artwork is recycled from other products. Unfortunate because it is this very art theat helps inspire and set the mood for gaming in the RsE setting. This is a colorful book...if you are going to print you WILL use lots of ink.

If you already have RsE then get IFT and checkout the setting. If you are still on the fence about RsE I say go ahead and try the corebook and this supplement...together they provide more than enough meat for a Director to get adventures going.

Another great product by a fledgling company!

If you are a fan of gritty sci-fi pulp adventure, the Rocketship Empires setting is right up your alley. I love it and highly recommend all the stuff they've put out thus far. The universe is lots of fun, the writing is professional, and the art is high-caliber. The loving attention to detail is obvious. I eagerly await every new release.

That said, the Ship Compendium is no exception. But, you should understand a couple of things.

1. This is, as the name suggests, a collection of ships and their statistics, with detailed background on each one. If you are a gearhead, and/or a bit of a war-historian, you'll love it.

2. There are segments explaining the pseudo-science of Temporal Space, Jump Travel, and Psionic Theory. Some of this, while fascinating and a bit of a revelation about the setting, feels somewhat out of place in a pulp gaming book. You may want to keep this info out of your players' hands. It sure comes in handy, though, when your scientist character lights his pipe, looks over the top of his glasses, and gives everyone the lowdown on ROCKETSHIP SCIENCE!

3. The last segment of the book is a short story set in the Rocketship Empires universe. It's well-written and keeps your attention, but there are some underlying serious issues that permeate the story. Again, not a major thing, but it feels a little un-pulpy.

To sum it up: I gotta withold a star just because it lacks a bit of "Gee Whiz". Otherwise, it's a great product, I recommend it, and for the price, you can't beat it.

This is what I've been looking for. This is a great game guide, the art work is great, the game info is great. A good buy all around.

Every game needs a place for the character to get in trouble. Rocketship Empires is filled with these kinds of places. In what I hope will the first of many books like it for RsE, the GM is given enough rope to hang the players. With three factions to choose from (one more than in our history) choosing sides in Spanish space is risky at best. Pick the communists and you'll have the fascists and royalists to deal with. Think of it as a game of rock-paper-scissors to the death.

Or maybe your players will play all three sides against one another (a proposition with its own pitfalls). Either way there's a lot excitement to be found here.

Another great product from StoryArt.

Included: ships with detailed backgrounds as well as an in depth explanation of the setting-physics involved with FTL travel.

The art is over the top crazy good, and even though this is a systemless product enough stating is provided to port any of these ships to your favorite system.

Great job guys.

A really deep setting, with tons of possibilities for adventure. Enough cannot be said about how well this setting comes across. As a systemless setting, a GM can get to the heart of GMing without trying to figure out how x in one system translates in another.

Think of this as the most detailed set of world notes you could want, to use with your favorite system. Whether it’s D20, Gurps, Savage Worlds, Fudge, or whatever. With that said there's more than enough room to make the setting you own as well. WWII doesn't have to happen the way it did in our history and for that matter it doesn't have to happen at all as there's more than enough threats out in space to keep humanity occupied without having to wail on one another.

Most of all, this product for the price cannot be beat. Think about it. For just a little more than the price of a super sized combo meal at your favorite fast food joint you get a rich and exciting setting to run your players through for countless hours of two fisted pulp adventure or grim tube-punk horror. The choice is yours. Good stuff.

Spelling/Presentation: The Gunslinger Betty is plagued with many of the same problems that the core book has in these areas. There are misused words and section headings at the bottom of a column. No star.

Artwork: Just about everyone has said it, it is great.

Story: There is an amazing amount of depth here and a lot of good interesting information on the ship. This is without a doubt the most in depth focused RPG supplement I have ever seen. I have seen ones with more depth but never with this tight a focus.

Usefulness/Rules: This book will be almost required for the Rocketship Empires setting because of the amount of information given on the "science" of that setting. There is enough information here to role play out repair scenes, which makes the mechanics job a lot more fun. My only gripe is I do not understand the presence of the weird flying rules, any system you will use will have flying rules of its own, and the ones given in the book are not useful for combat just puttering around, this space could have been better used for more background on the Betty. I liked the breakdown rules though, very well done.

Fun Factor: The book was fun to read and given the two-fisted nature of the main game it will be fun to play.