I've got a soft spot for these boxy little jobbies of a trade ship and they are well suited to the Space Western asthetic of the Independence Games product line. I love the design and feel of these boxy little adventurers ships. Ian Stead & Michael Johnson bring a unique feel to the Coner while proving an excellent little adventurer's ship. Eric Fabiaschi Sword & Stitchery Want More 2d6 please subscribe to https://swordsandstitchery.blogspot.com/

"Hacking and computers have been part of the common experience now since at least the 1990s and there is no sign that the future will see less of either of them. Therefore, it seemed necessary for us to address how hacking is done in the Clement Sector setting. In doing so, the scope of the product soon expanded to include information about worldnets and their history, computer equipment, and careers related to hacking and online security. Hopefully, this product will help your enjoyment of the Clement Sector setting and allow your characters and campaigns to enter the shadowy world of the hacker, the realm of futuristic online security, and get a sense of how the average Clement Sector character relates to being online."

Cybersneaks Hacking In The Clement Sector By Authors Michael Johnson and John Watts is a supplement for the Clement Sectore that we've been waiting for. And this has to do with the Henderson family. The Hendersons are a generational family of cyberdeckers from our Hostile, Clement Sector, and even our Rider rpg games. The Hendersons start out as telegraph operators in our Rider game campaign & then later on appeared in the Earth and Clement sector rpg campaigns. Cybersneaks clocks in at about eighty one pages and it covers the gamit of the Worldnet in the Clement Sector. And this includes everything from the history of frontier hacktivism to full on Worldnet law enforcement. The design and writing is clear and very well done. We get the history of hacking within the Worldnet, and the effects of social engineering, airgapping and more.We get hacking kits, some great equipment, handcomps, and then end with mindcomps. Mindcomps as a technology are interesting & I admit that while this is a partial "gear & equipment' book its a well done 'gear & equipment' book. For example the mindcomp entry; "A mindcomp is simply a computer that directly interfaces with the brain. For more details regarding mindcomps refer to Clement Sector page 336 and Interface page 37. Mindcomps provide their wearer with advantages over other computers but also create more risks if they are used for hacking activities." And then later we get a great example of these mindcomps; "Head Gear 66 – The Head Gear 66 is an older model mindcomp which remains popular in Clement Sector. While both less useful and more obvious than later models, the Head Gear 66 is often seen being used by those who don’t mind flaunting societal norms on worlds where cyberware is frowned upon. The Head Gear 66 is manufactured in Clement Sector on Minerva (Franklin 0401) and Chriseda (Sequoyah 0204) by the Overdrive Corporation. Despite the two companies being bitter rivals, many users will pair the Head Gear 66 with Bolt Glass for what is described as the perfect retro experience."

The idea that cybersneaks and hackers have thier own internal Clement sector techno dialogue going is brillant.

And it's the cyberhacking rules that are really the heart & soul of Cybersneaks. We get clear and concise rules that make hacking and decking in the Clement sector flavorful and meaningful. This adds gravitas and weight to the cybersneak's role within the Clement sector. And it's the simple and yet highly effective rule set up with Cybersneak so damn well done. And then we go deeper down the rabbit hole with malware, mindcomp hacking, and more. Cybersneaks does a great job of setting up the hacking and cybernetic decker as a viable and vital PC within a party of Clement and even Cepheus Engine adventurers. And out in the blackness of the frontier the cybersneak is a vaulable member of a crew within the Clement sector. And I do think that Cybersneaks is a fantastic addition to the Clement and Earth sector rpg's. Even at only eight one pages Cybersneaks is packed with good and solid viable gaming information for 2d6 Science Fiction and Cepheus Engine rpg's.

Eric Fabiaschi Swords & Stitchery blog Want More 2d6 reviews & action? Please subscribe to https://swordsandstitchery.blogspot.com/

A mssive 671 pages. The Clement Sector had been attached to the Earth Sector before the wormhole (or "Conduit" as it was called) the wormhole collapsed and the Clement found itself left to fend themselves, separated from Earth. The Clement Sector has been divided by twelve sub-sectors with 335 planets (with many planets or sectors haven't actually been discovered). Each planet has a brief of its own government or settlement, it's own militaries, and several planets may have pirate bases. There no living aliens but there are a few planets with alien ruins and there is a great possibility for GMs to use planets which haven't been discovered. Does the GM want to place alien bases or civilizations? All worlds which have been discovered, used or not, each world has thier own "Univeral World Profile" which provides a quick glance at the worlds starports, world size, atmosphere, population, governament, law level, and technology and then provides full charts on how to create and use those stats. Almost all planets are governed by thier own government with the exception of a small group of planets which are governed together (which call themselves the "HUB"). Creating pc's is one of my favorite vs. other games. Here, humans are the majority throughout the Sector but there are 5 "Altrants" which have been changed due to advanced genetic manipulation. Also, there are several animals which have been "Uplifted" (dolphins, apes, bears, lions, and Yeti) which provide thier basic abilities to work with humans. They can work independently without help from humans (they are not pets). For example, Apes are best able perfrom jobs which require heavy lifting and also have been used as combat troops. The character creation is AWESOME. Creation begins at page 156 and ends at page 299. Twenty step to create a character which includes birthworld, childlife, teen, and adults, and professions (civil or military) all of which provide a best depth of characters lifestyle and skills . The GM and player don't' have to roll on eacfh chart but those charts bring characters to life. Gear: There's tons of equipment (weapons, computers and software, robots, vehicles, starships, and the typical sci-fi equipment). Several starship decks are the best I've ever found (including desks, beds, and even bathrooms). Starship creation includes Hull and Armor, Enginerring, Command, Armament and Defenses, Crew, Passengers, Accommodations, Interal Components, Small Craft, Software, and finally all of that ends with the total tonnage and cost (maintenance, life support, and mortgage- each monthly). Combat provides a full experience with easily charts using 2d6's which includes personal combat, arms combat, vehicle combat and chases, and starship combat. Travel, merchant and trade good, starship operations, smuggling cargo and there are dozens of trade goods which some planets find various goods are illegal different between planets. A chapter on Animals and how to create them. Random encounters including patrons and npc's stats and skills. Politics in Clement Sector and full description of corporations. I mostly disagree with Michael except for the art. Larger text does make a book larger but this is the best when there is SO MUCH of info which needs to taken in easily.

“I saw one of these while part of a delegation sent by Boone to discuss several issues of import with the Cascadian government. Looks retro impressive, certainly fast but if it caught another destroyer and engaged it then at least it could run away just as fast when that destroyer it caught by the tail responded. These ships are too lightly armed for a destroyer.” - Commander James Lightfoot United States Space Navy, Boone, June 2, 2340 (standard) So Independence Games sent over their latest ship the Roosevelt - Class Intercept Destoryer and let's dive into it!

Micheal Johnson & John Watts have been at it again for the Clement Sector & this time it's a nasty little bird with a few surprises. The Roosevelt class is in a class all of it's own & it fits a great role as both deep escort & destroyer. Independence games has a very solid take on the Roosevelt Intercepter Distroyer. Type: Destroyer Class: Roosevelt System: Cascadia Service Date: 2335 to current Displacement: 1,200 tonnes (16,800 cu.m) Mass Tonnage: 7,200 tonnes Length: 138.25m Beam: Fwd: 11.5m, Aft: 47.5m, Wings: 76.5m Thrust: 5G Complement: 106 (17 Officers, 83 Enlisted and 6 Marines) Craft Carried: 1x Ship’s Boat, 1x Fast Launch Armament: Primary: 2x 50 tonne Meson Gun bays Secondary: 2x 50 tonne Fusion Gun bays Light (turrets): 6x triple beam laser turrets 2x triple turrets (2x missile/1x sandcaster) Defenses: Point Defense Node Array (12 nodes) Armor: Crystaliron

The Roosevelt Intercepter Distroyer is perfect for the frontier of the Clement sector as a deep penatrating destroyer. And we get everything we need from history, stats, weapons systems, variants & more. The Roosevelt class fills the folllowing need,"the fleet that believed that a new destroyer design needed to be fast and more heavily armed, relying on rapid, hard hitting, long range hit and fade tactics to make up for the lack of armor protection, or that the design needed to maintain protection to improve survivability" The Roosevelt Intercepter Distroyer is a predator & a mid tier predator. The writing is very well done, the layout is excellent, and quality is what we've come to expect from Independence Games! I really love Ian Stead & Michael Johnson's designs & artwork for this ship. The role of the Roosevelt class in the Wild West style frontier of the Clement sector is similar to the role of the U.S. Cavalry; "The traditions of the U.S. Cavalry originated with the horse-mounted force which played an important role in extending United States governance into the Western United States, especially after the American Civil War (1861–1865), with the need to cover vast ranges of territory between scattered isolated forts and outposts of the minimal resources given to the stretched thin U.S. Army." And I believe that in the Clement sector the Roosevelt is going to serve this need as well for many years too come. And it's the fact that the Roosevelt class is really well designed to give a group of pirates a bloody nose & then some. And in this regard the Roosevelt Intercepter Distroyer is perfectly designed to get the job done. I need three things from the Roosevelt Intercepter Distroyer. A real threat to our pirate PC's. An adventure point & piece of setting material as a ship that appears to do it's job & for that the Roosevelt Intercepter Distroyer is ideally suited! And three the Roosevelt Intercepter Distroyer is needed as a fleet ship's deep terrority scout & destroyer. Again it's ideally suited to the role. Thanks for reading our review Eric Fabiaschi Swords & Stitchery Want more 2d6 OSR content? Please subscribe to https://swordsandstitchery.blogspot.com/

Many of the vehicles can be easily used. I'm creating a mercenary campaign. There several planets/governments which may need assistance. The Serapis world or Sophronius world look like one will likely be used (worlds in turmoil).

Review of the Anderson and Felix Guide to Ship Building 3rd Edition, by Independence Games for their Clement Sector setting.

My first impression as soon as I started reading was that the writing is aimed at a first time reader of an RPG. Which is good. Its very “step by step” and they clearly attempt to be as clear as they can manage. Which to me was crystal clear.

As I read, and made use of the Table of Contents, I found that too to be very well done, with practically every page referenced, often more than once. So its very detailed like an Index should be.

I should also note that the Clement Sector setting is used for any flavor text, and I like the factual kind of presentation of “this is going on right now” in their setting. There is an authors note explaining the limitations on TL present in this book (TL 12, with a few exceptions), but also gives suggestions on how you can adapt this to pretty much any other RPG system, mainly by taking its assumptions into account while doing your design. Which seems easy enough to do, especially if its some other version or edition of Traveller.

As I read on, the level of detail, and attention to it, is very front and center. Definitions given as the terms come up, suggestions on what you need to consider at each step of design, with flavor text used to give “in setting” context. Which is generic enough to use in most other settings by simply changing names used. All things I feel a first time gamer would really appreciate, and even as a 30+ year gamer myself, I like it being written this way.

Now as someone who has ran Traveller on and off across my 30+ years of gaming, the first thing I really appreciated in this book was the level of detail given to the various hull types and variations within those types, such as when they go into specific details on Distributed hulls having two types, and giving good explanations as to how those look, and the cost advantage of using the Dispersed version. They even use a nice little table to show each of the 3 hull types, the kinds of shapes seen within those types, as well as which ones can have spinal mounts, which is all of them except dispersed, and we are even given the percentage of weapons on a given type and shape that can be brought to bear. A question I have always had on the larger ships, especially once they get into the Capital size range. So I am really pleased with this table.

This is probably the best, most concise, explanation of Hull versus Structure damage I have ever read:

“Initially, damage is applied to the Hull and once the Hull is breached, further damage is applied to the ship’s Structure. If all Structure Points are lost, then the ship is considered destroyed “ -p. 29

They then go on to explain what will more likely happen instead, such as surrendering, then go on to calculating a ships hit points, and so on.

On page 32 we are given a concise example of how the ship design should look at this point, with an example of the math involved for each calculation, and even a couple of brief explanations as to why a couple of the choices were made.

The next Module, or topic, is Engineering decisions, and first off is the Maneuver Drive. Now the first thing in this part I immediately like seeing is a thorough discussion on Gravitics drives, and even how they provide gravity within a ship. I think the only other place I have seen an explanation like this is in the GURPS books. Which also have a level of detail similar to what I am seeing here.

The next thing we go into is power plants, and I really like the range of types covered here. To give an idea, they go into what I expected to see, but also go into chemically powered plants and even chemical batteries. I also appreciate their discussion of Variable Power Output and the importance of an Emergency Power system. ( I was in the US Navy for 10 years, so like seeing things like this given some depth.)

Another thing I liked seeing is they go into good detail on why Capital ships have a different set of Drive criteria and the various other considerations Capital ships are given in this design process.

Next they go into the most important drive for the assumed setting, the Zim Drive. Then tables and calculations ensue, even a nice simple formula for calculating fuel consumption. Then more needed details on the Zim Drive.

Then you will see a small paragraph on gravitics drives and how they have more rules and info on Reaction drives on page 152. This is on page 41. So good to know that info is so much later in this book, now.

So at this point I am realizing if I keep going on about this book like this, my review might end up being half as long as the book itself. So now I am just going to cover the things that stood out to me. Rest assured they continue on in the same level of detail and give an example of how your design might look at the end of each section/module, with an example of the math process for each calculation needed. As for the math, I personally think its pretty easy, but I also know people who have great anxiety over math, even when its at its most basic. If your such a person, I hope these examples will help you get through them without getting over whelmed. Going to the end of each section, and referencing the examples as you read through the chapter/module, may help.

As I read through the book I continue to see more details addressed that I am not used to seeing, such as covering more room types you will see on various ships, from Casinos, to chapels, to briefing rooms that give you a +1 DM on things like Tactics checks.

The next thing to stand out to me is in the ships weapons section and Sandcasters, where they describe 3 different types of cannisters you can use. I am not used to seeing them individually described like this. Once again, their level of detail pleases me.

Next is covering Standard and Improved Ordnance magazines, and their needing to be adjacent to the Bay weapons. Not something I see given this much description in other books.

The Magnetogravitic screen is some new tech for the setting, and is an interesting idea for use in other settings.

Ships Point Defense Drones is also interesting to me.

Ships crews. Now this section I really like. It gives a lot of explanations as to what you want to consider when deciding on what crew is needed for whatever ship you are designing. Since this covers even their largest capital ships it gives guide lines for command personnel, flight operations crews, staffing medical departments, and more. They even talk about officer accommodations versus enlisted. This is something I wish I had seen 30 years ago.

The part on Ships Software is largely familiar, but again, the degree of detail really appeals to me, and I like their write up on “Avatars” for an intelligent interface.

Next thing is how they cover Ships costs, including mortgage. Nicely organized and explained, all in the same part of the book. This includes crew pay.

The next stand out to me is on ships construction times, “redecoration” to full refit and refurbishment, with a nice table breaking down specific costs.

Next stand out is the section on Technology and its effects with regards to ship building, including across the various star ports where ships are built. Including adjustments to cost based upon what TL is used. Which can be applied to more than just ships. Another section I wish I had seen 30 years ago.

Next is a full example of designing a 200 dTon ship. I think this is very helpful.

Next is something I am pretty sure I have never seen before. A full treatment on designing small craft. This is something I wish I had several times over my GMing career. Especially for the campaign where the group got into planetary exploration, and wanted customized vehicles and small craft. By full treatment, I mean just as detailed as it is for the space ships. I have to say WOW! for this section. Fantastic.

As I approach page 152, mentioned way back on page 41, they start detailing other drive types, from reaction drives to ion drives to plasma drives to even using anti matter to create a type of Plasma Drive. Then it goes on to “Alternative Drives” starting with one known as an “Orion Drive”. The level of detail in this section is impressive, as it usually has been through this entire book.

Next they talk about spinning habitats, starting off with the O’Neil Cylinder, seen in a number of sci fi movies and TV series. Then they cover toroid habitats (think big spoked wheel), then a number of variations. Very nice.

Skipping a lot of pages we get to Zim Drive alternatives.

Here we see “Star Drives, “Slip Drives”, and the Alcubierre Drive, along with the usual details the previous drives are given.

The next stand out is the attention given to Point Defense. Pretty sure I have not seen this much detail given any where else.

The next part I want to mention is a part I always love to see, ship examples, also accompanied by nice artwork showing how they look. No deck plans, though. Which might be on purpose, because the next section covers doing just that, creating your own deck plans.

Which is not just a few paragraphs about it, either. Its a full primer, with examples and things to consider , and more. Add this to the list of things I wish I had seen 30 years ago.

Then the book wraps up with an Index, which some how manages to be even more detailed than the Table of Contents is.

So my over all opinion on this book is, I love the level of detail and advice. To me this is a really stand out book on ship creation, all the way from small boats to 20,000 dTonne Capital ships. My only complaint is the artwork. What is there is really good. Most of it is done by Ian Stead, so If you know his work, you know its good. My issue is I wish there could be more of it. Most of the pages have no artwork. Certain sections would be better if nice illustrations helping to convey the information covered could be added as well.

Wishful thinking aside, and in case you cannot already tell, I really like this book. This level of detail and advice really appeals to me. I have Zero regrets about owning this book,. I am glad I bought it, and I think if you have bothered to read this review, you will be glad you bought it too.

Good deck plans but there are a few of issues. Throughout several books between the ship stats vs. deck drawings don't match. For instance, the Fire of the Holy-class Missile Attack Boat stats have four crewmembers, a life pod for each, and a stateroom for each. However, the deckplans don't show the life pods at all and don't show a fourth stateroom. And why worry about showing how fuel is stored since storage for consumables and water (drinking, showerss, body waste) are never given space?

Work has been keeping me really on the run & even though we're getting around the bend from Thanksgiving. I've managed to sneak into DM Steve's Subsector Hub mini campaign for the Clement Sector rpg. Now there's a very good reason for this & it's actually get a feel for the actual play of the setting.

The Subsector sourcebook Hub has been updated into third edition. And there's a reason for this; "Hub Subsector was the first place those coming from Earth Sector saw when they arrived in Clement Sector. It is the oldest and most cosmopolitan of the subsectors of Clement Sector. It is also home to the sector’s only interstellar polity, The Hub Federation. The first of the subsectors to be settled" Don't let the fact that the sector’s only interstellar polity is the Hub Federation. This is a subsector on the edge of a very deep frontier of the unknown & blackness. Subsector Hub feels like an expanded frontier area settled but highly wild & untamed. A place that settlers can come to, make a living, and still be on the edge of the Frontier of the Clement sector. What we get in the Subsector Sourcebook Hub is details about the worlds, the political situations, and the inhabitants. These details paint a very different picture when one starts to be a part of a crew in the subsector. Here we get the edge on feeling of Hub & it's setting from the first hand perspective. I feel that the Subsector Sourcebook Hub does a great job of conveying those details in spades. Once again it reminds one of the feel of the Old West without being too indulgant into the Western tropes instead pulling on Old Western & Civil War analogies. Or at least that's how Hub feels through the writings of John Watts. The Clement Sector literally is tied at the hip with the Hub subsector & it's a solid way of dealing with the settings.

We deal with Kasya about three nights ago & it's interesting; "Kasaya is the location of the first settlement on Totaro. It is currently the capital of the planet and home to the House of Representatives, the House of Councilors, and the President. The current population of the city is just over 18 million. The city is built around an inlet in the northeastern portion of the Kosado Sea. All of the buildings here are rounded to survive the high winds that come from the salt flats to the south of the city. Many of the buildings are quite tall and have measures in place to survive the winds such as wind conduits. The city is home to a fine B-class downport which is rated three stars by the Captain’s Guild. The downport is located to the east of the city. One can reach the downport by maglev train or shuttle." That B class downport was the meeting with a spy from one of the other colony worlds in the subsector Hub worlds. The fact is that there's a lot of intrigue, double dealing, & much more between the militaries of the Hub worlds. With that being said I believe that in our game the biggest threat is going to be coming from outside.

The Subsector Hub sourcebook is highly detailed, well thought out, and has Independence games continued excellence & eye towards quality. But is it worth the download?! In a word, yes! The level of detail here is nothing short of solidly done & of excellent quality! This continues the streak of quality that we've seen within the Independence Games line of Cepheus Engine rpg products! Thanks for reading our review Eric Fabiaschi Swords & Stitchery blog Want more 2d6 & OSR action?! Please subscribe to https://swordsandstitchery.blogspot.com/

"Franklin is a subsector of independent worlds which, while more settled and established than Sequoyah or the frontier subsectors, is still not as tamed as Hub or Cascadia subsectors. Here you will find the alien artifacts of Tal'Kalares, the theocracy of Frankin, the military dictatorship of Minerva, the libertarian city-states of Bastiat, and the floating cities of Moffett."

Each world comes complete with detailed information concerning the system and the planet itself, yet leaves the Referee plenty of room to use these worlds as they see fit."

Subsector Sourcebook 2: Franklin By John Watts, Kayla Lee, & Bonnie Dodson is one of those books you don't know that you need as a DM. Subsector Sourcebook 2: Franklin touches on the fringes of the Clement sector universe. This is one of those subsectors filled to the brim with opportunites for adventure. The book seriously is the outer edges of the interstellar map. And its filled with frontier edge planets & systems that will challenge even the most jaded of adventurers & spacers. These are the not quite wild systems that have lost touch with the rest of civilazation and like it that way. And it's this aspect that kicks up the Space Western & frontier aspect of the Fraklin sector. The idea of the independant frontier is really well thoughtout with in the Franklin sector itself. The sector itself is boiling in some places & yet maintained in others we've got many different flavors with the alien artifacts of Tal'Kalares, the theocracy of Frankin, the military dictatorship of Minerva, the libertarian city-states of Bastiat, and the floating cities of Moffett. And they all offer opportunities for adventure serious deep long campaign adventures There are plenty of places within the Franklin subsectors that can easily get PC's killed. And to put it into the terms of a Space Western. Franklin is the type of sub sector that represents the American indian lands where the PC's are the strangers within a strange land. Franklin is the type of a sub sector where the rules of law still apply but they might not be the laws that your PC's are familiar with. Franklin is where the deeper space expediation's get launched from.

But since the collapse of the wormhole the whole subsector wants to keep its independence from both Clement & Earth. They have no reason to welcome thier interstellar parents back into their sphere of influence with anything resembling open arms. They've had the taste of freedom & want to keep going. To touch the nerve of the matter the Franklin sub sector has no real reason to welcome outside governmental rule. There are sometings that should be strictly local affairs. And this place is one of them. The Franklin sub sector is embroiled between the instellar world that it wishes it was and that one it is. Franklin is of those sub sectors where the illusion of control hides the seething madness of the genre floating beneath the surface. Franklin is a sub sector with a powder keg aspect just waiting to explode! And it could be the PC's who kick off the excitement. Is Subsector Sourcebook 2: Franklin Third Edition worth getting for the Clement & Earth sector rpg's or your 2d6 Cepheus Engine rpg campaigns?! In a word yes! The Subsector Sourcebook 2: Franklin Third Edition has all of the right bells & whistles. Its solidly done and has a ton of potential for a long campaign because of the way that it presents the various factions, and adventure locations. I'm really impressed with the Subsector Sourcebook 2: Franklin Third Edition book because of how easily it slots into the Clement Sectors rpg itself. There's ton of potential to add & modify Subsector Sourcebook 2: Franklin Third Edition to have a full realized campaign using this book. Its a good & solid addition to the Independence Games library of products! Thanks for reading our review! Eric Fabiaschi Swords & Stitchery Want more 2d6 OSR action?! Please subscribe to https://swordsandstitchery.blogspot.com/

The book runs to about 150 pages of game information and starts with a synopsis of the subsector as a whole, including a subsector map. Each of the twenty worlds that lie within its borders is comprehensively detailed: the nature of each star system is described and the write up includes physical and social details for the mainworld itself, as well as comprehensive notes about the local culture and politics, important sites and locations, and other interesting features.

Maps are provided for each star system, including a system chart that provides "at a glance" information regarding all of the secondary planets, and a color isohedral map of the mainworld showing the major geographical features. While the world maps are small, each is of high quality and (in the current electronic format of the book) can be zoomed in on with minimal loss of resolution. The system chart also shows the locations of Zimm points, key to interstellar travel, which I found particularly useful.

Each description runs to an average of seven pages and is tied to the Universal World Profile, making the information easy to access and understand. The sequence within each description is logical and consistent, again greatly aiding useability. But it is far from dry numbers - you find intriguing snippets such as attitudes towards altrants, fierce beverages made from animal blood, or the local significance of tattoos, the sort of throwaway details that bring the setting to vibrant life.

Cascadia Sourcebook is packed with information. It details a region filled with characterful, unique worlds and populated by eclectic personalities, and provides a wealth of background and color. Even if you don't play in the universe of Clement Sector, the star systems provided in this volume can easily be adapted for use in other sci-fi settings.

Thoroughly recommended.

"Welcome to Cascadia Subsector! Cascadia Subsector is both one of the four core subsectors of Clement Sector (along with Hub, Franklin, and Sequoyah) and on the edge of the frontier. The sparsely populated Dawn Subsector (unless you’re on Cascadia and then you’d better call it “Lancaster Subsector”) is just to trailing of Cascadia Subsector. After that, it’s the wide-open frontier where few, if any, live and the realm of pirates and the advance scouts of the Cascadia Colonization Authority."

"So Cascadia can be a bit of both frontier and core. The second subsector to be settled and the first to have worlds colonized after the United Nations passed the Independent Worlds Treaty of 2235, the worlds presented here are some of the oldest established colonies in the sector. Most were colonized by private groups often to get away from the nations of Earth for one reason or another. Others were settled to simply try out a political experiment. Still others were colonized by corporations for profit."

Subsector Sourcebook: Cascadia By John Watts For The Clement Sector Rpg is one of the most underrated supplements for the Clement Sector rpg. Why?! Because this one hundred & fifty seven page book goes down the rabbit hole of the oldest Cascadia colony worlds. These colonies are varied, interesting, and very dangerous in their own right. The Subsector Sourcebook: Cascadia maximizes the entire ideal of the frontier edge of the Clement Sector rpg. The Subsector Sourcebook: Cascadia takes on board 'the Space Western' ideal & pushes the colonies & worlds to the edge of the interstellar map. And Subsector Sourcebook: Cascadia does this by presenting worlds that are interesting, different, and places that players are going to want to game on. Megara is a world of contrasts and a planet of both high technological frontier & yet one of untamed creativity; "The first colonists were academics from the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom who wanted to establish a world and a government based on Athenian democracy. This would come with all the architectural trappings of ancient Greece along with encouraging those who knew Greek to speak it and to teach those who did not know. Greek remains the primary language of the planet with those who do not speak Greek often speaking English" This spirit of the Greeks seems to trickle down into the dangerous frontiers of the planet as well.

And Subsector Sourcebook: Cascadia embraces the campaign setting ideal that variety is the spice of life & shipping or profit is the creative spark of the Cascadia sector. The adventurers going from world to world & port to port to make money is the driving basis for Subsector Sourcebook: Cascadia. Fortunately those worlds are varied, interesting, and in point of fact very dangerous. Because this is a sector on the edge of both the great blackness of the interstellar frontier & still one of the more tamed sectors before the edge of the interstellar map.

Subsector Sourcebook: Cascadia is a sector sourcebook in which the adventurers are driving the source material. Your going to be seeing the frontier politic in operation within the Clement sector rpg within Subsector Sourcebook: Cascadia. The idea of the frontier worlds is heavily implied within this subsector supplement. Subsector Sourcebook: Cascadia is about the adventurers finding their place within the subsector's worlds & turning a profit at the same time. And John Watts has done a killer job of balancing these issues within Subsector Sourcebook: Cascadia. That balance extends within the various worlds found within Cascadia because of the presentation.

Subsector Sourcebook: Cascadia takes it's subject matter from the sphere of sourcebook into the realm of adventure sourcebook. And it does this by peppering the sourcebook with various adventure hooks scattered within it. These hooks are subtle but they are there. And they take advantage of that frontier edge sector quite seriously. And it preforms this balance with style. Is the Subsector Sourcebook: Cascadia worth getting?!

In a word yes! This is because Subsector Sourcebook: Cascadia works to support the rest of the Clement sector rpg with new worlds, new NPC's, & even new plays on the Clement sector's 'Space Western' theme. Thanks for reading our review! Eric Fabiaschi Swords & Stitchery Blog Want more OSR action?! Please subscribe to https://swordsandstitchery.blogspot.com/

"Make new friends (or enemies)!

This book features 19 famous historical characters from the Old West. Each has a full character sheet and a short biography and each is ready to be added to your Rider campaign. Meet such figures as Billy the Kid, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Jesse James, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and Johnny Ringo!"

"Use them as NPCs for your next Rider campaign or even as player characters in an all-star Rider campaign! Become part of the legend! "

If there's a favorite genre that the 2d6 Cepheus Engine crowd loves it's the American Old West! And why not with the amazing Rider rpg series by John Watts and Micheal Brown's Under Western Skies: 2D6 Adventure on America's Frontier. This is truly a golden age for the 2d6 American West fan like myself. Now the differences between both Rider rpg and Under Western Skies is pretty obvious to the casual Old Western rpg gamer. The Rider rpg series is built on detail and 2d6 campaign driven play. While Under Western Skies is pure 'pick up and play 2d6' action. Now while these games can be combined it might be at cross purposes depending upon the players & dungeon master's purposes. That being the case this brings me to a product that can be used with both systems and that's 'Famous Characters of the Old West' By John Watts From Independence Games. John Watts is a huge fan of the Old West and you can tell from the author's range of characters that he packs into this fifty six page book. We get a solid layout & easy on the eyes text that dives deeply into the cabilities, background, history, & skills of each of these NPC's from real world history.

Take for example the famous lawman Pat Gerrett; "Pat Garrett Strength: 9 (+1) Dexterity: 8 (+0) Endurance: 10 (+1) Intelligence: 7 (+0) Education: 5 (-1) Charisma: 8 (+0) Reputation: 9 Primary Language: English Birthdate: June 5, 1850 Draw 2 Gambler 2 Gun Combat (Revolver) 2 Investigate 2 Recon 2 Streetwise 2 Tactics (Military) 2 Advocate (Politics) 1 Animals (Riding) 1 Carouse 1 Leadership 1 Melee (Unarmed Combat) 1 Navigation 1 Persuade 1 Stealth 1 Survival (Plains) 1 Art 0 Broker 0 Patrick Floyd Garrett was born on June 5, 1850, near what is now Cusseta, Alabama. After his father, John, purchased a cotton plantation in northern Louisiana, Garrett would spend his childhood there. The Civil War would destroy the Garret family’s finances, and this would force Garrett to take work as a cowboy at the LS Ranch in west Texas in 1869. In 1875, he became a buffalo hunter. In 1878, he got into a quarrel with a fellow buffalo hunter, W. Skelton Glenn. During this disagreement, Garret killed Glenn. Garrett confessed to the killing when he returned, but he suffered no reprisals. He moved to Fort Sumner, New Mexico later in the same year and became a cowboy for Pedro Maxwell. The following year, in 1879, he would quit his cowboy work and open a saloon called “Beaver Smith’s”. It is said that it was at this point that he started gambling with and befriended Henry McCarty (aka “Billy the Kid”, see p.45). He would get married to Juanita Martiniez during this same period, but she would die only 15 days later. On January 14, 1880, he would marry Apolonia Gutierrez with whom he would have eight children." We get all of the details on Pat Garrett, & the real world history as well as it can be known at this time. And this is one of the places that both Rider & Famous Characters of the Old West excels. We get all of the good & the bad in one entry. The writing is straight forward, matter of fact, and too the point. The DM get's Garrett's history, carreer, and life's journey. Any one of these points in Garrett's life the player's PC's could encounter him for better or worse. And this is where Famous Characters of the Old West By John Watts shines because in fifty six pages it gives a fasinating grand tour of the Old West. And Famous Characters does it in a solid, easy to use, and digest way that actually works at the table top level for your 2d6 Old West needs for Cepheus Engine rpg. Thanks for reading our review. Want more OSR action? Please subscribe to https://swordsandstitchery.blogspot.com/ Eric Fabiaschi Swords & Stitchery blog

So via our email came 'Port of Entry Starports In The Clement Sector' From Independence Games. Sweet mother of God this is a huge 200 page pdf of a book. 'Port of Entry Starports In The Clement Sector' is a key book & tool kit for the Clement Sector rpg as the introduction states; "As the introductory quote states, starports are an integral part of the make-up of Clement Sector. Starports are the places where imports arrive, exports leave, people come and go, and communications arrive and are sent. Almost all the settled worlds in Clement Sector have ports and this includes the restrictive governments and worlds which try to have minimal contact with other planets. Starports come in many different types and can be a massive orbital structure or a flat piece of land cleared of obstacles. In this section, we will cover the different types of starports as a form of introduction."

Port of Entry Starports In The Clement Sector is a key book clocking in at over 200 pages of 2d6 Clement Sector rpg goodness. There's extensive rules here for generating, creating, and maintaining every type of star port, station, and trade zone within the blackness of the Clement sector. And by God if this book doesn't remind me of the early 19th century fur trading forts & outposts of North America. Extensive nodes of civilization scattered against the blackness of the wilds of the frontiers of the Clement Sector. Port of Entry Starports In The Clement Sector by John Watts, Michael Johnson, and Tony Hicks writing is dialed in with everything dialed into the generation of these oasises amid the blackness of the Clement sector. The artwork by Ian Stead is on point as usual and the rest of the book is certainly up to Independence Games standards. The rules here are swift, well done, and have that new Cepheus Engine rpg smell about them plugging into the Space Western motif very well. Every aspect of starport & station design is covered extensively in vivid detail. Port of Entry Starports In The Clement Sector reads like both a general supplement for the Clement Sector rpg but also a very straight forward set of rules for designing your own star ports for your 2d6 campaigns! The real shine of Port of Entry Starports In The Clement Sector is within the design,selection, and refinement of tradition statport design. Port of Entry Starports In The Clement Sector feels like a solid set of rules for bring home the idea of star ports being home to adventure at every turn. Or the fact that the PC's starport may indeed be their extensive home away from home ports. Every aspect of the starport as adventure point is explored within the pages of Port of Entry Starports In The Clement Sector. And many of these rules would also work very well with the Earth sector rpg system. The rules make generating your own star ports fun, random, and very acessible for the average DM to get running threir own star port based adventures! This makes Port of Entry Starports In The Clement Sector a must have for those who want to run any adventure centered around their own campaign's starports! Thanks for reading our review! Eric Fabiaschi Swords & Stitchery Want more 2d6 and OSR goodness?! Please Subscribe to https://swordsandstitchery.blogspot.com/

Overview: An ambitious project, Clement Sector is a Cepheus Engine game mapping an entire sector (more-or-less), far from Earth and cut off due to complications. The execution, however, is marred by some problems; some of which are the publisher's fault and others lay on the head of the printer.

The Good: An interesting take on humanity on the far end of the galaxy, cut off from Earth and struggling to survive on their own. New worlds, new technologies, new ships. Tons and tons of sourcebooks and other resources to flesh out the setting.

The Bad (Publisher): Those without previous experience with the Cepheus Engine/That Other 2d6 Sci-Fi Game will find some rules explained poorly or not at all. An example is skill specialization; while specializations to some skills are shown in the skills chapter, the only place where it is explained even vaguely is in the character career path example text, and even then the way specializations vs. broad skills work isn't explained well. Not much interior artwork, and what is there seems to be mostly 3D modeling program screen caps (I could be wrong about that, but that's what the art looks like). Lastly, while the book is definitely ambitious and covers a lot of ground, it mostly skims that ground. But then again: there's only so much you can fit into a single book.

The Ugly (Printer): Upon opening the book (the hardcover version) (which is huge but... see below) the spine ripped immediately. A bad glue-up job or simply bad glue might account for it, and this seems to be a DTRPG issue rather than an issue with Independence Games. The paper is nicely white and fairly thick, which is a bonus for those who like that.

The Other: In addition, while the book is over 600 pages, the formatting leaves a massive amount of white space on each page. This book could easily be 400 pages or less with better typesetting and layout choices. Not sure if this was a choice on the part of the publisher (Independence Games) or the printer (DTRPG) however.

Overall: Good setting material, but familiarity with Cepheus Engine or Traveller is recommended. Also, be very ginger with the book; it may be super fragile.

"The Lance-class is a 300-ton Royal Navy gunboat that revived the concept of a gunboat. Armed with a 50-ton particle beam spinal mount and a railgun barbette, the Lance had the capability to be a serious threat to larger warships. The Lance was used by the British to defend their colonial holdings in Earth Sector and inspired several nations to come up with their own versions of these powerful little vessels."

"Together with a purpose constructed interstellar capable gunboat carrier, the Maidstone-class, this allowed the Royal Navy to deploy up to six Lance-class gunboats to any system in which it was needed. This allowed for enormous flexibility and was a novel concept at a time where carriers were beginning to be considered by some navies to be an obsolete concept in space."

"This book comes complete with full deckplans and statistics for both the Lance and the Maidstone to make your use of our product simple, easy, and fun. In addition, the book includes some excellent fiction by author Bradley Warnes."

"Though specifically designed for our Clement Sector setting, the Lance and the Maidstone can be imported into any science fiction setting with little effort."

"Climb aboard! Adventure awaits!"

Lance-class Gunboat By Michael Johnson, & Bradley Warnes is a very solid sixty one page supplement for old school Traveller & the Earth Sector rpg. Here the Lance-class Gunboat is really featured right out of the gate. The Lance class Gunboat isn't the first sort of ship that one thinks of when it comes to interstellar adventure. But these boats see themselves into the thick of the fray in many battles & there aftermaths. The fact that these gun boats are often embroiled in the affairs & battles of the Clement sector makes them excellent foils for Cepheus Engine rpg adventure especially in the Clement sector rpg. And it's this aspect of the gunboat that makes them perfectly suited to a small party of crew that find themselves in trouble & battles more oftern then not. This is also true of the Lance Class gun boats even unto their development; " At the same time various designs for a new uprated patrol boat (that later evolved into the Lance-class gunboat) were being examined by the Royal Navy, the Admiralty Board requested expressions of interest for a Zimm capable carrier of no more than two and a half thousand displacement tonnes that could deploy a full six boat squadron. The carrier design tender took longer to resolve and even longer to decide which design was preferable. Eventually though, a design was chosen and construction of the first of the three carriers to be ordered was commenced in 2208. " From busting up space piracy, interstellar smuggling, human trafficking, etc. the Lance class gunboat is going to be where the action is! This is especially true of the tech update 2350 which goes over the roles of star ship in the Clement Sector. The role of the Lance Class Gunboat reminds me of the Iron Clads during the American Civil War.

The attention to detail in the design of the Lance Class Gunboat is reflected in the fiction of Bradley Warnes and Michel Johnson's writing. There's more then enough adventure hooks if the Lance class gunboat is used in a Cepheus Engine campaign. The deadliness of these ships is not to be underestimated within a Clement or Earth Sector campaign. The Lance-class Gunboat By Michael Johnson, & Bradley Warnes is solidly done & would make an excellent addition to any Cepheus Engine or Old School Traveller rpg campaign. Thanks for reading our review Eric Fabiaschi Swords & Stitchery Want more OSR action please subscribe to https://swordsandstitchery.blogspot.com/