I have been looking for a game like this for years.

Quote: ZENOBIA was designed to satisfy my lust for adventure without the obstacles of class, skill level and character level. I wanted my characters to be good at everything and not have to calculate percentage chances or ‘to hit’ probabilities. I wanted to throw a couple of d6 and get on with the epic story line. And I didn’t want to alienate my players with new and sophisticated cultures - I wanted to mix familiarity with something more exotic, but something based in the hard-nosed realities of history. ZENOBIA was the result.

If any of this makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside then this is a must buy.

Great work once again by Paul Elliot -Zozer who is a designer on par with the likes of Kevin Crawford -Sine Nomine. Hopefully he can get a greater market share and publish more material in the future.

The rules could use a bit of polishing/clarifications but if taken in an "OSR spirit" they are a great starting point. My personal preference would have been for a closer adaptation/modification of Cepheus Engine.

A game that manages to condense all the good stuff from Old School games- the random tables and monster lists- but loses the restrictive Level/Class mechanics. It's like RuneQuest, with the same gritty Sword & Sorcery vibe in the mechanics, but the game is a lot simpler to play or generate characters for.

It's written by someone who knows what was great about the historical period it's set in but treats that history as an inspiration rather than a limitation. The material inside lets each individual GM choose what balance of historical accuracy and fantasy they want. You could go entirely one way or the other using the same rules.

The single best thing about this game, though, is the combat system. The fact that every single review about the game or AD43 (which uses the same rules) mentions it should clue you in to that. It's a simple "Both roll 2d6 plus bonuses and compare" system that's pretty much the same as the old Fighting Fantasy books at the core. But a few key tweaks to that system have transformed it into something truly inspired, where tactical decisions are important and life or death depends on the three factors of individual prowess, the weapons being used and the armour being worn.

Not only is this a great game in itself, but it's one that would be easy to adapt to any other Bronze or Iron Age setting. Whether you've got a favourite period of history or a particular Myth-cycle you feel like playing, this could be easily used to run these games. Not just obvious similar ones- the Trojan War or the Roman Republic, for instance- but I've had thoughts on running both Viking and Aztec themed games with it. Or for just about any Sword & Sorcery fantasy setting.

My only complaint about this game is that it doesn't have the option to buy a combination PDF & Print On Demand bundle.

The game uses the same combat system as AD43 and Warband, a very fast and furious 2d6 system, that gives combat and task resolution a speed, virtually unknown in other systems, while still keeping a good dose of realism.

It's so good that I am using it for mass combat resolution in Harnmaster.

Concerning the game itself, I personally love the time and the setting. Real history with a touch of fantasy and a portion Lovecraft should be the right stuff for fans of Howard's non-Conan stories, or for pulp fans altogether. If you are into real history, too, so much the better.

The face-lifting from the nearly 20 year old original helped the game and it also took care of some errors or unclear concepts.

IMHO it's well worth the money, as is the rest of the ZOZER stuff.

Neon lights, mirror shades, corporate warfare abound in Zaubatsu. Game is an awesome representation of Neuromancer-style cyberpunk. Highly recommend it and as a bonus, it synchs with Hostile perfectly.

Excellent book all around. If you love the magic that are Alien, Aliens, Outland, and all things 80's scifi, this is your game. Game does an amazing job of capturing a pretty wide range of role-playing opportunities from bug hunts, to corporate intrigue, to long-haul spacers that receive a distress signal. Even if you aren't interested in the game itself, the environmentals, descriptors, and material within are a goldmine (i'm definitely using the environmental descriptor list, asteroid-mining rules, and adventure seeds in my Coriolis game). Rules are smooth and easy, the book is well stocked with setting material, and the bestiary is very familiar in the best way possible. Simply stated, if you like awesome games, buy this one and you won't be dissapointed.

Just grabbed my copy today. Loving the adventure. As an rpg writer, I really appreciate Zozer Games attention to detail and ability to capture the look and feel of 80's scifi. Absolutely recommend this scenario and strongly suggest that you check out Hostile and Zaibatsu if you haven't had the pleasure.

This product and Solo have added a great deal to the Traveller Star trader campaign, which was always something amusing to do when stuck in the middle of nowhere or nowhere with people into RPG. There is substantial and intentional overlap with Solo, but Star Trader is worth the money just for the Events Tables and the hints and ideas it presents.

This product and Star Trader also by Zozer are great! Solo has been especially useful in dealing with character interaction in a Solo campaign.

BLOWN AWAY!! and it's free!.

Nice to have , adds more technical information to the Hostile game, obviously!

I must say that the main Hostile Rpg manual is one of the best rpg things I've read in a long time eaily within the top 1%.( Zibatsu by the same guy is very good aswell) It fully realises the 80's retro feel of the sci fi movies of the time , especially the Dan Obannon vision of the Alien tech universe.

I do hope the author will continue expanding the hole Hostile line (Tau Setti war expansion?) , with the same attention to quality and detail.

If he does I'l continue buying and supporting his stuff.

It is very rare to find this level of quality in Sci Fi books.

Long may this line continue!.

The problem with Aliens (and vampires) is that everyone has seen the movies and knows a lot about how to kill them. If you'd like to include something similar in your RPG, but don't want the players to use that understanding to beat the creatures too easily, this has some useful variations you can use. It comes with a good scenario to use and a nice set of colony plans and maps.

Bottom line up front: I wanted something to go along with blackpowder fantasy for Cepheus Engine. This is a perfect fit. Good history of the blackpowder firearm and how it informs the use of such weapons. The rules are light and easy to implement. Equipment includes arquebuses to percussion cap revolvers, petards, and cannons. Short, sweet, to the point. Can't beat the price or the product. Fully recommend.

An extemely useful little addition to the "Hostile" rpg setting. Not only do we get details of a small, adapatable space station of a type which players could encounter in many different loactions, we also get a scenario showing precisely how well one can be used in the game. Additionally (and almost as useful) we get the stats for a (comparatively) small starship, a 5000 ton Platform Supply Vessel that can carry a combination of dry cargo, liquid volatiles and passengers. Specifically noted as the sort of vessel used for cargo runs to distant outposts and isolated stations it makes an ideal character ship for getting it's crew into dangerous situations. Would love to see an illustration and deckplan.

If you'd rather reach for the shotgun than the phaser in your sci-fi rpgs then this is definately the product for you. The combination of the easy-playing Cepheus engine system (rooted in the old favourite of the classic "Traveller" game) and a background that draws heavily on the grungy industrial science fiction of the 80s works beautifully to present a gritty, nuts and bolts feel. It goes a great job of both putting humans at the centre of the action and reminding them just how extremely dangerous this brave new frontier is. A very appropriately named game and a welcome alternative to the shiny utopias and improbable technologies of many other rpgs in the overall genre.

The xenomorph is a well-known and terrifying monster. However, because of its fame, most players will be familiar with the creature and it's capabilities and few weaknesse. Alien Breed gives a GM lots of variations on the xenomorph and will remind players why they are scared of the dark.

If you play Cepheus Engine or Mongoose Traveller and you want to surprise your players with a certain iconic alien lifeform, this is the supplement to get. The book details a variety of "evoled" xenomorphs, that is, they have new features that make them a little different then the stock aliens. This includes some which breathe fire, other which create spores, or others which are puppeteers. Each one has a full explanation of their lifecycle and the game stats you need to terorrize your unsuspecting adventurers. It also includes a small 40-50 person mining colony which is being terorrized by the aliens. It has full maps and stats for the colony and colonists. I highly recommend it.