I just paid for and downloaded this 2D6 SF RPG set in the far future. I was impressed enough with my initial findings to warrant a quick review. If time permits, I will try to follow up after I’ve given this a more thorough once-over. Knowing how life sometimes goes, this may be wishful thinking on my part; only time will tell. Nevertheless, I thought his (author’s) efforts justified this review from me.

I’m really impressed with this PDF thus far. It ticks a lot of my boxes. I enjoyed the artwork but can’t tell if it's human or AI-generated (or both). The artwork in this 2D6 SF RPG is better than many of the other Cepheus Engine derivatives I’ve seen recently. This PDF has a well-developed table of contents, glossary, and index, all greatly appreciated and lacking from many other 2D6 SF retro-clones (but certainly not all). The PDF is fully tabbed and hyperlinked, making it useful at the table, whether IRL or in a virtual environment. I also appreciate/prefer the single-column formatting he uses, making this much easier to read casually on a tablet, laptop, or other electronic device of your choice (I despise the double-column format for reading in a PDF). Excellent headers, subsections, formatting, color usage, and editing throughout.

All the major content and components one would usually suspect from Cepheus Engine-compatible products are represented. He spends sufficient time up front, letting the reader know how his product differs from what else is on the market. Unfortunately, we are missing an example chargen character (as well as other system examples that I have become accustomed to). Still, he provides a few alien species, rules for robots and drones, and several creatures, fully stated, for immediate use in your play. Flipping through the PDF, I saw a completed star map but don’t recall seeing the associated UWP (string) data. I believe all the pertinent planet details were on the map, though, as iconography. Additionally, I don’t recall seeing much provided in the way of patrons nor a vehicle design guide (perhaps these things will be detailed in a later supplement). Sample NPCs and a smattering of forms and sheets were provided to help get you started playing. Just add a healthy dose of creativity and imagination, and I suspect you could be off to a great start. I really would have liked to see the author’s list of original inspirational science fiction that motivates his home games (i.e., novels, short stories, TV shows, movies, video games, etc.). That might help solidify how his game differs from the many other SF offerings in the Cepheus Engine universe.

The author leans on several sources for his open-game content, making references to Traveller SRD, Mercenary SRD, High Guard SRD, Cepheus Engine SRD, Cepheus Light, Cepheus Deluxe, Zozer’s 1970s 2D6 Retro Rules, Clement Sector Core Setting Book, and others. These would make this SF RPG very compatible with almost 50 years of readily available 2D6 SF gaming content.

At less than $10 and almost 290 pages, I think this has a solid place at my gaming table moving forward. I’m looking forward to the other titles and products the author says he’s working on (chief amongst these are a forthcoming SRD of his own devising, full Foundry VVT support, ship design spreadsheet, giant-size spaceship deck plans for print or digital, web apps, content expansions, campaign settings, and more). I don’t remember seeing a POD version being offered at the time of purchase, but hopefully, this will be remedied post-haste.

If I missed or misrepresented something, please forgive me. As stated in the opening paragraph, these are my initial thoughts on this offering. Perhaps I might represent something differently with a more thorough review and additional time. Nevertheless, I recommend this PDF currently. Individual results will, of course, vary.

Happy gaming. Cheers.

The Cepheus Engine System Reference Document (CE SRD) is the Rosetta Stone of all CE and CE-related/adjacent products. Based in part on Mongoose Traveller 1st Ed. (itself based on MegaTraveller and both/all Classic Traveller variants before that), brings together and collates 40-odd years of 2d6 Sci-Fi rules, omitting any copyrighted material from the Traveller lineup to the date of its creation/publication in 2016. Other CE-related/adjacent products from publishers like (shared in no particular order) Moon Toad Publishing, Corte Real, Wild Bee Publishing, Zozer Games, Stellagama Publishing, Independence Games, etc., all owe at least a small debt of gratitude to Jason Kemp and Samardan Press for his pioneering work in releasing all of the material in the CE SRD rules as Open Game Content.

IMHO, this SRD/game provides a thorough and immensely pleasurable 2d6 sci-fi gaming experience sans the Third Imperium. Thank you, Mr. Kemp and Samardan Press, for all your hard work, dedication, and contribution to Sci-Fi TTRPGs. Despite approaching its 9th or 10th birthday, consider picking this system up for free and giving it a try. If you like it, consider returning and paying what you think it's worth to its author.

Happy gaming!

Review updated: 5/5 Stars. Mr. Elliott can’t be accused of being unresponsive to customers' comments and criticisms. I provided this initial review of his product and dinged him on several points. I was upset about the lackluster cover, and he updated it with new cover art, including a spaceship, which I was disappointed to find missing from my original PDF purchase. The table of contents and index issues haven’t been addressed yet; however, having played with these rules some more, I find this shortened rule set really doesn’t suffer as much from those missing items as I originally suggested. Finally, I purchased a print version of these fine rules and got the spaceship cover art I always wanted, and I am very happy with it, indeed.

Original review (4/5 Stars): Unfortunately, my PDF version of these rules didn’t come with the cool spaceship on the cover, but rather an underwhelming planet with rings motif (e.g., Saturn). Honestly, the spaceship cover is what initially drew me to this product, so that’s a bummer to begin with. Further bummed, the marginal table of contents was missing hyperlinked page numbers and there is no index. I thought the early placement of the tech levels table was odd until the following section on “setting” referenced various TLs a lot, so it’s a good thing TLs were introduced early on.

The following section on characters was solid, with an ample 12-step character creation checklist. These rules consist of six characteristics, six careers, and 24 skills, amongst other things. Several techniques are introduced to speed up character creation. For example, the author provides number strings (basically 42-point buy) for determining characteristic values (no die-rolling here). This process culminates with the familiar hexadecimal UPP code.

Task/skill difficulties aren’t the expected 8+ for everything. The referee is encouraged to establish a difficulty rating from 2 to 12, depending on the presumptive challenge of whatever is being attempted. When in doubt, it is suggested that the referee roll 2d6 to establish a challenge rating at random. Unskilled penalties, multi-skill requirements, opposed rolls, and characteristic rolls are all within the scope of these abbreviated rules (much like Classic Traveller).

The section on combat deals fairly and simply with initiative, surprise, movement, time, range, terrain, grappling, auto fire, throwing things, aiming, reloading, injuries, medical attention, armor, robots, sensors, damage repair, etc. Rules for simultaneous, melee, ranged, vehicular, and starship combat abound.

Spaceflight procedures cover crew requirements, skimming fuel, travel times, passenger options, spacecraft operations, misjumps, finances, buying and selling speculative cargo, and more.

Shipbuilding rules consist of a 17-item checklist consisting of displacement tons, hull size, drives, power plants, fuel, computers, artificial gravity, ship’s fittings and weaponry, final design notes, etc. For those who prefer premade vessels, 21 historic and new ships are outlined and discussed over 6 or 7 pages.

The equipment section dives into a broad range of weapons, armor, vehicles, tools, gear, and various other accessories to keep travelers active in gameplay and engaged in pursuit of their goals for a long time to come.

Although I’m not interested in any treatment of psionics (space magic), the author dedicates 4 to 5 pages to the subject to keep those Referees and Players interested and engaged.

Worlds and star mapping are adequately covered over the next 7 to 8 pages. Animals and encounters follow up over the next 5 to 6 pages. Solo gaming enthusiasts will be pleased to note a section of solo rules that takes up the next 10 pages. A setting, the Autonomous Region, is designed and outlined over the following 11 or 12 pages. Much of this seems to be a repeat of material provided elsewhere in the Zozer lineup, but I think it is good and appropriate to be included here as well.

Appendix 1 covers the optional random (dice-rolling) character (and NPC) generation method. Appendix 2 covers supplementary planet/star system generation methods and materials for generating extra detail to keep travelers engaged in whatever setting a referee places them in.

The product is rounded out with various forms (character sheet, ship sheet, star system sheet), blank and filled hex grid maps, legal notice/game license, and artwork. If I counted correctly, 10 black and white, non-AI pieces of art tastefully decorate these rules.

These 2d6 retro sci-fi rules have turned out to be precisely where I wanted and needed them to be – not too much nor too little. At 91 pages in length, this ruleset isn’t as comprehensive as Cepheus Universal, clocking in at 443 pages, or the Clement Sector Core Rules at 673 pages. Conversely, Retro Sci-Fi Rules provides much more detail IMHO than Cepheus Atom, Quantum Starfarer, etc. While each 2d6 sci-fi ruleset has its sweet spot (rules-heavy, rules-lite, rules ultralight), I think I might have found my GOAT 2d6 sci-fi ruleset in Zozer’s Retro Rules (individual results will, of course, vary).

Happy gaming!

This review is for the 39-page A5 PDF booklet version. I find this version easier to read on my preferred device.

First, I am new to sci-fi TTRPGs, having spent the last 40 years playing, almost exclusively, fantasy TTRPGs. Basic or Classic Traveller has only recently been brought to my attention. I have had no other exposure to sci-fi TTRPGs to date. I purchased a POD copy of the Classic Traveller Facsimile Edition and paired it with this free setting offered by Paul Elliot of Zozer Games in an attempt to help me flesh out the core rules. I have no desire to immerse myself in the Third Imperium (Official Traveller Universe) setting.

This product has a sufficient, albeit not hyperlinked, table of contents. There is no index, but a robust reference section (library data) draws the reader’s attention to almost 20 films, books, gaming supplements, and blogs to help round out one’s perception of this setting as envisioned by Paul. Minimal black and white Alien-esque (perhaps AI-generated) artwork is sprinkled within for flavor. There appears to be an image of a mining platform from or alluding to the 1981 film Outland starring Sean Connery. Various service and organizational badges are depicted to help set the in-game tone and feel. Sufficient backstory is provided to paint a vivid picture of the officers and organizations of the Outworld Authority and the Autonomous Region. A wonderfully detailed subsector map is offered to help get one started in either solo or supervised play. Sufficient explanation and reasoning are provided where deviation from the core rules is suggested for tonal alignment to the dark, gritty, blue-collar subsector Paul depicts.

Mr. Elliot packs a lot within these pages, covering topics such as creating characters, extra military small arms for flavor, combat mods, fighting xenomorphs (reticulan parasites), minor adjustments to starship rules, world generation, patrons, rumor tables, and culminates with 6-7 pages of library data in this version of this product. All in all, it is a tremendous offering at this price point. So much creativity and imagination has been packed into such a small bundle.

Many thanks to Paul Elliot of Zozer Games and his website for additional gaming material. May your future endeavors be blessed. Good luck, and happy gaming. May all your dice rolls be favorable.

Playing Solo Classic Traveller (PSCT) is an absolute godsend. I have wanted to try solo role-playing and a new TTRPG system simultaneously, and pairing Classic Traveller Facsimile Edition by GDW with this product has allowed me to do so. The learning curve for both products has been steep, as I had no experience with the genre beforehand, but the result has made it all worthwhile.

I must confess that PSCT is a real gem of a supplement, IMHO. At 25 pages, it has everything I wanted and needed for my maiden voyage into solo sci-fi role-playing. It is well-written and nicely enhanced with a smattering of B&W artwork. All the random tables mesh nicely with those provided in the facsimile edition of rules to inspire solo adventures and gameplay. Incorporating a blank character sheet, an 8x10 subsector map, and a 14x17 sector map is thoughtful. The suggested sequence of play and final play loop has afforded me hours of solo play without the need for any other material. If, however, one wishes to augment this basic sci-fi solo game, the author makes several recommendations for other books, supps, etc., to enhance one’s enjoyment.

Paul Elliott has written an excellent solo play supplement for Classic Traveller and its many Cepheus variants. One could just as easily pair this tome with other iterations of the 2d6 sci-fi TTRPG and get equally pleasing solo results.

Well done, Mr. Elliot. Thank you for this useful solo supp. If you, as a player, are interested, Mr. Elliot has other solo rulebooks that build off of and add tremendously to this product. Individual results may, of course, vary.

Updated for clarification:

This is a solid product. Others have highlighted its shortcomings, so I won't belabor them again. However, the incorporated errata more than make up for its humble TOC, nonexistent index, or not fully searchable PDF, IMHO.

Based on the revised/updated 1981 rules, this facsimile edition gives the beloved Traveller Book a run for its money at over twice the cost of this paperback (I purchased both PDF and POD of this facsimile edition). If you're looking for an economical rendition of one of the earliest versions of Basic/Classic Traveller, look no further.

I suggest purchasing the Classic Traveler Starter Set to reduce the need to constantly flip through the facsimile book to locate necessary charts and tables. Book 2 of the Starter Set contains all the charts and tables you might need in a handy 25-page document. Be advised that if you go this route, there are some very slight changes in the charts and tables from this facsimile edition to the Starter edition, but they are negligible again, IMHO.

Due to the aforementioned shortcomings, I’m tempted to rate this product 3 stars. However, due to the incorporation of the errata, either in the text or at the end, I’m tempted to rate this product 5 stars. Considering everything, I will rate the facsimile edition a solid 4 stars in its current configuration and would increase this to 5 stars if the shortcomings are addressed in the future.

This version will serve me and mine admirably. Individual results will, of course, vary.

As there doesn't appear to be a review for this product posted to this site as of yet, I thought I'd give it a go. Excellent product, IMHO. Very much in keeping with starter box set rulebooks in length, span, and scope. Minimal typos/confusion throughout. Understandably, not everything is covered as this is offered as a truncated experience. If additional rules/rulings are required, please reference the various free offerings for/from the parent game company and/or third parties.

As for me and my house, these rules supply almost all we need and want in approximately 50 pages. The product starts with some explanatory material then it dives into character creation (up to level 6) in a stepwise fashion. The basic races/heritages of dwarf, elf, halfling, and human are offered. Three core classes are suggested. These consist of adept (spellcaster), expert (jack-of-all-trades), and warrior. Thirteen different backgrounds are outlined to customize your character. If my calculations are correct, these offerings give up more than 150 different PCs one can play. Two pages offer about 15 spells to get you started. Eight pages follow offering an extensive selection of arms, armor, adventuring gear/kits, and various other possible necessities. A language list, abbreviated alignment system, and skill description round out the PC section.

The referee's section provides direction on time management, movement, the environment, resting, encounters, combat, spell usage, damage and death, hit points, save throws, monsters, basic PC conditions, etc. Almost 100 monsters are simply outlined over about 10 pages. Additional space covers leveling your PCs up beyond 6th level, treasure and magic item lists, a sample hex crawl, and, finally, a 12-room ruined tower and cursed crypt to explore.

All-in-all, this is a tremendous value for any 5e player/referee who is looking for a simple set of rules to use in a historical style, to use with young and/or inexperienced players that might benefit from fewer choices up front, or as a tool to augment basic starter sets that are already out there for consumption.

Well done, happy gaming, may all your rolls be natural 20s, and carry on!

Masterful rendering of the original content. Rewritten for clarity, brevity, and playability. For this to be a free PDF as well makes it tops in my book. Comparing this OSR retro-clone to others that are available at all price points is simple – get this product! You will not be disappointed. Considering you could buy into other retro-clones at the $50 mark or greater, why would you with such terrific content as this for free here and at-cost on other platforms for POD?

Thank you so much. At almost 400 pages you have condensed the original 900 pages of gaming content to the most critical concepts, components, and explanatory material to be able to re-create, for free, that which was originally covered in three times as many books. Your choice to present material in only two columns per page is much better than the original three columns per page. Your editing and formatting decisions aid the gamer to better follow the flow that you present. The public domain artwork that you selected is exquisite. Ample table of contents and index for cross referencing, not to mention the fully searchable pdf. A faithful reproduction of the original, and where you do make editorial/game designer decisions where the original was less than clear, you expressly lined out the method you used to derive the conclusions you made. Masterfully done!

Wow, this is so much better than the original. I can remember being extremely intimidated moving from BX to 1e as a teen. I think that trauma has stuck with me for a lot of years and I purposefully skipped most of 1e and 2e when I returned to gaming because of it. I really enjoyed 3e and spent most of my time there, but you’ve given me encouragement to return to my roots and give a 1e clone a try. Kudos on the streamlined content, tables, and updated formatting. I appreciate the explanatory notes, intro, and really dig the gems tucked away in the afterward, too. Super thorough table of contents, spell, and monster lists. The compiled tables in the back will really help keep me from flipping all over during play, too. I may want to supplement with some stuff from the original line’s supplementary books someday, but for now, you’ve helped me overcome a teenage trepidation and I’m thankful for that! Game on! You rock man!

What an exquisite document. Congratulations on being in print/pdf for 10 years and having accomplished so much in the decade that has elapsed. I can’t begin to share how immensely helpful this book has come to be for me. I never had access to the original growing up as a kid and this TOME (all 400+ glorious pages of it) has bridged a gap in my gaming knowledge and understanding of this game (nay life experience) that has been a part of my being for going on 30+ years now. I only hope these words do your work a small service. The layout is impeccable, well designed, carefully laid out, and presented in such a fashion as to highlight the content and make it both more enjoyable and more accessible to the reader. The liberal use of examples and developer commentary sprinkled throughout adds immensely to the readers understanding of how/why you designed this game as you did, but also provides contextual clues to develop a greater understanding of in-game strategies, concepts, and stratagems. A fantastic, thorough table of contents and index allow numerous ways to locate frequently used information (not to mention being a fully searchable pdf). Numerous charts and tables add value to help understand key concepts and ideas. My only criticism, and I hate to share this at the end, hoping it won't overly detract from the awesomeness of your work, is that it could have only benefited from more pictures (even if they did belong to the public domain). It is entirely clear you spent every bit of 9 months and 500 hours creating this labor of love. Thank you for your dedication, perseverance, and hard work, in your willingness to sacrifice to offer the gaming community this hefty contribution and here is to many successes I hope you have in your game design future!

These three core documents do a wonderful job emulating the original. I like the fact the booklets are compact in size, easy to store, transport, print, and present during your own games, much as the originals were. TOCs are present, well thought out, and serve their purpose. However, indexes are missing and should be included in subsequent offerings. PDFs are fully searchable with well laid out bookmarks, but that would require a computer, tablet, or phone during play (something which not every old school gamer desires). Subject matter is well laid out in each booklet, flows logically, and guides the reader through ample play examples. Excellent sections on underworld, seafaring, wilderness, and aerial combat. I especially appreciated the sample dungeon walkthrough for subsequent jolt of referee inspiration. Ample monsters and treasure to keep an adventuring group going for some time. Perfect for introducing newbies to OSR game play. Written in an informative, yet easy going style suitable for many age groups. Great job, please keep them coming!

Better cover art than the original it strives to emulate. Still has some errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation throughout (much like this review). Suffers from not having an index. Decisions in formatting makes it difficult to determine when you have left one section of book/pdf and moved to the next. Fantastic public domain art throughout. Rules are much clearer and succinct than the original it’s based on. Section on campaigns and the art of the referee aren’t fleshed out as well as the original. Better/clearer tables and charts than the original its based on. Could have benefitted from example dungeon with maps and a walkthrough for new referees. Great that a blank character sheet was added for immediate use. Worth the buy. Will investigate the Journeymanne Rules based on this purchase.