Basic Information
Originally published by GDW, Frank Chadwick's Space: 1889 is one of the seminal "Steampunk" role-playing games. It's set in an alternate universe in which Thomas Edison invented interplanetary travel and the Great Powers of the Victorian Era have established colonies on other planets. Mars is a dying world, cris-crossed by ancient canals and dotted with the remnants of a civilization that was old when humans hunted mammoths. Venus is a jungle world inhabited by lizard men and antediluvian beasts. The Moon is host to an insectoid civilization under its surface. And the British compete with the other Great Powers to extend her empire on these alien worlds.
Although currently out of print, much of the original material and suppliments have been reprinted by Heliograph, Inc.. Pinnacle has announced that a Savage Worlds version will be releasing in 2009.
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Game and Story Use
- A read through of Space 1889 could inspire all sorts of Alternate History campaigns. It serves a strong model of how a familiar era of history can be made fresh by crossing it with another genre.