Pe ae resi aa ptt ae Wy uae Shi 1d Aas ID) eS pesetp Ne os y bu ee h a a mel we a ee arty SES AS = = GhostshipNr. 10, September 1981 CREATIVE DIRECTOR Redmond A. Simonsen MANAGING EDITORS Michael E. Moore Robert J. Ryer MANAGING ART DIRECTOR Manfred F. Milkuhn CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: John Boardman, John H. Butterfield, Greg Costikyan, Eric Goldberg, Brad E, Hassel, Christopher John, Nick Karp, Gerry Klug, Thomas Pecorini, Bruce Shelley, Susan Shwartz, Ere Smith. EDITORIAL STAFF: Rich DiNardo, Carolyn Felder, Justin Leites, Deborah C. Ritchie. GRAPHIC PRODUCTION: Margie Gray, Ted Koller, Ken Stec, MARKETING AND WHOLESALE: Jerry Glichenhouse (mgr), Theresa Canto, Richard Horm, Anna Lombardo. STRATEGIC STUDIES: Mark Herman. DATA PROCESSING: Paul Bandhold (mgr), Christine Fletcha, Brenda Freeman, Yvette Middleton, Judith Ortiz, FINANCE: Beatrice Li (mgr.), Mohamed Mohamed, Qonagh Neal, Barbara Nolan. WAREHOUSE: Samuel Small, Jr imgrl, Henry Sarnowski. PRODUCTION: Kenneth T. Hedges (mgrl, Brian Walls. CUSTOMER SERVICE: Kathy Tennysan Imgrl, Lynne 7. Pridham, Andrew Swiderski. PERSONNEL: Trish Christin. RECEPTIONISTS: Derrick Avery, Maureen Walls. PRESIDENT AND CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Christapher A. Wagner Magazine Printing: Wellesley Press, Framingham, Massachusetts Game Component Printing: Reflex Offset, Garden City, Long Island Ore Cutting: Friedman Die-Cutters, New York ARES Magazine is copyright © 1981 by Simulations Publications, Inc, Printed in U.S.A. All rights reserved, All editorial and general mail should be sent to Simulations Publications, Inc., 257 Park Avenue South, New York, N.Y. 10010. ARES is published bi-monthly. One year (six issues) subscriptions are $16.00. Please send checks ormoney orders only. FOREIGN SALES: GREAT BRITAIN & EUROPEAN customers should place their orders for SPI products or subscriptions with Simpubs Ltd., Freepost, Qak- field House, 60 Oakfield Road, Altrincham, Cheshire, England WA 15 BEW, Tel. 061-941-4371. AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND residents should order through Military Simulations Pry. Ltd., 18 Fonceca Street, Mordialloc, Victoria 3195, Australia, Tel. (03) 909-791. CANADIAN customers should order through Inter- national Games of Canada, 3227 Lenworth Drive, Mississauga, Ontaria L4X 2G8, Canada, Tel. (416) 625-0131. JAPANESE customers should contact Post Hobby Co., 1-38, Yoyogi, Shibuka-Ku, Tokyo, Japan, Tel. (379) 4081. ADVERTISING: Basic rate is $800 per black & white page, Contact: SPAD, 257 Park Avenue South, New York, N. ¥. 10010 for rate card. SPI reserves the ab- solute right to refuse any specific advertisement, SUBMISSIONS: ARES welcomes submissions by established writers and designers. Contact: Managing Editor. SP assumes no responsibility for material not specifically solicited. SIMULATION GAME The Return of the THE MAGAZINE OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY ADVENTURE GAMING GREG COSTIKYAN Stainless Steel Rat REDMOND A. SIMONSEN Insert FICTION The Return of the Stainless Steel Rat HARRY HARRISON 5 DRAGONQUEST ADVENTURE ~ The Camp of Alla-Akabar GERRY KLUG 7 wn eS DeltaVee Enhanced JUSTIN LEITES 25 DESIGN NOTES There's Only One Universe GERRY KLUG 28 MUSE REDMOND A. SIMONSEN 2 DESIGNER’S NOTES STAFF 4 SCIENCE FOR OO SCIENCE FICTION JOHN BOARDMAN, Ph_D. 10 FACTS FOR FANTASY SUSAN SHWARTZ, Ph.D. an FILM & TELEVISION CHRISTOPHER JOHN 12 MEDIA DAVID J. SCHOW 14 BOOKS GREG COSTIKYAN 14 DRAGONNOTES GERRY KLUG 24 GAMES ERIC GOLDBERG 30 FEEDBACK JOHN H. BUTTERFIELD 33 ENCLOSURES: The Return of the Stainless Stee! Rat map, counters and rules; Feedback card, subscription form. Looking Ahead to Next Time Ares nr. 10 will feature Land of Faerie, a strategic level simulation of the Third Fomorian War in which the Dark Elves and Dark Trolls struggle to seize the Places of Power in fair Albion. Material on Celtic myth and early British history will accompany the game; in addition there will be reviews, Science for Science Fic- tion, Facts for Fantasy, and much more. When to Expect Nr. 11 Domestic Subscribers: \f you have not received your copy of Ares nr. 11 by 11 December 1981, notify our Customer Ser- vice Department. Please include your Customer Code and issue of expiration, both of which should be found on this issue’s mailing label, just above your name. Foreign Subscribers: Add eight weeks to the above date to allow for the tardigradous pace of international mail. On the Cover The immortal Stainless Steel Rat as por- trayed by Timothy Truman, based on a concept by Redmond A. Simonsen. US With this issue, Ares and its brother magazine, MOVES, make slight course cor- rections in response to market information developed by feedback and by direct inter view and reader commentat the recent Michi- Con and Origins conventions. As you can see by this issue, Ares will begin to include ar ticles directly related to games (i.e., analysis, technique, variants, etc.). MOVES will no longer publish material related to science fic- tion and fantasy games — only military and political games. This change points bath ma- gazines more in the direction you've indicat- ed: sf/f games treated in Ares; military games in MOVES. By the way, as with all SP| magazines, articles and features are not restricted to SPI products — we want material on all publish er’s games. So, if you're inclined to write game-related articles on widely played st/f games (see our games rating chart for guid- ance), submit a non-returnable copy of your manuscript to our Managing Editor along with areturn postcard to notify you of acceptance. We're looking for articles fram 1500 to 5000 words in length. Pay rates are $.02 or .03 per word (depending on whether you've been published with any frequency hereto- fore). For game-related articles, SPI buys all rights. Late Flash: DragonQuest wins Best Fantasy Role-Playing Game Award. At Ori- gins 81, the Academy of Adventure Gaming Art and Design gave DragonQuest top honors in role-playing for 1980! Redmond a cy SPI 257 Park Avenue South, New York, N.Y. 10010 (212) 673-4103 SPI is a member of the Hobby Industry of America, The Adventure Games Division of the HIA, and the Game Manufacturers Association.SPI is proud to announce —Z) A D A Fantastic Game of Quest and Adventure based upon the exciting new motion picture _ from Paramount Pictures Corp. /Walt Disney Productions A young sorcerer sets oul upon a perilous journey to freea kingdom from the terror of earth’s last dragon. Along his route he acquires weapons, charms, and true companions to aid him in his quest. Will he succeed or fall victim to bandits, the King’s men, or the dragon itself? Dragonslayer is designed to appeal to knowledgeable fantasy adventure game players while at the same time remaining accessible to new gamers. This fast playing, self-contained adventure includes a full-color 17” x 22” map of Urland, 200 full-color playing pieces, easy-access rules, and Dragon lair displays, plus compartment plastic tray. $15 at stores and game departments nationwide. Dragonslayer is licensed by Paramount Pictures Corp./Walt Disney Productions, © 1981 Paramount Pictures Corp. /Walt Disney Productions. All rights reserved. Valerian of Swanscombe The Dragon Vermithrax Pejorative ere 4 ae ae al Pe iat gaitferent @ kd : Sicarius Draconum Killed Companion Amulet of Power ee vtyDesigner's Notes Universe Mini-Adventure #1: ‘The Devil's Eye Devil's Eye Horror Revealed! SIDEWINDER (FP) - Survivors of the Devl's Eye (GLY: exploration party {oday described the tage events of thet sit last week to the unsted plane: dure Ing. press conference. in Sidewinder Spaceport. Expedition. leader George Boring told ofthe deaths of three mem- bere of the fiveman team. Originally Scheduled to conduct a fow-orbit map. Diag ofthe planet only, the party deided {o land the ship, the aringrad, in the heavily vegetated north polar region of Devil's Eye. There they set out fora quick survey of themultude of ie form pick- ‘Stupby theiseanners. sadmited Bjorn, “We were not proper- |y equipped for that ype of exploration faving no weapons mote effective than an cldtashioned laser pistol.” Bjoring went, posed of organic and metalic mechanical bars, We found two or thee versions of Some ceatures..One would be purely ‘mammalian and docile while pe of Would attack rates. We lost Barnes, Wiliams and Lawson (0 seemingly doce éreatures that ripped open thelr exped tions withblae ke fangsand claw ‘After the conference, Bjorling and his surviving crew member, Grace Bick er, went into selsionin'2,GamLepCo fetreat at an undisclosed location on Sidewinder The precoding i » newspaper bulletin that tho players nour fret Universe inka \onture reeawe atthe beginning o lay. The adventure was originally concelved sly fo Use et Origins 87 but as proven so popular With playtestrs that we are preparing for Inaugon nan upcoming issue of Aras "The adventure sonds 8 party of adven turers to Devs Eve inthe Gamma Lepors ‘ube sar eyter 27 light years from Soll {o investigate the strangaifeforms reported Dy George Bloring. With an amphibian all terain vehi and an exclon ay of weap. ‘ne, hepa isbetar eauppod than thor predocessors to doal with the. dangerous Erestures in the jungles of Barnes River. The party must not only overcome th harsh en ronment, but must also ciscover the Secrets batind the metal He-orms. Look forth adventureinares Tor 1 Loin W. Buttrtols Ghostship Gnoseship deals with the ntercaption of an aon ssa passing ner earth bythe US. ‘space shute Yorktown, and with the expor Son of the dork, gut storeratt in hopes of Finding ite inhabitants uring the prepa: ‘on before playing. tha game, the player ‘must determine waat faction on earth wil Finance tet, which wi affect wctory con lone. He thon chooses hs character. | Freve not ye decsed whetner the player may Dick alli cheracters rely ori some should Be salactod randomly. Each will esses var (us stoves, spect sits and a clasites thon type tke, solenist, potion, miliary Speciatst, crewman, ete.) The chorcters ‘tributes wl influance the results of each "Tho game ital! wil be an introsting ‘combination ofthe chit reveling process of ‘Giaao of Blood and tho paragranh systom ‘of Voyage of the Pandora. Cite wil ove to purposes, They wil designate the hope the ship foreng carta passageways of {he shite beclosed of alsa, hey wil ie Uy the "eds" in each room or stucture as {oy or antored. Each tnd cht wal becross- Fetorenced to one of a hurcred paragraphs “ch wal deny what te objects or doos. However, each paragraph wil contain cong ‘nals dependent upon chsractes,prew ‘usly scovered finde and te miabons ‘This aporoach wil greatly expand the poss bile of eacn paragraph andmeke the game ‘orairigung overall Urtatay, the goal ofthe game wil be ‘attmpting to encounter thealions wh but the ship. wl not bo asimpie tas, ond ony the conect combinatons of event wil 9¢- complish this. Yet ths wall be the most I {eresting part ofthe gare. ul wil bei ‘Guded fo cover posses of communica tion, capture and combat. Mora often than ‘ot, the aon stor wil not Bo too plossed ‘with having their ship rarscked and wil ‘etalgteintind “The gara’s victory conditions will be ‘basa on the amount of money and prestige ‘he wariousinds are worth oe ital ina (Sor For xample, a find vith a high probabil Fryef bang a weapon willbe worth mare to the Pentagon than fo the UN. Sore of the finds may even be relatwety worthless. OF Cour, te greatest amount of points wl bo ‘ven for contacting the alons. However, faking such contsct tho characters may rotretun ata Right now, Ghostshio is being designed {or saltare pay. However, ido for mult- player versions tre being worked on. In aueh ‘scenario, there woula even be possiiies for the pliyers to atack each ote. None. theles, fo! the time being the emphasis of the designers tne son te actual mechan esol the game tol Thomae Peeorin ‘Star Trader Praliminary design work on Star Trader has been completed, and | am begining Work on the game's iret prototype, Ploytsts Should bogin ina west or two. The game's Components wil include a 2238 map ‘epicing the Star Systems in ply, 200 coun tors representing sarships and planetary Itede agencies, and a T-page rules book \ahich wil be divided equaly Borweon rules ‘nd random event paragraph In Star Fader each of up to fve payors kes tho ole of tho master of a merchant esse, traveling the spaceways with car {Joes xote and tare. Stareng wth one Sp $d limited finan resource, ach ployer {testo aut a fest of starshine, ama. net Work of planetary bases, and dominate the Wode-anes of soace Each tum nthe game represents about three months. Ths time sesie was chosen {or several ressons: I wanted the timescale {abo argo enough so that he players would Favea good shot at ulding a feet na soe ‘ari of moderate length. Ao, the turns hed {o be long enough to allow for large pce fluctuations. Atthesame time, however, the timescale hed 1o be small enough 30 thet ‘movernent and the deta of player interac: ‘Non wouldn't become too astect. Tiree ‘month tums should work gut 65 8 Happy ‘olution, ach urn the playersbuy and sel goods, goin with each other reset to unusual fevents, deveoo ther network of ede age ‘Gee, and conduct acs of kravery aired 8 ‘ating the cir players Hives ae cult 3s possible, Theplayers can also conduct vat: fy of ict activites, such ae smuggling. Bing customs, and evading law enforce mentagencies. 'm working onthe assumption thatthe {ar-raching ade corporations of te future ‘il be unserupulous forthe mest part. and 0 the gomo.ompnaszes llega activites, ‘smuggling and pracy ate common. Indeed, tho quickest profits can be made by desing Inetugs and high-tech weapons. Natural 3 high dogree of isk Is associated with such ‘entree, however All rarkets, especialy those for ileal ‘goods, se highly vost; every time a sh Unload ts cargo, press fucuate damat tally. Timing end utwnting Ye other payers have great portance: 2 save"'s profit ona Voyage depends as much on when ne gets to 2 sta land who ges there ft! ab On whet heiscarning In adation to competition in trade, the players inoract more dest, sabotaging ‘och others ships, subverting eech other's Gens, anderen atigcing each other's ships ‘S5they crus botwoon ss. ‘Sonking ad investmontsyatoms aro a: 0 lnograted nto the game Although these Sfstons aro abstract, they give the payers ‘ore options to consider, and contibute to ‘hevarety of choicas presonted inthe gaa Taso funk tna ting the players tke Tears Souroe of tension and excitement. ‘Restated rendorn-events system, using the Voyage of the Pandora paregreph fo mat wi included in the game. Thevarely ‘fevers presented should give cach playing Stine flavor Each tum th playrs wl be sentod wth smugging opportunities, furvins with Federation soaoe oopers, and ‘multe of une incidents, rom revo This randomevents system willbe of particular terest ole players ach pare ‘579ph sequance wil be usable as the outing {or a adverturein Universo, SPs now so {ence fiction role-playing game. Star Teer Wwilleea competaly independent game nf ‘own sight but tis consstont with Unione ‘nd ses that game's rationale, technelogy, andhistoryasabackerop. ‘Nek KomFICTION fen %s Fe) ILLUSTRATION BY TIMOTHY TRUMAN“You ae the only one who can save us, igri! “Say that” you will do 1 beg OFYOu..." "Ths words wore rousic to my ears. ty tobe humble in my own smpewoy, butt ‘ery hard People keep teling me how great ‘am. They know that | have saved the Universe twice at ast — 0 rey fel, fight’ enough I suppose, ‘that T ean oanvning. aso help. Four man have dod stray, thats why weneed you...” His words droppes me rom the heights ofetatonintheabyss of despa. snapped sth, "So that’s what you noed me fr. To be corpse sume five, Vou think Took god necotin™ “Ther it was, of course. You got 9 ‘reputation and yau have to lve Up to ‘event you dein the aterpt. 7058 fom my har and paced the fongth ofthe room, ty. ing tolgnoe the delegates grouped uneasy ‘2gernst tne wal. Why should ston to them? ‘Way mo, James Bolvar dG, the Stanons Stoo! Rat? Outcast of society yet stil a hare of socio? A Wetime criminal who was ow being called upon for hap By the very Deople preyed upon, Itwasr fat, "Not fo” ied." shoul bo robbing you bin, ot doing you favors.” They nod ‘Sed eager his “ab is, im, 108 us! We dont mind. (niin nis ito frst” ‘Sghed dooply. There is no escaping ‘one's Gestny. "Before | doode, would ‘Someone mind teling me ust wat the hell thes allabout™ ‘llthey needed was the starting whistle In an instant they Ped 3 hologram projector Lipa running. holo ofa stele station ‘shrang nto onstonce before mo, soft music layed anda doop vece bogan speaking “This ithe orbiting satelite, Staryan ‘Vitis te port of call ofall tne deep spacers approaching ne Stanyan_ System The Spidery form ofa spacer tod upto the im ‘ge and. docked to ve home tha point "Cargo is then wvarshipped to tho thrtean planets that comprise tis sla system. The ‘bperation fs sucsnest, safe and spoody.” Vane swold up in the beckround playing ‘sucessful, sate and speedy music. began to dozo off ~ but a crash of bre and tym any woxe meu. "But everything has changod!” the a. ounce gasped. it al began when this passenger snutlewent aut ot conta Ie rasan soesnaren ron of 8 shut tieswaminioveew drifting towards one ofthe satelite docking bays. It was completely under computor contol, ae: ‘Semis were an imposabty, the votaring Jets would fre andensetinto place. Then the Impossble happered. Instad of tho break Ing ets being sctvared, tha stor ots red ful on — sending it hurting forward as ‘ver gninsant The shutle Coahedint the ‘Sotd ste! of te docking portand burstonen esa siver agg hued againta wal Airput ‘94 out and reas instant. Maimed bodies were ved ree ~ but unhappy didnot eoze 08 a8t the at hed done. Could nok. take my eves away fom this gruesome sane ‘stherrrator continued ina hushed vole. “Thirty-seven people were kilo inthis ‘accident Which proved tbe no accident at fal, When the mechene went to examine the Inalfuntioning navigational computor. he found thata ton thousand vot curent hod bon shorted through the metal door of the ‘computer oom. “he hol the space station putted out ‘of existence and was replaced by 2 Nese Image of the rachanic who had ted the handles thehotwer door | surnedaway "vo soon a Wied carps botore, thank you" said “Can Ihave terest of his nasty ory “stright winout the. senses! Sublette” “The scone shifted back to the satelite ‘2qainand thevoice continued remorseless soon became abvous. thatthe ‘navigational computer was not at aul Tt hnad been overiden by the Cental Control ‘computor. The ie the Galaxy grade, Mark 2500 mode, absolutely roleble and never ‘rong to malfunction before. “Thesis time 0° everything,” 1 shouted, tying 1 be heard over the bose ing. vote” and backup -orchosta, "Wi Someone kindy ster off the ghastly Rolo show! Enough senough.” Themusi ded wih a gasping atl and ‘tthe conering oiogaes “Now ust bring ma up to data without the special effects. You have a nutsy Com- putor that has sleady potshed wi lt of people. Anditisa Mark 2500 wich probably handles hundreds of fights 2 day, controls thousands of operations, slong with hun ‘feds of thousends of subfunctons as wall thal must be ane smart computer. thas ‘gone gagait wort real ke anvae coming Fearit The fourmen who wereld = they ted 16 ttn the hing SI” ‘Tha. deogates all nodded together gloomy. | nodded as wall "I thought 50. Have you evacuated the satlit?” Ay tis {hey shook tar heeds even more gloomy ‘Thaleador of he detogation spake. Tt won't et us. The Mark 2500, Al of the pots ar sealed and we car get ear the Satelite. And there are over Uwe hunted Passengers trapped inside, You must save {therm alGr’ Ther Ives. are in. your hands." ‘Not yet they'@ not! They ate stil ‘your nen which swhy you ara Pare — and ‘ny youare worrying 93. Youeal sweating nd | thik | krow why This delogst on represents the corporation tat owns the ‘atoltr” Roluctant nods. “Ana you also Fepresent the insurance company’ hati ‘ures th satelite” Head nodding ike any ow. "So. not only” do. you have 8 Fmaniarian ‘interest in those. poor souls ‘tapped ina your hank. of space On Tmongery ~ but you have afnancalntorest ‘s5well” Chins dropped fo chests ande wave tt fnancial desparrsgned through the room. Psmiod and shook my cenchad fists over my heed. "Despair not gentiomen — diGriz wil ‘savayoul wil turnoff your kooky computer ‘andsave your prisoner!" matted unl tne cheers and shouts of Joy hedied down beforelput hebootin. “Bu, like you, | am a businessman 9s wl 35 2 humanitarian. My reasonable and ‘ory fow foe forthe ob wil be the riser Sum oftwo mon eri” Turned away and it 9 clgar whe thx ‘moans of pain and eres of anguish ochoed ftom the chamber wal Than | putfed oat pensive smoke ae raised my han for “Fox share,” | chided “owl get tat sum back within a few dave af operation” My voice grew eld. "Sut you dors got back into gperaton andthe latives of ‘op you nave alowed to be destroyed Dy that mad machine docide to Sue. you Temporary interuption by wails of despa wey, you wil have pay out Bion ‘You have soay seconds to docise. The fae will be payable one millon on signing and ‘one rion upon Gaver of the man fe fromthe’ crockpot computer Pty-tve seconds” “How will you do i?" someone called tl you as soon as you have paid. A computer wih sek ereutry i nothing 0 the men va saved the universe, Twice ‘Which maant that | had Idea how was ‘going 1o di, but that was my business and Rotthars ust asthe business Was earring ‘money and maine steaing tk “They-one spoons Tis robbery — but we agree. We have nochaice Jono ev Which was why had mad thefeosolarge. Assoonasthemoney ed been credited to my sceaunt 1 threw tnem a outand spread out the tec {alepors. The was not gong to be easy forcod away the nagging realization that i \Wasnet only hard but completely impossible ower say aot The Fat marches On. THe. hadto bee way. xcopt that thros weoks ater, in foaung n orbit about the insane sat Tsu pact found it Nor was the captain of thesnutte any hel Noire mumbo ive," he sadn ane ‘ceecingly gloomy voics. "You never make Ferner. Croated or cunchod ke the other four. That cockamarne comoute wilt You shoord all ght Like ® Hy into. a, Then" “ifhen #8 my mony. And | can do without yout ep ilk. Fm suiting up now and TYwant tobe aunche as soon as his ancient machine of yours comes up with the orl ‘ulations that faked for “"Suiede.” was thelsst Word Iheadae | sealed chu the helmet of my modified ut Modtied in that all of he metal bars ad ben sprayed with insulating foam. The Mak 2500 as vor roe with ts sortie ad ‘wo of my predocessors hasten alectrec {2d had mo dose to be fed or my offs = ewan afore I's inside the Tenegede saree “My plan-for geting aboard the thing ‘was simplrenough, although once | was S- ting elone-on-the nosocone ofthe Sut bogan to have doubts about i. Because to make the plan work | had to ust the cor Putor aboard the shuttle. An was not very Rapp about computers atthe moment atthe ship stir behind me, then the staedy prossure on my back at acealerated. This fared 9 few seconds ~ then ended ss the baking jets lose bosde mo pulled out ‘clouds of gas. The shuttle decelerated | ‘n't. The Spaceship fellbehind me asl con. ‘inued on in what hoped was tho corrector [it Aiming forthe spot in space where the sarolite would be. Optimistealy launched not only inthe drecton of Stanyan VI. but ‘ko moving ouiward ina course that Would fring me down ight on top ofan emergency xt nope Butt worked. Desptemy fers wate fd the satalite got closor and closer unt fied te entire Sky. new the thing had no misslos or guns ~ but i could Use ts Goce ‘Etion fide to launch something heavy In ty dtection, Thats how one of my press assors had boughr it But | was coming in fn tha sige away for the landing bays. Foved The seconds tcked by and I had my thumb pottod over the button of my raking Jets The computer back inthe shuttle was Supposed to ve me tho signal to brake — but a8 [said | was not trusting computers ‘ory much these ays. Closer ond. Coser, Ibgar and lager the metal wall grew Ard | Knew | would spatter myst all over itn a few seconds mare Where was the gral? The computer had blown a fuse. Was 900d a5 dad! Yeti bake too saan |wouismiss the staton completly and leat out to space. could ewaitany lange Fre now,” the emotionless voice of the computer sald. It didnot have 10 repeat ise. My thumb clamped down, cloude of {92s bllowed out and around me cout Soe a thing! The fring ended and tho gas (oored. and there was te side of the Satelite ustaheadotmo. U hit, tumbled, bounced away again — and grabbed an antenna mast hat Delors | Vanished beck into Interstar space. Aer that Just held on for awe, wating forte air scrubber to evaporate the porspravan from my forehead ~ and trom the mistod up halmetin ont my eyes aswel "you know,” | sad, sgnoxing the quaver in my voice, “you're getting 2 litle Sigtor skindot romp. Time tote, some fui ite planet, rb @ Bank or two when ‘You got bored. Leave ths intestelar suicide tomeds ‘But, even a | muttered to mysal, was hardatwork Is okay to tch as long as You fre doing something constructive. at the ‘ime timo, hauled myselt down from the bole and Kicked of a neat are that ends ‘ver tre emergancy ox Which was beled, by some moronic civil servant no doubt, EMIERGENCY EXIT Fine frm, But of Hts tse to enyone on the inside tying to find thoir way out There was alae Nan the Contr of the dooe lobed PULL. tid ‘Smung open neaty and! drifted into the Ailock beyond. Ertance etfected, troubles ‘Others might think that ~ but not me i'm not called he Stance Steel Rat for ‘nothing. Noss. 1 know how to get trough Stainless steal walls and come Out on the thor side ave. Just ahood of mo was an in ‘ing, shining matoltevor Pu that ones, te ‘Suter door would close, ar ould rush into the look, and whan the pressure os oqusi fd the inner cor mould open automaticaly. Verysimple_ And very suspieous. Floating a the eante of thealock, touching nothing, | ‘pened the eatbagon ny hip and ook out 2 ‘multimeter. jammed oe pred into the ho {Be then touchod the atver tothe wal loser. “There was a colorful display of sparks ‘and tha readout displayed 2,000 volt: Very interesting, Mark 2600 vas expecting me, rut away ne wevn and extracted a thick pad of rsulaon. Electicty i ts quan ity should be iwosted with respect. I \weapped the pad around tha handle ad tug (08. Thedoor slowly opened. waited unit Gaped wide betoretnggering 2 blast on my Suit rockets. A song one, Because as soon 8581 wos past the doar would bem the gp ofthosatalte’'s gravy ha This shot me forward ~ an | began to drop as care into the ship. But | it the ‘Seek wel away from the entrance and Cd 8 shoulder rol, coming up on my feet, fists lenches, ready for anything. "Are you the new troubleshooter?” @ voice said" spun about to face a gloomy looking man essedina soved balers 1 aid, smiling warmiy, “am ‘Santa and rm ‘hore justin tina) for hismss. "He just grunt at that, a serous toe, his expression one of darkeat gloom. Ne Beinted ever his shoulder with fis thumb “They te waiting for youtntharechall Got 3 messoge you were coming” Ths way.” He {med and, almost asan aterhought, ellos back tome, "My name's Corona Tech fith los, "My pleasure, "said, bite hearse he gaveno answer. vas aly boginning to {ol woicome. | pecled off the spacesut and trotted ater im Things wore much beter inthe ech. ‘There were about a dozen people wating there and they burst ot Gapping when T "You're welcome indoed,” | i ncn Ing my head pin eourty manner. ""Asyou havereat, lam ere to savoyou.” My voice hrened, “I would alge ke To know how you heard | was soming ~ since the kooky Computer conttls al of He radio croute thosetelfte ®. handsome woman with gorgeous reg hair held up @ portable raga, "With ths.” Sho sod. "IF we pu it ont of 8 vowport “we can recaive signals from te eecue sips ‘ut there. Wejust can't answer" "You ean now. | nave. 9 souped-up weanscawer with me. Might I ask: your rama "isin Deputy Cornmander ofthe ste “And whore may | ack i the Com: mance?” She looked at me and her nostis widened. “Didn't you do Your herework? Ho'was in the shutte tt crathed and Started this wholemess “know only what | am 1014." My nostrils ood te match hers. "Now would Your mind inodveng me to whoever in Chaigenow” “An emergency committee of tree. Mysal” De Putt here, and. Commander Stark. Or. Putas Assistant Senos Offer, while Commander Stark Second in Cor andot socunty an the satelite.” "asasian” Second in. Command.” | mitted. "don't usualy deal withthe hired fol, Where ae ter bossa? “Our supatiors were led in the same crash ot the shut,” Commander Stark ‘rowed. "What you soo te what you gt Sen “Thor is note fr pety squabbles, told thom." am hare to seve you, So you val gue me athe help 1 nee! shat Sor ‘The emergency committee drew to one sideand muttered to oach other They rach fd ogreement quickly enough and. Tina Spoke for them a" Agreed. You wil 95s vour insructons tivough Technician Cor Corona’s grunt hopefully indicated ‘green. | nodded sags. "A wise doo Sion. The fst thing wil nee 2 deck pn ofthissatelite, “"Thavs what they aways ask fo fst, Corona said gloomy. He passed ovr a thick ‘dog eared volume of pane, twas burn 6 a Dit at tho edges and splatored with Something that might have beon blood. had dark suspicion. "Boon Used el oro” | ask 3 Herodded. "Four ies." There was it te humor in his smile. "Maybe five wl bo fuck. Thanks.” | tipped through the pages. "You don't happen to remember how the ‘other attempts on the computer were made ‘Sovou?” "Sure do.” He took the vole ftom me ‘and fipped through it He nad 2 good, ‘morbid, memory and quickyIncestea the \arious routes my presacesso's had taken ‘Through the storage bays or radio room,‘power central, food supplies, oxygen scrub- bing, every way possible, Good inteligent plans — andallof them had failed. “Any idea how you are going to go?" he ‘asked, handing the plans back. had none — but | wasn't going to admit this to the hired help, have an idea, but | must perfect it. First some more information. See if you can pry the good Dr. Putz away from that five Titer glass of beer and ask him he would be so kind. as to jon ma foramoment,” “You wanted {0 $06 mo?" Putz asked, ‘wiping foam from his moustache with the back of his hand: “If you would be so kind. As Assistant Science Officer you should know 8 thing or two about the Mark 2500 computer’ — shouldn't you?” “OF course. In theory that is. 1 had nothing to do with the day to day operation.” “Even better. Would you then be kind enough to explain to me how a computer, which is nothing but a great big adding machine, could possibly goinsane?” AUR coco aveston- he said, pawing his jaw in deep concentration. "I have jen that much thought and come Lupwitha possible answer The Mark 2500 sor ieshaveamemory capacity inexcess often to the fourteenth power. Thatis rather large. AS Tam sure you know, the human brain has & memory capacity of ten to the twelfth...” "Which means the computer is far smarter than a human being?” "Notin the slightest. | said memory, not inteligence. computer is just @ complex ‘machine programmed for certain functions. But with that eapacity for memory itis cer tainly capable of intelligence. Perhaps some internal shortcrcuiting took place. This is just speculation, mind you. I the same acci- dent that saw ‘intelligence rise in animals billions of years ago, if that accident occur- redin a machine brain..." “I follow your point. There is the possibilty that it could grow, learn, develop 8 personality. A machine ‘mind’ without ‘morals, love or hate. Cold efficient. “Thisisjust speculation, mind you!” “realize that, Dr. Putz, and appreciate ‘the holp. But itis almost academic as well. | think itis more important to know just what the machine can do, not why itis doing it.” “it can do anything it wants aboard this, satelite. It controls every function, every ‘operation. If it wanted it could shut off our air, poison our food, destroy us in a hundred different ways.” Bucithasn’?" "No. And that is most interesting, Ithas sealed the major airlocks and will allow no ‘one in or out. It has cut off cur radio com- munication. But other than that ithas made fo attempt to harm us. Though, of course, it hhas defended itself by kiling those who were ‘sent against.” “Aran't you forgetting the landing shut- tlethatitwiped out?” rmoant since that time. There was, perhaps, a good reason for destroying the shuttle. He looked around nervously lTean- ed close and lowered my voice. “You wouldn't care to expand on that point, would you, doctor?” “Again, just a theory. The three senior officers in command of this satelite were on that shuttle. If the computer wished to take charge that would certainly be a good way to ster” “it would indeed,” | said, my brain whirling with thoughts. Pieces were begin- ning 10 fall inta place. “Now, if you don’t ‘mind, Dr, Putz, tam a litle tired after my adventurous journey here. | intend to le down and study these plans and will confor with you all in eight hours time. Will you please convey that message to your associates? Thank you.” {spun on my heel and exited. Corona ‘was waiting by the door. “We'll meet here in eight hours. I'll have 2 plan by then and I'll let you know what | need, Alright?” “You're the boss,” he said, shambling off, then calling back over his shoulder "Plenty of empty transit passenger cabins on IM deck if you want to shut your eyes while ‘you are making your plans.” “Just what | had in mind." | picked up ‘my spacesuit and the rest of my equipment ‘and headed for the elevators. | punched for M deck, exited there — and went straight to the emergency stairs. “Well done, Jim," | congratulated ‘myself, since no one else was there to do this job. Nor did | want anyone there at this mo- ment. “As Dr. Putz said, this computer is 2 smarty. It_ must be. eavesdropping on ‘everything saidin the public rooms. It might also be eavesdropping on me in the stairwell! realized. And shut up. It should hhave 2 hard job listening to my thoughts Corona had revealed that all of the previous ‘attempts on the computer had been known by him, So they must have been discussed, plannedin public. Andbeen overheard. Well, that wasn’t going to happen to Slippery Jim diGriz, not for nothing named Slippery! Thad slipped away, the computer would not be ex- ppecting an assault yet. By the timeit woke up ‘to wnat was happening | would have putit to sleep forever. But how? through the deck plans. The central com Duter was located, as you might very ‘well imagine, in the center of tho satellite. Which was ideal for the computer, but not so ‘900d for anyone trying 10 sneak up on it. | beset and flipped traced the various courses the other hopefuls had taken. All very imaginative. And all end- Ing in the same way. And all complex. There had to be simple and quick way to got near the thing. But there wasn’t. Instead of al the doors, hatches, floors and entrances, lwent- ed to get directly to it. Bore a hole straight down with a super laser? Good idea. Only | didn't have a super laser. | started to throw the plans aside — then pulled them back When somathing caught my eye, Of course! The hole was already there! Drilled right through the satelite. From top to bottom. Passing rignt by the com- puter room. | permitted myself a chuckle of admiration and pleasure. You're 2 bright boy, Jim! I traced the opening with my finger. The elevator shatt Nor would | make any attempt to reach the computer by elevator. That would be suicide. Itwas the shaft alone that | wanted, The magnetized boots on my spacesuit ‘would get me there. To think is to act, Fast {and smooth, that's the Stainless Steel Rat's ‘motto. {pulled on the spacesuit, checked my ‘equipment, then went down the stairs to the lowest deck. The deckplans came in handy then because this was @ machinery level. | slipped between the humming generators ‘and clattering machines, working my way towards the bottom of clevator shaft 19. It was there, right where it was indicated on the diagram, with its number painted directly ‘over the inspection hatch. All going accord: ing toplan! [unclipped the hatch and lowered it gently to the deck, then poked my head ‘through. Darkness. My light flashed up the shaft and | was aware of the bottom of the elevator far above. The way was clear 10 ‘computer central. | did not stand around pondering the dangers, but went instanty {nto action ~ climbing inside and raising my bboot and pressing it against the wall whore it ‘lung to the stes! with magnetic cohesion. ‘The gravity here was oriented towards the ‘base of the shaft which made it difficult. But not impossible. | hung head downwards from the boots, uncomfortable but necessary. | switched off the current in the ‘bottom boot and shifted it above the other. Current on, magnetized, stuck there. Then the other boot, repeating the process over and over. ‘And slowly, one clumsy step at a time} +050.up the shaft Iwas hard work and tiring work. | was perhaps halfway there and panting loudly when | had to rest. | hung from the boots, gasping in air — when I heard it. A hurnming sound. What did it mean? With sudden and horrified realization | pointed my light up- wards. The computer presoncein the shaft. It was sending the elevator down to crush mel | permitted myself one instant of panic, 10 promote the flow of adrenalin, then ‘clamped down hard with my mental control No panic, Jim! You've been in tight spots before. Think — don’t react blindly ‘couldn't retreat and reach the bottom had detected mythe shaft in time. | would be crushed if | ‘ied: Could | force opan one of the doors Band got outat acitfront oval? An unkown TThad'no tine to make experiments Sof ‘couldn't go down, or out the sido ~ there wes only one rection fet. Un! I wouldve {taeke the lavtor teat ‘which was osier said. than done, Everything: deponded upon perfect timing father than on speed. No parc, Jim You. know wat must be done. My’ mind was ‘aim as leaned back and cooly examined the bottom af the dropping svatr. Closer ‘now. Power aff on my ltt boat, thas Hang backwards trom the other boot and raise the elt one over ry head. The eevator ‘topped appearing To go faster and faster Fighton opt me. Twas bang, erunch — and alms il ‘ed me. As tha metal bottom ofthe olvator hit'my uprased boot | magnetized ft and tuned ofthe oter one. My knee buck at thlmpact and sarsmed aging the Bottom ‘of the elevator ~ then dropped back To hana, dazed, from thesinale boot, "there was’ no timo for this kindof suiial behavior. Despite my rudd head Traied by other boot, itelampod tight. Then {bent atthe walst, my han withthe thermo! lance outstretened. The lntonsety hot flame ‘roared aut, slicing through the see! fear ke butter. ioved tina quick cece, ring to forget the bottom of the shaft hat Was ishing towards me Narewasacnekornera and | pullodasde Justa theese of mata losing drop Ded foe and fl. Now I let go of he {thermal ance, gnocing the bash itgavemme in the face es swung fomlts safety ane about ‘my wrist. Reaching up and sezng te met! {596 of the hole ny loves, Switching oft ‘my boots athe some instant. Foran endless moment i dango inthe shaft. Then, with @ single spasmodic con- jan of my muscles, 1 hauled mysef up andi the devator “Justas tht thebottom of the shat. i jut at thre for 3 few moments attr that. Beating deoply and enjoving the ‘act hat was si breathing. Looking down atthe butters and the floor ofthe sat jst below the opening in tho Noo. Twould have ‘been squashed ike 3 beet in another soo. (ond, That did't bear thinking about ‘On yout feet, James" ordered. "No rusty colton of silicon chips © going to ‘ur think you. See! Now! Whe the thing Stil off ts guard. You are but momunts away ‘tom vitor! acted. Pressing the buton that sent te elevator back up the shaft. Would work Idd. The computer wes not incom ‘mand forthe moment tore open the door {tthe conte panel and counted the Noors sswerose. Justatew more. thee! ‘Abies rom the thermal ance fused the contals and the slovator shuddered t0 8 Stop. Even as tid this | was pushing open {he hatch inthe roo! and eimbing out The ‘oor to the computer room was just Defoe | did not waste tine with deticaies, 1 simpy burned off the door hangers ond kick: fhe tng down. Ang dived behind ints the room, the lance stil fling, ready for nyting vs antcimax. The room-siged com puter just chuckled to sat. Some memory {ise whied: ight lashed on and oi nin teresting patterns. It appoared (0 be com PBetlyuneware of my presance. | svaighten Sdup'nd turned off helene, ao rere 70 re cere of ts brain, I ha no receptors ero. Perhaps | was st wary. | walked forward cautious — thon stopped whor saw tne sal met box Of crcuitry inthe centr ofthe floor Ainge Fed ight glowed on ts top. A large cable from its se and squirmad across the floor 1 vanish ito tho computer. er (forward cautiously and unplugged the able. The tod ight went out I ited the ox ‘and bounceditinmy hand "I thought i might be something tke thi," Sad 104d, "End ofthe Insane ton uti.” I waled to the contol console and pushed dawn on the acces key, “Yes?” the calm, mechanic voce of ‘the Mark 2300 s0 "You hav ssle al ofthe aricks?" “Yes. wae issued ovarnding stu "cease this operation at onoe. And ‘cancel ony other abnormal instructions. Sndersora? “This operation is aleody competed Normal operation sumed, "Very good" | climbed out of my spaoesuit, "Send cut an announcement for [at persone aboard he satelite toassemDe ‘heres room now Teak the litle metal bos, but eft all of my squipment, except for my pistol thon Started towards the hall with the announce ment booming in my. ear from every Toudspeaker | passed. The tchniein, Cor ‘ona, was wating outside the hal hen | is eyobroweiftedinquistvly. ey inside?" asked. Herod, “Good, said, handing im my pesto. "AS far a8 know thisis the only weapon aboard the satelite, Stop by the door and cover me. {may need help: Do you know how to use iis thing?" “You bet! You can counton me” "Good," sai, entering the hal, roy lank protected. I tated the. murmiing crowd that was jammed in thore and road ny hands for slonon. is al ver” tld them, "Thedanger satan end.” "you've econnoctod the insane com- uta?” Ting asked awest uch? "No," | responded sweetly, “I ust disconnected tha” I eld up the tal box for thom all to see. "Computers cant go crazy bocaus they are not sane to begn With. They are not aman. But they can be Programmed te appear inane, which i \ehathappened here. Wath nis” srenasauwvenea. cae, and Tnaspoke the thought that possessed them al. Programmed? Someone covs08 al this. utwno. "Why noi you” tasked suet. "Your bose edn the crash ofthe shut, Perhaps 9 ‘yu caused the crash inorder to get his job, Teokea! st your personal rocord. Vou'te vary ‘mbtious | "Tim also mechanically iterate” she ‘snapped back. "Didn't you Seo that in my records? Im an administater, not an elect ‘Gan. I could’ possibly have designed Or bait noting.” “Tue, te,” | muttered, then spun on ‘ny heel an hold the contrl box front of Commander Strk’s face. "But the com: ‘mander here fs no electronic dummy. His boss alse dod inthe erash. You dial, Stork, topethsjobI" “ave you out of your taany-tiny?” Stark snoorad. "Ifyou hed looked st my fie you ‘Would Rave ese that | volunteered for eory Fetrement. | should have been nome by ‘Row The ist thing | want is2 better post tion justwantout” Then ws have te | shouted, pointing to the cowering Dr. Pute "The Bssistant science officer, so Jealous of his Superior that ne killed him. Thon ted to palm me off with a dumb story about how 3 Computer could go mad. Ho, a sont, Should have known betethan tory and ae ‘me that il of goods. But he knew that ‘Somtone had programmed the computer 10 ‘2ppear to be mod. Himsa "You accuse mel” Putz screamed. “I know ‘nothing about machines of comm utes! am a geologist! Sent here 25 an ‘mergency replacment. All know is how to Fitroeke with ite hams "Then," sid jow dropping mare than 2 litle, "it none of you did t= who did? ‘Wo had the technical knowledge for tis Job? Who know the plane of the other Fescuos, knew tha every mowe 80 that he Coulton them turned about a said this — ond ook fe9iniothemuzneol my an gun "That's right, "You. fall” Corona noord, the ight of medness now vse n ‘those pile eyes," i! Mo, te ona they laughed a, gave orders to! Well hey ent laughing or giving erders any mare. | showed tem. “vo me that gun,” Isa, stepping fr: wards the others quoted back. "Take it” he seramed. Ard piled the ‘wigger en Loon some ar 18 culling the tigger over end aver again when not Ing happoned. My ft caught him hard ‘onthe jw and he Sumped tothe deck un Constous. | Bont and picked up the gun and emis "Unloaded, "I told the gaping aucience “1 was sure from the very beginning that somoone had programmed the computor 10 {dp alts dry work. And whoove dl tht programming had to stil be. aboard the Satelit Thorefor, since you wore all unde Suspcon, reould fake no one into my cor fidence. Hance the accusations and te Unloaded gun. Corone seemed the obvious ut | just wantod him to prove i ' ragged cheer began, raising quicky in volume. smiled ard bowed acceptance, Ac ‘Senting 3s wal the impassioned iss ef the fauishing redhead ‘Tana fll ti 00d 80 milion credits to!7 Scienc for Science Fiction py dot Boatman PhD. Perennial Com? Mate, called by Americas frst Euro ‘een sees “nan con.” and now simoly Beams America's biggest rain crop. ts cextromel etfent at converting Soler energy Into fod, a8 the Indians knew long before the European landod. They had developod so many aifrent domastio varies that i ‘was on rece that the wid ancestor wes ‘etna dened: the Maxican ran Zea "Thera, howover, one major diference ‘benwaen Zaa and domestic com. Zao 3 Deronnil and yields @ ero a year Commisan Sanus; ate the tak has produced ts ears Inthe fa t des. Corn has to be planted itech evry spring. Nowadays farmers cate oteven sate any oom for soed, since amost al farers plant hybra vanes thet donot treed tue. New seed corn must be purenas fed each spring trom the broeders of the fryers ‘The is possiblity, however thet a perennial corn con be. developed. This, i feasible, would work a profaund change Upon American agriculture, which now pnts 70'mibon ares in corn each Yost. tor Bota! crop of noaty 7 bilon bushel. ‘domestic corn can ba crossed with 709 19 rode a plant that 's2 peronnia tke Zan but velds as much a Corn, then great amounts of time, money. and ful can be Saved. Thefuel alone, which used in plow Ing and sowing corn, amounts 102% galls per acreper ver. 'Sinea 200152 plant ofthe ropes, here {s a suapicon that itr a cornea hybrid ‘might not adapt 30 well tothe cy wantars ot the upper Midwest If 30, then the hyd Imight be mote stu in the wopscs, Tange ‘areas of which Fave not yet been biought Under cultvation 20 efficent. But 209 seme to do wall in tha cold Mexican ‘pions ‘Considering the word's ned for both food and fuel, lant geneiists have been Fandada eal challonge Solar System Maps We have recently discovered thet it possible to sequie rather atractve mops of {the moon ang planets from the US Geol ‘ca Survey. You" can request 2 catalog of lunar ang panetery maps trom thor 300 3d ‘ess below, we provge a ref description ‘a Tow mage, thor order numbers, ane the fics nara” Ordars must be sccompensad By ‘hock or money order payabie o US Geol geal Survey in US funds, 3 surchargo ef Bis is added or orders outsde tre US, Cenede, and Mexico. 19083 Geologic Map of Mars: & very a twactwe four-color map of Mars dvdod into ‘geological provincas. Scale 128 milion, ‘eae st 60 1.703 Geologie Map of the Near Side of the Moon: Also four-esior. Seale. 195 mien, secorpanied by Tage txt. $1.60, [H1324 Altimetrc and Shaded Relat Mop ‘of Venus! A remarkable fourcnio: map, the ‘ade altmetry composite men was recanty Dut opt om Rone: Vow ‘Scatter measurements, Irs the st close Took at the Vencreaouiace #2 11961 Topographic Map of Mars: Dbber than 1105) sbeve, the shows topography ‘and albeco rarklogs rather han goologie provinces 36" 42" 8150 1.903 Reference Mossic of Mercury: CCompesite photography ofthe thd of Mer ‘eur’ sutsce photggraphed to date. Scale ‘'i0milon, 23°» 28" 9125 L117 Mercury: Relief and Albedo Mark ings Visible on Mariner W images: ma of the part of the Mereuran surface which ‘we have observed, withthe various erates “ndtarain features named an labled. $2 1.1258, 1.1240, 11241, 1-242 Protiminary Pictorial Map of Calisto, Preliminary Pictorial Map of lo, Proltminary Piotorial Map of Europa, Pictorial Preliminary ‘Map of Ganymede: These ore maps of the Tt areas ofthe vian moore whieh Wore ‘photographed by Voyages 1 and 2 The dt feronces among tho four 0 aut remark able The fow named features a bales Seal: mon 9.75 ach, (ck ond wie sat ofthe Misssipp, wrt: US Geological Survey Branch of Datrbuton/Eastam Region ‘200 South Eads St. Arlington, Vy 22202 ‘Wostof the Missspp, writ: US Geological Survey Branch of strbution/ Contra Region Box 78296, Fedotl Canter Denver, CO, 80225 Note: SPI doos not cary planstary maps Pease donot write us with any requests, Greg Caseiyan ‘The Great Explosion? Most astronomers are convinced thet the greatest explosive ovant that can occur prstentyisasupamova, Ae the final togoin fhe fe of sarge sari few days the star ‘canbe completely ppedapart and its matter Sand enorgy sown out nto the universe 9 ‘lane explosion. Atypical superove, dur ing his explosion, puts outas much ener as {heather 100 billon stars in the galaxy together Trou be dificu to imagine a greater Josion than this, except forthe "Big ng” rom whch the unre Sesintod ‘somo 16 10.2 bilon yoa's a90. Howover, there is some incact evicente indesting ‘at on very rare occasions an explosion can {ake ploce that releases even more energy ‘hana supernova, “his evidence bopan to accumulate over {2 hundred years. ago. when the American ‘stronomer Benjamin. Gould (824-1890) Pointed ovt that theres an intresting aay {bright young stars Ins part of the ‘alony This group, called "Gould's ball,” 1d most ofthe bright stars that we se in the right sky. Thoy are masty hot, bright Buewnite gant stars whch aro using up ‘her fuel mach faster than our sun dos and an thartore be expactad To have shorter Hovmes. ‘Goulds beit consists of a system of stare tha caesar of 4200ight yaars and ‘tones of 600 light yrs, woe contr s about 30 ight yoars away inthe arection of, the. squthern. Constelation Puppis. (The Solar System hus wthin Goulds bet ut isnotapartaf it, beng vey much older) The fquatoral plane othe fattened deo tas makes an angle of bout 20° withthe plane Ot the galaxy. Tho youngest stars inthe 99 ‘r9g2tan Soom To'bo Closest fo Is contr {he oldest stars in Gould's bolt are about 6 ‘illon yets oid, The bet fe expanding at ‘ater about 1 lometers por second Not only is tho sun near the contor of Gould bet, butitsasonear nectar ofa slowly expanding ting of hydrogen gas ‘which was lscovered tn 9072 bythe Con ‘dan astrophysats V.A, Hughes and. Rutledge. Ths belt of gas isa elipco whose center Is about 900 baht yeers sway and ‘whose longest ameter i ebout 4200 ight oars. It expanding one Wometers per second ‘toma t0 be disbuted In patter Tt" the current expansions of these systems of stars gos, and dust are traced Dicks Ht sppears tht they began, not far from the sun, sbout 65 malign years ago. It this expansion f tho result ofan ance ox. Blosion, would have sent great shock ‘waves tough snterstllor matter. Such ‘hock waves would eonoontzate this mater in som place, and the greater gravitational, Stracton of these concentiations would pall in yet more matior Eventually now sta ‘olla betormed ~ the stars 0! Goud be. ‘Nothing les known nour glory com- parable to Goulds bal Howe, suc" rings Dt expindingmatter are foundin othe gala les. Around tha rims a0 supernova rom ants, suggesting that these explosions might have been viggered by the mca (rontor explosion that created the ing at ox. Panding matter. ‘Whilaestonomers ae investigating the romnants of a catsstrophic expo thet happened about 6 millon yeas eg0, pale fontologts have bon ooking for ast such 9 atastropne. ewes about 6 rion yous ‘go thet 9 great snd cudden change took piace in tho earths ra and fauna, Entre ‘rds f animal, from microscope forms of (eean if up tothe dinosaurs, wore wiped futin, by geologies standards, avery short time, The evidence suggests a sudden owe ingot earth's temperature, but far too shorta Betiod of ime fo bring onan ice age, shor pate of heaw ralaton from a nearby aso: Romical catastrophe could nave brought ths bout. Land plants could have survived 3s Seeds, Insects and creature which st them ‘would survive bocause incects an sue Snything. Birds could forage over large ‘stance for such food fe might be ea Sable But the dinosaurs and pllsosaurs at {he top of the food chain would have bean oomed, Monti the Sy Pace Ma 18" ents) conto two or more such vilages. Subjcts. He was alowod cut of hs Gweling ‘Tho vilage afars were superised by acai to bathe o o\do ater things only st nah F sin Ako i anc watson! eo gw pea nm Sounel which mtn he git wages, woe hee sm andhigpetoa peso ‘antésy ea a erat nine me ieee eres, “Great League of Peace,” he confederacy —t0-aion oxide with thet backs tuned 10 which was governed by a counel| of fty hin He could not sxe noses or Europeans, Facts for Fores, as “younger brothers” and semi- king was held to be unappreacheble by his by Susan Shwartz, Ph.D. evens reer he ites, ard he wae stay Yon ea pon mothers who could not themselves st on This prohistions widespreed, Th king Shenarmagre’s Dawoters squall yoru retentions: of re ay tore taints not Though Charlemagne sent his sons tes teycansomodunsulol ‘nay he Guneen Kings of Leango and Crest way rom the alco morro van then ‘Yin contat poston and vsopes of the Arla Tote norte of Boker es for indopendent action. 96 royal adminI- league's fre, as thelr narne moked, were he pest threaten the peopl and hein mth sitators, he kept his daughters ose by his Onondagas’ The four principal ean the dasth they ever seein Senegal, peo. ‘side. He reused to alow them to mary, But Leegue were the Cayuges, the Oneides, tho plo ol Cayor balove that if thet king looks tolerated ther love afors and legitimate Senecas, ane the Morawks. At the bog. Upon tho'se, He wl he win 9 year He Ghloron rather than lose thor commpanion- ingot thaleth Canury,voquorstentorye%: may nak even cross vor ine chets of Ma ship. Whenever he sat downto eat any of tanded rom southern Ontaato Tennessee, Shanaland, portilariy among the. Ruri bis palaces, he never took a meal without "ts sad that tha League, wih thet and th Nvadi algo sullor thie stetue) them, Histonans of Chaviemagne’s court elected sachoms, had an fect onthe Amor. When ana chief hago cress te rere was tecord that at such dinners, Charlemagne's ican Arles Confederation and thesubse- blindfolded and cared across 9s is people three favorite daughters ~ Berta, Rotrud, quent Consttution. Ris corti the raquots shouted and sang. Had he merely walked 2nd Gia ~ were chorecteisicaly present. had a profound respec for General ~ lator cross, ha would heve ~ they sad ~ bean Only afterward does he mention Liurard, Presidont ~ Washington, of whornthey cre- binded o led. Certainly, ha would have fost tmequeen, ands other daughters. ated themyin thet trergodsestabiahed one his ows" in Madagascar too, the kings oy While his Boys were brought up particular paradise just for Washington notcrossriversorsal ‘usteray, foovatuebistobetrested xe ors, lone. ‘he Glen Bough 6 Fe, Mace, the daughters wore encouraged to dTess 3% nau of he eu, Face Pann: “The ai laborately as they Ikea Theodede, Coleen” haw Worg cheaony ans A Toa ‘nother daughter, is described ss wooring Wit Fesnanand co. Drecious stones of ner feet, hands, seams at Siva her dros, er tomes, and her breasts, Nor he Ian god. 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In this aspect, Siva te scoumes, geceswaintager camer Feammarrraronrtieegiegs, mien teats, Seca ‘veloped just were the frst colonists Mat sto cook dead flesh, which inults the Litem eeora oF otny them rimenivnupstteNew York" ance “The Iroquols stressed Community. IN ym Seopa of Mythos thoi own valages stood tonghouses which ul 25 feat wie on 010 etlorg These frameworts of sapings, covered with shoets of bark, were subdided nto apart. ‘Sea-Sickness monts that were occupied by closely rested Amang many African tribes the king amis, Running down the center of such wos siso the high pres with Teeny tale Jonghouses ware shared replaces. Each of binding his Hee. For example, atnong the thetive tribes (who worejoinedby the Tusco- Ewe speaking poople of ho slave coset, theFilm& | Television Screenplay: Peter Hyams ‘Mase: Jery Goth Cost ‘San Connary Nal Pate Seve Sheppard Frances Stemhanen Lass dlones®, Saka Monon With each new movie writer/director Poter Hyams seems to got a litle bit better. His latost production, Ouvland, seams to fit in nicely. Better than all of his other films, lacking many of his past mistakes, this new Science fiction release, which seems to be basically High Noon on Jupiter, is @ good, solid piece of summer fara. Ibis well worth 3 Viewing, and is actualy even better a second time. ‘Outland takes place on lo, @ volcanic moon of Jupiter. Here, the Con-Am Corpor- ation maintains @ titanium mining operation Everyone working there signs up for one- yar shifts, unless they cie on duty. Tho problem is that more and more people seem tobe dying each month ‘This fact upsets the mining operation's security marshal, O'Nell (Sean Connery), ‘who decides to find out why the mortality rateis sing. Everyone on lo merely shrugs at the question of the deaths, answering that "people get like that here. Some guys just can't take it.” The answer is not good ‘enough for O'Neil ‘Blolow the surface of Connery’s cherac- ter, we discover a complex set of motiva- tons. He hes begun to believe that he is ‘among those who can't take it, Assigned from one company operation to another, ‘each tour worse than one before it, he loses his son and his wife, and seems to’be losing his future. Heisaman without allies, without friends. Connery’s subdued, quiet perfor- mance reveals a:man who has come to the fend of the line. Older and unsure of himself though he may be, he does decide to make 3 stend. ‘On the surface, Outland is a story of drug abuse, corporate greed and insensitivi- ty, and typical John Waynian western-fim righteousness. Below the obvious, however, the film explores the terrors of identity loss, ‘mechanization, and dehumanization. In his last five films Connery has left behind the Bond image for good, revealing {an ever increasing range as a dramatic actor Here he plays character who iS far more vulnerable than any other in his past exper fence. O'Nai's triumph at the film’s end is made more dramatic simply because we know he isn't invincible. He is human; he bloods, makes mistakes, is reckless, gets tired, is insensitive [at times), and can't even play a very good game of racauet bal He is, at the same timo, courageous, loyal, honest and strong. He is strong in @ physical sense, of course, but what garners him the audience's respect is his strength of ‘character. He could easily do his job, serve ‘out his year, and get a better tour of duty somewhere else merely by keeping his ‘mouth shut and not making waves. But he is willing to buck the corrupt status quo, and he fights for what he thinks is right. His morality is outmoded. The company does ‘not want him to stop the drug flow into lo. ‘The workers who are dying from the drugs don’t want their flow interrupted. Stil Neil acts because he knows what is hap- ening is wrong. He is 2 hero because he {90s Up against overwhelming adds, know ing that he's probably going to losa. He must make the attempt, though, because he knows fo other way to’ act and because, by that point, the only thing he has left is his honor; he refuses to let his integrity slide away from him the way the rest of his life has. Bosides the intricate workings of O'Nel’s character, however, the film has plonty to offer those who aren't primarily ‘oncerned with the people in their science fiction films. Outland contains a wealth of Impressive special effects. Jupiter is perfect. Looming in the background, it is exactly represented down to its newly discovered ring. lo, however, isthe film's true master: piece. The Con-Am 27 mining operation is ‘one of the most oxactingly. detall-perfact miniatures ever built for an American film, More impressive than the exterior of the rin ing operation, though, aro the extensive sets which makeupits insides. As Hyamsenvision- ed it, there ere no ray guns, lucite domes, ‘conveyor belts or porma-pressed jump suits in evidence. Living space i at a premium, forcing the workers to herd into smell func: tional units, which after @ while beg to take ‘on an almost penitentiary atmosphere. Hyams explained: "The mining colony is allocation, not a subject. A frontier is a hard, ‘rity, unpleasant place to be, and the people builging it are always looking over their shoulders rather than ahead. Trying to stay alive and putting up with hell while making some quick, big money is the kind of com ‘mercial venture Con-Am #27 isinvolvedin.” Hyams’ vision is compete. The workers’ ‘areas are tight and unfriled. Theie quarters, dominated by the bunk area, are nothing more than layers of metallic, horizontal ‘cages, one row piled atop the cther, resem- bling pet store animal cubicles. (The design called for the beds to be made of thermal foam so they could be hosed down.) Itis ike living in an aircraft cartier-sized submarine, ‘one which never surfaces to see the sun. ‘The layout of the mining operation is de- signed functionally and logically. The ‘worker's private quarters have no extras, no luxuries. Only the general manager (Peter Boyle) has space to breath. Even though the ‘marshal has some extra room in his quarters, itis the general manager who isthe king. Its just this type of difference which is played upon throughout the fim. The mane- ger has casual clothing, a large, comfort filled office, money, whores and power. The ‘marshal has @-uniform, small quarters, low pay, @ runaway wife, and middle age in- ‘securities. Everything on the surface of these two characters points to the gonoral ‘manager as being the better off of the two, ‘which is why one has to look beneath the surface to examine their inner qualities t0 {ind the cowardice of corruption on the one ‘hand and the strength of integrity on the ‘other. in an age of the anti-hero, itis delight- ful 10 sae a film hero torn with indecision and yot willing to take a moral stand and fight for whats right. Despite the introspective nature of the subplots, Queland is not a slow-moving fim by any moans. The action is constant, the thrils and surprises are many. Despite its science fiction setting, Outland, like Alen, is really a mainstream flim, Alen was @ horror film; Outland a western. This is not a com plain, however. Like science fiction literature, science fiction films have a tendency to rely on the typical simplistic hardware and conventions of the genre, rather than mold real characters with convincing motivations. This depth of Character has always been left for the main- stream film makers. Now that sclanca fiction {and fantasy are becoming more and more 2 part of the mainstream, however, the audi- fences are demanding greater respact for the characters’ emotional levels, and intelli ‘gence from the filmmakers. ‘Outland is a good movie, and not just for science fiction fans. Its success will un- doubtedly inspire 6 few tired, low-grade i tations, Hopefully, it will inspire a fow more solid, interesting and entertaining films as well Christopher John. ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK Producer Loy Franco Debra il Director: Jom Carpanter ‘Screenplay John Corentr 6 Nick Can ‘Musi: John Carpentarmaesceation with Cast Kursus! Sake Pissan Lonven Coot ‘Booted mest Borge Cate Dona Pleseance Prosdentof bas TreDukeo! New Yor (Chace Full Nt Git Be Moog arryDasn Stanton ‘Aasione BartanaAfter the success of the small-budget horror film, Halloween, everyone keenly awaited to see what director John Carpenter would do next. When the movie, The Fog came out, cries were raised that Carpenter’s . career was over; those of little faith announc- ed that he was a one-trick director who had already shot his bolt. These people had ob- viously forgotten his earlier works, such as Assault on Precinct 13, and Elvis. They must have also been extremely surprised when his newest film Escape from New York was released. Escape takes place in 1997, a time when the island of Manhattan has been turned into a penal colony. Escape from this maximum security prison is impossible; the tunnels have been sealed and the bridges mined and walled. The Statue of Liberty has become a guard tower from which infra-red goggled officers can blast escaping prisoners on sight. Radar and rocket-firing helicopters track the island constantly, forcing the three million criminals inside to prey on each other for survival. Into the decaying remains of New York is sent Snake Plissken; his mission is to rescue the President of the United States after Air Force One is sabotaged and pur- posely crashed in the center of the island. The President is carrying a tape cassette crucial to the survival of world peace (there has already been at least one more World War). The catch is that the tapé must be pre- sented to the Russians and Chinese at a sum- mit conference within 24 hours, or the threat of another World War is almost certain. Plissken, both a war hero and a famous mas- ter criminal (everyone who comes across him in New York greets him with: "Snake Plis- sken. | thought you were dead.”) is offered amnesty if he can go in, rescue the Presi- dent, and bring both him and the tape out safely, inside of the 24-hour time limit. To in- sure his continued co-operation, two micro- scopic explosives are implanted in Snake's main arteries which will kill him instantly if they are allowed to detonate. The film is fast-paced and logically de- veloped. Snake invades New York by glider, landing atop the World Trade Center. From then on, his next 22 hours are a hell of sew- ers, fights, and back-alley chases. Surround- ed by rats, cannibals, and three million hard- ened criminals, he struggles to save the Pres- ident and win his freedom. Escape is Carpenter's best work to date, much more entertaining than The Fog. He has taken the old “one-man-might-succeed- where-an-army-couldn’t” storyline and has decorated it with a fine cast and an extremely well thought out collection of sets and loca- tions. (Most of the film was not shot in New York, but no one would ever be able to tell.) He has produced one of the best straight out action/adventure films of the summer. Carpenter's vision of New York is a bleak, fire-lit one, the entire film taking place either at night, or inside poorly illuminated buildings. Very few sets were actually con- structed for the film, although those which were are incredibly believable and elaborate, The central control center for the United States Police Force is more than the usual display of flashing lights and computers. Working video monitors offering three-di- mensional readouts adorn the headquarters, and other recognizable bits of hard and soft- ware blend together to give the center a solid, functional look. By not setting the story too far in the future, Carpenter's presentation of things to come feels more believable simply through the high recogni- tion values of known sights in the city. Coupled with the sets which make up the massive wall supposedly surrounding New York, Carpenter lulls one’s disbelief in a rather outrageous plot situation. Escape is not a.special effects picture, however. Its main concern is with the people involved. Relying on a number of performers he has used before, Carpenter creates a real- istic interplay among his characters. As usual, his bit players are a trifle too wooden, but they are on and off the screen quickly, doing little damage to the flow of the picture. For instance, in the opening sequences, there are a number of dully delivered lines from some of the secondary actors. Such moments are forgotten, however, when Kurt Russell and Lee Van Cleef exchange their pointed witticisms and ripostes. Carpenter has a talent for showcasing his stars which shines throughout Escape. Another talent Carpenter has in abun- dance is his ability to inject humor into a dark situation without breaking the pace of his film. It worked well in Ha/foween; it works even better in Escape. The continuing “| thought you were dead” routines and the character of Cabbie (Ernest Borgnine) show Carpenter's ease with, and yet tight control over, humorous elements. Both of these running bits are used carefully through the picture and offer a necessary change of pace, aS any good bit of continuing humor should do ina serious drama. Of course, like any picture of this kind, Escape from New York is not a classic. It is solid summer entertainment of unusually high caliber. By not pretending to be more than it is, but by also not settling for any /ess than it could be, Escape becomes an ex- citing, fast-moving drama, the likes of which we haven't seen in years. Using a new, ima- ginative setting for what seemed to be a tired plot line, Carpenter has presented us with one of the better films of the summer. Christopher John DRAGONSLAYER Producer: Hal Barwood Director: Matthew Robbins Screenplay: Hal Barwood & Matthew Robbins Music: Alex North Special Effects Supervisor (British): Brian Johnson 13 Cast Peter MacNicol... ..2...0000 000 0c eee eee eee Galen Caitlin Clarke. 000. eee ee Valerian Ralph Richardson.....-.... 000000000000 eee Ulrich John Hallam... eee eee Tyrian Albert Salmi... 0000.00.20 eee cee Greil PeterEyre. 00-2200 oc cee eee Casiodorus Rex After the death knell rang following the release of the simply dismal Clash of the Ti- tans, few people expected much from the upcoming Paramount Pictures/Walt Disney production of Dragonsiayer. Most movie- goers felt Clash would prove that stop-frame animation would look spectacular on the big screen and using the newer color film stocks. If anyone could pull off such a feat, they assumed, it would be master stop-frame technician Ray Harryhausen. Unfortunately, he couldn't, and Clash went down the drain. Thus, the feeling arose that Dragons/ayer's dragon would prove to be a fairly mawkish creature. Luckily, such is not the case. There is no doubt that Dragonsiayer is destined to be a genre classic; it may be the best giant mon- ster movie made by an American:company. (With Raiders of the Lost Ark and Dragon- slayer proving so popular, Paramount Pic- tures should be feeling quite comfortable by the end of the year.) The film starts at Castle Cragganmore, the home of the world’s last enchanter, Ul- rich. A delegation of peasants has come to beg his aid in ridding their land of a dragon which has settled in their midst. The dragon's rage is mollified twice yearly by an offering of young virgins. The victims are chosen by lottery and left chained in a prescribed ritual for the dragon to de- vour. Those who live in the kingdom are tired of sacrficing their daughters. The problem is that there is no sure way of eradicating the monster. Warriors tried in the past, losing their lives and provoking the beast to mas- sive retaliations. Some villagers feel that Ulrich can stop the dragon and are willing to take the chance. The king, however, does not care to rouse the beast. While the delegation is with Ulrich, the king's man, Tyrian, appears and slays the ancient wizard. The enchanter’s ap- prentice, Galen, offers to slay the dragon in his master's stead, and leaves with the villag- ers; during their trek Tyrian slays the boy’s servant as a last warning to stay away. Galen refuses to listen. Armed with UI- rich‘s most powerful amulet, he attacks the monster's lair, burying it beneath an entire mountain. He is celebrated as a hero, but it turns out he has not slain the dragon. It bursts from its lair and wreaks havoc across the countryside, forcing Galen to face it again, and yet one last time. There is much more to the story than this, but it would be unfair to reveal it. Bar- wood and Robbins have taken a simple story line, and added a number of inventive, inter- esting twists and surprises which would be ruined if mentioned here. There is a lady for Galen, a secret to Ulrich’s death, and many surprises, but the most important thing in the film is Vermithrax Pejorative, the dragon. Vermithrax, a 40-foot, two-ton giant with a 90-foot wingspan, was responsible by itself for a quarter of the film’s 16 million dollar budget. Britain’s Brian Johnson, fcontinwed on page 29]“ (Curse of the Coaxial Cable Creature The werd television na longer implies ‘pore commercial pap, atid decade ogo. {Computer inks, vdeo games, nd cable mo vie channels have broadened the medium, binging Mt loser tothe ints such a tool ‘might rove originally inspired. Butts diver Siteaton brings wth Iva slighty Orwolan ‘odor ~ th idea Boring it al seem to ba t2 Koop youathome, infront that, low ingacreenasmich ss possible. “The fod of home-subscription movie channels — peraps the largest point of con tention in the recent Writers Gula stike ‘gaint fim studios ~ offers flmmakiog, a= nan both ifeand death. Before an exoior. ation of this paradox, though, 2 bit sido ‘ntheneture of art and audiences: "One factor he event oaterioration of the movie going experience (itis sexing 3 fim in a theatre} 1 the brace of waning habis ingraned by watching television that ‘many audenoes bring into the theatre, in ef ect playing one game by the rules of ‘another The incomprehensblty of urrent fm to many current audiences ‘many c2s58, due not tothe onsty of firm, butto the Gyciopean TV evebal audiences Inston rearing as an esthetic ft once Inaie the thea Commerc TY asks ite lttention in return for its ends rooyled ‘melodramas and slched comedie, bacau Sing produets i is contra Imerest. The Fosul a Pauli Kae point ous that TW babes heve an attention soan the tong of identical (ond ‘equalyignrabie) ft nover occurs (0 & TV ‘wewer that one given minute may be more Important shan anther one. While the sponge method works peachy for something 45 ion-demanding as TV. the audience betuddlement that greets any fim mare ccrebaly complex. than Chainsaw ‘Cheer ‘hadors proves that itis not he read oti ment inside a teats. Moves ore not merely "ig TV." ond theron lea the loophole that makes cable mova services something lass than wonder 'A\prme sang point for cable-movie vendors isthe porate word unevt Despite Ccontrectual clauses guaranteeing for cree tors editing rights for commeria TV on heir ‘own fins, te results ae nonetheless hor fring. Networks ay legal” chop out entre sections of 9 fim, rearrange the remaining Dis, oop in altered dllogue and salt the resulting Frankenstoion mess wth up t0 28 ommereals per nout. Those wo walt t See theatrical moves “for tree” on commer {al TV ulteataly pay upina far more mind pumbingcoinane ‘Uneut proved 10 be heavy pos of sel ing arly to those fr wnem the saluton to ‘bstandard movies on TW was finding 3 aay to make vewers pay admission wihout Teaving ho houves, Why trudge oot inthe sleet © seo rove when you coulé sot ~ tineut~ home? Cable systems have fet staightfor- ward advantages. They msyreody seve i ‘alls and children, With tape, they make 3 ‘reat reloroa tol for move ute andl eo Urnsts ata. In aerunch, thy ae ebiousiy Dotter than nothing. Many Romebox offices Stoop up features bic ele thar run ated runs, or no vuns at al baing dumped by thor dutibutors onto oversaae markt ‘25a taxloas las with Thirst and The Umate amor, respective). In this sence, cable may serve the gente complet, but In ‘hoy restric thar own comprehen: ‘Sutywiingly Thatoneina moment ‘The drawbacks to aubserption chan ‘leave ost fo do wah thor poor phys Cal apresantaion of what might have ng haly been 37mm, 6-ack, Dolbyzed ext \aganea tke Afar. The’ TV. receivers f which such systems mast conform offer shrunken, distorted images (ue tothe size ‘and scanning limtations. of 9 cathode-ry ‘Ube, rotten sound labout which mani. {rer Koop making lovish promees-and have, to date, done nothing practeal), and the restiebons of TY aspect ato, wach causes the slongated rectangl of @ move frame to be cropped into a square. Wah ths las, the 7Omm, Ciemascope and Panay Son formats suffer aven more, and He aso of "big screen” wdeo'beam and other Bictue-enistang gimmicks, tho problam is tho samo. That distorted, tny picture blown up ta bathtub size and only the view fers headache realy ets bigger It ooxs okay faeroae the sistance of 8 smoky cocktal lounge, wth aseotonortwoto smceth away tho uz scanning nes. ‘One prejudice pay cable and commer: cal TV"have in common regarding movies is ' fickloness for eurront ms, a equi that Undercuts true completeness in program ming forthe former Frequent. pay/cabia {oo eager to snatch up new tins in fvor of recent fms, which languish unseen tte {Retrpromire theatrical uns. Most now firs now have cable dele writen into thie contacts before thay ever ‘ppea”in'a theatre fms made exclusvely for cabo are wath vs steady. These maves ‘areal profttconsderations, ofcourse that theatres! fimgoing soems continualy on an ‘endangered spaces lst due fo such rach ations is another annoying byproduct of ‘what the lctones corporations who eark ‘ut all the shiny, new video hardware cal Progress, ‘Unioss you own 2 private screening oom, you must 0 OUT to get eal raves. While the distractions of the home environ rant may. not dev from Buck Aogare, they lust might rom Apocalyase Now, cut ot Uncut Movie on TV ond movies in theatres Ireght swom the sare to tha poople pushing CablerT, subscription services. and "2" ars, bu the oly peonlta whom thoy Feally are the same thing are the int ‘scrote Davids Sohow A Books, ‘Star Drifter, Osle Aycock, Loisure Books, $1.9 ‘Vampires of Nigitworld, Davi Bischott Dal Rey Books, 82.28, ‘Space Doctor, Loe Correy Det Rey Books, 5250 War Games, Kt Hanson ‘Wheetwor (To the Stars, Hay Harrson Bantam Boots, §2 25 each ‘Schrodingers Cat Il: The Tick Top Hat, Fobert anton Wilson, Pocket Books, 280 ‘Among the Ares foedback questions fone asking oaders to indicate whch sigle {etegory of scence Fiction and which single category of fantasy they pref. Thirty 06 percent usualy choose space opera for SF Sd sword and soroery for fantasy. Elven percant choose “herd Sand Yout pereant Choose “now wave.” Feedback gome propo. {58 mirar this response: hard SF proposals The Human-Keint Wars, Dragon's €a9 te) contialy get lower ratings tan vash SF proposals (Nigntaf te Androids, Rescue ‘rom tha Hive, et) The petererces of "oa ‘entre and simuistion gamors seem to ran ‘unter o the tends evident in sence tion since Campbell took tho holm at As. {ounding the tities ane bagan to turn SF {tom a pup genre to 8 forrnof literature. At the same time, gamingis bringing thousands (of new readers into the sienesfetion fl {he renalssance of fantasy in SF pubishing S Iergaly atibutabe to the populanty of rom playing games. The vend towara trast is Feinforaad by the meas, which prefer To do Space opera (Star Wars and clones) ten Serious SF fot which thre has been arth Since2007. “Simutianeously, book publishers beginning to speak of SF 4s the. ms fauivalant of gothic romance lth despite the fac that Star Tek, fantasy, and fomist ‘SF have brought increasing numbers ot Women inta selene tion in the sme Way that roleplaying games have brought In {acing number into gaming). Thre's alk ‘of “formusrang” the gente inthe way that Fomences have been Tormultied. Laser ‘Books, indeed, took precisely this approach ‘and faeg, butt may simaly have bean be- fore its tie. There isa toa ond inonsng dangor that scionea fection, which was the ‘nly pulp genet escape am ts imitations to twa sttus of berate, wil undergo 8 ‘everse evolution and become, agen, noth ing more than another form af neomo-gen ‘rating gabon. “Ares eaers owe it to themselves — ‘and to the ierature for which they have ‘some feeing-~-1orooorwide th preeren 2s, Dovotees of D2 may fel that, the Sbsuact, sword and sorcery most deserbas the kind of fantasy ine enjoy reading, buts It'Conan and dear Rice Burroughs who ome te mind as great writers of fantasy, Token, Donalason, Wolf Le Guin, and Bradley? Science feton gamers moy thnk ‘Star Wars isthe kind of sence Fon they‘would ke to see, buts EE. Doe Smith ther mrentor = er Asimov, Heinle, Niven, El Ison, or Wilson? tte future, do they want to.s00 Thangor ofthe Green Planet or The Sword of the Tourer? Imperium or Attack ofthe Mutants? “This being sald, we wil proceed 10 review some space opera, which, afer rojabielt nattnebe-alland ond.al, Allo hiss by way of introduction to. no, fabeter not pute that way. All oF Tiss ‘ot by way of nrodvetion fo, because Star Biter bie Arcot cuts an ance ‘are | Say 17 —~ space oper “njoyase, ad I dow mist to py is caught in the pre-Campbel ea oF {hatitisonough to wm ones stomach, Quite the contrary Itsworthreaging even if your forte shad SF, though perhaps new wavers wilfindita sterile receptlaton of overdone {hamos. The peculiarity is that published by Ltsure Books, one thesmalr pubis fr In comparison to tha giant conglomer tes. Ayeoot is an appoaing writer who ‘esorven beta istibutton than Leste may Beatle toprovde “Tha novel deals with the owner of 8 smal intrstatar trading company, teaten- 28 wih Bankruptey as 4 rest of pressure fom tne Federation ~ asorto! combination Na Bel, Teamsters and Lloyds of London Which wants the protagonist fo sign Up with Tham, He mekes the mistake of faling nove with the her oa psn, uncovering an inte Solar eonspracy designed to mpose tran- fon the galany, and on and so on. The Importance is po the plc, which ls types space oper, but Aycock’ abit to flesh out Characters Gaepite slam bong action and 19 {urna pretty phrase or two, StarDeerstun reading. tl Hansen's War Games is navy assical space ope; indeed, ts sexual ‘hemes are such thot eouls not have baen [ubshodin the tities, Nonetheless, icon. tains enough rapid action and meanings Volones to sets oven the most usted {ensman sfcionado. The protagonist S's son of the neh In 9 pathetically docadent ‘Torran empire restictod tothe sla stor] "Gp decadent, i fact, that one suspects Haren saving “if you tink modern Ame fea" decadent you ain't seen nothing.” “Thor's enough sadomaschism inthe vel tocchoke Cathrine te Greats hors tneugh The read worse) e saving grace Hansen's Imagination, which is emerkable, Hansen hs. ghen grat desl of thought to potentials of blclogleal engineering Foauts area senes of bizarre and bebovable Sion race bisengineered trom human gone {and capable of ing for example, in Tras hydrocarbon atmosphere. Hansen seems ‘Wot versed in logy and chomsty, IneUgh NS physteslanves at tobe dented ‘Devs, the protagonst, kills hs parents to avod ther sodstie games and, with the {aid of gem mith temporal powers, becomes fn interplanetary thet. Eventually he is aught and sontencod to imprisonment Stood, he choose to join the Emoe’s eau “alert othe Green Bret, ghting ano win war on Tian. The nature of warareon Titan le gute reminicont of Vietnam, and one ‘wonders whether Hanson saw combat thro Dots Into hs precious stone and, a5 choos {alls on Titan and the Terans begin to lose, ‘Seach for @ replacement nthe process ns Saughtors thousands, becomes addietes, (oes coldturkay, moctshisloveand awtchos ‘ices nthe ongoing war. The cimaxissati- fying, but thore’s a clear bid for 2 sequal (he novel was orginaly printed as sores ‘of short stores, mostly In Analog, £0. one prosumes that Haran Sons the story a8 39 ‘rgoing oral). ior Games is involving and evocative: Hansen's descriptions of the Thanan soe- ery are bolevable and even ical fn the final ‘analyss, Wer Games oes not ise ove the talus of ~ that phase again — Space opera, the reason that his characters Be robots, her's very ite warmth, and the protagonists so Bloody miserable shard Rave rich teeing form. nce, War Gamestas noting to dowith wargames.) AS long a5 we are taking of spece opera, we should certainly consiger Harry Harison's To the Stare, pubished thos velumes 26 Homeword, Wheelvo3, a6 Stanwor, since Hetison is bath the master Satiist of the. genre and a practitioner ‘thereat. Tone Stars can safely be deserted 25 ction SF" though the more pejorative term, "space opera" should probably be |cided, since the action fs nota elentens 35 space opera rogues and since HarTson Is ‘Spparenty uying fo wrtesomethngmare the ‘Stars is ton inthe spare, rnoutral tye that soften acoaptad in science fienon as good witng ~ the sort of sive which Asimov, in his later Teton used $0 ‘wel. The story doas ith a cise tated, totaitaran future in whi the ete of Earth have enserfed not only that planets masses but the rest of the settled planets as wel ‘The protagonist of the tree novels Is an Kulozik, an upper-class enginoor who ever tual rejects hs nertage ana becomes on fof the leaders of the revolution. The thas ovals cde logical into the stones: he fists "the man who learned eter" in ‘which he protagonist becomes are ofthe tyranny ef his society. The second is man ‘2gainat nature," in which Kuleak overcomes the obstacle ofthe allon wor to whines bansshed Tor his rebaon. The last is "the rovoluton,” in which Kulozk, the tots ‘nd froncs overthrow the opprasors and Treodom tothe sts. A treet ‘comman ones: al are competenty handled arson is best known inthe gene for his satine saventore stoves fost aeton ‘writen with an element of ot, i the Go. Iberia Hero and the. Staiiese Stel Fat ‘toes come to mind. seems clear hat Har fisoo Is wying fo do something tile - forant — to wte serious Un the sense of omhurnorous) science fieton with some: ‘hing t0 say. Unfortunatoiy, To the Stare t= nothing mare than compatent adventure fe tion. Hartson’ charactors are wooden, Mis Brose contains ite ie, and when he ‘Sagages in poise! commentary h gonerlly ‘Stoops to the abeura. (The worst offense in thie regard to hs discussion of racism in America, 3 subject about wich Harrison knows 8 good deal less than he thnks he knows.) Nonetheless, Hartson Incapable ‘of wrting a Bad novel, and To the Stars @ Tat enjavable way tal some tne, 6 Lo Coro aka G. Harry Sto) writes in nother subset ofthe gene for which have ie regard: superscionce. Supersoence's, im essane, par slenes Fitton taken to ox: Tvemes.fidon in which the ideas and the ‘machinery areal and in which characteriza tion ang stor-tling often fa by the way ‘ie. Uke spose opera, superscince can fften make enjoyable reading (witness Or ‘aon’ £99) but not iterate to bo taken Serousiy. Leo Corey's a good enough writer ‘as wellas good enough technologist to over ‘come the shortcomings of the genre, however hs most supersience of nove ‘Star Driver (about a working Dean Dive is Stilenjoyableas anova. ‘Space Doctor's. in essence, another ‘man against nature” novel ~thovghn Ps cue, nature is vacuum, radon, and the fther hazards to be found in gooaynchro- house. “The hero of Space Dactor, Dr Tom Noel, 8 the on-site medle ring conse fon of the fret Solar Power satlite. He's faced with a unique task forthe frst time, hundreds of mon and woman are workng for lengthy periods of to In spaco, and he ‘must, practcaly sngle-handed, develop the ‘ald spaoe medicine to prevent accent and death His problems range fom the ti a1 — now do you use a btorfod inrave- ‘Rous saline solution whan there's no gravity 1 food th solution into the vain? = to the Stuff of legend ~ now do you save busted Ship whose crew mortbor ae slowly dying of asphyxiation? Simultaneous, be must es! with the nuts inthe feral reausracy ‘wha want fa cose down the entre oper ‘ion because of a minor mectarieal problem inthe space suits ~ and he own personal problems, ‘Space Doctor drags a bit, and the love interest uses one ofthe oldest ck around, but on the whole it an intresting now well worth essing — especial for ho Tetestd in nea-future exportation of space ‘David Bizchotl's Yompres of Nghe wort sequel to his previous novel, Nghe ‘orld, Theree 2 sort of subgenraof novels which are fantesy-butrealy-SE, if you ‘iow, though none that | know of reverses the tick; Nighowerdd is such 3 worl. In the previous value, we eared thatthe faa te creatures crowing Nightworks night wore actualy cyborgs created by 8 madman allng.himeelt “Satan,” whom aut hora {with Some id) put an end to. Vampres als with the aftermath; one of Satan's Snderings, 8 vampire, dacides to subjugate Nightword and become its now master of fui naturaly, our tepid hero must stop fim. Imoropery handled, this might have bn a son recapitulation ofa theme ade: ‘quately handled im the previous book hatte somewhat Victor ony Vietoraness of is charactors are quits harming. The reader comes to care about the characters (much are than in the fst DDook and the adventures remain belvable While retaining an oloment of tho fantastic Hisvarpres a varant of ‘amps is 4 communicable. disse, 1h ‘seonce, with viral colonies gradual taking ‘ver the body of tho afictos. Vannes of Mighovord is 8 pleasant fantasy (or SF)SPIIS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE PragonQuest Second Edition A complete and coherent revision and enhancement of the most powerful, open-ended fantasy role-playing system in print! Available two great ways: st A beautiful hardbound book containing the complete Second Edition version plus a starting adventure. 160 pages, alo cover, two-color text pages. 81 75 11" lar ook format NOW AVAILABLE IATIONWIDE ‘ook: $14 Boxed Version: $20 HardeowTHECAMP OF ALLA-AKABAR RULES, PAGE T A DragonQuest copsuie Adventure Gel Qinp + Pilla Pkabar |. Introduction The Camp of AllAkabar is a Dragon- (Ques adventure 10 be played in about eight ours by one or two players with one charac- ter each, [eis designed to be presented a6 SIngleadventure, although itcan easily ben orporatedintoan exsting campaign, "Before play begins, the GM should read and familatize hinwelf with the character Aescritions and. possible situations, The Camp of fleAkabor ries primary onthe players discerning cues presented to them DY {he GM during encounters. Further explana ‘onstars in Chapter V. Il. How to Read the Maps ‘Two maps are provided withthe adven= ture, one forthe overland Journey and one for thelayout ofthe camp. Both mags are on hex grids the Scale fr the overland map 1 hex/2 mies, andthe seale forthe camp is new fee, Note: Ifthe GM wishes o place the adveniure on the Fronlers of Alsi ‘ap, he should se Jongber (hex 30.088) as thertown and Korvn's Welle (hex 42.099) a5 the oasis. Heshould adjust al descrptionst0 fife does make thischange Briefing, for the Players After many wecks of travel, the charac ters ative Ina large coastal town with thet fesources dangerously low. The characters findan inn and have dinner. After their mea the bartender starts a conversation withthe new faces in town, EX “indeed for employ mnent they are told of the public novices posedinthetown square. “The characes adjourn to the square, where they indeed ind notices of openings Dniy one draws theiintrest ENTERTAINERS WANTED ‘Seeking skied mal and or female terran; rim Donnas need not appt "Soe ory ath in ofthe Daring Dameet between sundown ord sing: ’ fev simple questions around town n- form the characters that Beyond the moun tain les the desert, where there are reports bt marauding tribes of bandits Few people from the town have any feason fo goin the ‘ser, a they ely upon trade aeiving in town fo supply allthir neds 'AC the lan ofthe Daring Damsel, the characters areled toa tback room, where they Inect a haling who introduces himself a Rory. He will ak them thet specialties as centeriainersa well as request a rie! demon: Stratton of ther best work sufficiently impressed withthe au tion, Rery wilexplan hat heating asan ‘agent fora vaveling band in the desert who ieking some diversion ater completing Jong and exhausting trek, He will ask ques tions about the characters” abilities o handle themselves in ught situations, 3b here Is ‘hance the audience may Become rowdy and downright unruly. the characters fill the bil, Rory will take thelr names, saying they have 2 Bod ‘hance. He wil answer any” questions the ‘haracier have about where and for hor they may beemployed. Rory explain, in answer 10 any ques: ion, that hei the personal manservant for ‘Al“Akabar,a leader ofa tre of bedouins tho have spent the better par ofthe lst year tothe north. They eet near these mountains ‘every year around this ime; the tribe leaves the town alone, so no one bothers the be Roxy i towe to pick up supplies Tor the ‘amp and find suitable entertainment forthe ment Transporation wil be provided to and from the camp, and the engagement should be no longer than a week. For these shows, the characters will be paid by Alla $00 Silver Pennies, lus whatever gratuities are thrown fromthe crow. [ter that evening, the characters are approached by a man wearing a cape whose face i shadowed by 2 large hood. He asks he may st with thet and introduces him as Xarak. Wondering they are contemp Ala-Akabar, he informs them that —if they are — he has an offer which may be of i Tevet othe, two women, named Kergnaand Shyla, whe ‘were taken by the be almost a year ago. He 7 Wishes know where they may be and what, iTanyihing, has happened to thera. He says he dace noi care how tis information tained, so long sit ithe rath He farther informe them hat hei offer: ing abonas. He wil py ther 300 Gold Shi. ings each to gt the information, and he wll add on 200 Gold Shilings more if, in addi- tion to peiting the information, they can tliminate AllAkabar apd bring back some If the characters accept the offer, Xarak wil stress that time fof the essence, and the Information retrieval and the kiling should bbeaccomplished ay quickly as posible. Xar fk wil say to sewer any questions he can (Gee Chapter IV) and then he wil bid the ‘haracters good night and good tuck ‘Tater that might, Rory appears and ells the characters they have been hifed On a5 fntetainers and wil meet them late in the ‘morning bythe stables with horses and mules packed forthe journey othe camp, ‘When they meet Ror, they wilimmed. aly eave andsct ou toward the mountains. [At the end of that day, the follow a ravine land ariveat the edge ofthe desert. There the halfling starts transfering the supplies to 2 umber of eames which he tered thereon his way into town. The next morning, afer ‘maLing sure that everyone is clothed proper Iy to guard against the dangers of cosine the deer (eee Chapter V), the pany see out across the sands, ‘Alero days of travel, the party enters theca of Alla Ababa. IV. Briefing for the Gamesmaster The Camp of Alle-Akabar is designed such that a ast one character should be able to skilfully entertain the camp. They ‘Should not be allowed t fake without fa ‘ure, Ths, Troubador or Courtesan skills ate nesdedy and creative use of Talent Magi ‘wouldcomein handy. An Assassin sillmight helpin the attempt tok Alla Rory and Karak were ling the truth as fa as they went fact, they ae working (0 tether. Narak has been waiting Tor Alls {ibe to make her annual encampment nest this town He waited for word of Rory'sar ral in town and approached him about the Possioiiy of an Such an offer, as tore disgusted with he eatment he receives Invcamp. He wat leery of becoming 100i ‘volved Alla hs shown qualities of oman sence. Xarak explained how he could keep Rory separate from the scheme by approach: ing te entertainers after Rory informed him Who the mest likely candidtes were. Note: Ihe GM incorporates this adventure ito hiscampaign, hemay have ogo throwsh sey tral charactersbefore findingsutableones There are some things, oer than his complicit, which Xarak will no discuss with the party. If questioned, he wil give a de. Scription of the two women Gee Chapter VL for deta), but he wil not Svea tat they ave really his wife and daushter who wore Caen during ara He will ov elthe party Cooyight 8, Snations Pubic, ne, New Vek, NY 1001)8 ‘ha his daughter wears an amulet similar to lis, ashe believes she fs natin the camp. The GA should refer to Xarai’s deesription in this Chapter for fll deals concerning the fmuletand Xarak's appearance, Rory wil pve the physica deta oF the ampas he knows them, and he will peak of the people in the camp during the overland trp. Fall esritions of the carp and isn habitants are covered in Chapters ViandVi “There are things nein Xarak nor Rory can Know which present major obstaces 10 the partyin completing the mission. Tes up to the payers 10 piece togeter the clus ob tained through ‘encounters with NPC's ‘Among thes acs are the following: |. The daughter has become Alla-Akabar's 2, Thedaughterisbeing kept drusged. 3. Alle's bodyguard, Garn, is a hobgoblin ‘sno much more than he appears tobe “There is alo time Factor fo be consid- red. Xarak has told the party the deed musi ‘Bedone quickly, While e wat discussing the deal with Rory, a Bedouin from the camp ‘rho had come’ ato town on his Own bad ‘Overheard their plttings. Xarak and Rory ‘managed to capre him and are keeping him alive, tying to get information out of him, but he mil ot talks They have decided 10 proceed with their scheme, At the end of fhe days, oF atthe OM discretion, thi faptve wil have managed to escape and tnade his way to the camp, atving early on {he morning of the fourth day to revel Roxy's treachery. Karak wll not mention the capive tothe party, ashe fers this Would aus them to think Sgn about hs proposal sndturmitdown, “Karak in his mid-fortes, He is very imysetous, because he wishes to maintain a fow prof for fear of repercussions fom his revenge, He ts not tained asa fighte, a though he has poten some instruction inthe use ofa dagger, so he wll under no circum: Stanees accompany the party Hes obsessed with gaining what he Tees his Tahal Fevenge, but he paces Finding hs wife ang aughier "even higher. Narak's physical ‘characterises ar! PS:12 MD:13 AG: 11 MA:6 PB: 10 EN:18 FT: 18 WP: 22 PC: 13 APA:9 Xara has no mas abt, and eis Yeoatnareaspected feet Rank TO Mer Sant and ask seas le spel mon and Eh m Rank and fend fed wr Commons Rank. He aie ger conceal nd ase Seine Sart’ hair and beard ae grey with wheat the empie Hine chek escred td shows nougn of srr recenine tere Of'r Heae Hit Tae fas Seco» pv, fet mask of gress and reali iy fhe area wath an Sigh iced ‘with obsession. oe Sires dexcrioton should ony be sivenby the OM ihe payers re inguine {nd fori they do, the OM sul die tha Xaah cargo amet ths Splued dino bn fight vay inch THE CAMP OF ALLA AKABAR ULES, PAGE? and s half in diameter and shows & high ‘ual of workmanship Xarak spent many years building up @ profiale sytem of trade routes and amass: Inga aeable fortone. He met Korena during ‘one of his journeys and they were soon wed. Shyrla, their daughter, was the pride of Xarak,andhe loves her deary. He hed aken het and Korena on one of his trading jour. neys when she turned 16 a5 he believed she Should begin earning about the worl. 1 was ‘Suing tha rip that his caravan was attacked by All's men and his wife and-daugher abducted ‘Xarak survived the aac, just barely, and Was left for dead nti found by some peaceful nomads. Since then, he as travel {ed in hope of uncovering news, of his Family's fate, una became obvious there as only one pace 19 find out. inthe camp DFAlls Akabar- Realizing he nied the prop fr training to exceute Such = mission, he began to formulate pans ‘Karak wil sayin town until the party retuens ore receive word hat Aliais dead ot i serching forthe man behing the pot 0 Ii Xarak's daughters returned ienin ood health, he wl aisha reward of an ad: Aiionat 800 Gold Shifings onthe pat. V. The Desert Ieis important to retain the favor ofthe desert nomadic life throughout the adven- fare. Tht should begin when the. party transfers thee supplies to the camels in the ‘mountain camp. one of he character 4 Ranger spesatiing in Waste, the GM mst decide how aware of survival teetniques in thedeser hes Travelin the desert with a hore i im powible, asthe beast wil become exhasted Sand die trying to make it through the soft Sand. By the sare coken, characters wil find ‘walking tough the desert with he aid of @ Specialized Ranger wil falling the Mediurn Exercise range on the Fatigue and Encum Ranger, walking als ito the Heavy Exercise ‘ange. ‘This fatigue loss applies ony I the Character have taken some. precautions ‘gaint denydretion and exposure (Wrapping temselves in burnooses or some sort of Mowing robelike garments Ifthe characters ‘must make a hasty ext without such precau tions, they willlose one Endurance Pent for everyday exposed in adaition tothe fatigue toss. The GM should sive some indication of these consequences during the adventure, as the party’ escape shouldbe planned or ee they may dison ther way back ‘There toa further loss of 4 Endurance Point per ¢hour period i he party fils to take water nto the dese. Aso, wedring any frmor other than Cloth wil esl n anosher loss of Endurance Point per day, multipl eddy thearmor's weight actor "The GM should consl the Encounter (Chay (Se Chapter VII forthe posi of fandstorms and thee effet upon the pat If they arecaughtin one members ofthe party have fost alt ‘heir orginal Endurance, there is 2 SOM% chance pr day that hallucinations wil ein, frthey may star towande mies vl . Deserip iption lon-Player Characters 1. ALLA-AKABAR Somewhere in his thirties, the charismatic ad handsome (Omar Sharif is 10d role mode) Alla-Akabar leads his band ‘f45 bedouins ina feof prosperous plas ing and loon. He's always charming, ad Fs men aze Rerely loyal to him, ready 10 eliminate any who posea threat fo him. Alls is Sun aspected, and his phstal character PS:17 MD: 18 AG: 14 MA:6 PB:21 EN: 14 FT:22. WP:19 PC: 1S APA: 10 ‘Alla is @ Rank 10 Miltary Scents, a Rank 6 Ranger (specializing in. Waste)” a Rank S Healer Rank 2 Thiet, Rank 3 Courts san and @ Rank 10 Beamatrspeciling reat Land Mammals, Humanotds, nd Cards, He uses a Scimitar and @ BOI at Rank 7 Incamp, herarely goes about armed, relying on his mens loyalty and the prove: tion of Gar. He can speak ead, snd write ‘Common and Bedouin at Rank 8, and peak Hobgoblinat Rank’. ‘lls has become almost a demi-god to his men He treats them fly when ircomes to dividing veasure and captive women. His men have prosperedunder hiscommand. The tredouis have stayed with hi for a long time, and some have come back ona regula basis, as they respect and revere him as 8 Teades, ‘Alla continuously amazes his men by anticipating their wishes. Ia man expreses fear, alla is soon there 10 comfor hit ‘witout anyone reporting thecreumstancer, (Other examples of past behavior include. 'A man who received word tht his family ‘Was being thrown out oftheir home for non Dayment-of rent was presented wit a fine fem from Ala's own coffers and aided in Felurning (© his Rome. The man and the amp were awestruck by this unrequested senerosiy -Sevral mes overly greedy bedouins pot {ed tosteal from the general fund, Beforeany Of their plans came to light, Alla ad them whipped, aiming their evil intent was Known thm, and he knew they had tbe punihed. “The few times plots have been hatched to ‘isasinate Ala, he always seemed to know ‘bout them even asthe ideas Formed. Heat Seal with these types mos firm. Alla, while brilliant tactician and ‘awesome warrior, does tend to lamboyance. He enjoys the Sdovation of fis men and cuvates i. He views each man asa pat of Fis own family, to be treated with Kindaess and tolerance. Outsiders are another matter Alla, while he may only punish members of fhe abe, wil wily execute vistors ho break rus or try tobrng ito his menHe does have one weakness, though: Alla squitea ladies’ man. Female vistors to the camp wil find themecver the object of they are fariy pty. Alla Jn doesnot please All's wie, but i never seems to bother his stress "There ia very definite reason for Al ‘omniscient, mysieal powers: arn, 2. GARN Visitors to the camp, when inoduced to Alla, will not help but notice the rather large individual who usually accompanies All: his Bodyguard, Garn. ‘Garn sa hobgobin who wally dresses in tle more than pants. He is often seen vandering aimlessly about the campecarying his war cub or whip. The bedouins do not Sociale wth Garn for several reasons, One [that Garn physically intimidating, being, slightly more than seven fee tall and rather ‘alo, Gar doles out punishment when Alla ally for it, He may flog, Dura him, or fly the offender and do all his be fore hanging him out 19 dry inthe sun, The reason they do not communicate that Garn does not speak and seems 0 under stand only Hobgobiin Alls speaks luent Hobgoblin, so he can issue orders 10 Gaen, and’ in pubic Carn “speaks only to Alla through use of a sign language. Because of Gare apparent ignor- te bedoulis have no fear about Vaca. ing him or speaking freely while es ut they never stop Garm when he Sticks his head through the opening 10 their {ents or hejpe hinwelt to's plese of frat oF ood anywhere he finds it. Carns physical saracersicsare PS:21 MD: 16 AG: 15 MA: 20 PB:6 EN 16 FT:23 WP: 12 PC: 14 APA: 10 INA: Hideabsorbs2 Damage Points. Garn is Death aspected, uss his War Tn uth, Gata is neither mute nor stupid, Hes ia fact a very practiced Adept of the College of Neeromantic. Conjuraions nd has the following spells and ranks (Spell Code/Rank "Achieed): T1/6,. G-1/6: GMS, G6/3: GING 6-9/3; GA0/10, 1/1; S1/4,'He also speaks, reads, and rites Hobgoblin, Common, and Bedouin at Rank ‘Garn’s potential was recognized carly by 1 powerful mage of the College of Necro- ini Conjrtions who ont in he youre oblinasa protege. Garn earned quickly hd decided to seek his fortune the civilz- {Sf world. Although Garn entered town well ‘resed and obviously culled, the towns: people reacted (ohimas toa monster and fll Upon him. After resoundingly beating Garn, Mey dagscindowatheriveran thew im unceremoniously n This ene episode was witnesed by a ‘much younger AllasAkabar, who was atthe THE CAMPOFALLA-AKABARRULES, PAGES time a third-rate cutpurse. He didnot share the people's revtson to Garnand, ate they sprsed, dove into rescue the hob Gar lsicoed fo Ales propesl: seperately they were nefeciual, but if they worked 1: beter they could become a poten Toxce, GGarn considered the words caelully and fi rally deeded to throw in his ft seth All, ‘who son Formedhis band. ‘Garn's meanderings though the camp are responsible for Alas omnisience. Since the men speak freely when be s about, hes Inaperfect postion to cavesarop. He reports fverything fo Alla, whe acts upoa the infor ‘ation heh obtains "Gan soften Irustrated having to play the hulking orute, ashe gets no intelligent conversation from anyone bul Alia, He Spends his tights Inthe tent next 10 Al practicing his spells and rituals after making Eure no one about, He accepts All's pen ‘hans for lavish foving and winsome wom ‘en, but warns Alla they wil provehisundoing. Ii the party decides to tet Carn and ‘manages to surprise him, thete a chance he Wilutter seme simple words he Tal to roll, Under his Perception, 3. ALLA’S MISTRESS Alla is rarely seen about the camp without the company of his young mises. Shella lovely young thing with tanned skin and light blonde hair, who spends most of her day lounging abou the tent or just cat side or hanging onto All's arms, She i lalvays displaying her devotion to Alla and her love fr ims obvious. She wears hour tnrb of silks and some bracelets ings, nd Dither jewelery” Ifthe party checks eu the Jewelery, they will find it toe fist cass work, especially her amulet-~one ad a half inched in diameter, featuring astylized design ‘ofa bird inflight She ever refered toby ame, just as “Alias Woman” or by All ag his "Lite Flower” or "Star ofthe Desert ‘The Misres'physiel characterises are PS:12 MD: 18 AG:20. MA: 8 21 N10 FTI WP: PC:6 APA: II ‘Sun aspected, she can read, writ, and speak Common at Rank 8 andspeats Bedou- at Rank 4 Shes also'a Rank 2 Merchant and Rank 6 Courtesan. She ean use a Dagaet atRank 3 ‘The mistress is Shyrila, Xarak’s daughter, who is being kept drugged by ran (quizes and love potions. If spoken with, She wll appear to Bean ai-head with brief fd will ght ‘Twenty-four hours after the lst dosage she will regain her common sense and identity. She wil become shocked atthe sate of her flothes and the amount of make-up she Is ‘wearing and may blame whoever is around ‘Unless calmed down and acquainted wi facts. She will be very eager (0 el fathes, whom she thought ead. I would be Imadvisable at this point to femind Shyla that, fr thepast ya, she hasbeen the sexual plaything of man wih ot of imagination, 9 ‘The party will not immediately recoghlze ter ftom Karak's decrpaon, Tt {sked to deseibe the women he i looking for, Xarak will describe the younger woman as.a fresh-faced young git with medium Drown, ai, inglstive eyes, anda ready fil, She now has her hair beached andy at ‘Alas command, overdoes her make-up and {nderdoes her clothing, ‘Korena, when last cen, had dark brown, r witha good figureand a Physical Bea {3 of 18. She was inher ate thts when a v Se A ™ oe Thex = 2 miles = Desert = Rough = Mountain2 12. THE TREASURE TENT Ina tent (Tent 3) near All's il be the tebe’? treasure, consisting of four small, éhesis containing 513 Truesiver Guineas and ‘Al's personal treasure chest with 279 ‘rvesiver Guineas, This tent is" guarded All's tent, so they may also watch for any fave night Visitors side the tent is another fuard. He san added precaution to wateh a less of jenelery the tbe has acquired, medallion with a diamond set nit worth bout 200 Gold Shillings. All guards on duty ‘illwear eather armor under thei robe, “Any attempt to overpower these guards wrest in shouts which wil rouse the rest OF the camp and bring the unchecked wrath ‘9F 45 bedouins down onthe heads of the par I captured, the party wil at best be rovin naked into the desert without food oF Water ‘after having bees bindfolded. At ‘rotst they wll be publi logged and hung ‘ut 16 dry inthe devert sun. Perales may be thrown tthe menand ten torture. 13. THE BEDOUINS’ TENTS: The remaining tens are similar in design Each is decorated in cushions and ard furniture. They Je pole in the cence the sand (ihe sand round the ons is firmer than inthe sr Founding deer). It would take a combined Physical Strength of 30 or more ro knock the Pot over and bring down the vent. Th add tion these poles wil ake 25 Damage Posnts here spiting. Ech tent has its own hang ing Lamp and 2 few bots filled wit watt ‘Other bows are hung at various points about thecamp, “The bedouins share thee tens. Any ‘males in the party wil be placed in Cents ‘where there is room. Females wil be placed inthe senate ent (Tent 4, unles they ae ‘ted stayin the quarter of Ala ‘Since he adventure does ot reaire the fe placing of characters other than the major NPC's, the OM should use his sre tion in determining the reslls of any vestigation of the tribe's tens bythe pat. Somesuggestionsare “The oecupns ofthe tent are ofa particu iatly ity frame of mind and a rife imp Heat forthe women Alla wil be sending for “These bedouins are more avaricious than ihe einers, and have managed to hoard a ‘small cache of gems (worth 800 Sve: Pen- hes which they have hidden in one of ther “These men ae being kept under guard, a ity have stolen from the private stores of [Ala They arescheduled odie at a combina tion fogging and beheading. “These bedouins ae very occupied in dicing for Siver Penies, One of them speaks Com ‘mon wall enough to invite the characters (0 This tent isthe quarters fr All’ leute- ‘ants. The alspeak Common fo one degre ‘ranother andwil ell of past raids and peat {reasue and oftheir allepance co Alla, They fre very respectful when speaking to Dein, Sd one of them may be eaeying a torch For heron, indeed, maybe ber ertent over {THE CAMP OF ALLA-AKABAR RULES, PAGES These men ate initiating an intramural ‘esting match in the camp. All male chat acters wl be invited to join in and test hele mete, The GM shoul make one of the Bedouin avery strong fellow who challenges sllwho ener necamp. ‘One of the occupants ofthis tent spends ‘ost of his time Keeping a fine edge on his Similar and bolo skills. He is probably very manic and wll challenge any and all 0 tes thelr skillsgainst him, ‘These encounters are suggested 10 challenge the players’ survival instincts and keep the discovery of Xarak'sdaughter from becoming (00 simple a task. These sugges. Noms maybe applied o groups or iniviguals asthe oM seer 14. TALAN’S TENT ‘The northernmost tent (Tent 5), i ‘alan's workshop and sleeping Quarters, He spends most of his time there (a 90% chance Ine wil bein) petfectng his serums and po- tons. Occasionally, when Talan makes amis. = explosion can be heard {sounding throughout the camp. Usually ‘Tain has managed to escape injury, s0 he ‘brushes himself off, exingushes aay smo ering embers. on his clothes, shrugs earth, jon weed, and var fan. Talans stores were severely depleted dur Ing the past raiding season. He gave Rory shopping ist of herbs and equipment to pet, for him when Rory went into town. He is very ansious for his return and there Is $Sme chance that Talan wil be the frst p= fon to greet the party when they arrive fn amp. He can be Seen everynight, however, ‘making a delivery sometime after dinner 13 Alas tent. 15. THE SERVANTS’ TENTS ‘The halfling servants bed down where cr there happens 1o'be room. Rory, though, Stays nthe second small tet near All's hhemust be ready to answer his maser’ sim ‘mons, Rory's tent (Tent 6) is very sparse: he has a bedrll anda few changes of eothing, butno personal possessions ‘Since returting (camp, however, Rory has been sneaking food ito his tent (conta fs of ce, dried mea, some I Dreparing io leave when and if 16. OUTSIDE AREAS ‘On the far side of the oasis, probably downwind from the fest of the

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