''Space: 1889'' is a

tabletop role-playing game A tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG or TRPG), also known as a pen-and-paper role-playing game, is a kind of role-playing game (RPG) in which the participants describe their characters' actions through speech and sometimes movements. Participants d ...

Victorian-era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed th ...

space-faring, created by

Frank Chadwick Frank Chadwick is an American game designer and ''New York Times'' best selling author. He has designed hundreds of games, his most notable being the role-playing games '' En Garde!'', '' Space: 1889'' and '' Twilight 2000'', and the wargame s ...

and originally published by

Game Designers' Workshop Game Designers' Workshop (GDW) was a Board wargame, wargame and role-playing game publisher from 1973 to 1996. Many of their games are now carried by other publishers. History Game Designers' Workshop was originally established June 22, 1973. ...

(GDW) from 1989 to 1990. It was the first roleplaying game to feature

space colonization Space colonization (or extraterrestrial colonization) is the human settlement, settlement or colonization of outer space and astronomical bodies. The concept in its broad sense has been applied to any permanent human presence in space, such ...

using steam technology in the style of

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...

H.G. Wells Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English writer, prolific in many genres. He wrote more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories. His non-fiction output included works of social commentary, politics, hist ...

, and

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Hol ...

in what would later be called

steampunk Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology and Applied arts, aesthetics inspired by, but not limited to, 19th-century Industrial Revolution, industrial steam engine, steam-powered machinery. Steampun ...

. The setting of ''Space: 1889'' has not only produced roleplaying games, but boardgames, books, miniatures and a computer game.

Publication history

The first published description of ''Space: 1889'' was in the "Feedback" column in the '' Ares Magazine'' in 1983, as a proposal for a board

wargame A normal wargame is a strategy game in which two or more players command opposing armed forces in a simulation of an armed conflict. Wargaming may be played for Recreational wargaming, recreation, to train military officers in the art of milit ...

. GDW initially published the game in 1989, cancelling it a year later in 1990, as a commercial failure. Along with the RPG, a ''Space: 1889'' computer game was produced in 1990 by

Paragon Paragon may refer to: Places *Paragon, Indiana, a town in the United States * Paragon, Nebraska, former community in the United States *The Paragon, Bath, a Georgian street in the Walcot area of Bath * The Paragon, Blackheath, London, built by Mi ...

. On the closures of GDW in 1995, the rights returned to Chadwick, with Heliograph, Inc. acquiring a reprint licence in 2000 and 2001. In 2010, the

Pinnacle Entertainment Group Pinnacle Entertainment Group is a publisher of role-playing games and wargames. History Shane Lacy Hensley wanted to create a 19th-century miniatures game so he contacted the company Chameleon Eclectic to get the game published. As a result '' Fi ...

published a

Savage Worlds ''Savage Worlds'' is a role-playing game written by Shane Lacy Hensley and published by Pinnacle Entertainment Group. The game emphasizes speed of play and reduced preparation over realism or detail. The game received the 2003 Origin Gamers' Cho ...

edition of the game called ''Space 1889: Red Sands''. In February 2013 Chronicle City announced that it was working with the German publisher Uhrwerk Verlag/Clockwork Publishing on a new English edition of ''Space: 1889'', which is based on the German edition from 2011 which uses the Ubiquity ruleset. In December 2014 Uhrwerk Verlag cut their ties with Chronicle City and continued the translation of the new English edition on their own. The PDF of the English Ubiquity core rulebook was released in October 2014, the print edition in November 2015. In September 2019, after the announcement of bankruptcy by Clockwork Publishing earlier that year, Ulisses North America announced that it had acquired the rights to ''Space: 1889''. Under license in December 2023, Strange Owl Games successfully crowdfunded ''Space: 1889 After'', which is set ten years after 1899 and has two different sets of rules:

Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition Several different editions of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game have been produced since 1974. The current publisher of ''D&D'', Wizards of the Coast, produces new materials only for the most current edition of the ga ...

and a new system called Empyrean.

Setting

The game presents an

alternate history Alternate history (also referred to as alternative history, allohistory, althist, or simply A.H.) is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which one or more historical events have occurred but are resolved differently than in actual history. As ...

in which certain discredited Victorian scientific theories were instead found to be true and have led to the existence of new technologies. In the setting,

Thomas Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February11, 1847October18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventions, ...

invented an "

ether In organic chemistry, ethers are a class of compounds that contain an ether group, a single oxygen atom bonded to two separate carbon atoms, each part of an organyl group (e.g., alkyl or aryl). They have the general formula , where R and R� ...

propeller" that could propel ships through the "

luminiferous aether Luminiferous aether or ether (''luminiferous'' meaning 'light-bearing') was the postulated Transmission medium, medium for the propagation of light. It was invoked to explain the ability of the apparently wave-based light to propagate through empt ...

" (the universal medium that permeates space, based on a now outdated scientific theory), and he traveled to

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...

in 1870, accompanied by Scottish soldier of fortune Jack Armstrong, where they discovered that the planet was inhabited. By the time of the game's setting in 1889, the

great powers A great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power ...

have used Edison's invention to extend their colonies and interests to the inner planets of the

Solar System The Solar SystemCapitalization of the name varies. The International Astronomical Union, the authoritative body regarding astronomical nomenclature, specifies capitalizing the names of all individual astronomical objects but uses mixed "Sola ...

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...

and Mars have been colonized by the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, and

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. Belgium has only colonized Mars and

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

has only colonized Venus whilst

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

and the United States maintain economic and scientific enclaves on Mars. There are no colonies or bases on the

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...

. Only the United Kingdom maintains a (scientific) base on Mercury. The

inner planets The Solar SystemCapitalization of the name varies. The International Astronomical Union, the authoritative body regarding astronomical nomenclature, specifies capitalizing the names of all individual astronomical objects but uses mixed "Sol ...

reflect an evolutionary progression, the planets nearest to the Sun being younger than those farther out. All planets have

extraterrestrial life Extraterrestrial life, or alien life (colloquially, aliens), is life that originates from another world rather than on Earth. No extraterrestrial life has yet been scientifically conclusively detected. Such life might range from simple forms ...

and most bear native sentient species. Mercury is primeval and

tide locked Tidal locking between a pair of co-orbiting astronomical bodies occurs when one of the objects reaches a state where there is no longer any net change in its rotation rate over the course of a complete orbit. In the case where a tidally locked ...

and possesses apparently only rudimentary lifeforms.

is a vast swamp world dominated by hulking reptiles and

lizard men Reptilian humanoids, or anthropomorphic reptiles, also called reptiloids, etc., appear in folklore, fiction, and conspiracy theories. In folklore In South Asian and Southeast Asian mythology, the Nāga are semi-divine creatures which are h ...

. The

is an airless dead world, but with mysteries hidden deep beneath the surface.

is an ancient desert planet in decline that is divided into warring decadent city-states clinging to a failing system of canals.

Vulcan Vulcan may refer to: Mythology * Vulcan (mythology), the god of fire, volcanoes, metalworking, and the forge in Roman mythology Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * Vulcan (''Star Trek''), name of a fictional race and their home p ...

(named historically more correct Phaeton in Uhrwerk/Clockwork version) has exploded and become the

asteroid belt The asteroid belt is a torus-shaped region in the Solar System, centered on the Sun and roughly spanning the space between the orbits of the planets Jupiter and Mars. It contains a great many solid, irregularly shaped bodies called asteroids ...

. Limitations in technology cause the

outer worlds ''The Outer Worlds'' is a 2019 action role-playing game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Private Division. Set in an alternate future, the game takes place in Halcyon, a distant star system colonized by megacorporations. In ...

to remain unreachable and unexplored. There are also hints that some worlds may have terrain hidden beneath their surface. One of the treasures that spurred the Europeans to Mars was "liftwood": a rare cultivated plant with

anti-gravity Anti-gravity (also known as non-gravitational field) is the phenomenon of creating a place or object that is free from the force of gravity. It does not refer to either the lack of weight under gravity experienced in free fall or orbit, or to ba ...

properties that allowed for the construction of giant floating ships. The Earthers used

Martian Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun, has appeared as a setting in works of fiction since at least the mid-1600s. Trends in the planet's portrayal have largely been influenced by advances in planetary science. It became the most popular celes ...

sky galleons at first but later constructed their own armored

steam-powered A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be tra ...

flyers. Since

wireless Wireless communication (or just wireless, when the context allows) is the transfer of information (''telecommunication'') between two or more points without the use of an electrical conductor, optical fiber or other continuous guided transm ...

was not invented yet in 1889, communication between Earth and Mars is handled by orbital

heliograph A heliograph () is a solar telegraph system that signals by flashes of sunlight (generally using Morse code from the 1840s) reflected by a mirror. The flashes are produced by momentarily pivoting the mirror, or by interrupting the beam with a s ...

stations. The game contains much more detail on the

flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...

fauna Fauna (: faunae or faunas) is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding terms for plants and fungi are ''flora'' and '' funga'', respectively. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively ...

and species of the planets. Most published material is centred on Mars. The ''Space: 1889'' edition by Uhrwerk Verlag/Clockwork Publishing partially modified the alternate history of Earth, at Frank Chadwick's request. In this timeline, the revolutionary

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (, ) was a French revolutionary government that seized power in Paris on 18 March 1871 and controlled parts of the city until 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard (France), Nation ...

was successful in establishing itself as the form of government in France. More controversially, the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

ended with the victory of the

Confederate States The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or Dixieland, was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States from 1861 to 1865. It comprised eleven U.S. states th ...

because of the death of

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

from

typhus Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposu ...

in the spring of 1862.

Maximilian I of Mexico Maximilian I (; ; 6 July 1832 – 19 June 1867) was an Austrian Empire, Austrian archduke who became Emperor of Mexico, emperor of the Second Mexican Empire from 10 April 1864 until his execution by the Restored Republic (Mexico), Mexican Republ ...

is still emperor in 1889, and Siam is an emerging regional power under the government of

Rama V Chulalongkorn (20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910), posthumously honoured as King Chulalongkorn the Great, was the fifth Monarchy of Thailand, king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama V. Chulalongkorn's reign from 1868 until his ...

. The ''Space: 1889 After'' iteration takes place ten years after the original 1889 setting, and war and disaster have for a time separated the worlds.

Publications

GDW (1989-1990)

*''Space: 1889'' by Frank Chadwick (1989). The core rulebook, hardback, 216 pages. * ''Space: 1889 Referee's Screen'' by

Julia Martin Julia Martin is a game designer and editor who has worked on a number of products for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy roleplaying game. Career Julia Martin worked for Game Designers' Workshop until she left in 1991 to work for TSR. Martin work ...

(1989). *'' Tales From The Ether'' by Frank Chadwick, Marc Miller,

Loren Wiseman Loren Keith Wiseman (March 7, 1951 – February 14, 2017) was an American wargame and role-playing game designer, game developer and editor. Career Game Designers' Workshop After graduating from Illinois State University, Loren Wiseman co-f ...

, Ryan and Smith (1989), 64 pages. Five adventures. *''More Tales from the Ether'' by Brown, Smith, Ryan, and

Blaine Pardoe Blaine Lee Pardoe is an American author and military historian, known primarily for writing the ''BattleTech'' and '' MechWarrior: Dark Age'' series of science fiction books. Personal life Pardoe was born in Newport News, Virginia, in 1962 an ...

, edited by Loren Wiseman (1989), 64 pages. Four Martian adventures. *''Beastmen of Mars'' by Lester Smith (1989), 64 pages. An adventure set on Mars. *'' Canal Priests of Mars'' by Marcus Rowland, 1990, 64 pages. Adventure. *''Steppelords of Mars'' by John A. Theisen (1989), 64 pages. Campaign setting on the steppes of Mars. *''Caravans of Mars'' by Ed Andrews (1989), 64 pages. A

caravan Caravan or caravans may refer to: Transport and travel *Campervan, a type of vehicle also known as a motor caravan *Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together **Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop *Caravan (trail ...

adventure set on Mars. *''Cloud Captains of Mars'' by Frank Chadwick (1989), 64 pages. Supplement on the aerial cloud ship captains and sky pirates. *'' Conklin's Atlas of the Worlds and Handy Manual of Useful Information'' by Frank Chadwick (1989), 80 pages. The basic reference for ''Space: 1889'', mapping Earth, Mars, Venus, Mercury, Luna, and Atlantis. Includes history and transport maps. *'' Soldier's Companion'' by Frank Chadwick (1989), 196 pages. Miniatures rules for land and sky combat, with army lists. * ''Ironclads and Ether Flyers'' by Frank Chadwick, boardgame. Rules for surface naval combat, including detailed information about Earth's navies and flyers. The rules are a simplification of ''Sky Galleons of Mars'' * '' Sky Galleons of Mars'', boardgame. Boxed game of aerial combat on Mars. It included large scale maps, ship miniatures, and rules. * '' Cloudships & Gunboats'', ''Sky Galleons of Mars'' expansion. Role playing game supplement with mini-scale deckplans, cardstock miniatures, rules, and ship diagrams. * ''Temple of the Beastmen'', boardgame. Boxed modular board game that never plays the same way twice. * GDW's house magazine (''Challenge'') also contained material for the game.

3W (1990)

*''The Liftwood Conspiracy'' by Gary E. Smith, published under license by 3W (1989), 64 pages. Adventure on Mars.

Heliograph (1999-2002)

* Heliograph's magazine ''Transactions of the Royal Martian Geographical Society'' (fan material mostly originally published in the early 1990s) containing additional game material. * ''The Complete Canal Priests of Mars'' by Marcus Rowland. The GDW edition cut about a third of the author's manuscript. ''The Complete Canal Priests of Mars'' restored all of the original text and had new illustrations throughout. * Heliograph reprinted the rules portions of ''Sky Galleons of Mars'' and ''Cloudships & Gunboats'', but did not reprint the boxed games themselves.

Pinnacle Entertainment Group (2010)

*''Space 1889: Red Sands'' A

Plot Point Campaign published by

as a full-color hardback. The campaign "pits a desperate band of heroes against the Inner Circle of the Brotherhood of Luxor. The Brotherhood, led by the mysterious Kronos, King of the Titans, plots to bring about the end of all worlds." The campaign was released in November 2010, with a

Gen Con Gen Con is the largest tabletop game convention in North America by both attendance and number of events. It features traditional pen-and-paper, board, and card games, including role-playing games, miniatures wargames, live action role-playing ...

debut in August.

Uhrwerk Verlag/Clockwork Publishing (2012-2018)

*''Space: 1889'' published first in German by Uhrwerk Verlag (Clockwork Publishing) in July 2012 as 264 pages full-color hardback, based on the Ubiquity rules. The sourcebooks of Venus and Mercury were published in 2015, Mars in 2016, and Luna in 2017. An English translation, by Uhrwerk Verlag and Chronicle City (later only Uhrwerk Verlag under Clockwork Publishing) was funded on Kickstarter in late 2013, met with continued delays but was finally completed. The English edition was released in 2014 (PDF) and 2015 (print). *''Marvels of Mars,'' focussed on martian fauna and flora as well as on martian technology and artifacts is also available since 2016.''Venus Sourcebook'' is available since August 2017 (both as PDF and print). *''Mercury Sourcebook'' was released in May 2017 (PDF) and May 2018 (print). *''Mars Sourcebook'', devoted to Mars history, geography, politics including colonial powers, and mysteries is available since November 2018 after a successful Kickstarter campaign. It includes most of the Information presented in ''Marvels of Mars'' and has harmonized most of the supplemental Information regarding Mars published by GDW and Heliograph''.'' *''The City at the Center of the Earth'', ''The Ether Calculator'', ''On the Trails of Gods'', ''London Bridge has Fallen Down'', ''Thunders of Venus'', ''The Fate of Angahiaa'', ''Nocturne in the City of Lights'', ''The Strange Land'' and ''Murder on the Ether Express,'' are all adventures available as PDF and print published by Clockwork Publishing for both Ubiquity and Savage Worlds rules. *''Phaetons Vermächtnis, Kolonie im Nebel, Unter Hochdruck, Der marsianische Patient'' are all expansions and adventures by Uhrwerk-Verlag currently available only in German, as well as the sourcebooks ''Paris 1889 - Im Angesicht der Welten'' and the above named ''Luna. Das Erbe der Kanalwächter'' is a translation into German and the Ubiquity rules of the ''Canals Priests of Mars'' adventure. ''Äther, Dampf und Stahlgiganten'' contains adventures printed in GDW's Magazine Challenge, adapted to Ubiquity rules, while ''Planet der Legenden'' includes adventures from both Challenge Magazine, ''Tales from the Ether'' and ''More Tales from the Ether'', also adapted to Ubiquity rules.

Strange Owl Games (2023- )

* ''Space 1889: After,'' both 5e and Empyrean editions are expected to be released by mid-2023

Miniatures

GDW released a range of 25mm miniatures sculpted by Bob Murch of RAFM. These sets were collectively called ''Adversaries'', and included ''Soldiers of the Queen'' (a "company" of 20 British infantry), ''Legions of Mars'' (a warband of 20 Martians), ''Kraag Warriors'' (20 High Martians, 10 each flying and walking), and ''Victorian Adventurers'' (10 diverse personalities, as seen in ''Temple of the Beastmen''). In 2002, RAFM released Martian colonial infantry, cavalry & artillery crew, as well as new gashants (a Martian cavalry mount), Hill Martians and Canal Martians. Highlander studios produced a line of 15mm miniatures.

Computer game

A computer game adaptation of the same name was also released in 1990. It was developed by licensee

, who produced four computer games for GDW.

Audio dramas

Between 2005 and 2006, Noise Monster Productions produced audio adventures under license from Chadwick. The first three released stories are commonly referred to as The Mars Trilogy, and the fourth release ''The Lunar Inheritance'' is a stand-alone tale. Each was released on a single CD with a full-cast and running time of approximately 70 minutes. The Audio dramas released have been: *''Red Devils'' by

Jonathan Clements Jonathan Michael Clements (born 9 July 1971) is a British author and scriptwriter. His non-fiction works include biographies of Confucius, Koxinga and Qin Shi Huang, as well as monthly opinion columns for '' Neo'' magazine. He is also the co-au ...

*''The Steppes of Thoth'' by

James Swallow James Swallow is a British author. A BAFTA nominee and a ''New York Times'', '' Sunday Times'' and Amazon #1 best-seller, he is the author of several original books and tie-in novels, as well as short fiction, numerous audio dramas and video ...

*''The Siege of Alclyon'' by Marc Platt *''The Lunar Inheritance'' by

Andy Frankham-Allen Andy may refer to: People *Andy (given name), including a list of real individuals and fictional characters *Horace Andy (born 1951), Jamaican roots reggae songwriter and singer born Horace Hinds * Katja Andy (1907–2013), German-American pianis ...

Richard Dinnick Richard Dinnick (born 22 January 1968) is a British screenwriter, novelist, comic book writer, narrative games narrative designer, audio playwright. He is a frequent guest at writing events (including the London Screenwriters' Festival) and such ' ...

eBooks

In 2011, Untreed Reads Publishing launched a series of ''Space: 1889'' eBooks. Called ''"Space: 1889 & Beyond"'', they were edited by Andy Frankham-Allen. The first series was based loosely, on the ''Tales from the Ether'' supplement, introducing the characters, setting, aether, planets, and politics. The first series ran until February 2012. The second series of six books began in August 2012, for the first time advancing the setting beyond the year 1889, and pushing the narrative forward to previously unexplored areas of the property. The opening book of series two, ''Conspiracy of Silence'', was the first time any ''Space: 1889'' product has been set entirely on Earth (featuring characters from Frank Chadwick's forthcoming prequel novel ''The Forever Engine''), with the series two finale, ''Horizons of Deceit Book I'', being the second - serving as the opposite bookend of the season following the political manoeuvring seen in the previous novel. A third series of novels launched in July 2014, a further set of six books featuring authors who have all previously written for the series. Only the first two books in the series were published, and Untreed Reads is no longer publishing the series.

Series one (April to December 1889)

*''Journey to the Heart of Luna'' by Andy Frankham-Allen *''Vandals on Venus'' by K.G. McAbee *''The Ghosts of Mercury'' by

Mark Michalowski Mark Michalowski (born 1963 in Chesterfield) is the editor of ''Shout!'', "Yorkshire's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender paper", as well as being an author best known for his work writing spin-offs based on the BBC Television series ''Docto ...

*''Abattoir in the Aether'' by L. Joseph Shosty *''A Prince of Mars'' by Frank Chadwick *''Dark Side of Luna'' by J.T. Wilson & Frank Chadwick

Series two December (1889 to October 1890)

*''Conspiracy of Silence'' by Andy Frankham-Allen & Frank Chadwick *''Mundus Cerialis'' by Andy Frankham-Allen & Sharon Bidwell (based on an idea by Paul Ebbs) *''Leviathans of the Clouds'' by

Steven Savile Steven Savile (born 12 October 1969) is a British fantasy, horror and thriller writer and editor living in Sweden. His published work includes novels and numerous short stories in magazines and anthologies. Career Steven Savile started out ...

& David Parish-Whittaker *''A Fistful of Dust'' by Sharon Bidwell *''The Forever Journey'' by Paul F Gwyn (based on an idea by Mark Michalowski) *''Horizons of Deceit Book I'' by

Jonathan Cooper Jonathan Javell Cooper (born January 19, 1990) is an American former professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Arizona Cardinals seventh overall in the 2013 NFL draft. He play ...

Series three October (1890 to late 1891)

*''Horizons of Deceit Book II'' by Andy Frankham-Allen & Jonathan Cooper *''The Draco Eye'' by Sharon Bidwell

Reception

G. E. Smith reviewed ''Space: 1889'' in ''

Space Gamer/Fantasy Gamer ''The Space Gamer'' was a magazine dedicated to the subject of science fiction and fantasy board games and tabletop role-playing games. It quickly grew in importance and was an important and influential magazine in its subject matter from the la ...

'' No. 85. Smith commented that "the ''Space: 1889'' system encompasses a serious game, produced by serious game designers who have their tongues lovingly but firmly in their cheeks, at least in the technology areas. But it all seems to work wonderfully well and is a delight to read and work with, as well as play." Paul Mason reviewed ''Space: 1889'' for ''

Games International ''Computer Games Magazine'' was a monthly computer and console gaming print magazine, founded in October 1988 as the United Kingdom publication ''Games International''. During its history, it was known variously as ''Strategy Plus'' (October 1 ...

'' magazine, and gave it 3 stars out of 5, and stated that "All in all, a good game. Not a great game, but certainly worth a try if you like the idea of the background."

Stewart Wieck Stewart Douglas Wieck (May 10, 1968 – June 22, 2017) was one of the founders of the publishing company, White Wolf, Inc. He was also one of the original writers of Mage: The Ascension. Career Stewart Wieck was born in Freeport, Illinois, in 1 ...

reviewed ''Space: 1889'' in ''

White Wolf The Arctic wolf (''Canis lupus arctos''), also known as the white wolf, polar wolf, and the Arctic grey wolf, is a subspecies of grey wolf native to the High Arctic tundra of Canada's Queen Elizabeth Islands, from Melville Island to Ellesme ...

'' #15 (April/May 1989), rating it a 5 out of 5 and stated that "If the setting interests you at all, then you should try to game. The system itself is easy to learn and use and shouldn't interfere with your ability to tell a story." In his 1990 book ''

The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games ''The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games'' is a book written by Rick Swan and published by St. Martin's Press in 1990 that explains role-playing games and provides reviews of those that were on the market at the time. Contents ''The Complete G ...

'', game critic

Rick Swan Rick Swan is a game designer and author who worked for TSR. His work for TSR, mostly for ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'', appeared from 1989 to 1995. Swan also wrote '' The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games'' (1990), published by St. Martin' ...

called this game "one of the most imaginative RPGs of the last decade." Swan thought the character generation rules were "a terrific system producing playable, well-rounded PCs in just a few minutes." Swan found the rest of the game "similarly elegant." Swan concluded by giving this game an excellent rating of 3.5 out of 4, saying, "What makes ''Space: 1889'' a joy is its delightful setting, rendered in loving, whimsical detail." ''

The Games Machine ''The Games Machine'' was a video game magazine that was published from 1987 until 1990 in the United Kingdom by Newsfield, which also published '' CRASH'', ''Zzap!64'', '' Amtix!'' and other magazines. History ''The Games Machine'' ran head ...

'' reviewed ''Space: 1889'' and stated that "this is one very entertaining package and after a play you'll soon be wanting to return to the Crown Colony of Sytis on Mars!" In a 1996 reader poll conducted by UK magazine ''Arcane'' to determine the 50 most popular role-playing games, ''Space 1889'' was ranked 20th. Editor Paul Pettengale commented: "Although the character generation is a delight - the stats include Social Standing - the system itself combines simplicity with incomprehensibility. You have to be prepared for lots of house rulings and on-the-spot improvising, or take an easier route and convert to another system. Comparisons with the later ''Falkenstein'' are inevitable and not necessarily to ''Falkensteins credit. ''Space 1889'' avoids fantasy hangovers, or the pretence that the setting is a utopia. Imperialism exists, and its complexities and gradiations are not glossed over. The game leaves it up to the players (and ref) to decide whether they become bold imperialists or bold freedom fighters for the Martians. You bring your own biases to ''Space 1889'', rather than being forced to accept the predigested ideas of its authors."

References

External links

* Heliograph'
''Space: 1889''
homepage {{Authority control Campaign settings Frank Chadwick games Game Designers' Workshop games Works set on Mars Fiction set on Venus Role-playing games introduced in 1988 Steampunk role-playing games Planetary romances