''Ad Astra'' is a
closed-end,
computer-moderated play-by-mail
A play-by-mail game (also known as a PBM game, PBEM game, turn-based game, turn based distance game, or an interactive strategy game.) is a game played through postal mail, email, or other digital media. Correspondence chess and Go (game), Go wer ...
(PBM) game that was published by
Superior Simulations. It was a turn-based space fantasy game designed by John M. Ess.
Gameplay
''Ad Astra'' was a
computer-moderated science fiction play-by-mail game, with a fixed deadline and a strategic focus.
New players received a 30-page rulebook which, in 1987, cost $2.
[ Townsend 1987. p. 6.] Players operated on a hex grid of 225 stars, manipulating various elements of gameplay to include various types of starships, ground defense units, and starbases.
[ Conquest and expansion as well as diplomacy among players played key roles in ''Ad Astra''. Players also had to manage the costs of new elements of gameplay, as overspending affected remaining points at the end of the game, with the player with the highest number of points being victorious.
]
Reception
''Ad Astra'' was reviewed in The February–March 1987 issue of ''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 ...
''. The reviewer commented, "For those people who like this type of game, I don't think that there is a better one of its type on the PBM market today. It is a well-oiled machine. But then so is a fork lift. I can respect the efficient design of a fort lift, but I sure can't get excited about one. So, if you are the type of player who revels in objective and detached exercised of logic, look no farther. ''Ad Astra'' is well worth your money and time."[ Space Gamer 1987. pp. 46-47.] Jim Townsend gave ''Ad Astra'' a positive review in the May–June 1987 issue of ''Paper Mayhem'', stating, "I highly recommend Ad Astra to anyone who likes good, active space games at a very reasonable price", while also noting that "the service is some of the best in the industry".[ Townsend 1987. p. 33.]
In the September–October 1992 issue of ''Paper Mayhem
''Paper Mayhem'' is an out-of-print play-by-mail (PBM) game magazine that was published in Ottawa, Illinois. The staff published the initial issue in July 1983 and the magazine ran until mid-1998. Its format was 40 pages published six times per ...
'' magazine, ''Ad Astra'' was ranked No. 68 of 84 play-by-mail games by its readers.[ Paper Mayhem 1992. p. 52.]
See also
* List of play-by-mail games
This is a list of play-by-mail (PBM) games. It includes games played only by postal mail, those played by mail with a play-by-email (PBEM) option, and games played in a turn-based format only by email or other digital format.
It is unclear what t ...
Notes
References
Bibliography
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Further reading
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{{Play-by-mail games
20th-century role-playing games
American games
American role-playing games
Multiplayer games
Play-by-mail games
Role-playing games introduced in 1987
Role-playing games introduced in the 1980s
Science fiction games
Science fiction role-playing games
Space conquest games
Space opera role-playing games
Strategy games
Tabletop games