On the tail of Old School Renaissance has come another movement—the rise of the fanzine. Although the fanzine—a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon, got its start in Science Fiction fandom, in the gaming hobby it first started with Chess and Diplomacy fanzines before finding fertile ground in the roleplaying hobby in the 1970s. Here these amateurish publications allowed the hobby a public space for two things. First, they were somewhere that the hobby could voice opinions and ideas that lay outside those of a game’s publisher. Second, in the Golden Age of roleplaying when the Dungeon Masters were expected to create their own settings and adventures, they also provided a rough and ready source of support for the game of your choice. Many also served as vehicles for the fanzine editor’s house campaign and thus they showcased how another DM and group played said game. This would often change over time if a fanzine accepted submissions. Initially, fanzines were primarily dedicated to the big three RPGs of the 1970s—Dungeons & Dragons, RuneQuest, and Traveller—but fanzines have appeared dedicated to other RPGs since, some of which helped keep a game popular in the face of no official support.
Since 2008 with the publication of Fight On #1, the Old School Renaissance has had its own fanzines. The advantage of the Old School Renaissance is that the various Retroclones draw from the same source and thus one Dungeons & Dragons-style RPG is compatible with another. This means that the contents of one fanzine will be compatible with the Retroclone that you already run and play even if not specifically written for it. Labyrinth Lord and Lamentations of the Flame Princess Weird Fantasy Roleplay have proved to be popular choices to base fanzines around, as has Swords & Wizardry. As new fanzines have appeared, there has been an interest in the fanzines of the past, and as that interest has grown, they have become highly collectible, and consequently more difficult to obtain and write about. However, in writing about them, the reader should be aware that these fanzines were written and published between thirty and forty years ago, typically by roleplayers in their teens and twenties. What this means is that sometimes the language and terminology used reflects this and though the language and terminology is not socially acceptable today, that use should not be held against the authors and publishers unduly.
The featured content in High Passage Issue Number Two is ‘FEATURE Adventure: The Cobra Conspiracy’. The Player Characters are pirates, the crew of the corsair, Iron Hand, operating out of Ehart in the So Skire subsector of The Old Expanses sector. A representative from the Solomani rebels hires the Iron Hand and its crew to break into the DDD&S test facilities on Tama in the So Skire subsector and steal the FZ-72 Cobra, the new high performance fighter being tested for the Imperial Navy. Security is relatively light given the high incidence of pirate activity across the subsector, but the facility has hired mercenaries to beef up security.
This is the set-up to what is effectively a ‘snatch & grab’ mission and it is very fully supported. There is a full set of stats for the pirate crew of the Iron Hand and the equipment in their ship’s locker, as well as details of the fighter and the test facility. This is quite large and has a runway, fuel storage depot, heliport, and main complex, all separate. All four areas are mapped and some forty personnel are given stats and armament as needed. The duty rooster is accompanied by a daily schedule which indicates where each individual will be at any one time.
There are rumours for the subsector, some of them linked to the I.S.C.V. King Richard deck plans and Action Aboard: Adventures on the King Richard supplement from the FASA Corporation. Many also express anti-Imperial sentiment. There are more rumours that are specific to Tama, the site of the testing facilities. In addition, the Library Data aboard the Iron Hand will inform the Player Characters about the AK Mercenary Corporation, which has the contract at the DDD&S test facilities, as well as Diversified Dynamics Design and Shipyards (the first time that the name for DDD&S is explained), and more. In fact, the Library Data is good for The Expanses sector in general.
The advice for the Game Master covers the theft of the fighter and both refuelling it and launching it and how the staff at the facility will react, plus a rough breakdown of how the heist may play out. The Player Characters’ corsair may run into opposition on the run out from Tama. There are options too, for adding a twist or two and what might happen next if the scenario is being run as part of a campaign or the start of one. To run the adventure, the Game Master and her players require Basic Traveller, Book 4: Mercenary, and probably Book 5: High Guard. If the players want to create their own pirates, then Supplement 4: Citizens of the Imperium will be useful. Supplement 7: Gunboats & Traders will provide starship encounter tables.
‘The Cobra Conspiracy’ is a superbly detailed scenario, quite technical in its approach, but there are opportunities for roleplaying when researching the facilities and dealing with rumours on Tama in the lead up to the theft attempt. The scenario feels influenced by the technothriller novel Firefox, published in 1977 (and subsequently made into a film with Clint Eastwood in 1982), and that is no bad thing.
Further support for ‘The Cobra Conspiracy’ as well as play beyond or any campaign involving pirates, comes in the form of ‘STARSHIPFILES: Iron Fist Class Pirate Corsair’. This the model that the Player Characters will crew in the scenario and is a four hundred tonne design created using Traveller Book 2: Starships and based on the description given in the Pirate occupation in Supplement 4: Citizens of the Imperium. The design has three turrets each with three beam lasers, a cargo deck with doors large to admit a one hundred tonne vessel, and variable identification features. It includes deck plans too. The ‘Grav APC’ and the ‘AH-15 Aggressor Attack Helicopter’, both of which appear in the scenario, are detailed in ‘In Transit’.
The ‘Special Feature’ for the issue is the ‘Marc Miller Interview’. Conducted by Craig Johnson, it covers Miller’s background, gaming and design experience, the origins and influences of Traveller. At four pages long it feels lengthy and detailed, but is not complete, the second part coming in the next issue. Otherwise, a very good read, informative and interesting. ‘The Armoury’ provides illustrations for ‘Book 4 Small Arms’ or rather for Book 4: Mercenary, but is really filler. The ‘Star Atlas’ returns to the location for the scenario with a breakdown of the data for and map of the ‘SO SKIRE Subsector’.
Physically, High Passage Number Two is very nicely presented. The artwork is excellent and the cartography is good. The issue is so good in terms of presentation that is more akin to an actual supplement for Traveller.
High Passage Number One was a good first issue, but High Passage Number Two is a really good issue. Its scenario is fantastically well supported and much of its content can be used beyond the events of the scenario, whilst the interview is good enough to want to read part two. High Passage Number Two is simply excellent support for Traveller.
High Passage Number One was a good first issue, but High Passage Number Two is a really good issue. Its scenario is fantastically well supported and much of its content can be used beyond the events of the scenario, whilst the interview is good enough to want to read part two. High Passage Number Two is simply excellent support for Traveller.
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