Star Frontiers is making a comeback!!!
The early 80s were a great time to be a gamer.
TSR had just released the highly anticipated Dungeon Master Guide as the 70’s were closing, really expanding on the previous Monster Manual and Player’s Handbook. Rules were really starting to gel, play was picking up and to kick off the 80s…we got the A series of modules, the Slave Pits series. Life was good…..but could it get better?
Boot Hill (Western) and Gamma World (Post-Apocyliptic) had previously released in 1975 and 1978 respectively, and Top Secret (Spy) was released in 1980…but what we really wanted was a true space-faring game. You see, us “Children of the 80s” were all about the SciFi due to this little known movie called Star Wars. Sure, we were into Fantasy too, having grown up on Robin Hood, King Arthur and LotR, but those really were the movies/inspiration of our parents. Star Wars was OURS, and we wanted to explore the galaxy. In 1982 – our prayers were answered.
In Star Frontiers, players lived in the time of the United Planetary Federation (UPF) and played as one of the four core races (Human, Dralasite, Vrusk and Yazirian ). They adventured in the Frontier Sector as employees of Pan Galactic Corporation – typically fighting off or foiling the evil plans of the reptilian Sathar.
With the original boxed set, Alpha Dawn, an additional expansion, plusa considerable number of modules for the time – life was good. The game was original (not just a Star Wars knock off), the opportunities endless and it filled a great void for us kids.
Sadly – TRS was sold to WotC in 1997. WotC did try to keep the game alive by adding the races to d20 Modern and d20 Future Source books, but that was really just a poor attempt at nostalgia, and with the passing of the d20 period - Star Frontiers was quietly shelved…..never to see the light of day again. Or so we thought.
Wizards of the Coast published many of the races originally found in Star Frontiers in their d20 Future supplement for d20 Modern.
On June 22nd, the newly reformed TSR Games made the following announcement on Twitter -
Could it be? Not only are they reviving TSR and getting the gang back together (as much as they can), one of the first major projects they are tackling is the resurrection of this classic? If so - I am STOKED. In fact, I guarantee I can get a BETA test group together in 10 seconds…..so @TSR_Games, DM me…..we are 100% on board.
