RetroRoleplaying: The Blog

While I was an assistant sysop on GEnie Science Fiction Fandom RoundTable (SFRT3), we developed a number of games designed to be played in our RoundTable's chat rooms. We couldn't call them games, however, as that would have made the gaming RoundTables mad. So we called them "Story Engines" because they were designed around the various collaborative stories fans were writing in sections of our RoundTables.

I've put copies of this rules up in a new "Miscellaneous" section on RetroRoleplaying.com today. These games aren't really roleplaying games, but they could be easily be used as rules modules for rpgs. However, they are fun to play and needed a home. The chief designer, Glenn Overby II, had them up on his website in 2001. Unfortunately, his site disappeared a few years ago. They deserve to be available again -- and now they are.

A Matter of Style

In this simple game, you are a hacker duelling other hackers in the cyberspace where style is everything. The rules for this game are quite simple and two people can play a complete game in few minutes.

An Cath

In An Cath, you are a mighty warrior in Caladonia in the lands of the Fallen Empire. There are four sides, two human, one elfin, and one goblin. Defend your homelands with your sword.

ArchMage

Become a powerful elemental wizard in the Fallen Empire and duel other mages in ArchMage. Your ArchMage character can also be used in the Astral Warriors game.

Astral Warriors

With Astral Warriors, you can quickly create a powerful mage and battle other mages for control of the astral plane. This game is set in the Fallen Empire, a world specially created for online games and interactive fiction by Randall Stukey

PsiKnight

Enter a land of swords and psionics: a land of fantasy where the knights have a bit of "magic" to help them in their battles. You can quickly create a character and fight other PsiKnights on foot, on horseback, and in war. This simple game system includes long-term campaign rules.

StarPilot

With StarPilot, you can quickly create a hotshot star fighter pilot and battle other pilots for glory in the depths of space. This game, set in Ann Wilson's Terran Empire, is the most complex and the most popular of the many science fiction and fantasy chat games we created on GEnie.