A good-looking Spelljammer core box set is in the shop, and I got some great photos!
Swashbuckling on wooden ships in the void of space wasn’t my idea of D&D back in 1989. Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and its predecessor had each dabbled in science fantasy, in keeping with their Appendix N roots. I’d ported over AD&D characters over to Gamma World, played Expedition to the Barrier Peaks, planned a Blackmoor campaign at one point…
But this new Spelljammer campaign setting for some reason broke my brain when it came out. Time passed, I read more adventures in Wildspace, and realized the potential of travelling between …say… the Forgotten Realms and Greyhawk on a flying ship. And all the adventures in between. Very cool.
And that Jim Holloway art really drew me in…
Spelljammer: Adventures in Space [BOX SET]
1989 … Jeff Grubb … TSR 1049 … ISBN 0880387629
Two 96-page books; 4 poster maps; 20 ship data cards; 4 sheets of cut-outs; plastic stands. For a precise contents list, visit my Spelljammer reference site page.
“…The Arcane, a race of blue-skinned giants, sell all the tools necessary to make the long journey to wildspace. These tools consist of a ship, a helm, and a star to steer by.
The ship can be common enough: A Xebec, Galleon, Cog, or even a Coaster like those we see pull into the ports of Waterdeep every day of the week. Or they can be the fantastic Squid, Angelship, Hammership, or Cuttle Command. Many wonder how these ships can move without wind, and I’ll tell you. Instead of sails that draw power from the wind, spelljammers simply gain power from the magic of the spellcaster who pilots them…”
Dale “Slade” Henson,
1993 TSR Master Catalog
These box sets are now collector items, with collector prices. Gamers: If you just want to run a Spelljammer game, DriveThruRPG is your go-to. You can buy in PDF ($10 – as of this writing), Paperback reprint ($25), and Hardcover ($30)
Concordance of Arcane Space
Despite this book being coded second (TSR 1049XXX1902), the reader is instructed in the Foreword to read the Concordance first, as it contains the most basic concepts of the setting.
Section headings: Arcane Space, AD&D Rules in Space, Ships of Wildspace, Movement & Combat, Celestial Mechanics. Appendices cover Spell Effects, Travel Times, and a brief overview of the Rock of Bral. Numerous sidebars are scattered throughout the book covering specific short topics.
I’m trying out slideshows for related images. Click on the arrows to see all the pics. Makes the post shorter without sacrificing some great photos. Let me know in the comments whether you prefer the slideshow, or images embedded directly in the post as they’ve always been.
The artist for this whole set (except the Jeff Easley box cover lid art) is the late Jim Holloway. Both book covers, and all the interior line art! His work graces the setting with a consistent and inspiring backdrop, with a touch of the usual Holloway whimsy that fits well on Spelljammer. I’ve gushed about his art before in the Paranoia RPG, and in Endless Quest books.
Lorebook of the Void
The Lorebook covers: Campaigns in Space, Spelljammers, Spacefarers (all the humans, nonhumans, and monsters), the Crystal Spheres that contain star systems, and lots of maps and notes.
The Ship Cards
The set comes with 24 cardstock sheets, of which 20 are (now-iconic) Spelljammer ships, and 4 sheets of cutouts. The ship cards have a color rendering of the ship on the front, and deckplans of the ship on the back.
OK, here I’m trying the Gallery option for photos. Click on an image for a larger view. Let me know what you think!
The Maps
Four poster maps, all single-sided: Planetary Display, The Spelljammer, space hex grid, and the Rock of Bral.
See also:
WHITE PLUME MOUNTAIN: Session 8 – Elf Screams – I used to play the old SSI Spelljammer video game. Every third elf death cried piteously. In this session of our WPM game, I used an audio clip of that scream as the PCs dispatched opposing NPC elves.
I like the slideshow, but gallery works too.
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