the Universe 2nd Edition cover (1982 Bantam softcover)
Steve's Universe Page!
the Universe 2nd Edition cover (1982 Bantam
softcover)
(note: this site looks best at 1024x768 resolution). Updated 10/13/02.
This site, the first such on the Internet, pays homage to the "lost" science fiction roleplaying game Universe!
Universe: A brief biography
Universe is a science fiction roleplaying game published by legendary board wargaming company Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in mid-1981. It followed in the footsteps of SPI's successful fantasy RPG, DragonQuest, first published in 1980. A Gamesmaster screen/pack was soon released, and many further Universe products were in design or planned. Universe, unlike the popular contemporary Traveller (GDW), was not set in a vast intersteller empire. Rather, it was set in a future in which mankind was in the fairly early stages of exploring and colonizing the star systems near Sol.
The lead designer was John Butterfield, designer of several very interesting SPI games, including Voyage of the Pandora. Butterfield would later design for Victory Games and others in the early to mid 80's, including such classics as Ambush! and RAF (West End Games). He also designed the Baseball Manager online game for Prodigy around 1990 or so. Click to go to his current endeavor: John Butterfield Associates.
Like DragonQuest, Universe is a skill-based game system with a more interesting character creation process. The game uses a psionic interstellar travel idea derived from SPI's famous Redmond Simonsen StarForce/Outreach game environment. Like DragonQuest, Universe has a wargame like feel to the combat system.
Dragon magazine published a generally enthusiastic review of Universe in issue #55 (Nov. 1981) on pp. 65-66. Ironically, within a few months TSR would own Universe and let it wither on the vine to die...
SPI would be taken over by TSR in early 1982, and no further products were published by TSR at that time, though SPI was evidently working on several. Some support continued for the game in Ares magazine until it was discontinued by TSR in 1984, but apparently most planned supplements were never published, other than part of First Contacts and a single adventure, Mongoose and Cobra, in Ares.
As is pretty much common knowledge now, TSR fumbled their SPI acquisition. Greg Costikyan, former SPI staff member who did some work with Universe, has an interesting web page up with his personal take on how TSR alienated most of SPI's thousands of loyal customers and failed to build on the intellectual properties they had acquired. Click here for Costikyan's opinion: A Farewell to Hexes. California based wargame company Decision Games now apparently owns the SPI logo and much of SPI's boardgame line. However, TSR may still own most or all of SPI's science fiction and fantasy line of game, including DragonQuest and Universe. Of course, Wizards of the Coast bought TSR, and Hasbro later bought both Wizards and Avalon Hill....so industry giant Hasbro may retain the rights.
Unlike DragonQuest, which has had a renaissance of sorts in the form of a substantial "cult" following (including several interesting web sites and an electronic newsletter), Universe seems to have largely vanished from the gaming scene except for some mild interest in it as a collectable.
Copies of the game are rare and hard to find, but some are still out there. Since the game was really in its infancy when SPI went under, Universe never had much of a chance to develop a loyal following (DragonQuest was published a full year earlier and SPI published several supplements, including an adventure map and 3 major adventure modules, before its demise).
Your best bet in getting a copy of Universe is eBay. Note that you shouldn't really pay any more than about $20 max. for the Bantam softcover (make sure the big star map is included!) and no more than maybe $20-25 for the boxed set, depending on condition and completeness (though this one appears to be harder to find than the softcover). However, prices fluctuate wildly on eBay...
To search for Universe on eBay, click on this link: Games Category and search for Universe.
The Universe Compendium
Below is a compendium of Universe products and information that I am aware of. If anyone has any additional information on Universe products or articles in magazines, please email me below.
Universe was first published by SPI in the summer of 1981 in two forms: a “Basic set” in plastic envelope for $10 and a “Complete boxed set” for $20.
A “Universe Addenda as of June 1981” sheet appears to have been included with the game. It is a single sheet listing of rules corrections and additions to the game.
SPI supported Universe, as well as DragonQuest, in its bi-monthly science fiction/fantasy magazine Ares. Issue #12 appears to be the final issue produced entirely by SPI (which published the magazine from 1980-82). TSR continued the magazine for 7 more issues (1983-84), then ceased publication in 1984. Copies of Ares pop up at various auction sites on the net from time to time, and are generally in demand. Expect to pay roughly $10-15 for some issues, depending on quality, etc. Copies without the game can probably be gotten for under $5 each, though these seem to be rarer in auctions (collectors want both the game and magazine included).
Below is a listing of Universe related information that appeared in Ares. Included are the original game proposal, designer’s notes, ads, supplementary material, proposed supplements, and one full adventure. Listed is each issue’s number, date, and relevant articles (with page #s):
Issue Date
#4 9/80
#7 3/81
#8 5/81
#9 7/81
#10 9/81
#11 11/81
#12 1/82
(SPI taken over by TSR...a sad event for board gaming, though Ares 13 was still very SPI-like...)
#13 winter 83
SE#1 summer 83
#17 ?/84
Essential material from Ares would include #9 (Delta Vee) if one only has the original Basic set or the 2nd Edition softcover, #12 for the StarTrader game, #13 for the Universe CommLink section adding the Perception skill and NPC card format, Special Edition #1 for the First Contacts supplement (which adds new professions, skills, and the Sh’k’tlp alien race), and #17 for the Mongoose and Cobra game module (a complete adventure with mini-campaign possibilities).
Universe Lives! A Universe Internet Campaign
10/01 -- Universe lived on the Internet...for awhile! Pete Cornwell and I started a PBEM game. Pete ran the show with his late 23rd century future milieu called the "Fall of Earth" Campaign (the link was dead the last time I checked). I played the character Alexander Paul (see below). Sadly, the campaign closed down with Alexander Paul, serving as exec officer and landing party commander of the clarinet class ship Boothroyd Collins, about to lead a landing party to the planet Lyonesse. Real life concerns effected both me and, I think Pete (who had just gotten married).
Supplements
Again, if any interest here, I'd be willing to publish some supplements. Stuff such as some sample star systems, additional professions, additional skills, adventures, etc. are possibilities in the form of linked pages, if anyone has anything to contribute.
Professions (note that First Contacts in Ares SE #1 added 4 new professions other than the ones I have below):
Skills (note that First Contacts in Ares SE #1 added 9 new skills):
Characters: First up, my PBEM campaign character. Note that his name is a combination of the middle names of my two real-life sons, born in 1993 and 2000:
Born on Earth into a lower middle class family, Alexander Paul always dreamed of a better life for himself, and his hopes always lay in the stars . As a young child, he developed a fondness for astronomy and space travel, interests which would remain with him and help shape his life.
An extremely bright child, Alexander was a heavy reader. Always hoping to travel in space one day and visit strange, exotic worlds, he worked to be a well-rounded person, as evidenced by the fields of study he took on as he grew up. At the college level, he studied Astronomy and a well-balanced education in the humanities.
Alexander's variety of talents led him to enlist in the Scouts. The fulfillment of his childhood dreams, Alexander loved the scouting and analyzing of new worlds, though he sometimes chafed at the policies and restrictions of the military. His brightness and natural curiosity were assets in the Scouts, but his tendency to introspection led to the feeling that he was "soft" by his superiors. This analysis by the military kept Alexander from high-level promotion in the service.
After 12 years in the service, Alexander has resigned his commission to take his chances freelancing in the expanding Federation. He knows that his years in the Scouts have given him an attractive broad base of skills, but he also wonders, at times, if his interests have spread himself thin. Has he become a "Jack-of-All-Trades," but a "Master of None?" Alexander heads into his unknown future with 3.7 Trans in the bank and his Civ 7 Expedition suit. Before hiring himself on an expedition, he plans to make a few personal purchases. Now outside the relatively safe confines of the military, even the usually mild-mannered Alexander feels the need for a personal sidearm. If he can't talk himself out of trouble using personal diplomacy, he plans to at least have a pistol of some kind for some measure of self-protection.
If you'd like to see Alexander's character sheet, email me (see below).
Links: Other web pages devoted to Universe (plus one)
Email me at: ssclark@comcast.net