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Starblazer Adventures Game reaches end of the line

By John Freeman on March 6, 2014

Game publishers Cubicle 7 Entertainment are selling PDF downloads of their Starblazer Adventures and Legends of Anglerre games, after deciding not to renew their license for the FATE gaming system.

Starblazer Adventures – originally announced back in 2007 and released in 2009 – is based on the classic British comic series, Starblazer, published by DC Thomson in the 1970s and 80s. Each of Starblazer‘s 281 issues explored a whole adventure set within the vast galactic empires of the far future, and enabled the creation of a massive 632 page roleplaying game, with a wide variety of settings to explore. From low-fi space exploration to galaxy-busting wars to space fantasy epics at the end of time, the game offered plenty for everyone.

Starblazer Issue 1

The original Starblazer comic was the home to some of the best British science fiction space opera, featuring great art and classic space opera stories, comic creators such as Grant Morrison and John Smith, artists Enrique Alcatena, Mike McMahon, Cam Kennedy, John Ridgway, Alan Rogers, Jaime Oritz, Ian Kennedy, Colin MacNeil and Casanovas Junior, who all helped bring the fantastic ‘space fiction adventure in pictures’ to life. Over 400 pieces of Starblazer art from these heroes of sci-fi art were used throughout the book to bring the world of Starblazer Adventures to life.

The FATE rules system used for Starblazer Adventures was recently seen in action with Evil Hat Productions’ popular Spirit of the Century RPG and was tweaked to give Starblazer players the full intergalactic meal deal. The core release included three detailed settings based on the very best stories from Starblazer, providing background on recurring characters, organisations, empires and aliens such as the Fi-Sci (the Fighting Scientists of Galac Squad), The Star Patrol, The Suicide Squad, The Planet Tamer, Cinnibar the barbarian warrior of Babalon and galactic cop Frank Carter – to name just a few.

In a statement explaining the decision to end publication, the company explained: “Both Starblazer Adventures and Legends of Anglerre were landmark products in the early history of Cubicle 7, and they will always have a place in our hearts (and on our bookshelves). They were amongst our earliest titles, and it was great to be involved with the FATE community.

“But, FATE is so well served nowadays and, with our licensing agreement due to expire, we have had to make the tough decision not to renew it and instead to concentrate on other projects.”

To celebrate these fantastic products, the company is running a special sale for the rest of March – all Starblazer Adventures and Legends of Anglerre PDF products will be $5 – a massive 80% reduction on the original price. After 31st March 2014 none of these products will be on sale.

• Details of the Starblazer Adventures End of Line sale are here ends 31 March 2014

• Read our review of Starblazer Adventures by Matthew Armitage

• Starblazer checklist of every issue, including known creator credits

About the Author
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John Freeman

John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.

He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.