 May 22, 2015 - 7:49am | Just acquired my first hardcopy Star Frontiers product, a "Blue Box" original set, box a bit battered (but repairable) and all components intact save the dice and crayons (and possibly a few counters). Gods though, ebay is a chore, no matey, listing all the contents present when you don't list all the original content and don't mention which bits are missing is not ok when the person buying it does not automatically know what should be in the box to begin with. Fortunately ebay agree with us, still a pain though, thought I'd got a decent "Alpha Dawn" set for a very reasonable price. Next up, Knight Hawks, though I might have to use my American sister-in-law to assist with that. Set course for the 80's... (My Livejournal) |
 May 22, 2015 - 7:25pm | Leave negative feedback and state "all contents NOT present". |
 May 23, 2015 - 5:16am | do you really expect to get the dice and crayon? ----------------------------------------------- |
May 23, 2015 - 7:13am | Dice and crayon no (although some sets you can buy do still have them), the Expanded Rules Book yes. The person who bought it for me didn't know that the game should include it and no mention was given that it was missing, or even that it should have been there. It's being dealt with, we'll get refunded. I did want the Blue Box set all along, but it was too expensive until my SO added her contribution as well. Set course for the 80's... (My Livejournal) |
 May 23, 2015 - 9:40am | Wonder what a still shrink wrapped AD box set would go for? If there is such a thing still in existence. As I remember, TSR dice were crappy quality marbleized colored dice that didn't take long to chip on the edges. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
May 23, 2015 - 10:55am | $223.38 according to Amazon (presume it's still shrink wrapped). I'm still amazed I got a shrink-wrapped "Justifiers" RPG box set a few years ago, and that was only as far back as 1992. See there's a copy of Knight Hawks with the counters unpunched AND the dice and crayon going for $70 too (although I think $1,657.58 is a bit much for a "new" copy...). And crappy cheap plastic dice with the numbers not coloured in? Got a set of those with my Games Workshop "Call of Cthulhu" and "Golden Heroes". Still got one or two hanging around in the dicebox. Set course for the 80's... (My Livejournal) |
May 24, 2015 - 8:59am | Wonder what a still shrink wrapped AD box set would go for? If there is such a thing still in existence.
I have an AD box, and I have some shrink wrap...combining the two is not rocket science. Personally I'd prefer something that can be opened and verified. |
May 24, 2015 - 10:11am | The cellophane on the Justifiers box was yellowed and brittle with age, original. Odd to think this had lain unopened for over 25 years before I bought it. Of course it was ripped off in about three seconds of me getting my hot little hands on it and consigned to the bin. Pre-internet I used to carry a piece of paper in my wallet with all the good UK second-hand dealers in RPGs listed, if I wanted something the hunt would begin and I got pretty good at tracking things down. Ebay and Amazon have taken all the fun out of things... Set course for the 80's... (My Livejournal) |
 May 24, 2015 - 10:53am | Well I have an extra KH box but it doesn't have the counters (I just check) so it's not as desirable. I have it basically as a back up in case my original set completely falls about. After 30 years, it's slowly getting there (lost cover and lost front/back page :) ). Ad Astra Per Ardua! My blog - Expanding Frontier Webmaster - The Star Frontiers Network & this site Founding Editor - The Frontier Explorer Magazine Managing Editor - The Star Frontiersman Magazine |
May 24, 2015 - 1:39pm | I generally keep printed and bound remastered rules handy by the computer for consultation. Most are done with comb binding from Staples. My Zebs binding cracked and broke so I took it back to Staples and they replaced it no charge- I was prepared to pay for it as the cost is minimal but they didn't want ot charge me so that was that. However, my KHs is hard bound. I had seen a tutorial on making your own hard bound book and gave that a go with the remastered KHs + Dragon magazine article or two that were KHs related. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 May 24, 2015 - 3:25pm | A few years ago I got opened Alpha Dawn and Knight Hawks boxes with unpunched counters on eBay. It's possible, but you may have to wait for them. |
May 24, 2015 - 4:26pm | The cellophane on the Justifiers box was yellowed and brittle with age, original.
This is actually a key thing to look for, however there's a downside: that deterioration also affects the printed material within in a bad way...the oil from the plastic seeps into the printed material and alters the coloring and "feel" of the paper product inside. It's a catch-22 for collectors, original wrapper versus original color/condition that was once inside the former wrapper, but you can't have both. |
May 25, 2015 - 1:36am | A few years ago I got opened Alpha Dawn and Knight Hawks boxes with unpunched counters on eBay. It's possible, but you may have to wait for them.
The counters are not the most important thing to me, there are high-definition images of the counter sheets from both games available online and I have the Amarillo Design Bureau (Star Fleet Battles) Prototype Kits with blank counter sheets of various colours. Bit of sticky-backed paper or some decent glue and voila, new counters. Getting the rules book and the other inserts like the maps and deckplans is the key thing for me. Hmmm... Star Frontier Battles... Anyone know of a conversion of the SF ships to the SFB game mechanic? Set course for the 80's... (My Livejournal) |
May 25, 2015 - 1:49am | This is actually a key thing to look for, however there's a downside: that deterioration also affects the printed material within in a bad way...the oil from the plastic seeps into the printed material and alters the coloring and "feel" of the paper product inside. It's a catch-22 for collectors, original wrapper versus original color/condition that was once inside the former wrapper, but you can't have both.
In this case it was a case of this was the only boxed set you could find! Which was the only way I could get hold of the "Hybrid Sourcebook" (with it's tastefully glamourous wrap-around cover of a scantily-clad cheetah girl). This wasn't on Ebay or Amazon either, I found it in the RPG stock catalogue on the Alterrnate Worlds shop website (a sort of Australian "Forbidden Planet") which is a real treasure trove of out of print games. No Star Frontiers stuff there though. Set course for the 80's... (My Livejournal) |
May 25, 2015 - 3:06am | SF to SFB sounds like an interesting mission for the conversion round table project I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 May 29, 2015 - 12:29am | Here in the UK, there seems to be a fair few copies of SF available on Ebay. That said, some people are asking for silly amounts of money for quite battered versions - awhile back a very tatty one was being sold for nearly 40 quid! I also acquired some apparenly 'like new' character sheets, but the seller neglected to mention the copious pencil notes added to them. Took quite a while for him to agree that this means that they weren't 'like new'... I bought a very good condition box set 4 or 5 years ago for £10. I also have a Zeb's Guide which looks almost new. What I'm really after is a ref's screen in good condition - they seem a bit pricey here. |
May 30, 2015 - 4:05am | Well you can pick up one for around 25 to 30 quid from Amazon.com, postage from America shouldn't be that bad as it's going to be quite light. Ebay.com has some as well. You got any Amercan (or Canadian) relatives that make the occasional trip over? (I fortunately do :)) Shortly after I ordered the "blue box" Star Frontiers a good condition purple box set came up for around £20, so I grabbed that too, just waiting for them to arrive. Also got to keep an eye on ebay and amazon for Knight Hawks now. Set course for the 80's... (My Livejournal) |
May 30, 2015 - 6:53am | I think 25 to 30 quid for the refs screen is a bit pricey for my tastes  |
May 31, 2015 - 3:55am | postage from America shouldn't be that bad as it's going to be quite light. This is true. I love to order specialty miniatures from British companies like Ground Zero or Hassel Free miniatures. Where as to order from Italy, oh hell no! and there is one company in Italy i would have ordered a lot from but that aint happenning with shipping cost will double what i'm spending. (Yet another example of taxes killing commerce and free enterprise.) I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
May 31, 2015 - 11:52am | The Ground Zero Guys are a great bunch. Met them at a few cons and have Full Thrust. A Full Thrust/Knight Hawks conversion would be another worthwhile consideration. For anyone interested you can pick up all the rulebooks free as pdfs at the Ground Zero Games website. Even "across the pond" postage can still be quite prohibitive, that's why I have my brother ferry things over when he makes the trip. Incidentally we heard from Ebay yesterday, they did indeed find in our favour, full refund plus postage. The amusing thing is that we didn't action an escelation, the other guy did and Ebay took very little time in deciding he was actually the one in the wrong. Set course for the 80's... (My Livejournal) |
July 6, 2015 - 10:42am | It continues, just took delivery of the "Knight Hawks" set from "Wayne's Books", a USA-based used game seller. Seems to have everything bar the crayon (so another set of original dice) but I'll check the counters out shortly. There was a slight hiccup with delivery, resulting in additional customs fees, but on contacting Wayne I was immediately compensated above and beyond the extra charge. Be buying from him again definitely. A quiet evening spent pouring over my new acquisition tonight methinks (yes I've had the pdf for ages, but it's not the same...). Set course for the 80's... (My Livejournal) |
July 6, 2015 - 1:23pm | Gratz! I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
July 9, 2015 - 12:33pm | Nothing beats a hard copy, especially if you want something for time spent on the throne. |
 July 10, 2015 - 4:46pm | I agree. "Never fire a laser at a mirror." |
July 31, 2015 - 6:11am | It proceeds. Just took delivery of "Mutiny on the Eleanor Moraes" and "The Dramune Run". Particularly pleased with the latter, from Wayne's Books again, practically mint, indeed I've bought new games that weren't in as good condition as this. "Mutiny" is particularly useful as it has all the info I'll need to finish off my "Landstrider" Planetary Exploration Vehicle system concept (for later dissemination) but I do like the Dramune Run, I like the Gullwind Freighter and the fact that the module sets you up with the ship at the end is a perfect lead in to a "free trader" style campaign. Incidentally, 1984, Dramune Run, fat blobby crime lord The Malthus. 1983, Return of the Jedi, fat blobby crime lord Jabba the Hutt. Coincidence or parallel evolution? Oh and my copy of Knight Hawks had a grand total of three counters missing, a light blue UPF Frigate, a Sathar Destroyer and a Sathar Assault Carrier, everything else present, which is pretty good going. Set course for the 80's... (My Livejournal) |
July 31, 2015 - 6:26am | I like the Gullwind Freighter and the fact that the module sets you up with the ship at the end is a perfect lead in to a "free trader" style campaign. Incidentally, 1984, Dramune Run, fat blobby crime lord The Malthus. 1983, Return of the Jedi, fat blobby crime lord Jabba the Hutt. Coincidence or parallel evolution? First 3 issues of FE had a serialized adventure for starting out the players as joining a CFM crew there's material there you could adapt for a free trader campaign. Clearly the Malthar is a rip off of Jabba the Hut, but hey Star Wars was a hot property at the time and I don't blame them. In fact if NASA was landing men are Mars right now and there was a buzz over that I'd be looking to cash in on the buzz in the magazine somehow. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
August 1, 2015 - 1:37pm | Incidentally, 1984, Dramune Run, fat blobby crime lord The Malthus. 1983, Return of the Jedi, fat blobby crime lord Jabba the Hutt.
Coincidence or parallel evolution? There is a lot of Star Wars that can be read into that module. Garlus = aged Han Solo. Gullwind = Millenium Falcon (right down to a smuggling compartment). Malthar = Jabba. Somewhere on the net is a WEG Star Wars rendition of Dramune Run. |
August 1, 2015 - 4:46pm | Incidentally, 1984, Dramune Run, fat blobby crime lord The Malthus. 1983, Return of the Jedi, fat blobby crime lord Jabba the Hutt.
Coincidence or parallel evolution? There is a lot of Star Wars that can be read into that module. Garlus = aged Han Solo. Gullwind = Millenium Falcon (right down to a smuggling compartment). Malthar = Jabba. Somewhere on the net is a WEG Star Wars rendition of Dramune Run. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
August 2, 2015 - 12:35am | The link is probably buried somewhere in Art/Aethelwulffe's board if that is still on the net |
September 16, 2015 - 1:54am | Right, thank Smeg for Ebay (despite previous difficulties), just ordered a Referee's Screen and "Bugs in the System" for something resembling a decent price as opposed to Amazon (£350? Are you mad?!) Apparently still sealed too, coming in from Finland in a week or so, hopefully all will be well. Planning to pick up the "Volturnus" pair in a bit as well. The collection grows... Set course for the 80's... (My Livejournal) |
September 16, 2015 - 5:22am | Actually, if you need the SF1 and SF2 (the two Volturnus modules) I have extra copies of both of those. I also have an extra SFKH1 - Drammune Run. The Volturnus modules are open but in good shape (wear on the spine) and the Drammune Run module is still in shrinkwrap. Send me a message if you're interested. I think I can provide them at a decent price plus whatever shipping ends up being to where you are (I'm in Utah in the US). Ad Astra Per Ardua! My blog - Expanding Frontier Webmaster - The Star Frontiers Network & this site Founding Editor - The Frontier Explorer Magazine Managing Editor - The Star Frontiersman Magazine |
